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Showing posts from January, 2010

Heart-Shaped USB Flash Drive

Now you can truly hold your precious memories close to your heart with this heart-shaped USB drive . This USB flash drive is a unique gift that can store photos or documents on up to 32MB of memory. Not very much memory for a ton of pictures, but you can use it to store only pictures that are closest to your heart. It comes in a nice decorative box, and it's connected to a nice chain as well. This will make a great Valentine's Day gift for that special, "geeky" someone.

Sony Love Reader

Romance Sony e-Reader This special edition e-reader from Sony features an all pink leather exterior - of course. Especially for Valentine's Day, this e-book reader comes with a special offer that gives you 14 free Harlequin romance novels with your purchase. If your woman loves to read, this may be the perfect gift for her. This e-book is only available until February 11, at a price of $299, so hurry-up and get yours before they're gone.

80GB Zune

Zunes Microsoft has been bitten by the love-bug this year, and they've decided to release a limited edition 80GB Zune in both red and pink colors. Microsoft has even designed 20 new Valentine's Day laser-engraved designs that can be etched into the back of these lovable Zunes. This special edition MP3 player is only available for a limited time, so don't procrastinate on this one. The retail price for pretty player is $250.

Valentine's Day Gadget

Myth: Women hate gadget gifts. Truth: We know (from experience, believe it or not) that isn't true. While the old adage about never giving a woman a gift that plugs in is generally good advice, it's more rooted in men thoughtlessly giving presents they like than the often-erroneous assumption that gals and gadgets don't mix. All you need to do is pair some thought with your tech toy, and you just might reach her On switch. But where to start? That's where we come in. Guys, we've got 10 Valentine's Gifts for your sweetheart — from tech fashion to MP3 players made for romance — to help you navigate your way through this delicate obstacle course. Yes, buying gadgets for women can be done successfully. Click Continue to see us prove it. 10. FireJewel Necklace: Well-Lighted Place This little bangle has been personally tested by your humble narrator here at DVICE. The FireJewel is an elegan

Making an Pulsating LED Love heart for valentine Gift

Is your partner a little geekish? If cute little gadgets is what your valentine loves, this is your pick. It's your chance to test their fervor with the all so romantic PCB, LED flashing heart. I must say it's a great thought.

Diamonds are For Your iPhone

We have seen a lot of really useless gadgets coming out in the market lately that are priced comparably higher than what is expected. However, how would you feel about your son asking you an iPhone for his birthday? Yeah sure, son, why not? But then, the iPhone costs a whopping $3.2 million. Well, there's at least one person in the world that doesn't care that much about hard earned money and actually bought the $3.2 million iPhone 3GS. he iPhone 3GS was originally built for the standard consumer. It features most of what people are asking for, such as Wi-Fi, touch screen interface, apps, portability and a lot more. Therefore, when the iPhone was launched, the world went berserk and tried to get one for themselves. However, one crazy (sorry, but we really thing this is a nut case) person actually pushed the limit and bought himself the iPhone 3GS, gold-plated, diamond studded and all. The 3.2 million dollar iPhone 3GS is the brainchild of Stuart Hughes, a famous designer of eli

General Resouces

US Environmental Protection Agency 's Plug-In To eCycling Program is an extensive guide to national and local resources, partnered with many major manufacturers and service providers to help ensure our "garbage" goes to the right place. call 2 recycle - a program for mobile phone and rechargeable battery recycling. Wireless... the New Recyclable - Extensive resources, information, and partnerships for mobile phone recycling. Greener Gadgets - A yearly conference held in New York City focusing on environmentally sound gadget design, reclamation, reuse, and recycling. The site also has a great list of electronics recycling resources. Electronics Takeback Coalition - Maintains a site which will help you get rid of some of those old televisions you've got hiding in cupboards. Did you know that the EPA estimates that there are almost 100 million of those in the US? Goodwill Industries, Inc - Goodwill accepts charitable donations of old computers and equipment. When all els

Retail Stores

Best Buy - Best Buy's Recycling program will take "nearly any" old electronic for free, though there is a $10 charge (with a $10 Best Buy gift certificate compensation) for TVs 32" and under, CRTs, monitors and laptops. Costco - Costco's Trade-In Program offers a trade-in for electronics, with customers receiving Costco gift certificates in exchange. GameStop - GameStop's well known games trade-in program includes end of life recycling by the company. Sam's Club - Sam's Club offers a website for registering and returning electronics for members. WalMart - Operates a free cellphone recycling program. Customers can print a free shipping label on the site. WalMart is also partnered with Gazelle for trade-ins worth WalMart prepaid Visa cards. Radio Shack - Radio Shack has a battery recycling program, as well as a cellphone recycling program in conjunction with Call2Recycle.

