Thursday, October 29, 2009
See How A Hard Drive Works
Watch Phone with built-in camera
Phones are just about all the same thing over and over. Yes, the high end phones have some cool features, but it’s the same type feel. Not many really shake things up and make an attempt to really change things up. This watch could never be defined as classy and it’s definitely not going to have as cool of features as your iPhone, but at least it is a little different from the rest.
No, I’d probably never rush out and purchase one, but you have to appreciate the manufacturers that don’t just release the same thing over and over. This phone has a built in 1.3MP camera along with being able to tell the time. Alright, so it being able to tell the time is a pretty obvious function. It also has an FM radio, Bluetooth, an MP3 player and a 1.3-inch touch screen. You can purchase it for $137.70 from i-Pmart. It does ship clear from China though, so you can expect it to come with some hefty shipping fees.
Watch Phone with built-in camera
Phones are just about all the same thing over and over. Yes, the high end phones have some cool features, but it’s the same type feel. Not many really shake things up and make an attempt to really change things up. This watch could never be defined as classy and it’s definitely not going to have as cool of features as your iPhone, but at least it is a little different from the rest.
No, I’d probably never rush out and purchase one, but you have to appreciate the manufacturers that don’t just release the same thing over and over. This phone has a built in 1.3MP camera along with being able to tell the time. Alright, so it being able to tell the time is a pretty obvious function. It also has an FM radio, Bluetooth, an MP3 player and a 1.3-inch touch screen. You can purchase it for $137.70 from i-Pmart. It does ship clear from China though, so you can expect it to come with some hefty shipping fees.
The Twilight Watch
Don’t worry, the Twilight Watch isn’t some watch for all the fans of the movie Twilight. No, this watch is about the actual twilight, you know, like the time of the day or rather night in this case. It’s an interesting watch that is meant to remind you of the miracle that is the sunrise. Plus it’s made to be a little extra durable, for those that have the tendency to drop their watch in water or just forget to take it off before jumping into a pool.
The watch can stay water resistant up to 100 feet under the water. It’s not entirely waterproof, so you will have to be a little extra careful. At least it does have some protection though. The face of the watch will slowly fade to black throughout the day and keep brightening back up again, it changes about every 20 seconds. It has two polarized disks that rotate to show this effect. You can purchase it for $119.99 from Think Geek.
The WITness Watch combines old and new technology
Here’s an odd concept design for those of you that can’t stand to carry around a normal watch. It may look like an extremely modern watch, but it takes a design cue from much older technology. It’s meant to resemble the very old sun dials. Something that most people couldn’t read now to save their life, even if some do use them for decorative purposes out in the garden. For those of you that can’t read a sun dial, you might want to start practicing before you seek something like this out.
The watch was designed by Hay Heun, who apparently enjoys making people’s heads ache every time they are itching to discover the time. Actually, after glancing at the examples of the face of the watch and the times listed underneath them, it wasn’t that difficult to understand how it works. It just might take you a couple of extra minutes when you glance at it to figure things out. It’s no worse than a watch that conveniently leaves out any numbers.
Sony reveals new S Series Walkman
Sony has always been synonymous with the Walkman brand name, and the same applies the other way round since the first portable cassette player was launched in the previous century. How time has passed by so quickly, with portable music now being defined by the MP3 file format, with portable video being another entertainment staple these days for people who own a portable media player or cellphoe. Well, Sony has released new stylish S Series Walkman Video MP3 players that also come with integrated high-quality stereo speakers which allow you to share your favorite tunes with others around without the need to cower under the guise of headphones.
Despite packing in built-in stereo speakers, the new Sony S Series Walkman player will come in a slim and compact form factor, measuring no more than 0.5″ thin. The device also boasts a 2.4″ QVGA LCD display alongside a super quick response time so you won’t have to put up with less-than-satisfactory video playback, “Clear Audio” and “Digital Linear Phase Speaker System” technologies.
Apart from those, it is also imperative that a portable media player is able to hold its own on long trips, so don’t fret too much as the S Series Walkman player will come with up to 42 hours of continuous audio playback, although video playback isn’t anything to shout about strangely at just 6.5 hours - and all these are done through the headphones. When you settle for speaker output, performance drops by more than half for audio at 17 hours, while video playback receives a lesser blow at just 5 hours. Other features include voice recording and FM recording capability, and file transfer is as simple as drag-and-drop. The Sony S Series Walkman will come in black, red, violet and pink colors from next month onwards, where the 8GB and 16GB models will retail for $110 and $130, respectively.
