Gizmodo: Micro

Brando EKmemory Micro Flash Drive Surprisingly Not Cheapest, Smallest Of Them All

John Mahoney — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:45:00 EDT

I've been meaning to buy a Super Talent Pico flash drive for a while—they're 8GB, 31mm long (claiming world's smallest) and have a metal loop that looks like it won't break (hopefully) on my keyring. Now Brando is jumping into the ultra-tiny flash game, and surprisingly, the 8GB EKmemory Micro will run you $55—$20 more than what the Pico is going for. And the Micro is packing an extra four millimeters to boot. For shame Brando, for shame. [Brando via Pocket Lint]

Gear4 BlackBox Micro is Micro Black Box Speaker For MP3 Gear

Kit Eaton — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:15:00 EDT

Last time we talked about Blackbox gizmos from Gear4 it was a largeish Bluetooth speaker, but this new one is different. It's wired, USB-powered and designed to be a portable companion for an MP3 player. You may think size sacrifices bass power, but apparently it's got an "SFX gel" base, meaning it uses any flat surface you stick it to to amplify sound volume and bass. It's got a normal driver too, takes line-in, and can be powered with a power-brick. Gear4's site doesn't reveal exactly how small it is, but it's out August in the UK for $40. [Gear4 and Pocket-Lint]

Video: RSD5 Solid State Fan In Action

Adrian Covert — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:38:53 EDT

Yesterday, we posted about the RSD5 Solid State Fan from Thorrn Micro Technologies. Today, we have a video of the fan in action along with additional insight from one of the creators. The more I learn (and watch) about the RSD5, the more impressed I become. Thorrn Micro says the research is complete and expect the RSD5 to be ready for market by 2009.

Kingston DataTraveler Micro is a USB Stick with MicroSD Card Reader

Jason Chen — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:15:14 EST

USB thumb drives stopped being cool about 10 years ago, but what happens when you stick a microSD card reader on board? It gets cool again, that's what. Kingston's DataTraveler Micro does just that, and even holds up to 4GB of onboard memory inside the thumbdrive itself. The reader can read not only microSD cards, but microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro (M2). Prices are $19, $28 and $42 for the 1, 2 and 4GB models respectively. [Kingston]

Dealzmodo: Refurbished 5GB, 6GB Creative Zen Micro MP3 Players, $66

Travis Hudson — Mon, 07 May 2007 17:00:57 EDT

The Creative store has some mighty fine deals on the Zen Micro MP3 player. You can pick up a refurbished 5GB unit in black, dark blue or orange for $62 and you can get a 6GB model in black, light blue or silver for $66. You would pay twice that for a comparable refurbished iPod. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via DH]

Dealzmodo: 6GB Creative Zen Micro, $100

Travis Hudson — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 15:40:24 EDT

Creative has this pretty snazzy deal on their small portable media player, the Zen Micro. For a limited time this player will go for $100 after instant savings. For a little comparison, the 4GB iPod nano costs twice as much as this. This is a great small player for the iPod haters (yeah, I know you are reading this) or those looking for a high-quality, lesser priced player. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Consumerist]

Tokyo Micro Garden Cellphone Strap

Jason Chen — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 21:30:29 EST

You know we love cellphone straps around here, so how could we resist what could be the ultimate cellphone strap ever? This one's called the Tokyo Micro garden, and contains a "nutrient-rich gel" and a plant which actually grows over time. Cool, yes, but even cooler when you smash it against a would-be-mugger's face and give him an eyeful of gel and plant matter. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Dirtymicrobe via Notcot via Spluch]

Micro Bluetooth Earpiece: Smaller Than a Dime, Spytastic, Handmade

Brian Lam — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:34:30 EDT

This Bluetooth headset is smaller than a dime, and small enough to be carried away by an ant. The thing is about 6mm by 5mm by 10mm. Ridica-malous! And could easily get lost in your ear. There's even a detachable buzzer, for simple communication with your poker card counting buddies, or friends across the room taking multiple choice exams with you. Who's making this wonder-gadget? Not Samsung or Motorola. A 25-year-old medical student in Russia. Before you shout Scamtastic, let me tell you more and show you the picture of this thing next to an ant. Seriously, jump!

The headset can link to phones, and audio bluetooth devices. The earpiece isn't a direct bluetooth device, though. No, it transfers audio by standard RF to a neckmounted mic, which then retransmits bluetooth to your phone. (Or Bluetooth iPod when it comes out. I swear, it's coming.) Also has a 3.5mm minijack output, which is just a standard headphone jack.

Hey NYTimes, you guys should write about this. Go ahead, the lead is yours.– Brian Lam

Micro Earpiece

Micro Kettle

Jason Chen — Wed, 31 May 2006 19:49:22 EDT

Perfect for college students and the single guy, the Micro Kettle lets you microwave water or other liquids safely. We always thought we could use whatever glass was marked "microwave safe", but what do we know?

The Kettle has convenient markings to see just how much Ginseng you're nuking, as well as the easy grip handle to keep your fingers from burning when removing said kettle. The makers also claim that it can preserve natural flavors, but we'll chalk that up to marketing-speak. – Jason Chen

Update: One of the designers filled in the leaky holes of our understanding about the product. Check it out after the jump.

First, a great - and totally unpublicized - feature of this product is its ability to work directly on most cups and mugs, not just the included measuring cup i.e. boil the water you're going to use right in the cup you're going to use. The "boil stick" drops down into the fluid below, so you never get superheating (as another posted noted). If you Google "microwave superheated water" you'll find all sorts of info about this rather nasty phenomenon. The textured boil stick creates nucleation sites for normal boiling to occur.

