Computer Gadgets New

We already know that eco-friendly values and badass motorcycles can mix. But there are always new rides to know about and crazy motorcycle and scooter designs to scrutinize, like the ones the folks over at Treehugger recently rounded up.

For their picks of seven of their favorite scooters over the years, they chose one that we featured in our top green bike gallery last month (like the wasp-like Vectrix), but also six more that we failed to add. Among these were the Honda Electric Moped Prototype (swooning with simple elegance), the gazelle-like Rider prototype, and my favorite of the bunch, the stainless steel IKOO Scooter.

Even though the IKOO has a fairly small 15-18 mile range, its rugged material, the motorcycle-style twist throttle, and the comfortably large seating area make it a very good option for city commuters like us. No frills, no spills, and not too many bills. (OK, the last one’s not completely true – it goes for $1,000.)

Of course, the fact that it looks like a giant hole-puncher with wheels increases its attraction exponentially.

See also:

Gallery: With Motorcycles, Eco-Friendly and Badass Can Mix
 

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 10:43AM

We heard that Lenovo was shuffling its lineup a bit earlier this month, and sure enough, that IdeaCentre brand is getting its 15 minutes today courtesy of a fresh press release. Hailed as the outfit’s “global entry into the consumer desktop market outside of China,” the IdeaCentre K210 comes with a variety of hardware choices including Intel’s Core 2 Quad processors, up to 3GB of DDR2 RAM, a GMA X3100 integrated graphics set (or a 512MB ATI Radeon 2600 XT), optional Blu-ray drive, gigabit Ethernet, a 16-in-1 multicard reader and an anti-microbial keyboard that comically stands out more than it was likely intended to. Nevertheless, the tower also includes VeriFace facial recognition technology that enables users to log in by simply gazing into the webcam; if it performs anywhere nearly as poorly as it did on our U110 review unit, however, we’d recommend switching the feature off and logging in as usual. Units are available now from a variety of e-tailers starting at $379 (after mail-in rebate).

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Filed under: Desktops

by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 1:28PM

As you’re no doubt all too well aware, there’s certainly no shortage of netbook options out there these days, but the number of convertible netbooks is considerably more limited — a situation that little known Aware Electronics now looks set to somewhat rectify. It’s apparently now set to jump into the game with this 7-inch number, which packs an Aday5G 800MHz X86 processor (all bets are off on that one), 4GB of NAND Flash, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth (with optional 3G and GPS), an integrated webcam, dual USB ports, an SD card slot, and the LINOS Linux distribution for an OS. Nothing particularly standout there, but Aware is promising that this one’ll sell for $300 when it launches in two months, which certainly evens things out — assuming that you can actually get one for that price.

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Sony’s PS3 has just gotten another firmware update - this time round to 2.40 which will turn PS3 owners ecstatic as they will now be able to enjoy certain aspects of what Xbox 360 owners have long enjoyed. Some of these improvements include support for friends messaging within the game, music changing within the game, a built-in clock (so that you know when to stop and get ready for work), and achievements trophies among others. Well, for those who are just about to get their PS3 and MGS4, make sure you get the latest firmware instaled so that you won’t lose out on the mentioned features. FYI, several games that offer Trophy support are BUZZ!, Quiz TV, LittleBigPlanet. MotorStorm Pacific Rift, NBA 09 - PS3, PAIN, PixelJunk Eden, Resistance 2, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation and Warhawk.

This transparent toaster you see here is the DT08 slide toaster concept that could actually function as well as it looks. According to Daniel Thomas’s concept design, the toasting element is retained, allowing you to know by sight whether your toast is about to be badly burnt or not instead of relying on your sense of smell.

Unless you’re in the army or deal with covert operations, there isn’t much reason for you to get a pair of Eyeclops Night Vision Goggles. Of course, I think most people will use it for devious purposes, such as spying on lovers in their throes of passion in a secluded park or country side, but that’s beside the point. You get up to 50 feet of visibility even in complete darkness. Don’t expect them to be on par with military-spec night vision gear - after all, what do you expect for $79.99? The Eyeclops Night Vision Goggles will be available this fall. I’d suggest against wearing this during New Year’s Eve since the fireworks display will do a number on your eyes…

It would seem risk advisory manager Craig Wright has a little explaining to do. Geek.com was recently contacted by the makers of the Jura-Capresso F90 and they were concerned that some of the facts regarding their advanced coffee maker may have been a little blurred in Wright’s original article at SecurityFocus.com.

According to an email from Sarah Sims who works in Jura Press Office, at no time can someone hack into the coffee maker and “its settings can therefore only be changed by the machine’s rightful owner. ” Sims clarified Jura’s position by stating “The Internet Connectivity Kit which can optionally be acquired for only one device (IMPRESSA F90/F9) will at no times connect the coffee machine to the world wide web.” She later commented that Jura would be following up with Craig Wright over at SecurityFocus.com, “to resolve the matter.”

I’ll buy that Jura wants to make sure that the story is straight and the connectivity kit goes on another model of coffee maker. I do have one question, however. If it doesn’t connect to the web, then why call it an Internet Connectivity Kit then    ? We asked Jura that very question but have not received a response by the time of this posting.

We had some very cool entries for last weeks “Coolest Gadget of the week” and three products really stood out between the voters (thanks guys).
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The overall winner with 29% of the votes was the exceedingly cool VTS Camera Car,

What makes this an amazing remote control car is that by wearing a headset while controlling your car, you can actually see from the perspective of the cockpit. To make the experience even more realistic, when you turn your head left, right up or down, the image responds accordingly, meaning there’s now no excuse for you to not do a shoulder check in your tiny car.

Read the full post over on Gaj-It.com.
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In second place with 22% of the votes was the laziest of gadgets, the Grevalia Stir Mug.

You need to put all your ingredients in, add water, push a button and presto! your beverage is gently stirred while you can just go on working.

Congrats to Jen from S2999 for taking the runners up spot.
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Finally in third place with 19% of the votes we have the digital camera swim mask.

Some clever people have come up with the ultimate accessory for snorkelers – the world’s first digital camera swim mask.

Well done to Jo and Decide what to buy.
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Thanks to everybody who voted and commented. The $50 Amazon voucher goes to random commentator Zelig, we’ll be in touch to sort your prize out.

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If you’re a fellow gadget blogger and would like to be included in next weeks contest please check out how to enter CGOTW.

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Mathmos, the folks who came up with the original Lava Lamp are back with a vengeance - this time with the LED lighting fixture known as the Poplight. Each Poplight is unique in its own right since it is made from handblown glass, and will gradually fade between shades of blue, purple, violet, magenta, red, and black. Measuring slightly more than a foot tall, the Poplight is just right for a bookshelf or them nooks and crannies. It is good enough for mood lighting, but it would be advisable not to use these as reading lights. The Poplight will retail for $75 each in the US, but those residing in the UK can get it much cheaper at £28 apiece.

Nokia has just put up a flash demo of the latest in its N-series phones, the N96 which is slated for release sometime this quarter. Like we already know, the N96 sports a dual-slide design, a 2.8-inch screen and supports high-quality videos in various formats. In addition the N96 also features a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, flash, video light, video recording at 30 fps, A-GPS for geotagging of photos and 16MB of internal memory.

As this seemed to be not an official announcement, expect Nokia to delete the flash demo once this news spreads out. If you don’t get to watch it, don’t worry because like what happened with other Nokia mobile phone models, once a flash demo leaks out, and Nokia deletes it, for sure Nokia will issue an official announcement in no time at all. Also, rumor has it that the N96 will retail in the ballpark of $870.

Via [SlashPhone]

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