Gadgets Connect

I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t grow up admiring him, but Batman doesn’t impress me for some reason. The Batmobile, the Batcave, the Bat Signal, the bat-shaped gadgets . . . it’s all a bit much. I mean, we get it already. Bruce Wayne really has a thing for bats. You know, it’s one thing to take a theme and run with it, but it’s quite another to beat everyone over the head with it whenever possible. Bearing that in mind, you can be sure that when the 1GB Batman mp3 player from PopBox Collectibles is released this summer, I’ll have found something bearing a different likeness to buy for $80. Via CrunchGear. ………………………………. Shop for toys and gadgets in the Popgadget Shop. (Read the full post about ‘Batman MP3 player with batsuit ear headset’…)

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Force Dynamics has tweaked their 301 Driving Simulator to cater for Super Mario Kart, allowing the chair to let the driver experience what it feels like when making one’s way through the wacky and imaginative world of all the courses in the SNES hit. Heck, even when your character makes a jump, the 301 chair itself will even leap up accordingly, so make sure you do not take anything heavy before having a go at this.

(Read the full post about ‘Force Dynamics 301 Driving Simulator’…)

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by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 28th 2008 at 6:35AMInformation doesn’t get much more twisted that this so you’d best tread lightly with it. We’ve got a DigiTimes rumor whose message appears modified in translation. Engadget Chinese tells us that the original DigiTimes article (in Chinese) states that Asus is planning an Eee PC “sub-corporation.” In other words, an ASUS spin-off that would include more than just low-cost ultra-portables. The rumor is attributed to DigiTimes’ proven ASUS sources. However, DigiTimes’ own English translation simply calls the move an Eee “sub-brand” which was already obvious with ASUS’ announced plans for additional Eee branded products including the E-DT desktop, E-TV television, and 19- to 21-inch E-Monitor all-in-one said to be due in Q3. (Read the full post about ‘Asus rumored to be spinning off Eee brand, 11-inch Eee PC coming too’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Apr 28th 2008 at 8:01AM Solar-powered dresses are so two years ago. These days, dames in the know are all about that piezoelectric material, evidenced by the incredibly flashy Piezing. Dreamed up and designed by Amanda Parkes, this piece of garb is all set to steal the show at the 2ndSkin expo in San Francisco, and according to CNET, it features electricity-generating fabrics around the joints of the elbows and hips. When the wearer walks, bends or gets downright nasty on the dance floor, the mechanical stress conjures up energy which is stored as voltage in a built-in battery where it can presumably be used later for charging your favorite handheld gizmo. (Read the full post about ‘Piezing dress generates power, attracts nerds as wearer moves’…)

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Security vendors are more than a little upset over a new contest being introduced to the Defcon hacker conference this year. The contest is called The Race to Zero and the following is an excerpt explaining what the contestants have to do, taken from the Race to Zero website:

The event involves contestants being given a sample set of viruses and malcode to modify and upload through the contest portal. The portal passes the modified samples through a number of antivirus engines and determines if the sample is a known threat. The first team or individual to pass their sample past all antivirus engines undetected wins that round.

(Read the full post about ‘Defcon Race To Zero contest angers antivirus vendors’…)

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A laptop isn’t exactly the most ergonomic device to use while seated on a bed, which is where the Airboard Pump concept comes in. This laptop surface, designed by Ki-Seung Lee will adjust its own height to best fit whatever activity you are currently engaged in, be it reading, writing/drawing or surfing the web. It can be raised thanks to an integrated pump, or lowered by deflating it. I say work and rest shouldn’t mix, so it would be best to have a dedicated work area while reserving the bed as a place of relaxation and sleep. (Read the full post about ‘Airboard Pump Concept’…)

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Everyone’s favorite all-in-one desktop system received slightly bumped up specs after the online Apple store went down for a few minutes this morning. This will come as no surprise to Mac fanboys as there were a number of rumors about the upcoming changes last week. Apple has a nicely written 1200 word press release about the changes, but what it comes down to is an incremental upgrade to the iMac. The most important move is that the latest Core 2 Duo processors (Penryns) have found their way on to the computers, including ramping all the way up to 3.06GHz on the top-of-the-line 24-inch model. This $2199 system includes NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics with 512MB memory, making it more powerful than most people would expect from something so sleek. (Read the full post about ‘Apple outfits iMac with Penryn processors’…)

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Emporia Mobile, from the UK, has launched its latest cellphone entitled Life Plus, that is specifically made for elderly people.

What features does it have to be made for that group? Here is a small list:

- huge buttons
- super loud speakerphone
- big display screen
- compatible with hearing aids
- inclusion of flashlight
- emergency SMS

Other features include a good battery life - 250 hours on standby mode - and being lightweight - 138 grams. This simple phone with basic functions costs 145.

via

Tags: camera, Ogg, hi fi, consumer electronics

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The Digital Photo Watch you see here not only tells the time, but it saves space in your wallet from getting too bulky with images of your wife, kids, grandchildren and dog. Perfect to usher in grandparents into the Information Age. With a maximum storage capacity of 60 images, it ought to be more than enough to store the entire family’s portraits with room to spare. Unfortunately, with a puny 1.5″ LCD display, not much detail can be displayed and grandpa might have trouble showing it off to friends his age as their eyesight begin to fail. Battery life currently stands at 8 hours before the screen goes blank. The Digital Photo Watch retails for $99.95 from Brookstone. (Read the full post about ‘Digital Photo Watch’…)

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