If you, this weekend, will be staying home and being uncool (like me), take solace that you have purchased neither of these two items plucked from America's cultural tawdriness barometer, eBay. If you have purchased either this fake supercharger or bogus turbocharger whistle, do not be ashamed. Be assured that few could resist such adroit advertising attacks as, "Why pay 6 Gs and give up all fuel economy?? WHEN NOW! You dont have to!" [Thanks, Michael!]
Read - Fake Supercharger
Read - Fake Turbocharger
If it weren't for sponsors, we couldn't afford to throw away our computers every time they got dusty. If you'd like to advertise with Gizmodo, don't be so shy. We've done this before.
This week's sponsors include:
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Computers in cars aren't new; hell, you can buy one from Sony or Pioneer these days, if you want. But this homebrew job, 'the Tatra Mac G4,' is extraordinarily well put-together, right down to the live ethernet ports in the arm rest and the custom software that processes data gleaned from the car's standard electronics. It even switches between GPRS data connections when WiFi is unavailable. This is exactly the kind of overkill I support. [Thanks, Sam!]
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SanDisk has a new set of flash drives out, the 'Cruzer Micro,' in 128, 256 and 512MB sizes. I'm at the point where I wouldn't even mention Yet Another Flash Drive, but SanDisk snuck in this marginally crafty Cruzer Micro MP3 companion, a AAA-powered music player that uses the flash drives as a storage medium. Okay, looks good, SanDisk. You're free to go. [Thanks, Greg!]
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Someone has leaked the first shots of Nokia's next N-Gage iteration, and sadly all the reports are true: Sidetalkin', the go-to joke of 2003 is no more. What's more, there is also a proper MMC slot so that games can be inserted without removing the battery. Although this screenshot says it has a 'Camera' menu option, the hardware doesn't appear to have a camera, so it's likely this is just temporary firmware. [Thanks, Boogie Doggie!]
Look - Front
Look - Back
Look - Lights Off
Look - Lights On
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Microsoft has three new special-edition wireless optical mice, designed to appeal to those that find current mouse styling (or good taste) boring. Styles include the 'Groovy,' 'Immersion,' and the 'Night Vision,' but fear not: Microsoft is asking users to vote for future special-edition finishes.
Actually, go ahead and fear, because I just checked out all the styles that can be voted for, and these three are actually the best.
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Don't get too riled up: this NEC N900 cameraphone is available only in China for now. Plus it can only be used with a headset, but that only makes the credit-card sized device a tiny bit less desirable.
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Freecom Technologies has announced four external USB drives, including the good looking FHD-XS, a bus-powered 40GB 1.8-inch hard drive with an integreated USB cable. If 2003 was the year of Yet Another Flash Drive, I welcome 2004 as the year of Yet Another USB Hard Drive.
Read - Cell Phone Nation
Om Malik is in India doing some work and has blogged about the burgeoning Indian cellphone market. Apparently, it's set to explode, with over 12 million new subscribers in just the last three months, and companies like Samsung, LG, and BenQ pushing new phones into the markets with great success.
He also talks about using Vonage via his Powerbook to make a call back to the US. Even including the charges for his "almost 3G" data connection, the 20 minute call still cost only around 30 cents, compared to almost twice that per minute over traditional long distance. He envisions "the end of distance" in the very near future, and it isn't hard to see that he's right.
Read - Cell Phone Nation
Read - Vonage over CellPhone
Sony Ericsson's P900 mobile phone is a featured product inside of Ubisoft's new game Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, and one of Mobile9's forum members grabbed a screen shot. It's sort of sad that a high-tech super agent like Sam Fisher would use a modified commercial phone, but considering how much consumer hardware finds its way back to military application, it may not be as far-fetched as it first seems.
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More DS mockups:
That would be very hard to hold. [Thanks, Ali!]
