Tuesday, August 31, 2004
First look at the Philippe Starck-designed Microsoft optical mouse >
If you’re going to hold something in your hand for over 8 hours a day and have it part of your desk landscape, it should at least be nice too look at—and if you’re lucky, functional, too. We’re talking about the humble computer mouse; specifically, the new Microsoft optical mouse designed by Philippe Starck, which we had a chance to take for a test drive.
Continue reading “First look at the Philippe Starck-designed Microsoft optical mouse”
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The AlphaSmart Neo portable word processor >
AlphaSmart has a new portable word processor out called the Neo which is basically a keyboard with a small 5.75-inch by 1.5-inch monochrome LCD screen attached to it. It’s aimed pretty much exclusively at the educational market, and is way cheaper and easier to carry than a laptop (at least it’s easier to carry than most laptops) and more useful for taking notes or writing a term paper than a PDA (unless you invest in a good portable keyboard). The major downside is that you basically still need a PC or Mac to transfer files to (via IrDA or a USB cable) if you want to print something out (unless you have an IrDA-enabled printer), but it does get up to 700 hours of battery life on just three AA batteries and retail for just $249.
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MIT’s kitchen of the future >
Since we don’t actually have a proper kitchen (apparently an oven is considered optional in Manhattan) we forget that there are people out there who still cook. Which is why it hurts even more to hear that MIT has a “crude mock-up of a Manhattan apartment kitchen” where they’re testing the kitchen gear of the future, including plastic containers (pictured at right) with sensors that can automatically keep track of how much time you have until something goes bad and adjust the estimate depending on whether the food is stored in a refrigerator or on a countertop, oven mitts with built-in thermometers that can annoy/remind you when you need to check on something, mugs that change color depending on their temperature and can tell you when you’ve put too much sugar in your coffee, and reusable meltable plastic wafers that you can reshape into cups or bowls or plates or whatever it is you’re short on.
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The Army’s Tactical High Energy Laser goes mobile >
We were mighty impressed to hear that the Army is working on a mobile version of their Tactical High Energy Laser, which they’re using to shoot down incoming rockets, mortar rounds, and artillery shells, but we were a little disappointed to learn that the THEL, along with the new mobile version (known as the MTHEL) constitute our nation’s only laser weapons. Do we seriously need to get Phillip in there to set things straight?
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Can Pull, pull-tab vs. inebriation >
My fingers just can’t seem to find the pull-tab on that 5th Natty-Ice, hmmm, shall you call it a night? Hah, is
the Pope Jewish? You whistle for Can Pull, and your lack-of-dexterity finds a new intern. Yes, Can Pull is sad in
theory, but the neon polycarbonate pull-tab can opener would have looked hot hanging from your
‘92-era raver neck (like a rave pacifier for the beer-drinker set). Well, maybe not, but designers
at Priestman Goode have named it the best beer drinker invention of all time.
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Monday, August 30, 2004
Unnerving Japanese sleep doll >
This innocent-looking plushie seems like a nice
soft toy you could buy your newborn nephew. But oh, how wrong you are. Bring it home and a
creepy spy emerges, designed to harrass you out of bed when you sleep late. The Japanese Tomy Sleep
Watch Doll has six sensors, can say 1,200 sentences and after learning its owners sleeping habits, irritates the
crap out you when you change your sleeping times. Why anyone would inflict this pain upon
themselves, we’ll never know, but we suggest sticking with your trusty old alarm clock.
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Sunday, August 29, 2004
The week in Engadget >
In case you missed any of them, some highlights from the past week of Engadget:
Features
How-To Tuesday: Make 3-D photos
Guess which one is more endangered
Watch this Wednesday: The GPS Watch
The Search Engine Belt Buckle
Kevin Kelly Asks Engadget: What’s the best home
projector?
WWJD 2: Design the new G5 iMac entries
Movie Gadget Friday: eXistenZ Metaflesh Game Pod
News
Actual pics of the new Treo
Ace/Treo 650
CompUSA already selling HP’s h6315 Pocket PC Phone
I was Cingular’s 25th million subscriber and all I got was
this lousy cellphone
Usher: secret gadget nerd?
