Gadget Access

Remember Friendster? Many of us created Friendster accounts way back when, but then along came MySpace, and then Facebook, and well, we just plain forgot about little old Friendster. Poor Friendster, the forgotten, dowdy older sister.

But, wait, what’s this? According to a story in VentureBeat, Friendster is actually a contender in the competition for global domination of the social networking market. No! Really? In what alternative universe?

Well, in the universe where there’s a little country called “China” with a population of over 1.3 billion people. Friendster’s user base has nearly doubled in the past year due to growth in Asia, with versions available in Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish and Malay.

Developers knocking each other over for a share of the market for Facebook applications, should perhaps pay more attention to opportunities to create applications for the growing Friendster crowd, which has been building its own developer platform. The underdog in me is rooting for Friendster in its second act (but still wishing it looked a little better after all these years).

This new GPS by the Spanish company, Keruve, is a pretty cool one because it basically displays where certain people are located. Basically, you can find out the location of those wearing the special bracelet that it comes with.

The bracelet itself is waterproof and is designed to stay on your wrist, unless you decide to take it off, and that requires the use of a special tool. This is good for those who have Alzheimer’s and your family is trying to look after you, using this bracelet, you can always know where that person is. An alarm even goes off when the battery is low, and the battery life is really good, about three and a half days.

The bracelet transmits the location using the GSM1800 and GSM900 networks to the handheld GPS device. Another cool feature is that the GPS uses something called triangulation which basically allows the GPS to still locate you even if the person is indoors where there aren’t any GPS signals available.

As of now, it is only available in Europe. Even though it is a really good and useful GPS, it will still set you back a pretty penny, as it costs 850 Euros, or a little over $1,350 US.

Via [NaviGadget]

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by Nilay Patel, posted Jul 15th 2008 at 1:09AM
Get ready for a flood of Centrino 2 laptops, kids — hot on the heels of Intel’s big announcement and Sony and Lenovo’s updated lineups comes Toshiba with the new Satellite Pro S300, Tecra M10 and A10, and Qosmio X305, F55 and Cell-based G55. The Qosmios actually aren’t that new — all three of them were initially announced back in June, but they’re actually available now, with the gaming-oriented X305 exclusive to Best Buy. The $1,299 Satellite Pro S300 (pictured) is a little more interesting, with a 2.4GHz P8600 Core 2 Duo on Centrino 2’s 1066MHz bus and Intel 4500MD integrated graphics powering a 15.4-inch display, as well as sleep-and-charge USB ports and a docking port. The more business-oriented Tecra lappies also get a similar Centrino 2 treatment, sharing a motherboard design to reduce repair costs. The $1,399 M10 sports a 14.1-inch screen, while the 15.4-inch A10’s pricing hasn’t been announced. Pictures of the new Tecras after the break.

Read - Satellite Pro S300
Read - Tecra A10 and M10
Read - Qosmio X305
Read - Qosmio G55
Read - Qosmio F55

Tecra A10

Tecra M10

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Filed under: Laptops

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jul 15th 2008 at 1:46AMWe’re not sure what’s going on here, but we’re not going to complain: Blimps are making a comeback. There are powerful hauling blimps, sure, but BAE is hopping on the autonomous systems bandwagon with its nimble GA22. The 22-meter (72 feet) dirigible is meant to carry high-tech surveillance equipment weighing up to 330 pounds at an altitude around 6,500 feet. The unmanned craft could also be used for sporting events, floods, and forest fires, says BAE. Right now the vehicle is radio-controlled but the the ultimate release will be completely autonomous. Unfortunately, this means we can’t take a ride, but, as we said, it’s still a blimp, and blimps are just straight-up cool.

[Via Danger Room]

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Filed under: Transportation

by Paul Miller, posted Jul 14th 2008 at 11:00PM Gone are the days of selling off homes and loved ones to afford the latest and greatest in laptop tech, Lenovo’s new (and well-rumored) ThinkPad X200 takes a cue from the X300’s form factor — though there’s no disc drive to speak of — weighing in at 2.95 pounds and measuring 0.8-inches thick. The screen has been shrunk down to 12.1-inches, and both SSD (64GB) and traditional hard drive options (up to 320GB) are on offer. The X200 runs up to a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, and up to 4GB of RAM, and will include wireless options galore, including UWB, WiMax and GPS. Oh, and that super-sexy asking price? $1,199. We like. It’ll be out in August.