Also, the claim of better foods and drinks is not (completely) marketing speak. The fact is you want water just-to-boiling. Seasoned tea drinkers know this. Anything short of boiling and you don't get all the flavor out of the brewing media; any extra time after boiling is achieved removes dissolved oxygen, making a drink taste flat. (Google "boiling oxygen flat tea" for verification of this).

Thanks Chris!

Micro Kettle [Popgadget]

Micro Linux Server Thunderdome

Travis Hudson — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 14:42:00 EST

Two micro Linux servers enter, one micro Linux server leaves. Arstechnica is featuring a good ole' thunderdome battle royale between two micro Linux servers. The two contenders are the Gumstix Waysmall 200BT and the Blackdog Pocket Linux Server. Looking for the perfect micro server to control your fully-automatic Real Doll conversion? Have no idea what I'm talking about and would never denigrate your Real Doll that way—she's a lady, after all? Check it out anyway and learn a little about Linux.

Pocket Linux server showdown [Arstechnica]

Famicom Micro Makes Me Nostalgic

johnb — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 18:22:38 EST

Ahh, the good old days—grandma cookin up frozen chicken cutlets, me sitting in my pajamas leafing through Nintendo Power where the mere mention of the Famicom was like spotting a unicorn. What was this famous precursor to the NES? Would I ever own one? Did Mario look different in far-off Japan?

Now Nintendo is bringing it all back home with the Famicom Micro. It's a cute, $99 Micro with a burgundy color scheme and loads of fresh, tasty hubris:

"The Special 20th Anniversary Edition Game Boy Micro is an anniversary present to millions of Nintendo fans, who 20 years ago single-handedly built this entire industry," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications.

Atari? Midway?

Old Favorite Nintendo Is New Again With Retro-Styled Game Boy Micro [PRNewswire]

The NES Micro

Travis Hudson — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 10:21:19 EDT

Ben Heckerdorn, best know as "portable console maker man," has a new design that takes a fun jab at the new GameBoy Micro. His latest creation is a GameBoy Micro-sized handheld that plays old school NES games. He did it with a whole bunch of electrical know-how, way too much time, and a never-ending dedication to his hobby: miniaturizing consoles. You think he actually plays his creations? You betcha! Check out full details and instructions over at this site.

Ben Heckendorn's NES Micro [benheck.com via Digg]

Gameboy Micro + WiFi = Likely

johnb — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 12:18:35 EDT

An anonymous tipster, who shall remain anonymous [Thanks, Frank!] tipped us with this little gem:

Before the DS came out, Nintendo was actually working on a WiFi adaptor for the Gameboy Advance (which they ended up integrating into the DS, which was originally just going to be a bit of an upgrade to the GBA). So the idea of having WiFi-enabling connectors on the Micro seems pretty likely.

More as we get it.

Possible Smart Faceplates For Gameboy Micro?

gizmogo — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 12:13:10 EDT

Josh Tokash, a sharp-eyed owner of a new Gameboy Micro noted that there was a mysterious jack underneath the Gameboy Micro faceplate when he opened his new purchase up. Tokash says the the "jack is accessible to the faceplate (under the faceplate, above the a button) that says V-5" on the circuit board. He makes a reasonable assumption that the jack could possibly be used for some kind of Smart Faceplate that'll be powered by the Micro's battery. He also has a request up on the Makezine blog asking if anyone wants to look into hacking the Micro and building a faceplate with LEDs embedded in it. Thing is, it seems that the jack doesn't have any power going through it, so the Smart Faceplate idea seems unlikely. But then... what the heck is the jack for? Maybe it's for a future iteration of the Micro that will have special interchangable Smart Faceplates? It's rather unclear at this point, but we're definitely hoping for some of that LED faceplate action — hey, the more blinged-out gadgetry, the better.

Gameboy Micro Faceplates that light up!!! [Josh Tokash's Weblog via MAKE:Blog]

GameBoy Micro Reviewed (Verdict: Awesomeness)

Travis Hudson — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 10:29:43 EDT

Yeah, Nintendo has released ANOTHER version of the GameBoy, and much to our delight it doesn t suck. First thing is first, the Micro is tiny. The portability is awesome; this can slip into any pocket and not be uncomfortable at all. One concern is that this could be too small to enjoy gaming with the tiny buttons, but surprisingly that isn t an issue either. I'm not going to lie, if you happen to be a 7'3" 400 lbs monster, it may give you some problems, but for the average hand build all games work out fine. Some possible downsides is that the Micro only supports GameBoy Advance titles and there is a different power adapter so another slew of accessories will be made available. Thoroughly impressive and $99 isn't too bad of a price.

Short Take: Nintendo's GameBoy Micro [Pocketnow]

Zen Photo Micro - Coming Soon

johnb — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 20:18:09 EDT

PC Mag is talking about the Zen Photo Micro. It will have an MSRP of $249 and feature an FM tuner and longer battery life. More as we get it.

A Bigger, Cheaper Zen Micro Photo [PCMag via DAPReview]

Creative - Out of the Black and Into the Red

johnb — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 11:51:11 EDT

There's kind of a terrible dichotomy going on here: Creative is hurting financially but they're making excellent products. I won't bore you with all the numbers, but they're hurting to the tune of $38 million, which is bad, but then they're planning the Zen Micro Photo in September. So we're torn. Hopefully the PMP revolution will raise all boats in this arena.

Creative Tech posts loss on MP3 player weakness [Business Times Asia via DAPReview]