Hugh Hefner may not be able to have a cellphone within 10 meters of him thanks to the fact that both his mechanical heart and mechanical genitals suffer from radio interference problems, but he knows what the kids like. And the kids like them iPhones.
Step one: iPhone. Step 2: make a set of "sexy non-nude Playmate wallpapers, a complete one-hour episode of Playboy Radio's 'The PlayMate Hour'"", and a "Playboy.com Cyber Girl Video" for said iPhone. Step 3: Profit.
[Gizmodo.com]
Dell is proud to launch the line of its nine new Inspiron desktops and notebooks with an XPS M1330 notebook that will hit the market with eight-shell colors choice.
To heighten its low graph in market and to improve quarterly profits, Dell has also started to sell some firm PC models at Wal-Mart retail stores from June 10 and it is noteworthy that for the first time it has changed its way from the direct sales model. Dell’s fame always touts aloud worldwide because Dell cuts its cost by eradicating retail intermediaries and only sells its PC’s via Web site, phone lines and catalogs.
According to Alex Gruzen, senior vice president of Dell’s consumer product group:
The Dell of today is vastly different from the Dell of six months ago or even last week. We are here at Macy’s in New York City. That alone is different for Dell, being in a department store or any kind of retail setting at all.
To attract more consumers to its PC’s the colors option that Dell is offering includes pink, yellow, green, red, blue, as well as standard white and black. This week report released by Forrester Research Inc. reveals that to combat Dell’s this colorful lineup other PC traders will also track the same blueprint by making their products unique with flashy lights and of course via technical details to make it suit with consumers demand and to enable them to make choices.
Forrester analyst J.P. Gownder asserted:
The consumer PC industry is entering the Age of Style, a time in which radical form factor innovations, increased aesthetic diversity, and consumer choice and personalization will determine which models, and which PC vendors, win or lose
Inspiron notebooks will hit the shelves with a choice of two processors either from Intel Corp. or from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) and consumers have to shell $749 for model 1521 and $999 for 1720 model. Whereas Inspiron 1420 that is for $799 will offer some additional choice to consumers to choose from Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Vista or the Ubuntu Linux operating system.
[Source: English.people]
Other than waiting outside an Apple or AT&T store, what could be better on a brilliant sunny Friday than going to the beach to use one of these Portable Pillows with FaceSaver?
Can't think of anything, except maybe going with a load of margaritas. But since we are stuck here, the third best thing is posting a picture of it in action. And the second thing?
Two pictures.
What can I say. I just love pillows, the sun, Pillows with FaceSavers and cocktails too. Too much.
[Source: gizmodo]
Sony's NW-A808 Video Walkman now gets a dose of white and pink colors. With 8GB of onboard memory the player supports popular audio and video formats. It features Sony's proprietary 'clear audio' and DSEE technology for clear audio playback.
The NW-A808 has a 2 inch (240 x 320) bright and crisp LCD display.The Sony NW-A808 with the new colors will be available in Japan from July 10 for 32,800 Yen ($ 265).
[Source: newlaunches]
I like the beauty of life – but some prefer an intimate relationship between life and death. They like extreme sports, the adrenal thrill of challenging limits and cheating death, jumping of cliffs and planes.
Heart’s plummeting, while you sit stationed at sixty miles off the ground in a small rocket – and a command calls you to jump off the craft, you undo your harness and out you go, jumping from 120,000 feet in a specially designed space suit at scorching speeds of over 2500 mph, descending Earthwards. The speeds fall to about 120mph, to terminal velocity when around the outer atmosphere and at 3000 feet, a typical parachute opens – that leads you down safely only for you to hear a big thud far-off - that’s probably your rocket in a pile of twisted metal.
That’s Space Diving for you - the latest venture to flaunt with the extreme emotions.
Did you ever think humans could be crafted into living meteorites, returning alive from the orbit – all perhaps wished this was a reality when the landing of Atlantis was delayed by a couple of days, last week – or when the space shuttle Colombia broke, killing all crewmembers in mid space.
