Gadgets Connect

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted May 28th 2008 at 7:48AMAh, summertime. Hot dogs, baseball, beer, bikinis, submersible pool speakers. Yeah, we said that. This speaker, called the Weatherproof Submersible Wireless Speaker (bonus points for creativity, guys) from Grace Audio is good for up to 9 feet of underwater music fun. The turtle-like unit connects to any music source up to 150 feet away, runs for about six hours on a single charge, and will set you back around $149 with additional speakers for $99 each. (Read the full post about ‘Grace Audio Weatherprooof Submersible Wireless Speaker does just what you think it would’…)

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There they are again, Bill, Steve and the rest of the Microsoft group have just wowed the audience at the opening of the All Things Digital D6 Conference with a demonstration of what could possibly be the coolest version of Microsoft’s proprietary OS - the multi-touch enabled Microsoft 7. Could we just say that if this new technology goes mainstream it could also possibly be the coolest thing to happen to our Windows powered PCs? Borrowing the multi-touch capability of the Surface which incidentally was previewed during last year’s All Things Digital event, Microsoft’s Corporate VP Julie Larson-Green showed Mr. Gates and Mr. Balmer how the multi-touch functionality works on a machine running on Windows 7. (Read the full post about ‘From the surface to the wall, now Microsoft brings the multi-touch to the PC’…)

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Tags: digital, speakers, Gadget, cable (Read the full post about ‘USB Powered Vacuum’…)

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If you repair PC’s, one of the biggest pains can be repairing a computer after a hard drive has crashed or experienced severe OS failure. This is especially true if the person wants to retain some of the data from the old drive. This means plugging in the old HDD as a secondary drive which usually entails tracking down another SATA cable and more screws. And if you’re working on a small form-factor computer, there is usually no room to mount a second drive which means you’re left with leaving case wide open while the old drive sits precariously on top while you transfer data. Thankfully there is a new gadget to make temporary HDD hook-ups a snap. (Read the full post about ‘Brando SATA HDD Dock makes examining drives a snap’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted May 28th 2008 at 8:12AM Don’t deny it — the render / picture / whatever the heck that was of Onda’s WiFi-equipped VX777 looked pretty mighty rough. Thankfully for all those potentially interested in this portable media player, the real deal actually looks a good bit nicer than we were led to believe. (Read the full post about ‘Onda’s VX777 touchscreen PMP gets spotted’…)

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The new Sony Bravia Z / Z4100 series is a new flagship LCD HDTV from Sony, which is available in two large sizes. Both are full HD 1080p LCD HDTVs, the smaller is the 40-inch Sony KDL-40Z4100, and the larger is the 46-inch Sony KDL-46Z4100. Our attention was first grabbed by the Z4100’s in January at the CES (consumer electronics show) and it now seems that Sony are about to let these beasts out to the public next month (June 1, 2008). Apart from their stunning brushed metal finish, or piano black gloss, and over all excellent design, the Sony Z / Z 4100 series is packed with great features which offer the very best in HD and overall image quality. (Read the full post about ‘Sony Bravia Z Series | KDL-40Z4100, KDL-46Z4100′…)

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If you dream of connecting to the internet from anywhere you have a lot of options. The most common one is a USB modem, and we’ve reviewed them in the past. Since that time, though, companies have been hard at work at reducing the size of dongles that go with laptops and the Sierra Wireless Compass 597 is no exception, with it now being 70 percent smaller than its predecessor, the Sierra AC595U. As you can see below, it’s a little bigger than a standard USB drive. The nice thing about it, though, is it performs double duty. Not only does it connect you to the internet at high speeds, it also features a built-in MicroSD memory card reader. (Read the full post about ‘Review: Sierra Wireless Compass 597 from Sprint’…)

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As much fun as constant sneezing and itchy eyes can be, most of us who suffer from hay fever dream of spending an entire summer symptom-free. British company Health Innovations claims they can now make that dream a reality, thanks to a new gadget called Medinose. Medinose works by using to photo therapy to inhibit the release of histamine. Insert the prongs of the device into your nose for 4-5 minutes, two or three times a day, and you could apparently see a reduction or even elimination of your symptoms. This has to be worth a try: it’s drug-free, simple, and at £79.95 ($158) is a lot less expensive than weekly prescriptions… Via Shiny Shiny. (Read the full post about ‘Hayfever? Try at-home photo therapy thanks to Health Innovations’…)

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This is an odd one. The photograph to the right is purported to depict the mold for an iPhone 2.0 silicone case (all of the photos are posted below at full size, for your Photoshop-inspecting pleasure). It clearly shows the expected curved back of the new iphone and some shifting in size and position of the camera and earpiece. If real, it also supports the rumor of a second camera on the front for video calls. What seems strange, though, is that Apple would risk just such a leak by supplying specifications to a case manufacturer (in this case, Griffin). Is it really so important to have a phone condom on sale on launch day? Usually the accessory makers scrabble to catch up as their old models become obsolete upon the announcement of new hardware. (Read the full post about ‘Leaked iPhone 2.0 Case Photos Could Confirm New Design’…)

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The next big innovation we could see in the Apple ipod and iPhone may not be a visible change, but one that makes the devices greener and last much longer on a single battery charge.

Apple has filed a new patent detailing adding solar panels to portable devices. Sticking a solar panel on an electronic gadget is nothing new and has been used with calculators for many years. Apple has a slightly different take on how to utilise solar panels, however, and the patent details placing them underneath a touch screen on the portable devices.

As portable devices are quite small; placing solar panels directly on the casing would yield little in the way of power as most devices consist of a large screen, buttons and very little casing.

(Read the full post about ‘Apple files patent for solar cells on portable devices’…)

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