Gear Lover - by Craig Hill

Computers Gadgets - Gear Lover

USB Construction Site Novelty

February 18th 2009 12:59

Wiz, the Japanese toy maker behind great stuff like the Flying Ultraman and the consolation money pocket calculator, today unveiled their newest stroke of genius, a mini USB construction site.

Read more...

Vote

Comments (1)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Computers, Gadgets

Email this Post to a Friend

Brother Develops HD Sewing Machine

January 2nd 2009 13:51

If you're still watching TV in standard definition, think about wha Brother have developed. They have just announced the world's first sewing machine with a built-in camera to display your work on an "HD" screen.

The QuattroT 6000D seems to have some good ideas. 56 LEDs illuminate the sewing platform while its "InnovEyeT Technology" provides a bird's eye view of the needle, which can be enlarged for a better view of precision work. Plus, the camera allows the fabric to be auto-positioned (with the help of a sensor positioning sticker) for automatic embroidery.

Brother QuattroT 6000D

The screen itself, by Sharp, is a 32-(square)-inch display with 260,000 colors. It's not quite gameday ready, but we're sure that it tracks a mean cross stitch.

No word on price at the moment, but we may see more of the QuattroT 6000D at CES should we lose a button or become bored by endless rows of cameras and TVs.

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: KC Hill - Category: Computers, Gadgets, Home, Visual

Email this Post to a Friend

Aroma USB - fragrance dispenser for your PC

June 3rd 2008 08:30

This isn't your typical USB thumb-disk. It is called the Aroma USB and it's a fragrance dispenser that uses the power from your PC to heat and dispense the scent from the changeable and refillable fragrance cartridge fitted inside the casing.

The fragrance level is adjustable with a single refill lasting up to a week of use although it would've been more sensible to say how many hours of use in between refills. Available in a range of shapes, designs and colours, the Aroma USB sure is an interesting concept in getting rid of bad smells.

Check out the following video to see how the Aroma USB works:

[aromausb.com]

Vote

Comments (2)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Arnold - Category: Computers, Gadgets

Email this Post to a Friend

Samsung Flash SSD with 256GB

May 26th 2008 09:15

Samsung has developed the "world's fastest, 2.5-inch, 256 Gigabyte (GB) multi-level cell (MLC) based solid state drive (SSD) using a SATA II interface" in an ultra-thin (9.5mm) case measuring 100.3x69.85mm.

According to the press release (which you can read below), mass production will take place by the year's end which means sales should begin here in Australia hopefully by Christmas, if not, early 2009.

Portable hard drives are becoming very common in the market place as consumers have embraced this technology and extra storage for their private computer files. Portable HDDs allows you to access the information stored on it from any computer and also provides adequate space for you to back-up important files.

Samsung's latest portable HDD is about 2.4 times faster than a typical HDD with a super-fast sequential read and write speed of 200MB per second and 160MB per second respectively.

---
Samsung Develops World's Fastest and Largest Capacity 2.5-inch, MLC-based (256GB) SSD with SATA II Interface

Taipei, Taiwan, May 26, 2008 - Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has developed the world's fastest, 2.5-inch, 256 Gigabyte (GB) multi-level cell (MLC) based solid state drive (SSD) using a SATA II interface, at the fifth annual Samsung Mobile Solution Forum held here today. Samsung's new 256GB SSD is also the thinnest drive with the largest capacity to be offered with a SATA II interface.

With a sequential read speed of 200 megabytes per second (MB/s) and sequential write speed of 160MB/s, Samsung's MLC-based 2.5-inch 256GB SSD is about 2.4 times faster than a typical HDD. Furthermore, the new 256GB SSD is only 9.5millimeters (mm) thick, and measures 100.3x69.85 mm.

Once introduced, the Samsung's 256GB SSD will mark the largest capacity SSD from the global market leader in SSD sales, effectively eliminating density as a barrier to SSD adoption in the consumer space.

"With development of the 256GB SSD, the notebook PC is on the brink of a second stage of evolution. This change is comparable to the evolution from the Sony Walkman to NAND memory-based MP3 players, representing an initial step in the shift to thinner, smaller SSD-based notebooks with significantly improved performance and more than ample storage," said Jim Elliott, vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.

Through major advancements in proprietary controller technology, Samsung's new MLC 256GB SSD, besides being comparable in speed to an SLC-based SSD, also boasts reliability equal to that of SLC SSDs, with a mean time between failures (MTBF) of one million hours, while costing considerably less. Power consumption is also exceptionally low at 0.9 watts in active mode.

In addition, the drive offers a sophisticated data encryption process that prevents data stored on the SSD from being accessed in an unauthorized manner, even after the SSD is removed from the PC.

Overall, the number of computing units in which SSDs are being offered is expected to increase dramatically once Samsung's previously announced 128GB SSD and the new 256GB SSD are launched. At present, Samsung is actively involved in high-capacity SSD design-in activities for all of the top PC and server manufacturers from the U.S., Asia, and Europe.