It may be a hallucination for you and me but for two space industry veterans — Rick Tumlinson and Jonathan Clark – it is a veracity that the duo wishes to bestow upon us by 2009 — a technology not only as a sport but also a feasible escape route for the astronauts in the event of a mishap.
Jonathan Clark the mentor of the design carries a very personal and emotional interest – he is the husband of Laurel Clark, one of the crewmembers in the Columbia space shuttle.
Ya, diving from 120,000 feet may be thrilling and wouldn’t require anything more than what the conventional balloon divers did, who attempted beyond 100,000 feet – an oxygen supply to breathe, a drogue chute to prevent spins and tumbles, a main chute to land at survivable speeds, and a pressure suit. Though, certain flaws accompany – if the human body is exposed - a worse fate wouldn’t follow long, with the water in the blood turning into gas in the low pressure - and there you’re, gone!
The Duo holds high ambitions of designing a suit for a dive of sixty miles soon with the eventual objective of engineering endurable dives from and beyond the incredible 150 miles from the surface.
The concept is a bliss – none would mind the cost for being up there. It could have saved many a lives in space in the past, perhaps it will in future, once it’s up there.
[Source: Popsci]
Competition among companies bodes well for the consumers. Nowhere is this more exemplified than in the gadget-market. Take this for instance:
To combat SanDisk’s 32 GB flash drive that the company announced a couple of weeks back, Samsung Electronics has also unveiled its plans to ship its 64 GB solid state drive (SSD) in the second quarter of this year.
This 1.8-inch model promises to offer 20 to 60 percent more read and write performance and its 64 GB unit can read 64 MB/S, write 45 MB/s and drink half a Watt when functioning and one tenth of a Watt when idle. Those are some pretty impressive numbers.
If we contrast this new drive with 80 GB 1.8-inch hard drive, which reads at 15 MB/s, writes at 7 MB/s, and consume 1.5 Watts either operating or when idle, I think Samsung’s this upcoming shot will certainly spread amidst consumers like fire in the jungle.
Although Samsung targets portable computers’ makers with this product, there’s no doubt that ultimately consumers will reap the benefits in form of faster and yet larger memories (not in terms of physical size you dumbo, but in terms of larger storage capacity).
[Source: Solsie]
I love relaxing on a lush carpet of grass, but I’d love it even more if it had adequate lumbar support. The Lawnchair, from Fung + Blatt, consists of an aluminum frame supporting pillowy, pure sod in all of its grassalicious goodness. Since the grass is real, it’s in your best interests to keep it alive, a task which is made easy by an integrated “moisturizing system.” And of course, you’ll ne
ed to mow your chair… That may take some creative programming of your lawn mowing robot. Look for it in limited quantities this fall at an undisclosed price. P.S.- The iPhone comes out today. Bam, covered! [ Fung + Blatt Lawnchair ] VIA [ Cool Hunting ]
So I’ve been holding off on posting this until I was sure everything was on the up and up but it looks like Proporta is indeed giving away free replacement silicone covers for Sony earbuds. I’ve been exclusively using this type of Sony earbuds for about 4 years now and while they’re comfortable I can’t tell you how many times one of the silicone covers has popped off while the headphones were in my pocket. So far I haven’t needed to find replacements from Sony but I know people who have and it wasn’t the easiest of tasks. Thankfully I now have a backup set and don’t have to worry so much about losing my current ones.
I also wanted to point out that not only is Proporta giving away a 3-pack of the silicone covers but that also includes free shipping. In fact I was surprised to see the package arrive in only a matter of days since I was definitely expecting a 6 to 8 weeks arrival at best.
