Gadgets Blog News

The ultra-portable market has been very popular lately, with most newly released models offering at least some comparison to the Eee PC and some even with the Everex Cloudbook. The Twinhead C8 features a pearl white outer shell and features and 8-inch display with a nice 1024 x 600 resolution, which can make a big difference when compared to a 7-inch display with an 800 x 480 resolution. Aside from the display the C8 is powered by an AMD LC-800 processor with 1GB of RAM and features a 1.8-inch 20GB hard drive, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Ethernet, two USB ports, one VGA out and a 4-in1 card reader. Sadly, similar to many of these other ultra-portables we have been seeing lately, the C8 will not be available in the US. (Read the full post about ‘Twinhead intro’s the 8-inch display ultra-portable C8′…)

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Kodak, a household name when it comes to all things photography, has just announced an enhanced Digital Picture Frame portfolio which consists of three different digital photo frames, ranging from 7″ in size to 8″ and 10″ to suit just about every need there is for a casual living room accessory. Not only does Kodak claim that these will look both sleek and stylish, they also boast a range of features including the recently unveiled Quick Touch Border for easier image manipulation and maintenance.

(Read the full post about ‘Kodak Easyshare digital photo frames released’…)

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Here is something that artists of the future will definitely be sporting. Okay, perhaps “sporting” isn’t a very artsy term, but it definitely looks like something artists would have, because it looks like a palette.

So far, this is Palette-Digital artist is only a concept, but a good looking entry to the Mircosoft NextGen PC Design Competition. All connections to the port are wireless, and there is even a DVD drive designed with it.

The only difference between this and a real palette is no one paints on the palette. Too bad the design does not come with a digital canvas, but it does have some interesting looking “paintbrushes”.

(Read the full post about ‘Palette-Digital Artist Handheld PC’…)

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Have you ever seen that Element that some people have been driving? I always thought those rectangular cars were odd, like giant shoeboxes. It appears that Toyota has rolled out an environmentally friendly box-shaped car.

The Toyota Hi-Ct concept car was first shown at the Bangkok International Motor Show, but not at the more famous New York Auto Show. This hybrid vehicle can charge from an external electric source, such as a AC100V accessory socket.

Information is pretty limited other than that, for now. Judging by the picture, it appears there is only room enough for two. So much for room for the whole family. I suppose they could hang out on that back flap of the trunk.

(Read the full post about ‘Toyota Hi-CT Concept Car’…)

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I love getting new gadgets. Whenever I do, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I want to tear into the packaging and catch a whiff of that new gadget smell. However, with some such devices, their packaging is nearly impossible to get into. You know the kind, the ones with the super-thick plastic that even the sharpest of knives have difficulty with. That’s why I wouldn’t mind a pair of these. They’ve called this handy tool Open It, and for good reason. You have three different tools that ensure you’ll be able to open any package. First there are the cutter blades which can cut through even the toughest plastic clamshells. Then the box cutter blade, for obvious purposes. (Read the full post about ‘Tear through plastic shells with Open It’…)

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How many times has your mp3 player died on you while you were rocking out far from home? I’m sure it’s happened at least a few times, and depending on your MP3 player, you were probably out of luck until you got home to recharge it. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just turn a hand crank a few times and have it charged again? I’m actually not really sure what I think of this, at least for me. I have a fancy iPod Touch, so something like this would be a bit basic for me. However, if you need only a basic player with 1GB of storage, this might be perfect for you. If you’re the kind of person that really cares about your impact on the environment, you’ll really love it, since it is powered solely by the hand crank. (Read the full post about ‘Hand cranked MP3 player means you’ll never be without tunes’…)

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Immediately after USA Today published a report declaring that Amazon’s music store is now the number 2 online seller of digital music, eMusic CEO, David Pakman disputed the report and said that eMusic is the number 2 online music seller and not Amazon. “This morning I read with some surprise in USA Today that Amazon is “No. 2 in digital [music] sales since opening nearly six months ago.” Amazon’s entry into this market last year was an important milestone in the continuing irrelevance of DRM and the overly restrictive and anti-consumer policies that the music industry has foolishly wielded in this new, digital age. (Read the full post about ‘“We are number 2, not Amazon” says eMusic’…)

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Word-a-day calendars might improve your vocabulary, but unless they’re electronic, they’re not exactly great for the environment. Here’s a more creative and lasting alternative that you don’t have to wait for a new year to try out: the key calendar from Takumi. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but it seems that you move the key every day to keep track of the date. It would be very cool if turning the keys revealed some kind of secret compartment (you could set it to deliver a love note on your anniversary or something) but I don’t think that’s an option yet. Apartment Therapy says the calendar “plays upon both the metaphorical and also the innate physical desire to manipulate the mechanical as an effective way to keep track of the days of a month.” I just think it’s pretty. (Read the full post about ‘Quirky and covetable: Takumi’s key calendar’…)

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Posted Mar 28th 2008 8:04AM by Thomas RickerFiled under: Laptops, Peripherals We’re closing out our Week O’ Dell scoops the way it began, with Dell’s new Ergo, revealed. Clearly, it’s not a waffle iron or bulk food scale with lcd monitor. It’s just an E-series stand supporting LCDs up to 24-inches. Sorry, but it looks like the existing Latitude D-series of docks won’t work for the new Es. As such, prepare to purchase a truckload of new E-Ports to accompany your Latitude E6000 and E5000 laptops, E4300 and E4200 ultra-portables, and the semi-rugged E6400 ATG. At least the XT2 Tablet should work with the existing XT media base. All the details can be found in the gallery below.Gallery: Week O’ Dell Scoops, part deux fini: th (Read the full post about ‘Week O’ Dell Scoops Part Deux, fini: the Latitude E-series accessories’…)

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Posted Mar 28th 2008 5:41AM by Thomas RickerFiled under: Misc. gadgets The first “completely integrated, extremely bendable circuit” was just demonstrated to the world. The team behind the research is led by John Rogers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The process bonds circuit sheets measuring just 1.5 micrometers (50 times thinner than human hair) to a piece of pre-stretched rubber. That allows the circuits to buckle like an accordion when pulled or twisted without losing their electrical properties. Unfortunately, the materials used thus far are not compatible with human tissue. In other words, no X-ray vision implant for you. X-ray contacts perhaps… quantum-computers now, please Mr. (Read the full post about ‘Stretchy silicon circuits wrap around complex shapes, like your wife’…)

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