Gadgets Device

by Darren Murph, posted May 24th 2008 at 4:42AM Go ‘head Oppo — get down with your bad self. This S11 portable media player may not be the most easily recognized on the streets, but it sure has a lot going for it. Aside from the sleek (dare we say sexy?) enclosure, the unit packs a 3-inch 400 x 240 resolution touch panel, video out port, integrated photo viewer / calender / stopwatch / calculator, a couple of games, file search capabilities and support for MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AAC and APE audio files. On the video front, it’ll play nice with AVI, DivX, XviD, RM, RMVB and FLV formats. If the 4GB of internal memory just isn’t enough, there’s also a microSD slot for loading in additional media. (Read the full post about ‘Oppo offers up sleek S11 portable media player’…)

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by Nilay Patel, posted May 24th 2008 at 6:12AM We’re no strangers to out-there bathroom fixtures, but the $47,000 Red Diamond bathtub from Water Games Technologies is probably a new low high in powder room decadence. The screaming-red tub features multicolor lighting, a computer-controlled heating system that maintains your desired water temperature, an automatic disinfection system and built-in massager. Of course, that’s what any peasant’s tub offers — the real action is in the two retractable HDTVs, Swarovski-encrusted champagne holder, and built-in GSM module that lets you call your bathtub and get things ready for some splashy time from afar. (Read the full post about ‘Water Games Technologies Red Diamond bath tub features HDTVs, cellular control’…)

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Rice can be one the most infuriating dishes to cook with out the proper cookware. You get pieces that are still hard, some that is soggy, and some that is burnt. The electric rice cooker will put an end to poorly cooked rice problem. This cooker is so advanced you simply choose what kind of rice you want to cook and push as few buttons and your job is done. The machine will do the rest of the thinking for you which is great because by the end of the day just about every one is brain dead any way. The cooker will even keep the rice at serving temperature for up to 12 hours. This is great for holidays and family dinners. This is a must have product for any one who wants to make the best rice possible. (Read the full post about ‘Electric Rice Cooker’…)

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by Donald Melanson, posted May 23rd 2008 at 7:16PM Budding robot-builders certainly don’t have any shortage of kits to choose from these days, but this new self-descriptive ROBO Builder set looks to be a good deal more complete than most and, compared to the norm, is somewhat more reasonably priced. This one will let you assemble three different bots (dubbed DINO, HUNO and DOGY) out of the included robot building blocks, each of which can apparently be programmed to perform various activities, or simply be controlled via a computer or remote control. You can also get your choice of black or transparent kits, the latter of which appears to boast some significantly more advanced break-dancing skills. (Read the full post about ‘ROBO Builder kit now available to order’…)

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Cheaper and simpler may be the name of the game, as another Eee competitor came out –- the Bestlink Alpha 400. Displaying a 7-inch true color display at 800 x 480 resolution, the Linux PC packs a 32-bit XBurst 400Mhz processor and a measly 128MB RAM and 1-2GB of internal flash storage.  The Alpha 400 offers nothing jaw-dropping, except perhaps its $250 price tag. The device also offers an SD memory card slot, USB connectivity, and optional WiFi capability.  The Alpha 400 measures a diminutive 8.3” x 5.6” x 1.3” and weighs a mere 1.5 pounds.  If you can find another 99 who would want it, the price drops to $180 per unit (they offer a curious bulk deal at 100 machines).  A pretty good deal since $18,000 could easily be the cost of one high-specs computer. (Read the full post about ‘$250 Eee device out; the bar gets lower’…)

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Brando, e-tailer of products that you didn’t even know existed—and some that probably shouldn’t—just launched a lightweight 2.4Ghz wireless mouse which weighs only 32g. Known for its gimmicky products such as a wireless USB missile launcher and Bluetooth PDA stylus headset, Brando now introduces its latest mouse, which it boldly proclaims as “probably the world’s smallest 2.4GHz wireless mouse.” The device features: Mouse speed: 400 / 800 / 1600 dpi, 3200fps After recharge, the mouse can be used for 21 days (3 hours utilization per day). In the case of continuous usage, the power can last for 70 hours Compact and light design, ideal for traveling Trans (Read the full post about ‘Brando finds a teeny tiny mouse’…)

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According to a Sony report straight from its Japan headquarters, its young OLED TV-display production unit will be funded with a $210-million investment in larger screens (over 16-inches at least) and will ramp-up by the end of 2008. This will put it in place for a full-line release of TVs in late 2009 or early 2010. Sony was the first manufacturer to launch a legitimate (if very expensive) OLED TV option, the XEL-1, late last year. But Sony isn’t alone in testing out its OLED chops. Among a few others, Samsung is on record with their testing of their own OLED blend and has promised a few of these sets within the next two years. As we’ve noted before, OLED sets are brighter, generate light organically and are more efficient than LCDs and Plasmas. (Read the full post about ‘Sony To Accelerate Production of Larger OLED TVs By Year’s End’…)

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Racing games on the Wii can be a lot of fun. Granted, my only complaint is the unnatural feeling of holding a Wii controller in the air while steering. It just doesn’t feel steady and can often yield unwanted movement. This of course makes it difficult to keep your vehicle on the track where you want it. Blazepro has a solution for you Wii gamers that want more reliable steering. The company has come out with a new Realistic Racing Wheel that promises more accurate steering in your driving games. This is because the racing wheel connects to a stable base that can be attached to almost any desktop for steadier racing. (Read the full post about ‘Drive steady with the Blazepro Wii Racing Wheel’…)

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Talk about a blatant rip off - CECT isn’t new to the phone clone scene, and here they are with yet another rip-off, this time taking on the form factor of the Nokia N96. Surprisingly, it looks extremely close to the real thing, and will feature the following specifications :- Tri-Band 900/1800/1900MHZz 2 megapixel camera Bluetooth stereo connectivity Dual 3D stereo speakers 3″ 262k color LCD display Video and audio playback microSD memory card slotDefinitely won’t be able to hold a candle to the real Nokia N96 in terms of specifications, as you can see above. Tags: consumer electronics, dvr, mobiles, digital (Read the full post about ‘CECT N96 almost a Nokia’…)

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