Computer Gadgets New

So you don’t have an iphone, and neither have you made provisions in your monthly expenses to save up for one. What happens if you’re envious of your friends’ iPhones, and want a somewhat similar input system on your regular handset? This is where Dasur’s touch screen text input software for cell phones and PDAs come in.

Whereas in a standard reduced size keyboard, the user must be very accurate in touching a specific micro-area representing the key, with ThumbKey the user simply presses in the vicinity of the required key and need not be concerned if the thumb touches other keys simultaneously. Due to its unique algorithms, ThumbKey is able to identify the intended keys through a combination of characteristics of the keystroke (size and position of the finger). The algorithm processes the typed letters and its disambiguation feature suggests the intended word and additional candidate words, conveniently displayed next to the keyboard. Powerful word recognition enables you to enter only the first few letters of a word and then to make your choice from options conveniently offered on screen.

Zeemote JS1 Mobile Joystick 

cell phone games have come a long way since green lines charging helpless red dots or grinding through yet another Tetris marathon. But as far as control sets go, you’re pretty much stuck with your phone’s number pad or some variation of a directional-pad. We’ve all seen various attempts at snap-on peripherals (and maybe even experimented with the first version of the ill-fated N-gage) but while mobile gaming has grown in complexity, actual input has remained largely the same.

To the rescue comes the Zeemote JS1 mobile joystick. Borrowing a few design pointers from the Wii’s nunchuk (connecting via Bluetooth instead of wires), the JS1 measures in at 3.7 x 1.4 x .8 inches. It’s small enough to stash comfortably in a pocket, but with long, ungainly fingers like mine, gripping it starts to feel a little awkward after a short while. The device weighs a miniscule 1.7 ounces, including the pair of AAA batteries (they gave us about 40 hours of juice), so lugging it around will be much less of a chore than existing mobile gaming solutions.

Syncing a JS1 to a cell phone is a simple act. Switch on the joystick, turn on Bluetooth discovery on your phone, wait while they find each other, and approve the pairing. Our Nokia 6131 connected to it in under two minutes. And while a 30-foot range is overkill for cell phone gaming, you can get pretty creative with your lounging without hampering connectivity.

An Xbox 360 controller is just a fancy piece of plastic without a title like Halo 3. The same holds true for the Zeemote. As it stands, getting the JS1 working on a particular game requires incorporating the Zeemote Controller API into titles as they’re developed. This means no plug and play—games have to be created with the Zeemote in mind if the controller is going to work with them. So while there are few games out the gate already—like classic Sonic the Hedgehog — there’s no Snake or Tetris for you. Well, not yet at least. The unit we tested was a pre-production model, so while the games available showed off the controller’s features, the limited selection will (hopefully) be expanded.

This all of course raises a fundamental question: do you like playing games on your cell phone enough to carry a controller around? Most of us don’t bring a DS or PSP everywhere, but we’ll certainly always tethered to our phones. And are cell phone games ever going to be fun enough to justify lugging a joystick? Even with super-phones like the N95 rivaling my desktop in terms of raw computing power, there’s only so much gaming you’ll be capable of cramming onto a device that is intended primarily to make phone calls.

Having spent a significant portion of my life in front of screens of varying diminutiveness, the JS1 isn’t pulling me away from my DS any time soon. But its small and effective—if you need your hedgehog fix and don’t want to port a handheld, then hey, a Zeemote might be for you. —Nate Ralph

WIRED Compact. Great battery life. Feels solid and sturdy, despite size. Sonic still rocks.

TIRED Not much software at the moment. Do you really want to carry a joystick for your phone?

$TBA, zeemote.com

Every war has an aftermath. In the case of the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD format wars, HD-DVD users are now at the first phase of reconstruction. Like the South after the Civil War, it is going to be an uphill climb.

Best Buy, the nation’s largest customer electronics retailer, is trying to ease the transition by offering $50 gift cards to customers who purchased an HD-DVD player or HD-DVD attachment from United States stores before February 23, 2008. They have budgeted $10 million for this endeavor.

In fact, Best Buy plans to mail cards to all customers that the company can positively identify as having purchased an HD-DVD player. That means that many of the grieving will receive a little windfall that will be a breath of fresh air to their normal bills. Of course, some customers will be missed, which is why Best Buy also offers a (888) BEST BUY hotline. All an HD-DVD purchaser has to do is call up and give them their proof of purchase.

The best part about it is that the customer can keep his or her HD-DVD player. However, Best Buy is offering a service for those to get rid of their HD-DVD players with www.bestbuytradein.com. This service will start on March 21, and will provide instant estimates on the value of HD-DVD players, as well as HD-DVD movies.

It’s nice to know that the end of the format war was not the end of hope. By the way, Best Buy isn’t the only one offering this service, as Future Shop, Circuit City, and other stores have similar campaigns. If only stores had done this when Betamax died.

Source

ConAir Body Benefits Heated Massaging Neck Rest NM8

The cheapest neck massager on Amazon.com is this tacky blue contraption by ConAir (you know, the company that makes all those cheap drug store hair products). My boyfriend bought it for me on a whim the other day when I had a crook in my neck. It costs less than 20 bucks—and it’s not hard to figure out why. The rotational arms smell like cheap synthetics and fit awkwardly on your shoulders, and the adjustable internal vibrator barely qualifies as a massager. The optional heat at the back of your neck is  a nice touch, but you have to be leaning aggressively against it in order to really feel it. After letting it buzz on my shoulders for half an hour, however, I did start to feel calmer and more relaxed. The subtle warmth and steady rumble are strangely soothing—plus it makes for a great neck rest if you’re nodding off on the couch or the passenger seat. You can’t expect any serious muscle relief from this thing, but is it worth parting ways with a Jackson to own? Probably not. But does it "make a great gift"? Is it "as seen on TV"? Oh you betcha. —Lisa Katayama

WIRED Heated back and neck support great for long car rides. Runs on 4 AA batteries or AC adapter. CHEAP

TIRED Loud and smelly. It actually reeks like a cross between an ashtray and a truckstop toliet. Loose fit on shoulders and neck render massage factor practically obsolete.

