By Gaurav Kheterpal

The Live Checking Card represent a very interesting concept – it displays the accumulated spending amount on your card after every purchase. Clearly, the concept itself is nothing short of a nightmare for wives and girlfriends as it displays real time information of their shopping adventures. The underlying technology behind Live Checking Cards is e-ink, which checks your purchase history and matches them up with the bank account transactions using RFID. Pretty neat, I’d say.

While it’s a blessing in disguise for most husbands and boyfriends, the Live Checking Card could have fairly serious implications on your love life, if not used carefully. On the other hand, it’s a handy way to keeping your expenses in check and ensuring that you are not heading for a credit disaster.

I’m pretty sure that there would be no shortage of husbands and boyfriends lining up to buy these cards once and if the concept is implemented.

[ Yanko Design ] VIA [ Gizmodiva ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I like the idea of carrying a reusable, foldable bag for those times when you need a bit of extra carrying space, but I hate the ergonomics (or lack thereof) of the traditional grocery bag design. So even though at $30 it’s considerably more expensive than your run-of-the-mill reusable bag, I still think the Hidden Messenger from Timbuk2 is totally worth it. The bag’s made from 90% recycled PET ripstop fabric, making it lightweight and durable, but it’s the adjustable strap and over the shoulder messenger design which makes it easy to carry lots of unexpected stuff, while still keeping your hands free.

[ Timbuk2 Hidden Messenger ] VIA [ Incredible Things ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Normally these types of novelty sound keychains aren’t worth a second glance, but this distinct giant foot has 2 things going for it. 1) It features the voices of the actual members of Monty Python (though most likely lifted from the TV series and movies) and 2) Instead of the typical 3 or 4 quotes this thing has a whopping 17 including:

Button your lip, you ratbag!
Come on you worm…you miserable little man.
Come at me then…come on, do your worst, you worm.
Death awaits you all! With nasty, big, pointy teeth.
Don’t come here with that posh talk you nasty stuck-up twit!
Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!
I wave my private parts at your aunties.
What is it now, you great pillock?
You dirty double-crossing rat.
You don’t frighten us, pig-dogs!
Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person.
I blow my nose at you.
You stupid, birdbrained, flatheaded…
You’re a looney.

Now I’ll admit that referring to that as an “Impressive Vocabulary” is maybe a bit of a stretch, but for ~$5.50, 17 quotes is above and beyond the typical sound keychain call of duty.

[ Monty Python Abusive Voice Keychain ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The feedback regarding Apple’s recently unveiled iPad has been mixed at best, falling anywhere between cautiously positive to vehemently negative, so it’s no surprise that The Onion felt obliged to weigh in with their own thoughts, outlining some of the iPad’s lesser known features.

[ The Onion - Apple Finally Unveils iPad ]

By Gaurav Kheterpal

Anyone who has played Atari games will relish those old school gaming memories forever. You might well remember it due to the misery of the so called “Joy”stick, which was painful and at times, impossible to use. It used to be a monumental task to move the stick away from the center to either side.

Still, Retro Thing have re-fashioned the old school Joystick by adding a USB interface to it so you can hook it up to your PC or Mac. It ships with the Stella Atari 2600 Emulator and 80 old school games including Pacman 4K and Lady Bug.

The Clear Classic USB Stick is priced at $30 and is bound to take you back the old school gaming memory lanes with loads of ‘joy’.

[ Reflex Audio ] VIA [ Wired ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It’s not going to win any beauty pageants, nor will the boring model number stick in your head, but the new DLA-SH7NL projector from JVC will make you wish you had $15,000 to blow on a new toy. It uses a set of 330W ultra-high-pressure mercury lamps to kick out 5,000 lumens of brightness, with a 10,000:1 contrast ratio. And as for resolution, the DLA-SH7NL is capable of projecting a 10 megapixel or 4,096×2,400 image, but since most people don’t have a 4K source, it can also simultaneously project two or four HD images (1,920 x 1,200) thanks to its four DVI input connections.

It’s also equipped with a network connection allowing you to adjust the projector’s settings from a web browser, and it can even email you maintenance notifications like when it’s time to replace the lamps or important error messages. And that $15,000 price tag? Just keep in mind that doesn’t include the DLA-SH7NL’s short-focus or telescopic lenses which are both sold separately.

[ PR - JVC to Add New Projector to 4K2K D-ILA Lineup ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

And speaking of wireless ways to control your PC, Logitech has released a free iPhone App, available from the iTunes App Store right now, that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a wireless keyboard and track pad. The app works over wi-fi, so its range is only limited by your wi-fi network, and Logitech seems to be positioning it as an easier way to control your computer or laptop while it’s hooked up to a TV, particularly since anything you type will also appear on the iPhone/Touch’s display, meaning you don’t have to keep looking up. If you’re interested in giving it a go you’ll also have to download the Touch Mouse Server software for your PC, but other than that it looks pretty easy to get running.

[ Logitech - New: Logitech Touch Mouse Turns Your iPhone or iPod Touch into a Wireless Trackpad and Keyboard ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Wacom has finally joined the fight in the battle against cable clutter with their new Intuos 4 Wireless edition. The new medium-sized tablet connects to your PC via Bluetooth allowing you to wander up to 33 feet away while still using it. Now I’m not sure how productive you’d be 33 feet away from your monitor, but for artists who like to sit their tablets in their laps, this will be a welcome upgrade.

It still comes with a USB connection and cable which is used for charging the tablet or using it when the battery is dead, and it’s available now for $399.

[ Wacom Intuos 4 Wireless ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Chris Scott Barr

It’s no surprise that liquid cooling is growing in popularity, as your computer can realize greater potential while generally running much quieter than with traditional air cooling. We’ve seen a number of offerings from CoolIT, who have really shaken things up with their simple all-in-one CPU cooling systems. These have been great because not only are they simple to setup, but they tend to be compatible with most CPU platforms that are still in use today. Unfortunately if you want to apply the same great cooling solutions to your graphics card, you’ll be forced to buy an entire solution aimed at your specific card. When you go to upgrade, you’ll need to buy a brand new cooler as well. This is something that CoolIT has finally addressed with their OMNI A.L.C. system.

The system is comprised of three parts. First you have the universal OMNI water block, which essentially does all of the work. Second you have a universal liquid plate, which keeps the cooling liquid flowing over the interposer plate. This third piece is what attaches directly to your graphics card. Since they have made the interposer plate separate from the actual liquid plate, you can simply switch this piece out when you decide to upgrade your graphics card.

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