Your new virtual cellphone girlfriend
Sharp’s AX-HC1 fat-reducing microwave oven
The MYMO: Baby’s first cellphone
Optware’s 1TB Holographic Versatile Disc
Blast destroys digital camera, leaves memory card
untouched
The Pentax OptioX
Five new digital cameras from Casio
RealNetworks cuts prices in half, sells a million
tunes
Honda’s pedestrian warning system
Griffin EarJams
Way, way too much about HP
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Friday, August 27, 2004
Way, way too much about HP >
Ok, so today was HP’s big day, what with the hPod and a couple of dozen of other new product announcements and all,
so in case you’re just tuning in right now, here’s a brief round-up of our coverage today:
hPod to outsell the iPod?
HP’s iPod from the back
HP’s Digital Entertainment Center
HP’s DJammer
Stickers for personalizing your HP iPod
It’s official: The Apple iPod from HP…is just like the Apple
iPod from Apple
HP drops some TVs (and printers) on us
HP takes the wraps off the HP iPod later today
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Marché Noir’s Computer Key Rings >
Nothing says “I’m a geek with bling” more than Marché Noir’s Computer Key Rings. It’ll only set you back $38 to $50 (plus shipping and handling) to kick it QWERTY style.
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Customer loyalty programs with your cellphone >
A company called Vivotech is using the the fact that people don’t
enjoy carrying a bunch of different customer loyalty cards (or keychain dongles) to push an even more intrusive method
of getting ten cents off on paper towels. They’re working on using kiosks at the store’s entrance (which probably no
one will stop at) to send ads, sales and specials to cellphones and PDAs via Bluetooth or IR. How are we supposed to
sign up as I.C. Weiner of 123 Anyplace Street if our cellphone is beaming the store all of our demographic
information?
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Bask in umbrella light >
You’d think that electricity and pouring rain wouldn’t exactly
complement one another, but these umbrella designers think they do, so we’ll just shelve those uncomfortable
thoughts for now. Firebox is selling the Bright Night Umbrella which acts as rain protector, light aid and gaudy
fashion statement. Blade Runner did have something like this but somehow it just looked way cooler sheltering
Harrison Ford.
[Via GadgetMadness]
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Of dubious health benefit – The Portable Oxygen Bar >
Maybe it’s just because we’ve been here in New York for such
a long time, but we don’t really notice the overall ickiness of the air anymore. Which is not to say it’s all nice
and fresh, but our lungs seem to have built up some sort of immunity, though not one we’re willing to bet our
long-term health on. So it is with some interest that we bring to you the Portable Oxygen Bar which is supposed to
clean the air around you by “generating negative ion in electron theory.” On second thought, maybe we’ll just
stick to our super-stylish surgeon’s mask that we’ve been rocking Michael Jackson-style.
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Bluetooth How-To >
In the spirit of helping those of lesser geek fortitude, Jon’s Guides has put together a pretty exhaustive guide on how to make your PC play nice with pretty much any Bluetooth device you might happen to own (and it seems like he’s tested them all). It covers everything from setup to security and even has an advanced section for those who aren’t scared of a little jargon. With this you’ll finally be able to take full advantage of that phone you smuggled in from Europe.
[Via David Smith’s Bookmarks]
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Thursday, August 26, 2004
Hasta la vista college fund: get your own homemade Terminator bot on eBay >
No movie buff’s home theater would be complete without this here handmade Terminator sculpture. It looms a menacing six and a half feet high and is made entirely from old car parts. The bids on eBay Europe are up to £3,000 (around $1,800), shipping not included (though we shudder to think how much that’s going to set us back). Ominous glowing red eyes, Skynet, and human slaughtering movement are also not part of the deal. Too bad really, since we sorta had this hankering to build our own giant robot army.
[Update]
so we managed to type 1,000 pounds into our handy online converter, thus coming up with a completely incorrect
converted price. the proper price in dollars is about $5,400
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The loneliness of the long distance cyberathelete >
We weren’t exactly dying for a Bluetooth-enabled golf club, but this week’s Circuits section of the New York Times
has a story about people using wireless Internet-connected sports gear so they can “play” golf or tennis or whatever
against someone who may be thousands of miles away. It’s not exactly like the real thing (we don’t see a totally
decentralized Olympic Games anytime soon) but it does let you assess and compare your performance with friends who
might simply live too far away for some head-to-head competition.
[Thanks, Mike]
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Canon attempts to revive pocket calculator, dies trying >
Seeing new desktop calculator models come out sort of reminds us of tweaks to a car model that’s soon to be phased out (though 1.5 million are still sold in Japan each year), but we rather like the fact that Canon’s new USB desktop calculator/ten-key add-on also has a USB 2.0 hub and cursor keys built in. The thought of all those USB cables snaking around is a bit unappealing, though. Also, there’s fierce competition in the form of their own model with a built in trackball. What we really want is a Bluetooth calculator, though; that’d be something with real brag value.