$20, conair.com

Hydro Greenhouse 2

For All You Budding David Belemy’s Out There…You Know Who You Are!Demonstrate agriculture technology of the future with the scientifically fascinating Hydro Greenhouse 2. This self contained greenhouse uses advanced hydroponic technology to grow vegetables, herbs, plants and flowers in the comfort of your own home or at your desk. The same technology is currently being researched by NASA to grow plants and food on the International Space Station, and on future missions to the Moon and to Mars.The secret is that you can grow real fruits, vegetables, herbs, plants and flowers using liquid nutrient instead of soil.It’s non-electric, so it’s safe to operate anywhere, indoors or out and it is really easy to use. There is a nutrient reservoir and an auto feed system which automatically feeds and waters the contents for up to two weeks between refills and a set of mini gardening tools so you can maintain your crop. You can go on holiday safe in the knowledge that your scientific experiment is in safe hands. The Hydro Greenhouse 2 easily fits on to a desk or bedside cabinet. Simply add seeds of your choice and water and then have months of fun as you cultivate your cropSuitable for ages 8 and upwardsFeatures:Free packet of Cornflower seeds No soil hydroponic technology Suitable for growth of vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruit and plants Nutrient auto feed system Mini gardening tools included 26cm planting bed Dimensions:Length: 35cm Depth: 16cm Height: 33cm

Technorati Tags: Tech Toys

Ever wondered what a ziplock bag-seal looks like close-up? Nope, me neither, but Rob Cockerham did, and he has the photos to prove it. And when you see his gallery of 200x magnified pictures, they’re curiously fascinating, a kind of ultimate study in how things work. The hilarious commentary doesn’t hurt, either:

Only a strong pull, (such as jealousy or drug addiction) can pull them apart when they are locked together like this.

Rob used the Eyeclops camera, a toy microscope and camera combination which outputs its images to a TV. But like the legendary Pixelvision before it, this kids’ toy has a lot of fun adult uses (no, not that kind of adult). Rob has worked his way somewhat haphazardly through the tail-end of the alphabet, and also has galleries for yarn and Velcro.

A Fascinating Gallery of Ziplock Seals [Cockeyed.com via Make]

According to a post on the DP Review forums, Canon will be unveiling the long awaited successor to the EOS 5D in a “surprise announcement” on April 22nd. The 5D will cost $3500 and offer specs which bring it uncomfortably close to Canon’s flagship EOS1Ds MkIII, including a 15.3MP, full frame sensor, weatherproofing and a huge 3″ live-view LCD screen.

You can peek the full copy-and-paste of the details below, but the author boxf1, despite quoting “a source I am unwilling to disclose” seems to either have a legitimate leak or has kept his fanboy fantasies on a tight leash: The details sound pretty plausible and Canon has a habit of popping newer tech into the lower-rung models in its range.

Forum page page [DPReview via Crave]

The full post:

The new 5D II will not be released at Photokina, but instead will be a surprise announcement on April 22, according to a source I am unwilling to disclose.

The specs of the new camera are as follows (final name unavailable):

- 15.3 MP full frame CMOS sensor (vastly improved light-gathering capacity per pixel: improved micro lenses; miniaturized micro circuitry; enhanced signal/noise ratio)

- Weather sealing same as 1Ds Mark III

- Dual Digic III with all-new “CXR” NR system reported to best 3rd party NR software. Available as a C.F with 4 levels of customizable parameters.

14 bit A/D conversion

- ISO 12800 (C.F. up to 25600)

- Reported 1 2/3 stop sensitivity improvement

- All-new 29-point TTL CMOS sensor

with 12 cross-type for F/2.8 or faster lens

(35% faster than 40D)

- Micro lens fine adjustment for up to 14 lenses

- 300,000 exposure shutter durability

- 6.0 / 3.0 fps

- 3.0″ LCD

922,000 pixels

- EOS Integrated Cleaning System

- Live View (improved from 450D; latest generation)

- 6/3 fps continuous shooting for up to 68 frames

- MSRP $3499, available June 2

So you still have your vinyl collection from way back, and want to convert them into something more modern like the MP3 format. With the Ion U-Record, that is possible since the box comes with its own preamp and EZ Vinyl Converter and Audacity which claims to remove annoying pops, crackles and hisses in the final recording. The Ion U-Record comes with standard RAC inputs for quick and easy connectivity to tape decks, CD and Mp3 players. It retails for $49.99 a pop.

There is something mesmerizing about watching a primate swing its way across limbs of trees with relative ease, as though they have some sort of spider sense. This robot has been programmed to do the same, although it might not be too suitable for the harsh jungle environment due to its weight. It is, however, able to keep itself in motion simply by moving its whole body. No idea on what algorithm is used to ferry it around, but it is still nice to see a more agile robot around compared to the slowpoke Asimo from Honda.

If you’d like to show the love for someone else in a geek form, the best way to go is with the USB Heart Mouse that costs $12.

As the name suggests, the mouse is shaped as a heart and connects to your computer via USB. Since it doesn’t come with a mouse ball, it doesn’t require the boring cleaning sessions that some of us still have to perform.

Other features include a dpi resolution of 1200, and 3-buttons along with a scroll wheel.

Dimension: 79 x 69.5 x 30.4mm
Weight: 56g

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