Gadget Access

Cars tend to attract odors, especially when several people are crammed in one for long trips. Add in a couple of smokers and the smell can become overbearing. Thankfully I don’t smoke, and most of the people that ride with me don’t either, so I just stick with the occasional pine tree air freshener. However, if you want something a little more hi-tech cleaning your air, you might try out this little gadget.

This Solar Car Air Purifier is designed to deodorize and sterilize the air in your car. It accomplishes this by taking solar energy and using activated oxygen to remove the odors and pollutants. Really all you need to do is set this on your dash and forget about it. It’ll only set you back $19, which if it works as well as they say, will save you money in the long run since you won’t have to buy air fresheners anymore.

Source: UberGizmo

by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 4:02AM
Got a hundred bucks to burn? Lucky you, ’cause that Benjamin will now take the stock 15.4-inch 1,440 x 900 display of Dell’s XPS M1530 and squeeze in a full 1,920 x 1,200 pixel resolution. Toss in the optional $500 Blu-ray Disc drive and you’ve got yourself a sweet portable HD rig pumping Intel’s Penryn at the core. Another $50 and you’ve added a presumably brighter, LED backlit display but you’re now back to the original 1,440 x 900 resolution. Oh decisions, decisions.

[Thanks, Jonaid]

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Filed under: Displays, Laptops

My mother taught me not to open my mouth if I don’t have anything good to say. Well, needless to say, with the Bullshit button, I don’t even have to open my mouth at all.

The Bullshit button can rile up anyone with five snarky sentences:

- (Beep) That was bullshit!
- (Siren) Bullshit detected, take precautions!
- (Siren) Bullshit level defcon 5!
- Oh come on now, that ain’t even bullshit, that’s horseshit!
- Warning, warning, bullshit alert!

All you need to do is load the gadget up with two triple A batteries and you’re on your way for some nasty pranking session. There’s nothing complicated here–just push the button and let it take the place of your potty mouth. You can test it out on its product page and see if it…um…lives up to your expectations. The Bullshit button spells it out in your place for only 5.

Philips GoGear SA28 is the first mp3 player that features its own Fullsound technology. The SA28 was first introduced during the CES2008, and now, it is available at China mainland. The 2GB SA28 is sale for RMB399 (approx US$57) with built-in FM tuner.

Fullsound is a digital audio algorithm patented by Philips that refines audio output by performing 10 million operations per second to analyze and re-compute the music signal before it is sent to the speaker. This means that FullSound brings out the best of any audio system and delivers more life to the music.

More images after the jump

Philips GoGear SA28 (dissected)

Sigmatel STMP3710

Sigmatel STFM1000
[ via iMP3, Philips ]

Philips, SA28, Fullsound, MP3 Players, Sigmatel

I argue that they really could have named the product something better than “Floral titi,” but the gadget itself looks quite good.

Unfortunately, it’s only been released in the Korean market by GDIS. The Floral titi is a clip-type mp3 player coming in 1GB and 2GB varieties. The colours available are more varied than a rainbow’s: lavender, ice blue, aqua, mint, strawberry, carrot, sweet pink, mocha, and vanilla. The Floral titi weighs a mere 10 grams so it’s basically negligible when you pin it in your clothes–the only problem is that it might be TOO negligible, it becomes easy to lose. The Floral titi has can store enough power per charge for eight hours of playtime and sells in Korea for ₤21 and ₤29 for the 1GB and 2GB versions respectively.

via

When I caught my entire family popping the bubble wraps covering my CDs, I knew I had to do something or else it’d cost me a pretty penny.

This electronic bubble wrap keychain can supply everyone who’s addicted to popping bubble wraps with unlimited bubbles to pop. The eight rubber buttons have the tactile feel of bubble wrap and pressing them, of course, would sound the familiar “pop.” The 100th pressing of a button won’t be a pop though, but something completely different like a dog’s bark–just for laughs. This portable electronic bubble wrap keychain is sold for ₤5 in ThinkGeek.

via

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 9th 2008 at 5:06PMWouldn’t you know it? No, really — didn’t you completely understand that Nintendo wouldn’t be releasing something as magnificent as a stark white GameCube controller in the States? Okay, so maybe NoA hasn’t made that official, but we’re betting the unit you see there on the right will be a (highly coveted) Japanese exclusive. Apparently the Big N is re-issuing a Wii-white GameCube controller in its homeland this month with an extended (3-meter) cord, and while we can’t glean any pricing information from the crumb of information out there right now, go ahead and start stacking those pennies for use on your favorite importer.

[Via Joystiq]

Update: Apparently it’ll cost around $20. Thanks, Chebwa!

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Filed under: Gaming

In the “What the … ?” department, Yahoo’s latest counter-move to Microsoft’s acquisition desires is to court AOL (part of AOL Time Warner). In a rather complicated sounded potential deal:

“Under the terms being discussed between Yahoo and Time Warner, the latter would fold its AOL unit into Yahoo and make a cash investment in return for about 20% of the combined entity, people familiar with the situation said. The deal, which wouldn’t include AOL’s dial-up access business, would value AOL at about $10 billion. As part of the deal, Yahoo would use the Time Warner cash and additional funds to buy back several billion dollars worth of its own stock at a price somewhere in the middle of the range between $30 and $40 a share.”

So this sounds like Yahoo wouldn’t lose all autonomy. In fact they would regain some control of the company as well as add some additional cash. Together the 2 companies would strengthen their combined online assets and services. Not a bad deal for both of them.

via Silicon Alley Insider and the Wall Street Journal.

Posted in Networking & Internet

Posted Apr 9th 2008 1:25PM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Robots It’s already become a star in Japan, and it now looks like the therapeutic Paro robot is about to make its US debut at long last. That’ll officially happen at the Robo Business Conference and Expo in Pittsburgh this week, after which the bots will be available “shortly” for $5,000 apiece directly from a new joint venture set up by Japan’s Intelligent System Co. and Walter Weisel, a former head of the Robotic Industries Association of the United States. As in Japan, it’ll apparently be primarily targeted at nursing care facilities, but we can’t help but think that at least a few of the critters will find their way into the hands of some slightly more mischievous individuals as well.

[Via Far East Gizmos]

Posted Apr 9th 2008 12:54PM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Storage Another day, another ridiculously tiny USB flash drive. This one comes to us from the folks at Imation, and while it’s a few millimeters shy of Super Talent’s supposed record-holder, the company’s Atom drive is still plenty easy to lose (despite the best efforts of the attached keychain). If you aren’t swayed away by that prospect, you can look for the drive to be available in capacities from 1GB to 8GB, with it boasting the usual Windows Ready Boost feature and some basic security measures — no word on pricing just yet though.