Gadgets Base

Posted Feb 26th 2008 2:22AM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Misc. gadgets
We’ve seen quite a few efforts to use gardens and terrariums in cities to order to bring down overall CO2 emissions and reduce temperatures, but Tokyo’s earthquake-prone location means that structures there have to meet strict load requirements — so a company called Suntory Ltd., has developed a synthetic dirt substitute called Pafcal it says weighs less than half as much as real soil. The fake dirt, which is made of urethane, can reduce the internal temperature of a building with a roof garden up to 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit). Of course, there’s considerable irony in trying to save the planet by covering concrete buildings in fake plastic dirt, but then again, such a solution is about as Japanese as it gets, no?

Many people while looking at the clouds imagine that they are lying on them, experiencing a great feeling of lightness and liberty. But now due to the new concept of German designer Manuel Kloker your dreams may come true, that is you can have your own cloud.

The gadget that has been just patented represents a rocking bed named Private Cloud. It has such a strange shape that nothing of this kind has been created before. Lying on this original bed is like living in the clouds (that’s why it was given such an unusual name). The fact that the bed is made of high quality wood points to its structural strength. Moreover it’s quite capacious, so there would be no problem to locate some friends of yours. Thus, due to the main features of this bed it’s possible to conclude that it can fit well to almost any interior without spoiling it. As far as the price is concerned no information is available at the moment. Yet, it does not mean that this “cloud” is just a concept, it’s real.

It seems that somebody already wants to by a private cloud, isn’t it so? In case you are one of those I hope that the price of this gadget will be affordable enough. Frankly speaking, taking into consideration the materials this bed is made of I don’t think that it will be a really expensive one.

Sony has just introduced the VAIO Graphic Splash Expression Collection, which aside from a unique name offers VAIO users the ability to purchase a customized FZ series laptop. There will be an option to choose a Victorian lace, flora or leaf pattern and each pattern will be available in three colors—pink, blue or black.

In addition to the exterior patterns, users will be able to further customize their keyboard fonts and also have the VAIO personally engraved. The new VAIO Graphic Splash Expression Collection will be limited to just 1200 units and will be the VAIO FZ Series, pricing will begin at $1,300.

Read [Sony Style]

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There is quite a small amount of people who love rain. At the same time everybody loves the days following a rainstorm. The streets seem to gleam, the air becomes much cleaner, and people are generally in a better mood because they can finally see the sun again. However there is an insignificant trifle that can spoil everything. I’m talking about wet benches that are really blots on the landscape at those moments. Fortunately clever designers (the Korean design gang) came up with a very simple and original solution.

At the first site designed gadget represents quite a usual bench. In fact it has an important difference. The slats on these benches can be rotated by cranking the handle. Thus, you just have to turn the handle on the side of the bench and the seat will rotate to expose the dry side of the seat, so you will be able to sit without getting wet. Quite a simple invention, isn’t it? The design of this gadget can be considered as an advantage too.

As a result I think that it would be really great in case the benches like these appeared in public places in the near future. Because despite the simplicity of given concept it is safe to say that it would be probably considered as a very useful one.

It’s not hard to see that nowadays there is a marked trend of making all the things slim and sleek, metal and glass. However due to this fact all modern devices have something common in their design, and, as a consequence, people get bored with them even faster. Maybe it would be better not to forget completely the retro styling of yesteryear?

Designer Seungchan Lee thinks that a well-designed device has to combine both retro styling and a piece of nature as well. In his opinion something organic should make its way into our hyper-tech designs. His gadget CulArt (pronounces Cool Art) represents a modern cell phone that internally has all the typical characteristics of a usual smartphone. At the same time its physical design differs greatly from that of its counterparts. First of all there is a wood paneling - a piece of nature of the design that helps to create a perception of the retro style. In case you flip the phone around you will find a rocky textured surface which prevents slippage. Besides that the included Bluetooth headset/remote control uses a series of knobs to control the phone’s most basic functions.

Thus, all the mentioned features of this gadget help to conclude that it is quite a useful and stylish device. In spite of this these features are not enough to consider it as a really original one because there is nothing significant that distinguish this cell phone from the others.

It looks like a raindrop and for a reason.

