Archive for February 5, 2007
D-Link 3G Mobile Wireless Router
2 Comments
by Blake Robinson on February 5, 2007


This has been sitting in my mail box for a couple of days and it sort of slipped my mind, which is unfortunate because it’s really cool. The router is equipped with a PCMCIA slot and comes in EV-DO (DIR-250) and UMTS/HSDPA (DIR-451) versions. Simply plug your wireless broadband card into the router and get a quick broadband network in your building.

The routers also features a USB port so you can hookup a compatible phone and use it as a DUN modem if you don’t have a wireless card. In addition to its 3G connectivity, it features all the typicalrouter functions like firewalls and security and the other standard effects.The DIR-450 is available now for $300.

Product Page

eSommelier Inventories Wine Excessively
4 Comments
by Blake Robinson on February 5, 2007

Check this thing out. This wine cataloging system is controlled through a snazzy 15-inch touchscreen display. The system inventories your wine collection with bar codes that it prints and scans.

You can access eSommelier online and monitor your collection from afar. I imagine it’s intended more for restaurants and the like, but if for some reason you own a wine collection ambitious enough for this beast (you lush), then be prepared to fork out some cash. Because at $8,000, it ain’t cheap.


Product Page
[via Uncrate]

LCD Xbox 360
1 Comment
by Blake Robinson on February 5, 2007

Not the coolest thing ever, but worth a mention nonetheless. One industrious modder managed to imbue his Xbox 360 with a 5.8-inch widescreen LCD.

Like most things of this nature I’m left wondering, “Why?” But I suppose, where there’s a will….

Divineo offers up LCD-infused Xbox 360, practicality in doubt [Engadget via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Blackberry Shapes Up
by Blake Robinson on February 5, 2007


Tired of people making fun of its incredibly functional, yet aesthetically barren devices, RIM last year released the Blackberry Pearl, a stylish candy bar that didn’t sacrifice power—I reviewed it favorably last week.

This week comes news that RIM is seeking a patent for a newfangled rotating keypad. From the looks of it, the rotation would give the pad dual functionality as a phone keypad and a keyboard.

The addition would allow the device to maintain smartphone-like functionality with a significantly reduced size.

What’s next for your Blackberry
[Unwired View]

Benq-Siemens Phones of the Future
3 Comments
by Blake Robinson on February 5, 2007

Cell phones design is going to keep getting crazier and crazier. It’s inevitable. And in the pursuit to create something groundbreaking-and-original, companies are designing devices that are looking less-and-less like actual phones.

Take for example these concept devices from Benq-Siemens. They do undoubtedly look cool, but it’s hard to tell whether they’re actually phones—I’m really just taking their word for it here.
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Meet the Senz Stormproof Umbrella
2 Comments
by Matt Hickey on February 5, 2007

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Vista: Extreme Tech Answers, Upgrade or Clean Install?
4 Comments
by Matt Hickey on February 5, 2007

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WiFi Liberator Unchains the Masses from Paid WiFi
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by Matt Hickey on February 5, 2007

which you can hack for free), you can use the Liberator to share your Internet connection to the other users in the area. You’re logged on, surfing away on your legit account, and so are your neighbors. A very practical way to altruism.

The legality of such devices is up in the air, but then again, so is the WiFi, and the philosophy goes that from there it should be shared.

WiFi Liberator [Coin Operated Dot Com, via Boing Boing]

Rollable Display Device at 3GSM
by Blake Robinson on February 5, 2007


Telecom Italia and Polymer Vision will demonstrate at 3GSM a rollable cellular device the pair recently agreed to manufacture together. Based on Polymer Vision’s Readius Concept, the device is mainly intended for reading newspapers, books and other data of similar ilk.

Measuring under the size of the standard mobile, the device features a 5-inch display that rolls out. It project 16 levels of gray on a high contrast reflective light paper display.

No word on price or anything, but Biggs will be on the floor at 3GSM and will be sure to get the rundown on this little oddity.

