Gear Lover - by Craig Hill

Gadgets - Gear Lover

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Own your very own Astronaut Moon Watch

August 19th 2008 06:32

The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Alaska Project

Buzz Aldrin wearing the original Moonwatch

If you were a child of the 70’s then you were probably like me. Fascinated with all things astronomical, wanting to be an astronaut (or better still Steve Austin, that’s the Six Million Dollar Man, not the roid boy synchronised rumbler) and intrigued with any of the technological breakthroughs needed to survive a journey beyond the confines of the stratosphere.

The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch

The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch was originally designed by N.A.S.A back in the era of Disco and Farrah Fawcett posters. Now for the first time the public can finally access this Rolls Royce engine of indestructible timepieces.

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch alaska project

The most unique Timepiece

The only Watch ever to be certified by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for all space missions, as you would expect its built to withstand all obstacles that come with space travel. Able to cope with the incredible pressure of re-entry, from Gizmodo:
“Its anodized aluminium body can withstand temperatures from -148 to 260° Celsius”.

Omega defines a millenium

Coming in one colour choice solar flare red, there has been no official price tag attached. BUT, with a run of only 2,000 scheduled for release it’s a pretty safe bet that only those able to afford a the quarter of a million dollars for the Virgin Spaceflight will be able to afford this important collectors item.

The advertising begins

Story from Gizmodo.com

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Posted By: Dexter - Category: Gadgets, Home, Visual

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Dynolicious: Auto performance meter for Apple iPhone

August 2nd 2008 00:25

The new Apple iPhone 3G has been out for a couple of weeks now but the hype surrounding the brilliant smartphone shows no signs of abating with some fantastic third party apps further increasing its popularity.

Rev-heads will absolutely love this 'Dynolicious' third party app - an automotive performance meter for the iPhone and/or iPod Touch. This is how it works. The app uses the hardware built-in to your iPhone to measure the performance characteristics of your vehicle without the need for any external wires or equipment.

By simply having your iPhone or iPod Touch with you in your car, the Dynolicious will be able to measure key performance characteristics such as 0-60mph acceleration times, 1/4 mile elapsed time, horsepower and even lateral G-Forces!

Not only will the app show details of your current test run, it also helps you maintain a history of test runs, including averages and trends for reference purposes. By maintaining this history, Dynolicious will allow you to compare before-and-after results if modifications are made to your vehicle including gains or losses from a performance (times, horsepower) standpoint.

Dynolicious is available from the Apple app store. [dynolicious.com]

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Cellphones, Gadgets

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Nintendo Wii2 on the way and it maybe Mind Controlled

August 1st 2008 03:48

Nintendo Wii 2 in 2010?

Could it be true?

As Nintendo’s stocks go through the roof and the Wii and DS continue to sell faster than Sonic the hedgehog at full blast this week comes confirmation that rather than relax with success the Wii 2 is currently in development.

A possible Wii 2 remote

Saturo Iwata, the President of Nintendo spoke to Forbes stating that the company is “always preparing for the next hardware” but that ultimately, it’s the games and the experience that will sell a console.

“The hardware is a kind of box that consumers reluctantly buy in order to play our games,” he said. Adding that the next-gen Wii is still very much “under development.”

“It’s natural for the current customer to expect Nintendo is going to once again do something different,” he said. “If the people are expecting so many different things from Nintendo, it’s going to be difficult for us to go beyond that expectation again.”

Speculation is already amping up that “something different” may include Nintendo embracing the newly tested Neural Headset Technology effectively making the Wii 2 the first mind controlled gaming platform.

T3 magazine even ran a feature story this month exploring the possibilities of such radical technology being put on the fast track through Research and Development. The images on this page are from that latest issue of T3.

Mind Control to Major Tom

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

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Panasonic Lithium Vivi RX-10S - the Electric Bicycle

July 7th 2008 22:45

The Panasonic Lithium Vivi RX-10S is a regenerative electric bicycle due for release in late August and works by regenerating energy dissipated from braking forces to charge a Lithium-ion secondary battery which in turn delivers a travel range of 125km - up from 90km without the regenerative braking system.

A motor is mounted on the front wheel along with a one-way clutch on the pedal shaft while other features include an auto-mode which can select the assistance force for you in four pre-determined levels - high, medium, low, and off - depending on the riding condition. The riding condition is estimated based on the value obtained by a torque sensor that measures the pedaling force accordingly.

