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Bug Labs - Store Is Open
2008-01-22 10:21:00
Get your credit cards ready people - the “Lego of Gadgets” store is now open and awaiting your orders. For people unaware of what Bug Labs is all about here’s a quick taster:  Their vision is “…a future where CE stands for Community Electronics, the term “mashups” applies equally to hardware as it does to Web services….” It’s all about Open Source and being able to create without requiring soldering knowledge or practical training in electronics. Check out their Store  - be prepared to want something……….

Fold My Blower - The Readius
2008-01-22 09:28:00
Those clever Dutch people at Polymer Vision are proud to present their mobile phone project named ‘Readius’. What’s special is the display - it can be folded away when not in use!! This means that you can have a nice large screen AND pocket your blower without unsightly bulges. When unfurrled the display measures 5-inches, (13cm) which is pretty fab for a phone. It’s said to have the same feel as electronic paper, pretty much like the Kindle does - so this points at the possibility of  being able to read e-books as well as content from the interweb. Users will be able to set up their email accounts, news sources, podcasts, audio books and blog feeds at home on their computer, and the data is then pushed to the device whenever it is updated. No news on release or price yet - but I reckon that this is pretty exciting stuff!
More About: Fold

The Smart Party!! Democratic Tunes.
2008-01-21 15:35:00
A couple of UCLA students, Kevin Eustice and Peter Reiher, have written and tested some software that with their antennae set up will grap music playlists stored inside laptops. The plan is to roll this out to wifi-enabled MP3 players and throw these tunes up front and create the playlist thus, perhaps, making DJ’S so 90’s! Wi-fi playlists and ‘pod parties’ aren’t new but this software works on ‘votes’, ie how many people present have that track on their player.  Notice I said “people present”? - Smart Party can triangulate people’s position, it can also deduct their votes when they leave the party, making everything all fair and square. I reckon the only downside of this is that people who ‘want’ an iPod or similar will know where to ‘get’ one from - also the amount of MP3 players that are gonna be dropped in the toilets, etc. But for the pure eclectism of the potential tunes - I rate ...
More About: Tunes , Democratic

The Catbot of your Dreams? Dream Cat
2008-01-19 15:00:00
From the makers of Dream DX dog comes the Dream Cat. A pretty realistic catbot until you discover that it doesn’t purr or meow - it talks! Yup, the feline droid is preloaded with 333 words (all Japanese at the moment). It has sensors over its body and depending where you touch it responds accordingly. A gentle pat on the head will give a very cute response and if you interact with it after a long time it gets angry - just like a real cat, but I’m guessing this one wont take a swipe at you with claws drawn. The Dream cat is powered by 2 x AAA batteries and will be available in Japan soon for 10,290 Yen (about £50). Watch the pussy in action here: You Tube Dream Cat
More About: Dreams

Modem and Phone - Ello Tosh!
2008-01-19 00:05:00
This is Toshiba’s new G450 USB HSDPA. It’s Tosh’s USB HSDPA modem for people that require their data on-the-go - but in a neat 1-2 it also doubles as a capable mobile blower! With its unconventional keypad and a 96 x 36 pixel OLED display you’re unlikely to want to use it as your main phone - but then again, who am I to tell you what you’ll do or not? You’ve seen the hideous gold/diamond iPhone case that’s on sale yeah? The modem/phone has tri-band EDGE/GSM, 2100 MHz HSDPA and 300 hours standby time coupled with 3 hours talk time and it comes in a choice of three colours for around $290 in Europe. Via Unwiredview
More About: Modem

Increase iPhone Speaker Volume
2008-01-18 18:18:00
According to Engadget if you stick pins through the thin plastic sheild that covers the, quite frankly inept, iPhone speaker it is possible to get somewhere in the region of 40% better volume. But be warned - this will be a warranty voiding excercise. Depends if you want to hear the ring tones, etc or have a vaild warranty!
More About: Speaker , Iphone , Volume

