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A laptop microphone can be pretty handy, but not all computers have them built in. Narae Inter’s Recorder Mini is a tiny microphone that will fit in any standard mini jack microphone port and pick up sounds within a 30-foot radius. Released only in Korea at the moment, we’re not certain about the price, but…
AT&T has flip-flopped yet again on the issue of iPhone customers getting free access to AT&T hotspots. While yesterday the iPhone plans page clearly stated that access to the hotspots was included with all plans, that statement is now gone again. Hey, AT&T: why don’t you make up your minds and be clear about this?…
Move over iBuddy and Availbot, the masters of robo-companionship toys have arrived on scene. This is a WowWee Chatterbot, a USB-powered desktop companion that reacts with some motion and a bit of chattering to “trigger” words typed into emails, IM, calendar entries and the like. It’s not as smart as Robosapien, of course: basically it…
A new biometric face scanner from the Japanese company Sagawa Advance has taken the technology to the next level, able to differentiate between identical twins with no problems at all. It does this by using an infrared scanner to analyze a whopping 40,000 data points on your face. This is a good thing, because Sagawa…
Modder Ben Heckendorn is more than a little obsessed with playing games one-handed (giggle, chuckle, milk through the nose, etc.) and his latest creation takes aim at Guitar Hero. It’s a pedal that plugs into a modded guitar and replaces the controller’s strum and whammy bars, requiring hand use only for the chords. https://gizmodo.com/one-handed-xbox-360-controller-take-2-368650 While…
Home decoration is a tough job, but our sponsors know what they’re doing. Because we sure don’t. Thanks AT&T, Chevy Fuel Solutions, Chili’s, Coors Light, Dash Express, Elgato Systems, Grand Theft Auto IV, Jet Blue, Kicker, MS Office Small Business, NCTA, Netgear, Nikon Coolpix, Nokia, Nuance, Symantec, Toshiba, Toyota, Unscrew America, VW, and Zune. [Decorate…
I love when life imitates art. A few weeks after a South Park episode where indignant Canadians go on strike and are rewarded with Bennigan’s coupons, indignant Canadian iPod owners go to court and win roughly the equivalent of a meal at Bennigan’s: $44. Why? Because the 1G, 2G and 3G iPods that were supposed…
The BlackBerry 9000 will be officially announced on May 12 at WES 2008, according to the Boy Genius. The reviews have been glowing so far, so if you’ve been waiting for the 9000, time to start getting excited. [BGR via Unwired View] https://gizmodo.com/blackberry-9000-final-specs-at-t-exclusive-for-us-laun-386708
Though it’s not such a familiar phenomenon in the US, the UK is now awash with closed-circuit TV cameras, one for every 14 or so people— hell, even the Lollipop Lady crossing guards are getting them. You could choose to see this as good for public safety, or as an Orwellian invasion of privacy…or even…
Bob MacKenzie wrote a relatively balanced and thoughtful piece about the future of television in the February 3, 1974 Oakland Tribune titled, “A ‘Tomorrow’ Look At World Of TV.” Even articles about television were shaped by the energy fears of the 1970s. “It now seems possible that we won’t keep getting richer,” MacKenzie writes. “The…
This admittedly isn’t the newest military tech on the block, but The History Channel in us just couldn’t help writing it up. Russia makes the world’s largest military hovercraft dubbed the “Zubr.” It displaces 621 tons and can haul twice the payload of similar boats from the US Navy (somewhere around 150 tons). With production…
As excited as we are about Casio’s Exilim EX-F1 camera with slow-mo and high-def video modes, we’re even more thrilled to see actual competition in this category. Samsung announced its HMX20C (or HMX20) at CES, and is now officially shipping it, at least in Korea, for a price around $850. That’s about $150 less than…
This retro-styled rocket lamp is more than the absolutely most perfect accessory to complete any room, it’s the absolutely most perfect accessory to complete any room that’s built from the igniter can of a freakin’ jet engine. One-of-a-kind and shamelessly worth its $2,100 sticker price, we want to push each and every one of its…
The Tech Report has assembled a very straightforward bang-for-your-buck video card graph. Plotting performance on Crysis’ high quality setting, you can see the simple facts laid out very clearly—like that the GeForce 9600 GT is probably worth its $5 pricetag over the Radeon HD 3850. These metrics always vary by game, and Crysis’ highest settings…
QStarz has just announced the BT-Q818 eXtreme—the self-proclaimed world’s most powerful Bluetooth GPS receiver. The 51-channel chipset and 32 hours of use time are impressive, but it’s the adjustable update rate that’s their claim to fame. The user can choose between 1 and 5Hz updates, with each Hz good for one update per second. In…
Forget touchscreen, solar powered or even self-destructing coffee tables… Kyle Downes has modded the coffee table into its best version ever: a retro-tastic NES controller. Just look at the sleek lines, the high quality finish and classy glass top. And then giggle at the fact that it actually works. Don’t believe it? Check out the…
NASA wants to get you in bed, and if that wasn’t luring enough, she wants to pay you $17,000 for 90 days. Sadly, there is no French lingerie involved: their Bed Rest Project wants to study the effect of long-term microgravity in humans, putting you in a sightly-tilted bed, with your head down and feet…
This Smart Dog USB hub is a bit of a three-in-one marvel. As well as the four USB ports, the bow-wow acts as a shonky computer speaker. Then, if you rip the head off this iridescent puppy, you’ve got yourself a portable radio with autoscan capability. Cost is $19.15. [Gearlog via UberGizmo]
When it comes to laptop bags and cases, there are traditional-style ones, modern ones and downright unusual ones… we can’t decide which to put the new BUILT Laptop Backpack into. It’s almost a traditional rucksack, made out of fancy water- and stain-resistant neoprene, but it’s shaped to hug your back like a half a bulletproof…
This is a story of a not so environmentally friendly, but rather groovy repurposing idea: reusing CDs as records (remember them?) At the UK’s Futuresonic festival last week, a guy named Aleks Kolkowski had his vintage record-cutting machine ready to carve sound tracks into old CDs and DVDs. People simply had to turn up with…
