The i-SOBOT is a small humanoid robot which will be released on October 25th. The robot is small enough that it is predicted it will enter the 2008 Guinness book of world records. The robot is 16.5 cm tall and weighs 350g.
Via: japantechnologyblog
i-SOBOT Worlds Smallest Humanoid Robot
September 7, 2007 by 1 Comment
F80 from Meridian
September 6, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The F80 is a portable entertainment system which is capable of radio, CD, DVD audio and video. It looks like just a regular radio, but as mentioned, it has a ton of features packed in to it. It was jointly designed by Meridian and Ferrari which is not a combination I would have expected to be honest. Inside there are 3 power amps capable of delivering more then 80 watts of sound to the front two speakers and read sub woofer. The F80 is not your average entertainment system, but although it does look a tad different I actually think it sounds quite cool especially after hearing it has over 80 watts of power that it can kick out. The front of the device also sports a nice organic LED display. The recommended retail price of the F80 is $3000.
Via: Meridian
Starting fire with an Ice Lens
September 6, 2007 by Leave a Comment
By using Ice shaped in to a lens you are able to start a fire according to Primitive ways. To do this you need to find some lake or pond water, boil it for 10 minutes and then pour it in to a foil container which is 2 inches deep and freeze it. Once done you need to create the lens shape by making it thinner on the edges and thicker in the middle. Once the ice is shaved in to the right shape you need to smooth it out with the heat of your hands. Once done you can then use sun light shining through it to heat up tinder which will smoke and then should burst in to flames. Sounds cool. Check out the full tutorial over at Primitive Ways.
Superman Cufflinks
September 6, 2007 by Leave a Comment
These cufflinks are built in the shape of the all familiar Superman logo and are build from sterling silver. They cost $129 and are available from productsnpith.
Via: GeekAlerts
Sneaker Power
September 6, 2007 by Leave a Comment
You will have seen over the past year or 2, kids rolling around on their sports shoes. They are basically regular sneakers but with a roller in the back allowing kids to slide around rather then walk. These latest custom built versions feature a small generator built in which can harvest the power from rolling around. I guess it would be good for powering an iPod or mobile phone in an emergency although I cannot say how much harder it would make it to skate around with the generator kicking in.
Via: TheDailyInvention
New iPods
September 6, 2007 by Leave a Comment
At Apples Keynote yesterday there were a number of cool announcements about iPods. The first is the iPod shuffle which will be getting a few new colours and will cost the same at $79 for a 1GB version.
The next iPod in the lineup is the iPod Nano which has gone through a bit of a shape shift and now sports a nice wide screen at 2 inches running 320 x 240 pixels. The cost of a new Nano will be $149 for a 4GB model and $199 for an 8GB version. These will be in store this weekend.
The regular iPod is now named the iPod Classic and is available in silver and black (no white). The 80GB version will cost $249 and has 30 hours of audio playback and 5 hours of video from the battery. The beefy 160GB version is beefy in storage, thicker then the 80GB version, but thinner then the old 80GB version and will cost $349. It can hold 40000 songs, has a 40 hour ability when playing audio and 7 hours of video playback on its battery.
The iPod touch is one I am looking forwards to. Its like an iPhone but without the phone. It has Wi-Fi, Safari, Cover flow and is flash based only. It measures at 8mm thick and has either 8GB of flash which runs at $299 or there is a 16GB model running at $399 which isnt too bad. I personally wish the touch had a 160GB HDD in it even if it did make it slightly thicker.
The iPhone is also set to have a price drop which is good news too.
Which one will you be choosing?
Via: Gizmodo
Desktop Catapult
September 5, 2007 by Leave a Comment
All of you have probably been through a phase of flicking elastic bands at others in the office as well as chucking paper planes also. If you fall in to that category then a metal desktop catapult would be perfect for you. It measures 5 x 4 x 5.5 inches and is built of metal except for the small rope that is included. To use it you lock it down in to place, load it up, aim and fire. The cool thing about it is that it looks like just a random desk object that most probably wont even realise it actually works.
Defend your desk in style with this catapult. It will cost you $34.99 from ThinkGeek.
The Matrix Goggles
September 5, 2007 by 1 Comment
These goggles are quite cool. They dont serve much of a purpose except for showing you whats around in matrix or other computer type vision. They are built by a Russian designer and were displayed in London recently. I recommend you watch the video and check out the part where they turn matrixified.
Via: EnglishRussia
Zune Phone maybe Coming
September 5, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The Apple iPhone has been very successful which has led Microsoft to rethink their stance on the possibility of a Zune phone. Recently they stated that it is not unreasonable for them to create a phone based on the Zune music platform. Sounds good to me although if Steve Ballmer has input it must have a keyboard. This along with the Google Phone could lead to some nice competition over the years to come.
Via: CellPhoneDigest
Braille CDRs – Great Idea
September 5, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The Braille CD-R is a great idea from Mitsubishi. It allows blind people to know which CD they are holding and in turn, makes it easier to find the music that is wanted. The Braille bumps are created from high viscosity ink which has a height of 0.1mm from the surface of the CD. This is small enough to not get jammed in the drive, but large enough to be able to feel the Braille marks on the disc. The technology is currently compatible on CDRs and it shouldnt be a problem to port the bumps to DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs also.
I am surprised that this wasnt thought of long ago with CD just hitting its 25th birthday recently.
Via: Gizmodo
Mickey Mouse MP3 Player from iRiver
September 4, 2007 by 1 Comment
This MP3 player is a concept idea that is based on a Mickey Mouse design. It is built in Korea and is 3cm in diameter and weighs 17 grams. Compatible formats are all the regular ones such as MP3, 1, 2, WMA, ASF, WMA. A unique feature of this MP3 player is the twist mode which allows you to change volume by twisting the mouses left ear. By twisting the other ear you can skip tracks. To skip through a track you can twist and hold the ear.
Its kind of a bizarre MP3 player that if sold at a good price it would be great for kids.
Via: ngadgeti
Harmonica has Trumpets
September 3, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Made by Hohner, this harmonica is fitted with 5 brass bells which produce the sound. The huge trumpets, or bells on the end should crank up the volume of it too to frighten the life out of you. The harmonica is taken from a 1907 design and is built from solid pear wood which does not swell.
For a few more details on what it is made of and how it works, go and check out Random Good Stuff.
