Datamancer has done it again and this one looks like it would be pretty comfortable to use. It’s got the usual brass, wood and classic typewriter keys, along with some other really super details. Like some violet LEDs, an acanthus-leaf pattern etched into the brass, and a soft burgundy wrist pad that is removable for cleaning. It began life as a very rare but plain IBM Model M-15 split ergonomic keyboard, but as you can see, it looks much better now.

Any fans of the rugged Olympus Stylus models will be happy to hear that they’ve giving the Stylus 720 SW an upgrade with a couple new models. The 10.1 megapixel Olympus Stylus 1030 SW is the tougher of the two and comes encased in an all-metal chassis with the ability to withstand drops from 6.6 feet.

Not only can the 1030 take a hit but its frame can withstand 220 pounds of pressure. It’s also rated as waterproof for taking photos underwater at up to 33 feet below the surface and can stand cold of down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (remember that water freezes at 32).

Goodyear is a name you recognize when it comes to tires, but now they’ve entered a license agreement with The NCC, who will be launching its first line of Goodyear branded, driver-friendly GPS navigation systems at CES 2008 in Las Vegas, January 7-10. They are calling it a “rugged GPS system,” and all eight models will have features never before seen on mobile navigation systems, like remote control to access hands-free communication, via a single quick-touch button to answer and hang up calls. It’s clear they are betting on safety and convenience.

The remote control can be fastened to the driver’s side visor, or next to the gear shift, or anywhere convenient for that matter. Certain models will also feature MSN(R) Direct, which will provide useful info like live traffic updates, local gas prices, weather reports, as well as local movie times. In addition, other features are 4.3″ LCD touch screens, speaker-quality sound, High Sensitivity receivers, text-to-speech navigation for spoken street names, millions of points of interest (POI’s), MP3 and video playback, A/V inputs for MP3 players, TV tuners, or DVD players. Comes with 2GB of internal memory and removable SD storage.

Compact flash cards are slowly becoming a thing of the past, being replaced by SD cards, but there are still alot of cameras that rely on the older format. So RIDATA is looking out for you. They just introduced what they call the SMART compact flash card.

They are SMART because the have a new internal data monitoring system that ensures you never experience any data loss. It’s nice to have alot of storage in your camera, but not a pleasant feeling when you lose an important file. The cards also have embedded error correction code (ECC) which I believe is a fancy way of saying that it has “back up power Captain”, should something truly go wrong.

Verbatim is launching at CES a new line of 2.5-inch external hard drives which are palm-sized. These new Verbatim SmartDisk 2.5” Portable Hard Drives will have retail prices starting at around $100.

The Verbatim SmartDisk 2.5” Portable Hard Drives will be available in 120, 160, 250 and 320GB capacities. They will work with both Windows and Mac operating systems, offering options of a USB interface or combo USB/FireWire interface. The combo one in particular will allow consumers to transfer files between a Mac and PC.

In what is the most solid information we’ve seen so far amidst a slew of rumors surrounding Google and the potential of a Google Phone, today some reliable sources of Reuters and the WSJ have reported that Google is planning an announcement. Sources say that Google plans to unveil plans for their own mobile phone operation system in mid-November with possible plans to roll it out with an existing mobile phone carrier sometime next year.

For a number of months rumors ran that Google had plans of making its own mobile phone but later the information turned to Google just making mock-ups of mobile phones that would run a Google operating system for an example to carriers and manufacturers. The latest talks is that Google is looking for a carrier who will bring a mobile device to market with the Google OS on it, possibly offering the device or service for free or at a very low cost in turn for users putting up with advertisements on the phone.

We can never get enough of GPS units here at Slippery Brick, especially when they are priced at what we consider to be a cheap price for the features offered. Enter therefore the Magellan RoadMate 1200, priced at around $230.

The RoadMate 1200 is considered a “pocket-sized form factor” with Magellan, which we find a little funny unless you have a huge empty cargo pant pocket available. It’s got a 3.5-inch touchscreen with an interface designed to cut down on input. It’s well loaded with data, containing the “latest NavTeq maps, which cover the 48 contiguous …

SavitMicro has a new secure hard drive called the DataMore V2 available for consumers in Korea, although according to Akihabara News you can special order it in the US at GeekStuff4U.com.

The drive is intended to allow you to store your own data securely in a portable, external hard drive. When you first get the drive you can format it and define how much of the drive is “public” and how much of it is “secure”. When connectto a PC via USB, it will show the public portion of the …

Starting today Xbox 360 owners with Xbox Live Silver or Xbox Live Gold will be able to download a free system update for their Xbox game console that will provide more than 85 new features. Xbox states that if you are not currently signed up for Xbox Live you can sign up free and get the update through your console and a broadband connection. No hard drive or disc drive is necessary. This is the sixth update that has available for the Xbox Live service.

One of the biggest features in the …