Sony Ericsson women's gear

Sony Ericsson has designed a stylish and fashionable new Bluetooth headset that’s directed at their female demographic. The HBH-PV712 Style Edition Bluetooth headset is a small device that has interchangeable panels.This new headset is also equipped with audio enhancing technology, including Digital Signal Processing (SP) and Fast Automatic Volume Adjustment technology that ensures crystal-clear sound in most environments. What would make the product more enticing is the fact that it comes with a silver-plated necklace that has a clip for the headset with a quick release feature for incoming calls. The necklace is decorated with pearls in the same colors (red, silver and black) complimenting the headset and the removable panels it comes with. Weighing a mere 14 grams, the headset provides a whopping 15 hours of talk time. Sony Ericsson accessorises the headest further with a pouch that can store the necklace, headset and panels in a size small enough to fit inside a standard handbag. It comes with a standard 1-year warranty. Bundled articles include the phone and headset pouch, the necklace, two style covers, charger and user guide.It will be available globally in February, 2008 but the price has not yet been disclosed.

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Nokia E90 Communicator

the Big Daddy of all phones! The E90 may look like and perhaps feel like any other communicator, but is it really? The answer is a resounding NO! The previous models, although still quite popular in many arenas has nothing on this baby. With a combination of elegance, style and a sturdy demeanor, the new addition to the business i.e. "E" class of Nokia phones has promised to overshadow its predecessors. But whether or not it can actually live up to that is what we’re here to find out. So let's get to it. Form FactorAlthough the design is quite like any Communicators of yore, this one has a few upgrades. For example this is the first to have a fully functional ‘External Phone’ with a 16million color display and a resolution of 240x320 pixels. The reason I refer to it as an ‘External Phone’ is simply because it pretty much looks like any other Nokia phone inside some sort of shell. Whatever a normal S60 phone can do, the outer phone can do as well. No exceptions this time. This may also be the first time Nokia has placed the power switch on the side of the screen rather than on top. The rear houses the 3.2 megapixel, Auto-Focus camera with a flash and the speakers. At the very bottom you'll notice a little flap, which is where the microSD card can be inserted. All you have to do is slide it open and insert the card. The bottom is where you’ll find the mini USB (2.0), charger pin and a 2.5mm earphone socket. What’s most noticeable are the two steel hinges. This is another factor that sets the E90 apart from the previous models. The steel hinges make the phone a lot sturdier and add a certain rugged appeal to it. On the side are 2 keys. The one on the top is a dedicated voice recorder key, and the one at the bottom just below the infrared sensor, is the shutter release key for the camera. However, it's not a dedicated key to activate it which is quite odd. Flip it open and this is where all the magic happens. The large internal screen is what this phone is all about with a crystal clear resolution of 800x352 pixels and 16 million colors. On the sides of this fabulous screen are 2 pairs of keys. On the right just underneath the secondary camera is a set of call take and end keys and on the other side of the screen is a set of soft keys. But I don’t like the positioning too much as they’re a bit too far from the nav-pad, so you end up having to adjust your hold every now and again when selecting options. The Full QWERTY keypad makes the E90 look like a miniaturized laptop. At the very top of the keypad Nokia has graciously provided us with direct shortcut keys to various functions and one key to call your own (Open key). There’s also a separate key to switch on the keypad light when it's dark and on the other side of the keypad is a five way Nave-Pad. So that’s it for the design of this big boy. Let's see what he’s capable of doing.

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LG launches GSM counterpart of Venus

LG has launched the KF600 EDGE (GSM version of Venus VX8800) mobile phone equipped with a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera and new InteractPad touch screen constituting the lower portion of the display and allowing easy navigation of menus. The KF600 actually has a slide out keypad, so it’s not fully touch sensitive. It’s equipped with Bluetooth, presumably with an A2DP profile as well. There’s no word on pricing and availability in India but we're hoping we will see a launch in the near future. Watch this space.

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Movon MK20 Handsfree Car Kit

My first impression of the Movon MK20 was that it's a glorified handsfree device. I may not be completely wrong in my judgment, but I most certainly do not think it’s a waste of my time. On the contrary, I've had much fun at the expense of my phone bill. Simply put, the MK20 is a device that can be used to place and take calls without having to touch your phone at all. Of course, the use is limited to your car, just so you concentrate on driving for a change. The device comes with a mic and speakers to facilitate the whole thing. The device has a magnetic spot at the back to attach it to the sun visor clamp. What’s cool about this is that the device is so light that a strong magnet keeps it place, yet doesn’t require much force to detach. The MK20 has a 2.2-inch LCD screen, which can be adjusted in three steps. It has three buttons hugging the screen, for call, cancel and hotline. Once the device is thoroughly charged, you will need to pair it with your phone. It’s very easy! Press and hold the hotline key, and the Bluetooth receiver will be activated in a couple of seconds. The blinking blue light next to the screen indicates it's live.
Next you'll need to look for the device using your phone, and while pairing, key in 0000 to seal the deal! Next click on the 'connect to device' option in your phone and you are ready to go. The coolest thing is that you don’t need to repeat all this every time you want to use it. Just pull the screen out and it will automatically form the connection in a matter of seconds.

