Takara Tomy is hoping to get kids hooked on digital photography at an even younger age than anyone thought was possible with this new toddler-friendly digital camera they unveiled at the Tokyo Toy Show last month. I’m assuming it’s durable enough to be frequently dropped, and sports the usual bright colors, cartoony characters and oversized buttons we’ve come to expect on kid-friendly electronics. But what makes it unique is that instead of an oversized viewfinder or a large LCD display on the back, the camera simply features a photo-sized hole that littles ones can hold up in front of them to frame their shots. Now I’m sure the photos it snaps won’t perfectly match what kids are seeing in the frame, but I doubt they’ll be as anal about it as a professional photographer would be.
I have no idea when the camera will be available, how much it will cost or if you’ll ever be able to find one outside of Japan. But according to Japan Trends it does include a self-timer and has enough storage to hold 99 x 3MP shots.
The obvious advantage to carrying a P&S digital camera is that they’re small and compact. But in order to keep it safe, you probably want a case for it. And if you happen to use it for a lot of group shots including yourself, a tripod or mount becomes a handy thing to bring along. And then suddenly your compact digital camera isn’t quite so compact with a bag full of accessories tagging along. So the Pose from Quirky manages to merge a few of those items together, helping to keep your P&S camera easy to carry.
First and foremost it’s a zip-up case that’s easy on the eyes with its rubber web-like design on the outside, which also happens to make it weather resistant. But when fully unzipped the Pose serves as a pretty functional and flexible tripod/camera mount. Literally. From the looks of it, hidden away inside the case is a series of bendable metal wires that allow it to be shaped into a stand, or wrapped around a pole. Allowing for hands-free and stable photography. That fancy rubber outer finish also provides an extra bit of grip when the case is used as a stand, and on the inside you’ll find a quick-release tripod mount making it easy to attach or remove your camera.
It’s $23.99 when purchased from Quirky as a presale item. But if and when they sell the 1,000 needed for it to go into production, the price goes up to $29.99.
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Liberty Games. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you feel that your coffee table, which may or may not currently be right under your feet, is simply just not enough of a gadget in itself then we may have something for you right here. Crafted in stainless steel, the Platinum coffee table from UK games room specialists Liberty Games not only looks just like a modern coffee table should, it also houses a PC and 22” LCD monitor inside it, enabling this stylish table to function as a complete multimedia center. Add in an included wireless keyboard, Intel Dual-Core processor and easy connections to hi-fis’, flat screen tvs’ and the internet and you’ve got some awesome power sitting under your feet!
Designed to work with wireless joysticks and control pads this table has its origins in the cocktail-table MAME arcade market, but has since expanded to become a lot more. And it’s still totally capable of being drawn in for a close-up game of pac-man! So if you’re looking for that next piece of functional furniture for £3000 your coffee table could be doing a lot more than it’s doing right now!
Every business has two obstacles: time and money. While it’s always good to take advantage of the newest technology, usually there is a big price to pay in terms of capital commitment. After all, you have to purchase the hardware, sign extended service agreements, train your staff new processes, and then hope it interfaces well with the infrastructure you’ve already built.
These concerns can be minimized if not eliminated when you take advantage of cloud computing services. Just like a cell phone with a pay as you go plan, AT&T’s cloud services services are scalable based on your needs. If you have a sudden rush of orders or need a new application now, you can quickly implement what you need and dial back down later when the need is gone.
As we become increasingly more connected with Smartphones, Tablet PCs, and of course traditional PCs, your company needs to have the flexibility to serve all of those needs within your network. Cloud computing is a flexible cost-effective alternative for delivering IT services across your entire organization from any physical location.
Since cloud services are network based, you need to choose your provider wisely. AT&T has 99.9% network availability as well as enterprise security measures built in to ensure maximum performance without sacrificing security.
Sometimes when you travel you like to bring as many of the amenities of home as you can, but trying to get that satellite dish on the roof to squeeze into airline-approved luggage can be a real challenge. You can put away that hacksaw and acetylene torch though, thanks to a company called GATR who makes inflatable satellite antenna solutions that are far easier to transport. They look like giant beachballs, with the actual ‘dish’ being hidden inside and protected from the elements. But the ball design is also crucial to how the system works. By increasing the air pressure on one side of the sphere you can force the dish, which divides the sphere in half, into the necessary parabolic shape.
The full-sized version, pictured at the top of this post, actually requires a few rolling cases to store and transport since besides the antenna you also have to deal with mounting plates, blowers and other hardware to make the system functional. But the company is working on a far more compact version (1.2 meters in diameter), available this Fall, which looks a lot more like a beachball. When deflated and broken down all of the components will easily fit into a backpack weighing less than 50lbs., and while it’s probably not as robust or capable as the full-sized version, sometimes portability is far more important.
I can’t imagine anything worse than having to wear a tie, in any weather. But in the summertime when temperatures soar? No climb up the corporate ladder is worth that torture. Not even with this ridiculous tie clip, from who other than Thanko, which features a fan hidden on the back designed to keep cool air blasting through your dress shirt. It honestly looks like your standard PC cooling fan, and it probably is, since it’s designed to draw power from your computer’s USB port, or from a none-too-subtle 2xAA battery pack you slip in your shirt pocket. It will also cost you ~$31(¥2,480) which is probably ~$30 more than it costs to make, adding to the ridiculousness.
For any of our readers who wished they lived on a golf course or a professionally-groomed baseball field, Toro’s so-called lawn striping ‘system’ will let you pattern and customize the look of your grass, in your front or backyard, making it look like you actually know what you’re doing. And by ‘system’ Toro of course means a $90 accessory which is basically nothing more than a heavy roller that trails behind your lawn mower as you push it around your yard.
All you have to do is attach it using a few simple tools, fill it with dry sand and then decide what pattern you want to leave behind. As it rolls over the grass it simply bends the blades forward, and by changing directions you can create contrasting stripes. You can get standalone lawn rollers too, but if you’ve already got a self-propelled push mower why not let it do all the work?
I bought two 22-inch monitors about a year and a half ago. I wanted my desktop to look like a proper geek’s workplace, though to be honest I had no real need for them. They were Acer’s and at the time were the least expensive on the market, at $230. Well, of course the passing of time does wonders to prices and so today we see Dell’s 23-inch E2311H selling for a palatable $160, after a $68 discount. For this price you get “LED backlit technology, 1920 x 1080 resolution, Energy Star 5.0 recognized, DVI-D and more…”, plus it’s shipped for free!
I’m not going to lie. Sometimes writing about a seemingly endless stream of iPhone add-ons can get a little boring. We understand how important a nice case can be, but accessories that are genuinely fun make for a nice break in our routine. So thanks to Griffin for revealing their new Helo TC RC Helicopter, part of their AppPowered line, which is of course controlled by your iOS device. Presumably via Bluetooth or wifi, since IR would require an add-on dongle.
The chopper can be controlled using a traditional on-screen flight stick, or by tilting your device in the “Tilt-to-fly” mode which relies on its accelerometer to detect your movements. And once you think you’re hot stuff you can record up to 3 different flight routines which can be triggered and reflown at the push of a button. On a half-hour USB-tethered charge the Helo TC will fly for up to 8 minutes, and when you eventually crash an included spare set of rotors will get you back in the air quickly. Available just in time to be included on Christmas wish lists this year, for ~$56. (£34.99)
Related Tags: Digital Cameras, Toys
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