So say if you are pedalling uphill, the auto system will switch to 'high' for maximum assisted force or turn itself off when no assistance force is required, i.e. travelling downhill.

Priced at US$1,395, Panasonic has set an annual sales target of 3,000 units. The bicycle goes on sale in Japan on August 20. [techon.nikkeibp.co.jp]

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Gadgets

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Licentia: The TV remote with a 'twist'

July 5th 2008 01:20

If I was to pick a random button aside from the blatantly obvious ones on your TV remote and asked you what it did, the chances of you knowing its exact function and purpose is actually rather slim.

Thus it is safe to say that the average user only uses a fraction of the buttons on their TV remotes so the question that begs to be asked is, why put up with a remote that seemingly has a thousand different buttons when all you ever use are the volume buttons and numeric pad?

Which is what inspired the designer of the Licentia TV remote to create something that was easy to use and gave access to what 90% of users would normally use their remotes for. The Licentia is essentially a device made with two discs and controlled via gestures i.e. just spin or compress the disc to change channels, adjust the volume including a mute function.

Too easy! [yankodesign.com]

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Gadgets

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The Polaroid Pogo Portable Printer

July 4th 2008 00:48

The Pogo Arrives

The Palm size Printer

Polaroid, the company responsible for mass producing instamatic cameras back in the day is hoping to launch a new tech revolution with its latest consumer item. Released today (July 4th) the Pogo hand held portable printer is looking to replicate the instant gratification that Polaroids original all in one photo development system had.

USB and Bluetooth compatible the Pogo, prints borderless 2 inch by 3 inch images straight from your digital camera, mobile phone or any other new age photographic devices. Compact and portable, the unit is around the size of a deck of playing cards.

The Pogo at work

Using ZINK technology (zero ink printing) the crystalized paper inside colourises when exposed to heat. From the official Polaroid Pogo site:
“The patented ZINK Paper is an advanced composite material with embedded yellow, magenta and cyan dye crystals, activated with 200 million heat pulses, in 30 seconds, in a single pass. With 100 billion crystals in a 2x3" print, the paper is 100% inkless. A ZINK-enabled printer uses heat to activate and colorize these crystals. Because there is no ink, every ZINK-enabled device has the unique benefits of being small, simple, elegant, and eco-friendly.”

Stephen Smith, the company's UK managing director, said: "There's nothing on the market quite like it. The technology is brand new. Everywhere I go people go "wow" when they see it…We reckon it'll be just as successful as any of our previous launches."

A closer look

If like me the majority of images you capture on digital devices end up on your PC but seldom in hard copy, this invention aims to change all that. Costing around $150 US the paper for the machine is $10US for 30 sheets.

Here are the specs from the official Polaroid Pogo Site:
2” x 3” borderless, sticky-back prints
Bluetooth, PictBridge compatible
Smudge-proof, water-resistant, tear-proof photos
Fade-resistant, long-lasting images
No waste – no ink cartridges
Prints in about 60 seconds
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery

How it Works - The Polaroid Pogo

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Posted By: Dexter - Category: Cameras, Gadgets, Home, Video

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The Ultimate Porsche Experience

June 28th 2008 00:12

The Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel.

The ultimate Euroride

Whenever any kind of auto game, on a PC or PS3 has the option to race as the ultimate German Sports Car badged Porsche, in this house there is no substitute. Injecting another 500 horse power to the high octane illusion a site called Fanatec.com now sells an authentic Porsche steering wheel, 6 speed gear shift and 3 pedals clutch, brake and accelerate.

Strap yourself in and feel the G's!

The force feedback wheel is wrapped in leather so as your fingers clinch the circle of ultimate control a feeling of prestige should immediately lace the experience. The wireless pedals enhancing the driving simulation to a Porsche-centric zenith.

Breaking it down

Compatible with PC and PS3 only a 1 GB USB stick comes with the installation software.

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

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Pullight Dynamo - yo-yo flashlight and charger

June 18th 2008 23:30

I don't know what's the best way to sum up the Pullight Dynamo - a UFO-inspired flashlight perhaps? But that only tells half the story. The kinetic energy which is amassed from pulling a string/cord attached to the Pullight Dynamo - much like a yo-yo in principle - is sent to an in-built 3 phase motor to deliver more power from very little kinetic energy.