Michael Jackson Flash Drive
I don’t believe that it has taken me this long to mention the death of a certain king of pop on this site. I guess I am still coping. All child-molesting charges aside, Michael Jackson was a musical icon and had a lot of talent.I suppose the height of his popularity was the 1982 Thriller album. Every song on that album was in the top ten, and the album itself sold more than any of its time.You might think this deal is some sort of sick marketing ploy to make some money after the death of a huge pop icon. I don’t think this was ever the reason why this 2GB USB drive was made, as it celebrates the 25th anniversary of Thriller, which would have been in 2007, not this year.However, the timing feels a little weird, as the demand for MJ’s work is clearly going to spike. Yet who wouldn’t want Michael Jackson’s 25th anniversary edition of Thriller, which has the nine original hit songs, eight bonus tracks, and some video clips. Hopefully the video clips include the videos for Beat It, Billie Jean, and the long version of Thriller.If you want to get down on this album/flash drive, feel free to head over to the Sony Style website and pay $19.99 for it. It is available in black or green.The USB Fan & Thermo Clock
If you are dealing with having a desk in an area that you have to share the air conditioning, you’ve probably had the fight over the temperature. Everyone has their ideal point, whether you prefer things really cold, at an average temperature or just can’t handle the cold. Well if you’re one that is never quite cool enough at your desk, you could probably use something extra to cool things down. This fan may not be very big, but it could take the edge off enough to make things a little more tolerable.Not only does this small white USB gadget have a fan, but it includes a clock and a thermometer. Which also lets you be more specific when you’re complaining that things are getting way too hot. The fan itself has a speed control switch. Unfortunately for those in the US, it actually displays things in Celsius. The clock can be set to either 12 or 24 hour mode. You can purchase the fan for $15 from GizGeek.
Calvin Klein USB Sunglasses
Sure, we have seen USB memory devices on objects that probably shouldn’t have USB memory devices, and so why not put one on a pair of sunglasses? And if you are going to put it on sunglasses, then put it on Calvin Klein sunglasses.
As you can see, the sunglasses come with a detachable right arm that houses the memory device itself. What you don’t see is that it has a 4GB capacity.
So the next time you are on the beach with your netbook, feel free to make a backup of your files on your sunglasses. Of course, you will have to partially disassemble the sunglasses to do that, don’t you? You might be able to keep them on your head with one arm if you don’t shake your head too much.
I suppose that the Calvin Klein memory drive sunglasses prove that just because you can make something, doesn’t mean you necessarily should. Of course, if you’re some sort of spy like Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise’s character from the Mission Impossible films, in case you forgot) then I can think of a few good uses for them. Hopefully they are water resistant, because of that hokey scene where Cruise hangs inches off the floor, and almost undone by a single drop of his sweat.
So, if you want to store your memory in style, be prepared to pay about $199 for these guys. Yeah, that’s a little pricey considering most 4GB flash drives are considerably less than that, so I’m guessing the high price is for the shades, man.
USB Air Purifier doubles as flower pot
Here’s an air purifier that does more than just purify your air and it looks good doing it. It’s for while you’re at your desk, so if for some reason you think the air needs filtered through while you’re at your desk. Plus in addition to filtering the air, it has an open container area that you could use for various things, such as using it as a container or even using it as a flower pot.
Hopefully having flowers in there that need watered won’t hurt the electronics at all though. The manufacturer is the one that suggest using it as that, so surely the electronics required for the air purifier are well protected. It also has a blue luminescent night light that is controlled through an on/off switch. For that blue light it has a total of 3 Led lights. The purifier uses a carbon filter to clean your air. You can purchase the Flowerpot USB Air Purifier for $29.90
The Elecom 10 Port USB Hub
I’ve never really had a ton of USB items that needed plugged in, but even with as few as I have, it can be extremely frustrating when you run out of ports. Then you get an extra hub and of course, that one fills up eventually. So although you may not really need 10 different USB ports, you’re just giving yourself the option to have a lot plugged in at once. It’s always better to have too many USB ports rather than too few.
The Elecom Compact 10 Port USB Hub would definitely leave plenty of breathing room to grow. Which would be especially nice for those that have a family computer. You could leave more plugged in and not have to worry about anyone fighting over who gets to use the spare port to charge their camera or iPod. The USB Hub comes in three different colors, you can purchase it in either black, silver or white. You can find it for ¥ 9,500.00 or about $101 from Geek Stuff 4 U, which might be a little more than some are willing to spend just for a little extra convenience.
The USB Bulb Flash Drive
If you’re looking to hide your USB drive, this is one way to do it while still leaving it out in the open. Although it’s not going to fool anyone into believing it’s a working light bulb, no one would guess without looking closely that it’s actually a flash drive. Of course looking closely you can start to see the top of the drive, since the bulb is completely clear. You won’t have to worry about losing it either since it easily attaches to your keychain.