Wireless Carriers

A T&T - AT&T Reuse and Recycle Sprint - Sprint / Nextel's Wireless Buyback and Project Connect Recycling Programs T-Mobile - T-Mobile Handset Recycling Verizon Wireless - Verizon Wireless Hopeline Phone Recycling

Individual companies

Acer - Acer Recycling Program - Acer's recycling program is limited, and varies state by state. Currently, it accepts any product manufacted by Acer in California, Connecticut, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington. Apple - Apple Recycling Program - Apple's recycling and takeback varies a bit from state-to-state. The company currently offers free old equipment takeback (of any make or model) with the purchase of a new Mac, and also offers anytime computer and iPod mail-in recycling with the purchase of a $30 pre-paid shipping label on the site. ASUS - ASUS Green ASUS Takeback and Recycling Program - ASUS has partnered with Metech Recycling for free takeback of ASUS-manufactured products. Consumers can fill out an online form, and will be mailed a shipping label to return their old gear. A fee applies for non-ASUS products. Canon - Canon Recycling Program Canon offers takeback recycling on all of its consumer products. Shipping label is sent via email after regi

How to recycle your old gadgets

We see a lot of gadgets come in the door here at Engadget. In fact, getting them in the door is actually the easy part... it's getting them back out that's a bit confusing. Recycling -- something that most of us do on a day-to-day basis with our trash -- is a bit stickier when it comes to gadgets. In recent years, however, most major consumer electronics companies have stepped up their games a bit and begun "take back" recycling programs of their own. There are a lot of resources out there if you want to rid yourself of old gadgets in a responsible way, but it can be a pretty overwhelming prospect, especially if (like us) you have an actual pile of old cellphones which has been growing since 1998. We thought about that a lot, and decided to try to make sense of all the wild masses of information out there on the internet, and to provide our readers a central location to look for all that information. Read on and see what we've come up with! Like we said, there i

Video Eyewear

The Wrap 920AR video eyewear was introduced by Vuzix at CES last week. The Wrap 920AR is mentioned as the world’s first augmented & mixed reality sunglass-style video eyewear with integrated stereo cameras. The eywear enables users to view the real-world environment and computer-generated imagery seamlessly mixed together. The stereo camera pair delivers a single 1504 x 480 side-by-side image that can be viewed in 3D stereoscopic video, while the video eyewear provides an unprecedented 67-inch display as seen from 10 feet. Set to be available in 2nd quarter of 2010 for about $800, the Wrap 920AR features: • 1/3-inch wide VGA Digital Image Sensor • Resolution: 752H x 480W • Includes 6 Degree-of-Freedom Tracker • Frame rate: 60 fps • Dynamic range: >55dB linear; >80-100dB in HiDy mode • Shutter efficiency: >99% • ADC Resolution: 10-bit column parallel • High-speed USB 2.0 • PC and Mac compatible • Systems requirements: Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.

Electronic Cigarette

Ever thought how good would it be if there was a way to reduce the harm of cigarettes without giving up the habit of smoking? Here is the answer, Myvic Electronic Cigarette is a revolutionary new product which is drastically healthier than traditional smoking. It will improve your health while giving the same sensations as ordinary cigarettes. There are more than 4000 chemicals found in the ordinary cigarettes, of which at least 400 are harmful for the human body. They contain, tar, carbon monoxide, benzene, acetone, formaldehyde, arsenic and many others. This chemicals contribute to lung cancer and many other diseases associated with cigarette smoking. While using Myvic Electronic Cigarette you have to change nicotine refills, which range from high concentrate nicotine to zero nicotine content. The refill contains nicotine and propylene glycol (harmless to human body). Nicotine is not believed to cause cancer, and compared to all the chemicals inhaled while smoking ordinary cigarett

iGo Power Smart Wall

I had a chance to visit iGo’s meeting room at CES last week, and they promised me a product that could help me get rid of the “Vampire Power”. Even though I’m not a Twilight fan, they had me at the word Vampire. iGo explained to me that devices that are turned off and plugged into the wall still consume power. This is the Vampire Power that they were talking about, and devices like this Power Smart Wall will cause me to suck less (power). The Power Smart Wall is about the size of an ordinary outlet with 2 plugs. It fits right over the outlet, and the Wall itself has 4 outlets that the user can use. Two of these outlets are for devices that are always on, that need continuous power. The other two use iGo Green Technology, and will automatically power down the outlets when not in use. For example, if you have a laptop that is already charged, the Power Smart Wall will cut the unnecessary power that it would have drawn. According to iGo, the Power Smart Wall can “reduce standby power

