Astak EZ Reader Out This November

Story posted on: October 01, 2008

Here is yet another e-book reader to add to your radar - the Astak EZ Reader. Out later this November, the EZ Reader boasts to being the lightest, smallest and thinnest e-book reader in North America to date, so I'll be looking forward to its release with eager anticipation. Tipping the scales at just 7.8 ounces and measuring 7.2" x 4.7" x 0.4", the EZ Reader relies on e-ink and e-paper to display text and images, ensuring your eyesight is protected even if you're into long hours of electronic reader. The display itself doesn't consume any power while you read, and it uses a wee bit of juice to function until you decide to turn the page. A single charge is good enough to last for up to 8,000 page flips. I wouldn't get this when it is released though, since a Plus version will be out next year with Wi-Fi connectivity, while a Pro version includes Wi-Fi as well as a touch screen display.

Source... Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

Samsung Sway U650 Out Next Month

Verizon is working on releasing the new Samsung Sway U650 later this month on the 14th, and this shiny silver slider handset will come with the following :-

• 2 megapixel camera
• Integrated music player
• microSDHC memory card slot
• Bluetooth connectivity

No EV-DO support here, so that means you won't be able to enjoy OTA Music Download with Verizon.

Source... Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

Samsung Sway U650 Out Next Month

Verizon is working on releasing the new Samsung Sway U650 later this month on the 14th, and this shiny silver slider handset will come with the following :-

• 2 megapixel camera
• Integrated music player
• microSDHC memory card slot
• Bluetooth connectivity

No EV-DO support here, so that means you won't be able to enjoy OTA Music Download with Verizon.

Source... Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

PS3 Eye Hacked For Windows Compatibility

The PS3 Eye tool has been hacked to function with a Windows-powered machine, letting you put the PS3 Eye to better use instead of limiting it to just a boring game in the living room. This newly released driver lets your PC have a dirt cheap option for capturing VGA video at 60fps, and at least this peripheral won't be relegated to a one-function use device only.

Source... Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

Dreams Ban Clock Feeds On Coins

Here is a novel method for you to not only help rouse your kids out of bed, it also helps them learn the value of saving money for a rainy day. This is made possible with the Dream Bans Clock that won't stop its din until you insert a coin, with enough space inside to store up to $25 worth of coins. Good thing this isn't made out of porcelain and does not need to be broken into a million pieces in order to retrieve the stash of coins within. You can pick up the Dreams Ban Clock for $59, and it comes in a choice of white, yellow, blue, red or black colors.

Source... Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

Flower-shaped USB Fragrance Oil Warmer

Designer Fredrik Perman has come up with a conceptual design of this flower-shaped USB fragrance oil warmer that is able to burn all sorts of essential oils, letting your working space have a much more pleasant scent instead of stale socks and molding pizza. Unfortunately for us, we won't be able to see this flower USB fragrance oil warmer until somebody who owns a factory bothers to take up this manufacturing task.

Source... Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

Rear-window Curtain Shield Airbag From Toyota

Toyota has come up with the first rear-window curtain shield airbag in the world, specially designed to protect the heads of back seat passengers should there be a rear-end collision. It will first make an appearance in the Toyota iQ ultra-compact four-seater which will be out next year, and these curtain-like airbags will deploy from the roof lining located right above the rear window, offering protection to the passenger by surrounding the headrests. Nothing still beats safe driving techniques though, but you can't tell when an accident will strike, can you?

Source... Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

Griffin Clarifi iPhone 3G Case

What makes the Griffin Clarifi iPhone 3G case stand apart from the other models in the market is a sliding macro lens which can be flipped into position, helping the iPhone's rather lacklustre camera to capture clearer macro images without investing in an uber expensive lens. While the image quality will not be equal to that of a dedicated digital camera, it is a vast improvement over what the regular iPhone 3G camera is able to cobble together. Just make sure the macro lens remains free from fingerprints before you attempt to snap a close-up image. You can pick up the Griffin Clarifi for $35.

