Computer Gadgets New

Back when I used a media PC in my living room, the most frustrating thing that I found was that I had both a keyboard and mouse sitting on my coffee table. Granted, most of the time I simply used my remote, but there were times where I would use my TV as a giant monitor for surfing the net and such, which meant I had a few choices. One, I could use a regular keyboard and mouse, which wasn’t fun. Another was to get an in-air mouse with a smaller keyboard (was a combo) which was better, but still not perfect. I never got around to trying option number three which I think would have been the best, a keyboard with a built-in trackpad.

This little number from Brando is a simple combo device that would likely be welcome in any HTPC environment. The keyboard isn’t full-size, but it more like that of a laptop. The trackpad makes it easy to navigate your screen without the need to keep a mouse on-hand at all times. It is wireless and runs off of four AA batteries. There are separate on/off switches for the keyboard and the trackpad so you can get the most life out of your batteries. You can pick one up for $57, which is close to what you’d pay for a decent wireless keyboard and mouse set.

Source: GeekAlerts

Posted Mar 9th 2008 3:35PM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: cellphones

Finally, iphone owners no longer have to mope around with a feeling of shame and embarrassment in their hearts: AT&T has blessed them with an “unlimited” calling plan. That’s right, if you so desire (and you do so desire, don’t you?), you can latch a $119.99 all-you-can-eat plan onto your super-device. Sure, it looks peachy, until you notice that despite your “unlimited” status, you still only get a measly 200 text messages, which is like a three-course steak dinner with no dessert. At least you’ll never again have to end a conversation with Mom because you’re worried about overages — though you’ll want to keep a close watch on those SMSs, since the prices seem to be constantly heading skyward.

[Thanks, impuLsive]

Duck Fadar
Any jokes about us going quackers, will not - we repeat - will not be permitted. Now, here are the fundamental features that make these two deserving of a place at you bath side.

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Dassault Systèmes invites the general public to join Fuchs in this charity race for Sports Without Borders via an Facebook application: virtual runners will be assigned 3D photorealistic avatars generated from 2D portraits and will select virtual running environments from a photo library. Once these steps completed, virtual runners will receive a video of their virtual run.

They can also build support for Sports Without Borders by inviting Facebook friends to participate, which will result in the creation of a solidarity chain linking all friends’ videos in a single virtual relay. Dassault Systèmes will feature the longest and zaniest relays in its Virtual Relay Hall of Fame on the dedicated mini-website, as well as a real-time counter of virtual (and real) kilometers run.

The kilometers run by virtual participants will be added to those run by Fuchs, and Dassault Systèmes will contribute accordingly to Sports Without Borders’ efforts to improve the living conditions of children in Latin American, Africa and Asia with athletic programs. Dassault Systèmes’ partnership with this dynamic NGO will leverage the universal appeal of 3D solutions in order to build awareness and support of Sports Without Borders’ projects internationally.

To follow or participate in the “Virtual Plus Reality Challenge”, please visit: www.3ds.com/VplusR

Earlier this year we raved about the FPS Gaming Vest that punches you when you get shot, well if you don’t fancy being punched there is now an alternative, Mindwire V5 gives you physical feedback by way of electric shocks.

History of the Mindwire V5

“How much better would games such as Mortal Kombat or Streetfighter be if you were ELECTROCUTED each time you were hit!”

Sudenly there’s something to play for. Watch your opponent squirm as you beat him to a pulp, and fear every one of your opponents blows as you know its going to do a lot more than make your little animated character full backwards…

The Mindwire V5 works by connecting electrical pads to your body these then deliver a mild (we hope) shock when playing games. It has a ‘dumb dumb’ mode for existing games (reacts to the force-feedback signal) and offers other ’special’ features for specially designed games.

You can find more information and buy online for £99.99 (~$200) from the Mindwire V5 site [via The Sun].

Posted Mar 9th 2008 10:06AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

No sense in forcing someone to stick with the tried and true MP3 / WMA regimen when formats such as OGG, APE, FLAC and AAC are out there, right? Apparently, the folks at Teclast are nodding their heads in agreement, as the firm’s latest PMP handles all of the aforementioned files alongside WAV, AVI, RM and RMVB. Additionally, the 7.9-millimeter thick PlayFX-compatible unit features a 2.4-inch QVGA (320 x 240) resolution display, 2GB / 4GB / 8GB of capacity, a built-in FM tuner / recorder and a text viewer. No word on price or availability, but considering the dearth of integrated WiFi, we can’t actually see Mariah being interested.

[Via PMPToday]

The social networking sites numbers for the US are in and the year to year comparisons are pretty telling.  MySpace is down 1% while FaceBook is up 77%.  The biggest movement is by some new comers, namely Fubar.com who grew by, get this, 3272217%.  Fubar is billed as “the first online bar and happy hour,” with free well drinks all night long.  OK, I made up that last bit.

All but two on this top 20 list had positive year over year gains confirming the general feeling that social networking is far from done.  Newcomers like myyearbook and linkdin saw triple digit growth proving these smaller, segmented markets have lots of growth potential.

More analysis can be seen by following the link below down the rabbit hole.

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Data security in today’s work environment is of the utmost importance. In the worst case scenarios not having a backup of all recent data could spell doom for any PC user. HDD based solutions are available but they require almost an infrastructure of USB wires/ dongles at hand. The SanDisk FlashBack Adapter plugs into the ExpressCard slot found on many Windows laptops today. Into the adapter is plugged a SD or SDHC memory card, which is sold separately. These two items work in conjunction with user installed software on the laptop itself to offer real time backups of important files directly from the computer to the memory card.
[Source]

Brain Trainer - Exercise For Your Brain!
Using the Brain Trainer will really help keep [your brain] functioning at peak levels. Tony Buzan, the world’s leading authority on brain learning and thinking skills.

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Asus has revealed the Asus MS71 at CeBIT08. The mouse opens up into two parts: a USB drive that doubles as a mouse transmitter and a wireless laser mouse with a scroll wheel. The mouse has a magnetic locking mechanism that attaches to the transmitter so you can charge it. Pretty handy for those on the go who hate using that stupid touchpad!
[Source]