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Samsung's upcoming fashion phones

Samsung's second fashion phone is the L320, also a clamshell. However, unlike the L310, Samsung has made this one a little curvier. It has an external OLED display and a 1.9-inch internal TFT LCD with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels. Features include Bluetooth and USB connectivity as well as GPRS and EDGE for net connectivity. It comes with a microSD slot for external memory and a 2-megapixel camera.Both phones are set to hit selected markets in February. The L310 is priced approximately Euro 240 (Rs 13,846) and the L320 will cost around Euro 220 (Rs 12,695). No word on whether it’s hit stores here.

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Just Cause 2 Officially Announced

Developer Avalanche Studios’ take on the GTA franchise was a mixed bag. Some liked it, while others, well, hated it. We fall somewhere in between, since things started out pretty decently but spiraled into a load of crap a couple of hours into the game. Either way, the game must have fared pretty well commercially since Avalanche has been busy working on a sequel titled Just Cause 2. Here’s a gist of things to come, courtesy of the official press release:
With more stunts, vehicles and weapons than ever before and an incredible overhauled grappling hook, Rico returns to action in Panau, an incredibly detailed and vast 1000 sq km game world of different climates and ultra-realistic weather effects. Leap from your plane and skydive from 10,000 feet down into a tropical jungle, tear across an arid desert in a dune buggy or climb your way up a snowy mountain in a 4x4. The vast open-ended, unique gameplay is back, allowing you full freedom once again to free roam and explore the massive world of Panau and tackle your assignments however you want.
With a new and improved air, land and sea stunt system featuring Rico’s notorious parachute and grappling hook, taken to incredible new extremes and a massive array of new vehicles featuring an advanced driving model, players can now pull off some of the finest action stunts ever seen in a video game in a truly massive and beautifully rendered environment.
Just Cause 2 is expected to be released for the PC, Xbox360, and PS3 sometime this year.

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HTC shows the way

The Mobile World Congress had plenty of highlights, one of the more promising ones being the quad-band P3470 unveiled by HTC. According to the company, this phone will set a new standard in affordable smart phone, GPS-based devices. The noteworthy features of the phone include GPS navigation, a touchscreen, and long battery life of 350 minutes (talk time) and 240 hours of standby time.The phone will run on Windows Mobile 6. It sports a 2.8-inch QVGA LCD touchscreen display and has a TomTom Navigator 6 for navigation. The phone also has a GPS antenna connector, which you can hook to an external antenna for better reception. The P3470 will come bundled with a 1 GB microSD card. The phone itself has 256 MB flash and 128 MB internal memory. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera and Bluetooth. 3G and Wi-Fi are conspicuously absent. The P3470 should be available in certain parts of Europe next month onwards and will be priced at around $650.

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iPhone's SDK Key Leaked!

iPhone lovers have yet another reason to bring out the champagne and caviar. Some kind soul has apparently leaked what seems to be the iPhone’s application SDK key. What this means for iPhone users is that third party application developers can now come up with software for the iPhone that can be officiated through iTunes without any worry that the device will get bricked. With the SDK key users may not even need to jailbreak their devices to install third party apps.

It's quite likely that Apple will develop a new SDK key, but the fact that things even got to this stage with the always-in-the-news iPhone pretty much tells us there’s no stopping either side from making or breaking down the gadget’s defenses.
For your information here’s the "Key to the Kingdom": 18 84 58 A6 D1 50 34 DF E3 86 F2 3B 61 D4 37 74.

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Reads data and stores it too

Kingston Technology Company has launched the DataTraveler Micro Reader, an all-in-one USB Flash drive and reader that can store, transfer and read content on mobile memory cards.The DataTraveler Micro Reader is enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost, and features onboard Flash memory up to 4GB and an expansion slot to read microSD, microSDHC, or Memory Stick Micro cards. Data can be simply dragged and dropped onto the DT Micro Reader. The DataTraveler Micro Reader is backed by a five-year warranty and legendary Kingston service and support. The 1GB version will ship in the US this month and will be priced at approximately Rs 762 ($19.25), followed by the 2GB version, priced at Rs 1,080 ($27.25) and a 4GB version priced at around Rs 1,665 ($42).

