Robots Have a Sex Life? (NSFW)

Michael Sullivan has a thing for robots, sex and stop-motion animation. His ongoing film project, The Sex Life of Robots, shows animated bots practicing moves that seem to be ripped right out of a twisted, industrial Kama Sutra.

Sullivan fabricates his robot "actors" out of Barbie dolls, G.I. Joe action figures and other toys. His procreating pornobots were originally going to star in a robot war movie.

"It was going to be all violence, all the time," says Sullivan in a video interview with Wired.com (above). But then he decided to make love, not war.

As usual, on-screen sex turned out to be far more controversial than on-screen violence ever would have been. A teaser clip for The Sex Life of Robots got yanked from YouTube.

"Somebody's mom complained, you know, because they didn't want their kid watching, you know, some robot stick his dick in a horse's butt," Sullivan said.

Clips of The Sex Life of Robots and an exhibition of some of Sullivan's risqué robot sculptures are now on temporary display at Manhattan's Museum of Sex.

Solar Hybrids Soak Up the Sun

Solar pioneer Greg Johanson set a world record for the fastest speed in a sun-powered car way back in 1986. That car, Sunrunner, has since been retired and its solar array relegated to some California rooftop, but Johanson is still building cars fueled by the sun. Now you can too.

Johanson and the guys at Solar Electrical Vehicles will slap a solar panel on just about anything, and they've developed a DIY kit for the Toyota Prius that he says provides up to 20 miles of range and boosts fuel economy up to 29 percent. The company is testing its first solar energy system exclusively for hybrids in four "PV Prius" prototypes and a "PV Highlander."

"Designing solar modules to be hooked up to cars has always been one of Greg Johanson's pet projects," company spokesman Billy Bautista tells us. "He has now finally developed that idea, and SEV hopes to be making sales deliveries by early next year."

SEV is working with Kyocera to develop the solar modules, which are fabricated from fiberglass and sold as kits you install with help from an instructional DVD. A DC-DC converter connects the module directly to the nickel-metal hydride battery in your Prius.

The system can generate as many as 1,300 watt-hours a day, enough to give your solar Prius a solar-power range of 5 to 8 miles, according to the company's white paper. Couple that with the NiMH battery and you're looking at an all-electric range of up to 20 miles, the company says. That's enough to boost fuel economy 17 to 29 percent.

SEV knows the kit's $3,500 asking price is a decent chunk of change — particularly when gas is somewhere around a buck-sixty a gallon — but it hopes to continue refining the technology with an eye toward making it more affordable. As it stands, SEV realizes the kit will probably appeal only to hard-core greenies. "Production costs were raised due to the recent economic downturn," said Bautista. "So right now, we're focusing on catering to the environmentally friendly."

And the PV Prius is nothing if not environmentally friendly. The solar conversion extends battery life and cuts CO2 emissions by at least 9,000 pounds over the life of the car, the company says.

SEV is working with Ford to develop solar modules for its hybrids and hopes to strike a deal with General Motors to design one for the Chevrolet Volt. It also is trying to get the government to offer tax incentives so customers can break even on the cost after two or three years.

Rumor: New Mac Mini Coming to Macworld 2009

Apple will launch an upgrade to its low-end desktop, the Mac Mini, at January's Macworld Expo in San Francisco, according to an Apple corporate employee who contacted Wired.com.

The source, who wished to remain anonymous (to keep his job), could not disclose details about the Mac Mini other than its upcoming announcement at Macworld Expo, which begins Jan. 5. That's where CEO Steve Jobs traditionally launches major products during his famous keynotes (assuming he does indeed show up).

An upgrade to the Mac Mini is long overdue: The product hasn't seen a refresh since August 2007, and Apple computers normally have a life cycle of roughly six months. This long period of silence led many to speculate that Apple was going to drop the Mac Mini from its product line. However, Apple has shown no signs of discontinuing the product. It's also noteworthy that although Apple has been quiet about Mac Mini sales numbers, the diminutive desktop appears to be selling quite well. For example, the Mac Mini has been among the top 5 of Amazon's best selling desktops; it currently stands at No. 3.

Though our source confirms there will be a new Mac Mini announced January, it's unlikely this will be Apple's big product launch at the show. (Last year's major Macworld announcement was the MacBook Air; the year before that was the iPhone.) However, speculation about Apple's next major Macworld launch has been surprisingly quiet, so word about the Mac Mini is the most we have so far.

Here's what Wired.com believes will be in the next Mac Mini, based on trends seen in Apple's latest products:

• Similar to the MacBooks, the Mac Mini will sport a silver enclosure composed of a block of aluminum.
• Some internal parts will be PVC-free, and combined with its size and low power requirements, Apple will tout this as the "greenest Mac ever."
• For video output, the Mac Mini will use the DRM-crippled DisplayPort for connectivity, which Apple is offering to manufacturers for a no-fee license.
• It'll have a CD-DVD slot loader (i.e. Super Drive). There will be no Blu-ray player, because Steve Jobs believes the format is a "bag of hurt."
• It'll ship with 2 GB of RAM, expandable to 4 GB — up from the current 1 GB, expandable to 2 GB. (The aluminum case should make expanding RAM easier than in the original Mini.)
• It'll ship with at least a 160-GB hard drive.
• The Mac Mini will come in two options with different processor speeds: a 2.0-GHz Core 2 Duo and a 2.3-GHz Core 2 Duo (up from 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz).
• Like the higher-end MacBook and MacBook Pro, the 2.3-GHz Mac Mini will ship with an Nvidia video card, making this higher-end model a decent gaming device.
• The 2.0-GHz Mac Mini will ship with an Intel video card, perhaps the GMA X3100 graphics card found in the low-end, white MacBook.
• The slower model will cost $500, and the faster model will cost $700 ($100 less than the current Mac Minis), in light of the recession.

World's First Computer Rebuilt, Rebooted After 2,000 Years

A British museum curator has built a working replica of a 2,000-year-old Greek machine that has been called the world's first computer.

A dictionary-size assemblage of 37 interlocking dials crafted with the precision and complexity of a 19th-century Swiss clock, the Antikythera mechanism was used for modeling and predicting the movements of the heavenly bodies as well as the dates and locations of upcoming Olympic games.

The original 81 shards of the Antikythera were recovered from under the sea (near the Greek island of Antikythera) in 1902, rusted and clumped together in a nearly indecipherable mass. Scientists dated it to 150 B.C. Such craftsmanship wouldn't be seen for another 1,000 years — but its purpose was a mystery for decades.

Many scientists have worked since the 1950s to piece together the story, with the help of some very sophisticated imaging technology in recent years, including X-ray and gamma-ray imaging and 3-D computer modeling.

Now, though, it has been rebuilt. As is almost always the way with these things, it was an amateur who cracked it. Michael Wright, a former curator at the Science Museum in London, has built a replica of the Antikythera, which works perfectly.

In the video from New Scientist below, Wright shows how the machine works.

In short, Antikythera's user interface is deceptively simple, operated by a simple knob on the side. This conceals the intricacy within, amounting to a complex mathematical model, tracking the movements of planetary bodies and incorporating a series of submechanisms to account for the eccentricities of their rotation.

A dial on the faceplace featured the Greek zodiac and an Egyptian calendar; pointers showed the location of the moon and the five planets known at the time. On the machine's back, an upper dial shows a 19-year calendar (matching the solunar cycle) and the timing of upcoming Olympic games. A lower dial shows a 76-year cycle (when the Olympic and solunar cycles coincide) and indicates the months in which lunar and solar eclipses can be expected.

According to New Scientist, this is the first working model of the Antikythera computer to include all of the device's known features. And, like the original machine, it has been built of recycled metal plates. That's right: The Antikythera mechanism is not only the world's oldest computer, it's also the world's first green computer.

