New Home Gadgets

The RoadRunner is a Bluetooth neckset. Similar in principle to bone-conduction speakers, the microphone picks up vibrations from your larynx and turns them into sound. Because it doesn’t rely on vibrations in air, it’s useful in the outdoors, and “when driving a convertible or a motorcycle.” Apart from looking very creepy, this is probably a little claustrophobic. To me, the claim “fits snugly around your neck” means “tight enough to provoke a gag reflex”. The $40 headset does have one unique feature, though. It’s “suitable for men with beards”, unlike any other Bluetooth headset. (Read the full post about ‘Bluetooth Headset Swallows Deep Throat Vibrations’…)

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Posted Mar 3rd 2008 10:07AM by Paul MillerFiled under: cellphones, Home Entertainment, LaptopsWe’d say 2007 was a pretty big year for Steve Wozniak, what with Kathy Griffin, an Epcot animatronic, some widely covered Apple sentiments, and (honor of honors) an Engadget interview to top it all off. Turns out he’s not backing down in 2008, and spoke out at a Sydney press conference with some fairly constructive criticism for some of Apple’s brightest stars. He expressed concern over the 24 hour limit for iTunes movie rentals, and doesn’t see the Apple TV taking off just yet, though he sees it as a “good indication of the future.” Woz was less kind to the iphone, saying he was “really disappointed” at the iPhone’s introduction, due to the lack of 3G. (Read the full post about ‘Woz strikes again: disappointed by iPhone, wary about MacBook Air and Apple TV’…)

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Apple phoned me on Thursday informing me I was not cool enough to review their Apple TV.  Part way through my preparation for Hara-Kiri, I found this review and learned maybe it was OK Apple doesn’t want me to play with it.  Based on the results of this review, maybe Apple was only thinking of me?  Here is the salient point from trusted Ars: As for me, I want to love the Apple TV, I do. I might be a little less susceptible to the RDF than I was a few years ago, but I’m still an ipod-carrying, MacBook-using fan of Cupertino, Steve, and the Ive. So the Apple TV ought to tick my boxes, but it just doesn’t quite do it. The Apple TV is a bit too restrictive in what you can and can’t do with it. (Read the full post about ‘Apple TV 2 review: un-wowed’…)

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Now here’s a neat looking DIY project, putting your Magellan GPS navigation system to different use, by integrating it into a robot. Robots traverse a pre-defined course dealing with various obstacles along the way. Waypoints may be marked with objects that the robot must touch or come within a specified distance. The robots will be guided primarily by GPS and vision systems. Robots will be fully autonomous, but do not necessarily have to be self contained, i.e. it is ok to have a laptop with a wireless or even wired link to the robot. Sounds like a totally innovative remote controlled robot to toy around with! (Read the full post about ‘GPS-Guided Robot’…)

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First reports on the new ASUS R70a UMPC indicates that it is not exactly a hot UMPC by any means, but it should still get the job done. It is pretty big and bulky machine, but otherwise it has nice features. One of the weird things is that it doesn’t seem to come with a keyboard. To begin with, it features a 7-inch screen, runs Windows Vista, reportedly has a 120GB hard drive, and sports a 1.6GHz processor - no word on which Intel this is. Unfortunately, no more details have been released about the inside of the R70a. However, on the outside it boasts 2 USB ports, a memory card slot, and a stand to prop it up while watching videos. It bears similar controls to it’s little brother, the R50a. (Read the full post about ‘ASUS shows off new R70a UMPC at CeBIT’…)

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The rumor mill has it that new 40GB PS3s are heading towards the US, and these shipments come with the model number CECHH01, which means that is the model number for the white PS3. I know that the insides are all the same, but just like cars, people make their choices based on colors as well. I guess this is where Henry Ford lacked vision when he decided to paint it black all those years ago. It seems as though the rumored white versions won’t be available for sale until the black PS3 and Spider-Man 3 bundles are sold out. Of course, you can still opt for the standard 40GB black console if you like, but white is so much cooler (just ask the ipod, Wii and DS Lite). (Read the full post about ‘White PS3s Shipping?’…)

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Product: U23D movie experience Price and Availability: $8.25, matinée, in theaters now Rating: 9/10 Pros: 3D, the wave of the future?  Real enough I had to fight the urge to clap in between numbers Cons: Sound wasn’t nearly loud enough, price was more than your regular movie Overall: I believe studios will be making lots more of these up-market movies, audiences have shown they are willing to pay more for 3D.  The quality of the movie was great.  The 3D effects made watching fun. Diclaimer: I am a U2 fan.  Not a superfan by any stretch of the imagination; they lost me in the Joshua Tree years.  I’ve not been to one of their concerts before and refuse to shell out the cash they demand at this point.  But what I would have given to see them at Red Rocks cutting “under a blood red sky”. (Read the full post about ‘Gadgetell Review: U23D’…)

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Star of the MWC show in my eyes this year was undoubtedly the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 super-smartphone. Pitched squarely at the Nokia E90 and the Apple iphone, and combining features of both, this gorgeous looking phone has everything -all the features you could possibly need (HSPDA, HSUPA, GPS, 3G, 3 inch touchscreen and a 3.2 megapixel camera), a superb new user interface running on top of Windows Mobile 6, and looks to die for. At the time of the show, we had to make do with press release pics from Sony Ericsson, but as time has gone on, a few more pics have emerged of this glorious new smartphone. More pics of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 after the jump. (Read the full post about ‘Preview Pictures of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1′…)

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Here is some more USB goodness for you. This time, it’s not a toy or some novelty that sits on your desk sucking small amounts of power out of your computer, but something with a great deal of utility. The Powerstick is a essentially a portable battery that charges up by plugging into any USB slot. It can then in turn re-charge practically any mobile device, as long as there is an adapter available for it. So far, they (Powerstick) have adapters for things like cell phones (popular brands include: Sony Ericsson, LG, Nokia, Apple, blackberry, Samsung and Motorola), iPods and other devices that charge using mini-USB adapters (ex: Bluetooth headsets). Gimme! (Read the full post about ‘Powerstick: Emergency Power in a USB Stick for your Mobile Devices’…)

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Posted Mar 3rd 2008 4:31AM by Ryan BlockFiled under: Misc. gadgets Wipe that look off your face, it should be completely clear by now that as time progresses, the probability of a concept or thing — any concept or thing — being made into some form of USB-powered device approaches one. Around here we just call it Engadget’s Law.[Via technabob] (Read the full post about ‘USB Boxer floats like a butterfly, stings like a 500mA USB current’…)

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