Subscribers to our Ferret newsletter which is distributed via Zookoda may have noticed that it hasn’t been sent out of late. Not our fault I’m afraid, but apologies all the same. Their company, as some of you know, is about to be sold off, and so things are a little random there at the mo. Co-founder Nick McNaughton has written to me to apologise and says that he’s now in discussions with the final three suitors for his company and hopes…
Read MoreMonthly Archives: November 2006
Special Edition 914 PC-BOT Robot
The Special Edition 914 PC-BOT Robot. $4995.00 buys you a PC on wheels. With a webcam. So, if you want your processing to be auto-mobile this is your baby. If not, perhaps you should stick to a laptop and save yourself a bundle? This is the first, patented robot design to employ standard PC bays… It does everything a PC does, runs the same operating systems that a PC runs plus it’s mobile. In short it’s a PC that moves,…
Read MoreEcopod – pricey chic recycler
The Ecopod E-1 Home Recycler. Designed by BMW and basically just a fancy looking can crusher with a couple of extra compartments for other stuff. I’m an avid recycling muppet, but this is a little too ‘slick’ for my liking. Especially at $328.00. [This £9.95 Can Crusher might be a bit of a better idea, doncha think?] Designed by BMW Designworks, the ecopod will clean up the way you recycle with its eco-chic design and functionality. After dropping an aluminum can…
Read MoreThe Cup Communicator – string & cans redux
The Cup Communicator. Duncan Wilson’s wireless communication device is a modern walkie talkie twist on an old staple – two tin cans and a bit of string. Actually it looks like it could be an OK product, although you’d have to question its portability. Gotta love these designers though! Tug the cord to activate, squeeze to talk and hold to the mouth and ear. The design of the Cup Communicator is focused around a series of physical actions and gestures…
Read More!Tude – Electroluminescent Earphones
!Tude Electroluminescent Earphones. Now you can reach a whole new level of annoying with these EL earphones which light up in time with the music from your music player, come in a variety of bleah colours and run for 10 hours from two AAA batteries. Watch the video and be prepared to get your ears ripped off by an angry crowd. Show your attitude, show that you care about your music, lead the way – with !Tude Illuminating Earphones. A breakthrough invention. !Tude lets you…
Read MoreVideo of the Week – Rollerman (aka Mr Weird?)
Frenchman Jean-Yves Blondeau [Rollerman] first conceived of his plastic Buggy Rollin’ suit in 1994, while he was a student at Olivier de Serres design school, in Paris. [youtube width=”345″ height=”275″]IVrlA3-f29g[/youtube]
Read MoreSellaband – the world’s first viral record company?
Sellaband is a new kind of musicians marketplace, with some fascinating differences. First of all, the object of the site is to let artists and fans collaborate and share in any earnings from eventual CD and advertising sales. Secondly, the site offers a top notch recording contract at a major studio for any band that raises $50,000 worth of contributions from their fan-base. Why would fans chip in? Why for a share of those future CD and site advertising revenues, of course. It’s really kind of…
Read MoreRadar – cool mobile photo service
Radar Photo Chat. Regular readers will know that I love the simple ones, which do one innovative thing well, and this is a great example. Radar lets you email images – and video if you must – from your camera phone to a private web portal for your invited friends, family and guests to browse. The cool thing about this free service, however, is the fact that your recipients can also view the image gallery on their handsets, and reply or…
Read MoreVacuum Tube Headphone Amplifiier – warm, cuddly sound
The Vincent Audio Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier is a hybrid headphone amp, combining the ‘power and control’ of solid state electronics with the ‘warmth’ of the twin vacuum tubes. Do we believe this? Dare we argue? Do we have to invest in a new brushed Titanium alloy and gold tipped headset, or can we stick with our tatty old Sony Walkman earpads? These questions and more will cost you $799.95 to answer. The precise, stabilized proprietary power supply delivers the purest sound…
Read MoreShower Security Cam – no more dirty secrets?
The Shower Mirror Security Camera proves once again that we can never relax in the war against those dirty terrorists. After all, why else would you want to stick a covert surveillance camera in a shower cubicle, unless it’s to identify dangerous hair liquids pre boarding? Anyway you’re going to need a $279.99 wedge to purchase this puppy, so good luck with the loan application form. This great device can watch your bathroom and work as a radio with a mirror…
Read MoreMini Lenses for camphones – David Bailey it ain’t
The SIMA SML-3 QuikStik Lens Filters for Camera Phones. So you won’t win any Photographer magazine awards using these gizmos, but they are second generation wide-angle, macro and telephoto lenses, so you might actually get some decent shots out of your 2 megapixel Nokia toy. Maybe. $4.99 a set. [via Digg] Take cellphone photography to a new level with this disposable lens kit from Sima. Simply press the QuikStik lens onto your phone. Then point, shoot and send. Its that easy. Un-stick and you’re done….
Read MoreFMP3 Watch – 1GB, FM transmitter, voice recorder
The FMP3 Watch is a pretty cool piece of tech. We’re talking 1 GB of memory, built in USB plug, direct recording from CD or audio player (no PC), voice recording with integral mic, and an FM transmitter to beam all those luscious MP3 tracks to your car or home stereo as needed. Oh and it tells the time. $106.67. [Via Gizmag] Though it appears to be a normal watch visually, there are MP3 Player, Voice Recorder and Line-in…
Read MoreThe Gamma Watch – radiation checker on your wrist
The Gamma Watch is a ‘precision timepiece with a built in solid state radiation detector’. Is that your arm glowing baby, or are you just pleased to see me? Scary tech. Really scary. $250.00 when new stocks arrive. [via MoFi] More and more ordinary citizens are interested in personal radiation protection. Reasons include lost sources, nuclear accidents, nuclear or radiological terrorism and the possibility of nuclear weapons being used in a war. We live in a world where radiation is…
Read MoreName Your Porsche – brand death beckons
Name Your Porsche is a new service which will create a custom nameplate in the style of the original that you can stick on your fancy German automobile car thing. It’s available for all the glorified Volkswagen, sorry Porsche, range from 911 through Cayman. Could this spread further afield? Could we soon be attaching cute nom de plumes to our toasters (Frank, you’re so hot!) or washing machines (spin, Betty, spin)? If so what’s this going to do to the precious ranks…
Read MoreearFeeder – builds you a custom RSS music feed
earFeeder is a free Java web app which scans your computer for music files, identifies what it thinks are your fave artists and then builds you a custom RSS information feed about them – concert dates, new releases, news etc. The cool thing is that this means that you can get pre-release info on stuff that’s of interest to you, although I’m wondering what they be doing with all that Feedburner RSS data they collect on your tastes and habits. [This could be a neat…
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