Ultra-Portable 3.5 Inch Touch Screen GPS Navigator

Ultra-Portable 3.5 Inch Touch Screen GPS Navigator + Media Features. This model comes with a user-friendly menu navigation system for the best user experience possible from a portable GPS Navigator. Are you a more or less an "average" driver who would only use a GPS navigator occasionally? Then you certainly don't need all the bells and whistles that normally comes with the more expensive types of GPS systems, right? Well, whatever means of transportation you're using, be it car, bike or even on foot, we present to you this unique ultra portable GPS navigator that smoothly fits in your pocket or carry-on bag and supports all of today's most popular GPS software’s such as TomTom and Route66. The CVGY-CS12 is designed to work straight out of the box, all you have to do is insert your GPS SD card and that's it! The embedded software makes it very easy to access the menu systems and select your desired location quickly - even for beginners! So if your tired of alw

Two-Way Spy Audio Device with Auto Call Feature

This two way GSM audio spy device calls you from anywhere in the world when it detects sounds around its vicinity. How awesome is that? Simply insert a GSM SIM card and program it to your desired phone number for call back and start doing your spy business from anywhere in the world! Trying to find out the truth about what's being said behind your back? Now you can and from anywhere in the world. You can even place several CVKA-G108 spy audio devices and set them up at your desired locations like your bedroom, living room, conference room or office. Just insert a SIM card into the audio spy device, send a text message containing the activation letters as stated in the products user manual (e.g. followed by your cellphone number from your mobile phone, then your bug is active and ready for action! The CVKA-G108 is a quad-band product that supports the four global standard GSM frequencies (850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, and 1900MHz), so you can be confident of it working anywhere in

Galactus - Cellphone Watch With Video Camera + Media Player

The Galactus is part rugged watch, part DV camera, part digital audio and video player, and 100% cellphone! First and foremost, this unit is a high quality quad band GSM (850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz) unlocked mobile phone that fits on your wrist. Stick in a SIM card and use it as a highly convenient mobile phone. This phone features a high quality touchscreen LCD display and virtual keypad for quick dialing and texting while on the go. It also comes with a great Bluetooth headset for further versatility. Not only is the Galactus a wrist mount cellular phone, it also contains a digital still and video camera, makings this unit a real wrist-top command center! The camera lens is conveniently situated left of the clock number 3 position so you can take photos and videos conspicuously or inconspicuously - yes, it's a cell phone / spy watch all in one! Connect the watch to your computer and download your days photos and videos so you can relive all the days events. Nothing could

Super Radio (Streaming Internet, DAB+, iPod/iPhone Dock)

It's a DAB+ radio! It's an Internet radio! It's a iPhone docking station! It's a ... Super Radio! All that power from one device, is it possible? Yes, the E63 Super Radio gives you all the most popular 21st century entertainment options, and comes with a classic radio style housing and interface that is easy for everyone to use. DAB+ : It stands for Digital Audio Broadcasting Plus, and it's the standard by which many countries around the world broadcast crystal clear and free digital radio! These countries include: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Catalonia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Malaysia, Monaco, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Vietnam, United Kingdom Why are digital radio receivers so cool? Because DAB+ receivers (like this one) are able to

Linksys CIT400 Dual-Mode Skype/Landline Internet Phone

About a year ago, I started working from home. I wanted to install an office line - but I needed something I could take with me if I ever moved (which, a year later, we did move to a different state). In reviewing the options, I knew I wouldn't be using the phone too much, so I decided to go with Skype as a provider - primarily due to the low cost of the Skype service. However, I didn't want Internet telephone service on my PC. I wanted a real phone to use. The Linksys CIT400 really fit the bill for ease of use, reliability, and features. After a year's use, I can tell you this is really a nice phone. It features support for Skype AND a hardwired phone line - so I can just have one phone in my office for my business line and my home line. Product Description The Linksys CIT400 Dual-Mode Cordless Phone with Skype is part of the iPhone family of products that use the Internet to enhance the way you communicate. The CIT400 is a full-featured cordless phone that provides an