Not only is the power generated enough to run three xenon/LED type bulbs that provides adequate light, there is also sufficient power to charge other devices like the popular iPod or a mobile phone.

Its functional design and sturdy casing makes it waterproof thus perfect for camping trips or emergency situations.

The Pullight Dynamo is desiged by Sebastien Sauvage. [yankodesign.com]

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Gadgets

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The Wrist Watch Recorder

June 13th 2008 03:25

Audio Time Piece

The Wrist Watch recorder

Remember the days when a phone was just for calls, watches just told the time and a cigar was just a cigar? Well those simple technologies have come along way in a short time.

Cruising around a site called spycatcheronline.co.uk you will find a host of covert equipment that lays to waste the theory a banana is just a banana. One product that caught my attention is the kind of thing I dreamed of as a kid watching james Bond films, it’s a voice recording watch.

Boasting 1GB of memory for hours of wrist directed dictation the time piece itself looks rather elegant considering its novelty attraction. Coming complete with USB compatibility the watch also doubles as an MP3 player.

A built in rechargeable battery facilitates up to 9 hours of additional power on top of a separate independent source. Durable and practical it is shock and water proof so your portable voice recorder/music player.

Note to self....

Details from spycatcheronline.co.uk:

Supplied with - Stereo earphones, AC Adaptor, USB data cable, CD Driver and Instructions.

Windows 98 driver all later operating systems should work automatically without external drivers.

Specifications:

1GB flash memory.
Total recording capacity: up to 500 hours.
Nearly 9 hours of battery life when fully charged.
Recharge time: 4 hours on first charge, 1.5 hours on subsequent recharges.
USB port for playback and charging.
AC Adaptor
Internal rechargeable battery, 1 1/2 to 2 hours to fully charge.
USB 2.0.
MP3 compression.
Voice recordings stored as .WAV files
Operating system Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP/MAC OS 9.X/MAC OS X,Linux 2.4

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Posted By: Dexter - Category: Gadgets, Toys, Visual

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The R2-D2 Digital Projector

June 8th 2008 04:46

Multimedia the Star Wars Way

The R2D2 Digital Projector

“Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, (static) you’re my only hope.’ The holographic image projected out of a little R2 unit “in a galaxy far, far away” seemed fantastical back in 1977. Now in 2008 Nikko Electronics have constructed the ultimate home entertainment device.

Not that the unit has holographic capabilities but pretty much everything else state of the art technology allows is packed into this robotic treasure. Built to half scale the feisty little droid is equipped with a CD/DVD player and a 260 inch (6.6 metre) digital projector. (800 by 600 resolution image/shining at 1000 lumens/ 500:1 contrast ratio)

The Droid and his command ship

Excited, we Artoo, offering external USB connectivity for analog and digital video, music and pictures there is also a docking port for your iPod for full playback and display. R2 pumps stereo and surround sound out of 20W speakers but I’ve saved the best for last, the inverted trash can with wheels is fully motorized!

Almost short circuiting this writers cerebrum the command panel that allows you to take complete control over R2 comes in the form of the Millenium Falcon. Holding the ship that made the “Kessel run in less than 12 parceps” in your hand you can navigate through all your media with complete operating functions and also pilot your geek boy prize around the room and adjust the projectors trajectory and setting on the wall.

The full package

Of course Artoo comes with an array of his familiar beeps and tweets from the films and the top of his dome does spin. Only a very limited number have been manufactured so to gain this unique slant on your next cinema night at home demands immediate action. According to Star wars.com this luxury collectable costs $2,995.00 US and the features are:

* Picture by DLP from Texas Instruments
* Project to ceilings and walls up to a 260-inch picture
* Resolution: 1024x768
* Contrast Ratio: 1800:1
* Lumens: 1500
* Built-in CD/DVD player. Also plays MP3/MP4 video
* iPod docking station, memory card and USB slots
* Built-in 20 watt stereo speaker system
* FM wireless audio out (channels 1 through 7)
* Full-function: forward, reverse turn 360 degrees and recline
* Millennium Falcon remote control with removable stand
* Head turns using Millennium Falcon remote control
* Plays the most popular R2-D2 sound effects
* 1 year hardware manufacturer warranty
* 180 day projection lamp manufacturer warranty
* Height 25 " Width 15" Weight 14lbs

Watch a demo video of Artoo in action

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Posted By: Dexter - Category: Gadgets, Home, Toys

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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]

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Computers, Gadgets

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The Bionic Arm is reality.

