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Traditional copper antennas are rigid yet delicate. And in the age when almost every gadget we use requires some sort of antenna, they’re a lousy solution. Luckily, new tech is on its way. Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed an alloy antenna that can be bent a la pretzel before resuming its native…
After months of private beta testing, ThinkFlood’s RedEye goes on sale today. You control the dock using an iPhone app via Wi-Fi, and it sends out infrared signals to control your AV gear. At $188, it’s not crazy expensive, either. I mean, the Logitech Harmony 900 costs $400, and even the Harmony 700 is $150.…
It took Nintendo years to reach Wii production levels that could satiate the public, and now that they have, Nintendo needs to scale back production, hard. According to a report on Nikkei, Nintendo partner manufacturers Mitsumi and Hosiden have suffered a drop in net profits of more than 50% due to waning demand. So steps…
Normally whingeing gets you nowhere, but in a heartening turn of events, a developer’s late-night email shot off to Steve Jobs yielded some surprising results. Apple didn’t approve of the use of a private API in Pointy Heads Software’s Knocking Live Video app, which allows iPhone users to stream live video to each other over…
The Palm Pre’s little brother Pixi has just grown up, with it receiving the webOS 1.3.2 update before the Pre. Forum-dwellers at PreCentral are claiming the update doesn’t bring much to the table, with it apparently addressing lag when using multiple programs. Mind you, considering we described the Pixi as being “brain-damaged, three-legged dog slow”…
Remember that $3M iPhone 3GS heist in Belgium last month? Burglars nabbed 3,000-4,000 handsets. Now, according to blogs uncovered by Cult of Mac, they’re being offloaded in Russia (where the 3GS isn’t available) in batches of 100—cash only. https://gizmodo.com/3-million-of-iphones-stolen-in-belgium-heist-5406577 Problem is, Interpol has a list of the phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI), which carriers…
Popping bubblewrap, or opening beer cans just not your obsessive compulsive cup of tea? Here’s another toy for Bandai’s Mugen range: the Mugen Tokoroten, which simulates squeezing a sea algae snack. 630 Yen for our Japanese brethren. [CNET Asia] https://gizmodo.com/bubble-wrap-toy-finger-feast-271716
Moonlighting under the Touch.B name, more details on HTC’s Rome handset have been unearthed in France, including some dishy photos which show the two-tone phone properly for the first time. My, the family resemblance is strong. UPDATE https://gizmodo.com/is-this-verizons-android-2-0-version-of-the-htc-hd2-5390002 Is it running Windows Mobile 6.5, Android, or another platform? Engadget is pointing at the lack of…
As promised, you can now pick up a shiny, angular Zune HD in royal purple and magenta hues. They’re still $220 (16GB) and $290 (32GB). See our in-depth Zune HD review for the nitty gritty. [Zune Store] https://gizmodo.com/new-zune-hd-colors-coming-december-1-5414284
The dual-booting Aspire One AOD250 was the first Android netbook available, and even though it hasn’t been a hot seller, Acer wants to be first again with Google’s Chrome OS next year. https://gizmodo.com/acers-dual-bootin-android-lovin-aspire-one-netbook-alm-5380353 Acer has been developing a Chrome-based netbook since mid-2009, and its Chairman, JT Wang, has told DigiTimes, he wants it to be…
The technology for Energizer’s Zinc Air batteries may go back 35 years, but it’s certainly being used well. These new batteries, which we’ll see this summer, will be smaller and have three times the run time of prior versions. The downside of these batteries is that they’re not rechargeable, but they’re still smaller than other…
As robots become more involved in delicate tasks such as autopsies or surgeries, we need their touch to be as precise and sensitive as possible. To have that, we’ll need to give them a skin-like surface full of optical sensors. https://gizmodo.com/with-robot-performed-virtual-autopsies-your-corpse-get-5391108 Existing sensors, which are essentially pressure switches, don’t detect subtle changes in pressure or…
It’s not as beautiful as the Gyrofocus, but the TURN fireplace seems less likely to set your house on fire. After all, if your fireplace spins around 360 degrees, it should be well-secured and not just dangling from the ceiling. https://gizmodo.com/the-gyrofocus-fireplace-is-the-worlds-most-beautiful-ob-5380034 Designed by Schweiger & Viererbl, the TURN is intended to let you stick a…
While waiting for a court date over an intellectual property dispute, Spring Design wanted to stop Barnes & Noble from selling the Nook. Their injunction for that’s been denied today, but they shouldn’t really worry much over that anyway. https://gizmodo.com/barnes-nobles-nook-may-violate-spring-designs-alex-re-5395705 While the injunction’s been denied, Spring Design has been granted an expedited pre-trial process to…
I don’t really know whether you can actually make calls on the Bandai Phone Braver 7, but I’m certain that I’ve never seen another cellphone that looks like it could karate-kick me for saying that it resembles a cute Transformer. The gadget’s apparently based on a Japanese show about “a high school boy, his transforming…
iPhone Provider rumors, crazy putty, Japanese security systems and Dell smartphones are showing up in the remainders today. Plus, four things we actually like, but aren’t gadgety enough to post. Some analyst says that T-Mobile, and not Verizon, is going to be getting the iPhone when AT&T’s exclusivity ends. The emphasis is on the “some…
Flip’s new companion hardware to their pocket camcorders is a logical extension of the Flip brand. It brings Flip-taken videos (and nothing else) to a TV, and while some may find its simplicity refreshing, others will find it limiting. We knew about the FlipShare TV awhile ago, thanks to an FCC leak. It’s basically a…
The swirling vortex of postmodern metacommentary has all led down to this: Our Gift Guide to Other People’s Gift Guides. How do you approach Bob Vila’s earnest recommendations for household handymen, or OK!’s abstinence-vampire-centric guide for Twilight fanatics? Follow me! (If you hate the gallery view as much as some of us hate Twilight, click…
I really want to print this memo and throw it at all rude people who insists on chit-chattering on their phones in public, but that would be hypocritical. So, can someone else please do it for me? Just don’t send me one. I already know that my cellphone manners are lacking. [Murray the Nut]
Since black roof tiles absorb heat and white ones reflect it, we should all just plain re-do our roofs biannually to save energy as the seasons change. Or maybe just get roof tiles that change color on their own. A bunch of MIT students came up with this funky-looking roofing material, dubbed Thermeleon, which changes…
