Best New Technology

Despite advances made in search technology on the Web, and websites guiding users through the morass of information on specialized topics like medicine, information available on the Web about legal topics is still fairly hard to find for most people outside of the legal profession. Lawyers know that, in addition to costy databases such as LexisNexis and Westlaw, there are numerous free information sources online, but there’s no obvious starting point for non-lawyers looking for basic information about a given legal topic, such as the requirements to set up a business in a particular state or how to draft a will.

Nolo, a company that publishes legal guidebooks and software packages for non-lawyers (as well as for lawyers venturing into areas where they’re not experienced), offers a fairly comprehensive list of topics in their catalog, along with some useful broad summaries of subjects like trademarks and copyrights, but it’s not a portal to other resources on the Web.

It’s not enough for something to look good, it has to be functional as well, and in the case of these Altec Lansing MHP 206 earphones, they deliver the goods. Sure, they feature sparkling, Swarovski “elements”: jeweled flowers on the earbuds and a butterfly on the choker, but most importantly, the sound is great. Thank the powerful 9mm neodymium drivers and gold-plated plug for superior sound transfer.

Designed for women, the snug fit (for our delicate, tiny ears?) provides passive noise reduction and great sound at lower listening levels, though crank them up to 11 if you’re rocking out to some metal music.

$59.95 at Altec Lansing and on sale now for $27.62 at Amazon.

Projector Clock
It's super-bright, slick and sound-activated, so you can call up the time day or night at the click of your fingers.

You can have this for ?69.95

Axiotron Modbook Tablet

One look at Axiotron’s slate Modbook tablet and it’s clear the company has given Apple’s 13-inch entry-level laptop the full Steve Austin treatment. Well, minus the 20:1 bionic eye with infrared capabilities. Nevertheless, the end result is a better, (slightly) faster, and, yes, even stronger Mac tablet. Sure, it’s the only Mac tablet for now, but this baby is certain to give anyone who dabbles in the dark graphical arts exquisitely rendered heart palpitations.

One minor nit before we start examining the goods. Some reviews have described the Modbook as a touchscreen device. While, technically, this is true, it’s important to note we’re not talking capacitive touching here. In fact, you can only use the provided Wacom digitizer pen and its 11 nibs as an input device. While that lack of skin on screen action, coupled with its high price, probably keeps the Modbook from being a truly mainstream device, it is by no means a deal breaker.

The tablet touts both Bluetooth and the standard 2 USB ports should you want to use it with a full-size keyboard and mouse. Hell, you can even mount it on your wall or hook it up to an external monitor via the standard mini-DVI port (like we did), if you prefer a slightly larger screen to show off your squiggly Garfield drawings.

In fact, given that the Modbook is essentially a niche device, it’s still impressively versatile. It comes pre-loaded with Apple’s Leopard, including the OS’s surprisingly accurate built-in Inkwell handwriting recognition software. Using their formidable engineering kung-fu, the folks at Axiotron also crammed a GPS unit into the Modbook, which –ahem- lets you geo-locate to your heart’s content.

As far as looks go, Modbook stays true to Apple’s overriding aesthetic sensibilities. It’s clear Axiotron has done some Frankensteining here and there (the bottom portion of the tablet is identical to the MacBook while the top half is basically a Wacom Penabled Digitizer), but the Modbook still looks like something Steve Jobs could potentially unveil from an envelope. Both the shell and interior display frame are built from aircraft quality magnesium alloy — not that anodized crap. Axiotron also went for the trifecta of metal plating — that’s nickel humping copper and topped off with a little chrome for good measure. While that combination certainly attracts smudges, it’s also extremely scratch resistant.

Our only major quibble with the Modbook was its lack of graphical zing and relatively small screen. For designers, Intel’s standard GMA X3100 with 144MB of SDRAM doesn’t exactly do the trick, and it would’ve been nice to include something like Nvidia’s GeForce 8600M GT cards that come standard on MacBook Pros. Similarly, the 13-inch screen size, while bigger than other slate-style tablets out there, still isn’t the ideal dimension for a device that purports to be ideal for artists and designers.