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by Nilay Patel, posted Jul 14th 2008 at 2:51PM
var After months of speculation and rumors, Microsoft just announced that it’s partnering with Netflix to allow Xbox 360 owners to stream movies from their Netflix queues for no extra charge. Microsoft says the 360 will be the only game system that allows Netflix access for no additional cost — which isn’t entirely accurate, since it sounds like only Live Gold members will get access. Streaming movies can also be shared with your Live party, allowing you to watch content together. Users will have instant access to their Netflix instant access queues, but it’s not clear what resolution the content will be streamed at — we’d guess it’s roughly the same DVD-quality res that Roku’s Netflix streamer is getting for now, but hopefully that’ll change when the service launches in the fall with the new dashboard.

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Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

I tell you, there is nothing I hate more than driving in the big city.  Assuming you can get through the traffic, none of the usual rules seem to apply.  Don’t even get me started on trying to find a parking space. 

Especially in San Francisco, a city full of hills so steep that they’re practically cliffs.  Fortunately, the Bay City is doing something about their parking problem by implementing “smart spots”.  These are spots that are fitted with sensors that can be detected through a city-wide Wi-Fi network. 

All a user has to do is look on their Wi-Fi enabled smartphone or find a dynamic street sign display, and he or she is on their way to a parking place.  That is, unless someone else takes the space first. 

San Francisco is planning on spending 23 million on this program that will turn 6,000 ordinary spaces into these smart spots. 

Not only will these smart spots be detectable via Wi-Fi, but they will accept payments via cellular phone too.  No more having to run back to the feed the meter.  This program in San Francisco is not the first parking meter program to accept payments via cell phone, as Niagara Falls and Vancouver have adopted similar programs in 2007. 

Hopefully, there will be smart spots like this implemented in every major metropolitan area. 

Via [Gizmodo]

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Leonardo Decaprio is not amused. That snobby Kate Winslet is too busy swimming in pools of cash to care. And everyone else just loves the wit of a disaster being patronized for cash. And really, what’s not to love about the death of hundreds of people? Other than the whole death and people part.

Celebrating disaster since 1912, the Gin & Titonic kit is all you need to create your own mini-Titanic disaster right in the comfort of your own alcohol. Use real live sea monkeys as passengers for extra points. Included in the design are miniature ocean liners and icebergs which are the perfect size for simulating the horror of human tragedy from the comfort of your home.

The Gin & Titonic kit comes with a recyclable pegged clear box casing, which is great since it makes up for the horrible environmental horrors which were caused by the actual sinking of the RMS Titanic. Not to mention that everyone knows drinking Gin is the only proper way to remember that fateful morning.

Designed by Jason Amendolara from Fred Studio, the Gin & Titonic kit doesn’t appear to be for sale quite yet. But when it hits the market, you bet we’ll be the first in line to share the Titanic experience with the bottom of our tumblers.

Product Page via LikeCool

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by Paul Miller, posted Jul 14th 2008 at 11:46AM
Remember that one time when you went fishing with your dad, and you got a bite and lugged the fish onto the dock, only to watch it thrash around on the dock for a little bit like the most pitiful thing alive, so then you felt bad and threw it back, but even then you still knew he would hate you forever for putting him through that? Yeah, well Flapper is that in robot form. It’s Crab Fu’s latest RC robot project, featuring that trademark uncanny valley look and motion of Crab Fu, in a convenient fish form factor. Video is after the break.

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Filed under: Robots

I’ve been looking into a lot of digital cameras, such as the Casio EX-Z9. Today, it is Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4. This camera is similar in design to the aforementioned EX-Z9, and has an equal number of pixels (8.1, to be exact).

I might as well get the other specs out of the way. The lens of the camera is a 28mm, and it has a 10x Optical Zoom. The LCD menu screen is at 2.5 inches, and allows the user to access all the options.

One of the options is the iA (Intelligent Auto Mode) which allows for great shooting. The Intelligent Exposure function can correct lighting differences, and the Intelligent Scene function changes the mode to fit the situation. MEGA Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) prevents blurring from hand shaking, and Intelligent ISO Control helps prevent motion blur. Face Detection technology also helps to produce clear portraits by optimizing the focus and exposure settings.

It appears that Panasonic has made the Lumix DMC-TZ4 easy-to-use for the average consumer, and they have also made it ideal for travelers. The user has the ability to download his or her photos into a clipboard folder that allows for a Time Edit and Stamp. Later on, the user can find his or her photos and find what day and time the photo was taken.

You should be able to purchase the Lumix DMC-TZ4 on the Panasonic website for about $299.95.

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