Now unfortunately it looks like Proporta is currently out of stock of the replacement earbuds but their website says th
ey hope to receive stock again soon. You can find out all the details about their giveaway on the Proporta website including the fact you need to quote the promocode EARBUD when checking out. [ Proporta is giving away replacement earbuds…for free ] VIA [ Gear Diary ]
Every little kid who plays with Hot Wheels or other toy cars dreams about what it must be like to get behind the wheel of a real car and hit the open road. Well those of us who are old enough to drive know that in reality it’s nothing like cruising around the living room floor.
On the other hand this Miles Rug accurately recreates the experience of driving on a major freeway and interchange in a large city. The complicated maze of turns and loops actually compose an infinite freeway and the lack of any signs telling you where your off-ramp is will prepare the kid for the good times they’re sure to have behind the wheel. It also includes 3 wooden cars but I think if they’d included about 300 it would perfectly finish off the experience.
The Miles Rug looks like it’s available from BIG-GAME but I have no idea for how much. [ Miles Rug ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]
While fluorescent lights are far more energy efficient than their incandescent counterparts I’m still not thrilled with the health risks they pose. The fluorescent technology relies on chemicals like mercury that aren’t exactly non-toxic but they still get discarded like a regular lightbulb. Not good. That’s why I’m relieved to see LED technology progressing as fast as it has and a company called LEDdynamics is now producing an LED-based fluorescent tube replacement called EverLED.
Switching to the new bulbs is as easy as removing the old fluorescent ones and inserting the LED versions. The EverLED bulbs have patent pending electronic circuitry allowing them to be used in existing fluorescent ballasts so to upgrade to the new technology the only thing you have to replace are the actual bulbs. And not only do the EverLED bulbs have a 10 year life cycle but they also provide the same amount of light as the fluorescent models while using only about 80% of the power.
Regrettably while the bulbs are available in 5 different color temperatures ranging from 2900K up to 6500K they’ll set you back $149 each which is going to make it really difficult for them to catch on.
[ EverLED Fluorescent Tube Replacement ] VIA [ EcoGeek ]
Feeling like you’re growing up too fast? Here’s an easy fix: surround yourself with everyday objects in gigantic sizes and pretend to be a little kid again. The Push-pin lamp/night stand comes in lime, marine-blue, mandarin, or matte-clear. Turn the lamp on and off by pushing the pin into the base, which is cork, allowing you to stick real pins into it, which turns the night stand into a microcosm. Or is it macrocosm?
As far as I have been able to discern, you cannot remove the pin lamp from it’s block and use it to stab people. The Push-pin
was available from Design Town for $50, but (as with everything else on Design Town) it’s not available anymore, so you’ll have to get creative if you want one.[ Push-pin Night Stand ] VIA [ epotpourri ]
Most of the time, I feel like the significance that modern designers attach to their pieces equates to total bunk, especially when they go on and on about stuff like “the symbiotic formation and destruction of modern society.” But is Blanc&Reed actually making a statement with their Swell vase? Swell is a hollow grown copper container that’s been shot with a .45 caliber slug, turning it into a serviceable flower holder via the exit wound. It’s “an object formed for its deconstruction in the hope of eliciting new beauty.” As much as I hate to admit it, I kinda get what they’re saying here. [Ain’t this a little like when hippies put a flower into the barrel of a soldier’s gun? -Ed.] While far too phallic for my personal taste, you can contact Blanc&Reed if you want to find out how much Swell costs; the price is not otherwise stated. Not recommended for DIY.
[ Blanc&Reed ] VIA [ Core77 ]
A slim and light P&S camera is great for slipping in your pocket and taking wherever you go but their compact size does have its disadvantages. That thin form factor makes propping them up for self-portraits or low-light shots very difficult. As a result it’s handy to carry a tripod with you but that tends to defeat the purpose of the camera’s small form factor.
Enter the Millipod which is billed as the “slimmest tripod ever” and they’re probably right. It’s designed to attach to the bottom of your P&S camera without adding much additional weight or size. But when you need to prop the camera up somewhere the Millipod has three small legs that can be easily unfolded providing some much needed stability. It can also be rotated while still attached for getting a specific shot or when you need access to the battery or memory card compartments.
