Monthly Archives: May 2007

Gadgets May 31, 2007 posted by

FlareSafe – the backpacker’s 3-in-1 friend

The FlareSafe is a rather handy little tool for travellers which combines a ‘powerful LED torch’ with an optical smoke detector and an ear splitting 110db distress alarm which will go on and on for over 60 hours. Enough to scare most mothers-in-law away from your location we reckon. Oops, did we say m-in-l? Meant bears. Sorry. £49.95.  Ideal for use in hostels, tents, boats and caravans, the FlareSafe’s smoke alarm function is armed via a quick twist. The second…

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Gadgets May 31, 2007 posted by

I Got Clocked – make time for yourself

I Got Clocked. Um…right…so you upload your photo and suddenly find yourself – and your two arms – doing permanent overtime telling the time. If you get what we mean. The perfect present for a clock watcher with narcissistic tendencies. Priced from $49.95. [Thanks Jim]  Our 10-inch wall clocks are guaranteed to be completely silent (nobody likes that click click click sound in the middle of the night). We’re also proud to say that we’re one of the few clock…

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Gadgets May 31, 2007 posted by

Jela Skype Mouse – hello hello?

The Jela Skype Mouse is proof indeed that weird ideas don’t necessarily fade away quietly just because we think they should. This puppy – or perhaps that should be muppy? – features an internal speaker, 1.3 inch screen and lots of lovely buttons for dialling people. Holding your mouse to your ear may not be a great way to impress Ms Jenkins in marketing though. $33.90.  This versatile Skype mouse phone could be used as a high definition optical mouse,…

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Bizarre May 31, 2007 posted by

Instinct – Russian crazy made Flash

Instinct. Silly Diversion Alert. It took me a while to figure out what this Flash based Russian site was about, but in the end I guessed it must be an advertising agency? It’s total eye candy nonsense, but if you’ve got a few moments take a look, it’s one of the most inventive and engaging interfaces I’ve seen for a while. And some of the ads are pretty good actually (hint: drop in the apple and toast). Wish I could speak Russki! Tags:…

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Bookmark This! May 31, 2007 posted by

LiveLook – webcams of the world via Google maps

Livelook is an attempt to produce a useful and usable webcam catalogue service. Up till now webcam sites have tended to be nothing more than just indexing systems, but LiveLook has taken the basic formula and added in things like search, user ratings, favourites (My LiveLook) and the oh so useful Google map paradigm, and put it all together very nicely indeed. And there’s no over the top Web 2.0 eye candy beta badge which is refreshing.  Livelook is a service dedicated to improving access to outdoor-view live cams…

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Gadgets May 30, 2007 posted by

TwiLight Sleep Therapy System – new sleep remedy comes to light

The TwiLight Sleep Therapy System uses ‘soothing blue light’ to re-calibrate the body’s circadian rhythm and help you get to sleep easier. Turn it on half an hour before you you want to drop off and apparently all will be peachy. Or at least blueberry-ish. Sweet dreams, Tonto. $89.95.  Discover the natural sleep remedy – a nightly dose of soothing blue light that helps re-calibrate your body’s Circadian rhythm. * Helps you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly * Re-calibrates the body’s Circadian rhythm…

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Gadgets May 30, 2007 posted by

Rattle Buster – locate that annoying car rattle safely

Rattle Buster is a clever idea. It’s basically a £9.95 CD which uses low frequency sound to mimic road vibration. Pop it into your car CD player while stationary, switch on, and the audio should cause the annoying rattle to surface so you can track it down like the scurvy dog it is.  Will it work for me? RattleBuster – Will: Enable you to pinpoint many annoying interior rattles, vibrations or dashboard buzz’s – It’s ToneEngine uses a specific range…

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Gadgets May 30, 2007 posted by

Mickey Mouse USB Drive – mickey is as mickey does

The Mickey Mouse USB Drive. Wikipedia definition – “Mickey Mouse” is a slang expression meaning small-time, amateurish or trivial.” Weird huh? Anyway let’s hope that this new product is not tainted. Around $19.38 in Korean stuff for 1 GB.  As a MLC USB memory, it can transfer 700MB data in 1 minute and 40 seconds. It is released in four different capacities-1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB Tags: mickey+mouse+usb+drive

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cool tech May 30, 2007 posted by

Explay OIO – nano projectors arrive (almost)

The Explay OIO is the latest entrant in the race to deliver large screen displays from very small devices. The idea is that we’ll all one day walk around with mobile phones, PDAs, video players etc which will contain their own small – nano – projectors capable of beaming large screen images onto the nearest flat surface. The OIO is apparently supposed to ship next year, but we’re not holding our breath. There’s a lot of hard core technology that’s going to be needed to make this tech work…

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Bookmark This! May 30, 2007 posted by

Wimpy Button – quick and easy way to embed an MP3 track on your site

The Wimpy Button is a nice clean way to embed an MP3 track on your web site by using a snippet of HTML code. All you have to do is download and use the button maker proglet, upload the audio track and and copy and paste the HTML snippet to your server. Voila. $19.95 for the full version (free trial available).  Wimpy Button is a quick and painless way to add a single sound to your web page. Wimpy Button…

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Bookmark This! May 30, 2007 posted by

Middio – organisation comes to YouTube (for music at least)

Middio takes the massive sprawling collection of music videos that is part of YouTube and makes sense of it so you can actually find and browse stuff you like. It’s a great idea and another example of how external tools can make the mega content sites work better. Think search engines via vertical community.  Middio is a brand new website that organizes over 10,000 music videos uploaded to YouTube. What does this mean, you ask? This means that Middio allows you…

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Gadgets May 29, 2007 posted by

PodXtreme – loud sound, small body

The PodXtreme Sound Box for iPod is an add-on speaker that is supposed to generate a ‘powerful sound’ and ‘powerful bass boost’ out of your music player. The unit comes with an integrated rechargeable Lithium Ion battery juiced from a USB port or wall socket. So here’s the question. How much loud do you think $29.95 will buy really?  The secrect resonation provides the podXtreme with such a powerful bass boost that you’re going to need to pimp out your iPod or MP3 player. Operating…

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cool tech May 29, 2007 posted by

Zonbu – small, silent and hugely innovative Linux computing

The new Zonbu Computer is a genuinely brave attempt to try something different in the computer market, which is great. It’s green (in a carbon-neutral’ kind of way), sports a super friendly interface via Linux, offers file storage and automatic backup to Amazon’s S3 online service and is available in a range of innovating pricing plans, starting from $249.00 all in, to $99.00 plus $12.95 a month service charge for 2 years (which includes all upgrades to the software and a same day replacement machine…

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hardware May 29, 2007 posted by

Viper Defender – 950,000 volts for peace of mind

The Viper Defender is a 950,000 volt stun gun which is the size of a pack of cards. Billed as non-lethal and available without license for $89.00 including free holster. What can you say?  Dual contact probes generate an intimidating display of pulsating current – acting as a terrifying deterrent – while a short blast to an assailant results in extreme pain, muscle spasm, disorientation and loss of balance. The Viper Defender is non-lethal without causing long term damage –…

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cool tech May 29, 2007 posted by

Build your own electric car for $800 – DIY eco warrior

Greg Coleman has built an electric car for $800.00. We’re not exactly talking Tesla type functionality here, it’s an old Yugo that he’s converted, but the mere fact that an ordinary person can do this proves that there’s a lot of misinformation going around at the moment from the motor industry and beyond. Go Greg, go.  I have driven the car home tonight for the first time. Road speed is about 35 mph because of the 5 HP motor. This will…

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