Massive Tiny USB Drives September 12, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets , Laptops , PC , Peripherals , Portable Media , Storage
Sounds like a contradiction but it’s not when you are talking about the T.One micro drives. My teeny little 64Mb USB drive (it was a freebie, OK?) is the bane of my life since I have to constantly keep deleting stuff off it on a regular basis. I’d buy a new one but I’m as tight as Sean Connery. Allegedly.
I’ve contemplated upgrading to a 2GB drive but right now, even that seems like a stop-gap move – which is why I really like the look of the 8GB and 12GB T.One USB MicroDrives. Yes, 8GB and 12GB.
They measure less than 2ins square, boast 1in hard drives, rotating USB interfaces and transfer speeds of 8.8Mb per second. Ironically, the 12GB drive is both physically smaller and lighter (1.2oz) than the 8GB drive. Go figure. They cost around £70 and £85, respectively. – Martin Lynch
Via Ubergizmo
technology tech storage USB shopping
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eMusic Launches European Online Music Store September 12, 2006
READ MORE Digital Audio , Home Entertainment , Laptops , Online , PC
iTunes semi-rival eMusic has launched a vastly cheaper online music store in Europe in an attempt to spoil Apple’s launch party later today. The second largest online music store in the US - a long way behind, I must point out - has launched a European service today, offering tracks for as little as 17p – four times cheaper than Apple’s 79p.
Hang on though. Before you start Googling the new service in search of Robbie Williams’ latest, crappy pop-synth warbling, eMusic is not really going head-to-head with iTunes. Since it only offers tracks from smaller, indie labels, it’s more of a “sneak-up-and-slap-iTunes-on-the-back-of-the-head-and-run-away” kind of challenge. Still, eMusic has advantages. The service is subscription based - £8.99 per month for 40 tracks and £14.99 for 90 tracks. That’s 22p and 17p-per track.
Music from the likes of The Raconteurs, Franz Ferdinand and Bjork is available, so it’s not all unknowns. The independent music scene is a happening place as you can see from the likes of MySpace and others all getting in on the indie act. There are 1.7m tracks to choose from. eMusic will let you make as many copies of the downloaded tracks as you like. You get 25 free songs for the first two weeks of subscription.
If I bothered downloading music by the regular channels, I’d probably be very interested in this. – Martin Lynch
Vodafone To Offer Broadband - Probably 'Free-ish' September 12, 2006
READ MORE Broadband , Home Entertainment , Laptops , Online , PC , Press
Paying too much for your broadband or mobile phone service? Then Vodafone is really hoping that it can lure you away from the competition. The company has confirmed one of the worst kept secrets by finally announcing its move – thanks to BT Wholesale - into the fixed-line broadband market before the end of the year.
Rival Orange has already launched a service that provides free broadband to those mobile customers already paying a high mobile tariff (£30+) and although details on the Vodafone service are scant – non-existent, actually - don’t be surprised if it attempts something similar.
After all, the best way to make it big in the broadband market is to use those millions of existing mobile users. The trick though will be making the broadband speeds fast enough to convince cheapskate mobile phone customers like me to upgrade to a more expansive mobile phone contract to qualify for the freebie.
That’s right, like most other ‘freebies’ you will pay somewhere else. – Martin Lynch
technology broadband news online mobile
The Solar-Powered Visor Fan Uses the Sun To Dry Your Eyes September 12, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
We don't know where this came from, but reader Tor sent in this picture of a solar-powered visor fan. It looks like the power of the sun gives life to the fan, which blows directly into your eyes, trading one type of eye discomfort for another. Even if this is real, despite the taken-in-the-80s look of the picture, we don't know where you can get it.
Thanks Tor!
Ronsonic Teleface Phone Dials a Person By Their Face September 12, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets , Home Entertainment
Useful for seniors, children, and anyone with a bad memory, this Ronsonic Teleface phone is like speed dial but with actual pictures. You assign a number to one of five slots, insert in the right picture to correspond with each slot, and presto, instant face-dialing. Available for £25 in either red/orange or green.
If you know someone with this phone, we bet it's real fun to go mix up a few of their pictures.
Ronsonic Teleface Phone [TWAcomm via Gadgetizer]
Vizo Paragon 2.5-inch External Hard Drive Enclosure September 12, 2006
READ MORE Storage
Not only can this Vizo Paragon 2.5-inch Hard Drive act as a one-touch backup and take all your data on the go, but it looks pretty cool as well.
The enclosure supports USB 2.0, has two LED lights (green and red), can be USB powered or AC powered, weighs 70g and comes in blue and white aluminum. The Paragon model works with IDE drives, whereas a separate Saturno model works with SATA hard drives and has eSATA support. There's not much special about this drive, other than its unique styling, which is enough to make us want one.
Vizo Paragon 2.5" External Hard Drive Enclosure [XYZ Computing]
Apple's Showtime: The Odds on New Hardware Tomorrow September 12, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment , Online , Portable Media
You know what happens the days before an Apple event. Fanboys go gazombo and start photoshopping fake Video iPods with reckless abandon. Their eyes roll into their heads and they moan for iPhones. Half of them even think that Core 2 Duo Macbooks are coming, as do the King s of the Geek Journalism.
