Gizmodo: blu

Philips goLITE BLU Light Therapy Clock Lightning Review

Jason Chen — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:00:00 EST

The Gadget: Philips' goLITE BLU, a blue light dispensing clock that helps reduce the effects of seasonal affective disorder, a.k.a. the winter blues. It's best used in 15-30 minute daily intervals when it's dark out.

The Price: $250

The Verdict: I'm pretty sure it works. Unlike normal things we review, which can (for the most part) be expressed quantitatively, a device that raises your mood is by nature, subjective. But this little blue clock has noticeably eliminated my seasonally-created low energy, low mood and a general sluggishness in the past few weeks.

The goLITE is supposed to be placed about 15 degrees off center to where your attention is—the monitor, in our case. You use one of the four brightness settings for somewhere between 15-30 minutes (or more if you like) every day in order to simulate the missing sun. The light works through your eyes, which explains why it needs to be in your field of view. Even at the lowest setting, this thing is bright as hell, so avoid looking directly at it.

Whether or not I'm actually feeling better because the blue light's rays are working or it's just me and the placebo effect wanting myself to feel better, I don't know. But there are other reviews out there that say that it works. And I believe this does. My energy is up, I don't feel as depressed, and as a result, I don't feel like I'm trudging through the day.

The $250 price tag may seem like quite a bit to pay for something you only use 30 minutes a day, but think of it like this. We buy electronics all the time in order to give ourselves and emotional boost; the goLite is one that's actually designed for that purpose. [Light Therapy and Amazon]

S.A.D. Light Therapy Clock Makes You Less Sad

Erica Ho — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:10:00 EST

Philips has introduced goLITE BLU, a new clock that offers light therapy to people suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or what is commonly known as the winter blues. It sits by your bedsides and emits a blue light designed to lift your mood and soothe you. For $279, it doesn’t come cheap and only offers a basic array of clock functions besides the light. It’s still cheaper than a few sessions of therapy. Regardless, I think I might know what would make me and my wallet happier than buying this clock—stop pretending I’m a crime-fighting hero by the name of Batman and actually turn on the lights? Halloween is over. [Philips via Boing Boing]

Sony Gives Us Another Delicious Blu Format: Blu-spec CD

matt buchanan — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:30:00 EST

By the time you finish reading this post about Sony's latest media format—Blu-spec CD, which uses the same Blu Laser Diode as Blu-ray for audio CDs—they will likely have launched yet another one that we'll report on shortly. In the meantime, Blu-spec CDs are apparently excellent because the new CD cutting machines "eliminate vibration," which improves the laser beam quality and makes stuff sound better. And totally uncharacteristic of Sony, it'll actually work in your existing CD drive too. Sixty Blu-spec titles will be out by Christmas. [PC Pro]

The Godfather Box Set Going Blu

Brian Lam — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:00:05 EDT

The Godfather box set is coming to Blu-ray this September. [Amazon]

MUTO is Among the More Astounding Videos We've Seen Online...or Off

Mark Wilson — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:50:00 EDT

Italian artist BLU is famous for painting politically and socially charged street murals, but his recent project involving street animation may be his most visually stunning. Called MUTO, the video is a series of digital stills assembled from sequential paintings on the streets/walls of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It's been floating around a bit, but if you haven't seen it, the effect is a sort of living, evolving mural that follows a dramatic, character-drive storyline. And if you watch one thing online today (or tomorrow or the next day), this should be it:

Told you. [Blu via Walyou]

Improbable Blu Jacket Custom Made For Attention Seekers

Sean Fallon — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EDT

The Blu Jacket concept from Lunar Design aims to turn our children's children into walking billboards using an electronic fabric based on e-paper technology and space-age organic fabrics. It could display your mood throughout the day, pull up maps using a built-in GPS module, display photos, video and (gasp) even advertisements.

Imagine a future filled with people getting paid to wear annoying ads everywhere you went, or attention seekers getting in your face with a shirt filled with their stupid propaganda. It's a good thing we will all be long dead before this sort of technology becomes widely available. [Lunar Design via Gizmowatch via DVICE]

HD DVD Losing Its Arsenal in Japan

Haroon Malik — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:59:26 EST

The HD DVD troopers are surely fighting the losing battle, as new research from Japan details a surge in Blu-Ray recorder ownership. The study surveyed buying trends from 2,300 electronic stores across Japan, and the statistics showed that next-generation DVD-unit sales rocketed from 6.1% in October to 20% in November and December. As the next-generation recorders have a higher price point, they managed to account for some 35% of the total DVD player market value. However, Blu-Ray walked home with the largest market share of the two.

Blu-Ray made up 90% of all next-generation DVD player sales. Now, we aren't mathematicians, but that is a hell of a lot. In fact, it is so much, looking at this image now actually leaves a ferrous-like taste in our mouths, due to its shocking, 90% increased, ironic eye candy status. [Japan Today; image via Picasa Online]