Source... Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

Water-cooling Pump Hits Notebook PCs

Alps Electric Co. Ltd. has managed to cobble together this 30" production model of a piezoelectric pump that is meant for use in water-cooled notebooks, working despite a narrow refrigerant flow channel. Technical specifications include a no-load flow rate of 140mL/minute while the flow rate stands at under a 10kPa load is 105mL/minute. Water-cooled notebooks, eh? That ought to be some juiced-up portable computer to own, but then again something that runs so fast will probably need to remain tethered to a power outlet frequently since it will sip plenty of juice.

Source... Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

Wii Samba DE Hammer

Are you currently rocking to the Samba De Amigo game on the Wii? Well, why not enhance that experience with the Wii Samba DE Hammer that features a slot for you to snap in your Wiimote as well as Nunchuk, waving and shaking away madly as you attempt to complete the game? This $15 kit is definitely not the first Wii accessory range around that touts to enhance the gameplay experience, it also won't be the last - that's for sure.

Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

Camera Phone Counts Infected Blood Cells

While cell phone camera technology has been getting better and better, who would've thought that they would actually be able to help count infected blood cells without relying on lens optics? That's the discovery boffins from the University of California, Los Angeles managed to do using simple camera phone CCD sensors to distinguish between normal and infected cells in blood samples.

First published in the Royal Society of Chemistry's journal Lab Chip in 2007, the LUCAS technique, developed by UCLA researchers, demonstrated a lens-free method for quickly and accurately counting targeted cell types in a homogenous cell solution. Removing the lens from the imaging process allows LUCAS to be scaled down to the point that it can eventually be integrated into a regular wireless cell phone. Samples could be loaded into a specially equipped phone using a disposable microfluidic chip. The UCLA researchers have now improved the LUCAS technique to the point that it can classify a significantly larger sample volume than previously shown — up to 5 milliliters, from an earlier volume of less than 0.1 ml — representing a major step toward portable medical diagnostic applications.

I'll never look at my cell phone camera in the same way ever again...

Source... Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

Sega Toys Handheld Aquarium

If your kids missed the Tamagotchi craze because they were too young back then, here is yet another similar concept that will appeal to budding marine biologists. The Sega Toys handheld aquarium features different kinds of fish (depending on the model you purchase, you can choose from an Angelfish or Dolphin) that will interact with you, depending on you to remain alive. It will grow in due time as it remains "underwater" in the virtual world, and you get to entertain your marine pet with three mini games to keep it happy and healthy. Good thing there isn't any pool or tank to clean with this $59 purchase.

Source... Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

Deals of the day

$19.00, OCZ 8GB Secure Digital (SDHC) Card
$44.99, 7'' Axion AXN-9702 Widescreen Digital Photo Frame w/MP3
$69.99, SanDisk Sansa View 8GB USB 2.0
$99.99, Western Digital My Book Office Edition Hard Drive
$199.99, Canon Powershot A1000 IS 10.0 MegaPixel Digital Camera

More deals at Uberbargain.com

Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

October 01, 2008

Boxee, the Social Media Center, available for the AppleTV

Scott Davilla, a developper for the ATV-bootloader project, has adapted the AppleTV so people can install Boxee as an AppleTV plugin using an AppleTV's , or atv, bootloader on a USB flash drive.

Boxee is a media center based on XMBC that has a social component: in addition to browse and play media content from the computer or the internet, users can share it with their friends, send them recommendations etc...

The ATVUSB-creator installation is pretty technical and Boxee is still in private alpha, we might be able to get a few invitations for our readers. I did not test either Boxee or the ATV bootloader yet , so for those who already have an access code and want to try it for the AppleTV, read after the jump for the step by step "how-to" (provided by Boxee).

What level of geekness do you think you need to try this?

