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Oki Japan Bring Iris Scanning to Existing Cellphones

Oki Japan has developed software that brings iris recognition security to existing cellphones. Before now, biometric security has meant either hugely expensive military systems or cheap, novelty peripherals. This new development is part of a growing number of practical and affordable solutions. The software can be used to add another layer of security on any…

Talking Geek Figurine Talks Geek While you Work

Bang one of these nerdy desk ornaments on the head and it whines “I’m thinking right now.” Bang a real geek on the head, though, and he’ll probably be able to tell you the pressure per square inch exerted by the palm of your hand. I can’t decide which one would give me more fun.…

Illuminated Tweezers Look Like Torture Instrument from Blade Runner

Every household needs a pair of disco tweezers. Made of rustproof steel and shatterproof polycarbonate, they light up the minute you apply pressure to the arms. But can they really remove splinters and hairs that grow where they shouldn’t, because they look more like a set of ice tongs to me. For $24.95, they come…

Hello Kitty Swarovski Maneki Neto Doll is Yours for $66,000

Swarovski whores with $66,000 to spare might be interested in this Maneki Neko doll from Hello Kitty. It parked its cat butt at a Tokyo department store recently in order to show off around 800 one-off Kitty products. Ironically enough, Maneki Neko is a symbol of wealth, which leads me to rewrite Jane Austen. “A…

Gene Munster, the analyst who estimated Apple sold 500K iPhones on launch (vs the real 270K), says now that “PC analysts are a bunch of rookies when it comes to phones.” But if you “talk” to a mobile phone analyst, his 45 bajillion iPhones prediction is still good. Next on Giz Analyst Watch: Nostradamus. [TopTechNews]…

EPCOT Publicity Materials (1981)

The diverse and informative Disney blog, 2719 Hyperion has a very interesting post about the publicity materials sent out prior to EPCOT’s opening on October 1, 1982. Below is a description of the attraction New Horizons from an early brochure. New Horizons An underwater colony is one of the future habitats highlighting your journey through…

General Dynamics Astronautics Time Capsule (1963)

The booklet 2063 A.D., published by General Dynamics Astronautics, was placed into a time capsule in July of 1963. It contains predictions by scientists, politicians, astronauts and military commanders about the state of space exploration in the year 2063. The introduction to the book appears below. This archive records the predictions sealed in a time…

Motorola Cellphones and Headsets and Chargers Oh My!

Take a peek at my meticulously annotated slideshow of Motorola’s holiday event tonight in NYC—you might even learn a thing or two.

Phoebus MB6000 3G Wireless Router Provides Egyptian Hospitality

Sharing a 3G connection via a wireless router is nothing new, but in the past it has required a bland, sterile box built to look like a Wi-Fi access point. That certainly isn’t the case with Top Global’s Phoebus, which draws its engineering innovation from the greatest engineers of all, the ancient pharaohs. Though you…

Motorola Shows Off Cheap Sexy Still-Unannounced i335 for Nextel

The i335 is a thin candybar with a rubber keypad that feels like leather and a funky corrugated plastic back. It’s been rumored here and there, and should not be confused with an older Moto with the same name. Regardless, Motorola and its partner in iDEN crime Sprint (as in Nextel) have yet to say…

Gallagher Blends In At Motorola’s Line Show

I turn around at the Motorola show and there’s Gallagher (first name unknown). Apparently he reviews gadgets these days. I ask him what size of mallet it would take to smash a Moto phone, and he says the phones look pretty sturdy. This might have been code for “Everyone asks me smashing questions all the…

In an effort to minimize R&D costs, JVC and Kenwood announced they’re in the process of merging. [DailyTech]

Sony Stick Figure Speakers are Minimalist in Design, Maximized in Price

These desktop speakers from Sony are an interesting approach to computer audio. Fashioned quite accurately after stick figure drawings, the tiny 1W twins have a couple of st-mini connections onboard for desktop and laptop use. They may boast excellent sound reproduction, but Sony is a little too proud of their speakers-on-a-stick, asking for $49.99 at…

TiVo wants your business so badly they will refuse to cancel your account even if you’re moving…to the moon! [Consumerist]

Secure IronKey Flash Drive Will Self-Destruct in 3…2…1…

Designed to be the world’s most secure flash drive, the IronKey employs military-grade AES hardware-based encryption using its IronKey Cryptochip. The encryption keys are stored on the drive itself and your password is required in conjunction with the keys to access and decrypt files. If you forget your password, you may be in trouble; after…

Motorola Quietly Introduces MOTOROKR T505 Bluetooth Music FM Transmitter Speakerphone

Today at the Motorola holiday show in NYC, amid a sea of RAZR-style phones and accessories that many Giz readers have already seen, Motorola showed off a few new items. The coolest (we hope) will be the ROKR T505 speakerphone. Like its predecessors in the T line, this one clips to the visor above your…

Picturesque America (1909)

After recently reading about how devoid the paleo-future is of advertising I thought it’d be a good time to pull out a cartoon Harry Grant Dart drew for a 1909 issue of Life magazine. This image can be found in the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Collection. See also: Futuristic Air Travel (circa 1900)

Projekt V2 Harley Davidson Case Mod is a Real Running Engine (Kinda)

Case mod may be a bit of an understatement here—this monstrosity is really a case fabrication project, done almost entirely from scratch. A huge fan of Harley Davidson motorcycles, a computer geek with a knack for shaping acrylic decided to build a 1:1 scale Harley Davidson V2 engine. A case this meticulously detailed would be…

Sony’s quiet, Oreo-shaped TP1 Vaio media center is finally for sale, still doesn’t have CableCARD. [SonyStyle]

Human Piano Lets You Be The Conductor…Literally

Force Theory Productions has a concept video on their website for what they call a human piano. While not necessarily a piano, it does turn people into part of the instrument, using them as electrical conductors. By running a low voltage current through the human body into a mixer and connecting the electrical current from…