Unfortunately info on availability and pricing has not been released.
[ Always-On Millipod ] VIA [ Image-Acquire ]
When it comes to alternative fuel sources for powering a vehicle I think pedal power has solar, hydrogen and electric all beat. Besides a bit of sweat there’s no harmful emissions to speak of and the driver and passenger both get a great workout. Unfortunately though pedal powered ‘cars’ usually look pretty dorky but the 2cycle from ZEM (Zero Emission Machines) doesn’t look half bad.
While I don’t recommend if for your daily commute to the downtown core it could make for a nice trip around the neighborhood, retirement village or even campground. Without any passengers the 2cycle weighs about 93 pounds but can support 2 riders with a combined weight of up to 485 pounds. It has 2 independent 7-speed hub gears with reverse gear for all speeds, 4 18 inch spoke wheels, 2 independent hydraulic disc brake systems, a parking brake, 4-point Elastomer shocks, 2 folding bucket seats with safety harnesses and even a large baggage platform.
But at about $4,500 for the 2cycle ‘red’ version pictured above, and about $7,100 for the more advanced ’silver’ version you just might be better off taping a couple of bicycles together with some old lawn chairs.
[ ZEM 2cycle ] VIA [ ThisNext ]
| | |
|
| | |
|
While consumer-level digital cameras have become easier to use I’ve found it’s still a head scratcher for most people when it comes to getting those photos onto their computer as well as photo-sharing websites.
The Kingston Photo Loader SD card makes this process as easy as it can get. It uses a special piece of software developed by MacroPort that will automatically download the photos to the PC when the card is inserted into a card reader. The photos are then uploaded to the user’s Shutterfly account allowing them to be shared with friends and family.
The Photo Loader SD card is only available on Amazon in a 1GB capacity for $12.99.
[ Kingston Photo Loader SD Card ] VIA [ Image-Acquire ]
San Francisco based WaterField Designs has just released an updated version of their Racer-X laptop bags to accommodate Apple’s 13-inch MacBook. In addition the bags have received a bit of a design update and now have an “easy-to-access” front pocket and a choice of either a single mountain bike grip handle or dual leather handles. And besides your laptop the bags also have extra pockets and compartments for storing other toys.
The Racer-X features two zippered, interior compartments: one that encases and protects the laptop with layers of plush neoprene, foam and impact-resistant plastic; and another for documents and files that includes pockets to store accessories like PDA’s, iPod’s, cables, and spare batteries. A rear exterior pocket for magazines and files has a zippered bottom so it can also be used to slip over handles of wheeled carry-on bags. Each Racer-X comes with a removable Suspension Shoulder Strap that helps make the load feel lighter.
The Racer-X is available on the WaterField Designs website starting at $169 for the 12 inch Powerbook/iBook version and up to $189 for the 17 inch MacBook Pro version.
[ WaterField Designs Racer-X Laptop Case ]
By Andrew Liszewski
While the Trey chair website tries to portray it as the office chair of a thousand uses (particularly in this photo gallery) in reality it only has two. The first is just like a normal office chair with all the features we’ve come to expect like built-in height adjustment and seat tilt. The second is where all the ‘innovation’ comes in. The seat portion of the Trey chair can be lifted off and used as a low to the ground rocker seat while the bottom part of the chair can then be used as a foot stool, or small desk.
It’s really not as impressive a feat as the website makes it out to be but I can still see it being handy in a dorm or small apartment setting where space is at a premium. Also until the popularity dies off again you can make that Transformer sound effect every time you reconfigure the chair, so it’s got that goin’ for it… which is nice.
The Trey chair is available for $239 when you choose a standard fabric finish, $269 for faux leather and $299 for premium designer fabrics.
