Gizmodo: fancy

Toshiba T31 Ships with XP and Vista

Mark Wilson — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:09:32 EST

Has anyone else seen the episode of this season's Curb Your Enthusiasm when Larry David accosts a woman for not being able to make up her mind as she samples various flavors of ice cream? That how this Toshiba Dynabook T31 makes me feel. As the first laptop to ship with a copy of both Windows Vista and XP, those not able to commit to the inevitable future that is Vista can downgrade their OS to run XP through dual recovery discs. Otherwise, it's a standard Core 2 Duo laptop with a 15" screen. Despite our snarkiness, consumer choice is always nice. And the option to upgrade to Vista a year from now is pretty good, too. [akihabaranews]

"Daylight" Hotel Concept Keeps Depression at Bay

Sean Fallon — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:10:41 EDT

This "Daylight" concept from Phillips is being touted as "the hotel room of the future" thanks to a window that can be customized to suit the visitor's preferences. Guests can change the ambiance, lighting, block out noise, and add some awesome virtual foliage with a simple wave of the arm. In time, Phillips hopes that guests will be able to pre-order the atmosphere in their room to help them recover from the stresses of traveling and the effects of jetlag. Still, if you have the cash to stay in a hotel like this you shouldn't have too much to be depressed about in the first place. After all, the only "ambiance" you are likely to get a a Motel 6 is a room strewn with condom wrappers and drug paraphernalia. [T3]

Linde Werdelin Watch Hands-On

johnb — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 15:13:56 EDT

Got a chance to fondle the Linde Werdelin Biformeter and I have a much better idea of what's up now. Essentially, this is a really fancy watch with a strange attachment that covers the mechanical part and adds a number of digital functions.

The wristwatch itself costs about $4,000 for a steel model and the digital device costs $1,800. They snap together like Voltron to form the super ninja Biformeter.

The watch portion runs on an ETA GMT movement, standard fare. It's quite a beefy piece, with a heavy steel or rubber bracelet and excellent workmanship. It also comes in gold.

The digital portion is actually quite cool. It has a full-sized LCD screen that shows a real compass, barometer, altitude, and even heart rate. It can be expanded with different sensors—they'll be adding more down the line—and the interface is actually quite beautiful and elegant. Think a Suunto watch at a fancy dress ball.

The price might knock this out of the ballpark for some folks, but it is really a very cool design and compelling piece. They should be available around the world next month. – John Biggs

Product Page [LindeWerdelin -Warning: Flash Music]