Category: Gadgetry

You know we have a little thing for the bamboo here at the Labs, so these portable bamboo speakers on I4U caught our attention. Called the Bird-Electron EZ-TAKEGTF2, they are made from a special type of Japanese bamboo called SuSu which is smoked and aged for up to 100 years. I guess you pay for the century’s worth of aging, as these babies will set you back 200 bones. Um, do you have something in a decade-old bamboo? (Actually,they do have a “black bamboo” set for US$170). Doesn’t seem like it would be that hard to make your own.

Verizon sent out a mailing to its wireless customers today, teasing them about a phone they’re trying to make look good enough to eat. The LG Chocolate (Yes, its actual name) is another one off them newfangled mobile phone/MP3 player combos. Without further adieu, the feature set:

*Expandable memory with optional 2 GB memory card.
*Access over one million songs for $1.99 to
your phone.
* Touch-sensitive controls keep your music handy, or slide out the number pad to make calls.
* V CAST music **capable.** Add a V CAST VPak to enjoy the hottest streaming mobile video content.
* VZ Navigator **capable** to get real-time audible directions and maps with GPS.
* 1.3 megapixel camera with digital zoom plus video capture.
* Bluetooth® compability for wireless headsets.

Wait, so I can get songs on my phone for a dollar more than I can get ’em on my desktop/iPod AND I can subscribe to a bunch of add-on services? If you can promise me the same laughably-bad Verizon Wireless service I get now, I am SO there!

BTW: This little confection’ll set you back US$250, less via some service plans (e.g. $150 w/ two years of indentured servitude to Verizon). It’s definitely taste-lookin’ thang. I’ll give it that.

A Dutch repetitive motion scientist has invented a computer mouse that prompts you (by buzzing) to give it a rest (your hand, that is). The mouse keeps track of what you’re doing (resting your hand on the mouse, moving it, clicking, scrolling), and when you’re not moving (for 10 seconds), it prompts you to remove your hand and relax it. The Hoverstop Sym 8-3 is US$68 at ThinkGeek.

[Via CNet News]

The folks at Sling Media are looking for beta testers for future products. Saith the Veep (Jeremy Toeman):

“We will use this as an ongoing program, and will pull people from the pool as needed. So you could hear from us next week, next month, or next year, depending on our needs at the time.”

Here’s where you sign up.

[Via Zatz Not Funny]

The new T series watches (which include the T1, T3, and T4) ditch Suunto’s usual on-board features of digital compass, thermometer, altimeter, and barometer in favor of a heart-rate monitor and calorimeter. The higher-end T3 and T4 watches are also compatible with “pods” that extend the functionality of the watch. Available pods include pedometer, cyclometer and GPS, as well as the PC Pod that allows transfer of stats to the PC for training analysis. Best guess sets these to retail for US$149 for the basic T1, $199 for the T3 and $299 for the T4. Pod prices unknown, but bundles like the “Marathon” and “Multisport” include watch and Pod together for a reduced price. Release “Fall 2006.”

The already-released T6 is also compatible with the new pods, and retains the internal compass, thermometer, and altimeter/barometer — if you’re the kind of person who needs to know everything.

Josh Zimmerman has two YouTube video demos of the new Opera Browser for the Nintendo DS. The first one is a basic run-through, the second goes deeper into the features, the quirks, etc. The demo is in English, the browser he’s demoing is in Japanese.

[Via Gizmodo]

It may look about as sexy as an ATM machine, and it has a rather ridiculous name, but the forthcoming i:Vert (ugh) from Citizen is undoubtedly the shape of things to come (tho hopefully, the things to come will be a lot more svelte). The Citizen Bluetooth (we’ll call it) can show your mobile’s caller ID, so you can see who called, send an incoming call to voicemail if you don’t want to answer it, or reach into your pocket if you do. Nice, but not worth the likely price (no details on that) and definitely not worth the sartorial clunkiness of this first from the gate model.

[Via Akihabara News]

PSP Fanboy had some interesting news this weekend (via Comic-Con) about Sony’s PSP plans. Among them:

* The PSP will be able to act as a remote for the PS3.
* The forthcoming PSP firmware update will include RSS video feed support for the web browser.
* The firmware update will also include a World Tour Soccer 2 game demo.
* Sony has no plans to improve text entry nor plans for any first-party keyboard.
* Sony is in talks with Wi-Fi hotspot providers to try and make it easier for PSP owners to connect. (a la Nintendo’ and Wayport)
* They are “working on” a video-out feature.
*And ways of bringing downloadable movies to the PSP.

We’ve always been fans of Grado Labs’s headphones. We reviewed the Grado SR60s ALL the way back in 1998. A pair that I bought after that review, by Andrew Sasaki, still sits on my stereo system and still gets used on a regular basis. If I had to get a new set of phones, I’d probably go out and buy the same damn pair. That’s pretty astounding, when you think about it: a piece of personal electronics that’s remained unchanged for over eight years and is still worth buying today.

But this item isn’t about Grado’s perennial faves, its about their latest edition, the iGrados, Grado Labs’s attempt at joining the 21st century by creating a set of cans for the iPod generation. The iGrado phones come in either black or white and are behind-the-head style, so you don’t mess up that anime hair that you spent 45 minutes and a small fortune in sculpting putty on. The good news in all this comestic “i” surgery is that the iGrados only cost US$49 and they have the same drivers in them as the venerable SR60s.

Oh, BTW, the SR60s cost $69, the same price they did in 1998. Some things never change, and sometimes, that’s a very good thing…

The iGrado phones are expected to go on sale in September.

I can’t believe it’s taken this long to happen, but Samsung has released the SGH-P200, the first mobile that can switch “seemlessly” between cellular phone services and IP network services over Wi-Fi, so-called Generic Access Network technology or UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access).

The P200, which is first being released in Italy, can switch between GSM, GPRS, EDGE mobile services, and wireless LAN networks (Wi-Fi). Roll-out to other European countries soon. No word on when we can expect to see GAN phones here in the US.