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While giant retailers are scrambling to nab whatever portion of Circuit City’s suddenly available $11-billion in revenue they can, local electronics stores and midsize retailers are making out like gangbusters, simply by doing things the old fashioned way. https://gizmodo.com/standing-over-circuit-citys-cooling-corpse-walmart-ste-5259116 In case you’re wondering, that means paying workers on commission, keeping employees for a long time,…
Intel told us to expect cheap, thin, midsized laptops to start showing up in major laptop manufacturers’ catalogs this summer, and sure enough, Lenovo announced theirs one week later. Next up, according to Digitimes: Hewlett-Packard. https://gizmodo.com/intel-kinda-thin-kinda-cheap-laptops-are-the-next-big-5262332 As per usual, the paper cites trusted sources in the “Taiwan manufacturing industry” who say that HP is gearing…
We’re so used to gadgets afraid to leave the safety of Japan or Korea to travel to our unforgiving west that it’s always a treat when it unexpectedly happens—especially a gadget like iriver’s P35 PMP. The folks over at DAPReview spotted a notice on iriver America’s front page advertising the P35’s release this fall in…
Now that it’s summer, us cold-weather-city types want to spend every possible waking moment outdoors. But that separation from technology is sometimes just too hard to bear, which is where the Powerbrella comes in. Its solar panels keep your gadgets charged and ready to go. The recyclable Powerbrella features solar panels on the top of…
HP revealed a couple of new 10.1″ screened netbooks for its Mini line. They’ll be offered in both Windows and Linux versions, and one model, the 110, even has an optional graphics accelerator which HP claims can produce seamless 1080p playback. If these new netbooks were sections of a mullet, the Mini 1101 would be…
I’m sure a lightbulb didn’t flicker on above John Nouanesing’s head when he thought up the idea for this WTF Lamp. Thankfully just a concept, this backwards lamp would blind you as your house burned down in flames when it got too hot. [Gearfuse via CoolestGadgets via CraziestGadgets]
Some tattoos are sexy, and some are just flat out creepy—but I’m not sure what to think about the Born Oppenheimer Approximation, 3-D Schroedinger Equation and Schroendinger Equation’s solution tattooed on this dude’s back. [Discover via Geeks Are Sexy] https://gizmodo.com/20-robot-tattoos-that-youre-not-man-enough-to-get-5135321
Canon said today that it would give a free firmware update to users of the hallowed EOS 5D Mark II camera, allowing them to shoot in full HD using manual exposure controls including ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Some notes: This is great news but there’s no word on whether the Rebel T1i, with the…
Nate, a guy who absolutely detests keys, has come up with a fun hack that transforms a Nike footpod and an iPod into the “iFOB”—a unique RFID remote that automatically unlocks his car doors from far away for a completely keyless entry. For this hack, you’ll also need a Adruino Pro Mini, a USB cigarette…
For those who have yet to jump on the mini-cables bandwagon, the $16 CableDrop cable holder has an adhesive backing so that you can hold, organize and stick your messy jumble of cables, pens and earphones on any flat surface. [Assiston via LikeCool] https://gizmodo.com/radtech-procable-shortz-is-an-iphone-charger-for-midget-5260218
Runway Girl Mary Kirby has been covering inflight Wi-Fi for quite a while. She notices that while Wi-Fi is going free in cafes, parks, and hotels, the airlines want you to pay. https://gizmodo.com/the-weird-state-of-in-flight-wi-fi-in-the-us-5260942 There’s obviously a cost in maintaining and expanding the air Wi-Fi network, but who should pay for it, the airlines or you?…
Microsoft officially announced the Zune HD today, confirming the earlier rumors and fleshing out the hardware side a bit. It’s clearly going to go head-to-head with the iPod touch, featuring multitouch and a web browser, but will its high-end media features be enough to dethrone the touch? https://gizmodo.com/new-zune-hd-renders-surface-fake-fan-art-or-for-real-5212960 The flash-based Zune HD features a new…
Ferris Bueller wannabes—like me—with enough money—unlike me—have a reason to be happy: The stunning Ben Rose Home, which was Cameron’s house in the movie, is now available for sale. https://gizmodo.com/ferris-bueller-wannabe-faces-38-years-in-prison-after-c-5018222 The property includes two buildings. One of them was used as a garage/car museum in real life and in the movie. The home has four…
Apparently, half a watch plus half a watch equals one ugly watch. The Diesel DZ4160 “Freak of Nature” watch combines a steel-strapped, oval case watch with a leather-strapped, square case watch. The result is a metal/animal skin hybrid that’s not quite as stylish as either elite substance is on its own. Then again, Frankenstein’s monster…
If you’re tired of carrying a lock around with you every where you ride, the Freelock is a self-locking bicycle whose seat also functions as a built in lock, which is apparently as secure as an old bicycle with a typical chain lock. The handlebars and body of the bike can rotate around to accommodate…
I’m not a fan of the Suicide Girls—although I’ve a crush for Gwen, a waitress at the Blackbird Parlour who looks like one, only prettier—but I love their iPhone application. It works like those naughty pens with pin ups that fascinated me when I was 11 years old. They were one of my first fetishes:…
FlipTime is a clock and calendar app designed to look and work and go *clickclickclickclick* like the old-school flippy information boards at train stations and airports. Simple, but watch and see why I paid 99 cents. [iTunes, omletworks via Soup]
This Chair/Chair from Erik Ku disassembles easily into the word “chair”, which is great if you want to teach your toddlers spacial coordination as well as the ability to spell one word. [Eric Ku via Like Cool via Craziest Gadgets]
Today over in Redmond, Ford CEO Alan Mulally handed Steve Ballmer the keys to a light blue metallic Ford Fusion Hybrid not coincidentally rigged up with Microsoft’s Sync system. Unfortunately, at that moment, I was too far off to hear what they were saying. Any guesses? Update: Our friend Todd at TechFlash just posted a…
The Vitamin is a tiny MP3 player that combines our hobbies of music, gadgets and prescription-strength home pharmaceuticals into one. Measuring 2.7 inches long and about an inch in diameter, you pull the pill apart to unlock the controls, then twist forward and back to toggle tracks. We’re a little confused how volume and 30…
