Archive for February, 2009

Helio’s Ocean 2 now on sale: $149

Posted in Helio by Conner Flynn on February 12th, 2009

Helio’s Ocean 2 now on sale: $149We said that today would be the magic day, and here it is. Today Helio’s Ocean 2 becomes available and gets it’s very own “Buy” button. It will cost you $149 on contract or $400 without. Today Helio members also benefit from the new nights and weekends time starting at 7PM and free mobile-to-mobile, between Helio members.

A refresher on specs: 2.6″ TFT display with 240 x 320 resolution, 3G connectivity, GPS with Google Maps, Easy access to Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Flickr, Stereo Bluetooth connectivity, Media player with background mode playback, 3.5mm headset jack, Opera Mini, Mail for Microsoft Exchange, File Viewer with document editing capabilities, 3D gaming, 2 megapixel camera with location tagging and video recording, microSD memory card slot.

Googly-eyed clock tells time with googly-eyes

Posted in Clocks by Conner Flynn on February 12th, 2009

Googly-eyed clock tells time with googly-eyesThis clock tells time with it’s googly-eyes, so no matter what the hour, it’s always goofy. It’s from designer Mike Mak, who states that the “Eyeclock is a pleasuring clock which gives pleasure while telling you time.”

I don’t know about you, but being pleasured by googly eyes doesn’t seem all that pleasurable. If the photos are any indication, the right eye circles around as the minutes tick by, while the right eye swirls slower for the hours. Sure, it’s cute, but would you want to look at it all day?

Fully-Automatic LEGO Uzi

Posted in lego by Conner Flynn on February 12th, 2009

Fully-Automatic LEGO UziWe’ve seen Lego guns before, but this one is pretty special. It was inspired by the Micro Uzi and this LEGO weapon packs a punch. It can shoot dozens of rubber bands in just seconds.

Flip the switch and it can go from semi-automatic to fully-automatic. You’ll want to hit the link for a video of the uzi in action, where you will see that this is not your average wimpy rubber band gun. It can fire off rounds as fast as you can pull the trigger. The secret apparently is in the 8 x 1 LEGO beam that pivots around it’s center, for its firing action.

SMELLIT concept makes Cheech and Chong worth watching

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on February 12th, 2009

SMELLIT concept makes Cheech and Chong worth watchingWe’ve perfected the art of excellent sound and HD movies in our Home Movie Theaters. But something is missing. A sense of smell. If you can smell it, you are there. That’s where SMELLIT comes in. Imagine watching a chef make a pizza and being able to smell every detail, like you could also taste it. You could watch some Cheech and Chong movies and get a contact high.

SMELLIT works just like your printer, but ink cartridges are replaced with smell cartridges. As your DVD or Blu-ray player reads the video and sound information, SMELLIT processes the same DVD, but the ”smell CARD” decodes the smell information from 10 to 20 seconds* ahead of the actual scene so the odors have time to hit you. After information is read, the cartridge vaporizes a very small amount of “smell gel”, and the central fan distributes the smell in all directions. It can be loaded with up to 118 cartridges, each with a different “smell gel”.

Hitachi cell phone with 3D photo and video

Posted in Hitachi by Conner Flynn on February 12th, 2009

Hitachi cell phone with 3D photo and videoJapanese cell phone maker KDDI has teamed up with Hitachi to one-up your iPhone as the iPhone can’t manage 3D content. The Hitachi WOOO H001 will show you 3D versions of your phone’s still images and video.

But that’s not all, the phone also will give you a 5 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, microSD slot, and a 1Seg TV tuner. No word on price, but the handset should hit the Asian market by spring.

Garmin-Asus Nuvifone G60 screenshots and specs

Posted in Garmin by Conner Flynn on February 12th, 2009

Garmin-Asus Nuvifone G60 screenshots and specsThe Nuviphone M20 from Garmin and Asus will be out later in the year, but it won’t be the first collaboration to arrive. The first will be the Nuviphone G60 and here are the details and specs.

The device will feature a 3.5″ touchscreen display, HSDPA/3G connectivity, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, Built-in accelerometer, Pre-loaded maps of your region, 3 megapixel camera with geo-tagging ability, and the Ciao! location-based social tool

Sylvania ECOlight is powered by water

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on February 12th, 2009

Sylvania ECOlight is powered by waterWhy risk burning your hand in the shower before you’ve set the right temperature, when you can get the Sylvania ECOlight and avoid it? The device can be easily installed on most showerheads, and it features a bright LED light and an illuminated ring that will change color, depending on the temperature of the water.

Blue indicates water that is 78 degrees Fahrenheit or less, while red indicates a temperature over 105.8. The interesting thing about this device is that it’s powered by the flow of water using a built-in generator.

Lego camcorder spotted

Posted in lego by Conner Flynn on February 12th, 2009

Lego camcorder spottedThose Lego-branded Digital Blue devices/toys we’ve been telling you about are starting to surface. This prototype of the video camera was spotted at a toy fair in Nuremberg.

