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Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Nextlink Bluespoon 5G review

Wow, now that is tiny!  I wonder what the audio quality is though?

Nextlink Bluespoon 5G

Nextlink is finally getting ready to roll out their Bluespoon 5G headset, which will take over the title for smallest (3 x 1.7 cm) and lightest (G stands for grams, natch) Bluetooth headset from the previous recordholder, their Bluespoon AX. Pocketnow has a hands-on review of the headset and overall finds it pretty slick. Some marks were withheld for having to semi-frequently swap out its four small rechargeable batteries, and for the two-button interface which made accessing some functions at times awkward. Nextlink will be selling the 5G through their website for an eye-popping $399, so this’ll pretty much only be for those of you who’ve got some bling to burn.
[Engadget]

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Don't try this at home!

Yikes!  I know some folks from Hemel Hempstead...  Sounds about par for the course eeh Randy?

During this week of renewed Star Wars mania, the BBC is reporting that two Lucas geeks and potential Darwin Awards nominees are now in critical condition after trying to videotape their own "mock light saber duel." A 20-year-old man from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, and his 17-year-old female companion had made the sabers themselves by pouring petrol into fluorescent light tubes and lighting them!

Both are being treated at a burn unit after one of the "sabers" exploded.


[The Sudden Curve]

Expand Your HTC's Hardware Buttons With AE Button Plus

I tried this on my PPC-6600 and it seems to work just fine. :)

"AE Button Plus for HTC's Himalaya (O2 Xda II, T-Mobile MDA II, i-mate PDA), Alpine (O2 Xda IIi and similar) and Magician (O2 Xda II mini, T-Mobile compact and i-mate JAM) extends the functionality of available hardware keys on the devices above which is appreciated especially for the HTC Magician which includes four hardware buttons only, compared with the Himalaya/Alpine six buttons."

If you're looking to expand the usage of your HTC...
[Pocket PC Thoughts]

Monday, May 23, 2005

Roomba gets a sidekick: Scooba makes mopping obsolete

 

iRobot Scooba

iRobot, deities of all things floor-cleaning and robotic, have introed a new sibling to the Roomba robotic vacuum/child herder. The Scooba is designed for some industrial strength cleaning action on your tile and linoleum floors, which it achieves by first vacuuming up the flotsam and jetsam, then applying a liquid cleaner, and following up by drying the floor — making it also safe when used on wood floors. Price isn’t set, though iRobot CEO Colin Angle promised consumers “won’t get sticker shock.” As to availability, limited supplies will supposedly be available “this holiday season,” which we can only assume means that whole December 25th time frame — apparently in America, it is the only holiday.
[Engadget]

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Ringtone dancer!

This is.... well.. Creepy.

Ringtone dancer

Why? Because it’s Fun Friday, that’s why. Beware: totally obnoxious audio ensues, following that read link. We apologize for all of this in advance, but we were just so, um, moved that we had to pass it on.

[Via Waxy]
[Engadget]

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Das Keyboard

Add this to my list of Things I Want But Can't Afford.  Looks cool

daskwork.jpgBack when I read Neuromancer once a month, I always loved the idea of Case's unmarked cyberdeck. Well, now you too can have a super keyboard even if you can't have Molly's leather jeans or Case's jittery nerve damage.

The site is a bit overwrought and I figure a razor and a Logitech keyboard will get you just about the same thing as the Das, but for $79.95 you can piss off your visiting friends and pretend you're the hottest deck jockey this side of the Chatsubo.

Product Page [DasKeyboard]
[Gizmodo]

Brian Vickers in our parking lot

200505181147_00037.jpg

Wow! A real NASCAR dude in our parkinglot!

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Take Your iPod Underwater

I don't surf, but I do like to sing in the shower!  But I *still* don't have an iPod yet... :'(

On Tuesday H2O Audio announced the first commercially available waterproof case for full-size iPods. The company says the product is completely submersible -- meaning surfers, water skiers, and swimmers can listen to their iPod, even underwater. The case comes with specially designed earphones that are waterproof as well.
[BetaNews.Com]

Monday, May 16, 2005

Brighthandle glows green to indicate unlockedness

This would be cool in bathrooms in order to avoid the embarrassing "Come in..." when you encounter a locked bathroom stall...

Brighthandle 2

Leave it to the Nordics with their techno-furniturism — a couple of Swedes have invented the Brighthand door handle, which has an acrylic tip that glows green when unlocked and red when not. Wires run through the door to power the unit (there’s a battery-powered model, as well), which can be programmed to light up anytime you need to get your glow on. No word on the cost factor, but knowing the usual premium for Scandi design, expect to pay a pretty penny just to avoid that awkward scenario of jiggling the handle of an unknowingly occupied loo.