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Sony Updates Vaio Line with Penryn

Sony has finally updated its sexy Vaio series with the latest Intel Penryn processors. Apart from this upgrade, a few models have been equipped with Blu-ray drives as well. Among the new upgrades, the first series to get a spruce-up is the Vaio AR60. This new series comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 processor, Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics (512MB VRAM) and a Blu-ray drive. The 17-inch WUXGA widescreen display gives you 1080p Full HD in brilliant color, with X-black LCD screen enhancement and super-bright double lamp illumination. The AR60 also provides 4GB RAM, hybrid DVB-T digital/analog tuner, remote control, and HDMI.
Next to be upgraded is the VAIO SZ70 Series. The highlight of this series is the fact that these are lightweight (1.79kg) ultraportable machines that boast a carbon fiber chassis and power-saving LED screens. The notebook also incorporates an Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 processor and a unique Stamina Mode switch that allows users to select between settings i.e. they can choose extended battery life of over 5 hours or exceptional graphics power, depending on what they need. It has 4GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive.
Next up is the VAIO CR30 Series, which can be customized with either C2D T8100 or T8300 processor. It offers a 1.3 megapixel Motion Eye webcam, and a unique AV Mode feature that lets you watch films on DVD or play audio CDs without needing to start Windows.
The final product in our list is the Sony Vaio TP2 Home Entertainment Center. This is the famous circular HTPC that now packs in an Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 processor, Blu-ray Disc Combo Drive, HDMI, hybrid DVB-T digital/analog tuner, and a 500GB hard disk.

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Enter the Bluetooth Walkman

Sony’s latest Walkman player, the NWZ-A820 is the first from Sony to feature Bluetooth capabilities. That’s not all; the player also offers video-in recording with real-time MPEG4 encoding. It sports a 2.4-inch QVGA screen.The player also has a video-out, so you can attach it to a compatible display device. The accessories for the player include a cradle and an external speaker system, which are priced at around Yen 20,000 (Rs 7,200) and Yen 3,000 (Rs 1,100) respectively. The player itself is available in 8 GB and 16 GB for 28,000 Yen (Rs 10,000) and 38,000 Yen (Rs 14,000) respectively.

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Sony Ericsson W61S

The W61S is loaded with a 5.1 megapixel autofocus camera and falls under the Cyber-shot umbrella. It’s equipped with a CMOS sensor and aside from 3x optical zoom it uses Sony’s ‘Exmor’ technology from the Pro Alpha DSLR. The camera boasts Kaokime Lite (auto-adjusts brightness on face detection for ideal facial tones), Smile Shutter Lite (auto-releases shutter on detecting smiles) and anti-shake abilities.
As if that weren't enough, the W61S has a large 2.8 inch WVGA display with a resolution of 400 x 800 pixels that apparently uses Reality MAX technology as in Sony’s Bravia HD TVs. WOW!! Aside from all that (as if all that’s not enough to make you want to fly to Japan), it has other usual features such as Bluetooth, GPS, TV-out and external memory support via microSD cards (Not M2?)

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Samsung and Adidas Presents SGH-F110 miCoach Fitness Mobile

Samsung and Adidas have revealed miCoach SGH-F110, a mobile which gives accurate feedback about your daily workout activities with the miCoach System. The new mobile from Samsung comes with a workout tracking system that provides heart rate monitoring in addition with step counting mechanism.Aimed at the fitness freaks this mobile comes with a belt that has to be worn around the chest which measures the heartbeat and a stride sensor needs to be placed in the shoe laces for step counting.
Specifications of SGH-F110 :
Comes equipped with a 2 Megapixel camera
FM radio
MP3 player
1 GB storage
2 Inch display
Bluetooth ready
GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
Eric Liedtke, Vice President of Adidas Brand Marketing said, “miCoach is the most advanced interactive training system in the marketplace, blending sophisticated mobile technology with the most advanced in sport innovation and training.” Liedtke added, “The uniqueness of miCoach is that it collects and analyzes personal data and then customizes training plans based on your fitness level and specific goals, while giving you real-time feedback during your workout via the miCoach phone.”
Expected release date: Mid 2008, No info about pricing yet
Techlivez price predict: Rs 12K-15K

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Secret Stasi Files Reveal East German Army Had Porno Unit in '80s

A secret stash of porno movies made by the East German army during the Cold War has been discovered. During the '80s, an amateur film circle was set up in a barracks in Biesdorf, East Berlin, in order to provide blau movies for the army top brass as well as visiting dignitaries. Despite the politburo's anti-pornography stance, over 100 people were involved in the films—in front of, as well as behind the camera.
The films, with titles such as Glass Dreams, Private Werner's Big Surprise and F***ing for the Fatherland, were made on 12mm cameras. Initially, a dozen men were involved, but by the mid-'80s, there were 160 people in the know. Soldiers were measured up to see if they were well-enough endowed for a starring role in the films, which were short and shoddy.
Former soldeier Dietmar Schuertze, now a media spokesman for the Bundeswehr, worked as both actor and sound assistant on the movies. "They were made, essentially, in secret but nothing got done in that man's army without the approval of the brass," he said, adding that they were made for the ruling classes' consumption. Filming often took place at garden parties, with officers and party officials checking the action out.
Some of the less salacious moments were shown on German TV earlier this week, but the quarter-century-old movies were incredibly dated. "I didn't recognize myself," said one former soldier. "And neither, thank God, did my wife." [Telegraph]

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Castro Retires, Cuba Gets Cellphones

We don't know whether to laugh or cry, but the people of Cuba today finally get the proud first-world privilege of 2-year carrier contracts, overpriced text messages, data service they'll never use and half-empty buckets of minutes that will surely run out by the middle of the month. Until now, Cuba had the lowest cellphone usage in Latin America, because individuals could only get cell service via their jobs or foreign carriers, but now the new Cuban prez, Fidel's brother Raul, says it's okay for everyone to jump in and cell up. Question is, how many can afford it?
[Reuters; AP]

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The World's Largest LED Chandelier Sips Electricity, Champagne

This 7000lb behemoth chandelier has a 35-foot diameter of steel, glass and acrylic. It features 328 lights. And it only uses 1120 watts of electricity. Constructed by Meyda Tiffany for the e Stanley Theater in Utica, New York, the opulence of a gigantic piece of lighting art is unquestionably more palatable when it's not eating our coal, killing our dolphins, etc. Bonus shot after the jump. [Meyda Tiffany via Gizmowatch]

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Vinho Verde, a Wine Bottle with Built-In Glasses

A truly great idea, or a truly dangerous one? Perfect for oenophiles, or perfect for winos? This bottle by designer Viktor Pucsek lands smack in the middle of all those questions: it's a wine bottle with built-in "glasses." The idea of Vinho Verde is that you pop-off the portable paper cups, which also double as labels, for when you want a sip or two. It's just a concept, and I kinda hope it stays like that: I like my Portuguese green wine too much to sully it by drinking from a paper glass. [Yanko designs]

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Drum Table: Perfect Accompaniment for Drinking Songs

It's a table. With drums built in. And other percussion instruments, you can swap around. Yey! Need to know more before you buy one to go in your student home? See the video (it's better than the photo.) The Musical Rumba Series tables are handmade by artist Tor Clausen, and are available in four different sizes, each accommodating a different number of instruments. So, ok, they're probably not ideal for drinking game frolics unless you all club together and try really hard to not spill beer on one: the prices range from $800 to $2,900.

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Warner Music Pushes for Mandatory Music Tax on Your Internet Bill

If iTunes music subscriptions don't happen, it's not because the industry lacks interest. Universal's already got a sub plan; Sony BMG is forging ahead with their own; and now Warner Music is investing serious resources and effort into pushing for a monthly music tax. They want $5 a month tacked onto everybody's internet bill, and in return, everyone would have unlimited access to basically all known music. It's not as generous as it sounds.
Michael Arrington points out that a $5 tax—besides essentially turning music into a service requiring us to perpetually suck on the industry's teat—would double its size, from $10 billion to $20 billion. So of course the labels are all for it. It's guaranteed revenue that would flood their coffers like never before. Warner's plan calls for the cash stream to flow into a pool that'll be split between copyright holders and artists. But we all know how hard labels want to screw artists.
And as Arrington points out, it would basically freeze innovation in the industry, meaning labels would be able to ream them that much harder. Not to mention, thanks to the fine print, we'd probably no longer own our music. But that's the whole point. [Portfolio via TechCrunch]

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Best Buy Pressured Microsoft To Create Crippled Vista Label; Intel Off the Hook?

A month ago, everyone wanted to vilify Intel for pressuring Microsoft into approving the crippled "Vista Capable" label for certain low-grade PCs. But new evidence suggests A) that Best Buy was instrumental in approving the sinister two-tiered Vista approach very early on and B) that all of this hare-brained scheming seems to have originated at Microsoft itself.
According to CRN ChannelWeb, Vista marketing director Rajesh Srinivasan and others devised the now infamous two-tiered Vista Ready/Vista Capable plan— the latter category known to be incapable of handling the nice Vista Aero visual interface because of paltry Intel integrated graphics support—in the summer of 2005. Srinivasan pitched the idea to Best Buy as early as August 2005, and Best Buy was apparently gung-ho on it.

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HTC's Next-Gen TouchFLO Windows Mobile 6.1 Interface In Screenshots

Boy Genius has details on "Manilla," the code name for HTC's TouchFLO replacement interface coming on some of their Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphones. There's the improved home screen (above), as well as the improved dialer screens, skinning of the browser and skinning of the comm manager. Our intern tells us that a bunch of these new skins were already seen in gradual updates in some of the newer devices that are out already, such as the Touch Cruise, but "Manilla" seems to be a TouchFLO 2.0 that brings all the updates together. Boy Genius has more. [Boy Genius Report]

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Question: How Many Cops Does It Take to Bust a Ring of Cellphone Thieves?

This many, apparently. This was the scene in North London yesterday afternoon, as 600 cops in scary riot gear marched up a suburban street on their way to knock some thievin' heads together.
The boys in blue made a beeline for 19 businesses situated on the Blackstock Road, a crime hotspot that, coincidentally or not, is just round the corner from the mosque where extremist preacher Abu Hamza used to preach from. Premises raided included a butcher's shop, internet cafe and greengrocer's.
The raid was not just about cellphones, however—although T-Mobile claims that 40 percent of its stolen phones go on to be used in the Blackstock Road area. Some of the other charges leveled against the suspects include drug dealing, money laundering and selling fake documents.
And the reason for 600 woodentops? Well, a bit like the Kaiser Chiefs, officers predicted a riot, so they sent an entire regiment of men down there. Seventy men were arrested, 300 stolen mobiles recovered, as well as (deep breath) 120 laptops, 110 cameras, 32 iPods and 20 satnavs. Oh, and 47 forged passports and driving licenses. I heart London. [Daily Mail]

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HDD USB Dock Gets USB Hub Integrated, Still Plugs in Like NES Cartridges

The USB HDD Dock we saw a few months ago just got a USB hub upgrade. Not only does it still take 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA drives in the top like a Famicom cartridge, there's an added 4-port USB hub on the front. Because if you're going to take up one of your machine's precious USB ports for something, it's even better when that something gives you 3 extra ports in return. [Brando]

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How to Get Your Hacked Obsolete Object on Gizmodo

Chase Sechrist and Dan Weatherford went to work on Toshiba's HD-A1 HD-DVD player and, while it's pretty much only good as a doorstop now, at least it says something nice. [Doom9's Forum—thanks Mazyar!]

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HD DVD Officially No Longer Exists

The HD DVD Promo group was dissolved today, its ashes scattered on the Island of Dead Formats. After a moment of silence, make your way to Best Buy to claim your $50 and trade in your obsolete plastic—or soak up the cheap HD goodness—if you haven't already. [HD DVD Promo Group, Thanks Mack!]

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The ezSpace UFO Surge Protector Gets Price Drop to $29

That ezSpace UFO Surge Protector we reviewed and loved last month got a $10 price drop down to $29, making it even more of a good buy. [Review]

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Pube Grooming Kit Makes Your Muff Best In Show

Anyone into heart-shaped boxes need look no further than the Just Kittyng Kit. In it is all the gear you need to turn your girlfriend's lady-garden into something more, shall we say, ornamental. It's got a bunch of stencils so that when you choose to transform her bush into a heart, star or arrow, it won't look like something that Salvador Dali did. The three shapes are dull-ass dull, though. Whoever is behind this $36 thing needs to start thinking outside the box. [Makeup.com via ALBOTAS]

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Man Uses Gun to Blow Hole in Wall for Satellite Dish, Kills Wife by Accident

This is what tools are for, my friends. Ronald Long of Deepwater, MO, was trying to install a satellite dish in his bedroom. He was having trouble putting the necessary hole in the wall and, thinking himself quite clever, decided to use his gun to get the job done quickly. Unfortunately, his wife was outside and caught the bullet in the chest. She was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival. On the upside, Ronald now has DirecTV. Silver linings, people. [KCTV via Boing Boing]

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Mac OS X 10.5.3 Test Builds Seeded to Developers

Apple's just released a OS X Leopard 10.5.3 update beta to developers, meaning that the patch is at least stable enough for widespread testing. Among the things being fixed are several memory leaks in CoreAnimation and iCal, but the final release won't be available until an estimated April or May. [Apple Insider]

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Runtriz Touchscreen Communication Displays Networks Up Your Luxury Home's Kitchen

