Gadgets Blog News

Long before I learned that a mushroom is a type of fungi, I was already playing Super Mario on my old Nintendo console.

Although it’s been decades since I first played Super Mario, I will never forget those adorable little mushrooms. And what best way to remember the vintage video game by other than growing your own 1-Up mushroom? This collectible straight from Japan could pierce any Marion fan’s heart. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to literally grow a mushroom, but sprinkling soil around the vinyl fungi could do the trick of creating an illusion of a real 1-Up mushroom (yay!).

(Read the full post about ‘Grow Your Own 1up Mushroom: Relive Super Mario Memories’…)

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Every once in a while, I discover a new mobile device charger that is really practical and energy-efficient, like the Solio Magnesium Solar Charger. Today I found two devices that charge using another renewable energy source: kinetic energy. The first is the Orange Dance Charge. This is an armband that you can connect your mobile device to, and then shake it up (preferably while dancing) for a charge. It has the same kinetic energy charger that you see in those “never need winding” watches. So if your cellular phone needs a charge, just dance around like Martin Short back when he was playing Ed Grimley on Saturday Night Live. The second is a charger that sounds like a cheap joke, but it is real proposal. (Read the full post about ‘Motion-Powered Chargers’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 25th 2008 at 9:48AM Brain-machine interfaces have done quite a bit in helping handicapped individuals interact with prosthetic limbs, computers and other humans, but a new neural implant concocted at the University of Florida could make all those past devices look archaic. Put simply, researchers have discovered a method that would enable brain-machine interfaces to “adapt to a person’s behavior over time and use the knowledge to help complete a task more efficiently.” Until now, the brain was the instrument doing all the talking while the computer simply accepted commands; with this method, “the computer could have a say in that conversation, too.” In all seriousness, this type of learning mechanism could be game-changing in the world of physical therapy, but we hesitate to give something mechanical inside of our body too much free will, ya dig?[Via Physorg]Read PermalinkEmail this27 CommentsFiled under: Misc. (Read the full post about ‘Researchers devise neural implant that learns over time’…)

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Samsung Korea has launched two new portable media players, the P2 video player and the S3 DAP. Both of these new devices belong to the Samsung Yepp PMP series. The Yepp P2 boasts of the following features; a 3-inch touchscreen display (which in PMP standard is relatively large), Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity and a choice of 4GB, 8GB or 16GB’s of storage capacity. The Yepp P2 will retail for around $249, $297 and $374 respectively. The Yepp S3 DAP is actually a follow to the current Samsung K3 media player and it features enhanced video capabilities, Samsung’s Digital Natural Sound Engine 2.0, 3D sound, a 12 band equalizer, LED light effects, an FM radio, photo viewer, screen saver, alarm clock and a choice between a 2GB or 4GB storage capacity. (Read the full post about ‘Samsung intro’s the Yepp P2, S3 portable media players’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 25th 2008 at 10:44AM If you pulled the trigger early on an XPS M1730, you may have gotten “stuck” with “just” a GeForce 8700M GT or similar. If you just can’t be behind the times, Dell is finally offering a solution with the GeForce 8800M GTX upgrade kit. Said package includes dual SLI 1GB GDDR3 PCI Express graphics card designed specifically to boost frame rates and install all sorts of Vista-compatible bragging rights. If you’re comfortable with doing the swap yourself, the upgrade price sits at a penny under $1,100. For those seeking professional help, you’ll be coughing up $1,218.99. For those of you not frozen in place by sticker shock, you can peek the how-to guide for inst (Read the full post about ‘Twin GeForce 8800M GTX upgrade now available for Dell’s XPS M1730′…)

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The highly anticipated blackberry Bold may be on track in Canada, however it seem to be having issues and will be delayed for while here in the US. The new date of it’s release is sometime in August, and although according to BGR this has been confirmed by “two high-level sources,” it is has not been officially confirmed from AT&T at this time. AT&T and the manufacturer of Blackberry, RIM, are reported to be having problems with the software, battery life and overheating problems. It looks like AT&T and RIM have disappointed a lot of people recently, and now with this, people are just going to be more and more annoyed. (Read the full post about ‘AT&T BlackBerry Bold having problems, delayed possibly until August’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 25th 2008 at 8:31AM If VIZIO’s brand new XVT Series is a bit rich for your blood, how’s about a pair of plasmas for under eight bones? Yep, the 32-inch VP322 and 42-inch VP422 — which were announced at CES at $689 and $999, respectively — are now available in Wal-Mart locations across America, and they’re selling for even less than that. Right now, those longing to hop in the HDTV game without breaking the bank can secure the VP322 for just $599, while the VP422 will set you back just $799. Both sets possess a 30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 720p panel, 3 HDMI sockets (along with component / VGA) and a built-in ATSC digital tuner with ClearQAM support. (Read the full post about ‘VIZIO does ‘em cheap: 32-inch VP322 / 42-inch VP422 plasmas under $800′…)

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Taking a bicycle can be the healthy and green thing to do, but it can get pretty dangerous for the cyclist especially in the dark. The DIY Turn Signal Biking Jacket works by blinking the arrow in which the direction you want to turn. Of course, it works best against a dark background which could potentially lower your overall visibility when not using the turn signals. Ah well, I’ve always wondered by bicycle manufacturers did not bother to come up with turn signals for their rides. How much more expensive could it be, really? (Read the full post about ‘DIY Turn Signal Biking Jacket’…)

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Mitsubishi’s upcoming line of LaserVue TVs are ready for a Q3 release, which means anytime in the next three months to make for the perfect summer. First unveiled at CES this year, consumers will be able to choose from either 65″ or 73″ models, with the former arriving first before the latter makes an official appearance. Very little about the technology has been released by Mitsubishi, other than the fact that it uses lasers, but it is interesting to note a 200% increase in color gamut compared to traditional HDTVs. Not only that, Mitsubishi claims that the black you see here is real black, while the brights are more than up to the task for an almost lifelike experience. (Read the full post about ‘Mitsubishi LaserVue ready to rock and roll’…)

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I swear there is nothing that can’t have a bit of extra lighting thrown in somehow.  This Luminous Glass can be used as any type of tabletop you like.  Be it a desk, an island or even the dining room table.  Nothing says geeky headquarters quite like a glowing dining room table.  It would look especially cool to replace the glass on a glass top desk to give it extra geek appeal.  The table top is 3/4” thick and made of phosphorescent glass.  The darker your room the brighter the tabletop will glow. (Read the full post about ‘Luminous Glass makes your tabletops glow’…)

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