May 30th 2008 05:09

A mind controlled Artificial Limb.

Dean Kamen and the revolutionary arm

When I was a kid watching Lee Majors as the Six Million Dollar Man I failed to see the practical applications of his robotic limbs. To a 10 year old it was the super strength that they seemed to enable that was the most attractive thing.

Now, awareness of the plight of amputees and those who are unable to control their limbs puts a more empathetic perspective on the development of inventions like the latest from DEKA research.

Reported from the D6 conference on allthingsd.com, DEKA founder Dean Kamen demonstrated the new “luke arm” (Empire Strikes Back anyone?). Astounding, this mechanical arm actually responds to mind commands, working much like the Bionic Man or Luke Skywalker’s new hand.

Working for the good of mankind

An engineering marvel that renders the mechanical claw redundant there is a precision to the digits on the hand that seems almost impossible. Wired.com says “The arm is fully articulated, giving the user the same degrees of movement as a natural arm, and is sensitive enough to pick up a piece of paper, a wineglass or even a grape without mishap.”

Here is a blow by blow rundown of what happened at the D6 conference from allthingsd.com:

• Walt and Kara welcome Kamen to the stage.
• So what’ve you been working on? Kamen recalls a visit with some very high-level people from DARPA years ago. The good news, they told him: Battle fatalities have greatly declined. The bad news: Many soldiers that survive battle have lost their arms. And the prosthetics we currently have don’t offer bilateral movement or fine motor control. Kamen says they charged him with developing a new prosthetic that could offer those things. “I looked at them,” said Kamen, ” and I said you’re nuts.” We don’t have the technology yet. How do we interface with the human body? “You think you have trouble with the Vista interface,” quips Kamen.
• Kamen pulled together a bunch of creative folks, did a bit of research and decided to try to build the arm. DARPA asked him to build it in two years. Kamen said he’d build it in one.
• And almost a year later he had.
• Video of a man with two functioning arms demonstrating an exoskeleton version of the arm. He scratches his nose, picks up a pad of paper ….
• Kamen queues up another video that features an amputee who’s lost both his arms, using the Luke Arm after less than two hours of training. After passing a small ball to a colleague, the man pours a drink and then feeds himself for the first time in 13 years.
• Queueing up another video in which a man who has had the arm connected directly to his nerve endings controls the arm simply by thinking. Kamen says it took just a day for the user to learn how to use the arm to do basic things like picking up a glass.
• Kamen talks about the difficulty of this process–with so many possible degrees of freedom, how does someone wearing one of these arms learn to operate, say, a backhoe?
• Kamen says DEKA solved this problem by creating macros that could be programmed into the arm to shorten this process. Video demonstration of the “ball holding” and “power-drill operating” macros, among others.
• We took these things down to a Veterans Administration building to test them out. He found that the arm was difficult to attach because of varying degrees of amputation. Also found that many amputees don’t wear their current prosthetics, because they’re too heavy or uncomfortable or difficult to wear. Kamen worried that the Luke Arm would meet with a similar reception unless he solved these problems.
• DEKA went back into the lab and added a set of air bladders to the arm harness, along with a pneumatic pump that makes the arm not just more comfortable, but easier to use. Also quite powerful. Can lift weights as large as 40 lbs.
• Moving on to another video which shows an amputee using the arm to pick up grapes one by one and eat them.
• Kamen hopes someday to connect these prosthetics directly to the brain–non-invasively.
• On to next Kamen passion: education. He thanks Melinda Gates for setting up the crowd, then makes his pitch: We’re the only country wherein minority kids and women get the message that they aren’t suitable for science or math careers. So let’s turn science, engineering, etc., into a fun sport. In short, he says, we got 23 companies to develop sports-like teams and an annual competition through FIRST (for inspiration and recognition of science and technology). The organization has grown: 13,911 schools from 38 countries. He asks the audience to help.

Here is footage of the DEKA “Luke Arm” at work.

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Posted By: Dexter - Category: Gadgets, Video

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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.

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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]

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Computers, Gadgets

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The Solar Panel Briefcase

May 21st 2008 03:27

The Solar Panel Briefcase

The Solar panel briefcase

Another contribution to the environmentally conscious gadget user, the Solar panel briefcase is just what it sounds like. This is a briefcase that comes with Solar panels to recharge and power your plug n play gizmos using the sun as its energy provider of choice.