[Engadget]

Piggly Wiggly simplifies payment to the touch of a finger

I saw this over the weekend and I think it's cool.  From what I can tell, they don't keep a picture of your fingerprint, just a CRClike number based on your finger.  They have been testing it for a while near the coast and things have worked well.  I will enjoy not having to reach for the wallet/check book.

Technology is going to the grocery store as Piggly Wiggly is introducing shoppers in South Carolina and Georgia to the Pay By Touch system, a payment method that only requires the touch of a finger.
[WISTV - News]

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Xbox 360 Fact Sheet.

All I can say is.... WOW!  I know what I want for Christmas this year!

Xbox 360 Fact Sheet. As they say, all rumors come true eventually. Although I see that they clocked it down from 3.5 to 3.2 GHz. [Hack the Planet]

Friday, May 13, 2005

Startup set to unveil tritium-powered batteries

Neat-O!  Now, can we put these in cars so that I can drive around for 20 years before needing to put more juice in?

Konfabulator battery widget

A startup funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation is set to unveil a technology that could use atomic energy to power the batteries used in small electronic devices. The “BetaBatt,” as described in the May 13 issue of Advanced Materials, will use the hydrogen isotope tritium to create batteries that can last up to 20 years and be used in everything from spacecraft to mesh networks. Unlike previous attempts at atomic batteries, the BetaBatt is said to be small and efficient enough to be used as a practical power source for regular use. According to the developer, BetaBatt Inc., tritium was chosen because of its minimal shielding requirements, and no radiation can leak from the battery’s hermetically sealed case (isn’t that what they said about Chernobyl?). No indication yet of whether this will ever be approved for use in consumer devices, so if you’re a thrill-seeker willing to risk it all, you may have to content yourself for now with third-party cellphone batteries.

[Thanks, Roland]
[Engadget]

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Lingo VoIP

http://www.lingo.com/voip/features/voip_features.jsp

 

Check this out my Pensacola brethren!  They have Pensacola numbers!

Happy Friday the 13th!

All you  Paraskevidekatriaphobiaks and Triskaidekaphobiaks look out!

 

Someone I know, who I *know* reads this blog, once told me he was a  triskaidekaphobiak.  I am wondering if he ever got over it.  Of course, I probably wont hear from him today....

 

Some history on the fear is over here.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

ActiveSync 4

It's out!!! This is good news for Windows Mobile 5 and I also heard that when SP2 for Exchange 2003 comes out, we will have OTA sync of Tasks!!!!

Sunday, May 8, 2005

Hack Windows Media Center for 4 TV Tuners

Kewl, but then again, I still use BeyondTV... :)

Windows Media Center splash screen

Over in The Green Button online community, member Scruffs has posted details on how to how get Windows Media Center to work with up to four TV tuner cards. It does require messing with the Windows registry, so novices might want to steer clear, but we’re guessing if you’re the type of person that has four TV tuners, you’ll be used to that.

[Via eHomeUpgrade]


[Engadget]

200505082013_00034.jpg

200505082013_00034.jpg

My bear!

Thursday, May 5, 2005

Networked emoticon device

Boy, I want one of these. :)  I am in to the whole not talking thing...  hehe

Networked emoticon device

Phone calls? Time consuming, intrusive. Instant messaging? Quicker — but for the ultimate in one-click expression of your internal states, there’s the networked emoticon device. Get your loved ones an up-to-the-minute report on your inner self in realtime. Plug one in to your home network and install one at the office, then submit your mood state with the press of one of the four icons. Your options for expressing the finer shades of feeling run the gamut from a to d: happy, sad, so-so, or upset. You can even give as many third parties as desired access to the inner workings of your heart, as the networked emoticon is accessible via web page or cellphone. Pretty soon, we won’t ever have to talk to each other at all.
[Engadget]

Wednesday, May 4, 2005

The G3 beer server

I would become a MAC user if I had one of these. :)

G3 beer server

You know, we’re all about repurposing old gear here at Engadget. And what better way to trick out your aging desktop system, really? Aesthetic, yet practical. We’ll drink to that.

[Via My Apple Menu]

[Engadget]

Nt nazi

Nt nazi

No more NT for you!

Monday, May 2, 2005

EVDO USB Modem

Ooooh, this looks cool!!

samba_evdo.jpgAn interesting little device from Falcom. This USB EVDO modem accepts a SIM card and can either plug directly into a USB or stand on a delightful little upright dongle. It includes a headphone jack so it can double as a cellphone and supports 800 Mhz and 1900 Mhz bands.

It's still in the testing phase, but it's quite a refreshing take on the staid businessman's PCMCIA EDGE card and proves that someone out there is reading the writing on the wall and understands that WiFi is nice in cities but the real winner will be longer-range 3G cell networks, at least for Joe Average Consumer (maybe, if they can get prices down and speeds up).

Also, we're dumb, but why there is a SIM card slot on a CDMA modem is too much for our feeble minds.

EVDO USB Modem by Falcom, Samba 3G [EVDOInfo]

[Gizmodo]