This one came from Joe Balardi (as well as a few others). Joe Balardi is the worst scammer ever. Gizmodo has a bounty out for the first Nintendo DS pics, right? We get lots of images sent in with crazy, inflated tales of origin, which is fine, because as all know that in America lying gets you stuff. Joe, however, doesn't quite get how it works. Look at this progression of deceit:
[MORE]
So apparently I got a sexy anonymous rumor yesterday morning, but Thunderbird's wonky spam filtering decided it could wait to be posted until today.
Regarding the Xbox 2 hard drive, I was snowboarding in Whistler, B.C. from February 19 - 26, 2004. We were in a bar called the Amsterdam Cafe in the village one night and J. Allard, the head of Microsoft's Xbox division was in the bar with some friends. I recognized him from a recent Business 2.0 article and we started talking. (He bought my friends and I a round of drinks he called "Hey Zeuses" - they were Red Bull and tequila and they were nasty.) Anyway, we were talking about the Xbox 2 and he said their current plan was not to include a hard drive in the Xbox 2 itself, but to offer a portable hard drive as an accessory you could buy separately. Here's the kicker: He said what they were trying to do was to incorporate MP3 (and WMA, obviously) functionality into the portable hard drive and turn the thing into an iPod killer. Basically, the idea was to come up with an MP3 player that was as good or better than the iPod that would also serve as the hard drive for the Xbox 2. And he said they planned to sell them as a loss leader at $100 each. I don't know how you can confirm this other than if someone happens to know that J. Allard was in fact in Whistler that week or is fond of a Red Bull and tequila drink he calls "Hey Zeus," but for what it's worth that is what he told me. (He also told me that the Xbox 2 will in fact use an IBM processor, but I think that is already pretty widely known.)
Hrm, that's a rough one. An integrated iPod-esque hard drive would be a nice two-birds-with-one-stone move if Microsoft had the huevos to pull it off, but why is J. Allard getting lit and blabbing secrets to snowboarders? I would be happy to hear any clarifications you might have.
Dell's iPod clone, the DJ, dropped in price this week from $249 to $199 for the 15GB version and $299 to $279 for the 20GB. While the DJ isn't quite the status symbol the iPod is, it does, you know, play music, and its battery life is usually around twice of the iPod's.
Good thing the player prices are dropping, too, because music downloads are slowly creeping up in price. The WSJ has a story on the increasing album prices on services like iTunes and Napster, despite the fact that retail prices for the albums are far lower than what they sell for online. I guess that's what happens when you let a company set the price for its album on services that have little competition (not counting free P2P services like Kazaa).
Read - Dell Drops DJ Prices
Read - Downloading Music Gets More Expensive
Dan's Data is a website that does everything wrong: it's ugly, irregularly updated, and doesn't adhere to a strict set of marketing strategies and easy-to-digest technical overviews. And because of that, it's one of techdom's gems--a no-nonsense dissection of the insides and workings of our favorite gear. Dan's Data eponymous founder took a break from writing and reviewing to talk to us:
Tell us a quick run down on you, your weblog, and what it was that made you want to start your own?
Well, Dan's Data isn't a blog, it's a review site. I don't post news.
That aside - I'm an Australian computer journalist (we do much the same amount of cursing and drinking as real journalists, but have better pocket knives) who kind of fell into this job, because I can both write and wrangle gadgets tolerably well. I started Dan's Data in 1998 as a sideline to working on paper publications, because Web publication is better than paper for all the usual reasons, and over the years it's grown into a good living all by itself.
What do you think it is that makes your weblog website stand out?
The stunning, cutting edge design.
No, wait - the content. I write disturbingly in-depth reviews of various oddball things, and take pretty pictures of them too.
What was the first gadget that really caught your attention?
Uh... does Lego count?
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Do you want to see a 35-second slo-mo video of a blended metal bullet liberating a slab of roast beef of all cohesion?
Yes. Yes, you do.