The end of the bulb screws over top of the drive, to keep it well protected and secure. They don’t say what the bulb itself is made out of, but I would hope that it’s a durable plastic since it is going to dangle along with your keys. The drive can be purchased in three different sizes, 2GB, 4GB and finally 8GB. None of which are too horribly priced either. The smallest is $19, the 4GB is $22 and the largest is $32 from Brando.
Steampunk USB Flash Drive
Usually I prefer for my flash drives to be small, but not so small that I’m constantly worrying that I’m going to lose it. You know the kind I’m talking about, the ones that are so small you have to attach something to it to make sure that it stays with your keys, otherwise it wouldn’t last a day. Well this one goes for the opposite end of things, it’s a touch larger than your average USB drive. Which is alright, since it looks great doing it.
This drive comes from Russia, which seems to be where all the good mods come from. Sadly, as with all the best mods, you can’t purchase this. However, the person that created this drive was kind enough to give a few details and extra pictures on how it was done. It’s nothing quite as in depth as a step by step guide, but if you’re good at DIY projects it should be enough to get you started at the very least.
Corsair unveils 128GB Flash Voyager GT
Remember the good old days where USB flash drives came in capacities of Megabytes (MBs)? Well, those days are long gone and have been replaced by Gigabytes (GBs), and we’ve seen the number jump from 1GB to 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and even 64GB. It does make me wonder just how hard finding stuff on it will become in the long run with something so huge to sift through. Well, Corsair has clearly upped the ante yet another time by releasing their latest USB flash drive known as the 128GB Flash Voyager GT, making it the fastest high capacity 128GB USB flash drive in the world at the same time. This new Flash Voyager GT works differently since it is based upon a revolutionary design which relies on a unique dual-controller architecture in order to achieve SLC-levels of performance using MLC NAND flash memory. According to Corsair, the 128GB Flash Voyager GT can hit read speeds of up to 32MB/sec and write speeds of up to 25.6MB/sec, where the bottleneck has been pointed at the speed of the USB 2.0 bus and operating system overhead.
The 128GB Flash Voyager GT will come with a durable and water-resistant rubber housing that adds extra protection to the drive against accidental damage, while the racing-red ‘GT’ styling continues to be the trademark of Corsair’s ultra high-performance products.
If you’re interested in picking up the 128GB Flash Voyager GT, it is readily available from Corsair’s authorized distributors and resellers worldwide, and each purchase will actually come with a 10-year limited warranty for added peace of mind. Have you ever gave a thought and wonder just how large USB flash drives can get in 10 years’ time? We’re betting it will be in the Terabytes (TB), just in case you’re a gambling person.MIMO 720-S Touchscreen Slider USB monitor
MIMO Monitors have released their latest Touchscreen Slider that connects to your machine through USB - the MIMO 720-S monitor. This USB-powered mini-display tips the scales at less than one pound, while boasting foldable characteristics that make it highly portable, boasting full resistive touchscreen functionality that provides netbook users with more visual real estate to play with.
With a display size of seven inches, the MIMO 720-S features 800×480 resolution and a contrast ration of 400:1 — offering sharp graphics and clear images with 90 degree pivoting capabilities. The monitor discretely folds into itself with a tiny footprint of just 7″ x 5 3/8″ x 1″. Supporting Windows XP and Vista as well as Mac OS X (with supplemental third-party driver), the 720-S is powered and connected by a single USB connection, providing a secondary screen ideal for holding email applications, download managers, social network clients such as TweetDeck, formatting palettes, stock tickers, instant messengers such as Google Talk and AIM, webcam feeds and much more. Additionally, with the rise in popularity of netbooks, the 720-S serves as a much-needed secondary screen for added display space and shared viewing.
It is interesting to note that this portable monitor will cost $229.99 including shipping, and we would only recommend this to those who travel plenty with a netbook. Otherwise, get a notebook with a larger screen size, and for folks using desktops, the same price point can net you more than a decent 18.5″ monitor.
USB Ultrasonic Mosquito Pest Repeller
I can never entirely decide what I think about electronic devices that are supposed to repel certain types of insects. One thing I do know though, is that I have heard several people swear by them. Well now here’s one to keep the mosquitoes away from you. I’m not sure why you’d need a USB device to do that, but perhaps your laptop has a pesky mosquito infestation. It could happen.
The USB device is definitely portable if nothing else, which is always nice. Just plug it into your USB port of your laptop or main PC and it will get to work. It doesn’t use any chemicals, so it’s a slightly more environmentally way to do things. At least according to the seller. Hey, you might just like to carry your laptop into the woods with you. Then this could be a perfectly practical gadget to have around. You can purchase it for $5.69 from UXSight.
