People are always looking for “greener” alternatives and, in my opinion, powering anything by the force of gravity is “green.” And the Greener gadgets Conference (http://www.greenergadgets.com/) in New York agrees with me, as they had awarded this gadget a second place. Called the Gravia LED Lamp, it literally does run on the force of gravity by the use of a slowly falling mass that spins a rotor which, in turn, provides power. The lamp which is made of acrylic lens and LED lights, was designed by Clay Moulton of Virginia as part of his Master’s thesis. To power the lamp, the owner has to place the weight on top of the 4-feet acrylic column. (Read the full post about ‘Gravia LED Lamp; Powered the Force of Gravity’…)
Although Google has been talking about video advertising since May of last year, it has only now decided to introduce the service to its AdSense program.
After a long review period, Google has decided to use the solution the company is already using for advertising on YouTube called InVideo. With InVideo, ads are shown taking up a position on the lower edge of the video that is playing. The ads shown are either animated with images or just text overlay advertisements.
(Read the full post about ‘Google enters Web video advertising market’…)
Did I miss the reports about the growing problem of people having just too much money? Because otherwise, I’m hard pressed to understand how someone like Peter Aloisson can make a business out of vulgarizing tech gadgets.
His latest creation, the iphone Princess Plus, takes a perfectly good iPhone, studs it with about 17 carats worth of little diamonds, adds gold trim and slaps on a design that looks like a failed entry for a "The Golden Compass" logo.
(Read the full post about ‘Custom iPhones Stretch Good Taste, Wallets’…)
Wanna learn how to make music like Mix Master Mike? M-Audio’s MixLab, which includes an X-Session Pro USB mixing desk and Torq LE software, is what you need to get your (virtual) DJ-ing fingertips hot. But it only shines when you hook it up to your own favorite software for use in more complex compositions. Torq LE slurps up your music (including what’s stashed in an iTunes library) and lets you drag and drop tracks into two virtual on-screen decks. From there, you can take the tunes and run with them — at least so long as you’re sticking to the basic techniques it offers. Each side of the deck mirrors the other, allowing you to match and mix each song independently, with 3 EQ knobs, 3 mixer knobs, headphone cueing, pitch and volume sliders. (Read the full post about ‘Review: M-Audio’s MixLab Tutors Aspiring Digital DJs’…)
Posted Feb 22nd 2008 1:06PM by Donald MelansonFiled under: Misc. gadgets, Transportation It’s not the first to turn to algae and biomass as a source of fuel, but upstart Solazyme seems to think it’s got a leg up on other biofuel makers and its apparently lining up the deals and big bucks to prove it. As Technology Review reports, that includes Chevron, which is now in a “testing agreement” with the start-up, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which dished out a $2 million grant to the company. The trick that’s attracted all that interest, it seems, is the company’s particular way of using algae to convert biomass into fuel, which takes the apparently unorthodox approach of growing them in the dark, which causes them to produce more oil than they do in the light. (Read the full post about ‘Upstart Solazyme promises to make fuel from algae’…)
Posted Feb 22nd 2008 9:36AM by Darren MurphFiled under: GPS, Transportation At first glance, we seriously assumed that we had mentioned this exact same story before. Turns out, one particular Maxi Haulage driver doesn’t tune into Engadget, as he pulled the exact same trick in (almost) the same circumstances. Reportedly, this timber haul was cut short as the driver followed his personal GPS system down a “farm lane” suitable only for (presumably small) tractors, and needless to say, the 45-foot vehicle has been wedged ever since. Additionally, the owner of the property is quite irate, as the mishap is forcing her to drive an extra two miles until rescue arrives. (Read the full post about ‘Trucker blindly follows GPS, gets wedged in farm lane’…)
Apple has updated iTunes again. Normally this wouldn’t warrant an entry here on Gadget Lab, but this time the update fixes a serious problem experienced by many of our readers and one writer (me). The annoying, impossible to dismiss offer to upgrade the ipod touch with the $20 application pack has been quashed.Every time the Touch was plugged in, iTunes would offer the upgrade. Clicking “No, Thank You” would either throw an error, or worse, prevent you from accessing the iTunes control panel for the iPod. The latest 7.6.1 update fixes this. (Read the full post about ‘ITunes Update No Longer Nags iPod Touch Users’…)
Posted Feb 22nd 2008 2:58AM by Darren MurphFiled under: Wearables Okay, so this whole digital tattoo concept still seems more reasonable than littering one’s body with Zune imagery or the BSOD message, but we’re still a tad creeped out. Dreamed up by Jim Mielke, this minuscule, implantable display would reportedly connect to an artery and a vein for its power and could display caller ID information as well as video chats right on one’s arm. Best of all, this thing won’t become the source of all kinds of regret when you head over the hill, as it could also be used to constantly monitor certain aspects of your health and give you a heads-up if anything goes awry. (Read the full post about ‘Digital tattoo enables arm-based conversations, constant health monitoring’…)
Posted Feb 22nd 2008 4:22AM by Darren MurphFiled under: Displays USB-to-DVI adapters have certainly progressed a good ways over the years, and I-O Data’s ain’t too shabby, either. The external graphics dongle supports resolutions up to 1,680 x 1,050, measures in at 57- × 85- × 22-millimeters and even plays nice with Vista’s Aero Glass interface. Unfortunately, it’s not so compatible with Direct 3D, Open GL or HDCP. That’s a little too hamstrung for our ¥14,600 ($135), but to each their own.[Via AkihabaraNews]Tags: games, Gadget, M4A, gaming (Read the full post about ‘I-O Data’s USB-to-DVI adapter plays nice with Aero’…)
The latest HD DVD deal is courtesy of CompUSA and for just $89.99 you can grab a Toshiba HD-A3 player along with 7 movies. While CompUSA seems nice enough to let customers know that these players are basically a dead format I can imagine that other retailers will not be quite as nice. Sadly these hd dvd sales will most likely continue to occur until these stores run out of inventory, hopefully they will not attract any customers thinking they are actually getting a deal. I could see the not so informed shopper think they are getting a great deal on a “next-generation” player when they are actually buying a dead format, these sales should all have to come with warnings. (Read the full post about ‘CompUSA; Offering an honest deal on HD DVD players’…)