The Armed Forces Journal Shootout serves as a sort of tradeshow for weapon-and-ammunition manufacturers and military buyers. AFJ was kind enough to provide streaming video of some of the products displayed, including the CheyTac .408 kilometer-plus sniper rifle that can shoot through multiple winds, 76mm High Impulse Weapon System that eases the kickback from giant, shoulder-mounted cannons [right], F2000 Assault Rifle weapons platform with add-on modules such as laser range-finding and firing assistance, the cute-as-a-button P90 fully-automatic, and many more.
It's easy to hate war, but so hard to hate the weaponry. [Thanks, Jeremy!]
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The AP wire has a touching story about a woman who convinced a thief to return her car via text messages. He left the vehicle in an abandoned lot, but still made off with her son's mobile (which is how she contacted him in the first place) and a bunch of birthday presents. I've known women with persuasive thumbs, but they've usually been at my throat. Buh-zing!
Read [Via Techdirt]
CVS/pharmacy has a new service that lets customers print pictures directly from their cameraphone, via Bluetooth or infrared. There looks to be a partnership with Nokia, but presumably any cameraphone should work. Has anyone used this service yet, and was it worth the $.29 per print?
Read [Thanks, Jeff!]
Update: After reading this story, Bill Koslosky took his Treo 600 down to his local CVS to test some shots and posted the pictures to his site. He says he's "truly impressed with the results and the convenience." Nicely done, CVS!
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Why isn't there wireless internet and phone service on trains? It's a question that many, including eWeek's Guy Kewney, have asked. It seems the same reasons are carted out in London as they are here: No one would use it; it's potentially dangerous to unspecified old equipment; there's no money in it; it might incite the mole-men to throw off their shackles--nobody has a clue. Kewney brings up an excellent point: with location-based marketing the Next Big Thing, why in the world would anyone not want to market to people on the trains? It's somewhat ridiculous (if an occasionally pleasant respite) that two of the largest public transportation systems in the world are both radio badlands.
Read [Via TechDirt]
Wired Mag has a story describing A-POC, a weaving system that produces a rapid-prototyping-like tubular cloth that can be cut anywhere without unraveling--allowing custom clothing to be made without any sewing. The A-POC system can be used to make a variety of materials, including structural components. If the patent-pending process takes hold, it is possible that bespoke clothing could be designed or customized by the wearer themselves, uploaded to an A-POC weaver, and 'printed' out--at least, that's what I want to happen.
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A good mechanical clicky keyboard (as BoingBoing's Cory Doctorow aptly puts it, a "rattly, clackety hapticality") is one of the single greatest investments typists can make. I swear by the old-school IBM weapons-grade models, which can be found for low dollars in junk shops (or purchased from the current licensee, whose name escapes me at the moment), and if someone were to develop a PS/2 or USB version of the crusty IBM System 34 keyboards--the ones that made the crisp spring-loaded, muscle-building clang--I would have a breakdown from joy. Apparently, the Mac world has such a legendary keyboard: the Apple Extended Keyboard. Now Matias has created the 'Tactile Pro,' a keyboard that incorporates the same mechanical switch technology of the old keyboard, with the modern addition of USB ports. No more smushy, marshmallow keyboards for Mac users, unless that's what you want.
Read [Via BoingBoing]
EverGlide's subtly-named Giganta Ray brings useless hot-rod lighting techniques (developed by the same scientists who chromed the space shuttle!) to your mousepad with its six integrated blue LEDs. Surprisingly, the light doesn't really affect the sensors in optical mice, so go ahead...get it. You've been waiting for this since your very first Star Trek Convention.
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Federal wiretaps for XBox Live? If the proposal the FBI has made to the FCC is approved, Xbox Live, MSN Messenger, and any other online chatting services would be legally required to have built-in back doors to allow easy access 'wiretapping' of IP communications.
If you don't realize why this is bad, I probably can't convey it to you in just a few sentences. If you do realize why this is bad, but haven't donated to the EFF lately, let me provide this handy link.
