Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

Given Moore’s Law, and the general pattern of technological advancement over the past 20 years, it’s inevitable that we’ll all be carrying around tiny flash drives capable of storing terabytes of data one day. But even with that in mind, I’m still impressed with Corsair’s latest Flash Survivor USB drive that packs a whopping 32GB into a relatively compact package. What also sets the Flash Survivor apart from other USB drives is its ultra rugged design. You may live your whole life without ever needing a waterproof flash drive that has a CNC-milled anodized aircraft-grade aluminum case, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

So if you happen to be in the market for a new flash drive, or just like looking at things made from machined aluminum (guilty) you can read my full review of the Corsair 32GB Flash Survivor after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

A briefcase is the perfect accessory if you’re trying to look like a business professional, but instead of transporting [insert whatever people carry in briefcases] it hides a pair of solar panels rated at 13W. So instead of being prepared for that big meeting with a case full of [insert whatever people bring to meetings] you’ll actually be prepared for more important matters like your PSP or MP3 player running out of power. During peak sunlight times the panels can recharge a cellphone in about an hour, and will even work through a window if you can’t escape from the office during the day. At roughly 11 pounds it’s certainly not light, but it does include a set of connectors and even an adjustable support so you can position it at the ideal angle to soak up the sun’s rays.

You can get it from Maplin Electronics on sale for about $97. (Until May 13 when the price goes back up to about $195.)

[ 13W Solar Briefcase ]

By Luke Anderson

If you’ve ever purchased a digital picture frame for someone, chances are that you went ahead and opened it to upload some photos for them. If you don’t do this and you’re giving it as a gift to someone that isn’t very tech-savvy, then they won’t likely know what to do with it. Well Kodak is now giving you the option to pre-load the pictures before it is even shipped out of the factory, how handy is that?

While some people might want to actually upload the pictures themselves, this sounds like a pretty handy option. All you need to do is upload 100 pictures to a Kodak Gallery account, and they’ll stick them on an SD card, which will be shipped along with the frame. While I’m not sure that it will be widely used, I think it’s awesome that Kodak is giving us the option. Mind you, this service isn’t free, it’ll set you back $20, but at least that includes the price of the SD card.

[ Kodak ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Luke Anderson

I live in a house that has carpet in almost all of the rooms, which means there is much vacuuming to be done on a regular basis. I’ve got one of those nice bagless models which works really well, except for those times when the stairs need cleaned. Here’s a concept that I can’t wait to see on the market, as it would make my life much easier.

Rather than dragging some large unit around all the time, the BakVac is a small cleaner that attaches to your back. This eliminates the hassle of trying to balance the vacuum on the stairs as you work to clean them. What’s even better is that the device would be powered by fuel cells, rather than needing to be plugged in all the time. Now if only it weren’t a concept.

VIA [ Dvice ]

By Luke Anderson

I like to think that I’m pretty good when it comes to securing my data, though I certainly don’t go to the extremes that some others go. For instance, my laptop is locked down tight, however, I don’t bother to encrypt my SD cards or password protect them. These sorts of things rarely ever have any sensitive data, so I don’t really care. For those that do store top-secret files on your SD card, here’s something that might interest you.

The USB Memory Card Unlocker is a device that you hope that you’ll never need to use. What it does has a good side and a bad side. The good side is that if you forget the password to your SD card, you’ll be able to use it again after popping it into this little device. The bad news is that you’ll lose all of the data contained on the card. It’ll only set you back $16, which is about the same as a new SD card.

[ USBFever ] VIA [ RedFerret ]

By Luke Anderson

Have you ever had one of those bosses that deserved to get knocked down off of their high horse? You know the type, and I can bet that you’ve all had at least one (and most of you have had quite a few). Well if you want to make yourself feel better, why not try some Voodoo?

I try and avoid topics related to the Occult here on OhGizmo, but this one really caught my eye. This isn’t your ordinary Voodoo doll, but rather it is the VoodooBuddy. What you do is enter the information of your boss (or whoever) on the VoodooBuddy website, then you can poke away at the doll. Supposedly you can curse the victim by poking certain areas of the doll. What is interesting is that if you do too much, it will take a picture and send it to the victim and reverse the curses. This is one weird geeky Voodoo doll.

[ VoodooBuddy ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

By Luke Anderson

I’m not good with plants and never have. When I was young my mom used to ask me to help her with her garden, however, she quickly figured out that I was the reason she couldn’t keep anything alive. Needless to say, I don’t even bother these days. However, those of you that enjoy growing your own fresh herbs, check out this cool indoor herb garden.

This discreet piece of furniture will easily store away your garden whilst making sure your plants are fresh and healthy. Of course we all know that if this does get put into production, potheads everywhere will be rushing down to their local stores and grabbing one.

VIA [ Yanko Design ]

By Evan Ackerman

I don’t personally carry around a purse, but I know people who do (generally, female people). And somehow they manage to stuff all 9 bazillion of their most precious possessions inside. Losing the thing (or having it stolen) then turns into something of a huge deal, so for you absentminded purse people are these Light Bags. They come in a number of fake designer styles, and as their name suggests they contain an interior lighting system that’s activated by the heat of your hand when you reach into the bag, but they also have integrated GPS tracking devices.

The GPS uses Wherify to pinpoint its location and communicate with you via cellphone, and it can also be used as a personal alarm. This service will run you $15 per month (first two months free) in addition to the cost of the bag, which starts at $150. It seems a little steep to me, but if you buy a first edition bag and keep it for 10 years, you’ll get a $1000 rebate check. ‘Course, by that time, the bag will have gone from techy and trendy all the way through the fashion spectrum to old and busted, and you won’t need the GPS anymore since you’ll know exactly where the bag is at all times: in a shoebox at the bottom of your closet.

[ Marilyn Light Bags ] VIA [ Shiny Shiny ]

By Evan Ackerman

Trees are nice to look at, and I guess they’re good for shade, if you’re one of those people who goes outside… But when is the last time one of them actually came in handy in this digital world? The Helios Power Tree is one tree my gadgets and I would be happy to stretch out under, since it’s got a bunch of USB power ports in the roots. The “leaves” of the tree are made of little solar cells, all of which are wired into the branches, down the trunk, and into a big battery at the base. The battery lights up the tree with LEDs, and will charge whatever is plugged into it. The Helios is made out of sustainable materials, and is designed to be placed in urban parks as a useful piece of public art.

[ Helios Tree ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Evan Ackerman

As much as I’ve admired the Asus EEE PC, and as much as I’ve been looking forward to the bigger and better Asus EEE PC 900, I’m starting to think that I might be better off with an MSI Wind, which looks like it does just about everything the EEE does plus a whole bunch more. Here are the specs of the $550 Windows XP Home version of the MSI Wind:

Dimensions: 10.23in x 7.08in x 0.748in, 2.8 lbs
CPU/Memory:1.6GHz Intel Atom, 1GB DDR2 RAM @ 667MHz
Display: 10-inch, 1024×600 LED backlit
Hard Disk Drive: 80GB / 2.5” SATA
Card Reader: 4-in-1 (SD,MMC,MS, MS Pro)
Ports: 3x USB 2.0, Mic-in/Headphone, VGA Out
Webcam: 1.3 MP
Wireless: 802.11b/g, Bluetooth
Battery: Six Cells / 5.5 hrs

MSI will also be selling a version of the Wind running Novel SUSE Linux OS with 512 MB of RAM and no Bluetooth for $400. After the jump, I’ll take a look at the the MSI Wind up against the Asus EEE 900. Read the rest of this entry »