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Lie-detector beanie >
By morning its your trusty ol’ lie detector but by
night its a sassy red polkadotted beanie perfect for ladies night at the Drunken Clam; really breaking
out of the drab lie-detector mold never felt so good. Unfortunate appearance aside though, the new
lie-detector cap created by Japan’s Brain Functions Lab uses Emotion Spectrum Analysis to measure brains
waves through the cap’s 10 electrodes (polkadots). Supposedly Sharp is using Emotion Spectrum Analysis to
measure consumer satisfaction of audio equipment, we just hope they’re getting a new designer
soon.
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Is the electric bullet a silver bullet? >
After inventor John LeBourgeois read of New
York City police killing unarmed Amadou Diallo with 41 bullets, he decided it was about time to create a
less-than-lethal weapon that officers could use. By stuffing piezoelectric material into regular bullet casings he
created an electric bullet that releases a shock 1 to 1.5 times the strength of a heart defibrillator. The new bullet
makes most people drop immediately and barring heart attacks isn’t likely to kill them, though some people are
criticizing the powerful punch of the electric bullet as still plenty dangerous and say that other non-lethal methods
need to be employed.
[UPDATE: Amadou Diallo was shot at 41 times, but was hit with19 bullets.]
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Wednesday, August 25, 2004
The USB WeightSensor >
The true gadget geek on a diet won’t settle for keeping track of their progress with anything less than this USB WeightSensor from Phidgets. It’s a scale that can record your weight to your PC and then do just about anything you like with the data (assuming you or somebody else can write a script for it), like automatically email it to your doctor or post it to your weblog (or something else equally embarrassing).
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The Apple Desk >
So you bought a Mac, got that iPod thing going, you’re even telling all your friends to ditch that old PC and join the rebellion. Why not show everyone how hardcore you are and make an Apple table to put all of your many Macs on?
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Nest sofa >
Sometimes we dream of having the perfect family unit,
sigh, but instead of the white picket fence we’re going to snuggle our happy family into a big nest
- like this one in the middle of an abandoned lot. Its actually a sofa called Tak, made by the dutch
team, Tjepkema Studios. The best part is as your family grows you can add more big rubber branches til you’ve
got a house full of plush brown twigs for your Mormon-sized commune.
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Hamster Powered Light >
Here’s a good step-by-step on how to enslave lower mammals in to producing power for a night light. Rodent power (specifically power from Skippy the hamster) isn’t the easiest thing to take advantage of, but the article does a good job explaining the components and what’s needed to get the pet juice (err…you know what we mean). This might make up for all the power that was wasted on that hamster dance back when everyone first discovered the Web.
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The 3D Display Cube >
From artist James Clar, a cube made out of a thousand LEDs that “encourages the viewer to think about the limtations
of current display systems and the representation of spatial data present in everyday life.” Translation: no more
having to look at MP3 “visualizations” to get your kicks.
[Via MoCoLoco]
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Horseriding exercise machine >
Since we’ve all said to ourselves, “I wish there was some
way to go horseback riding without the horse and actually inside my own livingroom watching TV” at some point
(what you haven’t, what’s wrong with you?), we present the Joba Horseriding Exercise Machine. Yes, you can now
feign exercise on a gyrating metal saddle designed by Japanese co. Matsushita. We’re thinking
Japanese customers have a slightly different response to the product than a customer in, say, Lubbock, Texas. When
in use you must outstretch you’re arms to look as awkward as possible and while staring forward with a grin. Come
on, don’t you want one? — It’s even got cute little metal stirups. Chaps not included.
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A new use of cellphones: creating Fashion Victims >
<>
Inspired by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby’s Design Noir,
the victims behind Fashion Victims wanted to create clothes and accessories that dealt with the interactions between
all the electromagnetic radiation of our gadgets and the “real” world. Notice how cellphone conversations always seem
to annoy everyone around the person talking? Your desire to gag that loud-talking-man on the bus is a perfect example.