Product Page [via Mobile Mag]

Comments Weirdness
1 Comment
by John Biggs on February 5, 2007

Denon Launches Headphone Line
by Josh Goldman on February 5, 2007

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Apples Settle Beatles Trademark Dispute
1 Comment
by Blake Robinson on February 5, 2007

Apple, Beatles settle trademark dispute [MSNBC]

Proporta Announces New Gadget Bag
1 Comment
by Vince Veneziani on February 5, 2007

To be quite honest, I’ve been looking for a bag like this for a while now. I no longer have a working laptop, but I have plenty of gadgets and gizmos I tote around that are usually thrown inside some random North Face bag. Proporta’s take on a gadget bag includes thick padding to protect devices, plenty of individual compartments, and even has a spot to run your headphones through to your iPod/MP3 player. It’ll set you back about $50 and is available right now.

Product Page

Remembrance of Gadgets Past Quick Contest
3 Comments
by John Biggs on February 5, 2007

Speak, memory, in the form of a rambling, ostentatious review of the Nokia N93. Sing, muses, of her great beauty and zoom features. Resound, harp, on her moblogging software and how good she made you feel in France. Prance, Brian Lam, in adulation of this 4000 word pean to free Nokia cellphones. Puke, readers, at reviews that are too long by half.

I was very self conscious of the weight of it in my pocket, and I found I babied it a bit. If I owned it I’d have to get something to carry it in, a case.

As an exercise for the reader, please write a glowing, overwrought, Proustian paragraph about your favorite gadget in the comments. The winner, chosen by poll, will get a Gyration cordless Gyrotransport presenter. Clack, keyboards, in sweet surrender!

The Riddle of Convergence, or: The Seductive Nokia N93 [Meerkat via Gizmodo]

Datacolor SpyderTV Hands On
2 Comments
by John Biggs on February 5, 2007

Prior to sitting down to view that yearly bacchanal of violence and beer last night, the SAG Awards (I TiVo-ed it, natch), I decided to whip out the SpyderTV by Datacolor to calibrate my 56-inch JVC DLP. One of the major issues I’ve always had with this HD TV is that standard definition TV always looks washed out and messy, especially when running through the TiVo. In order to at least fix some of the color errors, I went into the set-up menu and proceeded to ruin the color even more. Thankfully, SpyderTV was able to steer me back to an acceptable mix of brightness, contrast, and tint.
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Mead Binder With Integrated Speakers
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by Vince Veneziani on February 5, 2007

Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, you just weren’t cool if you didn’t possess a Trapper Keeper. The Trapper Keeper turned Mead into an iconic name that every kid in a school would instantly recognize. Now Mead is looking to break new ground again by introducing a binder with integrated speakers under it’s Five Star line of products. The binder comes with a built-in audio-jack to hook your iPod/Discman/Radio Disney toy up to and two small speakers to pump out your tunes.

The binders aren’t due out until the next school year in September, but my guess is that one year of these and teachers will be banning them in every school around the country. What self-respecting teacher allows crap-tastic kids music to be belted out into their classroom? Surely if they had any common sense, they’d confiscate it and as punishment would blast Foreigner: Greatest Hits.

Mead develops binder with built-in speakers [Electronista]

The Help Key: Back The Frak Up
3 Comments
by Josh Goldman on February 5, 2007

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Free International Calling Yanked… Not Quite
6 Comments
by John Biggs on February 5, 2007

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Watch Porn in Your Visor
2 Comments
by John Biggs on February 5, 2007

GadgetUniverse has an interesting product up. It’s a visor mounted DVD player with FM transmitter and apparently allows your bored passengers to enjoy red hot work-out porn from the comfort of your Impala’s bucket seats.

At $299.95, it seems a little iffy but the 7-inch device can play DVDs, VCDs, and MP3 disks as well as SD cards. It also has a TV tuner and a touch screen. Pretty impressive list of features for such a slim device.

Product Page

Sony Gives In, Releases iPod Dock
by Vince Veneziani on February 5, 2007

As far as Sony goes, we’ve always appreciated its Discman and Walkman line of products. But when the iPod strolled in, Sony sort of started to suck in the DAP department. So it really should come as no surprise that Sony is releasing the CPF-IP001 iPod Docking Station. Just a basic docking station, the device comes with two 5-watt speakers and a 15-watt subwoofer, making it a bit louder than most dual-speaker iPod docks.

But wait, what’s that? – let me see that box for a second, Sony. Oh! There’s no “Made for iPod” logo on the side! Guess you suck. If you have $250 and a PS3, I think you’ve found yourself a dock made in heaven. It’s available now.

Sony CPF-IP001 iPod Docking Station [Mobile Whack]

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