Gadgets Connect

Posted Mar 9th 2008 4:59PM by Chris ZieglerFiled under: cellphonesWhat the heck is going on here? Despite the overwhelming popularity of gizmo-heavy mobile devices in Japan, working with megacarrier NTT DoCoMo must be a losing proposition for many of its manufacturing partners, because just days after Mitsubishi’s announcement of its withdrawal, a fresh Nikkei report indicates that Sony Ericsson is raising the white flag as well to divert attention and resources to less saturated and more profitable markets. Apparently, DoCoMo will bear the brunt of the downsizing, while Sony Ericsson’s partnership with KDDI — a CDMA carrier — will continue. (Read the full post about ‘Sony Ericsson withdrawing from NTT DoCoMo, sort of’…)

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Duck Fadar Any jokes about us going quackers, will not - we repeat - will not be permitted. Now, here are the fundamental features that make these two deserving of a place at you bath side. See price Tags: video game, tests, gadgets, gear (Read the full post about ‘Duck Fadar’…)

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Maybe you were just surfing around for your next career or were up to something more sinful, when your boss decides to show up behind your back, literally. Instead of painstakingly trying to revive a decent screen on your PC, and in the process look like a silly baboon, you can now make a swift and smart move using the USB Smart Privacy Mouse and convince him that you were really being a sincere employee. The USB Smart Privacy Mouse, as you must have already guessed, is for the wily amongst us. It has a “secret” button that can be configured to conceal any (and all) programs that you would consider private and instead bring up “decent” programs in times of need. (Read the full post about ‘Protect your surfing secrets with the USB Smart Privacy Mouse’…)

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Back when I used a media PC in my living room, the most frustrating thing that I found was that I had both a keyboard and mouse sitting on my coffee table. Granted, most of the time I simply used my remote, but there were times where I would use my TV as a giant monitor for surfing the net and such, which meant I had a few choices. One, I could use a regular keyboard and mouse, which wasn’t fun. Another was to get an in-air mouse with a smaller keyboard (was a combo) which was better, but still not perfect. I never got around to trying option number three which I think would have been the best, a keyboard with a built-in trackpad. (Read the full post about ‘Wireless keyboard features built-in trackpad’…)

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Posted Mar 9th 2008 10:06AM by Darren MurphFiled under: Portable Audio, Portable Video No sense in forcing someone to stick with the tried and true MP3 / WMA regimen when formats such as OGG, APE, FLAC and AAC are out there, right? Apparently, the folks at Teclast are nodding their heads in agreement, as the firm’s latest PMP handles all of the aforementioned files alongside WAV, AVI, RM and RMVB. Additionally, the 7.9-millimeter thick PlayFX-compatible unit features a 2.4-inch QVGA (320 x 240) resolution display, 2GB / 4GB / 8GB of capacity, a built-in FM tuner / recorder and a text viewer. (Read the full post about ‘Teclast’s M25 PMP has love for lots of formats’…)

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The social networking sites numbers for the US are in and the year to year comparisons are pretty telling.  MySpace is down 1% while FaceBook is up 77%.  The biggest movement is by some new comers, namely Fubar.com who grew by, get this, 3272217%.  Fubar is billed as “the first online bar and happy hour,” with free well drinks all night long.  OK, I made up that last bit. All but two on this top 20 list had positive year over year gains confirming the general feeling that social networking is far from done.  Newcomers like myyearbook and linkdin saw triple digit growth proving these smaller, segmented markets have lots of growth potential. (Read the full post about ‘MySpace loses ground, Fubar.com gets hot?’…)

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My wife has a MacBook that I borrow from time to time. Now and then when I’m using it while plugged into the wall I’ll accidentally unplug the MagSafe power adapter. It’s really not a big deal, as it pops back into place rather easily. My wife, however, hates it when she knocks it out. I don’t really understand this obsession with having the plug stay in at all times, but at least I’ve found a simple gadget that will prevent it from happening in the future. This is one of those things that you know the company that designed it will make a small fortune. It’s a simple piece of plastic that probably costs peanuts to make, yet provides a function that tons of people are going to want. (Read the full post about ‘Keep your MagSafe adapter in place with MagStay’…)

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Globally famous jeans maker Levi’s today revealed their very-own cellphone. This is called ‘The Original’ and is equipped with 2 MP camera, 60 MB of in-built memory, MicroSD card slot and Bluetooth 1.2 with A2DP. The Original’s front, back and keypad are made of steel and soft plastic is used to manufacture top part. There’s nothing fancy about this phone other than the brand it carries and obviously the price. This short on specs and low on looks phone by highly loved brand (of clothes) will cost you $520. Which to me sounds nothing more than a fanboy’s thing. (Read the full post about ‘Levi’s rolls out their first ever ‘The Original’ mobile phone’…)

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USB Poise Lamp This stylish retro designed USB lamp in silver is ideal for shedding a light on the subject when you’re burning the midnight oil. Due to the elbow design the angle of the lamp is adjustable to suit your needs whilst the power is supplied by any available USB port on your laptop or pc. USB 1.1 interface plug & play usable for Windows and Mac. Tags: robots, consumer technology, pvr, home cinema (Read the full post about ‘USB Poise Lamp’…)

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Earlier this year we raved about the FPS Gaming Vest that punches you when you get shot, well if you don’t fancy being punched there is now an alternative, Mindwire V5 gives you physical feedback by way of electric shocks. History of the Mindwire V5 “How much better would games such as Mortal Kombat or Streetfighter be if you were ELECTROCUTED each time you were hit!” Sudenly there’s something to play for. Watch your opponent squirm as you beat him to a pulp, and fear every one of your opponents blows as you know its going to do a lot more than make your little animated character full backwards… The Mindwire V5 works by connecting electrical pads to your body these then deliver a mild (we hope) shock when playing games. (Read the full post about ‘Mindwire V5 a shocking addition to your gaming’…)

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