Laptop Pillows for Tired Notebooks

As you would imagine, here at Gadget Lab we get a lot of crap gumming up our inboxes, which we then mine for the precious nuggets of gold that we bring to you, our faithful readers. This morning, I found these laptop pillows waiting for me.

At first sight, I rubbed my hands and cackled in anticipation of the hatchet job I would perform on these soft, plush laptop trays. "Look!" I would scream, "See how your computers will melt, MELT I say, sitting atop a fabric cushion!" I would have then attempted a rather pained pun on the words insulate and insult, which – after a few cigarettes and a little consideration – I would have mercifully dropped from the copy.

However, these lap-cosies are not all bad. They may be soft, but the buttons on the "Button Pillow" (left) and the open construction of the "Log Pillow" allow some air flow, possibly more than a harder surface that remains closer to the computer's hot underside.

Constructed variously from hemp, buckwheat (for the stuffing) and other organic fabrics, they also offer some bonus points for the hippy-minded, and the Log even deconstructs and can be built into an uncomfortable-looking triangular pillow.

The prices, though, are high. At $80 each, you might want to try out my alternative, free method. An aluminum baking sheet and a couch cushion. Comfort and cooling in one.

Analyst Predicts Apple Netbooks for Macworld 2009

An analyst is betting Apple will introduce a pair of netbooks in January, even though Steve Jobs just two months ago said he wasn't ready to.

"I don't have any inside information," said Ezra Gottheil, a Technology Business Research analyst, in an interview with Computerworld. "This is just by triangulation."

Gottheil backs his speculation by noting the declining state of the economy as well as the booming success of inexpensive netbooks. These factors combined will force Apple to introduce a netbook as soon as January at Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Gottheil says.

However, Gottheil's guess comes as nothing new. Using the same reasoning (i.e., the collapsing economy and the low cost of netbooks), some analysts were predicting that Apple would unveil a netbook at its special notebook event in October. But Jobs proved them wrong when he introduced only a refresh for the MacBook family and a new LED cinema display.

Jobs even explicitly said during an October earnings call that he felt the netbook category was too "nascent" for Apple.

"We'll wait and see how that nascent category evolves, and we've got some pretty interesting ideas if it does," said Jobs, during a question-and-answer session.

While it's true Jobs doesn't rule out the possibility of an Apple netbook in the future, I would consider that quote as hinting at plans farther down the line -- not as soon as January. Jobs is a tricky man, but releasing Mac netbooks just two months after saying he isn't ready to would make the CEO come off as a liar.

The rumors have been quiet about what exactly Apple's major launch will be at Macworld Expo. The only solid idea we have for Macworld is that a new Mac Mini is coming, according to an Apple corporate employee who contacted Wired.com. But that hardly sounds exciting enough to be the big item of the event.

So what's going to be the highlight of the show? Your guess is as good as ours (and Gottheil's). We'll continue to dig around and see what we can come up with.

Jobs Won't Appear at Macworld — 2009 to Be Apple's Last Show

Apple announced Tuesday that Macworld 2009 will be the last Macworld show the corporation will attend. Steve Jobs won't be appearing, either, which once again raises questions about the CEO's health.

"Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers," Apple said in a press release.

Apple said Jobs would not appear Jan. 6 for his traditional keynote to announce new products at the show: Philip Schiller, Apple senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, will take the CEO's place. This should come as a surprise to Apple fanatics and investors alike, who will, without a doubt, bring up discussion about Jobs' health: The CEO is a pancreatic-cancer survivor. He made his last public appearance Oct. 14 to unveil new MacBooks.

"Whoa, the end of an era," tweeted Bruce Evans, better known as "Snaggy," co-author of the popular web comic Joy of Tech.

Reacting immediately to Apple's announcement, another fan published a humorous press release saying Apple had canceled Christmas.

In the weeks before Macworld Expo, Apple's annual trade show, the tech media is filled with predictions about what product Jobs will unveil in his keynote address. Consumer-tech web sites live-blog the speech as it happens, generating their biggest traffic of the year. And the next day, practically every media outlet covers the announcements. Harvard business professor David Yoffie has said the introduction of the iPhone resulted in headlines worth $400 million in free advertising.

In fact, part of the joy of being an Apple customer is anticipating the surprises that Santa Steve brings to Macworld Expo every January.

Apple is pulling out of Macworld as its retail stores grow rapidly: The corporation has expanded from just two stores in 2001 to 240 retail locations worldwide to date. Before the proliferation of Apple stores, Macworld Expo was Apple's major outlet to make contact with the public and give exposure to its products. Since the Apple brand has become so popular, the company has been scaling back on trade shows, which is why Apple plans its final appearance at Macworld for 2009.

Though Apple is backing out, host IDG World Expo said Macworld already still plans to return for another show in January 2010.

"We're on track for a terrific show this year with strong attendance numbers and nearly 500 exhibitors showcasing their products at this January's event," said Paul Kent, general manager of IDG World Expo. "We look forward to many successful years of Macworld to come."

Macworld Expo was first held in January 1985 in San Francisco, and was subsequently hosted twice a year on the East and West coasts. Apple pulled out of the East Coast show in 2003, effectively killing it, though it struggled on for a few more years. Apple cited the same reasons for bowing out then: Growing traffic at its retail stores. Macworld sister shows are also held in Paris and London, but the Tokyo show ended in 2002.

Since 1997, Macworld has drawn huge attention, thanks to Jobs, who took to the stage to introduce new products. And as Apple has grown, so has Macworld Expo: After the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, the show saw a nearly 20 percent increase in attendance, according to IDG, and a further 10 percent increase in 2008.

Apple's move could appear troubling for IDG, the company that owns the Macworld conference as well as the publication that goes by the same name. In addition to Macworld, IDG World Expo also produces the E3 Media gaming show, LinuxWorld and the DEMO tech conference.

"On the one hand, it's quite a surprise," said Dan Moren, an associate editor at Macworld magazine. "I think we've all started to think that Macworld and Steve would be there forever, even despite the questions about his health. On the other hand, the way they lay it out in their press release makes sense from a business perspective.... I'm certainly disappointed by the decision, though I can understand why they're doing it."

Cheap Deals Drive Blu-ray Black Friday Sales

The extensive adoption of the Blu-ray format wasn't going to happen without some serious deals. And it looks like the perfect muddy bath that is the economic recession and the yearly Black Friday deals finally made it happen.

Consumer's diligent search for the cheapest Blu-ray players during Black Friday led to the best sales in the format’s history, market analysts at DisplaySearch are reporting this week.

According to their findings, consumers bought about 147,000 Blu-ray players in the week leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday (not including PS3s). The average price of the Blu-ray players sold was a bit over $200, almost exactly half of the average price of the players from a year ago. So it definitely paid to wait out the Blu-ray-HD DVD format war that was going on at this time last year.

But the most revealing stat is this one: 85% of all the Blu-ray players sold were from Sony and Samsung, both of which finally gave in and offered quality players at low prices ranging from $180 to $200. The majority of the players they sold were the cheap ones.

This shows consumers are more comfortable investing in a young format with brands they know, but are also savvy enough to discern appropriate price values. But it's bad news for lesser-known companies that positioned their even cheaper players as a better alternative. When there's only an $70 difference between the cheapest Sony and a cheap Magnavox Blu-ray, they tended to go for the larger name.

But it's not like every player being sold is a Blu-ray – they only accounted for 25% of video players sold during the week. Sales of DVD players, at about $40 each, also tripled regular sales.

This is a reflection of the main problem Blu-ray has faced in the last few months and one we highlighted two months ago: In the minds of many people, Blu-ray is still not a profound improvement over DVDs and they see no reason to move onto a new format.

