Posts by Category: hardware

hard stuff…

hardware March 10, 2005 posted by

Slots r us.

Plextor PX-716AL Dual Layer slot load DVD burner. $169.00. If you want to build your own Mac mini, you really need one of these puppies. Slot loading is suddenly so now, isn’t it?  The drive achives blazing fast 16X CAV performance on recommended 8X DVD+R media, and burns a 4.7GB DVD in less than six minutes, the drive also supports dual-layer DVD media, enabling users to burn up to four hours of high-quality.


Continue Reading »Slots r us.
hardware March 8, 2005 posted by

Perfick Perfit?

The Perfit Mouse Optical. Ergonomic, productive and comfortable? Certainly expensive at $109.95.  Through years of testing we have discovered a unique posture for the fingers, thumb and palm that is not only great for rapid target acquisition, but also allows maximum muscle and tendon variation throughout point and click operations. Variation is only one of the keys. We also found that when the hand is placed in this balanced posture, local hand muscles come into play. This minimizes the need…


Continue Reading »Perfick Perfit?
hardware March 2, 2005 posted by

Tonto.

The Rocky Mountain GPS 7100–B vehicle tracker. With magnets and waterproofing. $520.00.   The GPS 7100 unit is a real time tracking system that accurately shows location, speed, and travel direction, with no monthly fees. Pay only for what you use. Other key features include: ability to disable vehicle if stolen, notification of airbag deployment and alarm activation…You can set the unit to update its location every 5, 15, 30, 60 minutes, 4 hours, daily or weekly…To locate the vehicle,…


Continue Reading »Tonto.
hardware February 28, 2005 posted by

NextWindow.

The NextWindow. Nope, not an irate command from a surly ticket office clerk, but a new cool touchscreen add-on for LCD flat screens. Probably expensive though, eh?  NextWindow’s Touch Screen…Technology can be used to provide a unique Touch Screen solution – where not only is the Plasma, or LCD Display touch “enabled”, but also an ‘off-screen’ touchable area, called a Panel… The NextWindow slim fit Touch Panel Overlay can be custom fit to any manufacturer’s model (20″ to 60″)…


Continue Reading »NextWindow.
hardware February 25, 2005 posted by

Waste not…

Sharp Kitchen Composters. Oh yes please. Please. And nappies too please, kind sirs?  The NP-40/20CX series of composters can break down almost all organic kitchen waste in a single day, dramatically reducing the disposal volume and, at the same time, practically eliminating odors generated during processing. This energy-efficient system employs a blend of microbes that work at ordinary room temperatures and do not require a heater to raise the temperature of the waste. The Composting Bio Mix carrier has a…


Continue Reading »Waste not…
hardware February 25, 2005 posted by

X Files.

X-Keys. Easier data input via an add-on macro keypad for your PC. £79.95. Fingerlicious, but a tad expensive?  Reduce the number of key strokes you would normally use through the programmable 16 key keypad:- e.g. assign common strings of keystrokes, commonly used addresses or footers and launch applications…The programmable 16 key keypad can hold strings of button presses of up to 900 characters long. Mouse and game pad functions may also be assigned to the pad. The 16 keys give you…


Continue Reading »X Files.
hardware February 16, 2005 posted by

Sockit to ’em.

The Socket SDIO 56K modem card. For Pocket PCs. S’it really. $119.00.  Socket Introduces World’s First V.92 SDIO 56K Modem for Pocket PCs…transforms a Pocket PC with an SDIO slot into a portable data communications tool, enabling Pocket PC users to access the Internet with any available analog phone line.


Continue Reading »Sockit to ’em.
hardware February 7, 2005 posted by

Ski daddle.

The Smig 2000. Hmm…Smig 2000? Sounds like a Dr Evil machine worth …one …billion …dollars! Actually it’s a downhill ski and snowboarding machine from sunny Poland. And no, we don’t know why Polish snow appears to be green! [Thanks Kevin]   The training and rehabilitation device SMIG 2000 is a motorised downhill ski-slope. The skier remains in the same place, and the slope moves at a controlled speed and steepness, which makes an impression of skiing in virtually real conditions. Additionally, the motorised…


Continue Reading »Ski daddle.
hardware February 4, 2005 posted by

VR vroom.

The new Vortek VR arcade machine. PC based, boom mounted virtual reality headset booth with networking built in. You will not believe just how dorky people look when they’re playing this thing. Dance Revolution? Pah! [Thanks Kevin at The Stinger Report]


Continue Reading »VR vroom.
hardware February 4, 2005 posted by

Switch and wait.

The Military Switch. $13.99. There is a school of thought which says that you’re not a real man until you pop open the red cover and flick that world saving switch with tense gruff macho. Well it worked for Sean Connery. And the Ferret is gullible enough to believe anything, as y’all know by now.  The military-look of this mod switch tells your LAN party opponents what you already know. You mean business. These switches offer an updated look to your PC, while offering…


Continue Reading »Switch and wait.
hardware February 3, 2005 posted by

Player piano.

The new $199.99 Casio LK-90TV appears to be the state of the art in home keyboard funskiness, although we’re not sure if it’ll teach you how to lipsynch badly on a late night chat show. Features include 100 in-built songs which you can playalongawith using light-up keys, 65 karaoke ‘classics’ and USB, TV, MIDI and Smartmedia ports.   A key Lighting System, an Advanced 3- Step Lesson System and a scoring system make practise more enjoyable and useful. With the capabilities of connecting to…


Continue Reading »Player piano.
hardware February 3, 2005 posted by

Open and shut case?

The GM200 Biometric Briefcase. With optional handle. Not Handel dufus, handle. For carrying your precious drugs, handguns and spare passports apparently. Or truncheon if’n you’re here in the UK? $399.95.   BioSâf GM200 eliminates the need for keeping track of keys or remembering a combination, password, or PIN. It can only be opened when an authorized user is present, since there are no keys or combinations to be copied or stolen, or locks that can be picked. State of the…


Continue Reading »Open and shut case?
hardware January 27, 2005 posted by

Pug-nacious.

The Pug Vault. RAID data mirroring, Web interface admin, remote access file sharing, Mac, PC and Linux compatible. $699.00. Sounds like a product.  The Pug Vault is a server appliance that allows you to share files across a network. The difference between Pug Vault and other devices is that Pug uses the power of RAID technology to continually keep a secondary copy of your data. Through RAID technology, your data is copied to both your hard drive and raid drive simultaneously….


Continue Reading »Pug-nacious.
Gadgets January 27, 2005 posted by

Talk to the digit, the face ain’t…

The Talking Timer. The world’s first deliberately annoying gadget? $19.99.  The trouble with ordinary clocks and timers is that unless they’re in your line of sight, you never know how much time is left before the alarm rings. But that’s not so with the Talking Timer, a revolutionary device that announces how much time is left, eliminating the need to visually check for yourself. Using a pleasant, human voice, the talking timer announces the remaining time every hour, every ten…


Continue Reading »Talk to the digit, the face ain’t…
hardware January 25, 2005 posted by

Return of the Clones.

  The HDV-8500 Duplicator/Player. The photo may be teeny, but the functionality of this puppy is anything but. As well as being a standard DVD/VCD/MP3 and audio CD player, it will also duplicate/copy your CDs/DVDs and offers a one button 7–in-1 memory card copier too, and all without a PC. Not sure whether it’ll let you backup those copy protected movies though…


Continue Reading »Return of the Clones.