[ Trey Chair ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]
You know those keychain sized timers that will let you know when the parking meter has run out? Well those could be a thing of the past if a company called Photo Violation Technologies has their way. They’re currently testing a new type of parking meter in cities like Vancouver and Niagara Falls that will call your cellphone when the time gets close to running out.
But instead of dashing out to the street to feed the meter you’ll be able to make a wireless payment using your phone. Of course you can always just let the time run out and get a parking fine instead which not surprisingly can also be payed via the meter. On top of it all the Photo Violation meters are solar-powered and can even be setup as wifi hotspots.
But since parking meters are a great source of income for large cities, particularly when they run out and result in parking tickets I can imagine it will be a long time before something like this catches on all across the country.
[ Photo Violation Technologies ] VIA [ Autoblog ]
Philips 3D has launched its new 20-inch 3D display as the latest addition of their WOWvx line of products. The display increases brand awareness and attention value for product at point-of-sale locations by using exciting 3D images. The company will demonstrate the 3D display at the Anaheim Convention Center from June 19 to June 21, 2007.
The Philips 3D displays delivers exciting 3D experience without the need for special viewing glasses. The frame-mount display is a 4:3 ratio, which is intended for integration in shop interiors. The 3D display is based on Philips WOWvx technology, which helps professionals to create an amazing viewing experience by using the latest technology to make rich content and more entertainment.
The magical appeal attracts the customer’s attention to use in digital sigange, point-of-sale advertising, games and 3D visualization. 3D images will hold a consumer’s attention far longer than ordinary print images. According to some shoppers, 3D image display not only makes them “feel like buying” but also makes them “want to purchase again.
Is there anyone so addicted to their iPod that they can’t survive the duration of a shower without one? It seems so otherwise products like the iH20W wouldn’t exist. It’s a water resistant speaker that will hold most of the recent iPods including the 5G, 4G, Nano, Photo and Mini.
It includes basic controls on the outside allowing you to skip tracks on the iPod or adjust the volume. The speakers can also be used with non-Apple MP3 players but you won’t be able to control those devices while they’re sealed up inside. The iH20W can be powered by an AC adapter if you’re looking to make your showers more dangerous or 4 AA batteries if you want to play it safe. You’ll also want to note the iH20W is advertised as ‘water-resistant’ as opposed to ‘water-proof.’ So while it’s probably fine for use when showering or outdoors where it might get splashed you’re going to want to avoid submerging this thing in the bathtub or pool.
The iH20W is currently available on the iHome website for $79.99. Also I’m going to go out on a limb and predict the company will be producing a shower-safe housing for the iPhone once that’s
released because why should we be limited to just listening to music while we’re in the shower? [ iHome iH20W Water Resistant Speaker ] VIA [ iLounge ]
Hysteria is rising over the upcoming Transofmers movie. It’s understandable. So maybe it makes sense to see some Korean company trying to cash in on the action… by releasing Gundam speakers. No, Gundam is in no way related to Transformers, but they share many of the same elements: robots, anime and awesome 80s looks. That’s of course where the similarities end, and these Gundam Head Speakers aren’t really all that exciting once you get over their looks. The speakers use batteries for power, and the actual speakers are revealed only once you open the flaps on the back of the head.
No word on price or availability, but chances are this is Korea only.
[ Product Page (translated from Korean) ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]
Not for a long time have people’s panties gotten up in bunches of this magnitude over an upcoming gadget release. But word is that come June 29th (the day the iPhone hits the market), massive hordes of bespectacled geeks lusting after the coveted phone will swarm AT&T stores nationwide in such a frenzied scale that it prompted the company to hire an extra 2,000 employees just to handle the rush. To put a little more perspective, here are a couple more fun fact about the launch:
-1,800 AT&T retail stores exist and will all be selling the iPhone.
- AT&T sales staff have received a total of 100,000 hours of training to sell the device, with each employee receiving about six hours of individual training.