Cash Doesn’t Buy Taste - iPhone Case
2008-01-18 15:59:00
Looking more like a Lion Bar - this is not a pretty (in my opinion) way to protect your iPhone. Hand-crafted 18K gold and carbon-fiber with 3.5 carats-worth of diamonds definitely takes the biscuit (or Lion Bar) I have to admit. “Quantities are extremely limited” according to its maker.  Yeah, coz lots of people would want one of these beauties!   More money than taste?  Yours for $20,000. (mental)Case -mate
More About: Iphone , Taste , Cash

Shoot a Film - Pistol Camera/Camera Pistol
2008-01-18 14:23:00
This is incredibly cool; albeit old-school.  It’s not digital and possibly you’d get arrested if filming in a street - so as well as looking over your shoulder because you haven’t asked permission to film you could have the unwanted attention of the Armed Response Team! That aside - it’s still an uber cool thing to have.  Just don’t pack it to take holiday films! High Tech via Gizmodo Japan
More About: Film , Camera , Shoot

Before CES kicks off - behind the scenes…..
2008-01-06 13:19:00
Those stealthy folks at Engadget managed to get in and have a wander around CES before everything was unwrapped and sorted. Here’s a bunch of photo’s of stands still in bubble-wrap and packing crates. Not exactly the nice, shiny display that people will see after the doors open for real is it? I hope that these don’t spoil the magic for you. More real news as it comes in from the variety of lucky people that have actually managed to get into the show. Me; Jealous? Nah…………&helli p;……….well…&h ellip;……maybe a bit.
More About: Behind The Scenes , Kicks , Scenes

Sennheiser MX W1 - Kleer earphones
2008-01-05 18:46:00
Sennheiser is to announce the launch a pair of wireless headphones at the CES which starts tomorrow. These buds promise to avoid compressing the audio transmitted unlike the competiting Bluetooth technology. There’s no news about pricing but the the new earphones called MX W1 will, according to Sennheiser, have everything you need to be able to enjoy music without being tied down by it. The system also includes a transport and charging case for when you’re out and about. Using an alternative to Bluetooth called Kleer, the headphones promise CD quality sound even though the transmitter is only the size of a matchbox. “With Kleer, the audio signal’s latency is very low and transmission extremely interference-free” This means that battery life will be considerably longer than you would get with conventional transmission standards. The MX W1 will be available from May 2008. Press release available at Sennheiser.
More About: Sennheiser , Earphones

Apple MacBook Lite Touch Revealed - Well………kinda
2008-01-05 17:51:00
Mixing the the 2 main rumours of the Apple iMac-like dock patent and the MacBook touch, here’s a very nice rendering of how the things may look together. The design includes a minimalist dock station, with an optical drive, extra hard-drive, charging and wireless connectivity but without the screen. According to the author, “the Keyboard Wireless Dock connects to the dock using Wireless USB. It also has a bigger hard drive, some sort of DVD player/burner, inputs for your USB and Firewire devices. The whole keyboard part itself is used as a large multitouch track pad. Since the keys need to be depressed when hit, you can do lighter touches as you move across the whole thing.” I’ve got to keep reminding myself that this is just a mock up, a very nice mock up I agree, but a mock up nonetheless; especially in that black Powerbook-titanium. I’m loving the mini-dock concept as if/when we get the MacBook lite and it ends up being an ultra-slim MacBook witho...
More About: Lite , Kinda , Touch , Macbook

Portable Widescreen - Vuzix
2008-01-05 15:44:00
The AV920 from Vuzix is a wearable virtual 62” big screen that will work with most audio/video devices. So, if your portable DVD screen lacks your home sytems’ wow factor slap these futuristic shades on and bathe your eyes in beautiful, crystal clear high resolution 2D and 3D. The AV920 also works with your video iPod and gaming systems. A small built in lithium ion battery allows for 5 hours of continuous use. The cost is $349.95US - but then, it’ll be the cheapest 62″ screen you’ll find!
More About: Widescreen , Portable

