K-NFB, Helping the Blind Read Again
Inventor Raymond Kurzweil has worked for many years trying to improve the quality of life of the visually impaired and his latest creation, the K-NFB combination PDA+digital camera, finally does so affordably. What the K-NFB does it take pictures of objects—menus, signs, gadget blogs, etc.—and then reads aloud the captured text. Once the user takes…
Bluetrek Serenity
Ever lose a favorite gadget or something that you can’t live without? Try the Bluetrek Serenity. This gadget is a tracking device that can fit into your wallet, purse or even on/in your kid. The base unit is about the size of a PDA and will help to locate your lost object by emitting a…
PS3: You’re Buying the Future
PS3: You’re Buying the Future So Sir Howard Stringer, Esq. PPQ, CEO of Sony, says: The Price of the PS3 is high, but you’re paying for potential. Obviously, it’s a higher-risk strategy—as all new inventions are—but if the PS3 lives up to its total potential, then I don’t think anyone will be worried about Nintendo…
Linde Werdelin Watch Hands-On
Got a chance to fondle the Linde Werdelin Biformeter and I have a much better idea of what’s up now. Essentially, this is a really fancy watch with a strange attachment that covers the mechanical part and adds a number of digital functions. The wristwatch itself costs about $4,000 for a steel model and the…
Cellphones Excite Brain
This is really weird. When 15 male volunteers used a GSM cellphone for 45 minutes, “the cells in the motor cortex adjacent to the cell phone showed excitability during phone use but returned to normal within an hour.” What does this mean to you and me? Who knows! Even the fancy scientists in Fatebenefratelli hospital…
Pattern Clock
Hating life? Want to hate it more? Pick up the Pattern Clock, an alarm clock that won’t turn off unless you repeat a Simon-like pattern of lights by pressing a series of buttons. The goal is to create an alarm that will definitely wake you up out of your torpid slumber and/or drive you crazy…
Kestrel 4000 Weather Meter
Some folks turn on the Weather Channel to find out what’s up and others need the Kestrel 4000 Pocket Weather Station made by Nielsen-Kellerman. This handy device will measure every possible environmental condition from the palm of your hand. The Kestrel 4000 measures wind speeds, temperature for air/water/snow, wind chill, dew point, and Barometric pressure—among…
Netgear HDX101: 200Mbps Powerline Networking
Poweline networking has long been the laughing-stock of networking devices. While Wi-Fi and other wireless junk has taken off, everyone is always harshing on poor powerline networking for no good reason. Until now. Enter 200Mbps powerline rockage with the HDX101. 200Mbps is considerably more than the trickle we once saw with this selfsame technology and…
Apple To Show Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard at WWDC This August
Yeah, this is a little early, but we’re Apple zealots, remember? Apple has confirmed that Steve Jobs will once again keynote the Worldwide Developers Conference this August, where he will unveil the next major update to Mac OS X, Leopard. As of yet, hard details on how Leopard will improve all of our lives are…