Still, according to DisplaySearch research director Paul Gagnon, Blu-ray player sales will go up to 5.31 million in 2009, from about 700,000 in 2007. That's a huge jump that will only be facilitated by the only fact that really matters: format adoption is a reflection of the price, and the bigger the drops by big-name companies, the closer we get to the burial of the DVD.

Sharp Kills Its Zaurus PDAs

Remember the Zaurus? In the early 1990s Sharp introduced a new line of Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs called Zaurus that went on to become a big hit among consumers especially in Japan.

Though initially based on a proprietary operating system, Sharp soon offered Linux-based versions of the PDA. The last model of the Zaurus, the SL-C3200, was released in 2006 and since then it has been all quiet.

With smartphones getting better and now smaller netbooks being all the rage, Zaurus was clearly headed for the deadpool--only Sharp is making it official now.

If you have one of these Zaurus oldies hold on to it. You may want to show it off at the antiques roadshow in a couple of years

Vudu Reveals Open-Source RIA Platform, But is it Enough to Survive Heavy Competition?

In something of a surprise announcement earlier today, streaming video hardware-maker Vudu released a standards-based platform for its set-top box.

It's a daring attempt to bring the expertise of web-based third-party developers to box-based ‘consumer appliances.' We know what they’re thinking: Hey, it worked for Apple's iPhone with the App Store didn't it?

Vudu's RIA (Rich Internet Application) project combines the powers of open-source development to a hardware machine that already did some cool things, like up-converting video to HD quality. The goal of the RIA is to create a facile TV portal for web-based content, something a few other companies have tried with mixed results.

Vudu says that the first set of web applications available are a few "casual games," access to Flickr, Picasa, and YouTube, as well as an on-demand TV option with more than 120 channels, including major networks like NBC and CNN. However, the full RIA won’t be open to developers until later next year.

Edward Lichty, executive VP for Vudu says the new service will be the best way to connect to web services via the TV: “Vudu RIA enables us to quickly open up huge libraries of Web-based content to TVs," while noting that by using Vudu’s high-end user interface and control navigation, as well as its patented TruFilm video render technology (which is quite good), it will offer the best full-media option.

Only recently, Vudu pumped up its regular service by offering movies at 1080p, lowered the price of the box, increased their HD library, and started giving out a $200 download credit to new users.

If all this sounds like a company desperately trying to stay relevant, you're right. Still, these options might not be enough for the company to move back to the front of the pack.

Last year, the Vudu box achieved critical acclaim due to the innovative tech that borrowed from web-based sharing models of the past: the box stores a tiny piece of each movie on its hard drive, and then sends the bit out to other users when called upon. This allowed quality video to download quickly, and the ease of use of the UI was also a step ahead.

This year, however, has led to a significant buzz-drop due to heavy competition. Roku's Netflix box and the AppleTV grew their service by focusing on improved download speeds, better prices, and most significantly, better content deals.

Yes, the Apple TV streams media from networked Macs (and Windows PCs), allows you to rent movies and TV shows, and has access to YouTube videos and Flickr, but it's the funnel-like access to the large library offered by the iTunes store that made it an attractive option. At the same time, this also proved limiting. Many file types couldn’t play on the box, and prices for iTunes HD movies fell a bit on the pricey side.

The Roku, on the other hand, used the large subscriber base of Netflix to roll out a quick launch and its quality movie streaming (instead of downloading) was the 'the textbook definition of a simple setup.' Combined with a nice $100 price, the box quickly became popular.

However, using the Roku means you are still tethered to the limited streaming options made available by Netflix (only 10% of its overall lineup), and you can't access other net apps.

Why Apple Quit Macworld Expo, Forever

Yesterday, our own Brian X Chen wrote about Apple's abandoning of the the Macworld Expo, the yearly (and sometimes twice-yearly) Mac exhibition which has run since 1985. The show has traditionally been a launchpad for new gadgets and geegaws, and is characterized by some rather hysterical speculation in the preceding months. But why has Apple quit the show, and does it really matter? We take a quick look at the causes and effects of this surprise divorce.

Smarten up with the Hugo Boss mobile phone

Tailored touchscreen for fashionistas

Don't fancy Prada? Well, maybe Hugo Boss is more your style - the Hugo Boss mobile phone that is.

Now available in mainland Europe, the Hugo Boss mobile phone is a collaboration with Samsung, offering a finish as black as the suits in the window, as well as a 2.8-inch touchscreen, a 5MP camera, HSDPA connectivity, an MP3 player with tunes 'tailored' by Hugo Boss (we'd guess chart-based R&B , but we could be wrong), an FM radio, microSD slot and the option to customise your interface.

Worried your work colleagues can't see your flashy new handset all day? No problem - an accompanying Boss Bluetooth headset will make sure they know you've spent big. And you'll have to spend, with the phone only offered sim-free, priced around the 500 Euro mark. Which means around £500 in the current economic climate.

Konami announces Metal Gear Solid Touch for iPhone

After a big teaser campaign, Konami has finally taken the wraps off its next Metal Gear Solid enterprise. Unfortunately for Xbox 360 owners, the platform to get your next Metal Gear fix will be the iPhone (and iPod Touch, we’re assuming). The game is due out in Spring, 2009.

Metal Gear Solid Touch is an original game that will feature the world and characters of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. You’ll get eight stages from the outset, but Konami also promises that more will be made available later on. Fans of the series will be able to unlock images and wallpapers for their handsets by earning points from playing the game.

As the name implies, the game will be completely controlled by touchscreen, which Konami claims will make it “simple for anyone to move their alignment or switch to zoom mode.” For all its strengths, Metal Gear games have always suffered a little from complex controls, so it could make for a tricky transition. The mobile gaming aficionados at PocketGamer are also wondering if UK developer Ideaworks3D might be involved in production, following its success with previous mobile adaptations of Metal Gear Solid.

Konami also announced a number of other iPhone plans, including Dance Dance Revolution S Lite, Silent Hill: The Escape and Frogger, which are due for release shortly. With all these big franchises now confirmed for a mobile phone platform, instead of say the Sony PSP or Nintendo DS, this could be a sign that dedicated handheld gaming platforms are soon to be a thing of the past...

Steve Jobs ducks out of Macworld keynote

In a move that’s all but guaranteed to spark fresh ‘Steve Jobs health scare’ headlines, Apple has revealed that its head honcho won’t be hosting the keynote at the annual Macworld trade show in January.

El Jobso’s big speech (or Stevenote) is normally the highlight of the event as he regularly uses the platform to make the more exciting Apple unveils. Last year it was the Macbook Air, before that it was the iPhone. Other announcements have included the Mac Mini, the Safari browser, iTunes and the iMac. The term ‘big deal’ doesn’t even come close.

Keynote duties have been handed over to Phil Schiller, senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. But there’s more: before we even get a chance to see whether Mr Schiller passes muster, Apple will be pulling out of Macworld entirely! The company has announced that January 2009 will be the last time it attends the event.

An official statement reads: “Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple’s Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.”

Or in other words: trade shows are expensive, exhausting and probably not worth the effort. It claims to have already begun scaling back its efforts at other events, including NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo and Apple Expo in Paris. Blame it on the internet.

Phorm could be heading to your ISP

Your web browsing habits exposed in an ad

If you've been browsing some 'niche' sites on the web, those habits could be revealed when Phorm gets its official launch in the UK.

You might well have heard the name before, coupled with the word 'controversial'. You see, Phorm isn't your average advert-producing program. It actually tracks your web browsing habits, producing adverts married to your 'interests'. In some respects, that's no bad thing - a relevant ad is better than an irrelevant one - but the tracking aspect has certainly rattled a few cages.

