Gadgets Blog News

by Nilay Patel, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 7:44PM The non-stop barrage of Eee-branded gear from ASUS continues on today, with the first appearance of the Eee PC 903, 904 (above), and 905. It’s not clear exactly what the differences between the three models are, but as we’ve heard, they’re all basically the Eee PC 901’s Atom-based guts shoved into the Eee PC 1000’s case — which means you’re getting a larger keyboard, but the 8.9-inch display will have a pretty significant bezel around it. (Read the full post about ‘The Eee PC 903, 904, and 905 make their unofficial debut’…)

Share This

by Ryan Block, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 11:00AM That first traffic update was only the beginning — Dash is announcing today its first proper software update to the Dash Express. Dubbed June08 (or v2.1), users now get three new trademarked names (among other things): FasterFind - uses SiRFInstantFix for acquiring GPS during startup, so your Dash Express is aware of its location much faster than before. MyRoute - your Dash Express learns your routes to common destinations and offers them up in comparison to its recommended routes (so you can see if your usual way really is faster). Search Along Route - pretty much what it says. Allows you to find points of interest en route without gumming up your destinations. (Read the full post about ‘Dash Express gets big v2.1 June08 software update’…)

Share This

by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 1:28PM As you’re no doubt all too well aware, there’s certainly no shortage of netbook options out there these days, but the number of convertible netbooks is considerably more limited — a situation that little known Aware Electronics now looks set to somewhat rectify. It’s apparently now set to jump into the game with this 7-inch number, which packs an Aday5G 800MHz X86 processor (all bets are off on that one), 4GB of NAND Flash, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth (with optional 3G and GPS), an integrated webcam, dual USB ports, an SD card slot, and the LINOS Linux distribution for an OS. (Read the full post about ‘Aware Electronics shows off A-Pad convertible netbook’…)

Share This

The team behind Opera Mobile has announced that they will have Opera Mobile 9.5 available as a “first beta” on July 15. The beta edition will be available for public download and will be based on the same engine as the desktop version of 9.5. The new version of the browser will offer support for Opera widgets, Javascript, AJAX and Flash (Lite 3.0). Although Opera Mobile is available for both Windows Mobile and Symbian-based phones, this release announcement only mentions a Windows Mobile release. You can also already find a version of Opera Mobile 9.5 on currently shipping phones such as the HTC Touch Diamond. Read [Opera Mobile Blog] Via [MobileCrunch] Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! (Read the full post about ‘Opera Mobile 9.5 for Windows Mobile coming July 15′…)

Share This

This strange looking toy is actually a Nerf gun in disguise.  Which is just proof once again that there are a great many of us that don’t seem to want to grow up entirely.  I’d imagine  that the gun originally looked something like this, which is sold on ThinkGeek.  The best part is to cock the toy gun you have to pull back on the cross.  The seller of this mod does warn that although it shoots foam darts, shooting someone in the face could still hurt them.  Apparently he thinks that the adults that would buy such a toy aren’t grown up enough to realize that. (Read the full post about ‘The custom made Nerf Maverick’…)

Share This

During the “Give 1 Get 1” sale for the OLPC XO laptop, T-Mobile had been offering a free year of T-Mobile Hotspot access with any G1G1 purchase. Well, it seems that there was a time limit on just when you could activate your account and begin your free year of service and today, June 30 is the last day to take advantage of that offer. So if you were amongst that group and for some reason have not activated your T-Mobile service or were just holding off for some reason, you better act quick or risk loosing that perk. In addition, it looks like the “Give 1 Get 1” program will be making a come back as expected later in this year. (Read the full post about ‘OLPC XO laptop buyers, today is the last day to activate your free T-Mobile Hotspot account’…)

Share This

I always enjoy reporting on the latest Conceptual gadgets, so I couldn’t resist reporting on this one. It is known as the “Kage roi”, is a concept gadget that helps groups come up with more concepts. Simply put, the Kage roi is a boardroom table that has built-in voice recognition ability. So the next time you and a group of businesspeople are having a vocal brainstorming session, the Kage roi picks up on your keywords, and provides each person a display of its internet search. In short, the Kage Roi is a brainstorming table with a brain. But it isn’t just the table that is the concept. Apparently, the room is equipped with LEDs that can change the lighting. (Read the full post about ‘Kage Roi Helps you Generate Ideas’…)

Share This

Now that summer is in full swing, people are flocking to amusement parks everywhere, searching for the latest thrill from the best roller coaster. The Evento BuzzBall is made for those who wish to take that experience home. The best part is that the owner of the BuzzBall would not need to build some giant structure with tracks and rails, but any open space, flat or hilly, will do. The BuzzBall is essentially a huge hamster ball designed for a person. Only the BuzzBall is a ball-within-a-ball, with dual electric motors. The first motor controls the outer edge of the ball, so the driver has complete control of the physical movement of the ball. The second inner ball controls the movement of the driver. (Read the full post about ‘BuzzBall, The Roller Coaster Without Tracks’…)

Share This

It is good to know that just like sex, drinking is a universal value. How else do you explain the Star Trek Experience bar located at Hilton Las Vegas? Not to mention numerous drinking holes found in the Star Wars universe, but we’re here to concentrate on the former series today with a unique bottle opener. As well as its supreme practicality, the Starship Enterprise Bottle Opener serves as a constant tribute to the most iconic pretend spacecraft in televisual history. Better still it’s embossed with the legendary NCC-1701 registration, so you can be sure you’re opening your bottle of wallop with a Shatner-era vessel. (Read the full post about ‘Star Trek Bottle Opener’…)

Share This

This new concept car is, to say the least, odd. In fact unless you were briefed beforehand it might take you a while to work out what it is; a concept car from Peugot cleverly disguised as a squashed drinks can. Nevertheless this façade is complimented by some very savvy specifications, some of which are given away by its name, the ‘Ozone’. It’s name derives from the fact that its powered by ‘environmentally friendly’ hydrogen fuel cells which power the two electric motors, and in turn the large wheels which sit either side of the cabin. This two person cabin is both spacious and luxurious, and it goes some way to epitomizing the contemporary world in which we live today, which is only emphasized by the fact that this is controlled by a joystick! (Read the full post about ‘The somewhat bizarre 360 degrees concept car’…)

Share This