Toshiba universal dynadock wireless U USB docking station
Toshiba has rolled out its latest universal dynadock wireless U USB docking station which is the next generation device of its dynadock U range, a best selling universal docking station on the Internet. What makes this unique is it will come with wireless USB technology that does away with the need for a cable to keep your docking station tethered to a notebook or computer, and vice versa. According to Michael Cassidy, director, accessory marketing, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., “We designed the dynadock wireless U for universal appeal allowing all laptops to take advantage of its wireless features. It’s a matter of convenience and consumers can connect peripheral devices quickly and conveniently through an automatic wireless connection between laptops and accessories.”Some of the key product features will include :-Dynamic PC System: The dynadock wireless U acts as a conduit for add-on peripherals like external speakers, keyboard & mouse, monitor, router and other accessories to easily link with the laptop.Automatic Connectivity: The dynadock wireless U can be set up to automatically connect to the laptop when within range.Data Protection: One touch undock button ensures all peripherals shut down properly when undocking.Enhanced Productivity: Six USB 2.0 ports including two front Sleep-and-Charge USB ports that supply power to cell phones, MP3 players and other devices even if your PC is off.Multimedia: Integrated Digital Audio card adds high quality 7.1 surround sound.High Resolution: HD Digital Video card for connecting to an extra VGA or DVI monitor with up to 1680 x 1050 resolution.Dedicated Video Support: Dedicated wireless radio for enhanced video performance.Bi-directional Audio Support: Bi-directional ISOCH support for Audio, webcams, microphones and USB speakers.Easy Software Installation: Toshiba dynadock Utility software for all video and audio drivers customize the dynadock experience.Available from the middle of this month onwards, you can pick up the Toshiba dynadock wireless U for $299.99 thereabouts, where it is compatible with all Windows versions from Windows XP upwards, including the yet to be released Windows 7. Those who want to dabble with Microsoft’s latest operating system would do well to download drivers for a Windows 7 upgrade on the same day the operating system debuts, which is October 22nd.
Ninja Kunai USB Drive
For those of you that think ninjas are the ultimate warriors, here’s a USB drive to show off your point of view. Although this drive isn’t exactly something you should probably slip past airport security, it would be a cool drive to keep at home. You can about guarantee that you’ll end up paying a lot more just to get your ninja themed USB drive, but I could see it being worth it for a few.It’s not for everyone, but even for those that can’t afford it. You have to admit if you had the cash, you’d probably consider buying it. The drive will only hold a whopping 2GB of your data on it, which really isn’t much. Especially when you consider how much cash you’ll end up forking out for this. It’s definitely a novelty drive and an expensive one at that. You’ll end up paying ¥ 11,500.00 or about $126 from Geek Stuff 4U.
Solar Vest isn’t fashionable but charges gadgets
This vest is probably not something you would wear if you’re even remotely worried about fashion. However, if you really just couldn’t possibly care any less, it would be useful. It is a solar vest, which would be blatantly obvious to anyone around you, purely due to the giant bold white lettering that states “SOLAR VEST”. That was kind of them to add that, just in case anyone should get confused.It has a total of four solar panels on the back of it, that are completely weather proof. So you won’t have to worry about dodging rain drops when you’re out wearing it. It also has 5V, 6V, 9V and 12-20V ouputs. It has light indicators to let you know how much of a charge is available, when the light is green it has more than 80% power built up, orange is between 30% and 70%. Then if it actually lights up red it has less than 30%. You can purchase the vest for $140
The Solar Powered Travel Bag
While you’re out traveling, especially if it’s in the great outdoors, your gadgets don’t always get the charge they really need. Which makes having a solar panel around extremely helpful. Well with this, not only would you have a way to charge your gadgets, but something to store them in as well. Be it while you’re out camping or just going from work to home, this would make things a little more convenient and not to mention eco-friendly.
The solar panel has overcharge, discharge and short circuit protection, so it will last a bit longer. It will charge your typical cellphone in under 5 hours, that of course depends on the battery capacity though. It will also charge things such as your MP3 player, portable game consoles and various other small gadgets. The bag comes with a USB adaptor as well as 3 mobile phone adaptors for Nokia phones, Samsung and Sony-Ericsson. As far as solar bags go this isn’t actually priced too badly. You can purchase it for £14.99 or about $25 fromMaplin.
Impossible Lock (Version 2)
This is pretty novel, a padlock without a key or combination, the impossible lock (probably a bit of a lie as it can be opened).This chunky padlock, made from brass and stainless steel, weighs 400 grams. The brass part of the padlock is 42mm high and 55mm wide. The entire padlock, including the hasp and the rod at the bottom, is 203mm high. There are 5 steps needed to open it. There is no key involved. Without the instructions, very, very difficult. The Impossible Lock 2 is available for Grand Illusions at £118 (~$200 ouch).
