Ok, I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure what these new micro toys from Bandai are all about. They come in various colors and species, including a jellyfish, squid and an octopus, and they’ll supposedly autonomously swim and float around in a bottle of water, providing minutes and minutes of entertainment. Given their size and the fact that they retail for about $6 each in Japan right now, I’m going to assume they’re not that technologically advanced, but at the same time there’s plenty of room to cram a small electric motor and battery inside one of these, so maybe there is some potential novelty here.
It’s nice to see that advances in technology have paved the way for a self-contained pair of video recording sunglasses, but the real thanks has to go to Oakley who’s convinced the world that these chunky designs are fashionable. Still, I don’t think anyone would figure out this particular pair of sunnies is capable of recording 640×480 VGA quality video to its 8GB of internal memory just by looking at them. That memory is also expandable thanks to a microSD card located on one side of the glasses, while recharging is facilitated via a discrete mini USB port. $192 from Geek Stuff 4 U.
This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net
When it comes to gaming hardware the first things to pop into mind are generally the CPU/RAM and video card. It wasn’t until I set aside the trusty wireless mouse that came with my old Logitech keyboard to review the OCZ Behemoth Laser Gaming Mouse that I realized just how much this device plays into the gaming experience.
Right out of the box my first impression was that it appears rather bulky, I say appears because once it was plugged in and in my hand it felt very comfortable. The extra width comes from the erganomic design which provides a comfortable rest for the ring and pinky fingers. This had a impact during a long gaming session with the new Ghostbuster’s game. One requirement in the game is to target and wear down ghosts which on harder difficulty settings can take a considerable amount of time. The lack of fatigue in my hand afterwards was noticeable.
A company called Xhale has developed a sensor for hospitals and other medical facilities that could help reduce the number of patients that get life-threatening infections while receiving medical care. The HyGreen features sensors that are capable of detecting drugs via someone’s breath, but they’re instead used to detect sanitizer or soap fumes given off by someone’s hands. And instead of serving as a tattle-tale as to who hasn’t washed up, the HyGreen system is designed to serve as a friendly reminder to hospital and medical staff that it might be time to wash or sanitize their hands again. Here’s the ‘how it works’ blurb from the company’s press release:
The health-care worker squirts sanitizer gel or soap into his or her hand before passing it under a wall-mounted sensor. A wireless signal from a badge worn by the worker activates a green light on the hand-washing sensor. When the worker enters a patient room, a monitor near the bed detects the status of the badge, and flashes green if the person has clean hands. If the person has not washed, or too much time has passed between washing and approaching the patient, the badge will give a gentle “reminder” vibration.
At the moment the HyGreen system is being tested at the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at the University of Florida Shands medical center, and if things go well the system could be installed elsewhere to help reduce the nearly 2 million hospital-acquired infections that occur each year in the U.S. alone.
Sometimes it’s fun to go back and play some of the old games that you enjoyed from childhood. The easiest way to do that is usually with an emulator and a folder full of ROMs. Of course if you don’t actually own the game it can be something of a sticky legal situation. If you want to make sure that you’re on the up-and-up, or just like to show off your mad hacking skills, you might want to check out this little DIY project.
Some guy thought it would be cool to actually plug in an SNES cartridge to his computer and play the game that way. It sounds a little crazy, but it is possible. The video gives you a pretty decent idea of what the end result is. It really only took less than $40 worth of equipment, but I can’t imagine the amount of time it took to solder the “thousands of little wires.”
Being the huge Star Wars geek that I am, I’m always on the lookout for cool new merch to show off my geeky pride. I’m actually rather selective as to what I’ll set out, which means that something really has to catch my eye. This set of bookends would definitely fall into that category.
When set together, the pieces depict the famous garbage compactor scene from A New Hope. However, turn them around and the gang is struggling to keep your books (or movies) from toppling over. Don’t get too excited about these. They aren’t going to be hitting stores until April of next year, though you can pre-order them already for the salty price of $190.
I’m a huge fan of Google Voice, which was previously known as GrandCentral. I was an early adopter to the service, so I’m one of the lucky few that actually managed to snag a number. If you’re not familiar, Google Voice gives you a number that conveniently forwards to any phones you would like. It includes features like sending/receiving text messages, transcribing voicemails and more. The only downside to the service is that they haven’t given out new numbers in a very long time.
While Google hasn’t yet announced their plans to start handing out, we do have news that the search giant has secured 1 million new numbers from Level 3 (which is whom they’ve previously purchased numbers from). There’s little doubt that Google will soon start sending out invitations. It’s (currently) a free service, so if you’re interested, I’d head over to their site and get registered.
A few months ago I picked up an original Game Boy off of Craigslist, just because, but I’d love to add this Game Fighter knock-off to my collection as well. It accepts and plays standard Game Boy cartridges and supposedly has a clearer screen than Nintendo’s original, though I’m not entirely sure what that means. It also features a horizontal orientation like the Game Boy Advance, and while sadly this Game Fighter isn’t for sale, it appears to be part of Photobucket user difuno’s awesome gallery of classic handheld gaming devices that’s totally worth checking out.
I think Ford CEO Alan Mullaly said it best: “The new Taurus rocks!”
After spending a day with the car in a snaky mountain drive from Knoxville to Asheville, I came away impressed and with a new outlook on a vehicle I wouldn’t have thought about even twice just a few years earlier. For its target market, the Taurus hits a sweet spot; an engaging mix of class-leading technology, muscular and elegant design, and exceedingly civil road manners. While there are some minor issues that I’ll address in the body of this review, Ford may just have hit on a product that could allow it to pull ahead of its rivals. After all, simply “still being around” isn’t quite enough. With the Taurus, they seem to be bringing their A-game.
In this review, I’ll mainly focus on the plethora of gadgets and technological features that make the Taurus not only an enjoyable drive, but a treasure trove for any gadget lover. OhGizmo! is, after all, a gadget site. But let me spend at least a little bit of time telling you about the car, the engine and how it feels on the road.
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