Brain Training is Most Popular on Your Mobile
2008-01-04 14:01:00
The highly successful Brain Training series on Nintendo DS has become just as popular on mobile phones, creator Namco Bandai has revealed. Brain Coach with Dr. Kawashima was launched for mobiles last month and is now officially the most popular game on the 3 network. Approved by Dr. Kawashima, a neurophysiologist and expert on brain imaging, Namco claims the mobile phone game is proven to stimulate the brain. With Dr. Kawashima’s official approval, we are very proud to take this popular genre to the next level”, said Masaji Okubo, managing director of Namco Bandai. “Players are now presented a new and scientifically proven series of fun brain training challenges that actually help activate different parts of the brain. So, join the masses and see how old your brain is!
More About: Mobile , Popular , Raining

X-Box HD-DVD To Be Announced
2008-01-04 12:56:00
Billy G (as I call him) will take to the stage at CES in Vegas next week and drop news of an HD-DVD packing Xbox 360 according to the rumours in The Seattle Times. Microsoft has previously crushed such talk, but their hi-def allies Toshiba last year dropped big hints that the HD hub would be coming in 2008. That rumour was swiftly quashed, but with Tosh and Microsoft both set on destroying Sony’s Blu-Ray plans, who would bet against a joint announcement during Bill’s annual chinwag with the press?
More About: X-Box

bebo is best
2008-01-04 12:43:00
Bebo, the popular social networking site, has been named the best performing social networking forum by experts who praised its efforts to enhance security and protect users from data theft and unwanted visitors. Computing Which? magazine said the site had scored highly for encouraging “responsible networking” by enabling users to easily restrict who can see their information and block unwanted “friends”. Bebo, also praised for giving users plenty of advice on security risks, beat its main rival Facebook, which received an overall score of 74 per cent compared to Bebo’s 79 per cent. The magazine praised Facebook’s simple interface which makes it easy to navigate. But it warned that the site had been marked down because its security settings could be confusing. “Our expert felt it was confusing to find out and change who can see what about you,” it said. “Plus, it wasn’t easy to find out how to permanently delete our account...
More About: Bebo

NVIDIA - 9800 soon
2008-01-04 10:06:00
There is word on the street that NVIDIA  is soon to release their new top-of-the-range GeForce 9800 GX2. It is said to be an 8800 that’s been shrunk down to 65nm and SLI’d onto a “single” card. The card is supposed to be at least 30% faster than a 8800 Ultra (which I’m still excited about!), and will apparently support Quad SLI.  Now, here comes the science bit: 1GB frame buffer Two PCBs Two 65nm GPUs 256 Stream Processors That’s what HardOCP says and they seem to be pretty clued up.

Paid to Kill - the Kwari way
2008-01-04 09:48:00
This is Kwari.  A first person shooter that rewards you with real cash money for success. Looking at the site and the promo vid clips it looks like the developers have put some thought into the game and pay engine. The most important part I think is an anti-cheating system which, if fool proof, could be pretty rewarding in itself for Kwari’s writers.  The game features challenges, traps (which drain your money), in-game cash prizes and pickups and something called The Pill, which is like a super game jackpot.  A very interesting aspect of Kwari is the way the game deals with the uber-players out there.  The developers claim to have completely leveled the playing field so that n00bs have as good a chance to earn some folding as seasoned gamers.  This is something that I’ll have to check out! Here’s some blurb: Kwari has been designed with a singular purpose in mind – to give you the opportunity to translate your shooter skills into some serious ca...
More About: Paid , Kill

Bendy Skype Board
2008-01-03 14:27:00
Flexible Keyboard & Skype Dial Pad with USB Hub. As it suggests, this is a very bendy, washable (if needs be?!?!) keyboard with a Skype pad, built in microphone and speaker and 2 USB ports. So you can roll it up and take this multimedia board with you - perhaps a fold up puter and monitor would be also useful.  This flexiboard retails at $59.99US.
More About: Board

