Gadgets Base

Posted Feb 8th 2008 2:43PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Misc. GadgetsSpray-on liquid bandages aren’t a new idea by any means, but a company called BioCure has just received FDA approval for a gel-based version designed to treat combat wounds. Developed in conjunction with Rutgers University and the Army, the GelSpray Liquid Bandage is applied with a dual syringe that combines two different polymers that combine into a gel, spreading to cover and protect the wound. The gel only sticks to intact skin, not the wound itself, and it’s hard enough to resist abrasion. BioCure is already talking about medicated versions that will treat infection and stop severe bleeding, and the prospect of civilian applications are also on the table — but no dates have been given, sadly.

[Via Medgadget]

I still want to believe that HD DVD is going to pull out of its slump and emerge victorious. Sure, it’s a pipe dream, but I can still hope right? I figured that with the cheaper players, they were sure to come out on top. Well, if you’re still convinced that they’ve got a shot, and you own an Xbox 360, now is a good time to get yourself and HD DVD player add-on.

Microsoft has officially announced that they’ve slashed the price of their HD DVD player add-on for the Xbox 360 by $50. Sure, this is likely an act of desperation to move the units before the format dies completely, but there’s always the chance for a miracle, right?

One thing to consider is that at $129, it will at least make a good upscaling DVD player. Don’t forget that you still get 5 free HD DVDs whenever you purchase select players (which includes this one).

Source: EverythingUSB

You’re in a darkened basement, huddled over your bag of dice waiting for your turn in Shadowrun. Sweat beads across your forehead as you roll your lucky d20 between your fingers, awaiting that all important saving roll that you so desperately need.

That’s a feeling that a lot of tabletop gamers have when they’re in the moment. These same gamers have an obsessive compulsion over their dice: nobody else can touch them, they use certain ones in certain situations and they are most always stored in a special bag. These gamers love their dice, especially the de facto standard d20 dice.

So what better gift for that gamer than the d20 Spiral Necklace? The pendant is a nifty, wire spiral design that holds a random colored d20 die on a 24″ adjustable cord strap. From Think Geek:

The venerable d20 die, that platonic solid whose numerical etchings cast an impartial providence upon friend and beast alike. It holds the power to grant or take life, and even the power to revoke such grants. Imagine such an influential tool intricately cradled in a spiral, that ancient symbol of the cycle of life, death, and re-birth. Now imagine that spirally-fenced die bound to your body and soul by cord around your neck - ready for whatever circumstance the Fates throw at your feet. Ok, now snap back to reality.

Great icosahedron, that cracks me up! The die can be removed from the wire spiral, so if you’re really picky about your dice you can take the one they send you out and replace it with one of your own - perhaps that “lucky d20″ that you keep in your left pocket.

Pick one up for 10 gold….er….$9.99.

[Think Geek]

…or more precisely, a billion Yen. Bandai, a renowned toymaker in Japan, has come with an ingenious way to make ordinary baths into luxurious and frivolous experiences.

Bandai has come up with a way to make money by selling, well, money — mind-boggling 100,000 Yen notes which are not exactly what they look like. These “bills” which are 10x larger than Japan’s largest denomination, the 10,000 yen bill, are actually bubble bath tablets. Simply drop them in the tub and and they dissolve into the water over time. Too bad it won’t be sold outside Japan. I wonder how it feels like to swim in money quite literally.

via

Just recently we told you about the ongoing campaign to help “save Windows XP” from its certain death. As it stands now Microsoft will stop issuing new licenses for XP as of June 30, 2008 and based on their latest response it seems that date will hold true.

A Microsoft spokesperson recently stated that they are “aware of it” when referring to the campaign, and went on to state that they are listening “first and foremost to feedback we hear from partners and customers about what makes sense based on their needs.” Well at last count the petition had just over 75,000 signatures on it, if that is not enough customer feedback than I am just not sure what they would be looking for.

Via [PC Pro]

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Car computer manufacturer Azentek has come out with an update to its award winning CPC-1000, and has introduced the CPC-1200. From what I understand, they are both basically the same system with a bit of a performance boost in the CPC-1200. According to Audio Junkies, the newer model will include the following:

n Intel Core Duo 1.66Ghz processor on an Intel GMA 950 motherboard with 1GB of expandable DDR2 memory and a 120GB hard disk. The system runs Windows Vista Ultimate as well as a custom automotive GUI created by Azentech, which are displayed on a 6.5” touch screen. Internal GPS navigation, Bluetooth, and 802.11b/g wireless are all included.

What I find a little strange is that the CPC-1200 actually had a 1.83GHz processor, so the processing power seems to have been downgraded (unless there has been a misprint somewhere along hte line. Either way, 1.66 GHz is plenty for an in car system. Unfortunately you will not be able to kill hours behind the wheel lost in your favorite games, as access is cut off while the car is in motion. Put a big enough antenna on this thing and you will have a very sweet mobile computing platform. A computer is the answer to so many car entertainment needs, it is a shame, however, that they remain so expensive. It is $2800 for the CPC-1200 which will be out in March or April of this year. Alternatively, you could also opt for the CPC-1100, which sports a slightly larger 7″ screen.

Source: Audio Junkies, Sound Domain, Azentek, Twice

Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business International Marketing Director John Starkweather has recently confirmed that talks were taking place between Microsoft and Nokia. Could we possibly see a Windows Mobile based Nokia device in the future? While the talks are there I would not expect to see it, especially anytime soon.

John mentioned that while Nokia has “significant investments in Symbian … there are a lot of places where we have significant synergies and we would love to see the day where those synergies would extend completely with Windows Mobile.” Of course he later went on to mention that “It’s something we talk about all the time.” Personally I think if Nokia went with Windows Mobile they would have a lot of angry Symbian fans on their hands.

Via [IntoMobile]

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Nokia had originally released the E51 back in late September, now a nice camera-free model has just been announced with business users in mind. Still today lots of business locations restrict their employees from having any form of camera due to security reasons, even those that include the lower-resolution models typically found on mobile phones.

The camera-free Nokia E51 will begin shipping shortly and will retail for around $368. Aside from the lack of camera, the E51 will retain all of the other features to include support for 3G, WLAN, and HSDPA connectivity.

Via [Wireless Info]

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Check out this sultry Samsung slider, dubbed “the Soul”.  “Uhn”, as in a James Brown, “uhn”.  Samsung is calling this its flagship model, so you can be the price will be on the premium side of things.  Samsung will show this phone next week in Barcelona.

What sets this phone apart from other good-lookers?  Actually a couple of really cool things.  Check out the User Created Skins and you’ll create a skin all your own, additionally Sammy packed in different UI themes.  A Magical Touch (and yes, they capitalize it, good grief), application specific buttons that change depending on what you are doing. 

5 MP camera,7.2Mbps HSDPA and an amp by Bang and Olufsen round out the interesting specs.  Looks to be headed to Europe in April.  Hot.

Read [Engadget Mobile] via [Akihabara]

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Posted Feb 8th 2008 10:54AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Portable Audio
Isn’t that cute? It’s like two music players, but they make a heart! Oh, and look, there’s a crack down the middle, it kind of looks just like two people kissing. Maybe you can stick the Juno soundtrack on there and give half this Newman DAP to that special someone. It’s like giving a piece of your heart, only with plastic and silicon. What’s that? She doesn’t appreciate your finely honed taste in indie music? Well that’s no problem, just glue the two players back together and look at what you’ve got: a broken heart. Yeah, we can tell that this February 14th will be one to remember.

[Via Newlaunches]