But we've never told you what we think is coming. Here are Gizmodo's Odds on what hardware Steve'll unveil at Showtime.
Movie Downloads, 99% percent chance of iTunes hard-launching full-length feature films.
All our hopes rested on an invite image emblazened with the words "It's Showtime." We'd normally make that reason to believe Steve is delivering his speech in show tunes form, but then there's this legitimate outlet's article on the subject that Apple, in "mid-September, sources tell BusinessWeek, plans to announce it will start offering movie downloads from its iTunes store." Of course, Steve wouldn't expect us to watch movies in front of our computers. Nor would he spill all his beans with his "It's Showtime" invites, saving nothing for his typical "One More Thing."
This leads us to speculate on new hardware....Jump!
Creative Zen Neeon 2 Reviewed (Verdict: Deecent) September 12, 2006
READ MORE Digital Audio , Peripherals , Portable Media
Compared to the iPod Nano, the Creative Zen Neeon 2 is a bit cheaper and a bit fatter, but carries a larger screen and uses their old scrollwheel design. From personal experience, I can say Creative's scrollwheels suck elephant titties compared to the iPod clickwheel or any other control device. Some people apparently enjoy it, which doesn't tell us much since some people enjoy getting a stiletto heel to the balls as well.
The Neeon 2's other features like FM radio, RGB565 video support, 128kbps recording, and average to slow transfer speeds make this a passable player at best. Even its 23 hour and 40 minute battery life doesn't manage to pull this one out of the "meh, what else is new" category.
Creative Zen Neeon 2 (4GB) [CNET]
FireWave: Surround Sound Firewire September 12, 2006
READ MORE Digital Audio , Laptops
Hold the phones. This is a product by Griffin that is by no means related to the iPod. Wow. I am shocked they were capable of doing such a thing. The FireWave is essentially an external soundcard that runs through the Firewire port commonly found on Mac computers. This allows for a block rockin' up to 5.1 surround sound system to be hooked up to a Max. Good little unit to be paired up with a Apple laptop. £50
Product Page [Griffin]
Who Needs a PSP When You Have A PalmPS2? September 12, 2006
READ MORE Consoles
From the maker of the PalmPSOne comes the PalmPS2, a hand-held version of Sony's last, greatest console. The PPS2 takes all the innards of a regular PS2 and mounts it into a "slim" case with a DVD drive an an LCD. Taking many, many man-hours to build—including a full day of sanding—this PPS2 can play every PS2 game you can play on your regular console. Best yet, the maker used as many PS2 parts as possible, truly making it a portable PS2.
Before you ask, it's one of a kind and unless you commission the guy, he probably won't make another one for you.
Project Page [PalmPS2]
Ceedo Mobile Launcher Turns Any USB Stick Into a Smart One September 12, 2006
READ MORE Software , Storage
If you're in the market for a SanDisk Cruzer Titanium USB stick because of its U3 Launchpad, wait! Your old USB stick may still be of use yet, thanks to Ceedo.
Ceedo, which is licensed to Lexar under the name PowerToGo, is another mobile launcher that takes your non-portable applications and allows them to run off of only a USB stick.
Programs like Firefox, MS Word, Excel, Outlook and IE can all be placed onto Ceedo. Compared to U3, Ceedo has a larger range of programs to load onto the drive, and can be downloaded free for a trial before you buy. Overall, it's a pretty good idea but not all programs work as advertised. You may want to give it a whirl before you pay for it.
Product Page [Ceedo via Everything USB]
The Self-Driving Car: So Long, Responsibility September 12, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
So what, Lexus had its "self-parking" car. Big deal. A Chinese company has developed a car that, for all intents and purposes, drives itself. The car, a modified Hongqi HQ3, is able to stop at intersections, make turns, stay in between the lines (goodbye DUIs!) and, for good measure, complement the passengers. Right now, the car tops out at 37 mpg, but the company claims that it can go more than 90 mph before becoming confused. Wow, what happens when the car becomes confused?
Unmanned in the Streets: China Company Demos Driverless Car [Jalopnik]
Catcher: The Really Rugged UMPC September 12, 2006
Catcher, Inc. is coming out with the Catcher, a rugged ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) that was constructed to meet "military specifications." (What military? What specifications? Nah, no need to know that.) As a UMPC, the Catcher includes pretty much everything you'd like to find, including built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and CDMA/GSM cellular support. There's also a digital voice recorder and dual VGA cameras for, I don't know, rugged video-taking.
Since it's so rugged, it's supposed to be able to withstand a three-foot fall and still live to tell the tale, and can handle 50Gs with relative ease. Unless you're in a war zone, however, I question the need for such ruggedness.
The Catcher's manufacturer is a little tight-lipped with regards to superfluous information like price or availability, however. Too busy being rugged, I guess.
Product Page [Catcher, Inc.]