BT looks like being the first to use it, followed by Virgin Media and Talk Talk. And so far, its not clear whether those ISPs are going to offer it as 'opt in' or 'opt out'. If it's the former, you can't imagine many takers. If it's the latter, an unholy stink could arise. Let's be honest, no-one wants their habits monitored by third-party software without notification, especially when it does nothing but line the pockets of the ISPs.

A recent BT trial has been described as a success and in a statement to the Stock Exchange, the company said it 'expects to move towards deployment'. Which means it is coming soon - you have been warned.

Last.fm comes to Vodafone customers

Share your wacky music tastes with the world

Vodafone has teamed up with UK music community site, Last.fm to produce a dedicated application that will track your listening habits and build them into an online profile for others to see.

On the downside, it’ll mean your secret Elton John collection will be exposed on the worldwide web, but with 21 million active users on Last.fm, you’re probably not alone. The process of collating your listening habbits is called ‘Scrobbling’, and Last.fm uses the scrobbled data to make music recommendations to you based on your indivdual tastes. You can also find like-minded friends and track what they're listening to.

Actually acquiring the Last.fm application has been proving a little tricky at the time of writing. Vodafone is going to put it up on the Vodafone Live! page, but you can get download links sent via SMS to your handset from this website. We’re still waiting for ours to show, but we’ll let you know how it goes when we get it.

There’s a ton of handsets on the compatibility list though, and more, including the Nokia N96, will follow in due course.

In Germany, Vodafone is going to make it possible to connect directly to the Vodafone Music Store from any recommendations that Last.fm makes, so it’ll be a simple process to go from hearing a track you like, to buying it permanently. Vodafone hasn’t revealed whether it’ll be bringing the same service to the UK.

If you’re still on the lookout for more intriguing music applications, we recommend you checkout Music Ally’s absurdly exhaustive list of 200 digital music startups of the past year.

Microsoft rushes to patch Internet Explorer

Hack gets Microsoft on defensive, fast

The severity of a recent security issue with IE has been confirmed by Microsoft, as the company has immediately rushed a patch out.

Microsoft issues patches once a month under normal circumstances, and only changes this in very unusual cases.

The patch is intended to fix a widespread and serious flaw with IE that has seen global exploits.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security company Sophos said: “Microsoft is reacting faster to security threats, and they’ve put a lot of effort into getting this fixed so fast. However, users still have to download and install the patch, which is often overlooked.”

Electric-driven Bicycle

Today, when the prices on gas are getting sky-high, many people started to use bicycles. Ride on bicycle is health-giving procedure, so it will be a good idea to go to work on your bike instead of taking your car. However, the ride can be very exhausting, especially if you need to ride uphill, or the distance is more than a mile. Of course, you can get yourself a scooter, but that will eliminate all health-giving portion of your ride, and it uses gas to work. So, is there a way to help you travel long distances without completely wasting the profit of riding a bike? Of course there is.

This bike is created to help all those unlucky ones, who need to travel long distances and are getting tired quickly. It is called E+ Electric bike, and it looks just like any ordinary mountain bike you have already seen. However, it is not a usual one. It can travel up to 20 miles per hour without the need for you to pedal, thanks to two electric motors, which are beautifully placed in the center of each wheel. On a single charge, this bike can carry you up to 20 miles without any work from your part, and if you combine the engine work with your own, the distance will raise to 40 miles. This bike can surely be used just like an ordinary mountain bike, so if you feel yourself capable of going without any help - you are free to do this. There is no information about additional weight that is caused by two motors attached, but in any case, the behavior of this vehicle will not be different from usual bike.

This bike can be very useful thing to buy if you often travel and want to save money on gas. You can ride it like a usual bike and it will be hard to tell that it is not a regular one. Nevertheless, the prices on this vehicle ($1,100 - $3,495) will make you think twice before choosing this way to save money.

Change the Color of your Car With a Push of a Button

When selecting a car to purchase, we always look for our favorite colors. Somebody likes red; somebody likes white or black... Some cars, like Ferrari, have their own recognizable color, I couldn’t imagine a pink or green Ferrari for example. Sometimes picking the right color for your car is not easy. But in nearest future this problem will be solved. How? You’ll be capable of changing color of your car with a single push of a button!

New technology called "paramagnetic" is a true revolution. Car is coated in a special way by iron (Ferrum) oxide while it is not painted yet. After that, it is processed with electricity in a certain way. This creates special crystals at the surface that can change their color.

It woks better when coated on metal because it needs asmall amount of electricity to maintain the needed color. When the ignition is off, the car becomes white as it was at the beginning.

This technology can create almost every color that human’s eye can distinguish, so it a real way to personalize your car’s color.

Changing colors is very fast – it takes about a second. You can change colors depending on your mood, on weather, or even on day of week. Streets will become much brighter and not so monotonous: green Ferraris or Cyan BMWs, pink Mercedeses – there will be no limits to the fantasy of car owners.

Nissan was already interested in this marvelous technology, so we can already expect color-changing automobiles in 2010.

The best way to change the color of your car is by playing racing video games. Most adult gamers love driving simulators. There are plenty of console and PC video games that cater to the race car driver in all of us.

Samsung Instinct vs. iPhone 3G: which one will be better?

Jun 07, 2008

It's not only the battle of two devices it is the battle of two cell phone services providers: Sprint and AT&T. These two phones will be their best and most powerful presenters that they have. iPhone 3G is not out yet but AT&T was successfully selling the previous versions of iPhone for almost a year now. So some people love AT&T and other love Sprint and it's their choice. What we are going to do is compare the features of the two phones.

First of all let's do the comparison of the exterior of Samsung Instinct and iPhone. Instinct is made mainly of plastic which is not that neat today; iPhone has pats made of metal and harden glass to prevent it from scratching.

As to AT&T vs. Sprint there are some advantages and disadvantages; but concerning these phones Sprint is giving very high internet speeds and music store from any point of coverage. AT&T's iPhone can only connect to iTunes store via Wi-Fi, which restricts it to the city limits. Besides, everybody knows about Samsung Instinct's and iPhone's GPS capabilities.

I personally liked the voice control on Samsung Instinct; however not sure if it would work as good as they demonstrate it, so train your speech to be able to control it.
I'm not sure if it was a good idea to have the keyboard only in landscape mode. My personal opinion is that I want to choose what mode to use because it really frustrates me that I need to turn it every time I want to input some text.

One more thing that I love about Instinct is its open platform. I really like to install and use the software I choose. iPhone has made a pretty good job on giving positive experience for the customers but it is closed platform.

Another good thing about Instinct is that they give an additional battery and an external battery charger, which can be very helpful during traveling.

iPhone should be twice as fast in web browsing as the old iPhone is. It supports Bluetooth, GPRS, GSM, EDGE, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, UMTS connectivity and that's what they are proud about. One of the biggest news: it will be able to give you 3G video talks with your friends.

One other big news is that Apple is going to allow third party applications on their iPhone but only those that are approved by them. Not sure how popular that will be. Apple has done a pretty good job on the user interface. And the question I have is: "Will the third party applications be free or they are going to charge the customers for that?" The platform it is running on is Mac OS X Mobile which should bring the customers best experiences.

In the rest of features the iPhone 3G will be just as its predecessor (one of the best phones out there.) It will roll out on July the 11th in 70 countries of the world. The 8GB version will cost $199 and the 16GB version will cost $299.