Gibson's new HD.6X-Pro digital guitar hits the market

This one has been in the cooker for quite a while now, but Gibson has finally released its HD.6X-Pro Guitar System, known as the HD Les Paul amongst the cool kids. The new guitar marks quite a shift for Gibson, featuring an all digital setup, and uses a Cat5 cable instead of a regular guitar cord to transfer your musics to an amp or computer. Gibson calls this technology MaGIC, and it allows you to transfer string data from all six strings individually, along with a mic signal and a full-on six string signal (the normal kind). MaGIC also supports two channels of upstream, to offer a stereo monitor to the player. Most of the "MaGIC" happens inside "BoB" the Breakout Box, which converts the digital info into analog, and can send each string or combinations of strings to different amps. You can also plug the guitar straight into your computer, to record the digital signal directly, for which all necessary plugins are included, and the eventual plan is to allow for jam

electro cabaret artist and home keyboard extremist

The first of the Casio digital guitars. I am familiar with the larger DG-10 and it’s midi enabled cousin the DG-20 but I was pleasantly surprised to find out about an even rarer DG, the DG-1. Smaller body and less range on the fret board (how many frets, anyone know?) and lacking a few of the features of the 10 and 20 but I think it is marvellous because it can actually fit in a keyboard case with that is holding more than three other casios. I have only seen one in Australia – it belongs to ToyDeath who had a Japanese fan send it to them. Currently it is being used by Michael Lira who’s band, Viscious Hairy Mary were one of the best acts on the scene in the 90’s. Darth Vegas is Mikey’s current project and they are utterly awesome. If in oz and they are playing, GO! (no promises you will see the DG-1 but you do get to see contemporary cultures equivalent of Klaus Wunderlich – Svetlana on midi accordian. I digress. The DG-1 appeared in 1987 – the nylon strings are merely to activate th

Yamaha S70XS New Standard in Performance Keyboards

HANDS-ON 1. Performance Creator lets you roll your own splits, layers, and drum performance setups with minimum button pushing. 2. Dedicated octave-shift and transpose buttons are placed so you could hit them with a free finger of a hand that’s playing a chord. 3. These backlit buttons select parts of splits and layers, and turn them on or off. 4. Just below, these buttons activate and latch the arpeggiator for each of the four independent parts. 5. These toggle buttons select which four parameters the knobs control (filter/envelope, EQ, etc.), so you’re never more than one click away from the function you want. 6. Faders have four pages of functions: volume and panning for parts, and sends for the master chorus and reverb. 7. There’s enough real estate here to park a small laptop or a tabletop synth module. 8. DAW Remote button turns the S70XS into a control surface for DP, Logic, or Sonar — or the included Cubase AI software, for which the integration goes especially deep. PROS Great

Ricoh GXR Preview

In the short, frenetic history of the digital camera it has often been the smaller, less high profile manufacturers who have taken all the risks and experimented with more unconventional designs and solutions. For despite all the technological advances in the last decade the majority of digital cameras have designs that follow the same basic blueprint as their analog predecessors: they're essentially the same cameras with a sensor in the place of film. This is especially true in the interchangeable lens camera sector, where the big players (coincidentally those who led the market in the days of film), hampered by the need (desire) to retain compatibility with their legacy analog systems, produce digital SLRs that would feel reassuringly familiar to any photographer from the late '80s or early '90s who by choice or circumstance had missed out on the digital revolution. This year has seen the first serious challenges to the dominance of the single lens reflex (a desig

Hartblei Superrotator Macro 120mm F4 TS review

Hartblei is a not a manufacturer well-known to the average photographer - the company occupies a small and specialised niche in the high-end lens market, making perspective control (tilt and shift) lenses using its unique 'Superrotator' barrel design. The optics are adapted from lenses which were originally designed for 6x6cm medium format cameras, and Hartblei exploits the resultant large image circle (85mm in diameter, essentially twice that required by the 35mm full-frame format) to provide a range of movements. The lenses can be shifted by up to 10mm off-centre, and tilted by up to 8 degrees; most impressively the directions of tilt and shift can be set completely freely with respect to each other and the camera (a capability recently imitated by Canon with its TS-E 17mm F4 L and TS-E 24mm F3.5 L II lenses). Almost all DSLR systems are supported, with Hartblei making versions in Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Pentax mounts, and even offering models for the now-defunct Leica R a