Helium Digital HD-880 Bluetooth Headset with LCD September 12, 2006
READ MORE Mobile phones , Peripherals , Portable Media
Helium Digital may not be that well known, but they are releasing a one of a kind Bluetooth headset. The HD-880 comes loaded up with a display that will show the entire number of the caller or callee. The headset also says the connection status with the phone. This can be really handy when dealing with a flaky phone that doesn't like to connect to a headset. It will be available from Helium Digital next month for £40—a little hefty, but worth it if you are a heavy Bluetooth headset user. Yeah I'm talking about you, Mr. Walking Around the Grocery Store Bluetooth Man. Even though I don't agree with your need to always wear your Bluetooth headset I still will inform you about useful gadgets.
Helium Digital HD-880 Bluetooth Headset [CrunchGear]
Camera Armor, Get that DSLR Ready for Battle September 12, 2006
READ MORE Digital cameras
Made will be launching a line of DSLR cases, or "armor" as they like to put it. They are elastometric cases that protect the camera from all of the bad stuff the earth has to throw at you. The camera armor will also come with Made's palm strap and ergonomic shoulder strap. Sounds like worthy investment if you like to take that big, bad DSLR out in the nature where it can easily get its ass kicked. No word on what models will be supported, but expect all of the popular models (like the pictured Canon 30D) to be supported.
SLR Camera Armor [LetsGoDigital]
Chameleon Xbox 360 Lighting Mod September 12, 2006
READ MORE Consoles
The Xbox 360 Laptop Mod and Battle-Worn Mod may have some competition for the coolest 360 case mod of the week. This is the Chameleon case mod. It has a stylish X-shaped window on the top of the console and the window will illuminate with seven different colors via LED lights. The colors rotate as the 360 is left on. Nice touch with the black paintjob on the rest of the console.
XCM 360 Black Knight Case with 7-in-1 Chameleon Lighting System! [MaxConsole]
Amazon Kindle E-Book Reader Packs EVDO September 12, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets , Home Entertainment , Online , Portable Media
Friends at Engadget turned up an Amazon E-book reader to go head to head with Sony's own reader. The fellas slashed their way through the FCC's site, and revealed that the device has a six-inch, 800 by 600 pixel display, 256MB of RAM, a keyboard, scroll wheel, mini USB port. There's also a headphone jack, which we guess is for audiobooks. The real find? EV-DO cellular data, probably there for downloading titles through the ether. Like all saucy and unofficial unveilings, this one opens up a bigger question: What service is Amazon going to announce to deliver these heaven sent e-books? Another image, after the jump.
Sim2 Grand Cinema HT5000 1080p MoFo Projector, Cinema Scope, Too September 12, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment , TV
Sim2 is teasing us with its three-chip Grand Cinema HT5000 1080p DLP projector, on its way to some ritzy home theater near you, if you're lucky. The three-chip monster is packing three Texas Instruments .95-inch 1080p DarkChip3 DLP chips that Sim2 says are capable of a 5000:1 contrast ratio, and you can order it with either single or dual 300-watt lamps. No word on pricing for that projector yet, but the company says it'll let us know about that and ship date sometime in the next few months.
In the same breath, Sim2 announced its Home Cinema "Scope" which lets you project movies shot in that directors'-favorite 2.35:1 aspect ratio in their full width without any letterboxing. With this system, you're not wasting about a third of the projector's resolution on pixels dedicated to that black letterboxed part of the screen. It'll be selling for £4,000 for the manually-attached lens or a cool £6,000 for the lens and a motorized sled that moves that lens into place via remote control.
Home Cinema "Scope" [Sim 2 Multimedia]
Tomy Life Box is a Tamagotchi Piggy Bank September 12, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets , Games , Home Entertainment
Saving my hard-earned dollars isn't nearly as much fun as spending my money on video games, gizmos, and booze. Here's a little Japan-only bank that'll encourage me to save the thousands upon thousands of...Yen. Every ¥500 coin deposited gives the little man on the LCD more funding to turn shoe-box apartment from ikea-slum into a pixelated palace. As Aragoto on dottocomu says:
Then you open up the box and find he actually has spent all your money on 8-bit hos and lo-rez champagne.Proper.
Tomy Life Bank [Tokyo Mango via dottocomu ]
'Berlin': Rotating Fireplace of Glass and Steel September 12, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets , Home Entertainment
Imagine this rotating fireplace sitting between your living room and kitchen, where you can just spin it around as you move from room to room, taking its heat and warm glow with you. The fireplace, dubbed "Berlin," revolves 360 degrees with the flick of a wrist.
It has polished glass shelves up top next to its chimney and a glass base to keep those sparks from burning down the house. Nice way to keep warm on those upcoming cold winter nights, but it must be a bitch to install.
Berlin (translated from German) [Max Blank, via BornRich]
VJ'ing Remotely with the Go Dance Glove September 12, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets , Games
This somewhat simple glove allows a VJ to control their video mixing remotely with the help of some RFID. The wrist brace prototype has eight buttons. The buttons control basic features of video mixing, and the wrist brace can also activate mixing features with arm and body movements. Edited image via Techeblog
Remote Vjs control [WMMNA]
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