Design, which makes the miracles with usual things

In our days, it is happened somehow, very unnoticeable but our mobile phones turned to be our watches as well. Young Serbian designer Djordjie Zivanovic decided to bring us back to our old style manner to look to our watches when we want to see when is time for our plans.
And who knows may be Orb Bracelet Watch - his creation, will make him deserved famous.
Moreover, it is apparently seen by the naked eye, that this jewelry gadget that design is special, stylish, simple and modern. It is so easy to feel unique having it on you wrist. You can choice from two classical colors which available for this gadget, black and white. However, time lines color you can change using provided software. On the body of bracelet, we can see 3 lines. Each of these lines by round rotating around the watch lets seconds and us to know hour, minute. At side of watch, there is a gemstone, which allows to easily by one touching option to adjust the watch settings. For each unit of time is used different color.
It is clear from the first sign that it is a true symbol of modern hi–tech, futuristic style, it is giving a feeling of future times, as if designer was able to jump forward few decades. Clean, bold, impressive, shining design will only supplement modern style. It is one more gadget, which proves old statement that simple can be best, and unique. It is absolutely true, that modern girls will love it.

MP3 in your watch, great and convenient

Do you need a present for special person? On the other hand, may be it is time to make a perfect present for yourself? Now it is so easy to do it in a special way.
What about having possibility to have a nice accessory at your wrist, which is funky watch and MP3 player all together. Yes, exactly so small, portable compact gadget jewelry thing, you will not notice that you wear it. Available in 2 colors, in black leather for guys and pink color for girls. It is coming with nice modern squared design and ability to listen your favorite music in any place you are. Now no any regrets about forgotten at home MP3 player, now you simply do not need it, give it to your youngest sister or brother. Now you got this cool gadget just plug in your headphones and listen to your song!
This great high tech jewelry piece is 128 MB storage capacity; it is mean 30 of your favorite tunes you will always have with you. Using USB interface you can transfer all necessary repertoire to your new MP3. Provide you wing 12 hours music listening, and all necessary manipulation as usual MP3 has, like forward and rewind button, you can choose one form 5 EQ settings in order to make your music sound the best.
Main specification:
Built-in 128 MB Flash Memory, 4 Pin USB round port, Built-in Hi Li-ion rechargeable 150mAh/3.7V battery it is mean more than 12 hours continuous playing time when fully charged, Supports MP3 (MPEG1/2, Layer 3) + U Disk, High quality recording file in MP3 format, Compatible with Windows 98/ME/NT/200/XP/Mac 8.6 or above, Earphone Output 8MW+8MW.

Generally saying this gadget offers you everything what you may expect from an MP3, giving you great convenience of having it with you always and showing the time! By the way it is not only multy functional gadget, nice fashionable looking, but also price is remarkably acceptable ( £34.25)

Single Crystal Weapon, necessary chick

Today under our watchful eye, we have one innovative jewelry in which power to change our idea about how much functional jewelry can be. This gadget is a true discovery for woman from Prevention Purple™, will make woman feel stylish and safe. New way to be fashionable and protected.
This lipstick size gadget, which is known as Pepperface is a great self-defence device,
What is important to mention about design, it is light weighted aluminium container, skilfully masked with Swarovski Crystals. Never any weapon was looking so elegant and not dangerous. It comes with jewelled bracelet; the color of this jewelled weapon also can be selected from available gamma.
Inside of this stylish shell is substance, produced from hot peppers (Oleoresin Capsicum). It will be a great and not pleasant at all surprise for person who will try to offend you. Contacting with spray offender will have all pleasure of experiencing burning and intense pain, coughing not less than 30 minutes; it is enough time to rid in to safe place or calling for help.
In order to avoid undesired spraying it has something like lock, which wrapped around the container body.
I do not know another similar product, which aims not only to make woman attractive, but also protected, but it is not everything. Pepperface.com™ is going even far in desire to generate and increase public responsiveness, it is a really noble jesture. Frome each sold unit, this company contribute one dollar to support National Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence. Such a genial, way to satisfy so necessary needs in protection and beauty. Now it is very actual and necessary. Really good jewelry, which hits 2 aims at the same time. In addition, it is really a good present from you to person you care about only for \$35.

Freedom and comfort with your cool Bluetooth Headset

Freedom of communication now is achievable and looks so dazzling as never before. Now when your hands are free you can do while speaking everything you want. You can make a coffee, or to type a message to your friend, and to make your homework. Having this great jewelry gadget, you will have satisfied communication needs and work done as well! Who will dare to say me that it is not a genial solution! Universal Wireless Bluetooth Headset H350 is encrusted with Swarovski Crystals, very easy to use, allows to have 8 hours talk time, one button allows to access all necessary call functions. Light weight and comfortable way of use is making it necessary as air gadget. Use it with all compatible models of Bluetooth phones, as MOTOROLA, NOKIA, SAMSUNG, SONY-ERICSSON, LG and others.
Now we really can say that we are living in era of Swarovski crystals, any woman can have few different gadgets (matching mobile phone, rings, necklaces, watches) all these, encrusted with Swarovski crystals, combined with taste they will make mistress to look special, unique and modern. She for sure will be always getting attention! It is not enough?
Work is done, problems are discussed and fixed, and you look great having this electro-adornment on your ears.
Average price of it is £45. Not so much if to considering benefits it gives.

Your favorite movies and music always with you

The idea and dream about possibility to watch your favorite movie was in the air for long ago. Nearly each of use can confess that these ideas visited their heads not a single time. That would be fun to watch favorite movie while having some free time in the office chair, being in the train, bus, café, waiting for somebody. Finally, that dream comes true with an Alexander Innovation Wizard Company. This Watch gadget is playing video files.
Now to watch everything you want on a 1.5" 128 x 128 pixel OLED color screen with 5 sound equalizer, super bass and 3D sound effect, now is reality, and it cost only \$150. Definitely, it is one of the coolest and most useful gadgets on the market. Now when The Home Theater Watch is with you, you will never be bored and will spend each minute with use and pleasure.
Now about features of that gadget: Size of it is 2" x 1.5" x 0.5", screen is 1.5 inches providing with clear bright picture, features great quality 260K colours display. All watched video and images coming with same quality as at your PC. Additionally, it can play MP3, WMA, JPEG and MP4 formats. As for sound system, it has 5 EQ modes, 3D. With 2GB built-in memory, you can store full-length movie or any desired video in it.
How to use it: Is very simple way, you will have to connect it to your PC using USB cable, and download included software to your PC, which will convert ASF, AVI, MPEG, WMV, DAT/VCD, and ASX files in suitable for Home Theather Watch format.
Full charge of your watch will allow you to have 4 hours of your favorite video and 8 hours of music! Really cool and useful, high quality gadget, for people who likes to use each moment with pleasure and benefit.

iPod Nano Green Canvas Sport Case by Speck

Accessorize and protect your iPod nano with the stylish Canvas Sport case! Inspired by classic sneakers- this case boasts a cool, sporty look and gives great protection to your iPod. Features a canvas body, rubber edges, sewn-in screen protector and belt clip!

HTC MAX 4G - powerful communicator with WiMAX

While whole world enjoys the advantages that 3G networks bring, including video calls and fast Internet connection, it's time to look forward into the future. Not so long time ago, new communication standard hit the floor - it was named WiMAX, and it is the most advanced wireless internet technology up-to-date. It is like a WiFi, only way faster, and the area is huge - 75 km radius compared to only 1 km of WiFi. This advanced technology can help in spreading Internet connection over the whole city, connecting it into WMAN (Wireless Metropolitan Area Network). Several companies in Russia already put their stakes on it, and they got a pretty good coverage in the biggest cities. One of these companies, Yota, even contacted HTC, largest PocketPC smartphones manufacturer, for releasing a special smartphone for their WiMAX network. And here it is - new powerful smartphone from HTC, with full WiMAX possibilities and great hardware, exclusive to Russia-only.