Continue Reading"Boxee, the Social Media Center, available for the AppleTV"

Yahoo! Buzz Add Comment

MobiBlu T20 Portable Media Player

Story posted on: September 28, 2008

It has been a while since the MobiBlu brand name has cropped up, and this time round we have the T20 portable media player (PMP) that comes with a round tactile navigation controller to help you go through your list of media files while you're on the go. This is no Apple Click Wheel, but it is functional to say the least. Features of the MobiBlu T20 include :-

• 2.4" WQVGA display
• RM/RMVB, AVI, MP3, WMA, FLAC, AAC, APE, JPG, BMP and TXT file formats supported
• 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacities

No point gunning for the smaller capacity models as the 8GB T20 will retail for a mere 140 Euros, making the rest absolutely not worth it.

Follow...

Digg it!

Comment

I-MU Vibro Speaker Turns Surfaces Into Speakers

Story posted on: September 28, 2008

The I-MU Vibro Speaker has some pretty rock solid claims, promising to turn just about any hard, flat surface into external speakers for your iPod or compatible audio players thanks to its ‘patented super-energy crystals’. Super energy crystals, eh? Well, I sure as heck would hate working on a 'loud' desk, and will all those vibrations cause harm to my precious hard drive in the notebook? If you're interested in giving one a shot, don't hesitate to part with £29.99 for it.

Follow...

Digg it!

Comment

Eco Media Player Revolution: Wind-up Portable Media Player / FM Radio

Story posted on: September 28, 2008

If you go on a camping trip, or worse, if a natural disaster struck, the last thing that you would want is to be stuck with one of these lame wind-up FM-radio-only device, right? With the Eco Media Player Revolution, you can throw a party with real music, thanks to its 4GB of storage - although you might have a speaker issue... err, forget it. That's not all, it can also be used to provide juice to your cellphone and that can be a lifesaver (if the network still works, anyways). The bad news: it costs $241. Yup, crazy.

Follow...

Digg it!

Comment

Semicircle Headphones Do Not Isolate You

Story posted on: September 28, 2008

While there are many headphones and earbuds out there that claim to be great at filtering noise out from your surroundings, they aren't suitable for those who love cycling or jogging outdoors since it is essential to hear what's going on around you just in case somebody honks you, giving you enough time to get out of harm's way. That's what the Semicircle headphones claim to do - specially designed earbuds that fit in your ear without blocking background noise at all. This wireless unit comes with a Bluetooth module that can be connected to a standard headphone jack. The concept is a brainchild of designer Seohyun Baek, but I guess we won't see this unit hit production anytime soon.

Follow...

Digg it!

Comment

BoomCooler Is Totally Cool

Story posted on: September 28, 2008

The BoomCooler adds to your street cred with its stunning design, where the $900 car stereo boasts a CDX-GT320 AM/FM radio and CD Player, a couple of 6” x 9” 240 Watt Max 4-Way Speakers, one 1100 Watt Max 10” Subwoofer and a 4-Channel 600-Watt Amplifier. All of its components are from Sony, so you can expect a decent level of performance. Perfect to tote around on its two wheels, the BoomCooler will definitely draw envious looks no matter where you go.

Follow...

Digg it!

Comment

Akai K11 Portable Media Player

Story posted on: September 28, 2008

Akai rolls out its latest portable media player (PMP) under the K11 label, but the specifications are somewhat disappointing considering the various PMPs we have floating around that do much, much more in a sleeker package. Nevertheless, the K11 does have a 1.3 megapixel camera, but don't expect it to perform as good as a dedicated 1.3 megapixel camera available back in the early 21st century. Features include :-

• 3" LCD display at 400 x 240 resolution
• Supports AVI, RM, RMVB file formats
• Compatible with MP3, WMA, AAC, APE, FLAC and PlayFX formats

No idea on pricing, but you can tell by the specifications so far that this is certainly a China-born PMP. Hopefully the paint doesn't cause any kind of poisoning...

Follow...

Digg it!

Comment