Gadgets Base

If you’re the type of person that always picks the odd stuff, you’ll certainly like the Private Ocean that combines a clock, with speakers, and a calendar function.

To make everything more interesting, the clock is able to display background animations related to the ocean, with consists of fishes, sharks, sunrises, and other creatures. On top of the 22 default sounds, you can connect your mp3 player, or any other audio source, and listen to the music.

The Private ocean shows the time, date, and features touch sensors.

Priced at 100.

Program date reminders into the device, such as New Years, Christmas, etc. On your birthday the fish will pop up to congratulate you!

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The Sony Bravia E4000 series is Sony’s latest range of LCD HDTVs, with a unique “Picture Frame” design. As you can tell from the promotional shots below, the Sony E4000 series have been designed to look like a picture frame and display artwork or photos. These are fully functional, top spec HDTVs but they also feature Sony’s Picture Frame Mode, which lets you display still image to enjoy, from a selection of six pre-installed image, or your own from a USB stick.

The Sony E4000’s look great, and can continue to look great while your not watching your favorite shows, by replacing the boring black rectangle with some beautiful photos. These sets are of course designed for looking great wall mounted, but can also be used via the stand.
The Bravia E4000 series is avaliable in three sizes, the 26-inch KDL-26E4000, 32-inch KDL-32E4000, and the largest 40-inch KDL-40E4000. You can select four different colour frame options to blend the HDTV with it’s surrounds. Midnight Sky, Aluminium, Dark Walnut and Pearly White.The 32-inch and 40-inch Sony E4000 models have the highest 1080p Full HD resolution LCD. All have the following specifications; Picture Frame Mode, Bravia Engine 2 for image enhancement, 24p (24 fps support) UBS photo viewer, theater mode, high 178 degree viewing angle, integrated analog / digital tuners, 3x HDMI 1.3 inputs, PC VGA input and 2x Scart.The top of the range 40-inch Sony KDL-40E4000 also features a 10-bit LCD panel for better colour blending, x.v colour and live colour creation for enhanced colours and PhotoTV HD.Release date and prices of the Sony Bravia E4000 series are currently unknown. We will update when this information becomes avaliable. Sony E4000 Press post
Sony E4000:

• Sony KDL-26E4000 (KDL26E4000) | 26-inch
• Sony KDL-32E4000 (KDL32E4000) | 32-inch
• Sony KDL-40E4000 (KDL40E4000) | 40-inch

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 10:51AM
We already knew what Marshall was capable of when we caught wind of his masterfully assembled portable Nintendo 64, but the modder extraordinaire has really outdone himself this time. As the name implies, The Multari is a portable Atari 2600 with 32 games built right in. The chassis itself was crafted from vacuum-formed styrene plastic, and aside from the colorful buttons and iconic D-pad, there’s also a 5-inch display and what appears to be a set of speakers. Mmm, retro never looked so good. Peek the video after the break (right after you grab your drool cup).

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 8:47AM
Remember Thingamagoop, the little synth monster controlled by light thanks to the photocell governing the main oscillator? Well, this alarm clock mod requires a 9-volt DC jack and adapter, switch SPDT, and some audio cable and wire to bring it all together. A few snips and solder burns later and voila, the monster Moog alarm clock is born. Man, robots… synthesizers… it’s like the ultimate nerd sub-cult. Video after the break, detailed hacking instructions on the other side of that read link.

P.S. Yes, he has throw-switch nipples and a uh, knob.

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets, Household

by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 5:16AM
See it? No there, the one that looks like a flat screen TV hanging on the wall. Right, that’s Sony’s new E4000 TV series. Sony’s pushing its new Picture Frame Mode and four “blend in frame colours” hard as its looks to differentiate the 32- and 40-inch Full HD LCDs (and a wee 26 inch of unspecified, sub-1080p resolution) from the competition. As such, the TVs will display one of six, pre-installed images like Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Cypresses. Really though, why bother pre-loading content when it’ll display any image you stuff into a connected USB drive. Oh right, copyright law. Anyway, the top-o-the-line 40-inch model features x.v.Color on a 10-bit panel, Bravia Engine 2 processing, 3x HDMI inputs and even SCART for you European old-schoolers. No price or release date but you can play along with Sony’s hide the 26-incher after the break.

[Via Tech Digest]

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Filed under: HDTV

by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 4:02AM
Got a hundred bucks to burn? Lucky you, ’cause that Benjamin will now take the stock 15.4-inch 1,440 x 900 display of Dell’s XPS M1530 and squeeze in a full 1,920 x 1,200 pixel resolution. Toss in the optional $500 Blu-ray Disc drive and you’ve got yourself a sweet portable HD rig pumping Intel’s Penryn at the core. Another $50 and you’ve added a presumably brighter, LED backlit display but you’re now back to the original 1,440 x 900 resolution. Oh decisions, decisions.

[Thanks, Jonaid]

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Filed under: Displays, Laptops

by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 8:08AMThe Hollywood Reporter is stating in no uncertain terms that Blockbuster is developing a set-top box to stream video into the home. Now the real bombshell: it should be announced “sometime this month.” The device is expected to make the most of Blockbuster’s access to Movielink’s 6,000 strong Movie catalog just as soon as the content is migrated to Blockbuster.com (sometime before June). While delivering movies into the home electronically certainly challenges Blockbuster’s brick and mortar business, really, what choice do they have in the relentless face of progress.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

I argue that they really could have named the product something better than “Floral titi,” but the gadget itself looks quite good.

Unfortunately, it’s only been released in the Korean market by GDIS. The Floral titi is a clip-type mp3 player coming in 1GB and 2GB varieties. The colours available are more varied than a rainbow’s: lavender, ice blue, aqua, mint, strawberry, carrot, sweet pink, mocha, and vanilla. The Floral titi weighs a mere 10 grams so it’s basically negligible when you pin it in your clothes–the only problem is that it might be TOO negligible, it becomes easy to lose. The Floral titi has can store enough power per charge for eight hours of playtime and sells in Korea for ₤21 and ₤29 for the 1GB and 2GB versions respectively.

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When I caught my entire family popping the bubble wraps covering my CDs, I knew I had to do something or else it’d cost me a pretty penny.

This electronic bubble wrap keychain can supply everyone who’s addicted to popping bubble wraps with unlimited bubbles to pop. The eight rubber buttons have the tactile feel of bubble wrap and pressing them, of course, would sound the familiar “pop.” The 100th pressing of a button won’t be a pop though, but something completely different like a dog’s bark–just for laughs. This portable electronic bubble wrap keychain is sold for ₤5 in ThinkGeek.

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Virginia was first with a law requiring public schools to teach classes on Internet safety. Hear, hear. Texas and Illinois have both followed suit. I totally agree. The Internet is something that has taken hold in the general public in the blink of an eye, relatively speaking. Its uptake has been rapid as compared to say, television or radio.

As an IT person who understands a fair amount of computers, technology and the Internet, I still maintain that computers are complicated beasts, and it is downright scary how little people know and understand. This doesn’t stop them from trawling the Internet, happily clicking away at things they don’t understand. And while I believe that kids will be entirely more comfortable than their parents at using computers and being on the Internet, I don’t think that they will as a group be knowledgeable enough.

Posted in Computers, Networking & Internet