by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 7:47AM
That’s Fujitsu’s WoodShell concept PC. It joins an increasingly common trend of so called “natural” products already demonstrated by MSI, ASUS, Olympus, LG and others. No specs are provided on this feel-good piece. However, we presume it’s powered by the blood and tears wrung from the baby Gore’s heartbreak.
Filed under: Laptops
by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 5:10AM
Stuff.tv is kicking back in Nike’s HQ at the moment and claims to have official word about Nike’s future plans with Apple. They say that the Nike+ system will “definitely” extend beyond the iPod nano to support the relatively bulky iphone and iPod touch. Interestingly, it will leap-frog the proprietary RF link between the shoe module and nano adapter to take advantage of WiFi and eventually 3G. This of course leads to all kinds of speculation with regard to Apple’s “lifestyle companion” patent we showed you last month. 3G support would presumably allow for real-time coaching and uploads of your training activity through the Nike Plus website. So let’s see… cellphone (check), ipod (check), Internet device (check), handheld gaming (almost), and now a Nike lifestyle companion (could be).
Filed under: cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video
by Darren Murph, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 8:28AM
So, how do you go about impressing the world after busting out a few systems based around the “fastest chip on Earth?” By getting us all worked up for a little thing called racetrack memory, that’s how. Far from being the first memory technology that runs laps around the DIMMs we’re relying on today, IBM researchers are suggesting that this iteration could enable users to store substantially more data at a lower cost and be available in around a decade. Put simply, the gurus working the project have discovered a way to overcome the prohibitively expensive process of manipulating domain walls in magnetic storage, essentially making a long-standing approach entirely more viable. If you’re totally in nerd heaven right now, we assure you, checking out the explanatory video waiting after the jump is a must-do.
[Via BBC]
Filed under: Storage
by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 8:06AM
Our first thought when we heard the news that there was an NES emulator in the works for the Sidekick series of text machines was one of pure, unabashed elation. The classic Hiptop form factor is pretty much exactly what the doctor ordered for effective old-skool gaming, after all — and let’s be honest, any time Nintendo playtime comes to a new platform is cause for immediate and overindulgent celebration. Our second thought was, “wait, what?” It’s pretty unclear how the emulator would be loaded with legally-obtained ROMs and we have our doubts that Nintendo signed away the rights to any binaries, so we’re a little confused about the word that this would be officially offered through the Danger’s Software Catalog. Let’s all cross our fingers, continue to pay our T-Mobile bills on time, and hope that tomorrow might bring countless hours of Skate or Die while we’re… you know, actually skating or something.
Update: While not technically fake, it turns out that this 80s-vintage action is going to remain a pipe dream (and no, we’re not talking about the NES game Pipe Dream, either). Danger’s developer tools allow arbitrary Java to be loaded into the Hiptop emulator — not just approved stuff, obviously — so odds are that someone loaded an NES emulator (like, say, vNes) and went to town with the screen shots. Official offering through the Catalog, though? Not so much. Thanks, Jim!
Filed under: cellphones, Gaming
When you were a kid, did your parents always hassle you about turning off the lights when you left a room? Well now that you have your own place, you probably understand exactly why they would tell you that. What’s more is that you also likely have a lot of gadgets around your desk that still use power even when you’re not using them. This is why Watt Stopper created the Isole IDP-3050.
This rather ordinary-looking power strip is designed to save power by shutting off gadgets when you aren’t around. The small wired box is actually a passive infrared sensor which will kill power to most of the outlets when you aren’t around.
Two of the outlets are not controlled by the sensor, which would be ideal for plugging in your PC. You can also program how long it will wait before shutting off power. It can be anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes. It will likely take a while for your investment to pay off though, this power strip will set you back $90. Either way, you’re saving the environment, right?
Source: Crave
If you’ve been doing your part for the environment by transitioning from regular light bulbs to energy-saving fluorescent lght bulbs, you might be interested to know that you can get energy-saving light bulbs that do more than just provide light. Kitchen Contraptions spotted this 15 watt ionic bulb, which produces 60 watts of ight and contains an ionizer that cleans the air around the bulb. The claim is that the ionic technology picks up airborne particles that contaminate your room and cause odors. The bulb provides 10,000 hours of lighting, 10 times longer than standard light bulbs.
There’s been controversy over the last few years about whether ionic air purifiers are effective. You might recall the lawsuit filed by Sharper Image against the publisher of Consumer Reports, claiming product disparagement relating to negative reviews of Sharper Image’s Ionic Breeze Quadra air purifiers (the suit was dismissed), and the class action suit against Sharper Image by consumers (which was settled in 2007).
Putting aside the debate over how effect ionic air purifiers are, it’s an interesting idea to make air purification a secondary function of a light bulb, since you have at least one bulb in every room of a house.
Sold for $14.99 each at Amazon..
I’m not much of a photographer, so I’m not sure I’d want to use up/ruin a whole wall with any picture I’ve taken, but I can definitely see My Foto Wall doing well. This new site allows users to upload a favorite picture, which will then be turned into wallpaper. Not virtual wallpaper - the real thing.
A typical wall will cost £295 ($586) to decorate, so you may not be covering all your walls this way, but for a unique design, I can’t think of better way to customise a room. You can crop and cut your your chosen photo to scale, and if you put in your wall/room measurements, you’ll get an exact quote.
I think a nature shot would work best, but if you want that Demi Moore-inspired pregnant pose on your living room wall, go right ahead: it’ll be a talking point, at least.
(Oh, and I feel I should apologise for the unnecessary apostrophe in the picture above: it makes my heart ache, but I’m trying to overlook it).
Via Geekbrief TV.
First the bad news. The number of unique viruses will reach 1,000,000 (1 million) by the end of the year. More bad news. About 25% have been generated in the last 6 months out of all generated in the past 20 years. Ugh.
The good news is that the number of viruses/malware making it through to user inboxes is down to 1 in 1000. Five (5) years ago, it was 1 in 40. Naturally, we need to get that down even more. So would you please stop adding your name to those weird mailing lists and yell at your friends for putting you on those mass forwarded e-mails!
via Webb Alert and PC Guide.
Posted in Computers, Networking & Internet
The next generation of the Jawbone has made its appearance, and thanks to the FCC we have a little look as to what’s in store with the future of the Jawbone. Overall it seems that the Jawbone will have some welcome improvements. Judging from the images, it looks like the Jawbone has gone on a diet, sporting a slightly less bulky appearance and according the the “preliminary” manual the Jawbone will retain the patented “Noise Shield” and “Voice Activity Sensor” that make for that great sound, or lack of when it comes to background noise. Another item of interest is what appears to be smaller pins on the charging cable, otherwise the headset still comes with an earloop and various sets of earbuds to allow for a slightly more custom fit. Keep reading to check out some more pictures of the Jawbone, and don’t forget to thank to FCC.
Read [FCC] Via [Engadget]
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Western Digital has released ten new colors of its My Passport Essential portable hard drives. Aside from the traditional black and white, the My Passport Essential is now also available in brilliant orange, super sunny yellow, raindrop blue, arctic white, deep viola, cherry red, ultra mint, real red, intense blue, and vibrant pink.
My Passport Essential portable hard drives come with the usual specs such as 128-bit encryption, USB 2.0 ports, support for PC synchronization and storage capacities that range from 120GB to 320GB. The hard drives are still as portable as they can be weighing only 5-ounces. The My Passport Essential lineup ranges in price depending on storage size but tops out at $179.99 for the 320GB model.
Product [Western Digital] Via [I4U]
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