- AT&T stores will close locally at 4:30 p.m. on that Friday to prepare for the launch, then reopen at 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. that night.
[ Read More ] VIA [ Crunchgear ]
Wood carving seems like it’s not that hard but the few times I’ve tried it the sharp knives and chisels took more off my fingers than the piece of wood. So I can see why the CompuCarve from Craftsman would be incredibly useful for any workshop. It’s basically a computer controlled router and milling machine that can produce complex 3D patterns on most soft materials like wood, plastics and even high-density foam.
It includes custom 3D software for creating your own designs and even though it’s claimed to be user friendly I imagine there’s a bit of a learning curve depending on how complex you want those designs to be. And while it does require a PC the designs are transferred to the machine via memory cards so that your computer doesn’t have to be in the same sawdust filled room. Of course given the CompuCarve’s relatively compact size it can only handle materials up to 5 inches high and 14 1/2 inches long meaning you’re somewhat limited to only producing stuff like 3D signs and ornate wooden boxes.
The Craftsman CompuCarve is available from Sears for $1,899.
[ Craftsman CompuCarve ] VIA [ Uber-Review ]
If life’s got you a bit too stressed to get a good night’s sleep you’ll be happy to know there’s a whole industry dedicated to helping you finally catch some Z’s. But if unnecessary medication isn’t your thing there are alternatives like the Dreamate Sleep Aid. It’s a special wrist band you’re supposed to wear when you’re ready to go to bed that delivers a “comfortable double-frequency micro-massage (via a vibration motor) to specific pulse points — called the Sleeping Golden Triangle in traditional Chinese medicine — to safely relieve stress and induce sleep.”
Apparently this ‘Sleeping Golden Triangle’ is three acupuncture points located on the wrist that are responsible for calming, relieving stress and sleep inducing and stimulating these points with vibration can actually help put you under. Of course if it doesn’t work you can always go back to downing a bottle of children’s cough medicine when it’s time to hit the hay. (Please note: OhGizmo does not officially recommend downing a bottle of children’s cough syrup for either medical or entertainment purposes.)
The Dreamate is currently available from Gaiam for $99.
[ Dreamate Sleep Aid ] VIA [ ThisNext ]
By Andrew Liszewski
I’ve never in my life tried to water ski but that doesn’t stop me from laughing at those who have and particularly those who fall. I guess I just like walking around not completely covered in bruises. I would however jump at the chance to take a spin on this thing. The Bikeboard Water from Swissbikeboard is kind of a cross between water skiing and those stand-up type jet skis, but without the motor.
Like with water skiing you need to be towed by a boat but unlike water skiing the tow rope is connected directly to the Bikeboard apparently making it far easier for beginner riders to get going. It also has a set of handlebars that can be used for steering though I’m not entirely sure how that works unless there’s a small rudder on the underside I’m not seeing. If anything the Bikeboard Water at least looks far safer than other towed toys like say the Wego Kite Tube.
The Bikeboard Water is available directly from Swissbikeboard for $958 and can also be ordered in other configurations for use on land or snow. I just figured the water version was more appropriate for the summer time.
[ Bikeboard Water ] VIA [ The Gadgeteer ]
By Evan Ackerman
Don’t get me wrong, I love the whole digital revolution concept, but some things just aren’t reproducible with electronics. Bubble wrap is one of those things, but that didn’t stop Bandai from trying with their PutiPuti bubble wrap toy. The buttons are supposed to emulate the feel of bubble wrap, and when you push one, you’ll hear a popping noise. Every 100 pops, just for variety (?), you might hear a door chime, barking dog, fart, or “sexy voice.”
I readily admit that I haven’t tried this thing. But I honestly don’t see how the tactile experience of popping bubble wrap can be reproduced in a satisfying manner by a little plastic box. Part of the fun of popping bubble wrap is the act of destruction, and the knowledge that once you’ve popped the last bubble, there’s none left. If this happens to you, and you’re desperate for more bubble wrap, you can buy a PutiPuti in any of 5 colors in September for about $7. Or, you can spend that $7 on something like 30 square feet of the real thing.