The Fashion Victims people take it a step further, with bags and shirts that get a little more ink-stained with each
exposure to cellphone radiation (be sure to check out the video). Given how much people use their cellphones these days
it’ll probably take about four seconds to get totally stained, so fortunately they can be turned off when they’ve had
enough, though not until we get a visual reminder of our impending sterility. Yay!</>
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Razorba: Back hair beware >
We know you were hoping the shirtless hair-sweater had gone
70’s-retro hip, but we’re sorry to say, your day has not yet come (and it might not since supposedly Eighties retroness
is giving way to Ninteties nostalgia). Maybe the Razorba, a special handle so you can use your razor to shave your
back, is a little much, but it beats Nair parties and high-priced waxing salons. It does look
a tad tricky so a mirror might be the way to go. Maybe natural is the way to
go…
[Via Popgadget]
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Swatch keeps time in Athens >
We haven’t gotten around to watching too much of the Athens Olympics but when we have watched we’ve been pausing the
TiVo frequently to try and catch what technology they’re using to time events. And it’s the time-obsessed Swiss
gadgeteers at Swatch determining who gets the gold, silver, and bronze (you may remember our feature about
timing the Tour de France). During last Monday’s
100-meter backstroke race, for instance, Swatch touch-sensitive pads accurately measured the one-hundredth-of-a-second
difference between second- and third-place swimmers. The call would have been impossible without the technology. Track
event cameras are even more sensitive, taking 1,000 images per second at the finish line. Swatch is also measuring
volleyball serves with sonar, pacing cyclists via transponders, and tracking marathoners with microchips tied to their
shoes. But what we really want to know is, will they be able to aid the beleaguered judges of men’s gymnastics by 2008
in Beijing? (Poor Paul Hamm).
[Thanks, Brian]
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Give Hitachi’s new PC a hand >
It’s pretty unlikely anyone who’s ever used a computer hasn’t been annoyed enough to give it a rude finger gesture but Hitachi’s come up with a PC that can interpret hand gestures via infrared sensor and use them to operate the computer. For instance, moving your hand in the air from left to right would scroll through document pages. Hitachi figures the system could be useful for recipe-hunting housewives with food-covered hands or surgeons who want to instant message while in the middle of cutting people open. We still think this mouse thing is working out for us just fine.
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Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Vonage gets down with Linksys and Netgear >
Vonage has been busy lately, cutting deals with both Netgear and
Linksys to make routers with built-in analog telephone adapters that’ll work with their broadband Internet telephone
service. The new RT31P2 from Linksys (pictured at right) comes with two phone jacks in the back for making Voice over
IP calls with regular wireline telephones, while Netgear is coming out with pretty much the same thing, just with a
wireless 802.11g thrown in there for good measure (though Linksys says they have one of those coming out, too).
Read - Vonage
and Netgear
Read - Vonage and
Linksys
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xemail on your typewriterx >
A typewriter that emails? Where the hell was this thing in our emo days? This is the ultimate for moody alternateens
of all ages: a modified Olivetti Lettera 22 (created by Aparna Rao and Mathias Dalhström) that takes text input on
“e-mail” letterhead, writes it to buffer, and when you pull the page out of the typewriter, sends an email via internal
modem. Pair it with an e-text of The Bell Jar and some MP3s of your fave Cap’n Jazz seven inch, and you’ll be all set
for the 21st century.
[Via Near Near Future]
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Classy geekery with the Angelshare wine cooler >
Oh yeah, now we can finally put aside our wine-in-a-box habit and
move on to real bottles. The Angleshare WA-1 wine cooler can keep wine at perfect-for-serving 53, 57 or 60 degrees and
the humidity level at 65% to keep that cork nice and supple. Don’t know if this works quite as well for the newfangled
plastic “corks” they have these days but we’re certainly willing to down a few bottles to test it out. There’s also
protection from UV rays and a stabilized fan so that the bottle doesn’t get shaken in any way. As if all this wasn’t
drool-worthy enough, they have 6 and 12-bottle coolers for those big dinner parties we keep swearing we’re going to
have.
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Coming soon from HP >
About a year ago HP decided to make our lives really difficult and announce 158 new products on the same day. Now it looks like they’re getting ready to unveil a whole bunch more stuff, probably/hopefully not as much as last year, but the line up is set to include the long-awaited HP version of the iPod, LCD televisions, wireless “links” (whatever that is, sounds like a line of wireless media adapters), a digital media hub, and possibly a few other surprises. The lameness is that HP is building all sort of digital rights management into a lot of the gear, since they’ve decided they’re more interested in pleasing Hollywood than their customers (they’ve apparently have also decided that they’re not interested in making money, since why would anyone buy crippled gear if they didn’t have to?). Anyway, the big announcement is expected around September 2nd or 3rd, we’ll have a full report for you whether we like it or not.
