Fujifilm’s W1 3D camera has had a bit of a rough life in its first year here on Earth. Certain reviews were less than kind about its capabilities, and a demo I had of the camera at the NVIDIA booth at CES epitomized the words ‘epic fail.’ One of the biggest complaints about the camera is that there weren’t a lot of ways to actually view the images it snapped in 3D, but Fujifilm has released another solution that would have probably been really handy when the camera first came out.
Their new HDP-L1 Finepix HD Player accepts both 2D or 3D content from the W1 via the camera’s SD card, and will pipe it through your hi-def TV via an HDMI connection. Now it’s not the only way to view 3D content from the W1, but it seems to me that an accessory like this should probably have been included with the camera when it first came out. Instead, you have to buy it separately now for ~$43. (¥4,000)
If you’ll recall our trip to CES back in January, you may also remember me mentioning a pair of headphones from Psyko. These somewhat strange-looking headphones go above and beyond the traditional gaming headset. By utilizing special “Psykowave guides” it is able to realistically pipe 5.1 surround sound from 5 individual speakers. This provides some of the most accurate 3D sound available in a contained unit.
Why do I bring these up you ask? Well the company has announced that their flagship product has finally hit store shelves. That’s right, you can go into Fry’s, or log onto Newegg and pick up a Psyko 5.1 PC Gaming Headset System. This comes complete with a detachable mic and a dedicated amplifier for tweaking the sound to your liking. Yes, that $299 price is still salty any way you slice it. However, if you’re the kind of gamer that is willing to go that extra mile for an edge, these may be for you.
Sometimes, 500 Nerf darts per minute is just not enough. Sometimes, you just need heavier artillery. Enter the Mk 19 Nerf grenade launcher, a faithful reproduction of the Mk 19 grenade launcher used by the military. Like the real thing, the Nerf Mk 19 is belt fed, it just fires Nerf rockets instead of live grenades. It’s powered by batteries and compressed air, and is just generally incredibly awesome.
The gun by itself weighs 45 pounds, and that plus the box, belt, battery, and air tanks is over 100, so it’s not like you’ll be running around with it. But hey, that’s not what grenade launchers are about, right? Unfortunately, this particular piece of foam destructiveness is completely handmade (by someone who goes by “Q” apparently), took four and a half years to build, and no, you can’t buy one.
Fans of the wildly popular BBC series Doctor Who will be happy to know that a video game is finally being made based on the series and it’s free! Called the Doctor Who Adventures, the game was announced after the series’ latest episode and will focus around the current plot in the show. The game will, of course, feature the might of the Daleks and will be released in installments over the course of the summer. According to the BBC the story for the game is as follows:
The TARDIS materializes in 1963 – and London is in ruins. The Daleks have seized control of time and the only chance of saving Earth lies in a desperate quest to Skaro, the Daleks’ home planet – before time catches up with Amy, the last survivor of the human race!
The fact that this new ‘Eyjafjallajökull-DNA’ watch from Romain Jerome is limited to just one piece pretty much confirms my suspicions that the company is now trying to spit out new watch designs as fast as possible to cash in on whatever the hot topic of the day is. And in this case it’s the Eyjafjallajökull volcano that has caused so many headaches in Europe. But once again, it’s Romain Jerome’s press releases that steal the show. I may never look at volcanoes so innocently ever again!
With this unique Eyjafjallajökull-DNA model, RJ illustrates the legends of our time and the mythologies that will forge the memory of the 21st century. A timepiece with its finger on the pulse of the latest events, designed with ash from the erupting Eyjafjallajökull which is establishing itself as one of the most intimate symbols of our global contemporary emotions.
As if revealed beneath the dial through a bold stylistic effect and ready to burst forth at any moment, the lava ejected from the core of the planet illustrates an inner strength capable of setting fire to time – in this case held captive by a steel bezel and volcanic ash. Conveying memories of fire and lava, swept over by powerful images of dust and winds, and testifying to primeval energies as well as human vulnerability, the rough, brutal, fissured dial is crafted from ash ejected by the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.
Above and beyond the words and pictures heard and seen over and over again on our TV and computer screens, the visual impact of this form of telluric inevitability serves as a fresh reminder of the inherent vulnerability of our world view. Behind the ash cloud lies the vanity of our philosophies of time.
It of course comes with a certificate of authenticity confirming the watch contains volcanic rock and ash from Eyjafjallajökull, but since it’s a one-off piece I’m going to assume it isn’t for sale.
Well this is rather fascinating. PepsiCo (who owns Frito-Lay, who makes Lay’s chips) researchers have developed a proprietary, and of course patent-pending technology, that allows them to reduce the amount of sodium in their chips by about 25 percent “with no impact on taste.” Research shows that standard cube-shaped salt crystals only dissolve about 20 percent of the way in your mouth, leaving the rest of the cube to be swallowed and dissolved later on in your digestive tract, where you can’t taste it.
But working with scientists from all over the globe, PepsiCo’s research team have found a way to restructure the standard salt crystal, making it dissolve more quickly in your mouth where it’s actually tasted. So you’ll need less of the stuff to produce the same salty flavor we all know and love. Apparently since the restructured salt crystals are still made of good ol’ sodium chloride, once they’re dissolved they’re no different than regular salt, so FDA approval isn’t needed. However, it will still be at least a year before the new salt starts being used in the company’s products.
It’s obvious to me that German designer Tobias Fraenzel is a big fan of LOST, or any TV drama that relies on endless over-dramatic cliffhangers to keep frustrated viewers coming back week after week looking for answers they’ll never get. Why else would he have created this Champ Sofa which transforms into a punching bag to help TV addicts vent their frustrations. The sofa was created for Italian furniture manufacturer Campeggi and was unveiled during Milan Design Week 2010, though I don’t know how much it costs or even if it will ever be available for sale.
If your laptop is ‘blessed’ with one of those massive black power bricks then Elecom has a pretty simple adapter you can slap between it and the power cord, providing you with a couple of extra outlets. The adapter is available in a 2-prong model for about $15, and a 3-prong grounded one for about $21, though single outlet versions of each are also available if you don’t have room to carry that extra inch of plastic.
With the sheer number of wireless devices in my house, rechargeable batteries are a godsend. Unfortunately, they’re also rather expensive. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just take those old, cheap batteries and stick them in a charger? Apparently with this new ReZAP charger, you can.
According to the company, you can take any regular battery and with this magic device, recharge it up to 10 times. This is done by using intelligent microprocessors and software to regulate the charging process. It can detect what type of battery has been inserted (AA, AAA, AAAA, C, D or 9-volt) and automatically determine the right charging algorithm to give it a fresh charge. If you’re wanting to get the most out of your cheap batteries, then this $60 gadget might suit you when it comes out next month. However, if the quality of the product is anything like the company’s website, I’ll definitely pass.
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