Gadgets Blog News

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 19th 2008 at 3:42PM Surely you’re not content with just multi-touch and built-in accelerometers, right? Microsoft Research is expecting not, as it’s already working towards integrating force-sensing technology that will enable gestures to twist on-screen imagery without crafting UMPCs out of flexible material. Essentially, the gurus behind the idea feel that implementing said tech would “turn an otherwise passive component that just holds the device together into an active input surface.” In the future, it’s likely that auditory cues would enable users to know when they’ve applied enough pressure to cause a change, and of course, they expect it to work hand-in-hand with existing human-computer interfaces. (Read the full post about ‘Microsoft adds twist to handhelds with force-sensing technology’…)

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by Joshua Topolsky, posted Apr 20th 2008 at 4:04PM Finally, Engadget editor Paul Miller’s prayers have been answered — in the form of a homebrew SNES emulator for the Wii. It’s no secret that Paul is eerily obsessed with the SNES, and now he can get access to all his favorites (import or otherwise) with another Wii tweak. The well known emulator SNES9X has been ported to Nintendo’s money maker, and it even includes support for the Wiimote (there are plans for future implementation of the Classic controller and two-player game modes). We’re assuming this is all part of the much-loved Twilight Princess exploit, though they’re a bit short on detail. (Read the full post about ‘Homebrew SNES emulator released for the Wii’…)

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by Joshua Topolsky, posted Apr 19th 2008 at 6:29AM Like your Rolls-Royce, Louis Vuitton bags, and priceless, endangered animal collection, the Urwerk UR-202 turbine regulated watch is another expensive item you don’t really need. Still… you want it, right? Who wouldn’t want this beast, what with its self-winding kinetic motor, telescopic minute hands, orbiting and revolving hour satellites, and fancy, mechanical turbines that we understand almost nothing about. But hey, when your timepiece is more complicated than a jet plane — and likely more expensive — you’ve probably made it. Check out the totally awesome video after the break to see this thing in… (Read the full post about ‘Urwerk’s UR-202 combines turbines and watches just how you always wanted’…)

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So you’re driving around at night with no idea where you’re at, and your partner is having trouble reading the map? Obviously you haven’t heard of GPS navigation devices, so the next best thing is to flood the map with a light source, and what better way to do it than with the Seatbelt Light? Just clip it onto your seat belt and turn it on when you need to read a map or follow directions. Passengers can use it without distracting the driver. Two levels of brightness from 4 LED lights (included). Uses 3 AA batteries (not included). A set of two will retail for $14.99, although I’d say that using your car’s ceiling light ought to be good enough. (Read the full post about ‘Seatbelt Lights to the rescue’…)

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With the flood of oil money, Dubai is a hotspot for construction with extravagant buildings being built on what was once a barren desert wasteland. The skyline has changed so much over the last 10 years compared to many other cities around the world, with ever higher skyscrapers being planned and built to wow even the most seasoned traveler. There is a new project coming up that not only ranks right up there where luxury is concerned, it will also boast architectural genius with the ability to generate up to 10 times the power it will use. Want to know more? Head on after the jump to find out. (Read the full post about ‘Wind-powered rotating skyscraper in Dubai’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Apr 19th 2008 at 9:56AMSure, you’ve heard the horror stories of faulty Xbox power cables sparking up fires in homes, but it seems the latest case involves the aforesaid console’s successor: the Xbox 360. According to Little Rock, Arkansas fire department captain Jason Weaver, a 360’s power cord was to blame for a blaze that injured no one (thankfully) but caused some $100,000 in property damage. Mr. Weaver asserted that the power supply was likely crammed in a tight spot with no “space to dissipate heat,” and while we’ve certainly seen no shortage of overheating Xbox 360s, this marks the first time that we’ve seen high temperatures wreak havoc on more than just the machine’s internals. (Read the full post about ‘Xbox 360 power supply pinpointed as cause of house fire’…)

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You might have heard the news that the Microsoft Surface table has hit five select AT&T stores across the country, and are now available for you to try out for yourself. In case you haven’t had the chance to drop by any of these stores yet and seen the Microsoft Surface in action, we have here a video showing just how it can complement your AT&T experience by adding multi-touch and satellite mapping technology.

(Read the full post about ‘Watch the Microsoft Surface in action!’…)

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It looks like we may have all misinterpreted PayPal’s announcement that it will block users who are using old browsers when doing online transactions at PayPal. Some reports have included Apple’s Safari browser as among those that will be blocked by PayPal. PayPal has denied this report by saying that it has no intention of blocking current versions of any browsers that include the Safari browser from accessing it’s site. And to clarify, it will only block customers from logging into the PayPal when using obsolete browsers on outdated or unsupported operating systems, such as IE4 running on Windows 98. (Read the full post about ‘PayPal clarifies; we are not blocking Safari users’…)

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OWC has just introduced a new 500GB portable hard drive known as the Mercury On-The-Go drive. This one is a little bit special compared to the rest, since it not only hooks up to your computer via USB 2.0, it also features both FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 connections. The best part of all? There is no bulky power adapters to lug around as it runs off bus power instead. The drive isn’t too speedy at 5,400 rpm, but it ought to suffice for a portable hard drive. Best to use this with a FireWire connection, since USB 2.0 will require you to rely on an AC adapter still. Backup solutions that ship with each purchase include NovaStor NovaBackup for Windows and Prosoft DataBackup III for Mac OS X . (Read the full post about ‘OWC introduces Mercury On-The-Go drive’…)

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Transcend Information has a new MP3 player in our midst, the T.sonic 615. This mp3 player takes after the ipod in terms of color, coming in a glossy white casing complete with a dual-color OLED display and features an integrated FM radio, A-B repeat, and variable playback speed functions. You also get seven built-in equalizer modes to help you achieve the best listening experience possible (as far as something as tiny as this goes anyway) and Lyrics Sync. With a 13-language support and Transcend’s T.sonic Utility that allows users to add password protection to files, the T.sonic 615 will come in 2GB and 4GB capacities. (Read the full post about ‘Transcend Information T.sonic 615′…)

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