Gadgets Base

Despite how glorious it sounds to work from home in your pajamas, blogging isn’t a very glamorous profession. Sure, there are exclusive press events and fancy cocktail parties every now and again, but for the most part, it’s just you . . . at home . . . in your pajamas. All day, every day.

It can get pretty mundane. That’s why I need this paparazzi play set. It comes with a velvet rope that I could set up beside my computer to keep those pesky 4-inch vinyl photographers, reporters, and autograph hounds at bay. Paris Hilton’s got nothing over me (except fame, wealth, and a prison record).

Available for £14.95 from I Want One of Those.

Via Coolest gadgets.

Posted Mar 3rd 2008 4:31AM by Ryan Block
Filed under: Misc. gadgets
Wipe that look off your face, it should be completely clear by now that as time progresses, the probability of a concept or thing — any concept or thing — being made into some form of USB-powered device approaches one. Around here we just call it Engadget’s Law.

[Via technabob]

Posted Mar 3rd 2008 4:42AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video
So we hurried on over to the Meizu booth in sweaty-palmed anticipation of laying fleshy bits upon a working M8 MiniOne. It’s gotta be here, right? After all, Meizu CEO Jack Wong promised it his damn self. Nope. Oh sure, they did bring that siliconless, plastic mockup already seen kicking around the Nets for awhile and they offered to show us a laptop-based demo of the UI if we come back tomorrow. Although even the demo is feature incomplete. Nevertheless, Meizu is confident that it will begin shipping the M8 in China in the next “half year” while remaining coy for a rest-of-world launch. Guess reverse engineering the iphone isn’t so easy, eh Jackson?

Nowadays a great amount of people type something. It’s not important whether it’s a poem, essay, SMS or something else. Some type using their PC keyboard, others use that of their cell phones. Because of this both producers and designers try to make this process simpler by inventing various types of keyboards (for example, wireless small keyboard featuring Bluetooth).

Nokia as many others trying to invent something absolutely new and different has just filled a patent application known as “mobile device with virtual keyboard”. We can guess as much from there that the digital camera located at the back of the cell phone is used to capture the movement and position of the user’s fingers, projecting them onto a virtual keyboard which is shown on the phone’s display in real time.

It sounds really interesting but it’s not the fact that it will be easier to type on such a virtual keyboard than on a usual one. Moreover, I think that such an application will make your cell phone’s battery drained in no time, and the camera wouldn’t be fast enough to capture the image of a speed typist. Another significant problem consists in the fact that there would probably be some limitations in cell phone designs as the cameras can only be placed at a certain place on the handset in order for it to work nicely.

Related:

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Here is some more USB goodness for you. This time, it’s not a toy or some novelty that sits on your desk sucking small amounts of power out of your computer, but something with a great deal of utility. The Powerstick is a essentially a portable battery that charges up by plugging into any USB slot.

It can then in turn re-charge practically any mobile device, as long as there is an adapter available for it. So far, they (Powerstick) have adapters for things like cell phones (popular brands include: Sony Ericsson, LG, Nokia, Apple, blackberry, Samsung and Motorola), iPods and other devices that charge using mini-USB adapters (ex: Bluetooth headsets).

Gimme!

More info from the manufacturer
Price: $69.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

While Bluetooth headsets may be very functional, they tend to leave the user looking kind of like a ‘tool’ however this new military styled headset takes that look to a whole new level.

Thanks to Roadrunner we now have their latest Bluetooth headset that takes on more of a military than a regular guy appearance. The Roadrunner Bluetooth Communicator uses a larnyx microphone which is said to allow your voice to be “directly transmitted from the larynx, with noise suppression of up to 10 dB.” It also offers up to 9 hours of talk time with a full charge in as little as 2 hours.

Aside from looking like a ‘tool’, and in all fairness the headset would have some good times for use, such as when riding a motorcycle. This style headset would fit nicely on the neck while still allowing you to protect yourself by wearing a helmet. The headset is currently available and retails for around $80.

Product [Pro-Idee] Via [Gadget Review]

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While the Sirius/XM merger still seems far away from being completed, the original date for the merger, which was March 1 has expired and they have agreed on a two month extension. Based on the new date, they now have until May 1, 2008 to receive regulatory approval, that is unless they agree upon another extension.

Sadly, this merger is almost getting to the point of not caring either way, we will just be happy when its finally over. We have been getting teased with a possible merger and better plans for over a year now.

Read [Reuters]

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Posted Mar 2nd 2008 11:10PM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Desktops
Confirming our belief that some people are just “bad with computers,” a boy named Joe Falciatano III from Pulaski, New York, seems to have simply the worst luck ever — and some think it could be do to an overly magnetized touch. While using PCs at this elementary school, Joe — who dubbed himself “Magneto Man” — found that every system he laid his hands on went totally haywire. Only after a teacher suggested he use a grounded, anti-static wrist strap did the systems experience relief from his Geek Squad-inducing grasp. Apparently, the boy has also disrupted slide show presentations and caused his Xbox to freeze repeatedly. Though tests have been run on Joe, there’s still no conclusive evidence about the source of the problem, though at least one electricity expert said the cause could be his over-insulated shoes. Maybe, but we won’t be surprised when he forms an army of mutant super-villains and tries to take control of the White House. Check the video after the break for the whole report.

[Via ScienCentral]

Philips and Lite-On have unveiled their latest Blu-ray drive, which also marks their first external drive. The DX-401S is a USB 2.0 external Blu-ray drive that offers 4x read speeds for Blu-ray media, 12x for single layer DVD’s, 8x for double layer DVD’s and 32x for regular CD’s. The DX-401S is expected to be available in Q2 2008, no word yet on pricing.

Via [Daily Tech]

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Posted Mar 3rd 2008 12:01AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Tablet PCs
It’s been a solid tick since we heard a peep from Motion Computing, but nearly a year after we first wrapped our paws around the firm’s C5 medical tablet, the F5 has arrived. Granted, this bugger is more suited for service industries and field work than the ER, but its “semi-rugged” nature ensures that it’ll get the job done almost anywhere. Packed within the IP54-compliant (read: dust, water, shock and temperature resistant) chassis is a 1.2GHz Intel Centrino U1400 processor, 10.4-inch XGA (1,024 x 768) View Anywhere display, 40GB HDD (optional 32GB SSD available), built-in 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth, WWAN (EV-DO) support and a 2-megapixel camera for good measure. Additionally, you’ll spot an optional barcode reader, integrated RFID reader / passive tag, a biometric scanner, three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, VGA output and a battery good for about 1.5 hours of usage. Unfortunately, such a well-spec’d Slate PC won’t come cheap, as this creature will set you back a stiff $2,699 to $4,000 depending on configuration.

Gallery: Motion Computing unveils “semi-rugged” F5 Slate PC