What’s the easiest way to suck all of the fun out of your favorite activity? Just throw in a little exercise and you’ll be sure to hate it within just a few minutes. Now I’m not talking about things like the Wii which get you up and make you move a bit while playing your game, that’s actually kind of fun. I’m talking about the Gamercize, which makes you keep stepping or pedaling in order for you to keep playing your PS2. We covered the Gamercize for your PS2 when they came out back in September, but the creators have developed a new version that’s sure to make you hate your job more than you already do. That’s right, Gamercize PC. (Read the full post about ‘Decrease productivity with the Gamercize PC’…)
Posted Jan 20th 2008 7:31PM by Joshua TopolskyFiled under: Cellphones It looks like all that shouting AT&T has been doing lately about its “openness” is starting to manifest itself in the way the company does business. It’s come to our attention that the mobile telco has started offering a SIM-only plan, thus providing the ultimate in open options. The idea being, of course, that you can bring any random / crappy / salvaged GSM-compatible handset the provider’s way, and it’ll let you hook a towline onto its satellites. Of course, you could just get one of those cheapo giveaways and pop out the card, but this is so much more open and free, like San Francisco in ‘69, a car-less road, some land of your own, and a good old-fashioned whiskey on the rocks. (Read the full post about ‘AT&T offers SIM-only service, attempts to maintain “most open” status’…)
Samsung’s latest handset, the Z400 has just received its FCC approval. The Z400 is a rugged clamshell style phone that will feature Qualcomm’s QChat PTT technology which will take advantage of Direct Connect on the Sprint network. In addition the Z400 will also include a camera, external memory card slot, Bluetooth, stereo speakers, dual antennas as well as an internal and external display. Not having been announced by either Samsung or Sprint there is still not any word on availability or price. (Read the full post about ‘The Samsung Z400 gets FCC approval, coming to Sprint’…)
The pet obsession in Japan continues to reach epic levels of absurdity. The latest example of this trend comes from the creators of the Cool&Hot comfort pad for dogs. As the name indicates, the pad allows your pooch to enjoy soothing cool temperatures in the summer and warm pulses of heat in the winter. This device might not be considered so crazy if it wasn’t for the price: a cool 18,500 yen ($173). For those prices it’s just a matter of time before we see the first K-9 latté drinks rolled out. [Via] Tags: cable, plasma, tech, gadgets (Read the full post about ‘Luxury Pooch Gadget: Cool & Hot Comfort Pad’…)
With Apple’s new baby the MacAir not even launched yet - concerns have been raised over the battery situation already. As with some other Apple products - the MacBook Air contains a non serviceable 37-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery which raises the question about what happens when it inevitably looses performance? All laptops gradually kill the battery over time, but thankfully its just a case of snapping in a new battery yourself. Aple have also got a bit of a history with malfunctioning batteries, with a recall/replacement programme for the Macbook & Macbook Pro batteries sold in 2006. Luckily the battery replacement process is trivial for somebody not scared to use a screw driver. (Read the full post about ‘Apple’s MacBook Air Battery Concerns’…)
Put this Robotan toilet paper holder, by Airyusha (Japanese maker of lifestyle and home furnishing products) in your guest bathroom, and it’ll make even your most serious dinner guest smile. Or, it could serve as an incentive for your reluctant toddler-in-potty-training (or she might just stand there and pull at the toilet paper for ten minutes until it’s all gone). Made out of heavy ceramic, and available in red, white, black and yellow, Robotan sells for $36 at Audiocubes. Oh, and they throw in a roll of environment-friendly toilet paper made from recycled paper, so you can use your Robotan right away! (Read the full post about ‘Robot head toilet paper holder will make you smile’…)
Click for a larger image. In cased you missed it, or want to watch it again, here is the video spoof shown during the CES 2008 Bill Gates keynote about his last full day at Microsoft. The production team pulled out an all-star cast for Mr. G, including: Brian Williams, Steve Ballmer, Matthew McConaughey, Robbie Bach, Jay-Z, Bono, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Jon Stewart, Kevin Turner, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Al Gore, Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie. (Read the full post about ‘CES 2008: In case you missed it, Bill Gates last day at Microsoft’…)
![Ten-Mod Eee PC Stomps Competition, Still Room For More [Eee Hacks]](/wp-content/thumbs/ten-mod-eee-pc-stomps-competition-still-room-for-more-eee-hacks.jpg)
We’ve seen plenty of other Eee PC mods, but an intrepid Norwegian bested everyone by building what appears to be the One Eee to Rule Them All. Not content with only one modification, this Eee modder installed ten add-ons to his diminutive subnotebook including bluetooth, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and GPS.galleryPost(’tenmodeee’, 3, ”);Here’s the full list: 1&2 - Two USB hubs (which still have two free internal USB ports) 3 - GPS 4 - Bluetooth 5 - SDHC card reader 6 - 4GB flash drive 7 - Power switches for everything 8 - 802.11n wifi card 9 - FM transmitter 10 - Modem The price for all these mods?Total 454.38 USD - including shipping to Europe. (Read the full post about ‘Ten-Mod Eee PC Stomps Competition, Still Room For More [Eee Hacks]’…)
Posted Jan 20th 2008 11:48AM by Joshua TopolskyFiled under: Digital Cameras We know how difficult it will be not to get your shorts twisted over Panasonic’s latest digital camera offering, the Lumix LS80, but please try. When a product is marked by such breathtaking features as 8.1-megapixel resolution, 4 x zoom, “MEGA O.I.S.” image stabilization, ISO up to 1600, SDHC card support, and 16:9 recording modes, it’s easy to get carried away — though we suggest simple breathing exercises to keep your pulse in check. (Read the full post about ‘Panasonic’s Lumix LS80: the most exciting digital camera ever’…)
Motorola has recently shown off its latest portable media player, the MobileTV DH01. The PMP offers the ability to watch television via the DVB-H standard, with the linux-powered DH01 users will be able to watch live, on-demand and even view recorded programs at 25 frames-per-second. The DH01 features: 4.3-inch display supporting up to 16 million colors SD/MMC card slot DVR: Via supported Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard card; 90 minutes of TV video storage on 256MB card Mini A/B USB connector; USIM/UICC card reader; earphone and power jacks Video formats: H.264 AVC QVGA, MPEG-4 SP level 3 QVGA Audio formats: AAC, MP3 Image formats: JPEG, GIF, PNG Battery: Rechargeable battery with up to four hours per charge Other features: Five-minute memory buffer for live-TV pause; automatic channel scan; channel listings Motorola has not yet announced any availability date or pricing information. (Read the full post about ‘Motorola unveils Linux-based DVB-H handheld’…)
