Since Google Translate isn’t able to do anything with images containing Japanese characters (or yet at least) I’m going to have to rely on the experts at Akihabara News who came across this USB powered desktop fan from Synnex.
At just 5 inches in diameter it won’t demand too much desk space, and since it relies on power from one of your PC’s USB ports, it won’t take up an outlet on the already crowded power bar at your feet. Besides keeping you cool, the monoDO will even listen to your voice commands, turning on and off at your beckoning. A skill your cubicle neighbor who keeps blaring local talk radio will never learn. Available in black and white for ~$35(¥2,980).
How many times have you shot a video with your iPhone, only to find out later that it is too shaky to really enjoy? Obviously you’re not going to be able to carry around some sort of steadycam rig, so the next best thing you can do is use some sort of image-stabilization software. You can find this sort of thing in newer desktop video editing programs, but what about doing it while the video is being recorded? If you have an iPhone 4, you might just be able to do that.
The Steadycam Pro app is supposed to allow you to shoot videos while it smooths it out on-the-fly. It’s even supposed to take care of rolling shutter issues that your phone’s camera experiences. A demo of the app is free to download, though it will limit you to 15-second clips that are watermarked. I’ve not had a chance to test it out myself, but according to iTunes, it seems to have mixed results. Definitely try this one out before you spend the $3 to unlock the full version.
LEGO minifigs not wearing hats, helmets or little plastic toupees are creepy enough, but these 400ml LEGO minifig plastic water bottles take it to the next level. Lacking arms, legs and all manner of appendages, they might be easy to clean thanks to a removable bottom, but that small convenience won’t help you while they’re inevitably haunting your dreams. ~$16 from Firebox. (P.S. LEGO, you charge like $25 for a set that includes 10 bricks these days, I’m pretty sure you can cut back on the cheesy product licensing without going into Chapter 11.)
For the last couple weeks I’ve been reviewing the LG Flatron E2290, billed as the world’s thinnest monitor. Let me tell you, it’s really, really thin. And unlike overly skinny fashion models, thin is in for monitors. At just a hair over 0.25 inches, the thing nearly disappears when viewed sideways. It’s covered in a chrome finish and has mostly rounded edges. The base is wide and solid, and covered in touch sensitive buttons to access the OnScreen Display (OSD). The OSD is comprehensive and one of the best I’ve seen in a monitor.
As you can see in the pictures, the E2290 simply looks great. But how does it perform? We don’t have the equipment to perform accurate color and brightness measurements, but I can attest to the fact that it makes the image on my previous monitor look as bad as monochrome CRTs. Blacks are deep and uniform and whites are very bright. The horizontal viewing angle is very wide and there is very little color distortion as you move from side to side. The distortion is a little more pronounced on the vertical but still very acceptable. It features a native resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 and has DVI, VGA and HDMI connectors which are in the base rather than on the monitor itself. The are recessed by about 2 inches, making accessing them a little difficult. But this has to be done only once so it isn’t a huge issue. The response time is a very good 2ms.
It’s a 21.5 inch display and costs about $350. This is a premium over similarly sized models, but given the device’s aesthetics and performance, we feel it’s not unreasonable. If you have a living/working space that is already sleek and modern and are looking for a monitor that will fit right in, this is your choice.
It’s a ridiculously simple idea, and one that seems totally obvious now, but for some reason it’s taken until the year 2011 for mankind to come up with the Toepener. It’s nothing more than an extra handle that sits at ground level allowing you to open a door with your feet. Besides the obvious health benefits of being installed on a public bathroom door saving you from having to touch a germ-ridden handle with your bare hands, the Toepener looks like it would also make doors easier to open when your hands are full. And it’s just $49.95, so really no public facility has an excuse not to install these.
Researchers at Osaka and Shinshu Universities in Japan have created a special sensor-equipped glove that lets users enter text on a computer, or eventually any kind of electronic device, by making gestures or shapes with their hands and fingers. The tip of each glove features a small magnet and as you change the shape of your hand it in turn changes the shape of the magnetic field around the glove. These changes are then measured using magnetic sensors, and the unique shapes of the field are converted into text based on a pre-determined data set.
Accuracy is currently pegged at around 90% if you make your own data set, which basically means if you teach it to read your own gestures, but that percentage only drops a little if you use a pre-existing one created by someone else. The Fingual glove also features an infrared sensor so that you need to hold your other hand near the glove, or place it near your body, to put it into gesture recognition mode. Otherwise every little hand action you’d make would be detected as text input. The obvious application for this technology would be to allow people who use sign language to also use it as a form of text entry, but the last time I checked they were still able to use keyboards and keypads. But as an alternative means of text entry when it’s rude or dangerous to use a keypad, I think it has potential.
Even though ‘unused power bar’ is an oxymoron in my home, I still like this design concept from Dave Hakkens which gives everyday devices a book-like form factor. So instead of tossing them in a drawer or in a Rubbermaid container when not in use, you can keep them out on display where they add to the aesthetic of a room, and are also easily accessible and easy to find. And while the Stekkerboek does look a bit bulky as power bars go, the extra space houses a generous, and useful, 8 feet of extension cord. Just make a version for North American style plugs and I’ll take 10!
I don’t know what I find more appealing here. These clever memo pads designed to look like various types of sushi, or how impeccably neat and organized that desk looks in the product shot. I’d be afraid to tear even one sheet off the memo blocks for fear of throwing the whole thing out of aesthetic balance. ~$22(¥1,800) from Rakuten.
Laptops are great to have on the go, since you can’t haul around your desktop for very obvious reasons. Of course, laptops themselves aren’t always the most ergonomic things to use, and they get a bit toasty. Thus, a laptop stand can prove a useful tool, if you can find the right one. Most are bulky, which makes them difficult to carry around. So what’s the point in having a stand that you can’t carry around? That’s where AViiQ comes in.
Their latest laptop stand is the smallest that I’ve ever seen. The Portable Quick Stand doesn’t look like it would do much at first glance, with its small size and lack of fans. However, the fact that it raises your notebook off of whatever surface you’re using will greatly increase airflow, which will keep your computer running much cooler. Also, the angle at which the laptop sits will provide a more comfortable typing position for your wrists. When not in use, it folds up to only 3/8 of an inch thick, which means you won’t have any trouble finding room for it in your bag. Best of all, it’s only going to set you back $40 when it launches later this spring.
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