While the XBox Live focus is mostly a creation of the gaming media (the proposal would affect all online communication equally), it will be interesting to see how the gaming community responds.
Read - Gamers.com [via DesignTechnica]
Read - Electronic Frontier Foundation
As part of their development of the current iMac, Apple apparently toyed with idea of a 'snake-arm' computer. They were granted a patent on the idea, but fortunately had the good taste to hold off putting it into production. Mac Observer has more images.
Read [via CultOfMac]
Computerworld is reporting that Intel is releasing four new processors, including a 1.3-GHz Low Voltage Pentium M, the 1.1-GHz Ultra Low Voltage Pentium M, the 1.4-GHz Celeron M and a 900-MHz Ultra Low Voltage Celeron M.
Intel's Pentium M has been a very successful chip, bringing high-end performance to laptops without sacrificing battery life.
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I didn't expect to be surprised by innovation in a USB hub, but the Belkin TetraHub's ability to split up one of its USB 2.0 channels to allow USB 1.1 devices to suckle at a full 12Mbit/s is impressive. On normal USB hubs, bandwidth is shared between each device, so that each added device impedes the whole. This is still the case for USB 2.0 devices on the TetraHub, but the ability to leverage the increased bandwidth to squeeze usefulness from the older technology is laudable. EverythingUSB has a full review.
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Tech-Digest also mentions that the E-Ten P300 and P700 are available in the UK. The E-Ten phones are some of the most svelte Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 smartphones on the market. As you can see, they are only 200 pixels wide. Amazing what they can do these days.
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Reminiscent of the failed Richochet networks, a UK company 'Last Mile Communications' is working to deploy 150,000 wireless transceivers in lamp posts and signs, offering 40Mbps data connections to customers. While they don't exactly say what standard their "pico-cell wireless technology" uses from point-to-point, they do imply that each wireless 'post' will be able to communicate via Bluetooth or WiFi.
There are a number of questions raised by this: What will the latency of a repeating wireless connection be? Will the wireless posts drown out or interfere with other WiFi hot spots? Is the 'WDirect' technology going to be sold as a wide-range internet access plan, or simply on a location-to-location basis?
It all sounds sort of dubious, especially considering they haven't begun to install any of the equipment yet. The more you investigate their site, the more information you can find about caching advertising information at each wireless post. People don't want a filtered and targeted internet experience; they want bandwidth, and lots of it.
More information can be had at Tech Digest and the company's site.
Read - Tech-Digest
Read - Last Mile Home
Trusted Reviews inclines their monocle towards the Systemax TourBook 5112, an Intel Centrino-based notebook with some interesting features--most notably, the addition of 802.11g networking. Built-in DVD+R burner, SD/MMC/Memory Stick reader, and IrDA (yet no Bluetooth), sex it up a bit, and the ability to use the CD-ROM drive to play audio discs without booting up is handy, when you need it. Good battery life and screen, too. All in all, the TourBook 5112 gets high marks, with top-end performance for just under two large.
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The Netherlands has made itself an international reputation as the place where people put things into their body they were told specifically not to. Not content with cheap hash and disease, Dutch eye surgeons have implanted heart- and moon-shaped jewelry into the conjunctivas (the eyeball's mucous membrane) of six women and one man, each of whom are obviously hopped up on goofballs. So far there are no reported side effects or complications, which is nice, because assuming their eyes don't rot out or join a band or anything, I wouldn't mind having a transparent heads-up display implanted over my cornea in the (far) future.
Read [Thanks, Fu!]
CNet reports that Microsoft was granted U.S. patent 6,716,102 yesterday, which details a method for saving games on a game console hard disk. The word on the wind has been that Microsoft will forgo the hard drive in the Xbox 2, putting some sort of flash memory device in its stead. While CNet speculates that this patent may portend an Xbox 2 hard drive after all, the March 2001 filing date likely makes this a hold-over from the first round of Xbox development. I suspect Microsoft will let us know at this year's E3.
