Awwww, showing that sharing when it comes to technology can still be a good thing, the Buffalo Dualie portable hard drive and dock comes with an extra slot that’s just waiting for your iPhone to cozy up and sync. (Or your iPod Touch or regular iPod thanks to a set of included adapters.) The 500GB hard drive comes equipped with USB 2.0 and FireWire 800 ports and a brushed aluminum two-tone finish so it doesn’t clash with your other Apple gear. Very important. Oddly enough the dock itself only appears to come with USB 2.0 ports, so if you want to take advantage of those FireWire 800 speeds, you’ll have to hook up the hard drive on its own. The cheapest online price seems to be about $150 which isn’t actually that cheap for a 500GB drive these days, but who wants to cheap out and risk using a drive that doesn’t match their iMac or MacBook?
King Jim isn’t exactly a household name here in North America, but I’ve seen quite a few mentions of their POMERA line of portable and incredibly basic word processors online. And their new Mamemo device carries on that tradition of simplicity. Think of it as a never ending digital version of a notepad that lets you quickly jot notes or to-do list items, except that given its minimal memory you’re actually limited to just 99 ‘sheets’. It’s powered by a set of 3xAAA batteries which are good for about 7 months thanks to the device’s basic monochrome touchscreen display, and even though its functionality is pretty limited, it will still set you back about $67! (¥5,980)
If you’re really worried about someone’s beverage leaving a wet ring on your coffee table, and I mean really worried, these titanium and carbon fiber coasters are probably your best solution to the problem. They’re also going to be remarkably light, and they look pretty slick, which totally justifies their $250 price tag. And that’s $250 each. Of course if you want a full set you’re going to have to act fast since they’re only being produced in a limited run of 35 pieces from Black Badger.
Have you ever wished that you could be notified when your snail mail arrives? In the age of instant email notifications, the hit-or-miss nature of checking your postal mail can be an annoyance. Even more so if your mailbox is located a great distance from your door. Nothing is more annoying than walking five minutes, only to not find a single letter. Did the mailman come yet, or was there just nothing for you today?
Well now you can solve this age-old problem with a gadget from Thanko. Just pop the Mailbox Sentry into your mailbox, and set the receiver in your house. When a piece of mail goes into your box, you’ll get a notification. The device works up to 100m away, so distance won’t be an issue. $95 is a lot of money to spend to let you know that you have bills waiting for you.
The term ‘magic’ has been thrown around a bit too much recently, since I’m pretty sure this umbrella isn’t powered by the dark arts. But it does have a pretty clever design that addresses an issue all umbrella makers seem to ignore; whenever they get used, they get soaking wet. So instead of relying on some plastic bag dispensing contraption, the Yuento umbrella has a brilliantly simple plastic case built into its design. When open the body of the case serves as the handle, with the cap remaining perched atop the umbrella, and when closed everything gets sealed inside ensuring it doesn’t drip all over the place. You’ll probably still want to pop it open and let it dry at the end of the day, but it’s a great solution for dealing with a wet umbrella while out and about. Available from Rakuten for about $45. (¥3,990)
I can’t tell you what exactly the Goony is or does, because that’s completely up to you, but I can tell you it’s basically a set of stainless steel bendable wires covered in a soft, plyable silicon material that ends up forming a sort of base with five fingers sticking out on either side. Suggested applications include everything from a wallet tray to a business card holder, but with enough manipulation I think it could serve as a decent iPhone stand, or even an iPad stand were it strong enough. It’s available from a Japanese site called Cocoa Interior Zakka(I think) for around $20 (1800 yen) in green, pink, yellow, white and black.
Is it a right of passage for every aspiring rock star to build their own electric guitar? If not it should be, even if it’s just this simple kit from Gakken that comes with everything you’ll need to build one, except for tools such as a Philips screwdriver and a pair of pliers. The results are almost like a scale model of a real electric guitar, though they essentially function the same way as you’ll learn during the assembly process. As for how it sounds, well, before you watch the video below just keep in mind the kit is available from the Japan Trend Shop for just $74, so don’t expect that much from it.
Some say he can be found standing near the caravan trailer just below the Bugatti Veyron, while others say he’s sitting in the BBC production truck, all we know is he’s called the Stig and his Where’s Stig? picture books from BBC Books means we’ve officially stopped caring where Waldo’s hiding!
We know they’re supposed to be just for kids, but the original Where’s Stig? book, illustrated by Rod Hunt and available from the BBC online store for around $9 (£5.99), is chock full of inside jokes, nods to the Top Gear TV series and cameos by a certain Mr. Clarkson, Hammond and May which even the most passive fan will appreciate. And the original book sold so well that a sequel, Where’s Stig? The World Tour, which of course sees the Stig hiding all over the world, is already in the works and will be available near the end of September for roughly the same price.
Most scanners that boast the ability to remove dust, scratches and other damage on a photo just include a few bundled software applications like Photohshop Elements for dealing with the problem, but the Epson Perfection V750-M Pro scanner includes the Digital ICE hardware and software technologies to correct image defects all within the scanner. When dealing with film negatives an infrared sensor is used in multiple passes to map out and remove dust and scratches on the surface of the film, while prints are handled slightly differently using two lamps at different angles to map out differences in shadows which reveal and allow defects like tears, folds and creases to be repaired.
The V-750M Pro is also able to scan to a maximum resolution of 6400dpi, and will automatically select from one of two different lenses depending on your desired scan resolution for optimal results. Of course with a price tag of $849.99 it’s targeted towards digital imaging professionals instead of regular home use, but if you’ve got a shoebox full of ill-kept photos to process, it could make your life a heck of a lot easier.
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Some say he can be found standing near the caravan trailer just below the Bugatti Veyron, while others say he’s sitting in the BBC production truck, all we know is he’s called the Stig and his Where’s Stig? picture books from BBC Books means we’ve officially stopped caring where Waldo’s hiding!