Smoking Mittens!
2008-01-03 14:14:00
I have to admire those people who have proved themselves not to be just fair-weather smokers!  As the icy Siberian winds cut through London today there are still those who enjoy a smoke and are forced outside whilst brass monkies walk past with tears in their eyes. You can wrap up all you want but usually your hands still remain uncovered and freezing. One answer is this odd pair of mittens…….  ………..erm…&h ellip;……it’s not that cold :0P £14.99 from Cocktail Equipment via shiny Shiny
More About: Smoking , Mittens

ByeByeKuRt on You Tube
2008-01-03 10:57:00
I know this is a tad cheeky but hey, this is my blog so I am allowed a little bit of self promotion right? Click Here for music and to see me at my ‘day job’ with my band ByeByeKuRt
More About: You Tube , Tube

PSP to get VoIP
2008-01-03 10:08:00
Even before the CES starts there’s a number of rumours of what to expect at the show. One of the ‘rumours’ that I’m hoping is going to be true actually comes from Sony’s official CES site. Their CES preview page mentions a Skype client for the handheld console leading to speculation that this will be one of the big announcements. Here in the UK we should see the outcome this month of BT and Sony’s VoIP team up for the PSP so, timing-wise, an American Skype partnership is not beyond the realms of possibility. Via - Engadget
More About: Voip

Back to the early mornings
2008-01-02 14:32:00
If, like me, you have managed to get a decent break away from the normality of getting up to an alarm clock you will have found it pretty hard to get up once more when you need to. So, to see the new year in - here’s some alarm clocks that have caught my eye. First up is the Alarm Ring from Yanko Design. The designer (Meng Fandi) has put together a neat 2 ring design.  The rings are worn on the finger (where else?) and will vibrate you awake at the desired time.  Couples can avoid that grumpy annoyance when waking up at different times as there’s no audible alarm and both rings can be set to vibrate at different times. Next up is for a more natural look to perhaps suit your modern surroundings. When not in use this simply looks like a block of wood but the numbers appear to float on the face of this understated time-piece. You can buy this for £99 from Firebox. If you’d rather wake up to something more animated and that will force you to get up off your ass to ...
More About: Back , Early

Merry Times!!
2007-12-26 20:41:00
Hope that you’ve had a good break. I’m suitably full of food and alcohol and will resume my updating of news once my tour of the Midlands and Yorkshire has been completed. Happy Holidays!* *Legal Disclaimer This statement of good wishes (”Greeting”) from me (”Sender”) is intended to be generic in nature. “Holiday” is intentionally left an undefined term. This holiday may include, but not be limited to, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Day, Saturnalia, or even Elvis’ Birthday (”Elvis” is a registered trademark of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Memphis, TN). Further, the recipient of this greeting (”Receiver”), may insert his or her own holiday into this Greeting, either explicitly or implicitly, or no holiday at all, if he or she chooses. If Receiver celebrates no holidays during the intended period of Greeting, assumed to be roughly mid-December, 2007 through the first week in January, 2008 (”Greeting Period”), he or she may consider Greet...
More About: Times , Merry

Happy Birthday Canon EOS!
2007-12-21 11:55:00
Is it already 20 years?! Canon shipped the first film-based EOS 650 AF SLR in 1987, and although the industry has undergone some huge changes since then, the EOS line remains as strong as ever. Canon announced today that it has now shipped over 30 million EOS cameras, and over 10 million digital EOS units since their launch in 2000 with the EOS D30. With models such as the XTi / 400D selling really strongly it seems that the brand is going to be here for a while. Well done Canon and many happy returns EOS
More About: Happy , Birthday , Happy Birthday , Anon

