Call me strange (hey, it wouldn’t be the first time - or even the hundredth) but when I shop online, I usually have a specific something in mind. A book, some pants, that episode of The Hills I missed on cable, you know, something I want. But some people, they just like to shop. And apparently, they don’t care what they actually end up with: as long as they’ve spent money, they’re happy. The Something Store is the perfect site for these people - or anyone with an affinity for playing the odds. You send the Something Store $10, and they will send you… something. Something non-returnable, at that. It could be something posh and exciting, it could be something you’ll never use. (Read the full post about ‘Want to order online - but don’t care what you buy? The Something Store is for you!’…)
Isn’t it amazing how something as simple as a new color can get a two-year-old device back into tech headlines? The latest “news” about the 2006-introduced Nintendo DS Lite is that it will soon be available in more colors in Europe. While Americans must remain content with the two-toned cobalt/black model released a few months ago, Europeans (and Europe tourists) can choose from ice blue, lime green, and a shade of red that could only be called very cherry. Via DS Fanboy. Tags: tests, design, computers, sat-nav (Read the full post about ‘Nintendo adds more colors to European DS Lite palette’…)
by Donald Melanson, posted May 26th 2008 at 12:10PM While recent attempts to create a perpetual motion machine somehow, inexplicably didn’t pan out, a physics professor from Osaka University now claims to have made a scientific breakthrough of another sort, with him now touting nothing less than a supposedly successful demonstration of cold fusion. That was apparently done by forcing deuterium gas under pressure into an evacuated cell containing a sample of palladium dispersed in zirconium oxide, which caused the deuterium to be absorbed by the palladium sample, resulting in a denser, or “pynco” deuterium, with deuterium nuclei that are close enough together to fuse. (Read the full post about ‘Japanese scientist claims breakthrough with cold fusion experiment’…)
Qualcomm has announced a breakthrough in regards to mobile displays at the SID 2008 conference. The company has pioneered the first Interferometric Modulation (IMOD) color mirasol display. What sets the IMOD color display apart from other display technologies is that it requires no backlighting and reflects light allowing for low power consumption and viewing no matter the lighting condition.
A 0.9-inch IMOD color display is expected to first be used in a new “next-generation” mp3 player to be produced by Freestyle Audio. Besides MP3 players, the new display technology has also been designed for use in mobile phones.
(Read the full post about ‘Qualcomm launches breakthrough IMOD display’…)
The FCC is taking a new look at the Cell Phone Consumer Empowerment Act. The act, passed in September of last year, is looking to implement a pro-rated early termination fee system. In such a system, the amount of the ETF would depend on how much of the customers contract has been completed at the time of cancellation. Until recently most providers have charged a flat $200 fee. Sprint and AT&T are already offering such a pro-rated fee structure, and T-Mobile has announced plans to do the same. The act is also asking the FCC to order cell phone providers to allow customers 30 days or 10 days after their first bill to cancel with no fee, however most carriers already offer this. (Read the full post about ‘FCC considers move to regulate early termination fees’…)
A new digital audio file format is aiming to change the way that we all listen to music. It’s being touted as a completely new form of music, and it’s called MT9. This is how it works: each MT9 file can be split into 6 different channels (one for each instrument or vocal track) and then each channel can be manually taken out as the listener deems fit. Want to learn how to play the lead guitar on “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots?” Take out all of the other instruments and listen to it with crystal clarity. Want to do your best Scarlett Johansson impression and sing Tom Waits all night?
(Read the full post about ‘Can MT9 be the next digital music format?’…)
Firefox 3 Release Candidate 1 users, listen up. Mozilla has stated that RC1 contains ten “high-priority” bugs, which have been marked as “critical.” Released almost two weeks ago, RC1 was thought by the developers as a possible final product, but now that these flaws are coming to light, the company is debating whether to release Firefox 3 Final with the updates or ship out another release candidate for further testing from the community. “We are making a go/no go decision early next week, as we are still collecting feedback.” Some of the bugs include certain websites crashing the browser, Ubuntu 8.04 breaking “3.0pre’s addons,” the spell checker once disabled is not able to be re-enabled again, and drag and drop bookmarks not being usable. (Read the full post about ‘Firefox 3 RC 1 has ten critical Flaws’…)
Most standard office chairs weren’t designed with your total comfort in mind. Most companies throw a few pieces of plastic and cushions together and call it a seat, but what about our aching backs? Years of sitting in a computer chair can cause serious damage. This excellent Smartchair takes our comfort into consideration and would be a welcome addition into any home office. Instead of relying on a cheap padded adjustment system, the Smartchair uses a combination of auto-adjusted spring formations and biofeedback sensors to automatically adjust to your muscle pain. A PDA sized electronic device on the left arm acts as a controller unit. The 3″ touchscreen on the unit works as a control button and a function display. (Read the full post about ‘Smartchair Offers Biofeedback For Every Muscle Twinge’…)
Tags: wi-fi, game, hdtv, cameras (Read the full post about ‘Floating Ideas Alarm Clock Accessory’…)
Move over, 007 – the doors to spy craft just opened to the public. Sharp recently announced its new 5-megapixel CMOS camera (RJ63SC100), purportedly the world smallest. Measuring in at only 9.5 x 9.5 x 6.6mm, the device even offers auto focus for better image quality. The new camera will expected to be available for mass production in July. The camera’s diminutive size, surprising thinness, and high resolution would enable future devices (phones, etc.) to have ultra small cameras. While it is easy to see its use in the race for smaller and sleeker phones, more inventive uses (shades cam? Camera in your shirt buttons?) are also possible. Via [Hiptop3] Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! (Read the full post about ‘Sharp unveils smallest 5-megapixel camera’…)