Nikon D3000 Review

There is a temptation amongst those of us that shoot with and test DSLRs for a living to be more than a little dismissive about entry-level cameras like the Nikon D3000. However, first-time DSLR buyers are enormously important to camera manufacturers, and the competition amongst them for a share of the entry-level market is intense. The D60, which is replaced by the D3000, was Nikon's best-selling DLSR, and it is the success of products like this that drives the development of everything from low-end Coolpix models to the recently announced professional level D3s. But the success of entry-level DSLRs isn't just good news for camera manufacturers - today's 'low end' offerings are highly specified, powerful tools, which - had they been released a few years ago - would have commanded much higher prices than they do today. With the 6 million pixel D40, released in 2006, Nikon made a decision to create a completely different type of DSLR to its previous low-end of

Pentax K-x Review, December 2009

The Pentax K-x sits in the slot previously occupied by the company's K200D - one of the best-specified entry-level DSLRs on the market in its time - though that position has now been elevated by the arrival of a new breed of simplified models below it. In Pentax's line-up that means the K2000/K-m designed to entice compact camera users into DSLR ownership with its easy-to-use interface and diminutive scale, and it's that camera the K-x is immediately reminiscent of (they share the same body). Despite its compact size and use of AA batteries, there is more than a hint of the K-7 about the new model's specifications. It gains the K-7's 11-point AF system and PRIME II imaging engine, along with its abilities to correct for chromatic aberration and distortion when using Pentax DA and DFA lenses. It also features an orientation sensor. While, unlike the K-m, on the K-x you can now at least select the active AF-point, it's still not displayed in the viewfinde

Leica X1 Review Andy Westlake, December 2009

If there's been one welcome development in 2009, it's the rise of relatively compact cameras with large sensors ( i.e. APS-C, or the smaller Four Thirds size). For a long time Sigma seemed to be the only company willing to take a gamble on there being a genuine market for such beasts, starting with the slightly rough-and-ready DP1 (released in March last year), which was followed up by the much-improved DP2 earlier this year. But then Olympus launched its retro-styled Micro Four Thirds E-P1, Panasonic replied with the GF1, and into a sector which, if not yet exactly crowded, is at least starting to look like if can be described as 'burgeoning', there now comes the Leica X1. The mere mention of the name 'Leica' causes certain photographers' hearts to beat just a little bit faster; this sole survivor of the once-mighty German camera industry is one of the very few genuine 'heritage' brands left. The company's long-running reputation for sheer eng

Olympus E-620 Review, July 2009, by Richard Butler and Lars Rehm

Olympus has established a tradition of offering very well specified cameras at the entry-level, and was one of the first to offer two cameras in this bracket - the little E-410 and its image-stabilized big brother, the E-510 (later upgraded to the 420 and 520 respectively). Now it has introduced the E-620, a model that will 'sell alongside' the E-420 and E-520 (in the sense that we suspect it will eventually replace the E-520) as the company's attempt at a '500D-killer'. And, even by Olympus's standards of entry-level generosity, it's not short on toys - including an articulated screen to make full use of its live view system, which itself is one of the better implementations of this feature (from the company that got there first). It's also got 'Art' modes and the ability to shoot in four different aspect ratios - adapted from the features of the more expensive E-30. There's also in-body Image Stabilization and a level of configurability

Features searchSide-by-sideDSLR buying guide Top Cameras...

Format Interchangeable lens camera Price (street) $829.33 Also known as New Product Release Status Max resolution 4592 x 3056 Low resolution 4592 x 2576, 3344 x 2224, 3344 x 1872, 2288 x 1520, 2288 x 1280 Image ratio w:h 3:2, 16:9 Effective pixels 14.2 million Sensor photo detectors 14.9 million Sensor size 23.4 x 15.6 mm (3.65 cm²) Pixel density 3.9 MP/cm² Sensor type CMOS Sensor manufacturer Sony ISO rating Auto, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800 Zoom wide (W) Zoom tele (T) Digital zoom No Image stabilization Yes, Sensor-shift Auto Focus 9-point AF with center cross Manual Focus Yes Normal focus range Macro focus range White balance override Six positions plus manual and kelvin Aperture range Min shutter 30 sec Max shutter 1/4000 sec Built-in