New model from HTC is named HTC MAX 4G, and it looks like an HTC Touch HD spin-off with WiMAX and slightly different design. Most of the features are the same: powerful Qualcomm ESM7206A 528 MHz CPU, 288 MB of RAM, 256 MB ROM, 8 GB built-in flash memory, big 3.8 inched LCD with 480 x 800 resolution, rear camera with autofocus and frontal camera for video calls, accelerometer, and full set of wireless interfaces (maybe the fullest on market) - Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 900/1800/1900 MHz + WiMAX 2.5 - 2.7 GHz. Operating system is Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, which is coupled with interesting and pretty TouchFLO 3D interface from HTC. With its huge display and powerful CPU it can be called an ultimate multimedia center; it plays unconverted video files with no glitches at all, has FM radio and supports a variety of audio formats. With GPS abilities, due to its big screen, HTC MAX 4G can serve a good job as navigator, either for car or for travelling by foot.

With this gadget HTC proved the word "Innovation" in their slogan. They certainly can innovate, and they do look forward into the future. At this moment WiMAX networks are not widely spread, but who knows what will be after year or two? HTC MAX 4G is a very strong communicator with a powerful hardware and decent characteristics. It will never be as popular as Apple's toy, it is aimed at business segment and it will remain there. Maybe next smartphone from Apple will be iPhone 4G? HTC MAX 4g is scheduled to release at the end of November 2008 in Russia only, estimated price - 1090 dollars.

In-game-like view of vehicle is possible with Fujitsu gadgtet

How many times gamers all over the world wished to have a rear-upper view of the car while driving? It should be just like a view you have probably enjoyed in any of numerous car driving simulators available. For someone it may probably sound hilarious, but recently Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. declared that they are already working upon a system that will allow driver to see his car and everything around it not only from the back, but from any perspective driver will ever need to. From the front or from the back, upper, lower – doesn't matter. The idea in the core is as simple as that – to make cars safer using popular today bumper cameras.

In fact, this technology under the name "3-D virtual projection/point of view conversion technology" is going to be presented in New York at the 15th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems & ITS America's 2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition held from this Sunday, November 16 to 20, 2008. So, what is the point to develop the whole new system to operate already very common and popular cameras seen mostly at the rear end of a car? Even though they already serve well as driving helpers, driving itself is still one of the most dangerous occupations we have to deal with. Analysis show: a modern multimedia complex in a car, doesn't matter how expansive it is, consists usually of number of cameras, which cover with clear view all the blind spots around the vehicle. It also starts beeping and flashing some lights if something, whether it is an other car or a pedestrian, approaches too close to the vehicle. In addition, pictures from all the cameras are shown one by one on the console display. This all is very good thing to have in a car, but there are still some problems remain. For example, driver usually can not control the order of pictures on the screen, if he needs to see what's there on the right sight, he will have to wait while rear and left views flash. If the driver can manage to operate these views, he will have to take his precious time on it, instead of watching what is actually going on in front of him. That is not good on a highway or in a busy city center.



To solve all these problems once and for all, guys from Fujitsu Laboratories decided to make all the blind spots visible simultaneously. It took them to work slightly upon their Fujitsu standard automobile graphic SoC chip the MB86R01 series which supports the OpenGL – image and video processing unit for embedded devices. What they have accomplished is really great. The "3-D virtual projection/point of view conversion technology" provides bird's sight image and it can be rotated in any direction. A full 3D model of the car and what's is in 2 m distance is clearly seen on the monitor and makes you feel like you play a computer game, not do some common driving.

Apple iPhone and iPod can get a new piece of technology

There is an interesting question about iPhone and iPod: they have so many users all over the world that they can compose a huge researcher conclave for Apple. They might be having some interesting ideas about new features but luckily iPhone and iPod developers are not waiting to be pushed around, and here is their latest invention. This is a new technology that is due to operate appearing notifications and warnings a little differently from how they are now. The aim is to make above named notifications and warnings easier to apprehend, and to save some battery live.


To accomplish the goal, was decided to install another backlight under the display. It will be operated differently from the main one. The secondary display will also be weaker, in order not to burn too much energy. By the patent, it will light up only recent notifications like a new SMS or incoming email on the iPhone and song status for example on the iPod. The main backlight is not being enabled in these cases. More advantages are that every event that is visualized by the secondary backlight can by treated differently depending on the circumstances. The user of an Apple gadget will be able to set a preferred color on play / pause / stop playback, set colors for addresses that text you and so on.

Apple doesn't make any official announcement on will we actually see this technology on their products soon and when if it happens. But the thing is though, this technology can obviously be used on any gadget with LCD screen and the designers are also looking forward to make some things easier inside iPhone and iPod. Well, way to go!

New Asus Eee Top ET1602 base is now oficial

Now we can congratulate Asus Eee lovers and every one else for today a new Asus netbook was presented. The presentation was held today in firm's homeland – in the city of Taiwan. The new Eee Top ET1602 base is considered to be a sort of step way from cutting edge technologies. Of course it is a high-end product, but, nevertheless its price is aimed to make it more appealing than iMac, a budget version if you like. That makes us think that it will have just enough specs' roundup to meet requirements of everyday usage and a little more guts in plus for spare time gaming, and no more a seen by already known specs.

As far as Eee Top is a all-in-one platform, first we'll start to examine its display – the first thing that attracts attention. It is has 15.6 inches and 1366 x 768 MP resolution. What's more on that, it is a touchscreen, which is really very great because it seems to be useful starting from writing notes and up to browsing the Internet and using any other software. It is up to you to decide whether to do it with your fingers or to use a stylus from a standard kit, it will be a great fun and a useful feature anyway. Further specs of Asus Eee Top are quite average as I said it before: 1.6 Hz processor is a single core Atom, 1 GB RAM and 160 GBs on the hard drive. Netbook's Internet capabilities include 802.11n Wi-Fi plus Gb Ethernet, and peripherals, Eee Top has built-in web camera with 1.3 MP and 3 USB port.

All those compose presented ET1602 base. It is already shipping and caries 566 USD price stickers. But there will be another one. ET1603 base will have Radeon HD 3450 installed so that will be some proper gadget for gaming. For haw much it will be available we don't know, and it also uncovered when Asus Eee Top will be available in Europe and USA. Asus has to hurry up before Christmas quest for presents has started.

Silicon will make rechargeable lithium ion batteries better

It is strange and amazing at the same time that again in this November when we face the fact that silicon has managed to improve one or another brunch of hi-tech. First time it was optical fiber technology that has beneficed from switching to silicon instead of glass. Bandwidth improvement and possibility to use in PCs as a result. And now silicon appeared to be good enough to outdo graphite anode in lithium ion rechargeable batteries. Graphite anode has been used in batteries for very long time and some of his drawbacks are obvious, there were very few other materials that could be used instead of it and to be better than it until now.

Lithium ion batteries are used in lots of electronic gadgets starting from mobile phones and PDAs to popular electric cars or hybrids with a fuel engine and electric engine. Drawbacks we were previously speaking about are refered to batteries' capacity. It means that graphite anode can not capture much of lithium ions and is too week to hold the captured ones for a long time. That why our mobile phones' batteries are running low pretty soon. Even if we got used to it, there are batteries that can hold charge for incomparably longer time but developers don't use them for they all have way greater problems than the lithium ion batteries. Silicon anodes were among those numbers of unreliable rechargeable batteries until recently a group of science enthusiasts from Hanyang University in South Korea haven't roll up their sleeves.

What is wrong with silicon is that it can't be recharged for too many times, and that is what researchers from South Korea have fixed. The answer was to etch silicon dioxide nanoparticles in 900 °C argon atmosphere. Such treatment was not only useful for silicon's lifetime but also to charge speed. Now silicon lithium ion batteries have an appropriate durability and they charge faster than ones with graphite anod.

This invention is going to be very useful for all the electronics that need rechargeable batteries of course, and we will all be very proud to have longer living smartphones, but what is probably even more important – silicon lithium ion batteries are going to improve hybrids and electric cars greatly. Well sure it will not happen tomorrow, they still have to run plenty of test and one of them is to take an electrically powered car to a 100.000 miles long course. Let's cross our fingers for it.

