By Andrew Liszewski

The Onion reminds us that for every company that started in a garage but grew into a giant corporation like Apple or Hewlett-Packard, there were probably hundreds of other companies that never quite experienced the same growth and success. Like “Xalaga Technologies” started by “MIT graduates Donald Faber and Peter Haberle.”

According to Faber and Haberle, a lot has changed since Xalaga was first founded. What was once a struggling $7,500-a-year business with only a dozen or so paying customers is now a desperate $6,400-a-year business with only a half dozen or so paying customers.

Faber, who turned down a promising position with GE in order to start Xalaga, a decision he now says he regrets each and every waking day, told reporters that he knew almost immediately that his company had something not-at-all special on its hands.

“We sold only one computer that first year, then the following year it was three computers, then suddenly 10 computers, then just as suddenly five computers, then back down to three computers again, and finally only one or two machines every other year for pretty much the next decade,” said Faber, standing up from the plastic milk crate that now serves as his desk. “Had someone told us when we first started that we’d be here today, operating out of a much smaller, somehow less expensive garage, we probably would have laughed right in their face.”

So here’s to all those little guys who never quite stopped being the little guys, and in some cases became even smaller.

[ The Onion - Computer Company Started In Garage 30 Years Ago Now In Smaller Garage ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Revealed yesterday at the 2010 CTIA Wireless show in Las Vegas, BlueAnt’s new T1 Bluetooth headset appears to be designed for those who enjoy a more extreme lifestyle than sitting around a conference table at meetings all day. A sealed design keeps out dust and moisture, while removable silicon covers protect the headset from bumps or when it’s inevitably dropped while you’re fumbling to put it on. And since it’s supposed to survive the rigors of being outdoors, the T1 is also the first BlueAnt headset to incorporate the company’s new ‘Wind Armour Technology’ which uses a patent-pending design and noise cancellation software to provide clear audio even in winds up to 22 mph.

Other features include ‘Caller Name Announce’ which is pretty self-explanatory, the ability to respond to an incoming call by just saying ‘Answer’ or ‘Ignore’ and A2DP support for hearing commands from your smartphone’s GPS software. And the T1 should be available sometime in May of this year for around $80.

[ BlueAnt's T1 Rugged Bluetooth Headset ] VIA [ Electronista ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Current techniques for locating snipers (besides a well-trained pair of eyes) involve sophisticated microphone setups, which are essentially useless until the sniper fires a shot, at which point it could be already too late. But the CS300K Counter Surveillance Camera, from a company called JETprotect, promises to spot sniper scopes, binoculars, cameras and even human eyeballs from hundreds of meters away using the ‘red-eye’ effect that’s wrecked so many photos over the years.

The CS300K uses an integrated “unique wavelength GigE Vision IP camera” in conjunction with a “numerically controlled Class IIIb laser illuminator” and special automatic surveillance software to monitor for threats around the clock, providing warnings when something is spotted. The initial applications for the technology will involve military and security duties where prying eyes or scopes are a serious threat, but I’m sure it will eventually trickle down to the consumer level so you can use your cellphone to monitor that creepy guy on the subway who’s been occasionally staring at you for the past 15 minutes.

[ CS300K Counter Surveillance Camera ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Andrew Liszewski

eSATA based flash drives, at least pocket-sized ones, are few and far-between these days. So it’s not like you have to choose between eSATA and USB all the time. But Active Media Products has already made that decision moot with their eSATA USB SSD Drive, which conveniently includes both a mini USB 2.0 port and an eSATA connection.

When connected to your PC via eSATA you can expect to see read speeds of up to 100MB/sec and write speeds of up to 55MB/sec, though you’ll also need to have the drive connected to a USB port at the same time for power, which is a little inconvenient. (It means you’ll always have to carry the included USB cable with you.) The drive is currently available from Amazon in a 16GB and 32GB model for $69.95 and $109.95 respectively, and can supposedly be used driver-free with all of the major OSes on the market today.

[ Active Media Products eSATA & USB Flash Drive ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Learning to play an instrument is by no means an easy endeavor, and it’s further complicated if you don’t already know how to read sheet music or musical notation. But that’s where this ‘Piano Learning Pen’ is supposed to come into play. It allows you to click on and hear a specific note so you know if you’re playing it correctly. Now if you’re thinking this device uses some kind of impressive camera and image recognition technology to read the notes on paper, let me shatter that illusion for you. With a price tag of just $20.69 it actually relies on special music books, and while I don’t know the specifics about the technology it does use, having to buy special sheet music is very limiting.

But even though it is referred to as the ‘piano’ learning pen it can be used with other instruments like guitars and violins, and a built-in electronic metronome makes it useful for any musician in training. Notes can be heard via the pen’s speaker or you can attach a pair of headphones so as not to disturb others, and you can even record your practice sessions as MP3s for later review.

[ Piano and Violin Learning Pen ] VIA [ The Gadgeteer ]

By Evan Ackerman

It’s a good day to have a PC with a Synaptics touchpad, as a driver update has enabled multitouch functionality on even for those of us with older touchpads that were previously not multitouch capable. The most useful feature is probably two finger scrolling, but you also get ChiralMotion (which allows you to scroll up and down at different rates by making counterclockwise and clockwise single finger gestures) and three finger taps and flicks (which allow you to launch apps, and move back and forth in your browser and in slideshows). It always gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside when companies update software for older computers to give them new and improved capabilities, so kudos to you, Synaptics.

You can download the driver install package directly from HP, there’s a version for Windows XP as well as Windows Vista and 7.

VIA [ HardwareZone ]

By Chris Scott Barr

If you’re drinking at home, where do you normally do it? My guess is that you’re probably on the couch with your eyes on the TV. I’m also guessing that you don’t keep a bottle opener on the coffee table. That means if you’re drinking a brew that doesn’t have a twist-off cap,  you have to remember to open it in the kitchen. Wouldn’t you rather just bring it into the living room and open it with an inconspicuous bottle opener? That’s what I thought.

Behold The Clicker. Technologically, there is little to be admired about this standard universal remote. However, you’ll no doubt notice the shiny metal indentation on the side. This, my friends, is (as you guessed) a bottle opener. Seriously, what more do you need out of a remote? Unfortunately there’s currently no word on pricing or availability.

[ MyClicker ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Initially I wouldn’t have thought that adding Bluetooth capabilities to a video camera would be useful beyond maybe letting it talk to a GPS receiver so you could geotag videos and photos, but the new GZ-HM550 Everio from JVC can use it in more interesting ways. It allows you to use a smartphone as a wireless remote for example, which is one less accessory you have to carry, or monitor the audio with a pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones, which is also quite convenient.

But Bluetooth isn’t the only thing the GZ-HM550 is packing. It’s a full HD digital camcorder (ie 1920×1080, not that 720 crap) with a 10.6 megapixel CMOS sensor that’s also able to snap 9 megapixel digital photos. The 32GB of built-in flash memory is good for recording about 3 hours of video at full HD quality, though that can be further expanded with the use of SDHC cards. A Kinoca Minolta lens provides 16x optical zoom without any loss in image quality, and built-in image stabilization will keep things from getting too shaky when you’re zoomed all the way in. With a price tag of $799.95 and a decidedly un-pocket-friendly form factor the GZ-HM550 definitely isn’t designed to compete with the Flip UltraHD, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

[ PR - Bluetooth-enabled JVC HD Everio Camera Now Available ] OR [ JVC GZ-HM550 Everio Camcorder ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Here’s a simple quiz to determine if you’re the type of person who would be interested in these peel-and-stick Instant Pockets.

Q: Are you a smuggler?

A: No – Please move onto the next post.

A: Yes – A set of 3, made from cotton with adhesive backing on 3 sides and measuring 3¼” X 4”, are available from Solutions for $6.95.

[ Instant Pocket ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]