So yeah, it’s clear the Modbook isn’t for everyone. If your days consist of endless spreadsheets or you’re some hack banging out gadget reviews, the $2,300 base price is a hard thing to justify. That said, the fact that Axiotron has transformed a run-of-the-mill MacBook into a hyper-specialized device is probably a smart move considering Apple is undoubtedly working on its own mainstream ‘Macblet’. —Bryan Gardiner

WIRED Built-in Global Positioning System (GPS). Badass handwriting recognition software accurately renders chicken scratch into coherent words. Durable screen and shell makes porting this pricey device a relatively worry-free ordeal.

TIRED Did we mention this is a pricey ($2,290) device? Stylus pen occasionally looses connectivity or freezes and requires reset. Heavy; weighs as much as a 15-inch Macbook Pro (5.5 lbs).

$2,290, axiotron.com

Posted Mar 25th 2008 9:06AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Laptops

We have some major doubts about this one, since Asus officially shut down those Eee PC touchscreen rumors a while back, and DigiTimes has been pretty far off in the past, but apparently the new word on the street is that Asus actually is building resistive touch into at least a some of its upcoming next-generation Eee PCs. Citing “sources at touch screen panel makers,” the technology is supposedly more mature than capacitive touch screens at this size, and will cost Asus about $10 extra per laptop. We still don’t see the point, but it looks like you dreamers can keep on dreaming for the time being.

Man, is this one of the longer product names that I have ever come across - the Canned Shape Card Reader + 3-port Hub Combo II. As you can tell, it comes in the form factor of a can and supports the following formats - SD, SDHC, MMC, XD, CF and microSD sans adapter. Heck, this is perfect for those who are constantly on the road as it makes for a nifty USB hub while reading a plethora of memory cards as well. If you have $20 to spare, this ain’t too bad an investment to have.

Your ipod nano might look rather fragile although it will probably hold out pretty well - at least for the first few months of its life. Why take chances against knocks and scratches when you can always dress up your precious nano in the Factron Quattro jackets? After all, they’re made out of aluminum which is way more hardy than those rubberized versions. Unfortunately, these full metal jackets are available in extremely limited quantities and manufactured in Japan, so be prepared to fork out a(n) (undisclosed) premium for one of these.

I like the idea of electronic ink, as it will definitely help us reduce the use of paper indiscriminately. The technology is still in its infancy though, so it might be a while before it really takes off but at least we can see it in action in the E-Ink Display Watch now.

The E Ink technology used in this watch depicts digital time with the look of electronic paper and can be read accurately and instantly from any angle – vastly improving on dull liquid crystal displays (LCDs) that typify previous digital watches. The customizable dial allows you to select different styles, from the precise detail of full numerals and indices to the simplicity of no markings all. Metal case features a bold geometry, generously oversized buttons and knobs, and a luxuriously thick strap. However what makes this watch truly unique is that the entire watch dial is an E-Ink electronic paper display.

ThinkGeek is carrying the E-Ink Display Watch for $249.99.

The Kahva Coffee Maker is definitely different from what you can currently find in the market, as this bean brewer does have its charms that will perk you up in the mornings even before your tongue savors the sweet, rejuvenating taste of caffeine. Why do I say so? Well, it looks as though it lifts the boiling water up to its ceiling, dispensing coffee in a magical manner that defies gravity. The Kahva itself comes in an hour glass silhouette and is designed by Lina Fischer. Electrolux and Kenwood, are you taking notes?

Posted Mar 25th 2008 4:43AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Portable Audio

Sony BMG boss, Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, was just quoted in an interview saying that Sony BMG is “working on an online music subscription service.” The service would cost between €6 to €8 per month (about $9 to $12) when launching later in the year and provide full access to its entire music catalog. He goes on to say that customers could own “some songs” even after the subscription was canceled. Interesting on its own, right? Now the kicker: it will work “for all digital players, including Apple’s ipod.” That means DRM-free unless Apple agrees to license its FairPlay DRM… which it won’t. Hell, Sony BMG is already offering DRM-free MP3s to Amazon. If true, then the move could almost turn public sentiment positive in the wake of Sony BMG’s “rootkit” fiasco and its handling of the Jammie Thomas affair. Almost.