Klipsch X5 headphones are moving to UK for Christmas

It is always good for end users to see a new firm rolling in to a market as it brings new offers to them. And this is what we see now. Professionals in building hi-end audio gadgets from USA are making their way to the UK market. Klipsch are the ones who hope Europe will accept a foreign developer specializing on sound works and peripherals. This is their very first product Klipsch is shipping for European buyers – X5 headphones. Not a professional sound system as was expected to enter the new market with but somehow X5 got their immense 129.99 pounds on the ticket. This is how.

Klipsch are not just another firm that makes its name by developing peripheral products for already popular brands. Not a bit, guys from Klipsch are record holders for making a set of headphones that are the smallest in the world and lightest in the world. Those headphones where called Klipsch Image X10. So, as we are now speaking about with what Klipsch are entering the UK market, should be mentioned that X5 earphones are mostly judged by how they differ from Image X10. X5 are a bit bigger than X10, for about 2 mm in diameter. This has made them a lot more comfortable than X10 because now fit to more people but they also remain comfortable to people with smaller ears. In Klipsch they have used a special gel to make the form of the gadget so it would be comfortable and fit neither loose nor tight. Good for sports activities, isn't it? Actually there are five gel nozzles in the kit so probably everyone will find a best variant for him. Despite that, Klipsch X5 headset's price tag with 129.99 pounds on it is cheaper than X10, but such a high price anyway tells us that the device will not let you down when it comes to sound quality. They are also tuned better that X10 which has more bass response than one might like. If you don't find any use in them for you, at least you got one more idea about what to buy for the New Year for someone who has iPhone or an iPod.

Nokia 6260 Slide comes with the New Year

Yes, finally, by the end of November 2008 we declare that Nokia 6260 Slide is now official and ready to hit the stores. Not the greatest release of the month, of course, especially on the background of Blackberry Storm which is literally hunted down because there recently were not enough Blackberries for all of those who were saving their precious money for it. But Nokia 6260 was also a quite wanted mobile phone since mid summer when its very first spy photos appeared on the web. Release date is settled for the January 2009.

One of the best things I like in Nokia 6260 is the fact that despite its market positioning as a democratic gadget without tons of newest features, lots of people still find it exceptionally appealing. And this is a testimony of Nokia's leadership in proper mobile phone development. Upcoming 6260 slider is user-friendly, good-looking cell phone by me. Design similar to 6220 classic, isn't it? Apart form it, Nokia 6260 will have practically the same camera. It is Carl Zeiss camera, with 5.0 Mpix, autofocus and flash. Also a 320 x 480 display with 2.4 inches and a numeric keypad. Slider form factor with a numeric keypad is better for 6260 than a QWERTY would be I suppose.


Nokia 6260 Slide is up to provide its owner with a certain range of Internet services. Nokia developers say they want people to share some pleasant moments of their lives via HSUPA fast pictures and movies uploads, and see needed files downloading them with HSDPA, plus some Ovi services and first Nokia Maps AGPS Series 40 to the pile.

Now the biggest question is "When?". Nokia 6260 Slide will be available right after everyone have stopped buying Christmas presents – early January 2009. Price tag - 299 Euros.

Nokia E75 - leaked photos of unannounced QWERTY slider

There is new fashion growing in the world of smartphones - button-less design, promoted by Apple and its iPhone. While devices look more stylish, lack of buttons is striking the usability - majority of people like real buttons a lot more than "virtual" ones. Trying to satisfy tastes of every user group, manufacturers divided devices into two sides: with stylish and button-less devices on one side, and devices with full set of hard keys on another. After releasing its famous 5800 XpressMusic that belongs fully to the first category, Nokia is making some moves towards other side of customers, which want full set of real buttons - including QWERTY keyboard of course. There are some leaked photos that show us new and unannounced smartphone from Nokia, which form-factor looks similar to that used by Windows Mobile smartphones - slider with a QWERTY keyboard.

New model, named E75, will not be the first QWERTY enabled smartphone from Finnish company. However, company never used this form-factor, preferring Blueberry-like one, used in E71, or clamshell, used in E70 and 9xxx series. With this model, Symbian smartphones stepped up on a land where only Windows Mobile devices were.

Unfortunately, there is not so much information about the characteristics of it. It is known, that it will be named E75, will have 2.4 inched display, 3.2 megapixel camera and
">Wi-Fi. The buttons on the front side is familiar to all Nokia smartphone users - 12 dial keys, two soft keys, call / reject buttons and 4 application buttons. It seems that it will have the light sensor, which will adjust backlight according to the amount of light outside. This feature has been for ages in Nokia smartphones, and it is doing a good job for saving battery. QWERTY keyboard is made from 4 rows, numeric keys can be accessed using special key that is placed in the lower left corner of the keyboard. Keys look big enough, however it seems that soft-keys and navigation arrows are available only from the buttons on the front, so you will not be able to edit your text from keyboard only - this is a big disadvantage for a slider.

So, the model looks quite interesting. Don't forget that these are leaked photos - they are not official and do not represent final product. We will deliver some news when they arrive, let's just wait until Nokia announces it officially. It is unlikely that the design or keyboard will change, however, new unannounced yet features may appear.

Tefal Quick Cup - The "magical cup"

Tired of waiting for the hot water when you really need it for your cup of tea or coffee? Looking for a “magical cup” that would provide you with hot water in three seconds? Then you can stop searching and simply start using the “Tefal Quick Cup”, the new kitchen gadget that people around the world are already using. But before we all get extremely excited, it is necessary to look carefully at all the advantages and drawbacks that the Tefal Quick Cup brings.

Since there is nothing perfect that was ever created in the technological world so far, Tefal Quick Cup is not an exception, therefore there are several things that can be improved and should be improved. The most prominent features of the Tefal Quick Cup are that it provides you with hot or cold water in three seconds, it represents an energy saving product as it consumes only a 1/3 the energy of a standard kettle, and last but not least it represents something easy to use, convenient, and appropriate for any hot or cold drink as well as instant snacks. Other features of the Tefal Quick Cup are the Stainless Steel control panel, the flowstop system (manual or automatic), and the anti-dust tank lid. Resumed in a few words, what consumers found attractive in the Tefal Quick Cup is that it saves time and it saves money, and we must all admit that these two main components of our lives – money and time – are what we really want to save as much as possible and benefit from them in the best way.

It is curious to notice that Tefal does not promise you boiled water, but hot water, so it is better to be careful about the differences that this fact implies or else you might end up drinking a weirdly tasting tea. The disadvantages that Tefal Quick Cup presents are not so many, but still important to mention and pay attention to. Consumers that have already purchased this gadget affirm that there were cases when the Quick Cup did not function properly, producing only lukewarm water instead of hot water.It can also be a pretty noisy appliance, so for people that cannot stand noise in their kitchen or office, it is not the most advisable gadget to purchase. Many of the customers that bought the early models also noticed that they tend to splash when filling the cup. Tefal took care of this drawback reported by customers, updating the Quick Cup with an updated spout.

Analyzing all the features that this innovative Quick Cup presents, you can draw you own conclusion whether you need it in your home or office. No matter your final decision, it is always wise to keep a normal kettle nearby, never know what might happen.

Honda Wearable Robotic Walker

With the many factors that are contributing to an even more stressful daily routine nowadays, technology is used widely for looking for solutions to reduce stress in people’s lives. No, I am not saying that you should quit your job that causes you too much stress, there are new inventions that can help you do your job, stop feeling so tired at the end of the day, and be sure that the feeling of exhaustion is never a problem for you anymore.

The Honda wearable robotic walker, an innovative gadget planned to support bodyweight, helps diminish stress on the knees and presents many advantages for people who work in factories in positions that require a lot of standing and running around for deliveries. This device is also considered to be helpful for people with special health conditions such as people that suffer from arthritis, people with walking disabilities, as well as old people.