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Teachers fight fire with fire >
Remember dittoes? In schools across the country, there isn’t much in the way of “take one, pass it down” anymore. Paper and pen are being upgraded to mouse and keyboard. Classrooms full of computers (never mind cellphones, PDAs, and iPods) present special problems and opportunities for teachers. And according to The New York Times, teachers are learning to fight fire (wire) with fire. Network software NetOp allows teachers to freeze student’s desktops during instruction and watch what each student is up to during work time. Other teachers employ high-tech gadgetry to wow students into paying attention. The PC-projected lesson is replacing the chalk board and instead of chalk, teachers are using wirelss keyboards and mouses, typing up pop quizzes on screen which students respond to via remote controls. But before you think everything’s gone Jetsons on us, a lot of today’s gadgets are only modifying, not replacing, old-time teaching methods. During physics demonstrations, one MIT professor keeps his students awake by “accidently” blowing up a capacitor. “You have to make loud noises once or twice to snap them back to attention,” he said.
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Moo-rific mod >
A mental image of an udder meshed with mother board is something we would usually avoid, but we’ll make an exception with this guy’s hollow plastic cow PC case mod. Since he’s got an uncomfortably intimate knowledge of cow anatomy, he neatly packaged his mini ITX-based computer into a purchased expansive cow body. Somehow the fact that German Wal-Marts sell large plastic cows doesn’t seem so unusual, but the case’s butcher-style precise incisions are a tad off-putting.
[Via GadgetMadness]
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The Alcolock car breathalizer >
Various parts of the UK are conducting trials of the
Alcolock, a breathalizer-type system that attaches to a car’s ignition and requires the driver to blow into a tube
before starting the car. If the blood alcohol content is too high, the car won’t start. It’s being targeted at
those previously convicted of drunk driving, possibly as a way to regain their licenses sooner. On a side note, we
wouldn’t mind an alternative ignition system based on this. Though just the breathing tube alone, minus the
suspicion. Put your key in and blow the breath of life into your car. Think of the power.
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A middle ground on RFID? >
Our buddies at C|Net’ve got a nice little overview of
the state of the RFID debate. While we’re sure it’s nothing you haven’t heard before, it’s always fun to read the
latest salvos from the “The government/hackers will track every single move we make! We’ll be totally 0WNED” and the
“RFID tags are the only way to save our children/razor blades/parakeets from
the terrible evils of shoplifters/kidnappers/dark magicians” camps. So go on and take a gander, but remember not
to get too close to the mavens on either side. They bite.
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Monday, August 23, 2004
Hide your gadgets in your BlackCoat-T >
Sure, it feels sorta gimmicky, but Koyono is selling the BlackCoat-T, a t-shirt with a zipper right in front that
hides a secret pocket for carrying an iPod or a cellphone or a PDA or whatever else you think you can successfully
squeeze in there.
[Thanks, Jim]
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Walk, don’t run: charge your cellphone while on the go >
That less than stellar battery life on your newest gadget may be
less trouble than you thought, due to researchers at the Division of Mechanical and Information Engineers at Korea
Maritime University. They’ve successfully figured out how to recharge a cellphone just by walking around, through a
kinetic-to-electrical energy converter in some shoes, managing to get 5mW of electricity every few steps. Of course
they’re trying to improve on that, with plans to charge an MP3 player in 5 to 6 hours, which seems like a bit more
walking than we do on our average day (but then we are writers, so what do
we know). Still, it’ll give us an excuse to get off our rears and actually walk to work.
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The Wave Pillow >
For the technologically-inclined surfer who already has that
wireless Tablet PC surfboard there’s now the Wave Pillow,
an Internet-connected pillow that vibrates in time to the kind of waves that are at the beach that morning (or
afternoon, depending on the hours you keep) so you can literally feel how heavy the surf is. You just connect it to
your PC at home, use the included software to designate which beach you want to keep tabs on, and the Wave Pillow
automatically grabs the wave info off the Wave Buoy website, where it gets translated into vibrations.
[Thanks, Regine]
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Sharp’s AX-HC1 fat-reducing microwave oven >
<>
It was getting damned difficult (not to mention messy) trying to
figure out how to grill non-flat items in our Foreman Grill, so thank you, Sharp, for figuring out how to melt fat in a
much more convenient (and futuristic) way. The AX-HC1 microwave oven uses “superheated steam” to melt the oil in fatty
foods, resulting in up to 13% fewer calories. The shorter cook times also minimize the loss of nutrients that
occur through cooking, though not sure anyone will care as much about that. The microwave goes on sale in Japan next
month and Sharp plans to eventually roll this thing out worldwide.</>
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