Devices Site

Egglings
What a cracking good idea! Egglings are the hottest new invention in home and desk plant growing.

You can have this for ?5.95

How does one choose a USB hub for their desk when there are so many different ones out there? Since most of them will be the same on the inside, there are only a few things to consider. One is whether or not you want a powered hub or not. Once you’ve figure that out you just have to find one that looks cool, because lets be honest, that’s really all it comes down to. If you’re a Transformer fan, then there’s a good chance that you’ll like this All Spark 4-port USB hub.

I’d love to tell you about all of the exciting features of this wonderful gadget, however, as I’ve said before, there’s not much to a USB hub. The only useful things to know are that it does not require power, it will cost around $35 and won’t be available until August of this year.

Source: EverythingUSB

by Ariel Waldman, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 10:41PMAriel Waldman contributes Movie Gadget Friday, where she highlights the lovable and lame gadgets from the world of cinema.

For last week’s installment of Movie Gadget Friday, we featured a two-part look at 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact, in honor of the late great Arthur C. Clarke. This week we fast forward a few more years to 2021 in the “cyberpunk” world of Johnny Mnemonic. The gadgets are as hilariously lame as the lines, which likely led this 1995 film to its mixed reviews, and Keanu to his later role as Neo. From fax machines to Zip Disk-like passports, we can only hope the future of technology doesn’t look this grim.

Wet-wired brain implant and memory doubler
Shoved into the back of his skull and wet-wired to his brain, Johnny comes equipped with a shockingly small 80GB chunk of memory capable of smugging data between international borders. An input for a standard headphone jack is located at the back of his head and serves as the only port for uploads — which are pretty painful. New data can be accepted from seemingly any source connecting to the input, however, MiniDiscs appear to be smugglers’ preference thanks to their easy ability to be burned once an upload is complete. (This is key when expecting a mob with machine guns to show up at any minute.) Thankfully, individually-wrapped memory doublers can help boost implant storage capacity for double the data smuggling — we hope it uses lossless compression. Unfortunately, instead of receiving an error for exceeding capacity, anyone with an overloaded brain implant risks certain death within a couple days by the resulting synaptic seepage. More after the break.

Sino-logic 16 with Sogo-7 Data Gloves
If you’re suffering from web withdrawal symptoms and need the internet in a pinch, you can hack yourself a computer with just a few gadgets that are sure to be lying around in any abandoned warehouse. With a Sino-Logic 16, Sogo-7 data gloves, GPL stealth module, Burdine intelligent translator, and some Thompson eye-phones (hey, Apple can’t win every lawsuit), you too can build yourself a virtual reality platform. The Sino-Logic 16 integrates multiple devices and tasks into creating a purely GUI experience devoid of any use for WIMPs (or a mouse and keyboard for that matter). The interface responds to the seemingly over-the-top gestural movements by the user’s interaction with the Sogo-7 data gloves. The system interacts with the user as well, politely sending out electrical shocks for entering in incorrect access codes.

Video Phone
On your TV, desktop, Bible, or in the backseat of a cab, video phones are on just about every street corner (but oddly not in every pocket). Operated by AT&T (who else?), these full-color screens transmit uninterrupted live video phone calls. While the service is solid, the lack in quality and features definitely leaves much to be desired. The amount of graininess varies from screen to screen but the basic numeric keypad remains the same. Left with no QWERTY keyboard and only a TV remote control to dial long distance, we’d rather have our hands on a Video-Phone-B-Gone.

Ariel Waldman is a social media insights consultant based in San Francisco. Her blog can be found at http://arielwaldman.com.

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Until iPods start shipping with wireless headsets, you have to deal with the usual tangle of headphones when you pull them out of your pocket, your purse, your gym bag, your laptop bag, and even from laying innocently on your desk. No more with the $9 Earbud Jack. Earbud Jack is a neat little plastic guy who stands in the right stance location and has the right-sized arms and hands for your iPod headphone cable, earbuds and jack. Get the name now?!

While it may take you just a tad bit longer to wrap up your headphones around Jack, consider this: you won’t have a tangle to deal with the next time you want to use them, you’ll prolong the life of your headset because you won’t be breaking the copper wires inside by tangling or folding too tightly, and you’ll also be indirectly donating to 2 charities currently - the American Hearing Research Foundation and the Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California.

The most important thing about Earbud Jack is learning to use him - all of about 2 minutes. My only gripe with Jack is that he’s mainly designed for ipod headphones and other similar earbud-type headsets. A pair of my weird over-the-ear Sony headphones didn’t quite go as well, but I found a way after some tinkering to get them onto Jack.