This Runtriz touchscreen is something we'd want in the kitchen area of our home. Not because it's totally necessary, because it isn't, but because it display stocks, weather, news, recipes, wine organization, and even send emails and text messages to people on the outside. Why would we use this? One example is to make up a grocery list on the device (assisted by the recipes so we know exactly what to buy) and then emailing it to our phones so we can see it at the store. Or better yet, email it to the person who's actually at the supermarket so they know what to buy. That seems more likely. [Runtriz]

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iTam Tam iPod Dock Is Strangely Unique, Expensive

Close to 99% of all the iPod Docks we've ever seen look about the same. This iTam Tam looks nothing like those. Imagine making a dock that's shaped like a stool or a gong, and this is what you'd get. A concave cylindrical thing that's got a slot for an iPod/iPhone at the top. How does this sound? Who cares! At $570, you're not buying this for the audio quality. You're buying this because you need something that screams "I had $570 and I have spent it." [iTam Tam via Branexdesign via Born Rich via DVice]

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Dealzmodo: $0.99 Bluetooth Headset

We know a bunch of you would never use a Bluetooth headset even if your hands were broken and it was the only way you could make a call. Problem is, a bunch of states are enacting handset-only call laws, meaning that you're going to have to get one whether you want to or not. Here's a Soyo FreeStyler 500 Bluetooth headset for $0.99 with $10 Google Checkout discount. Buy it and shove it into your glove compartment. [Buy.com via Gearlog]

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Earth Hour Wants All The Lights Off, But We Want Them On

Those tofu-loving nutjobs over at the WWF (no, not that one) are planning another Earth Hour on Saturday night, where the world shuts off all their lights and electronics from 8-9 pm. We're supposed to think about ways to live more sustainably and fight global warming. Sounds great, right? WRONG.
We here at Giz think it's a God-given right to have access to gadgets at all times. For the WWF to try and take that liberty from us is unacceptable and downright Un-American. That's why we're asking from 9-10 pm on Saturday night, you pull out every gadget you own, plug it into a socket, and turn it on. Gadget Deprivation is no laughing matter, kids. Please join the fight. [Earth Hour]

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The Ultimate Twirling Pen: It's Annoying With or Without the LEDs

The Penmawashi was designed by Hideki, the reigning pen twirling champion of the world. If you are thinking "there's a pen twirling champion?"—I'm with you. Yes there is, and apparently he is so cool that he doesn't even need a last name. Still, Hideki knows his stuff, and he has put his years of experience into a pen so perfectly balanced even a dwarf with fat hands could use it. Plus, it has flashing LED lights that are sure to annoy everyone around you. Available in cyber, sonic, metal, science, beat, and sport styles—whatever that means. UPDATE: Apparently there is an American version called SpinZ coming out this month. Hit the jump for more info.
The folks behind the SpinZ line of pens are attempting to bring the pen spinning phenomenon that is sweeping across Europe (?) to the US with three new offerings for anyone interested in getting involved with this "sport."

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AquaClimb Poolside Climbing Walls: The Next Best Thing To Everest

It may not be as challenging as climbing some of the great peaks of the Himalayas, but the AquaClimb is a hell of a lot warmer and safer than a mountain—plus it offers up a great upper body / core workout. The fiberglass panels include hand-sculpted rock features and the ability to be rotated 90 degrees or even reconfigured to customize the level of difficulty. There is even a a non-slip, textured surface, interchangeable handholds and a 10 degree angled design to ensure saftey. I just wouldn't be following right behind that kid in the red trunks if you want to survive. Available for a whopping $8,000. [Hammacher Schlemmer and AquaClimb via BornRich]

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Brass Knuckle Umbrella is a Class 5 Weapon

According to the design page, this brass knuckle umbrella or "Umbuster" was categorized as a class 5 weapon by the Victorian Police—the primary law enforcement agency in Victoria Australia. That would make it illegal to own there without a license. I don't know about all of that considering that it appears to be a concept, but I do know you could do some serious damage with it. Then again, if you got in a scuffle in the rain, the drag from the open umbrella may render your punch harmless—resulting in a swift and brutal ass kicking. [Sruli Recht via Likecool]

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Japan's QR Codes Being Tested in SF

You know those QR codes that Japan has? The ones that look like fancy bar codes that you take a picture of with your cellphone that brings up some bit of info or trivia on the display. Those are being tested in SF right now on 500+ restaurants/shops/businesses reviewed by Citysearch.
Once you snap a picture of the code, your phone will bring up the Citysearch's review page, letting you know whether you should go in. Also, a tourism company is shoving these onto some tourist locations, bringing up a 15 to 20-second audio snippet of what you're looking at. If they could stick this on things like busses, taxis, waitresses, drug dealers and prostitutes (all common in SF), we'd gladly use this service. [SFGate via New Launches]

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Question of the Day: Which Office Gadget Would You Love to Smash?

