Just a quick note to say watch out for a fake IKEA HomePlanner email in your inbox, because it carries a nasty bit of Trojan malware in an attachment. I mention it only because the message looks totally genuine, which makes it unusual. If you receive the message don’t open the attachment AT ALL, just delete the thing and be safe. Tags: ikea+homeplanner+trojan+virus, malware, internet+security
Read MoreMonthly Archives: January 2009
9 Days! – a random glimpse of my life with Windows Vista
I think I’m starting to understand why Microsoft is rushing to release Windows 7 to the public. Day 1. Dec 17th a) WiFi disappears for no reason. Refuses even to restart with the disable/enable trick, needs reboot. Did it crash? USB also fails to restart after sleep. Have to unplug the USB cable and replug it in to restart all the USB peripherals. b) Notice that I’m getting around 816 kbp/s off my 20 Mbps broadband connection on the Vista notebook….
Read MoreFlightSuit Bird Diaper – protect your furnishings from flying party poopers
The FlightSuit Bird Diaper has us speechlessed. The idea, of course, is you strap it on and protect your home and loved ones from unsavoury droplets of bird goo, but we can’t get around the fact that someone sat down and seriously thought this one up – and then went out and persuaded some shmoe to manufacture it. Just when you think you’ve seen it all….wow! £24.99 (disposable FlightLiners are extra…right, gotta go lie down for a while). This reusable…
Read MoreSanDisk Ultra Backup USB Drive – the smallest auto archive device in the world?
The new SanDisk Ultra Backup USB Flash Drive is the world’s first, and indubitably smallest, one button backup USB drive. Yep, no software needed, just plug it into the nearest USB port, press the button and bingo, everything backed up nice and neatly onto the device. Sure 64 GB is not a whole heap of storage to be throwing at your 300 GB laptop, but rest easy that your half baked archive will nevertheless be safely encrypted and protected against thieves and vagabonds….
Read MoreBig Button Touchscreen Universal Remote – control everything with your sticky fingers
Big Button Touchscreen Universal Remote Control. Dude it’s a big button universal remote. With a touchscreen. Whaddya mean so what? Like it’s huge, man. Huge. Pudgy digits pounding glass in search of the perfect 10 B-movie. Smeary marks obscuring the all important soap hop key. The colour coded swatches of illuminated bliss pointing you towards next season’s American Idol finale. Sheesh, it doesn’t get any better than this, does it? And like £9.99? Unbe-chuffingly cracktastic. 6-in-1 universal remote control: TV, VCR, satellite,…
Read MoreCrystal Handbag Light – keychain illumination for the abyss
The Crystal Handbag Light is a cutesy looking flashlight on a string which is designed to help ladies locate and retrieve important stuff – really important, OK? – from the depths of those alien constructions they call handbags. Look, we’re not saying that handbags are full of weirdness or anything, but we heard a rumour that…[insert naff joke here]. £6.99. The Crystal Handbag Light is here to give you a fighting chance the next time you’re up to your elbow in handbag…
Read MoreBest of 2008
I’m currently finalising the Ferret’s Best of 2008 product list, so if you’ve got anything you want to nominate, now’s the time to speak. Just drop me a line or astroturf comment here and I’ll take note. Tags: red+ferret+best+of+2008, awards
Read MoreCrayon Physics Deluxe – the game is out…get it NOW!
The mega-fantabulous-super-funskadelic computer game Crayon Physics Deluxe is finally out. It’s a full commercial version at $19.95, but I’ve included it here under the freeware tag because there’s a free demo which is full featured and promises to deliver oodles of enjoyment while you’re scraping up the necessary credit-crunch cash to buy the complete thing. So please don’t dawdle, get your hand on that mouse, click that button and just enjoy enjoy enjoy! PC only at the moment though. Crayon Physics Deluxe…
Read MoreBrownbook – the free search directory that anyone can edit
Brownbook is a clever new local business search directory which combines wiki-like free-for-all editing with a bunch of useful features like community ratings and reviews. It’s artfully Web 2.0 as well, with lots of clever stuff like tags, Google mashed maps and even a Twitter This button. Gosh. The two main features which make it stand out though, are the Wiki page editing functionality, which means anyone can add, annotate or change a listing, and the fact that contributors can actually earn money…
Read MorePokeTalk – free international phone calls for all
PokeTalk is a new service which offers free international telephone calls from landlines and mobile phones. Put down that cynical face for a moment and I’ll run through the surprisingly benign rules. First, only 50 calls a month per account. Second, a maximum of 10 minutes per call. Finally, the list of countries is limited, as is the list of those nations which support mobile phone access. Nevertheless it’s a pretty interesting service. To use it, you just sign up…
Read MoreFerret posts this week
Here’s a quick round-up of Ferrety posts from the past week for anyone who missed them. Enjoy. Yumi – the bilingual rag doll – Yumi is a bilingual rag doll that… Vista Codec Package – enhance your multimedia donkey of an operating system here – The Vista Codec Package is a…
Read MoreNeuros Link Media PC – stream multimedia around and about
The Neuros Link Media PC is an open source powered home entertainment computer which is designed to make you feel all geek superior to your Sony owning neighbours from Albania. For a start it’s completely hackable. The fact that the nearest you’ve ever got to hacking was the cough you had last October is neither here nor there. You *could* hack it if you wanted (possibly). And that’s the point. Until then you can console yourself with the ability to…
Read MoreTowel Spa Bathroom Towel Warmer – cold tiles, warm rag
The Towel Spa Bathroom Towel Warmer gets our vote for the product with the least exciting post-bubble pre-recessionary life span opportunity in 2009. In fact we suspect that at some point in the future, when records are writ about this stage in human evolution, the two products which will mark the start of our gentle decline into barbarism will be this and the delicious Heated Door Mat. You heard it here first, folks. $79.95. The Towel Spa warms any towel is just minutes…
Read MoreWireless Extrender zBoost Vehicle Cell Phone Signal Amplifier – woo, fried eggs
The Wireless Extrender zBoost Vehicle Cell Phone Signal Amplifier improves the cell phone signal in your car. Hmm…we’re talking 10 times the signal boost, all powered off the 12v cigar lighter socket. Now I don’t know about you, but the thought of bouncing a 10x cell signal around a tin can with my brain in the middle of it doesn’t give me the nice cuddly feelings I thought it would. Call me old fashioned. Or chicken. Please. $242.99. Have you ever had…
Read MoreKD Player – free Java MP3 player for your mobile phone
KD Player is a free Java based MP3 player for your mobile phone. It comes in a variety of screen resolutions, supports multiple skins and offers coolness that a lot of standard MP3 players on phones don’t (e.g. album art support). And it should work on most handsets, not just fancy smartphones. Worth a look. Tags: freeware, KD+Player, MP3, mobile+phone, java
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