Gadgets and New Technologies

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jul 25th 2008 at 10:25AM Poor xTablet. First it’s used as a hammer and now it’s submerged under water by an accented man in a wetsuit. In the latest test of the xTablet T8700, the guys over at RuggedPCReview swam gingerly with the machine all the while tapping away at its screen, amazed that it continued to work, submerged and “without bubbles.” The Jacque Cousteau-like narration had us hoping that a shark (or even a furtive sea turtle) would come along to make things a bit more exciting, but all we saw was some creepy whispering, scuba gear, and uncomfortable silence. We mean no harm to the diver, we just felt as though something really, really bad was about to happen. (Read the full post about ‘xTablet T8700 left alone in a pool with stranger, does indeed work under water’…)

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It’s looking like a slight bit of admittance of defeat coming from HP in regards to their Mini-Note, according to some recent statements from Jerel Chong, HP Australia’s Market Development Manager for Notebook PCs they are looking to follow up the 2133 Mini-Note with a lower priced model. “From a retail perspective we’re looking at a similar device (to the 2133) but at a lower cost” While the Mini-Note is a very nicely made and very solid feeling notebook, its hard to argue that its among the most expensive of the netbooks currently on the market, so a lower priced model may be a welcomed addition. (Read the full post about ‘HP looking to follow up the Mini-Note with a “low-cost” version’…)

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Basement dwellers starved for cell-phone reception can chill in their boxer shorts: A device that improves indoor network reception and even broadband wireless performance is on its way. Airvana’s HubBub CDMA looks a lot like a wireless internet router, but rather than deliver a signal, the hub acts like a repeater for a small cellular tower, amplifying wireless signals using femtocell technology. This technology has been in development for a while, but the HubBub is unique in that it enhances performance for both cell phone coverage and wireless internet; other similar products will only offer enhancement for one or the other. Airvana expects the HubBub to be available by late 2008 or early 2009. (Read the full post about ‘Femtocell Hub Will Boost Cell Phone, Wireless Internet Signal’…)

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Apple has staked its reputation on tight control of a few carefully-designed, faultlessly-executed products. Now, as Apple expands its reach from computers into music, video, consumer electronics and phones, it’s getting harder and harder for the company to make sure all of its products "just work," as its marketing slogan goes. And its growing army of customers is getting more difficult to satisfy, and they’re finding a host of new problems, ranging from tapeless camcorder issues to buggy iPhones. "Apple has always seen that their benefit is being a closed environment, but they’ve now put themselves in the position where a lot more people want to look at them, and those people are coming from domains where they’re more used to openness, flexibility and more open systems," said Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney. (Read the full post about ‘Has Apple Bitten Off More Than It Can Chew?’…)

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In you are into Star Wars or like collecting creature shaped flash drives in general, then you should give Mimoco a looksee. They have unleashed their new Series 3 of their Star Wars Mimobot collection bringing, “The Force” a little closer to our CPUs. This new line features the likenesses of the ominous Darth Sidious, the scarlet draped Imperial Guard, golden droid companion C-3PO or the fuzzy, loveable Wicket the Ewok. Also each of the Star Wars flash drive can be made to play Star Wars sounds when they are plugged-in to the USB port. Each one can be found on the Mimoco website and range from a 1GB to a large 8GB flash drive model. (Read the full post about ‘Mimobots releases Star Wars series 3 flash drives’…)

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FROM APPLETELL - I thought this was going to be a top-down, 2D style Mahjong game, where it’s hard to tell what level the pieces are on. Not so. In fact, this game feels like a mature release from the App Store. MORE » Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed → (Read the full post about ‘Appletell Review - Moonlight Mahjong Lite for iPhone’…)

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The Amosu Ultimo Diamond is touted to be the most expensive iphone in the world, retailing for a whopping $177,300. This high price tag is a reality no thanks to the 1,179 diamonds encrusted all over, weighing 16.18 carats. Since you’re already forking out such a huge amount of dough for it, each purchase will come with access to the international all-day VIP-service Concierge (VIP International Concierge Service) for a year. After that, you can slowly peel off those diamonds and think up of 1,179 ways to propose to your girlfriend. (Read the full post about ‘Amosu Ultimo Diamond’…)

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Want to let your fellow co-workers know when you are out to lunch or away from the desk without breaking out the marker and paper for a sign? Now you can pass along the word while getting your tech geek on with the USB LED Message Board. This LED Message Board is a red LED scroller that not only displays up to 8 messages with simple animations for others to see, but it can also be programmed with WAV format sound effects to grab the attention of passers by. You can further customize your message board with 8 speed levels including 5 different scrolling modes (left, right, up, down, freeze & flash), as well as 3 different brightness levels. (Read the full post about ‘USB LED Message Board lets others know what’s going on’…)

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As promised, Nikon has started shipping its newest camera, the 12-megapixel D700 DSLR. The D700 is already listed at Ritz Camera and is retailing for $2,999.99 (body only). Ritz Camera said that it’s got limited supply of the D700 so if you’re keen on getting this new camera, you better hurry up and reserve your unit now. The store promises to deliver the D700 within 24 hours after an order is placed. Looking back at our previous coverage of the D700, we told you that this camera packs a 12.1-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor complemented by Nikon’s EXPEED image processing technology, an ISO sensitivity of up to 6,400, continuous shooting speed of 5fps, a 3-inch VGA color display with 170-degree wide-angle viewing, two live shooting modes. (Read the full post about ‘Nikon’s D700 DSLR now shipping to the US’…)

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This is one of those gadgets you can only get away with if you’re either married, very old or completely shameless.  It is a solar fan which attaches to the bill of your hat to keep you cool while out antiquing or whatever it is people do that wear strange hats.  This ranks up there with the umbrella hats, both of them are just not right.  I realize when it is extremely hot and you’re stuck outdoors you have to do anything you can just to keep cool. (Read the full post about ‘The Solar Mini Clip Fan steals your dignity’…)

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