[ PutiPuti (In Japanese) ] VIA [ Trends In Japan ]
By Andrew Liszewski
I know what you’re thinking, the neighbors must love this guy, but it’s not what you think. This isn’t one of those ‘tacky Christmas decorations all year round’ kind of house. In fact the building and an adjacent one have been used for exhibition space and art classes for over 30 years and they’re both scheduled to be torn down to make way for a new larger structure.
So as a final farewell to the buildings local Houston artists Dan Havel and Dean Ruck turned them into an art installation known as ‘Inversion.’ Using boards from the outside of the houses they created a large funnel-like vortex running between the two that ends in a small hole in an adjacent courtyard. It’s a cool effect particularly for those who always wanted to experience a black hole without the whole ‘being crushed to a quantum singularity’ end result.
Unfortunately if you were hoping to catch a glimpse of the Tunnel House in person you’re probably too late. The public opening for the installation was held on May 21 and the houses were set to be demolished in early June. But there’s nothing stopping you from doing this to your own home.
(Update: Thanks to Alex for clarifying that the house was actually created and torn down in 2005.)
[ Inversion Tunnel House ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]
For you aquatic types, I would recommend the ResQFix, which is functionally the same except that it comes accessorized with a neoprene floaty jacket. You can find both of these models for around $650 from a variety of online retailers.
[ ACR MicrOFix ] VIA [ Navigadget ]
Pyramat, well known for stuffing speakers into chairs, has stuffed speakers into a lap desk for your laptop and called it the Lap Blaster. In addition to better sound, the Lap Blaster also features a USB iPod dock and protects your lap from heat sterilization.
I have to question though just how useful this really is as a laptop accessory. Although there are no specs on the Lap Blaster, the two speakers (no sub) can’t possibly turn your laptop into a (as advertised) “personal home theater experience.” So basically, you’d be going from the lame speakers on your laptop to the slightly less lame (but still inevitably lame) speakers on the Lap Blaster, and you’ll be adding yet another bulky accessory to your desk. Fact is, if you want good quality sound out of your laptop, you’re going to have to plug it into something non-portable. Or headphones…
Of course, there’s a world full of compulsive buyers, so it might still sell. Who knows? No release or price date as of yet.
[ Pyramat ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]
Forget what you’ve heard about those Panasonic Toughbooks or even what Lenovo claims their Thinkpads are capable of. If you need a laptop that will take a licking and keep on ticking processing you need to buy it from a company that also builds tanks. The just launched GoBook MR-1 from General Dynamics is about 1/4 the size of a regular laptop and is built to military specifications. That means it’s dust and rain resistant, is designed for all weather conditions and can even survive 26 drops from a height of 3 feet as per military standard 810F. After drop 27 you’re going to have to try and convince General Dynamics tech support that the thing ‘just stopped working for no reason.’
Inside the MR-1’s small form factor (4.5 inches x 6.1 inches x 1.4 inches) you’ll find a 1.2 GHz Intel Core Solo U1400 processor, up to a 6 hour battery, 80GB solid state hard drive, 1 GB of ram as well as wifi, bluetooth and GPS. It also includes a touch screen with DynaVue technology making the display completely readable even in direct sunlight.
The GoBook MR-1 should be officially available sometime in September of this year starting around $4,500. And I assume it comes with a pretty good warranty too.
[ General Dynamics GoBook MR-1 ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]
I’m truly amazed at the type of things people can’t live without when they go camping. In fact these days camping seems more like an adventure in finding battery, solar or manual powered gadgets rather than a way of getting away from it all. Well adding to the list of hand-powered gadgets is the Vortex Blender for those who can’t survive a day or two in the wilderness without a smoothie or margarita.
