Gadget Access

Office pranks can be fun… remember the Annoy-a-tron?

Welcome to the next generation of office pranks… the Phantom Keystroker. The Phantom Keystroker may look like a harmless circuit board, but it’s actually a devious contraption of unlimited office-based torture. Simply discreetly attach the Phantom Keystroker to any extra USB port on your victim’s computer, no drivers needed. The Keystroker emulates a keyboard and mouse and periodically makes random mouse movements and types out odd garbage text and phrases. A simple jumper setting allows you to choose between either keyboard garbage typing, annoying mouse movements or both. An adjustment pot sets the duration between “events”. We recommend you don’t set it too frequently so as to extend the agony. Your hapless co-worker pal will think his computer has been possessed or infected by a destructive virus. As he writhes in anger and furiously dials tech support you can rest easy with a job well done.

Gimmie!

Suggested Price: $24.99

Posted in Computers, Gizmo of the Day

by Thomas Ricker, posted May 1st 2008 at 3:26AM
We know it’s coming in Q3 but the price of Garmin’s hotly anticipated Nuvifone has always been a mystery. Until now. We just received a screenshot that a helpful reader snagged from a Garmin survey. In it, our tipster was asked the following question:

“Now, how likely would you be to buy the Garmin nüvifone (for yourself or as a gift) if offered by AT&T for $499.99 with a two year contract? You would be required to have both a data plan that would include unlimited Internet browsing and unlimited Navigation for $19.99 per month and one of the standard voice rate plans for a monthly fee.”

So dear readers, we ask you… does that sound reasonable for a 3.5-inch touchscreen cellphone with GPS navigation, 3.5G data, WiFi, audio and video playback, and 3 megapixel camera?

• Permalink
• Email this
• 75 Comments

Filed under: cellphones, GPS

Although we have previously mentioned Toshiba’s face recognition technology in our coverage of the Satellite A300 and M300 and P300, it is only now that Toshiba is officially promoting the said feature. Toshiba has employed this technology to provide Satellite owners an additional way of securing their dear Toshiba machines from unauthorized users. The technology grants or denies access to people who might use the laptops depending on whether they are registered users.

To use the face recognition technology to secure their laptops, users need to have their face profiled by the laptop’s webcam during a short setup process. Once profiled, the laptop’s webcam would use this to reference people who are about to use the laptops as recognized by the laptop’s webcam. If a user’s face has not been profiled before, then the laptop would deny them access to the machine.

The use of face recognition technology suits well to those who bought Satellite laptops to use them for community purposes, such as in school or dormitories. Families who share the same laptop at home can also use this feature to grant or deny access to users who are not members of their families. Or perhaps even to prevent the youngest member of the family from using the laptop inappropriately.

I would have to admit that the addition of this technology in the latest models of Toshiba Satellite laptops is a nifty feature indeed. It’s a better replacement for password-protecting machines since users don’t have to memorize usernames and passwords anymore. And yes, we’re supposed to be living in an advanced world, so features like these in the machines we used are supposed to be normal already.

Perhaps, what some users might find a bit annoying would be the setting up of user accounts when they would have to subject themselves from being profiled by the Satellite laptops’ webcam. But it is certainly a worthy trouble and besides, users just have to do it once, unless a big change happened on their face, then they will have to update their profile picture to gain access to the laptop again.

The face recognition technology is currently available on some of the latest Toshiba Satellite laptop series including, U400, M300, A300 and P300.

Read [Toshiba]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

There are times when I need to do something really urgent on the computer in the middle of the night, but can’t flip the lights on since my roommate’s already asleep.

For those with a predilection of typing in the dark, you don’t have to squint to see the letters on your keyboard, or spend considerable time trying not to hit keys next to what you had intended to strike anymore. This USB keyboard has an illumination function, while lets you type in the dark anytime. Moreover, it’s made of silicon, can be rolled up, and is virtually indestructible. You can wash it and even squish it inside your bag if you’re going on a trip. Of course, you can always just buy a desk lamp so you can see what you’re typing, but where’s the fun in that? The USB Illuminated Roll-up Keyboard is available in gadget4all for 13.

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 10:47PM
Ready to have your brain blown out through the top of your head? Look above — you’re staring at the heretofore unseen blackberry clamshell, the Kickstart. The Boy Genius snagged a handful of photos of the device (which apparently he’s known about for “a while”), and has decided to share his good fortune with the rest of the world. The phone sports a Pearl-esque keyboard, typical trackball navigation, and apparently utilizes both an internal and external LCD screen. No word on specs, carriers, or a release date, but BGR is saying this puppy is due before the end of the year. You’ll know more when we know more!

• Read
• Permalink
• Email this
• 93 Comments

Filed under: cellphones

When was the last time you found yourself in a store looking to purchase a new CD player? I’m not talking about one for your car, or even a portable one, but just a CD player for a room in your house. If you’re anything like me, it’s been a very long time. This is why companies that still make such devices are trying their hardest to make CD players more appealing to consumers. Take this strange CD-T300 Pro for example.

Shanling, the company responsible for creating this device specializes in making rather unique products. They stand apart both inside and out. It’s easy to see how the neon lights and interesting shapes are going to draw a few strange glances from visitors in your house, but that’s not what really sets this apart from the rest of the crowd.

The CD-T300 features four amplification valves which are supposed to offer some of the best sound quality around. How good is the sound quality? I can’t say for sure, but they seem to think its worth $12,000. I think I’ll just stick with my ipod dock.

Source: Crave

• Email to a friend
• Leave a comment

Subscribe because know why (via email or RSS)!

Related Posts:

• Crazy clock tells time with tiny sticks
• Crazy Cat Lady for your desk
• ThinkGeek’s Bluetooth Retro Handset
• mp3 player/Pedometer/Radio
• Mini Droplet CD Player