Such an appliance might seem a bit strange but the benefits it provides target people that indeed need a creative device to help reduce the physical stress they face every day.

You might wonder how it works, but it is probably a lot simpler that you think. You position the seat between your legs, put on the shoes and push the start button. The rest is just similar to the way one walks. According to Honda Motor Co., the system has a computer, motor, gears, battery, and sensors implanted in the wearable Robotic Walker, so that it responds to a person’s movements.

Honda announced that soon they will be testing the Robotic Walker among their workers at their assembly lines, for purposes of feedback and potential improvements in the design of this experimental gadget.

It is important to notice that this new gadget by Honda has a very specific niche and will probably not be used by the general public, unless it gets so popular that perfectly capable of walking, some might want to get a bit lazy sometimes and just start using it.

Sanyo PLCXL51 Video Projector 2700 Lumens Short-Throw

Most favorable technology for classrooms, offices, important meetings, and advertising, PLCXL51 Video Projector 2700 Lumens Short-Throw is a revolutionary product introduced by Sanyo Canada. An important asset for all the above mentioned categories and not only, as it is equipped with Sanyo’s Exclusive PJ Network Interface for wired and wireless networking, also compatible with MAC. Networking capability permits a close monitoring of projector functions from a long distance by usage of your web browser. The new video projector has the features of automatic emailing that can be sent for reporting on the operating status. It is important to notice that its wireless interface is compatible with IEEE802.11b/g standards, offering transfer speeds up to 54Mbps and providing WEP 64/128-bit security.

The features that Sanyo PLCXL51 Video Projector posses make up an imposing list as its memory viewer allows SD card, is equipped with a new optical engine for vertical and horizontal projection, also adapting easily to different projection surfaces. Too many times during an important presentation with find ourselves wishing that our video projector would simply work and never let us down when we need it most. Sanyo PLCXL51 is a guarantee for quality and simplicity of usage for everyone, no special skills required for the set-up and removal.

With the Memory Viewer, the user of Sanyo PLCXL51 has the opportunity to edit projected images with a slide converter, bitmap data and JPEG data. What makes this video projector unique is the projection oriented features that allow a proper alignment of the projector, as well as the Color Board Mode which lets the adjustment of hue when projecting an image on a color other than white surface. One feature that will please educational instructors and educational institutions while using the projector is the supplementary Black Board Mode that facilitates the use of PLCXL51 with all standardized educational boards.

The Deluxe Glove and Boot dryer: no more wet garment

The winter is just round the band which is only one fool day since now and that is a concern for people who expect or probably have already spent some of their time having great fun in the first perfectly white snow. What comes afterwards is usually some melted snow inside of gloves and boots. Sure thing you will want it to dry out as soon as possible and thankfully guys from Pacific Outdoors have though the entire thing out. And this is what they have come up with – a dryer for gloves and boots. The Deluxe Glove and Boot dryer as it is called is up to be your best friend in moist and snowy seasons for 43.61 USD.


The Deluxe Glove and Boot dryer is very simple in its structure so we expect durability on a pretty high level. The drying gadget is a sort of a big fan with four outlets. Inside it has a heating element, a fan and a muffler. The air comes into it, heats up and then it goes thru four drying columns that you haft some wet clothes on. Two of the columns can be blocked depending on which two of them are being used. Two columns mean one drying pair of gloves, mittens, shoes, ice skates, etc, whatever has been drenched. It is not clear though if it is possible to use only one column for one piece of garment and if it can be used for cooling after ironing for example. Any type of garment is needed to dried, I mean any type of cloth it is made of, it will never be burnt or effected negatively in any other way. One more tip to make a better use of the gadget: use it to warm up clothes before putting them on, should be pleasant, doesn't it? The Deluxe Glove and Boot dryer has all-in-one folding design so it will suit nicely free space in a small closet. So, 43.61 USD for comfort in such seasons are not the worst way to spend some money.

AgBot - a small gardener and a big guard

Every now and then there appear gadgets that carry some new technologies but are of a very little use or are simply funny and pathetic. Recently, probably one of above named has been leaked in Louisiana State University – AgBot robot. They have determined AgBot as a surveillance gadget but it has some additional features that have nothing to do with surveillance. Anyway, as long as students are developing some interesting technological devices, we are going to take a look at them and seize their perspectives. So here it comes, AgBot from Louisiana State University.

The concept of the AgBot robot is to be a helper for an estate owner. It means that surveillance is only one part of its dues, and the other one is gardening. There are no other gadgets coming on my mind with that much odd feature combinations. This is exactly why I like AgBot. The gardening side of the robot is fertilizing and planting seeds. Judging only by the picture, I can't say I see a lot of space for fertilize to be carried and spread round an area bigger than a tennis court. But if it works, let it be.

Now the main part – guarding the house. As a guard, AgBot has a night vision camera that can turn around to any direction. A GPS navigator to be more certain about where to go and to avoid obstacles. Wheels by the way seem to be big enough to cross small curbs. Hopefully the concept moves quietly because in case of detecting an intruder, giving out robot's presence wouldn't make any sense. And if it does actually detects one with its motion sensors of the high-frequency alarm system, robot will take a picture of what he finds dangerous and e-mail it to you.

On the top AgBot has a solar cell to power up all the systems. Yet it is a prototype, the battery is very small (4 hours without recharge only), but bigger one is obviously not a problem. Overall costs of AgBot are 2000 USD, but if developers will manage to produce and sale them, they should cost less. And what's more, the field of such home helping gadgets is not crowded and is very perspective.

New Motorola QWERTY slider released - Motorola Hint QA30

Not so long ago we wrote about new unannounced yet smartphone from Nokia with QWERTY keyboard. Motorola tried to not fall behind its competitor, and officially announced its own QWERTY slider, named Motorola Hint QA30. After all rumors in the past several days, Motorola finally presented its new phone, which is made with text message lovers in mind. Taking in consideration, that Motorola rarely releases something new nowadays, it doubles the interest to its new product.

Phones with QWERTY keyboard have their own piece of market. Modern times developed new type of communication - via text messages and instant messaging applications. It is extremely uncomfortable to type a long message on usual phone keypad, and while many people can live with it, someone can't. This is the audience for QWERTY keyboard enabled phones, like this one. Motorola Hint QA30 is a CDMA cell phone that is a first Motorola slider with full QWERTY keyboard. It has a full set of modern multimedia functions, like QVGA 2.5" display, video and audio playback (list of supported formats include MIDI, MP3, AAC, AAC+, AAC+ Enhanced, WMA v9 for audio and H.263, MPEG4, WMV v9 for video), microSDHC support up to 8 GB, Bluetooth Stereo, 2 megapixel camera with video recording, and 3.5 headphone jack for true music lovers. Internet functions are also present, and they are greatly done - fully featured HTML browser, integrated E-Mail and IM functions (which take full benefits from QWERTY keyboard - text input is greatly faster than on standard phone keypad). 128 MB of RAM gives great possibilities for multitasking; 256 MB of built-in memory leave plenty of space even if you forgot your card at home. Las, but not least - this model has aGPS support, so if carrier supports this function users will be able to track their position on the map.

Battery life is also quite impressive for a 940 mAh battery - up to 4.5 hours in talking mode and up to 15 days in standby. Phone is quite thick (because of sliding keyboard), but overall its size is not huge, so it will fit in almost every pocket: 82 x 61,6 x 17 mm, 120g weight.

This interesting novelty from Motorola will be released in stores in November 28 in USA, no information about other countries yet. Unfortunately, this is not a smartphone, but is has an impressive set of features for a usual phone and it will be popular amongst young and active people, who like to send text messages and listen music.