Hardware Beyond the Hype
Here’s one from the “why the HELL didn’t anyone think of this before?” department. It’s a Dupont smoke alarm (US$33.95) that a lightbulb screws into. The battery on the detector charges when the light is being powered. When fully charged, the detector can allegedly work for 30 days without the need of recharging. I’ve seen emergency flashlights that charge this way, but never detectors. I don’t know about you, but I HATE changing the 9V batteries on screechy smoke alarms.
[Via OhGizmo!]
According to an AP piece, Amazon and Barnes & Noble will not be showin’ the love for the forthcoming Sony Portable Reader. Fans of electronic books think the next-gen reader could be a turning point in the fledgling e-book market, and as you might imagine, that makes some dead tree booksellers a little flop-sweaty. Borders is a refreshing exception. They do plan to sell the device. While e-book enthusiasts are excited by the readable resolution of the new device’s screen and the respectable battery life, they’re not so psyched by the projected US$300-400 pricetag.
Bringing a personal computer into your living room sounds like a good idea and offers many advantages of PC/TV/Home Theater convergence, but controlling the PC (most of which are not designed for remote control) can be a challenge. The folks over at DenGuru are up to it, with an exhaustive look at six remote control systems that work with Windows PCs.
One of the great things about so much video content coming to the Web is that it gives you an opportunity to virtually visit trade shows, cons, and “scenes” in far away places. One of our favorite sites for keeping up with the gadget scene in Japan is Akihabara News, and with the recent addition of their HD video feeds, we can now see as well as read about what’s going on in Akihabara (the heart of the Japanese electronics, anime, and otaku scenes).
Recent vids have included part 1 of their guide to gadget shopping in the area and a trip to the Tokyo Anime Fair. HD-camera aside, the productions are very lo-tek, and site owner Daimaou’s thick French accent is hard to understand sometimes, but it all just adds to the surreal quality of peeking into this strange world half a planet-spin away.
The U.K.’s Reg has a review of the new LaCie 30GB pocket hard drive (US$150) called, inexplicably, Skwarim. We have no idea what it means either, but its neon pink rubberized case is bright and gawdy enough to make Hello Kitty blush. No idea who the target demo is (beside Japanese school girls), but the tiny size and weight (8.5 x 8.5 x 1.3cm box weighing 99g) and the 30GB (or 60GB) storage capacity makes it attractive despite its flamboyant lifestyle. We like rubberized hardware as much as the next techno-fetishist, but we’re just not comfortable enough in our geekitude to spring for pink. Now, BLACK rubber, and you’re talkin’ a sale. We definitely dig the ’70s op-art pattern.
Check out the full review here.
Zatz is reporting that two new Series 2 TiVo models have surfaced on Amazon and other e-tailers that sport two TV tuners and Ethernet capability.
The 80-hour model (TCD649080) will retail for US$249 and a 180-hour unit (TCD649180) for $349. No High-Def or CableCARD in these, we’ll have to wait for the Series 3, due this fall, for that.
There are a couple of vid demos of the new Nintendo DS Lite on YouTube. That screen res and brightness look schweet.
Video 1: Tour of the unit
Video 2: Demo of Sonic on the Lite
[Via FirstAdopter]
Awesome posts on Kotaku about the Japanese launch of the Nintendo DS Lite. No exactly on par with the Vegas-y Xbox 360 roll-out:
“The kid waiting in line is no longer waiting in line, but playing in the middle of the street, jumping up and down. A pigeon nearly shits on him. His mother hollers at him when a car approaches. It’s an armored truck.
“The vehicle parks directly in front of the line and guys in helmets and flak jackets get out. Carrying sacks, they go inside.
“Minutes pass. The men in helmets and flak jackets return. One patrols the crowd with a nightstick. The Rotund Gentleman is discussing the socio-political meaning of the original Gundam series. The men in helmets and flak jackets get into the truck. Engine turns over and the armored truck pulls away. The guy in Converse sneakers to my left is asleep. Good for him.”
Well, the jitterati came, they saw, they blogged in real-time till their servers got hosed. The Apple New Products Press Event is wrapping up as we speak at Apple’s Cupertino Campus. Here’s what Chairman Jobs had to hawk:
* New Mac Mini with a Single Core Intel Processor, Gigabyte Ethernet, four USB 2 ports, analog and SPDIF input and output. Added FrontRow and Remote Control. 1.5GHz Intel Core Solo, 512MB RAM, 60GB hard drive, Combo Drive. US$599.
* New Mac Mini with Dual Core Processor. 1.67GHz Core Duo, 512MB RAM, 80GB drive Super Drive. Same other specs. $799
* “Bonjour” (revamped, renamed “Rendezvous” networking software) for streaming iTunes app — allows you to stream iTunes content over local network via FrontRow.
* Hook the Mac Mini to your TV and you can listen to and view all of the media stored on your home network. The beginnings of a move toward a home entertainment computer, but still no resident TV card.
* O-fficial iPod Leather cases (for US$100!). Yawn.
* iPod Boombox (iPod HiFi). Whatever.
And, that’s that. All the wild speculation, about an touchscreen iPod, Apple TV, 17″ MacBook Pro, etc. will remain in the wild, at least for now.
[Info swipped from real-time feeds on Engadget, TUAW, and CNet]
Yeah, yeah, I know, enough with the wacky USB devices, already! We can’t help it. We have an unhealthy fascination with this product category: coffee warmers, hands and feet warmers, ah…personal massagers, night lights — all things that are perfectly happy in an AC socket or battery-charged — somehow take on a shiny allure when powered by your computer’s USB port. The feeling that you’re getting the power for free — I guess that’s the attraction.
The latest USB-powered widget is an essential oil pot. Put your favorite fragrance in it and try to mask the fact that your cubicle stinks of day-old pizza, late-night coding sessions, and online dating desperation.