Archive for November, 2009

Underwater cellphone

Posted in Mobile Phones by Conner Flynn on November 4th, 2009

Underwater cellphoneYou nicely dressed dudes in your fancy cars have to stay connected at all times right? Even when diving? The underwater cellphone should come in handy then. It comes with a built-in speaker and microphone on the Neptune Space full face mask.

You also get a 40-meter cable which can be modified to accommodate just about any request. A quick release waterproof rubber connection lets the diver separate from the cable anytime they want.

The Beatles’ Catalog on Limited Edition USB Stick

Posted in USB by Conner Flynn on November 4th, 2009

The Beatles' Catalog on Limited Edition USB StickApple Corps and EMI are finally offering up a legal way to grab digital Beatles tracks. The Apple-shaped stick you see above has FLAC and MP3 versions of the new CD set, which includes all the band’s music re-mastered in stereo.

FLAC quality is 44.1Khz 24 bit, and MP3 is 320 Kbps. Only 30,000 of these USB Sticks will be made, so you better grab one on November 8 when they go on sale for $280 (You can pre-order). The stick costs $60 more than the CD set, but you get “all of the re-mastered CDs’ visual elements, including 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK album art, rare photos and expanded liner notes.”

Recyclable Paper Laptop

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on November 3rd, 2009

Recyclable Paper LaptopMost of us buy a new computer every couple of years. For such a complex product, we go through them very quickly, and you can imagine what that must add up to in e-waste.

Computer companies are already looking to make their products more recyclable, but designer Je Sung Park is taking the idea of a recyclable computer about as far as it can go. His Recyclable Paper Laptop is made from pulp and reprocessed materials, and when you are done with it, it would be broken down into the same.

Wall-E isn’t looking so hot

Posted in Robots by Conner Flynn on November 3rd, 2009

Wall-E isn't looking so hotWhat do you get when you cross Wall-E with a butler? You’re looking at it. It has Wall-E’s eyes and the snootiness of Jeeves, your elder manservant.

This robotic butler just looks like an old sad and lonely Wall-E. It made an appearance at Shanghai’s New International Expo Center where they are hosting the 2009 China International Industry Fair. Sadly there are no other details about the bot. But just looking at this guy makes me sad.

Spit Balls grow 200X their original size, explode on impact

Posted in Weapons by Conner Flynn on November 3rd, 2009

Spit Balls grow 200X their original size, explode on impactIn the old days we used paper. But that is so last century. These days it’s all about fancy polymers. Spit Balls branded spit balls are tiny polymer beads that will grow up to 200X in your mouth and become extra sticky.

If you, like us, have been waiting for spit ball tech to explode, then you know how ecstatic we are that this day has arrived. 200X their original size. And super sticky-icky. See that Editors list on the left there? They will be targeted. No one will be spared.

This Starfleet Shuttle Simulator can be yours

Posted in Sci-Fi by Conner Flynn on November 3rd, 2009

This Starfleet Shuttle Simulator can be yoursIf you’ve always wanted your own USS Galileo, your dreams can now come true. A Utah school is selling its Star Trek USS Galileo Shuttle simulator. The question is, where would you put it? The garage or the backyard?

This space ship simulator is all decked out inside with stations, networking, speakers, and a main viewscreen. The $1000 reserve hasn’t been met, so you can still take this baby home. How you explain it to the wife is your problem.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Android phone announced

Posted in Sony Ericsson by Conner Flynn on November 3rd, 2009

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Android phone announcedYou sure took your time Rachel. We’ve been waiting for you. Finally you have arrived, all officially like. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Android phone is a first for the company.

It packs a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, a large 4 inch touch screen display, an 8.1 megapixel camera and of course, the Rachel interface that everyone thought was the name of the phone. The XPERIA X10 will not be available until next year though. By the time it does show up it should be one of the fastest phones on the market.

Sony’s PSPgo sells 28,000 units in Japan

Posted in PSP Go! by Conner Flynn on November 3rd, 2009

PSP Go leaks out before E3Looks like the PSPgo is living up to it’s name in Japan, where it’s go go go. Sony’s has moved more than 28,000 units on its first day on sale in Japan. The launch was supported with retail and download titles Persona 3 Portable and Dissidia Final Fantasy Universal Tuning, as well as download-only titles Disgaea Infinite and LocoRoco Midnight Carnival.

