Oh! Gizmo

By Chris Scott Barr

The Pre is shaping up to be the best thing Palm has made since they introduced the Palm Pilot way back when. As such, it’s no surprise that it’s already getting hacked by people to become even more useful than it already is. My favorite one so far? Definitely the NES emulator.

You’ll need to do a little hacking to get root access to the device, then compile FCEUltra. A little more work to get the program to display games at 320 x 480 and you’ll be good to go. Isn’t it great that we go through so much trouble so our fancy new technology can play games that are 20 years old?

[ Pre Dev Wiki ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Talking on the phone while driving can be something of a hassle when you don’t have any sort of handsfree device. I have had the opportunity to check out one of the latest offerings from Parrot in this department. The Minikit Chic is a sleek little device that clips to your sun visor and offers a little more than some similar products on the market.

The first thing you’ll notice (other than the floral pattern) is that there really isn’t much to this little device. It’s roughly the size of my iPhone, only a bit thicker. You’ll find two buttons, a knob, a USB port and a clip. The clip is obviously for attaching it to your visor, while the USB port is used for charging and interfacing with your computer if needed. All of the functions you’ll use are controlled by the knob and two buttons, which seems rather simple for all it can do.

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By Chris Scott Barr

Wow, three Palm Pre stories in one week, whatever will my iPhone buddies think? Well if you’re looking to get your hands on a Pre when it debuts next month, you’ll probably be happy that I’ve been keeping you updated on the latest news. What new info do have that will assist you in getting ahold of your own Pre? Lets just say that if you plan on going to Best Buy or RadioShack to get your fix, you’d better get there really freaking early. Best Buy will be getting 4 per store, while RadioShack will only have 2. Suddenly I’m having flashbacks to Nintendo’s launch of the Wii.

[ Sprint ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Headed to Glastonbury this year but worried your cellphone’s battery won’t go the mile? (Or kilometer I guess.) Well once again Orange’s got you covered. Last year they provided cellphone recharging services via their Dance Charger and Recharge Pod tent, but this year they’ll be introducing the Power Pump. It’s basically a compact generator that features a turbine driven by a standard air bed foot pump. So in the amount of time it takes to inflate a pillow, you can generate enough power to make a 5-minute call on your cellphone.

Sadly there’s no word on if or when the Power Pump will be available for sale, so let’s hope the idea goes over really well at the festival.

[ PR - Give it some welly! Orange launches the Power Pump charger for Glastonbury 2009 ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Chris Scott Barr

The Palm Pre is definitely making a lot of buzz these days, what with the official release coming up quickly and all. It certainly has a lot of promise, but what if you’re wanting to buy the phone without re-upping your Sprint contract for another two years? Well don’t worry, if you’re that worked up about being tied down to one network for the next 24 months, you can always buy it sans contract. Of course, like any phone it will cost you. $549 to be exact. And no, for that price it still won’t be unlocked.

[ Sprint ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Chris Scott Barr

It’s been really hard to see Palm as anything other than a dying brand for quite some time. After the Foleo idea went south, it looked like the company was finished. Luckily they still had one ace up their sleeve, and that’s the Pre. I’m an iPhone user, and I’ll admit that I am intrigued by this device. No, I won’t be tossing aside my phone any time soon, but it might just be able to give Apple some good competition.

Palm and Sprint have finally decided to grace us with an official launch date for the device. It’s quite apparent that they’re wanting to take Apple head-on, since that’s only two days before the WWDC. Will their gambit work? We’ll know in a few short weeks. Starting June 6th you’ll be able to pick the Pre up at Sprint stores (including Sprint.com), Best Buy Radio Shack and even select Walmart stores for $199.99.

[ Sprint ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While the CellScope looks like a monstrous cameraphone zoom lens that you could only order from a website like Brando, it’s actually a clinical-quality microscope with a magnification of 5-50X. It was designed by Daniel Fletcher, the associate professor of bioengineering at the University of California at Berkeley, and the goal of the CellScope is to bring modern diagnostic testing to remote areas who don’t have access to a lab or facilities with the proper equipment.

And because the CellScope is designed to be used with devices like cellphones and even camera equipped netbooks & laptops, it allows images captured by health care workers to be sent to larger medical centers for detailed examination by experts. The hope is that the CellScope will be used to more effectively diagnose diseases in rural areas to not only save lives, but also serve as an early warning for possible epidemics.

[ Telemicroscopy for Disease Diagnosis ] VIA [ Crave ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Let’s face it, even after you’ve signed your life away with a 2 or 3-year contract, many high-end cellphones still aren’t cheap. So it only makes sense that you’d want to protect your investment. The nio from Tenbu Technologies is a bluetooth-equipped keychain-sized device that includes an alarm and a flashing LED. It connects to your cellphone (over bluetooth of course) and allows you to establish a “security zone” of up to 20 meters. When the distance between the nio and your phone is greater than the preset range, it assumes the phone has been nabbed or forgotten, and sounds the alarm.

The nio also appears to be highly configurable thanks to a mini-USB port and included software, even to the point of setting up specific times and dates when the alarm is activated. At around $57 it’s not outrageously expensive either, though according to their compatibility list, the nio isn’t iPhone friendly.

[ Tenbu nio ] VIA [ PMP Today ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I got to spend a week with the original Peek while at CES this year, and while I really liked the device, particularly given its pricepoint, there were a few areas that could have definitely been improved. And that’s exactly what the company did this morning when they officially announced their new Peek Pronto.

Now the update is definitely not a complete overhaul, more of a slight refresh, but the new model now adds push email, unlimited email and text messages, support for up to 5 email accounts at once, a search function, support for viewing PDF and Word documents, compatibility with Microsoft Exchange and even a larger font size option. But most importantly, the software on the device is now 50% faster Peek claims, all for the exact same price of just $79.95 with a $19.95 monthly fee.

But if you’ve already got a Peek, don’t feel too left out. According to an email the company sent out last night, current users will be privy to a software update next week that adds all the new functionality to the original Peek model.

The good news for you Peeksters is that we want all of you to have the software that will be powering Pronto – for free. Next week I’m going to let you know the details of how you can upgrade your Peek so that you can have the same software that will be on Pronto. I think you’re going to like it!

[ GetPeek.com ]