Technology is both a wonderful and frustrating thing. On one hand, it is always evolving and bringing us new features in a better, smaller package. Unfortunately as the new comes out, the old becomes obsolete. The easiest example of this would be movies. When the DVD came out it had far superior quality to the older VHS. Now it’s difficult to even find a VCR to play those old tapes. Thankfully Blu-ray players are backwards-compatible, but what about the next leap in technology? Well Disney and Apple think they have a solution.
Eventually we are going to get to a point where media is almost completely distributed digitally. Music is slowly getting there, and movies will begin catching up. But when you start distributing movies digitally, there becomes an issue of licensing and DRM. Apple and Disney have teamed up to create “Keychest.”
The Tokyo Motor Show has rolled around again, and like just about everything else, it seems to have been dealt a rather nasty blow by the recession. But despite the massively depleted participant list, it still seems to have mustered up a fair showing of whacky and whimsical concept vehicles. My personal favourite is the electric-powered Nissan Land Glider. It may not be fast, but what it lacks in speed, it more than makes up for with big massive slabs of geek-pleasing hi-tech shenanigans. Plus it kind of reminds me of the Light Cycles from Tron.
The list of cool features is pretty extensive. First off, it’s a bike/car hybrid, so the driver/rider coolly leans into the turns while the tires are held flat to the road – the degree of tilt is determined by some cool sounding sensors that detect vehicle speed, steering angle and yaw rate. As if that wasn’t cool enough, Nissan has also done away with the boring old steering wheel and replaced it with an almost unbearably cool aircraft-style joystick. There’s also a seriously cool camera and monitor setup to replace those dull old rear-view mirrors.
When I first saw the Land Glider I assumed it was a concept vehicle conceived by a wild-eyed designer oblivious to commercial considerations, but in a somewhat surprising turn of events it seems that it may be hitting a road near you in the not so distant future, Nissan even plan to import it to the US.
Da Vinci may have never had any luck getting the flying vehicles he dreamed up off the ground, but this remote controlled ornithopter inspired by one of his sketches has no problems getting airborne. Instead of a spinning propeller or rotor, the ornithopter has as a set of durable mylar covered wings that flap 40 times a second, not unlike an actual hummingbird, and can be steered around a room using the dual-stick remote control. A 5 minute charge on the controller is good for about 7 minutes of flight, and it’s available from Hammacher Schlemmer for about $60.
The same way that The Simpsons ended at season nine as far as I’m concerned, there are still only three Indiana Jones films in my mind. But unfortunately I did watch the fourth entry in that series (it can never be unwatched) and as a result here are three questions I don’t really want the answer to.
1) Why on Earth would anyone want a miniature 12-inch version of one of the most ridiculous scenes in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?
2) Has any other action figure in the history of toys ever come with such a detailed refrigerator as an accessory?
3) Who in their right mind would pay $175 for this? Apparently a lot of people because they actually seem to be sold out.
Officially licensed by Sega, the GenMobile is essentially the same idea as the Nomad from years gone by, except smaller thanks to a few generations of technological miniaturization. It natively plays both Genesis and Japanese Mega-Drive carts thanks to a slot in the back, but it also comes with 20 titles built-in including Sonic Spinball, Kid Chameleon, Golden Axe and Ecco Jr. if your collection has already been given away. It’s got a 2.5-inch TFT screen for playing on the go, but an AV out connection as well for connecting it to a TV. And best of all, it’s just $54.99 from Stone Age Gamer, available sometime near the end of the month.
Avoid those inevitable complaints about someone getting a bigger slice of cake than someone else at your next party with this Musical Cake Tray from Deni. At the push of a button the tray will play Happy Birthday in case you forget how the song goes, and a ring of LED lights will help you evenly cut from 2 to 12 pieces of cake or pizza or some manner of round food. Seems like a novelty right? Well it pretty much is, except for the $59.99 price tag.
The only thing that stops me from cooking more is sheer laziness, but this new contraption from Kenwood doesn’t give me much of an excuse any more. It looks like your standard mixer, with a large 6.7L bowl capacity and 8 mixing speeds, but it also features an 1100W induction heating system that allows you to cook food directly in the mixing bowl.
Temperatures can be set between 20°C to 140°C for warming or actual cooking, and there’s even a steam basket attachment allowing you to prepare an entire meal without ever turning on the stove. The only downside is that once again convenience doesn’t come cheap, so you can expect to pay around $1,600+ for the Cooking Chef.
Don’t you hate walking into a store, only to realize that they’ve already got Christmas decorations lining the shelves? I was in one store last month that had them out. I generally don’t try to think about that holiday until Thanksgiving is over. However, I think I know exactly what I want sitting on top of my tree this year.
Some people like angels, some people like stars, but this year I think a Jedi Master is what my tree needs. This is an actual tree topper that is currently being sold, complete with an LED lightsaber. At $39.99, buy it you must!
Don’t you hate walking into a store, only to realize that they’ve already got Christmas decorations lining the shelves? I was in one store last month that had them out. I generally don’t try to think about that holiday until Thanksgiving is over. However, I think I know exactly what I want sitting on top of my tree this year.
Some people like angels, some people like stars, but this year I think a Jedi Master is what my tree needs. This is an actual tree topper that is currently being sold, complete with an LED lightsaber. At $39.99, buy it you must!
Last month I showed you guys the Livio Radio, and gave you an in-depth review of the device. If you’re into listening to music all day long, then it really is one of the coolest radios out there. However, what if music isn’t really your thing? If you like talk radio, then Livio has something just for you.
I’ve never listened to NPR, but if that’s your thing then you might want to check out the NPR Radio by Livio. This device is very similar to is Pandora-playing brother, however you’ll be tuning into more than 1,000 NPR station streams. You’ll also have access to over 800 podcasts and audio archives of NPR programs. If you do feel like a little music, then you can tune into one of the 16,000 various internet radio stations through Reciva. You’re not going to find more talk radio without a PC or some sort of HD radio. You can pick the NPR Radio now for $199.
Related Tags: 
Permalink