Read [Thanks, Sergio!]
Read - Xbox 2: Hard Drive or No?
Although I can't remember that last time I've used a computer that didn't have at least on-board sound, the addition of built-in PC audio hardware to the Platronics USB DSP-500 headset is an interesting twist. Still, unless you want to use the DSP-500 as your only sound source, a regular sound card or USB audio device (like the Creative Extigy or Griffin iMic) would probably offer much more all-around functionality. Also, could someone tell that woman not to scream so loudly into the monitor? It scares the pixels.
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Xerox has launched a new low-end color laser printer that's cheap enough to consider for home use. The Phaser 6100BD uses a slower four-pass system, but can still print about five 600- or 1200-dpi color pages per minute--not bad for a $699 color laser.
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E-MU, the audio and synthesizer giant whose chips have powered Creative's Sound Blasters for years, has been out of the PC hardware market for five years, but returns with three new PC sound cards, the 1212M, 1820, and 1820M ($199, $399, and $499, respectively). ExtremeTech suggests gamers won't get the full value out of these cards, but home audio engineers should listen to what E-MU is trying to pitch them, despite the current lack of high-end 96KHz/24-bit audio support.
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Reader Jeffrey Chan sent us this translation of the baffling, if alluring, Vibro-Jimmy video:
OK, I saw your article and saw the video.First of all, it's definitely a cockring, it was referred to as such everywhere in the video.
As for the Ricky Martin reference, the inventor who was being interviewed was citing Ricky Martin as an inspiration.
The real funny part is, just moments before the Ricky Martin clip came on (@1:10), the captions (and presumably the inventor) said something in the line of, "I got my inspiration when I saw Ricky Martin's __electrified ass__, and on the news I saw females who were using vibrating handsets to 'DIY'...."
Yes, he said, literally, Ricky Martin's electrified/automatic ass. (The adjective he used may mean "electrified", "automatic", "battery-powered", among other things.) I found that quite amusing.
The inventor also knew about the Japanese vibrating condom and discussed it in the video (@0:52). Roughly, his words were, "With the Japanese condom, you have to first put it in this warm box thingy and wait 10 mins, then take it out, from preparation to usage takes a whole hour. Now with this kind of thing during sex, you can't have time for sex. With(out) time for sex, (what it does) makes no common sense to the human body in term of biology."
Update: Some of you have been asking me where you can purchase a Vibro-Jimmy. The answer is: here.
PVRBlog alerts us that Gateway is cut cut cutting prices at all their retail stores in advance of Friday's closure. They mention the Gateway Connected DVD player with 802.11g on sale for $87. We'll try to get down there tonight to see if there's any other good deals.
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Trusted Reviews is holding another contest, and this time we Yanks (and the rest of the world) can get in on the goods. By answering the simple question, "In which country is ATI based?" (Answer: Commonwealth of Biscuit) and signing up on their site forums, you can win one of ATI's next-generation video cards sporting its upcoming unreleased chipset, the 'As-Yet-Unnamed XT Pro,' which will surely have the eye-cleaving graphical heft of ten Pixars and be fueled by the vulcan roil of a thousand suns. Considering new video cards usually hit the market for about $500, I say we go for it.
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Giving a Brooklyn salute to all those parents who said videogames had no redeeming value, a study at Beth Israel Medical Center has shown that doctors who play videogames at least three hours a week make about 37 percent fewer mistakes in surgery, while performing 27 faster. Although anecdotal evidence (like Gulf War I's 'Nintendo Tank Pilots') has indicated much the same for years, the study shows that surgeons who 'warm up' with videogames have a marked increase in coordination, agility, and accuracy when performing laparoscopic surgery using shotgun or chainsaw on zombie/alien patients.
Read [Thanks, Fu!]
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