Courtesy : Coolest Gadgets
The R/C Metal Detecting Dune Buggy
When you picture someone out and about with a metal detector, I imagine you’re probably picturing someone older and retired. Well for those that are still pretty young, but would like to search for treasures of their own, there’s this car. This is the way you search for metal. None of carrying around a heavy metal detector, no, with this you can have fun and let it scout out ahead of you.
When this little car detects metal it will start flashing a red light and begin beeping. The car itself can move forward, backward, left and right. It has a range of 25′ so you could let it scout out a fairly large area without having to move around. It also has adjustable sensitivity for different types of terrain. Included with the car are two plastic digging tools along with 3 faux gold doubloons that are made out of metal. You can bury those doubloons to practice searching for metal. The car runs on 4 AA batteries and a 9V battery. It will run for up to 4 hours before it dies. You can purchase it for $49.95
Motion-Sensitive Remote Control
What you are seeing here is not a vacuum cleaner attachment or what happened after an aardvark sneezed. This is a motion-sensitive remote control. I realize that was probably your last guess, assuming you didn’t lose interest after my somewhat weak aardvark joke.
This concept remote control device, known as the “Remotion” is designed by Ryan Sorrell, and has some Motion Control like the Wiimote or the Loop.
As you can see, buttons are absent from this device as the user moves it to his or her liking. Adjusting the volume is as simple as shaking it up or down. In order to change stations, you move it left or right with a flick of the wrist.
Well, this looks like a good way for couch potatoes to lose from extra fat from their wrist, but I can’t help but want more commands for my remote.
For example, could I use it to operate my DVR? Maybe if I held it up a certain way and turned it left, that could be rewind, and turning it to the right could be fast-forward.
The possibilities are…well, quite limited. Especially when most houses have all sorts of devices hooked to their television, and the universal remote market is growing.
Logitech announces Harmony 900 remote
Remote controls have become a staple device for many of us these days, and more often than not there will be a tussle among family members for essential remotes in the living room at prime time for obvious reasons. Logitech themselves have delved into the world of remote controls in the past, and they show no signs of slowing down in that department. Recently, the Swiss company has rolled out the Logitech Harmony 900 remote that boasts redesigned RF technology, a full color touchscreen display alongside intuitive button layout to help even newbies get used to it as soon as possible. The Logitech Harmony 900 remote relies on rechargeable batteries to keep it going, allowing you to enjoy a whole range of entertainment from movies to games and music even when the respective components are located safely behind cabinet doors. The Logitech Harmony 900 remote’s redesigned RF system turns you into a mini living room deity, capable of controlling an entire cabinet’s worth of devices and appliances as long as they remains within a 100 foot radius. This remote also allows you to wield such powers without getting bogged down by hassles and problems that are normally associated with RF setups. All you need to do is place the IR blaster that comes with each purchase alongside one or two of the mini blasters on the cabinet shelves near the devices that you want to gain control and you’re good to go. The color touchscreen devices allows you to choose your device of choice with but a gentle touch of the finger, and when the setup process is complete, you’re able to control everything programmed inside even with the cabinet doors closed. Expect the Logitech Harmony 900 remote to arrive in the US and Europe later next month for $399.99 a pop, where it will be accompanied by a recharging cradle, rechargeable battery, power supply, IR blaster and two mini blasters. Logitech has plans to roll out more blasters and mini blasters online in selected regions.
Epson Address Expert printer series are good postcard printer
What you are looking at here isn’t some miniature all-in-one desktop computer with printer, but the Epson Address Expert. This is a printer that is set up to postcards, and that looks like all it can print. I have to admit that it has been a while since I have sent a postcard, but they are still popular in Japan, so I’m told. The Epson Address Expert series come in two forms: the E-800 and E-600. Each of them have a 7-inch LCD display with 5760 x 1440 dpi resolution, and are PC and Mac compatible. The E-800 includes a wireless keyboard so you can compose your well-wishing messages. I wouldn’t mind having one of these myself, because I think I should start a new habit of sending postcards to people. I guess in the age of email, nobody really uses them when you can just send a JPG. That, or post pictures of your vacation on your blog. Yeah, we’ve just about phased postcards out of our technological online society. Perhaps this is why we should bring them back, they would be so old that they would be new. Unfortunately, I have no word of availability or price, but I am guessing it will probably be released only in Japan.
