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Now that Sharper Image declared bankruptcy and plans to close down 90 out of its 180 stores, us (vibrating) armchair quarterbacks are all trying to figure out why the store shut down. The Washington Post explores, and says that the chain’s downfall came because it remained the same—stainless steel tools that streamlined “your life by…
Here’s a video of Andy Rubin, the Android head honcho at Google, showing off a build of the new mobile OS on a touchscreen phone to the BBC’s Darren Waters. It’s interesting, with things like DoomQuake and Google Maps Street View looking pretty great, especially on a phone running at 300 Mhz (half of the…
We’re as in the dark as you are about this mysterious mouse on speedofthelight.com, but it seems to be some kind of corded mouse? For gaming? Called “The Light”? Either way, those curved left and right mouse buttons seem fairly ergonomic for flack gunning in UT3, or clicking for the 10,000th time mining ore in…
It’s not the super cheap $59 plan everyone was hoping for, but it has finally joined the other three carriers in offering a $99 unlimited plan. Sprint’s version includes unlimited voice, data, text messages, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, GPS, Direct Connect and Group Connect. This seems like it’s even better than most of the other…
Designers really are exploring every corner of the laws of physics to bring you eco-friendly products nowadays— this latest design even makes use of the waste heat kicked out by a laptop. The DORmino concept uses an oversized mousepad to soak up the warmth, which embedded electronics convert and transmit to power a wireless mouse.…
Click to viewBy now you know waaaaay too much about Toshiba’s format-war surrender, the death of HD DVD at the hands of the larger Blu-ray armada. You may even be eying the Blu-ray players mounted proudly in point-of-sale displays at Best Buy or Wal-Mart. Pricing hasn’t come down to HD DVD player levels—and with those…
So, gadgeteers, this is what we will be reduced to riding around on by the year 2080. Developed by the University of Arnhem-Nijmegen in Holland, the Zimmer SatNav is for either olds, amnesiacs or for people whose sense of direction is so poor that they get lost on their way to the bathroom. It’s Luddite-friendly,…
This awkward robot from Japan showcases the huge leaps forward we’ve made in robot technology. They can jump up into a squat from lying flat on their backs now! The next huge leap forward: standing up. [TV in Japan]
This 521-foot-high hotel is coming to Baku, Azerbaijan, either to host a bunch of Imperial forces or obliterate the local population with a giant death ray. They call it “Full Moon” but they are not fooling us: this is a fully armed, fully operational battle station. And it shall be destroyed before it’s too late,…
FiOS, you ain’t got nothing on this: Alcatel-Lucent researchers in France have successfully transmitted optical data at an absolutely blazing speed of 16.4 Tbps over a distance of over 1,500 miles. The transmission was done with the goal of achieving a 100 Gbps Ethernet connection, which, as I’m sure you’d agree, is a goal we…
The first game for Microsoft’s Surface table has been demonstrated in an exclusive peek by SarcasticGamer.com, and all I can say is, it combines the spine-tingling excitement of a mobile-phone puzzle game with the spine-achiness that comes from hunching over the screen to play. The game is called Firefly, though the good ship Serenity is…
This week at Uncrate: We hone our getaway skills with a Land Rover Off-Roading Lesson, geek out with some new toys from Bennett Robot Works, and pick up some new tees from Rumplo. We also hoop it up with the Jordan 23 Basketball, fool our friends with some Fake Gift Boxes, and draw more than…
Philips Electronics has unveiled their Imagination Light Canvas—a 14′ long 6′ high interactive wall that features 1,420 LED lights animated by touchscreen and proprietary Philips technologies. Visitors to the new Mercy Medical Center in Rogers, Arkansas, will soon be able to “paint with light” using an entire spectrum of colors and shapes. And, despite all…
Click to viewGirls and guns: discuss. Kari Byron and a Dillon M-134D minigun—wowzers. The Mythbusters presenter aimed at a tree with the weapon (3,000 rounds per minute, or 50 per second) and flipped the switch. Watching the cartridge shells pour out of the gun as she thfrpfttttts away at the tree is like watching a…
Banpresto’s new Skyrium lamp might be just the ticket for those who like to enhance their trips to psychedelic dreamland with some whacky ambient lighting. Its diffusing lens and nine multicolored LEDs project ethereal cloud patterns onto walls and ceilings, with selectable themes to match your drug of choice mood. The whole thing can be…
I see this funkylicious bass guitar made out of LEGO and I’m all like waka-waka-waka-waka-waka and then I’m like wonk-waka-wonk-waka-wonk-wham-wham and my head explodes imagining Les Claypool playing it while sailing on a sea of cheese. The bass is real, with a Jazz Bass neck. Its creator says that it “sounds a lot like Flea’s…
For when a lasso won’t do, may I recommend The Trap, an art installation by This Is Collective, a bunch of rather clever designers. The embroidered steaks on the bedspread, means it will only work on meat-eating sewing freaks, ladies. The Trap was on show at the Come Up To My Room installation in Toronto…
When astronauts return to the Moon in a few years they’ll be using NASA’s new 3D lunar maps. Produced using Earth-based radar measurements, the maps of the south polar region show details as small as 60 feet across and record heights to within 15 feet&mdash 30 times more accurate than previous surveys. Hopefully this will…
I’m not sure whether this Night Before Christmas mobile night light will work for Tim Burton fans who are scared of the dark. Switch the $21.99 light on and little silhouettes of Jack Skellington and his chums will glide silently across your bedroom ceiling all night long. The light, which looks like a crystal ball,…
Who needs paintings when you have a Zuse? Attach the chrome toaster to the wall, feed a slice of bread through the slot and then, rather like an old-fashioned matrix printer, your toast comes out with a pixellated design burnt on the front, thanks to a library of images saved on its memory chip. The…
