Gadget Access

by Darren Murph, posted May 24th 2008 at 3:01PM
If you’ve ran smack into any flavor of foreign object while waiting impatiently for your navigator to “recalculate,” you’ll likely be salivating for Sanyo’s latest duo. The NVA-MS1280DT and NVA-MS1180DT each feature a 4GB SSD drive (though the former adds a 4GB SD card and DVD support), a 7-inch QVGA display, 43-watt x 4 internal amplifier, MP3 / WMA / AAC playback, a 1-seg TV tuner, 3D maps, FM tuner and ipod support. In all seriousness, the SSD is bundled in not so much for its speed, but for its reliability — either way, we can’t help but be enamored. Both units are slated to land in June for ¥181,650 ($1,761) and ¥155,400 ($1,506), respectively, so it’s fairly easy to see those solid state discs aren’t being thrown in gratis.

[Via NaviGadget]

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Filed under: GPS

by Darren Murph, posted May 24th 2008 at 12:51PM
Just after seeing how the Nintendo DS’s touch panel could be used to scratch things up, along comes a full-blown turntable setup that relies heavily on interactions with touchscreens. Dreamed up and designed by Scott Hobbs, the ATTIGO TT enables DJs to manipulate sounds via sensors, and the added visual effects are fantastically beautiful, if not useful. Check out a video of the creation being used after the jump — just make sure one earcup is firmly planted around the ear first, alright?

[Via Coolest-gadgets]

Final Product // ATTIGO TT from Scott Hobbs on Vimeo.

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Filed under: Portable Audio

The Washingtonpost reviews the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 and writes, “The 8120’s two-megapixel still camera took pretty good photos, especially in low-light situations where its built-in flash really made a difference.   And the device’s   software made it easy to crop a portrait for use as a thumbnail that appears on the screen when that person calls…The camera’s 5X digital zoom was not impressive, though, and while this is the first Pearl to capture video, the clip I shot was rather grainy when I played it back on my PC.”

Read more about the blackberry Pearl 8120.

The slider styled, TouchFLO and Windows Mobile 6.1 equipped HTC Touch Dual is expected to finally become available at Best Buy retail locations, Best Buy Mobile locations and online this weekend. Having been announced back in April and the pre-order page showing up online last month it feels like its been a long wait, but with the Touch Dual’s features it should prove to be well worth it, especially for 3G loving AT&T customers. The Touch Dual will be sold unlocked and retail for $549.99.

Highlights of the Touch Dual include:

A 2.6-inch touchscreen display with TouchFLO technology, 2-megapixel camera, and its combination use of a slide-out 20-key keyboard and touchscreen, which allows users to choose their preferred input method. The Dual Touch is a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) phone with HSDPA (850/1900Mhz) connectivity. The phone will also come with Live HTC Home featuring time and weather information, an application quick launcher, and one-touch ring tone settings.

Product [Best Buy]

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by Ryan Block, posted May 24th 2008 at 10:16AMSo according to El Reg, it turns out ASUS is selling its Eee 900 laptops in the UK with 4400mAh batteries — quite a bit smaller than the 5800mAh batteries that come in the US version. It’s insult to injury when you consider that the larger screen necessarily sucks down more juice than on the 700 series, but ASUS explains that overseas users get a tradeoff in exchange: UK warranties last two years, supposedly longer than their US counterparts (although to be fair, we’ve heard of retailers listing the US Eee’s warranty at two years as well). Caveat emptor, and all that.

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Filed under: Laptops

by Darren Murph, posted May 24th 2008 at 4:42AM
Go ‘head Oppo — get down with your bad self. This S11 portable media player may not be the most easily recognized on the streets, but it sure has a lot going for it. Aside from the sleek (dare we say sexy?) enclosure, the unit packs a 3-inch 400 x 240 resolution touch panel, video out port, integrated photo viewer / calender / stopwatch / calculator, a couple of games, file search capabilities and support for MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AAC and APE audio files. On the video front, it’ll play nice with AVI, DivX, XviD, RM, RMVB and FLV formats. If the 4GB of internal memory just isn’t enough, there’s also a microSD slot for loading in additional media. Check out a video preview of the thing just after the break before dropping $163.99, though.

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

The Spotlight Torch is definitely nifty to have in an emergency, and being of such a diminutive size, it makes perfect sense to carry one in the car at all times just in case of an emergency. While it is waterproof, make sure it doesn’t stay underwater for over half an hour.

Best of all for outdoor types, the Spotlight is fully submersible in water too. From changing a tyre during a monsoon to executing elaborate James Bond-style aquatic stunts, it won’t let you down when the going gets wet - which is more than we can say for your car insurance when they hear about your 007 underwater antics. It’s about the same size as the old lighter from your car’s socket, but potentially far more useful. After all, who wants to go through life wheezing through a coffin-nail courtesy of their car’s 12V power supply? Exactly. Far better to let your engine give the Spotlight the breath of life by slotting its compact anodised aluminium body into the socket instead.

It will come in a choice of black, red, titanium, blue and orange colors, retailing for £12.95 a pop.

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The Executive Chefs One Second Probe And Surface Thermometer is one mean device, touted to be favored by “professional chefs and commercial food service facilities for its speed and accuracy.”

This thermometer’s infrared sensor and flip-up thermocouple probe have a one-second response time for instantly measuring the temperature of cooking surfaces or the inner temperature of roasts or liquids. By merely aiming its lens at a target area and pressing a button, it displays the surface temperature from -67° F to 482° F on the LCD panel, with accuracy of ± 7°. It can also be set to display the temperature continuously or just when it registers above or below a pre-set threshold. A built-in flashlight automatically illuminates where the sensor is aimed. The 4″-long probe gives readings from -67° F to 626° F, accurate to ±2° F, and is made of easy-cleaning stainless steel. The 1 1/16″ x 1 5/16″ LCD panel displays surface temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius on the top line and internal readings on the lower line. Separate LED indicators tell you if food temperatures fall within USDA safety guidelines. Includes two AAA batteries that provide power for up to 40 hours, and a padded vinyl carrying case.

The next time you’re thinking of whipping up something delicious for the rest of the family, do keep the Executive Chefs One Second Probe And Surface Thermometer in mind. It will be one of the more expensive kitchen gadgets though as it comes with a $129.95 price tag.

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by Darren Murph, posted May 23rd 2008 at 11:14PM
Engineering souls have been hacking up the Apple TV for a good while now, but those too scared of completely ruining their box have had to sit patiently on the sidelines waiting for someone else to do their dirty work. Enter aTV Flash, a USB flash drive which enables your Apple TV (Take 2 included) to do all sorts of fancy new tricks without any fuss. Those with the drive simply plug it in and watch as new file formats become supported, UPnP media streaming opens up and Safari-based web browsing becomes a reality (among other things). Granted, the convenience will cost you $59.95, but that’s the price you pay for making your life easier (and your Apple TV a little more useful).

[Via TUAW]

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

by Ryan Block, posted May 24th 2008 at 12:25AMWe’ve been hearing for years of that certain elusive breed of human that is extra-sensitive to certain radio frequencies and electromagnetic fields, so it was only a time before those wire-tethered folks took shot across our wireless-loving bow. According to a local NBC news affiliate, Sante Fe resident Arthur Firstenberg (not pictured right) has organized a group of electro-sensitive citizens to rally against WiFi and cellphone use in public space, claiming it violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. No doubt it is indeed a sticky situation, but we’re pretty sure Firstenberg and co are going to have to do a little better than claiming to “get chest pain and it doesn’t go away right away” if they really expect an entire city (or country) to cease using wireless communications.

[Via Fark]

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Filed under: Wireless