Gadgets Base

I have to admit that I’m not that into pampering. I know I might get my girl card taken away for mentioning this, but I’d rather have a quick shower then lie down and read a book than spend an hour flipping through a magazine in the bathtub with some kind of herbal mask (or worse, masque) covering my face.

But I know not everyone is like me. Most of my friends find a long soak in a hot bath relaxing rather than boring, and I know they would freak out (in a good way) at the idea of owning this blinging bathtub:

Engadget reports that the Water Games Technologies Red Diamond bathtub is worth a jaw-dropping $47,000.

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 4th 2008 at 12:24PM
Unless you’ve specifically been lookin’ out, you may have very well forgotten about WowWee’s crazed robotic dog that was uncaged at CES. After lasting through its first few days of training (which we’ll call a review for our purposes), we’re led to believe that this pup is “the silliest robot you’ll ever love.” Reviewers weren’t shy in calling it like it saw it, as Wrex was hailed as “absolutely terrible at being a dog and even worse at being a robot.” Of course, it’s fairly easy to see this bugger was meant to provide comedic relief and not sophisticated companionship, so those pointers aren’t exactly negative. Overall, Wrex is almost guaranteed to make you chuckle on a daily basis, and if you don’t believe that, just check out the video waiting after the break.

[Via MAKE]

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Filed under: Robots

Imagine a life without early cancellation difficulties, hidden charges, annual contracts, unresponsive support, surprise fees, and monthly bills…is this cell phone heaven?  With prepaid packages getting better and better, ‘heaven’ is certainly within reach.

T-Mobile recently announced new developments in their prepaid plans, including unlimited nationwide calling from 7pm to 7am.

Prepaid is perfect for casual cell phone users such as the elderly or with children who are just learning how to control their spending.  With no credit checks, swollen carriage fees, and absolute control over your cell phone allocation, it is now easier and more economical to go for prepaid plans.

T-Mobile’s Sidekick package even includes features popular with young people such as instant messaging, web browsing, e-mail, access to desktop interface, personal information management sync (Contacts, To Do, Notes, Phones), and access to T-Mobile’s Download Fun catalog.

Via [GearDiary]

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by Nilay Patel, posted Jun 4th 2008 at 10:25AMThe more cells you can pack onto a NAND chip, the cheaper the storage, so we’re excited about Hynix’s recent annoucement of triple-level-cell NAND flash. You might have noticed that MLC-based SSDs are cheaper than SLC units, and TLC keeps the trend alive — Hynix says the cost of TLC production is some 30 percent lower than than current chips. On top of that, the 32GB chips themselves are 30 percent smaller than current NAND chips, meaning device manufacturers will be able to cram more storage into our PMPs and phones. We’ll have to wait a little while though: production is going to ramp up in October, and Hynix hasn’t committed to using the new chips in SSDs quite yet.

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Filed under: Storage

We get ourselves in some of the weirdest situations. God forbid we ever forget to make set our coffee machine, yet we frequently forget to wash our utensils, including our spoons. When we’re in a quandary such as this, we resort to doing some pretty unappetizing things, such as stirring our coffee with our pencils and pens. Hey, we need our caffeine juice to be properly stirred!

Have you ever thought it would be cool if we didn’t even need to manually stir your own beverage? The Stir Mug from Gevalia does all of the stirring for you. The mug will gently stir the contents of your mug with just the press of a button, saving you the embarrassment of stirring with a foreign object, or unsightly and painful finger burns after attempting to do so with your digits.

Insulated in stainless steel, the Gevalia Stir Mug will also keep your drink warm for hours. The 12 oz. mug is powered by two AAA batteries (which are included with the shipment.) A transparent snap-on lid prevents any spills which could potentially cause bodily harm or (more importantly) damage to your electronics.

Just because our utensils are dirty doesn’t mean we have to go the day without coffee. Hell, if you like your coffee black you don’t even need a spoon. But for those of us who like our coffee to be light and sweet, automatic stirring is both time-saving and completely practical.

Product Page via LikeCool

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 4th 2008 at 1:36PM
That 80GB Zune above looks mighty familiar, now doesn’t it? At least it does if you checked out our totally wild guess mockup that we created upon hearing of this gem. The limited edition Joy Division-themed Zune has finally been pictured (officially) and priced, with just 500 of ‘em to be offered up through the Zune Originals website. Of course, we have no idea how quickly these will (or won’t) go, but if you’re looking to grab one, we’d have that trigger finger ready to roll on June 17th.

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

by Nilay Patel, posted Jun 4th 2008 at 9:07AM
Sapphire Technologies is showing off some new 3D gear at Computex this week, with a pair of 3D monitors and a new stereoscopic graphics driver on display. The driver works with ATI graphics cards to send a polarized image to the dual-layer monitors, which displays a 3D image to viewers with special glasses. Details on the monitors are pretty sketchy, but Sappire says it’s not working with Zalman and that it’ll have something on the market in the “next couple of months.” Great — now just ditch the shades and we’ll be all good.

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Filed under: Displays, Gaming

You might be hard-pressed to find any smaller device for transferring microSD cards to your PC. The Super Mini Translucent MicroSD / TransFlash USB 2.0 Card Reader Keychain is literally just the size of a standard MicroSD card with a small USB dongle projecting from it’s side.

Fully compliant with USB 2.0, this mini reader has an ultra-simple plug and play installation (compatible with Windows 98/2000/ME/XP) and transfers data at speeds up to 480 Mbps. The only thing you’ll have to worry about is keeping a close eye on this gadget. It’s so small that it is surely very easy to lose.

According to user reviews, the Mini MicroSD USB card reader supports up to 8GB, feels strikingly fast for its small stature, and offers a helpful bright LED activity light when in use. When compared to other devices, no other gadget offers any competition support wise.

Check out the size comparison yourself in the photo above! And the great thing about all of this, is that the MicroSD USB reader is only $2.95. At this sort of price, you could afford to buy one for everyone in your family. Seems like an excellent stocking stuffer. It’s never to early to prepare!

Product Page (Thanks forum user tamages from the Coolest gadgets Forum!)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 4th 2008 at 7:43AM
Honlai may not be a household name just yet, but if it can up the resolution on its minuscule projectors just a hair, there stands a decent chance for it to become one. Details are pretty scarce right now, but we do know that the MP100 LED mini-projector utilizes LCoS micro-projection technology and can throw up a 640 x 480 image between 5- and 37-inches. We’re also hearing that it packs a modest 200:1 contrast ratio and a lamp good for some 20,000 hours of use. Not a peep on pricing / availability, but we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for more on either.

[Via AboutProjectors]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

Even if you’re one of the most organized people in the world, always placing your keys in the exact same place in your purse or pocket, there is still no way for you to have night vision without some serious high-tech aide. Once you fumble around for your keys and finally grab hold, you’re now faced with actually finding the damn lock itself.

What if there were a way to merge the usefulness of a flashlight, with the home security need of keys? The Keylite allows their cool gadget to be placed right on the head of your standard house key, turning it into a bright flashlight in seconds so you’re not left in the dark.

The Keylite contains a bright white LED light bulb and is shipped with a battery included. This simple gadget has the potential to turn a very frustrating situation of playing hide and seek with your lock and key in the dark, and getting in your home in seconds.

And for only $2.95, the Keylite will barely make a dent in your wallet. It might not even make a dent in your change purse for that amount of dough. For the amount of use that will come out of it if you often work late at night, it might be well worth it.

Product Page (Thanks forum user gadget4life via the Coolest Gadget Forums!)

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