There aren’t any other details at the moment, but it’s a bit disappointing as it looks a little too polished and not handmade like the walkie talkie and digital camera we showed you. Oh well, you win some you lose some. It is a prototype, so who knows, it may go through some changes.

Netflix: Over 10 million served

Posted in Netflix by Conner Flynn on February 12th, 2009

Netflix: Over 10 million servedThe economic crisis has taken it’s toll on many industries, but not Netflix. Consumers are happy to sit on their butts and escape through a goods movie. The streaming and mailing movie rental company is doing just fine. They closed 2008 with 9.4 million customers and today they announced that they’ve broken the 10 million mark.

The company has added 600,000 net subscribers since January 1st alone. It’s likely only going to go up as customers choose their service over theater tickets or going out on the town to eat.

US Navy’s gScreen TITAN M-1 laptop features two screens

Posted in Notebooks by Conner Flynn on February 11th, 2009

US Navy’s gScreen TITAN M-1 laptop features two screensThe U.S. Navy apparently desires a laptop capable of displaying 2 animated frogs at once. On two separate displays. Well, they got it in this multi-screen, rugged, battle-ready laptop. The gScreen TITAN M-1 dual screen workstation, which is the most rugged version of the G400, built specifically to specs requested by the NAVY.

It will withstand extreme environments and meets MIL-STD 810F standards. Some features include: Intel Core 2 Quad QX9300 processor, 4GB of memory, and 500GB hard drive. And of course the two frog displaying screens for cartoon frog multitasking.

GeoBulb II: LED lighting that lasts for 20 years

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on February 11th, 2009

GeoBulb II: LED lighting that lasts for 20 yearsThe problem with producing a long-lasting and bright LED Light Bulb is that the components in an LED bulb often fail before the LEDs themselves. Looks like that may change. The GeoBulb II Wedge Base type bulb is designed to fit into all wedge-based fixtures, bringing LED light bulbs up to the brightness of incandescent bulbs and maintaining the quality that make LEDs so good.

The bulb will supposedly last 30,000 hours, using just a fraction of the power of incandescent bulbs, while generating very little heat and isn’t susceptible to vibrations or repeated on/off switching. The bulb uses 7.5-Watts of power while dispensing 60-watts of equivalent light.

LG LH30FD HDTV reduces power consumption by 70%

Posted in HDTV by Conner Flynn on February 11th, 2009

LG LH30FD HDTV reduces power consumption by 70%LG just announced the launch of it’s new LG LH30FD LCD HDTV series. The LCDs will come in three sizes, 47 inch, 42 inch and 32 inches and will feature rich finishes to compliment home interiors.

The interesting thing is that they are being promoted as energy saving devices with up to 70% reduction of power consumption when using the LCD’s unique power saving modes. No other specs yet or the pricing, but they will likely hit the Korean markets first.

Oh The Humanity: Hello Kitty Xbox 360

Posted in Xbox 360 by Conner Flynn on February 11th, 2009

Oh The Humanity: Hello Kitty Xbox 360Modding your Xbox 360 with a little paint is nothing new. The results are often unique and every bit as good as fancy high priced art as far as I’m concerned. Whether you choose Sonic the Hedgehog or a cool Domo-kun paint job, it’s all good.

However, I nearly lost my damn lunch when I saw this Hello Kitty Xbox 360. For the love of all that is holy, why? Just why? Only DeviantART user Ricepuppet knows for sure as they decorated this Xbox 360 in shades of pink as the gaming community collectively vomits a little in their mouths.

The Steam Iron gets an LED facelift

Posted in LED by Conner Flynn on February 11th, 2009

The Steam Iron gets an LED faceliftThe iron is one of the few gadgets that has remained largely the same over time. Even this Steam Iron with LED concept doesn’t change it all that much. It features LED lighting that lets you know the temperature, with red presumably meaning that it’s hot and ready.

There’s also a soft silicone lining to prevent you from burning yourself accidentally, which is of course a big plus for you and the emergency room staff. Sure, it won’t iron your clothes all by itself while you play Xbox, but it’s an improvement. I mean, what else are you going to do to upgrade the old iron?

iBoo iPod dock moonlights as Pac-Man villain

Posted in iPod Accessories by Conner Flynn on February 11th, 2009

iBoo iPod dock moonlights as Pac-Man villainiPod docks come in all shapes and sizes, but when is the last time you saw one that looks like it’s ready to eat Pac-Man? Looks like these ghosts are only available in 3 colors, so one is missing. Probably eaten by Pac-Man himself.

The dock features speakers in it’s eyes and a subwoofer underneath. It will cost you a staggering $90 for having such few features. It doesn’t move, won’t turn blue and white when you eat a power pellet, there aren’t even four of them. And where’s Pac-Man himself?