The scene in Office Space where they take revenge on their printer really hit home for me because I used to have a paper jam piece of crap at an old job that I would have loved to smash. Chances are, you have a similar piece of equiptment at your office that never works properly and is just begging to be put out of its misery. So, the question is: which of the following office gadgets would you love to destroy?

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Oxygen Dog House: An O2 Buzz for You and Your Pooch

We have heard about the potential health benefits of inhaling pure oxygen since the 90's—but in Japan this fad is still going strong. In fact, they are getting their dogs involved with products like this new O2 Doghouse. Marketed as a "dog hospital" of sorts, the O2 Doghouse will deliver 100% pure oxygen to your sick pooch while he rests inside. And the best part is that you can hit the generator as well—so both you and your dog can relax side by side. Now that is what I call bonding. [Trends in Japan via DVICE]

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HP Media Vault 2100 Linux Server Reviewed: One Kick-Ass Little Penguin

Why, in the midst of a major Windows Home Server push, would HP introduce a little Linux-based NAS at half the price? And why would HP make the $300 Media Vault mv2120 so full featured and easy that its $600-and-up MediaSmart Servers lookA) too bulkyB) too expensiveC) too overloadedD) all of the above?Is HP telling Microsoft there's no need for Windows Home Server, especially in light of its recent troubles? Or is HP saying that WHS is nice, but it'd be nicer if it was actually priced as an accessory? Whether the new Media Vault is a lurch away from Microsoft's gravitational pull, or whether it's a placeholder until Redmond can come up with a formula for $300 WHS boxes, it's a pretty cool little machine.
See, one of the reasons I liked Windows Home Server so much is that after dealing with many NAS products from the storage companies and networking hardware makers, the MediaSmart server was easier to setup and had a lot of useful apps ready to go at the start. Maybe you like a clean drive, an empty warehouse on your network, but it's nice when some of the initiative is taken for you.
That's why I was relieved (though a bit startled) that the 500GB Media Vault—again half the price of the 500GB MediaSmart Server—was ready to do so much right out of the box.
I plugged it in, ran the Windows-only set up, and was immediately able to back stuff up, either using the super-simple screen for music, movies, etc., or the more comprehensive tool, where you can tell it what you want to back up and when you want it done. I did it on both Vista and XP machines, and was happy to be able to check out my contents afterwards on the PCs and even on my Mac. (WHS only lets you see your backups via a tedious drive emulator, one that obviously doesn't run on Macs.) I haven't done any HD video streaming or anything like that yet, but with a gigabit ethernet connection, I don't think I'll have a problem. In fact, though HP says that the Media Vault can't do multiple simultaneous video streams like the WHS, I can't really figure out what I, personally, would miss if I kissed the WHS goodbye and stuck with the Media Vault. Here's how the comparison plays out

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SlingPlayer TV-on-Cellphone Coming For Symbian UIQ This Summer

Just as Sling announced a few weeks ago, their Slingplayer cellphone player is getting added support for Symbian UIQ devices this summer. Among the sets being supported are the Sony Ericsson P1i, P990i, W960i, W950i and M600i, along with Moto's MOTORIZR Z8. You'll be able to see it in person at CTIA coming up next week, but won't be able to stream episodes of Lost on it until summer—but by then the TV season would already be over.

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Kodak Quick Touch Digital Photo Frames Are Ticklish on the Side

Kodak's Quick Touch photo frames don't quite go all the way on being touchscreen, though they're spinning that as a plus, since you don't leave grimy fingerprints on your screen. Instead, the border itself is a touchpad, so you can scroll through pics with swipes of your finger.
The $180 M820 and $230 M1020 support all of the major memory card formats and USB drives, as well as make with the MP3 and MPEG (1 and 4) video playback. The $120 P720 is more basic, dropping the multimedia and CF card support. Can we get some Wi-Fi syncing, at least in the higher end model, please?

Kodak's Quick Touch photo frames don't quite go all the way on being touchscreen, though they're spinning that as a plus, since you don't leave grimy fingerprints on your screen. Instead, the border itself is a touchpad, so you can scroll through pics with swipes of your finger.
The $180 M820 and $230 M1020 support all of the major memory card formats and USB drives, as well as make with the MP3 and MPEG (1 and 4) video playback. The $120 P720 is more basic, dropping the multimedia and CF card support. Can we get some Wi-Fi syncing, at least in the higher end model, please?

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Question of the Day: Do Hourly Time Machine Backups Piss You Off?