Courtesy : Coolest Gadgets
Wharfedale Photo Frame with Cordless Phone for under £25
For the price this is a very sweet piece of kit. A standard cordless telephone (with base) and also a wireless digital picture frame which can be used as a speaker phone, very cool and very cheap. Handsfree speakerphone. 25 name and number memories for handset, 40 for photo frame. Last number redial for handset only. Outgoing call log handset 20, photo frame 30. Secrecy button. 10 ringtones at handset, 10 ringtones at photo frame, 5 ringtones at base. Call transfer for handset, photo frame receive only. Call timer. Caller ID. Clock. Separate volume control in base, handset and photo frame. DECT cordless. Requires AAA rechargeable batteries for handset (supplied).
Digital Foci Photo Book
I’ve reported on Digital Foci products before, and they are a company that does not disappoint when it comes to their digital photo frames. The Digital Foci Photo Book is no exception to that rule.
The Photo Book PBK-080 harkens back to the days when people stored their photos in quality albums. It has a leather-like case that magnetically seals, and, once fully charged, the user is free to download his or her photos through memory cards or by USB flash drives to internal memory.
The downloading was quite simple as it recognized my photo folders from my thumb drive right away, and they copied and pasted into the Photo Book for permanent storage. There is about 4GB worth of storage on the device itself, and it can even do video.
I found that the Photo book arranged my photos in a very classy way, and even had music. I’m not certain how to change the music, but I was able to do some pretty cool slideshows that looked very good on its 8-inch screen.
In short, the Photo Book from Digital Foci is the perfect gift for anyone in the family who is into collecting old photos or scrapbooking. It is also a very professional tool for those who want to make business presentations as well. You should be able to purchase it at the Digital Foci site for about $189.00
HP’s DreamScreen: Not your father’s Digital Picture Frame
It’s always refreshing when a digital photo frame comes out that is different from the many other ones out there. In the case of the HP DreamScreen, it might not be fair to call it a digital photo frame. The DreamScreen allows the user the ability to connect to his or her home network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and then drag and drop files through the network. Of course, if you want use the old fashioned method that involves using memory cards and flash drives. There is about 2GB worth of storage on this guy, and it is capable of playing video and music files. The music feature is helpful if you want to make a slideshow, but if this DreamScreen really is net connected, then you could just tune into some Internet radio. As for the controls, they are located on touch sensitive controls on the right hand side of the screen, or through the wireless remote. Yes, it is not a touchscreen.
The G150 Kodak Keychains makes your pictures portable
No longer do mothers carry around a small booklet showing off their children. Now, you can carry around a digital keychain that can hold far more than that little booklet ever could. This keychain will allow for you to keep photos of your loved ones close to you, without weighing you down too much. This would be especially great for those that travel frequently and want something to flip through when they’re stuck in a hotel away from the ones they love.One thing with this is that it’s actually meant to be used as a keychain. However, I know for me at least, something that large on my keys would annoy me a little. Then again there are a great deal of people that load down their keys with various keychains, so for them this won’t be an issue. The screen itself on this is 1.5 inches, although they don’t say what the keychain as a whole measures. The frame will hold over 100 photos in the built-in memory and when fully charged can function for up to 2 hours. You can purchase the Kodak Keychain for$29.99.
The Digital Adjustable Wrench tells when bolts are tight
Now this is what you call overkill. Typically when you turn a wrench you can pretty much feel when it’s tight. Usually the best indication of this is that it gets more and more difficult to turn. It’s pretty basic. However, for those that need to know a distinct moment when things are tight there is this wrench with a digital display. You’ll never have to guess again, but that luxury is going to cost you a pretty hefty amount.
This looks like something you find at a novelty store to pick up for your Dad on Father’s Day. Instead though, this wrench is something you have to buy online for $323. Yes, that’s right this Digital Adjustable Wrench will cost you hundreds of dollars. The best part is that if you hold the ergonomic handle in the wrong place it won’t give a proper reading. Not only that, but if you happen to break it for some reason, you’re just hosed. Any decent tool typically comes with at least some kind of warranty, but there’s no chance of that at the Japan Trend Shop where you purchase it.
Samsung offers white Elite Preston and Elite C3050 limited editions
Samsung has come together with T-Mobile Europe and the Elite Model Management agency by bringing a couple more special edition phones to the masses - the Samsung Elite Preston S5600 and Samsung Elite C3050. These two phones will be available in the Netherlands, and will come in exclusive white versions. The first of the two would be the Samsung Elite Preston S5600 that will come together with a Charming by Ti Sento bracelet, while the other Samsung Elite C3050 is accompanied by Ti Sento phone strap. Do you think these colors will appeal more to men or women? There is no word on whether these two phones will be available exclusively in the Netherlands or will it make an appearance in other European countries.