Q1 Ultra HSDPA - Online with Samsung Broadband
2007-12-20 09:55:00
Samsung have just released the latest version of their UMPC.  The Samsung Q1 Ultra HSDPA - Unlike the original Q1 and Q1 Ultra, this new model lets you jump on the interweb anywhere that there is a mobile phone signal. Samsung calls it ‘Samsung Broadband Access’, but the service is actually provided courtesy of an HSDPA-enabled SIM card which is stowed beneath the battery.  You’ll have to sort yourself out with that SIM card by the way.  This means the Q1 Ultra works just like any Internet-ready mobile phone, but will reach download speeds of up to 10Mbps which aint too sluggish is it? The rest of the device is identical to the original Q1 Ultra for better or for worse. The tiny split thumbboard on either side of the 7-inch screen is pretty tricky, the mouse takes some getting used to, and the whole unit is actually quite large and not exactly pocketable in my opinion. It’s specs run to an 800MHz Intel A110 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 400MHz memory, a 60GB har...
More About: Samsung , Online

3 Mobile - T Mobile and 3 link up
2007-12-18 16:38:00
If, like my bro, you are on 3 or the T Mobile network then 3G is going to be even better for you lucky lot! They have both signed an agreement allowing users to access either network for 3G connectivity. By 2010, HSDPA will also be rolled out nationwide. According to 3 and T-Mobile , this will be Europe’s most extensive 3G/HSDPA network, and give users access to high-speed Internet browsing and downloads in more places around the UK than ever before. Good huh? Via Crave
More About: Link , Link Up , T Mobile

Tall Order Speakers
2007-12-18 14:26:00
Do you long for the day when you have to look up to be eye to tweeter?  Dream of having to stand on a chair to clean the top  of your living room speakers? Then the Anthony Gallo Acoustics‘ Nucleus Reference 5LS are for you.  The stats start quite normal at 7-inches wide, 11-inches deep but then things get silly when you read that they stand a staggering 78-inches high! The cabs contain twelve aluminum, rear-firing 4-inch subwoofers, eight 4-inch carbon fiber midrange drivers and seven CDT II tweeters. There’s no info yet with regards to power handling or frequency response.  Apparently though you wont need a monster amp in order to fill a room with sound - just a decently high ceiling.
More About: Tall , Speakers , Order

1st Snap of Google Android in the Open!
2007-12-18 14:00:00
Gizmodo have got a bit of an exclusive it seems. This is apparently the first shot of a prototype Google Android out “in the wild” and if it is it could be quite a scoop. It seems to be pretty close to the “spy shots” that have graced many a website and blog over the past few months and looks to be kinda like a HTC handset.  It is said that someone who has test-driven this handset for a day posted  to Gizmodo saying: Even in early form, it’s light and fast, much faster than the desktop emulator at times. Also the tester said that it was a lot more better put together than Windows Mobile 5 at the backend. We will have to wait and see - all to often people get this type of thing fed as a bit of publicity, to check that people are still interested or just a great mock-up. I know, I’m getting more cynical as I get older!   
More About: Open , Snap , Google Android

Auntie Beeb now Flashes!
2007-12-18 13:32:00
The BBC iPlayer is now available in a Flash version so now it doesn’t matter if your puter works in Windows or not!  It also looks pretty :0)  With BBC iPlayer you can catch up with the programmes from the past seven days you’ve missed or want to watch again by playing them direct on the BBC iPlayer website or downloading them to your computer. As long as you are in the UK and connected to the internet you can: · find programmes you want to catch up on or watch again from the past seven days and watch them on the website through a method known as streaming · download and store them on your computer for up to 30 days if you have a Windows PC · play back high quality programmes on your computer as often

Get Cross with Mobiblu Cube MP3
2007-12-18 12:47:00
Mobiblu, renowned for their cuboid mp3 players, have released yet another; but this one comes flat packed so that it can either be in cruciform or built up to the more familiar Mobiblu cube-shape. So, if you’re walking the streets at night listening to some phat choonz when suddenly a vampire appears - no problems.  Whip out the tiny mp3 player, break it down into the cross - job done and neck safe. Mobiblu
More About: Cross , Cube