Lately I've been getting really annoyed at Time Machine. It's running over the network to a Time Capsule, so it's basically got free rein to backup whenever it damn well pleases, or specifically once per hour, at a time of its own choosing. The result is a sudden system and network slowdown when I'm in the middle of doing stuff. Yesterday, Time Machine caused me to perform a forced reboot—in the middle of a conference call.
During the day I work with images, videos and other largish files, many of which get deleted and need no local backup. I let this slide earlier, thinking Steve J's keep-it-simple strategy made sense. But now I yearn for a backup program that at least lets me set blackout times (say, my usual working hours) where I don't have to deal with manually shutting down an in-progress backup. Or worse, having to reboot everything because the slow-down didn't go away. Before I try this Lifehacker freeware Time Machine tip that Chen has graciously bestowed upon me, I have to ask, am I the only one who feels this way? Or...

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EZ Commander Media Center Remote Features Trackball, 1980s Beige Color Scheme

Ignoring the retro styling of this EZ Commander remote, it's got one remarkable feature that makes the whole five-buck-design worthwhile: a trackball. Even though trackballs went out of style for most computer users (some die hards still swear by them) they make plenty of sense to use with a remote, so you can mouse around the screen without having to actually use a mouse. It's too bad that it costs $80, which is a good $50 more than standard Media Center remotes go for these days.

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Microsoft Surface in Your House in 2011

For Microsoft, full speed-ahead on a cheaper consumer version of Surface, its multi-touch computer table, means 2011. Tom Gibbons, VP of Microsoft specialized apps and devices group says that "In the three-year time window, we absolutely see how to get there. If we can beat that, we'll try to beat that." Alas, it's Microsoft, so they're already running late on the initial launch to companies waving around a lot more money than you. Expect to hang onto your Ikea coffee table until 2012, to be safe.

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NVIDIA Responsible for Nearly 30% of Vista Crashes in 2007

It's pretty easy to blame Microsoft for the buggy experiences many users of Vista have had, but they aren't the only culprits in this mess of an OS. No, it turns out that NVIDIA's craptastic drivers have been responsible for a whopping 28.8% of all Vista crashes. Yes, nearly 1/3rd of every single Vista crash was caused by NVIDIA drivers, and that includes all the computers out there that, you know, don't have an NVIDIA graphics card.
Microsoft's software is only responsible for 17.9%, but you've also gotta give the big M credit for the 17% that's "unknown." Behind that, ATI is responsible for 9.3% of crashes, with Intel causing 8.8% of them.
That 29% of crashes worked out to a real-world figure of about 479,000 crashes. The sample in question comes from an unspecified period last year, so one has got to assume, or at least hope, that Microsoft and NVIDIA have gotten their shit under control by now to not be breaking computers so frequently.
In any case, it's interesting to see just how big a hand NVIDIA had in creating the perception that Microsoft's shiny new OS was a big, buggy crash machine right out of the gate. Nice work, NVIDIA.

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iPhone SDK Beta 2 Now Available

Potential iPhone developers should go and grab the latest release of the SDK, beta 2, and revel in the new Interface Builder. Make your own fancy UIs for your iPhone game, or maybe just make an improved iFartz. We're cool with either.

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Home Modder Idol Ben Heck Gets Profiled

You've seen Ben Heck's homemade gaming devices featured here a lot, and there's a reason for it: Adam Frucci loves him. Which is why he slathered much praise on the hardware modder in this Reuters profile. What would you want to know about the guy that turns two handed controllers into one handed ones? How about that he used to work for a sign-making business and doesn't actually play a whole lot of games, despite the love he gives to the accessories.

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Dell Marks End of Format War with $880 Blu-ray-Equipped Inspiron 1525

Dell is commemorating Blu-ray's victory by offering a Blu-ray playback (not read-write) drive in its cheap, many colored, 15.4" laptop, the Inspiron 1525, and for a decent price. Starting at $880, you can watch BD movies on its screen (at 720p resolution) or send the video to HDTVs via HDMI. In case you're wondering how decent playback would be on a PC with integrated graphics, Dell mentions that its using a built-in Broadcom Media PC accelerator located in a mini-card slot. See details after the jump.

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Vestax Guber CM-02 USB Turntable Really Something

Despite having crates and crates of vinyl, I am too lazy (and too strapped for space) to shell out for a USB turntable. Another reason is that most of them look like shite. But this one, the Vestax Guber CM-02 is gorgeous. Delishy-wishy. It totally poops on last week's non-usb, acrylic home-made versions (sorry Mike) and, oh, I've got a warm feeling this Friday morning and am going to think about that weekend I'll spend converting all my old 12" into files when I buy this. DJ Deals has it for $499, but our buds over the pond at Gizmodo Japan say it's on for $233.

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