The blender includes a 1.5 liter Lexan pitcher with an O-ring sealing top and a removable pour spout that also doubles as a 1 oz. shot glass. The base has a brushed stainless steel finish, rubber feet and includes a C-clamp for stable operation. And to make sure it fits in your backpack the base of the blender fits inside the pitcher making the whole package easily transportable.
It’s currently available from Gaiam for $88 and the site warns that when operating at the highest speed the blender is quite noisy, so don’t expect to see much wildlife if you’re using this thing out in the woods.
[ Vortex Blender ]
A point and shoot digital camera is fine for catching one or two of baby’s first steps, but what if you really wanted to preserve that moment? This dilemma has to be the reason Vision Research created the Phantom Miro 3. It’s roughly the size of a high-end P&S digital camera but what sets the Miro 3 apart is its ability to shoot at 1,000 fps at a resolution of 800×600. Just imagine the joy of friends and family while they get to watch you step through thousands of frames of your kid stumbling around during that 3 hour slideshow.
But what’s that? You don’t think 1,000 fps is sufficient? Well you’ll be glad to know that dropping the resolution down to 512×512 will allow you to shoot at 2,200 fps. Still not good enough? Well at 32×32 the camera should be able to achieve frame rates greater than 95,000 fps. As for other specs in monochrome mode the camera is rated at 4800 ISO while in color mode it’s rated at 1200, it has up to 4GB of integrated flash memory and has a minimum exposure time of 2 microseconds.
The Tefal Quick Cup (or T-Fal for those in North America and Japan) is another shot at improving the kettle by only heating as much water as is actually needed. You simply fill the reservoir with cold tap water and then any time you need hot water for coffee or tea you just push the red button and it will be automatically dispensed. The water is only heated as it travels from the reservoir to the spout and it only takes 3 seconds to bring the temperature to just below the boiling point using Tefal’s patented Opti-Quick system. And if you only need cold water just push the black button and you’ll get clean, filtered water from the spout instead.
Since the Quick Cup only heats the water as it’s being dispensed it dramatically cuts down on wasted energy. In fact Tefal claims the kettle can reduce energy consumption by 65% compared to a standard kettle. Not only is using less energy better for the environment but it’s also great for your monthly energy bill.
The Quick Cup will be released in early July (in Europe at least) and will retail for about $120. While it’s not cheap it’s probably one of those ‘better in the long run’ kind of things.
[ Tefal Quick Cup ] VIA [ Gadget Candy ]
By Andrew Liszewski
The ’systemX’ fluorescent lighting system was created by Ross Lovegrove for yamagiwa Lighting Design and is really a unique and interesting twist on standard fluorescent tubes. The system is composed of modular ‘X’ pieces made of plastic and aluminum that each contain 2 T4 21W fluorescent bulbs. These ‘X’ pieces can be combined in different geometric layouts including large planes for lighting up an entire office space or smaller circles for illuminating a more intimate dining room table.
If anything the systemX lights definitely have more visual appeal than the standard fluorescent lighting setups I’ve worked under in the past. And thanks to “state of the art electronic technology” the systemX modules can even be configured with dimmers allowing you to create different lighting moods.
From what I can tell systemX is currently only available in Europe from yamagiwa but I doubt it’s something you can just walk into a store and buy. As for the US, it’s currently listed on their
website as ‘Coming soon.’ [ systemX Modular Fluorescent Lighting ] VIA [ Inhabitat ]
The Onion, truly America’s finest news source seems to have scooped every one with their list of the iPhone’s most highly anticipated features. If you can’t muster the mouse click to head over to their site to read the Infographic I’ve conveniently included the feature list below.
Something tells me Apple and AT&T are none to pleased with the whole asexual budding reproduction feature. And I sure hope someone’s going to make a protective case for that iPhone hat. I heard it really picks up fingerprints.
[ The Onion Infographic - Apple’s New iPhone ]