All in all, a neat little gadget. What If Widgets is the San Francisco-based company that promises to turn out more clever, practical products like Earbud Jack.

Posted in Audio/Video, Home Theater, Portable

If you’ve ever forgotten an anniversary or birthday of your wife, you’ve likely felt the fully wrath of a woman. Regardless of the gift you get her, you’re still likely to be in the doghouse after forgetting such an important date. But fear not, as modern technology has found a way to make sure you’ll never forget again.

The Remember Ring looks like an ordinary white gold wedding band which can be set with a specific date. 24 hours before the progammed date, the ring will heat up to 120 degrees for 10 seconds every hour on the hour for the entire day. This should be enough notice to run out and get a last-minute gift for your loved one.

These are currently only a concept item, however, they expect to sell it in both white and yellow gold for $760.

Source: GearFuse

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 7:48PM
So much for the naysayers, huh? Although the hotly-anticipated Pandora is still doing its thang without a case in the most recent videos, the dev board is definitely handling the FinalBurn Alpha arcade emulator and MPlayer video viewer with ease. Yeah, we’re still clueless about a definitive launch date, but feel free to hit the read link for a couple of clips sure to get you even more anxious for this thing’s arrival.

[Thanks, Ben]

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Canon has announced the XL H1S and XL H1A shoulder mount camcorders designed for video professionals and documentary film makers. Boasting of a 20x HD video lens, both camcorders feature manual focus, zoom and iris adjustment rings.

The XL H1S and XL H1A camcorders also feature various controls for customizing images, displays and operations to match the users individual needs. The camcorders use HDV tapes for recording and can deliver HD image quality. Additionally, both camcorders have interchangeable lens systems, the camcorders also connects robustly to external hardware using a durable six-pin IEEE 1394 terminal. Bearing the XL branding, the H1S and H1A come equipped with Canon’s XL lens mount that allows multiple lens mounting. For instance, users can mount Canon’s optional 6x wide-angle lens, EF photographic lenses and many more.

Both these new camcorders are being geared for the professional videographers. Ever wondered how much these powerful camcorders costs? A whooping $8,999 for the XL H1S and $5,999 for the XL H1A. The Canon XL H1S and XL H1A will be available in June and July respectively.

Product [Canon XL H1A] Product [Canon XL H1S] Via [I4U]

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Remember we told you about the Samsung T339 being added to T-mobile’s low end line up? Well, some more juicy information has been leaked from the FCC and it looks like the SGH-T339 will be HotSpot@Home capable.

While this particular phone having Wi-Fi is not really a big deal by itself, the fact that it could be used as a HotSpot@Home phone is really good news. But the bad news is, there is still no official word yet on the full specs, pricing or the official launch date. Looks like Samsung and T-Mobile are going to make us wait. The Samsung SGH-T339 is rumored to feature a clamshell design, microSD slot, music and video player, plus built-in Wi-Fi.

Via [phoneArena]

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Lithium-ion batteries have kept gadget lovers on their toes for years with their occasionally combustive ways. Now, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research in Würzburg, Germany think they’ve solved this problem by successfully swapping the liquid electrolyte (the flammable stuff) used in conventional lithium-ion batteries with a non-combustible alternative.

“We have succeeded in replacing the inflammable organic electrolytes with a non-flammable polymer that retains its shape,” ISC team leader Dr. Kai-Christian Möller in a statement earlier this week.

“This considerably enhances the safety of lithium-ion batteries,” he continued. “What’s more, because it is a solid substance, the electrolyte cannot leak out of the battery.”

Non-leaky, non-flammable batteries? Say it ain’t so. Möller and other Fraunhofer researchers will be presenting this new prototype battery at Hannover Messe, a tradeshow for industrial technology, on April 21 - 25. But don’t get too excited. We have at least another 3-5 years before these non-explosive batteries make their way into laptops and cellphones. Researchers say they still need to fine-tune the conductivity of this polymer so that the batteries can store and deliver an adequate amount of power.

In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a video of what happens when good lithium-ion batteries go bad.

More safety for cell phone batteries [Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft]

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 10:42AM
You know that Rebel XSi we saw pop up on Amazon? Well thanks to a tipster, we now know it’s appearing in more than one location. That photo above shows one of these babies fresh out of a shipping crate at Best Buy — so if you’ve been saving your pennies, they could find their way into the hands of a blue-shirted sales associate any day now.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras