Gadgets and New Technologies

As outlined in a white paper on managing phishing written by its risk management unit, PayPal is set to implement a new policy that will block users from using PayPal from “unsafe browsers.” These browsers include Internet Explorer 4 and 5 and other older version browsers. But don’t worry if you are still using anything unsafe, because PayPal will first warn you about the browser. If you insist on trying to use it even after you were warned, then that’s the time when PayPal will step in and block you from accessing its site. PayPal said that old browsers such as IE 4 are very vulnerable to phishing attacks since they lack the security and safety features of their newer versions which ward off phishing and other forms of online attacks. (Read the full post about ‘PayPal to block unsafe browsers for online transactions’…)

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Just recently we were able to give you some details about Sony Ericsson’s upcoming Z780 handset and now there has been some new and thankfully better images leaked. As we previously mentioned the Z780 is very similar to the current Z770 and these images just further prove that. Overall it looks like the Z780 will be the successor and retain much of the Z770’s features in a new and somewhat more stylish outer shell. Keep reading for another image with both models side by side… Via [SlashPhone] Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed → (Read the full post about ‘Rumor: Sony Ericsson Z780 leaked images’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Apr 18th 2008 at 9:02AMResearchers at Osaka University are redefining “thought-controlled” limbs. Hailed as the first endeavor to dabble in the world of bionic phalanges by requiring open-skull surgery, the research is seeking to develop “real-time mind-controlled robotic limbs for the disabled.” Of course, it’s not the goal that’s striking, but the means. Essentially, gurus working on the project are hoping to place electrode sheets directly on the surface of the brain in order to “obtain a more accurate signal,” and amazingly enough, they’re currently working to sign up willing subjects that are already scheduled to have brain electrodes added to deal with “monitoring epilepsy or other conditions.” Maybe the bionic beings really aren’t that far off, eh?[Via Pink Tentacle]ReadPermalinkEmail this19 CommentsFiled under: Misc. (Read the full post about ‘New bionic limbs to be controlled via brain-mounted sensors’…)

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Ever had those memory lapses where for the life of you, you just can’t seem to remember where you put your keys? The Fetch My Keys gadget is priceless, as all you need to do is give a hearty whistle and the key chain will bark back automatically. Of course, by then you will realize that the key is pretty near by, leading to strange looks from your colleagues as your boss takes note of your short term memory lapse episodes. Pity you won’t be able to do much if you’ve lost your key during one of your long walks as all the whistling in the world is useless then.

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Strong work, Telus! First you guys are pretty much on the ball with your release of the blackberry 8330 Curve and the Motorola Q9c, and now you’ve become the first Canadian carrier to offer the LG Venus — and you’re clearly reveling in it, too, since you point out on your product page that this is actually LG’s first touchscreen phone in all of Canada. $99.99 CAD (about $100) of your customer’s hard-earned savings is going to net them a 2 megapixel camera, QVGA primary display, microSD slot, GPS, EV-DO, and stereo Bluetooth, so we’d say you’ve done good — for the moment, anyway. Keep up the strong work. [Source] (Read the full post about ‘Telus picks up the LG Venus’…)

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While the goal of most people who travel with their notebooks is to keep the weight and number of items they carry to a bare minimum, it often makes sense to bring along a mouse. Every notebook has some sort of mechanism for controlling the cursor but if you have to spend a lot of time pointing and clicking than it pays to lug a mouse around with you. The good news is that companies have been able to scale down their mice in order for just such a scenario. There are currently a number of excellent portable mice on the market so it’s not immediately clear what Lenovo has to offer that isn’t already out there. (Read the full post about ‘Review: ThinkPad Bluetooth Laser Mouse’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Apr 18th 2008 at 8:29AM We know, there’s only so much you can do to a foam donut to make it, well, more than a foam donut, but Brando’s trying its best to one-up the competition by adding in a stand. With Mario Kart Wii launching in under a fortnight (in the US, at least), the Wii Multi-Axis Racing System is vying for those hard-earned dollars by giving racers the ability to grip something stuck to an immobile surface rather than just flailing around with some sort of lightweight Wiimote-engulfing circle. And at just $18, it even gives the first-party Wii Wheel some serious competition. Okay, so maybe “serious” is an overstatement.[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]ReadPermalinkEmail this42 Comment (Read the full post about ‘Brando’s Wii Multi-Axis Racing System: a few notches above awful’…)

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The Cool Boy’s manufacturers ought to have a pretty great team of lawyers at their beck and call, considering the fact that it is able to play emulated NES and SEGA console games, thanks to questionable - no, obviously bootlegged cartridges which hold up to 120 games that include copyrighted works from major game studios like EA, Nintendo and Disney. Some of the notable entertainment titles on offer include classics such as Donkey Kong, Galaga, Tetris, Xevious and Lode Runner among others. The Cool Boy comes with a 2.4″ LCD color display at 480 × 240 resolution and features an AV port which allows you to output to a TV. (Read the full post about ‘Cool Boy plays it…well, cool’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Apr 17th 2008 at 4:08PM Shamelessly attempting to rip off a plethora of yesteryear’s gaming handhelds all at once isn’t a new trick or anything, but you’d expect the creators of the Cool Boy to at least conjure up a name with some inkling of originality, right? Nevertheless, the portable, um, system features a 2.4-inch color display, gets juiced from a trio of AAA cells and even includes a video out port for taking the sweet handheld action to the 13-inch CRT. Of course, the thing only works with Cool Boy Mega Pack game cartridges, which means that even the homebrew crowd is likely out of luck here. But hey, you can get 120 sure-to-be-riveting titles in a single cart for just $7.99. (Read the full post about ‘Cool Boy handheld gaming system is anything but’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Apr 17th 2008 at 8:00PM
Although Panasonic’s HDC-SD9 is mighty, mighty small, reviewers over at CNET felt that it fell short in a number of key areas. For starters, Panny included a few quirky design choices; for instance, removing the battery requires the LCD cover to be open, but doing so can also turn the camera on unless you place it in a different mode. Granted, the minuscule size didn’t leave the outfit too much to work with, but if you’re easily flustered by these kinds of niggles, you can run far, far away right now. As for image quality, critics noted that still shots were marginally better than awful, but capturing full motion HD clips was something it did manage to do relatively well. (Read the full post about ‘Panasonic’s flash-based HDC-SD9 HD camcorder gets reviewed’…)

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