Dreams Japan came up with this design for the Zumreed Rain Drop iPod speaker because it’s target is to be a speaker for the wet areas in your home — the bathroom, the kitchen, or the pool. That’s because this Zumreed Rain Drop iPod speaker can protect your iPod from the elements. Aside from the iPod, you can also use it with various MP3 players by hooking them to the mini-jack. Playback control is enabled via the four white buttons you see on the pic (L to R: decrease volume, stop, playback, increase volume). The Zumreed Rain Drop iPod Bathroom Speaker is only available in audiocubes.com for ё25.

Specifications

Corresponds to iPod 5G, iPod nano, iPod color display, iPod photo, ipod 4G, iPod mini
Max Output: 2Wв2
Frequency Range: 150~5600 Hz
Power Source: 4 AA batteries
Playback Time: Up to 10 hours　
Water Resistant Level: IP67
Dimensions: 130(W) x 190(H) mm
Interior Compartment Size: W165 x H225 x D165 mm
Weight: 0.48kg

With its stylish color and slim profile, Nokia Mobile holder CR-23 is premeditated to flatter your phone and modern vehicle interiors. The Nokia Mobile Holder CR-23 signals a new generation of mobile holders that assists compatible mobile phones confidently in place. The CR-23 features an incorporated antenna coupler that permits connection to an external antenna for superior reception.

Compatibility

The new mobile holder concept is attuned with existing Nokia car kit solutions sustaining Pop-Port interface such as the Nokia Car Kit (CK-10). The assimilation of this new mobile holder is easy since it is an exact fit for the mounting plate and twirl mount of previous Nokia mobile holder solutions. It is compatible with Nokia 6020 and Nokia 6021.

Price

Nokia Mobile Holder CR-23 is available for just $59.95.

Source: Nokia

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Mitsubishi LT-46244 1080P LCD TV is enhancing color to a novel level with x.v.Color support and Mitsubishi’s Full Spectrum Color technology. The motto is more color for a more colorful image. The X.v.Color is a new standard for HDTV which facilitates more color than ever before! Mitsubishi’s Full Spectrum Color consequences in 25% more color than standard LCD. The Mitsubishi LT46244 Diamond 1080p LCD Flat Panel HDTV features Mitsubishi’s Plush 1080p dispensation for both unparalleled detail in over two million pixels and for dazzling, vivacious images.

PRODUCT FEATURES

• 46″ widescreen HDTV (16:9 aspect ratio)
• 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required)
• Built-in digital cable TV tuner receives programs without a set-top box (cable service required; Cable CARD required to view scrambled programs)
• High-gloss black finish

IDEAL PICTURE

Mitsubishi LT-46244 1080P LCD TV features Mitsubishi’s Plush1080p processing for both incomparable detail in over two million pixels and for bright, vibrant images. Its high quality hidden speakers, mega thin frame and its ultra-compressed design lets you get a larger screen in less space than ever before. Its Smooth120Hz diminishes motion haziness principally in rapid moving scenes.

WARRANTY

Mitsubishi LT-46244 1080P LCD TV is available with warranty of 1 year from the date of manufacture.

PRICE

The ERP of Mitsubishi LT-46244 1080p LCD is 3,299.00 USD.

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On top of the Rota and the Athletes, there is a new USB hub on the market available at USBGeek, and it has the shape of a cross.

Thanks to the uncommon shape, the hub offers four USB ports, which are more than enough to suit the needs of a “normal computer person”.

One of best details is that you don’t need to worry about the size of USB gadgets that you want to connect to the hub, because they can all be plugged-in at the same time.

- Dimension: W58 x D58 x 14 mm
- Weight: 55g

The Polar USB Cross Hub only costs $10.

Product Page

Blu-ray may have won the hd dvd format war but market research companies Gartner and iSuppli warned this victory is fleeting if more consumers opt to download high-definition content from the Internet.

Similar to the movie “The Matrix”, the real problem here is choice. Is the physical DVD format still relevant or a thing of the past in this period where consumers can more easily download high definition movies though online stores such as iTunes and Amazon.com? Consumers are now torn whether they should build a library of high definition online movies or invest on Blu-ray discs.

The biggest challenge now for Blu-ray and its battalion of supporters is to convince consumers that high definition discs are worth investing in and position online videos as alternatives. One idea is to lower the prices of Blu-ray DVD players and discs to encourage trial and consequently purchase.

Will Blu-ray win this war? What do you think?

Read [InfoWorld]

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