Nokia 3720 Classic is rugged
Nokia might be holding on to the largest market share for cellphones at time of publishing, but that doesn’t mean that their competitors are resting and remaining idle. In fact, with the iPhone’s release, Nokia’s market share has been declining steadily while other phones from HTC and now with the Palm Pre are slowly but surely catching up. Then again, Nokia does control most of the entry and mid-level handsets worldwide especially in emerging markets, but when it comes to rugged phones, Nokia has hardly played serious ball in this area to date. The Nokia 3720 Classic is the latest handset from the Finnish manufacturer, where it will be an IP-54 certified cellphone that was specially designed to resist water, dust and shock throughout its lifespan.
The Nokia 3720 Classic is greatly influenced by their own line of popular ‘rugged’ devices of the past, where it comes encased in durable materials. Not only that, it remains entirely sealed to make sure the inner electronics do not suffer from moisture problems or being drowned. The sealed, leak-proof design and durable materials used to create the chassis that comes in a range of colors. The battery cover itself will be locked using a screw, so those who suffer from sporadic “SIM card registration failed” problems might want to think twice (Nokia handsets do suffer from a number of those, depending on the make). Apart from that, Nokia phones are generally reliable all round, and you definitely won’t break your heart after dropping it on the floor for the first time by accident (it happens to virtually everyone, so don’t feel left out).
The Nokia 3720 is tipped to retail for around 125 Euros before subsidies or taxes, and it will most probably arrive in store shelves later this summer. Each purchase comes with exceptional battery performance, an LED flashlight, a microSD memory card slot, a 2.2″ LCD display and rugged design.
BlackBerry Tour now on Verizon Wireless
BlackBerry continues the good fight against Apple’s iPhone and numerous other Windows Mobile handsets by making available their latest release, the 3G BlackBerry Tour from RIM. This model will arrive on Verizon wireless Communications stores come this July 12th, where it is going for a $199.99 price point after a $70 mail-in rebate as well as a new 2-year contract. At that price which is similar to the new iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre, it would be interesting to see this tussle work itself out when consumers vote with their wallets. Will the BlackBerry Tour be able to hold its ground or even win some more market share for RIM? We’ll just have to wait and see, but head on right after the jump to know more about the BlackBerry Tour before you make a purchase decision.
The BlackBerry Tour further expands the current BlackBerry family that already comprises of the BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Curve 8330 (available in either silver or pink), BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 and BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphones in the Verizon Wireless portfolio. What makes the Tour special? Well, this is a 3G world phone after all, which offers the privilege of customers making phone calls in 220 countries alongside the ability to access e-mail and Internet in any of the 175 countries where Verizon Wireless provides data roaming services. Other features that normal phone users have come to take for granted are also included in the BlackBerry Tour, and these include RIM’s popular push-based mobile solution for e-mail, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and social networking, a 3.2-megapixel camera with geo-tagging and video recording, audio and video playback for portable entertainment, integrated GPS navigation capability, full HTML Web browsing and support for Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband Connect tethering service.
Of course, what’s a BlackBerry if you don’t have a reasonable data plan to back it up? Email and Web for BlackBerry plans start from $29.99 upwards whenever you add on to any Nationwide voice plan.
T-Mobile announces impending myTouch 3G
T-Mobile has announced that they will be offering a new Android-powered handset in due time to oust the aged G1 smartphone, and this time round it would be the T-Mobile myTouch 3G that will be taking over the baton. Just in case you were wondering the myTouch 3G is also known as the HTC Magic in other parts of the world, and the smartphone will come packaged in a sleek body alongside a contoured feel, boasting a wide range of new features which will surely make it a success compared to its rather muted predecessor. Alongside a full touchscreen display, you also get a virtual keyboard that helps you whip out text messages as well as emails in double quick time without getting bogged down by typos.
The T-Mobile myTouch 3G will empower users to create a unique, individualized wireless phone and experience, since you will be able to harness the ability to richly customize menus, wallpapers, icons and more, with over thousands of Android Market applications to take advantage of as well. Basically, the myTouch 3G will evolve to become a virtual extension of oneself. Too bad the choice of colors that the handset comes in will be limited to just three at time of publishing - and we’re looking at black, white and a distinctive merlot.
