Best New Technology

Posted Jan 31st 2008 3:03PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Storage

Been looking for the perfect card reader to complement that ExpressCard-less MacBook Air of yours? Well here’s exactly what you aren’t looking for, the ImageRouter from Delkin. This thing is built for professional photographers who need to dump pictures in a hurry, and one of these $149 monstrosities can read up to four CompactFlash cards simultaneously over a USB 2.0 connection. But wait, there’s more! You can plug up to three ImageRouters into each other for a total of 12 CompactFlash cards in UDMA transfer mode all at the same time, perfect for all those 25 megapixel shots you’ve been snapping, or that RAID array you’ve been meaning to build. Delkin’s shipping this thing in March, and it also comes in a $249 version with some bundled BackupandBurn software.

[Via SlashGear]

With Valentine’s Day coming up, why not get something memorable for your geeky girlfriend? This customizable wood mouse is definitely a viable gift idea, featuring a wide selection of wood finishes to choose from. You can also carve designs of your choice and have the luxury of including up to 10 letters to come up with your very own personalized peripheral. The $60 price tag is definitely worth every penny for that look of thanks and admiration from your girlfriend - at least you no longer need to carve out hearts with your names in it under the old oak tree.

Check out the PX-3600 console that hails from where else but China. It probably needs to see a shrink as it can’t decide on whether it wants to be an Xbox, a PS2, a PS3, or even something totally revolutionary. Chances are near non-existent that it will be able to handle current or even past gen console games, but ought not to have any problem with titles from the 8- and 16-bit eras. You will be able to run your own shady clone console shop only if you order a thousand of these or more, although I’m not too sure just how many customers you will get.

DVICE has a taken the MacBook Air as a base model for its parody - bringing the MacBook Earth, Water and Fire to the fore. The MacBook Earth will be the greenest laptop ever (Greenpeace activists to love Apple? Nah…), as it is powered by wind and solar energy. It uses a phosphorescent screen that consumes just nanowatts, while the chassis is made from durable clay which is 100% biodegradable. As for the MacBook Water, it uses iFluid that takes the shape of a keyboard and monitor with superior boot times compared to even cell phones. Storage is easy - just wipe it up with the sponge and you’re good to go. I wonder whether you ought to save your work before the physics law of evaporation takes place. Last but not least, we have the MacBook Fire with processors that are so powerful, they glow - doing away with the need for a backlit keyboard. I think Apple came up with a prototype some time back when their batteries kept on catching fire…

budget.”

Posted Jan 31st 2008 3:16PM by Evan Blass
Filed under: Digital Cameras

Wow, that’s a lot of Lumixes! If there’s one thing to be said for Panasonic’s digital imaging division, it definitely gives the consumer quite a large variety of models to choose from. And some, like the TZ4 and TZ5, offer pretty compelling features, such as a relatively monstrous 10x optical zooms in a relatively pocketable form factor. For the full list of models in the gallery below, which run the gamut from 8.1 to 10.1 megapixels, be sure to check out the official announcement post from a few days back.

Gallery: Hands-on with Panasonic’s new Lumix lineup

Nowadays there are many different cell phones, so everybody can find the one that suits him/her the most. Yet, despite the fact that all the cell phones are very different, they have much in common. For example, keyboard almost always consists of divided keys. But maybe it would be better to join them?

Thus, Timo Wong designed an absolutely unusual device. The keyboard of this gadget represents a single undivided surface. But you can easily feel all the keys due to the relief of this specific keyboard. According to designer’s opinion it is even more comfortable than a traditional keyboard. It is not the fact yet, but given device looks really stylish and unusual.

Now it is just a concept, but in case one of the cell phones producers decides to use it in any model, soon we will be able to find out how comfortable it is. However its design is so original that people will like it.

We all know Valentine’s day is coming up. And men all over the world are scurrying around trying to find the right gift for their Valentine that won’t disappoint them. (We all know men have given up on trying to find the perfect gift, because that will never happen). It’s hard enough trying to find a gift for the average woman, but what do these poor guys do when faced with a woman who is a geek/nerd? Most guys fall back onto the default of chocolate and flowers, but this year, there’s a great alternative for your geeky Valentine.

Think Geek is has come out with the Chocolate Molecule T-Shirt just in time for Valentine’s Day. Well, technically it’s not Chocolate, but the chemical Theobromine. The description from Think Geek:

…Theobromine, and she’s the tasty little number who puts your mind in a happy place while you are eating chocolate. Molecularly similar to caffeine, but with just enough differences to make her a much smoother date, Theobromine is slower to burn out of your system and induces gentle, sensual stimulation to your muscular and cardiovascular systems.

Granted, you can’t eat this lovely chocolaty brown t-shirt with the Theobromine molecule imprinted in a lovely Valentine’s raspberry pink and get the same chemical effects on your body - but your geek girl may just swoon over the geekiness (and your thoughtfulness) of this nearly perfect gift. Also, the t-shirt has no calories, so your sweetheart can wear this t-shirt proudly without gaining an ounce (well, technically only 6.1 oz, but that’s how much the shirt weighs).

I’m pretty happy that this t-shirt has a looser “classic” cut than a traditional babydoll tee, because let’s face it, only stick figures can fit into a babydoll tee. The t-shirt is 100% combed ring-spun cotton with a common 1×1 rib will make the (nearly) perfect gift for the nerdy love of your life. Pick one up for $17.99.

[Think Geek]

Getting accurate measurements is important whether it’s a repair project in the garage or a new experiment in the lab. Sometimes a fraction of an inch can mean the difference between a successful experiment and a complete meltdown.

The Digital Measuring Tape features a large easy to read display that is capable of memorizing your measurements with the push of a button. It can give measurements in either feet and inches or metric units and will even display fractions of an inch (as small as 1/16th) just like a standard tape measure. There is also a setting for adding the case length for taking inside measurements. The Digital Measuring Tape turns on and off automatically, when the tape is extended (on) or fully retracted back into the case (off).

[Product Page]