For comparison, the PSP-3000 sold over 140,000 units in October within a 4-day window, while the Nintendo DSi sold 170,000 in two days time.

Toyota’s Gullwing Door XBOX Halo Warthog Concept

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on November 3rd, 2009

Toyota's Gullwing Door XBOX Halo Warthog ConceptToyota is clearly out to capture the hearts of gamers with the Tacoma All-Terrain Gamer (ATG) concept. It’s a Toyota pickup with four, yes four Xbox consoles inside, a Warthog from Halo and a Monster energy drink dispenser to keep you going during your intense gaming marathons.

In the center cabin there are four 24″ LCD monitors from Samsung, which swing out to give each gamer their own display. Oh yeah and the outside is also cool to look at, despite all the action going on within.

iPhone 3GS gets a Nintendo N64 emulator

Posted in iPhone by Conner Flynn on November 3rd, 2009

iPhone 3GS gets a Nintendo N64 emulatorZodttd is a developer working on a N64 emulator for the iPhone 3GS. Will it have the power? Possibly, thanks to CPU, GPU and OpenGL ES 2.0 support that will deliver smooth N64 emulation. But don’t get too excited.

Some high-end N64 titles might not be available due to the lack of power. The other issue would be the control scheme. Some of us hated the N64′s controller and found the games hard enough to play originally. The iPhone won’t be any better.

More classic arcade game lighters

Posted in Lighters by Conner Flynn on November 3rd, 2009

More classic arcade game lightersBack in July we told you about some cool Pac-Man lighters that celebrate the 30th anniversary of the yellow dot-gobbler. But now we have word that there are more awesome designs being offered.

This limited-edition series of Zippo lighters from Banpresto includes shiny, butane-filled versions of Pac-Man,(Which we’ve seen) along with Galaxian, Xevious and Dig Dug. Each features the likeness of the classic 8-bit game. Even if you don’t smoke, you’ll want these awesome collectibles.

A-DATA unveils industry’s fastest SSD

Posted in A-Data by Shane McGlaun on November 3rd, 2009

adatas596-sbSSDs are much faster than traditional HDDs and allow users to boot their computers faster and access applications more quickly. The SSD is always being improved with prices going down and performance increasing.

A-DATA announced today what it claims to be the industry’s fastest SSD called the S596. The SSD is a 2.5-inch device with sequential read speeds of 250MB/sec and sequential write speeds of 180 MB/sec/ the drive also has a SDRAM cache for more performance.

Spring Design sues Barnes & Noble over Nook eReader

Posted in ebooks by Shane McGlaun on November 3rd, 2009

springdesignereaderYou might recall that sweet Android-powered eBook reader from Spring Design called the Alex that we talked about last month. Spring Design has filed a suit against Barnes & Noble over its recently announced Nook eReader for alleged IP infringement.

According to Spring, it was in talks with Barnes & Noble to partner to distribute the Alex when executives at Barnes & Noble misappropriated the trade secrets and violated the non-disclosure agreements in place between the two firms. Spring claims that Barnes & Noble made no indications of using the features of the Alex reader in its own product until the Nook was officially announced.

Tachyon XC Micro helmet cam breaks cover

Posted in Camcorders by Shane McGlaun on November 3rd, 2009

tachyonxc-sbThere are all sorts of sports where watching tapes of what you did right and wrong can help you improve. There are also sports where just getting film of someone crashing or doing something stupid is fun to watch. Whatever the case may be, Tachyon has unveiled new and very small camcorder that it claims to be the world’s smallest helmet cam.

The camera is called the XC Micro and it measures 3.8 x 1.4 x 1.8 and weighs 3.7 ounces. It can be attached to goggles, helmets, dashboards and other locations for filming. Power is from a pair of AAA batteries and lasts for four hours of shooting.

Lenovo ThinkPad x200e images leak

Posted in Lenovo by Shane McGlaun on November 3rd, 2009

thinkpadx200eI am not convinced that the supposed images of a new Lenovo ThinkPad that are making their rounds are nothing more than some slick Photoshop work. I may be wrong, but the machine doesn’t really look like a ThinkPad. Not that it has an awesome design or anything.

The machine is clad in white, the typical ThinkPad is a blackish gray color. Other than the white hue and some shots of the keyboard, not much is known about the machine. Considering the shots show the keyboard lacks a number pad, I would bet the screen is 12.1-inches or under.