Samsung is expected to begin mass producing the 2.5-inch, 256GB SSD by year end, with customer samples available in September. A 1.8-inch version of the 256GB SSD is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2008.

According to a Q1 2008 report by the semiconductor market research firm iSuppli, the SSD market will grow at an annualized average of 124 percent during the four-year period from 2008 until 2012. iSuppli now projects SSD sales to increase by an additional 35 percent in 2009 over what it projected last year, 51 percent more in 2010, and 89 percent more in 2011, and continue to show dramatic increases in subsequent years. [samsung.com]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Arnold - Category: Computers, Gadgets

Email this Post to a Friend

USB 3D Boxer Stress Relief

April 2nd 2008 00:05

Desktop World Title fight

Ding, Ding...get ready for round 1

Gadgetshop.com is a cool site that offers a variety of off the wall gizmos designed as much for entertainment as practicality. Cruising through the site I found a number of very tempting toys, which I will be posting on over the next few weeks.

First up comes a clever little alternate choice to a stress ball. It’s an interactive USB boxing figurine. The idea is simple, you work out your tensions by using mouse and keyboard to control a real world statue that sits beside the desktop.

The only reason I’m reluctant to purchase one is that I can see myself getting completely addicted to the thing.

Meet pain in the virtual world

From the gadgetshop.com site:

“The biggest hitting USB toy on record has just entered the ring - and he's an awesome sight. The USB Boxer is one of a fabulous new generation of computer games that are taking the action off the screen and on to your desktop in glorious 3D plastic. Now your interactive gameplay is about to get a good deal more physical.

Now, as you manipulate your keyboard, one can really see the punches land and feel the excitement build as you test both your skills and your rhythm. As each successive hit on the speedbag registers a score, fully interactive software keeps tabs on your performance and realistic boxing ring sounds add to the intensity of the atmosphere - making this a most satisfying way to get the day's office frustrations out of one's system.

The boxer puts you in the driving - or should that be punching - seat with an array of options to choose from, including the length of each 'round' as well as a whole set of game modes enabling you to take complete control or let the boxer loose to show you how it's meant to be done.

Then there's only three things left to do. Plug in. Power-up. Log-in. And let punchbag battle commence.”

Includes:

3 game modes: auto, manual and keystroke
Realistic arm movements
Bell and crowd sounds
Interactive software

Please Note
4 x AA batteries are required to operate the USB Boxer (batteries not included).

Specification
Dimensions: Height: 21.0cm Width: 13.5cm Depth: 13.5cm
Weight: 0.9Kg
Batteries: Energizer Ultraplus - AA Battery

Inspired by a post found on stuff.co.nz

In case your not already sold, check out this fun video of the USB boxer in action.

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Dexter - Category: Computers, Gadgets, Gaming, Toys

Email this Post to a Friend

New portable hard drives from Western Digital

March 26th 2008 22:10

Western Digital are well known for making reliable hard drives for storing and transporting digital information and content from desktop and portable computers to external storage devices and personal video recorders in living rooms.

Their latest version of the "My Passport Elite" range proves that beauty isn't just skin deep despite its choice of four beautiful colours: Bronze, Cherry Red, Titanium and Westminster Blue.

Featuring a luxurious soft-touch finish makes these drives easy to grip and comfortable to hold, storage space is a very healthy 250GB or 320GB plus useful key features such as automatic backup, synchronised and secure, remote access, capacity gauge and Google software that allows you to search your drive, manage your photos, and simplify Web searches.

Order yours today at wdc.com

Vote

Comments (1)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Arnold - Category: Computers, Gadgets

Email this Post to a Friend

Aleratec Blu-ray disc duplicator with LightScribe

February 13th 2008 06:45

Aleratec LightScribe Blu-ray disc duplicator

With the blu-ray format seemingly coming up trumps in the hi-def war with rival HD DVD, Aleratec has released the 1:3 Copy Cruiser Blu LS featuring a trio of LightScribe-enabled SATA Blu-ray burners that can copy BD-Rs at 6x speed as well as your common CDs and DVDs (at speeds quicker than 6x obviously).

Developed by Aleratec, the leading developer and manufacturer of solutions for the USB, DVD and CD duplicating, recording, and digital imaging markets, the 1:3 Copy Cruiser Blu LS also supports LightScribe for laser-etched labels text or graphics on specially coated recordable CDs and DVDs.

The biggest stumbling block, however, is its ginormous price tag of US$3,199. New and breaking technology sure doesn't come cheap so unless you really need this, I would hold out a bigger longer and wait for a price drop (or at least until a competitor releases a similar product so you can weigh up the pros and cons).

Check out the Aleratec website for more CD/DVD duplicators.

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Arnold - Category: Computers, Gadgets

Email this Post to a Friend

[ Gear Lover Home ] [ Create A New Post ]