HTC is the brains behind the myTouch 3G’s design, so you can expect quality parts to be thrown into the mix. First of all we have a 3.2″ HVGA touchscreen display and virtual keyboard that is able to automatically orient itself between portrait and landscape modes, depending on how you’re holding up the myTouch 3G. Not only that, it is equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera, although one thing that has left us scratching our heads would be the lack of a flash in the camera - something that other manufacturers have managed to cram in despite releasing a slim handset. That aside, the myTouch 3G will also come with a music player, a microSD memory card slot, video playback, email, MMS, Wi-Fi connectivity and support for T-Mobile’s 3G network. You can place a pre-order for the myTouch 3G from July 8 onwards if you’re a current T-Mobile customer, where $199.99 will net you the handset with a two-year agreement. Shipping commences later this July. Do excuse the Vodafone image above…
Samsung rolls out Mondi device
Samsung Mobile in America has just announced the commercial availability of its latest device known as the Samsung Mondi. The Samsung Mondi is touted to be the most advanced Mobile WiMAX-enabled handheld device Stateside at time of publishing, featuring a touchscreen display for easy navigation. Just in case you were wondering what Mondi means, it stands for “world” in Latin, and was specially designed to be used with the Clear Mobile WiMAX service from Clearwire in the activated markets of Atlanta, Las Vegas, Portland, OR and future WiMAX markets.
What does the Samsung Mondi offer? For starters, it is able to take advantage of superior upload and download speeds in comparison to that of comparable devices running on 3G networks, all the while making full use of the growing and widespread connectivity of Mobile WiMAX. Not only that, should you be out of WiMAX coverage at that point in time, there is always the good old fallback of Wi-Fi connectivity thanks to such a built-in connection within the Samsung Mondi.
You can pick up the Samsung Mondi in a solid black finish, where it holds a hidden full QWERTY keyboard when fully closed, revealed only when the device slides open horizontally. Other features crammed by Samsung into the Mondi include multimedia capabilities, instant access to E-mail, Internet, video content and business applications. Not only that, a wide range of services such as Fring, Gypsii and Windows Live Messenger are also supported to make sure that you are able to keep in touch with family and friends all over the world. The Samsung Mondi will also make sure that you remain on track virtually wherever you are, thanks to integrated GPS navigation through Route 66, providing turn-by-turn directions. We’re rather curious to know how many people would have pockets big enough to slip in a $349 4.3″ touchscreen display device, so you might want to stock up on those baggy rapper pants instead.
Sonos CR200 finally available
The fact that the Sonos CR200 is about to hit the market is a very real and apparent one, where we’ve covered news of its FCC approval earlier this month. Well, the time is ripe for the Sonos CR200 to hit the market, making this one state of the art music Controller for the home, bringing a full color display alongside an ultra-responsive touchscreen display which enables you to literally find and play your entire digital music collection in a jiffy, all with but a subtle touch of the finger. Sonos has taken their cumulative years of experience (7 in total) when it comes to designing wireless music systems for hundreds of thousands of customers in over 60 countries, culminating in the CR200 that is touted to be the most innovative and intuitive way to find, play and control music anywhere in the home, although some other folks might argue that the iPod’s interface is still more intuitive.
The Sonos CR200 is equipped with a 3.5″ full-color VGA display (640 x 480 pixels) that features a capacitive touchscreen that makes room for accurate and responsive operation. The touchscreen keyboard is also convenient to use, enabling rapid search of the world of music, where it includes multi-million song jukeboxes (such as Napster and Rhapsody), provides over 25,000 radio stations and podcasts, SIRIUS Internet Radio, and the ability to sieve through your personal music library. Apart from the rich graphics, you will also be able to view metadata such as artist information, cover art and more. It comes with an anodized precision machined extruded aluminum case and soft durable rubber backing which just oozes with class and quality, making sure it fits comfortably in your hand.
The Sonos Controller 200 will ship with the Sonos Charging Cradle 200 that makes it a snap to find and juice up the controller so that it is ready for use at all times. It will retail foor $349 in the US, and will also be available worldwide. Just in case you have some extra dough to spare, the Sonos CR200 will be available as part of the new Sonos Bundle 250 ($999) that comes with a Sonos ZonePlayer 90 and a Sonos ZonePlayer 120.
From Cellphone to Headphone
Once again, some new concept device has shown up that is so simple in its design, I can’t help but wonder why it is still a concept. Case in point, this Hi-Fi cellphone.
The Hi-Fi Cellphone is clearly meant to meet the consumer’s need of listening to audio files from their cellular phone. As you can see from the photo, all that users must do is insert the cellular phone into the appropriate place, and the end result is literally music to their ears.
What you can’t see is that these headphones, without the cellular phone attachment, are able to fold up and fit in a slot in a laptop, or even the user’s pocket.
You may notice that there is no microphone on the headphones, so you might not be able to take phone calls. However, I am old enough to remember days that wearing padded headphones meant that you were so into your music so much and you didn’t want to take phone calls. (Insert “the more things change” comment here.)
So far, this Hi-Fi Cellphone is still concept, and is just one winner in LG’s Design of the Future contest. Personally, I think the designer of the Hi-Fi Cellphone is going in the right direction. In other words, let’s see some more practical concept tech get made!
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