Computer Gadgets New

This may appear to be just a regular pop can.  One with odd and cheaply done artwork along the sides.  However, this can is another mini humidifier in disguise.  It’s meant to sit on your desk just like the Personal Humidifier that utilized a water bottle.  However, this can will blend in with your daily caffeinated beverages instead of stick out like the other humidifier.  The only thing to set it apart is the USB cord and on odd looking top.  Well and not to mention it puffing out bits of steam.  I suppose normal cans don’t do that, so that would look a little odd.

While puffing out steam it also uses anion technology to purify the air.  Which removes things like dust, odors and mold.  The anions will not only purify your air but improve your metabolism and relive fatigue.  It will also, obviously prevent diseases from getting into the air around your desk.  Which means you can use those sick days for something a little more entertaining than just lying around with the flu.  To pick one up it will cost you $24.99 from Sourcing Map.

Source: CraziestGadgets

• Email to a friend
• Leave a comment

If you’re a fan of cute cartoons and comics, then perhaps the USB Monkey Optical Mouse is right up your alley. I wouldn’t use this for anything more than ordinary work though, since gaming is out of the question with a relatively low resolution of 800 dpi. It connects via USB and does not take the wireless route, but I would say that you could snag the heart of that hot new secretary with something as cute as this gift. The USB Monkey Optical Mouse will come in blue or pink colors, retailing for $16 each.

• Email to a friend
• Leave a comment

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 31st 2008 at 2:54PM

For better or worse, it looks like the so-called iControlPad is edging closer to reality — or at least something really similar. According to a new image (and our limited Spanish translation skills), Belkin is actually looking to produce an App Store gaming controller, though we’re still not entirely convinced that what we’re seeing is legitimate. Whatever the case, the JoyPod would somehow, someway provide users who purchased Super Monkey Ball to play it using a bona fide game pad, though we can’t figure out if the ipod touch / iphone slips in behind the controller or if it just morphs to fit the JoyPod’s space constraints. Guess we’ll see (or not) soon enough.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

• Read
• Permalink
• Email this
• 20 Comments

Filed under: cellphones, Gaming, Peripherals

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 31st 2008 at 9:14AM

TomTom is really pushing the connected capabilities of its navigation devices with this new x40 LIVE series, which hit IFA this year as rumored. The GO 940 LIVE, GO 740 LIVE and GO 540 LIVE include a “new and extended” version of IQ Routes, which can adjust your route for predicted and actual road conditions, based on historical data and TomTom’s HD Traffic feature. The units include Safety Alerts for alerting to speed cameras, Fuel Prices, and Local Search, which is powered by Google and allows you to plan a route to your search results. Also onboard is voice command and control, letting you plan routes and make phone calls using only your voice. The series will be available in the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands and Switzerland this fall, starting at £299 (about $544 US). LIVE services are £10 a month. Unfortunately, the versions we played with at IFA didn’t have a live connection, but software looks easy to access and easy to use. Too bad the actual hardware looks circa 2003.

Gallery: TomTom’s GO x40 LIVE range present realtime route adjustment, Google searches

• Permalink
• Email this
• 3 Comments

Filed under: GPS

When it comes to audio, trust Swiss maestros Logitech to know what they’re doing. This time round, the company has decided to unleash the new Squeezebox Boom all-in-one network music player upon us, boasting an integrated amplifier accompanied by high-performance speakers as well as a simplified setup. Logitech aims to simplify the wireless music experience in your home with the Squeezebox Boom, and prides itself in being the CD player of the 21st century, although I thought that the ipod has by far and large already beat Logitech to that moniker for a long time already.

With the Logitech Squeezebox Boom all-in-one network music player, you can listen to your digital music in the kitchen, the bedroom or any other room in your home – without needing to attach external speakers. Just plug the new Logitech network music player into a power outlet – there are no additional wires to connect. Then, using your existing home network, you can listen to the music you love from the personal collection on your computer, your favorite Internet radio stations, and subscription services such as Rhapsody®, Last.FM, Slacker, Pandora® and Sirius® – even when the computer is off. Adding Squeezebox Boom to your network is simple. The new Logitech player will automatically detect the available networks. Once you select your network, simply enter your password – for your convenience, Squeezebox Boom automatically remembers it for future use.

If you would like types of music in various rooms throughout your home, the Squeezebox Boom is more than up to it. All you need to do is include more Squeezebox Boom players in the room(s) of your choice and you’re good to go. Just make sure you register your purchase the moment you bring it home, as that will provide you with access to thousands of radio stations and tons of songs, all aggregated by Logitech’s free SqueezeNetwork without going through the hassle of memorizing or writing down those obscure Internet addresses somewhere. Each Squeezebox Boom network music player will comprise of an integrated, all-digital 30-watt amplifier and accompanied by a pair of high-definition, soft-dome tweeters and an equal number of 3″ long-throw woofers. It also doubles up as an alarm clock, letting you greet the day with your favorite songs.

Press Release

• Email to a friend
• Leave a comment

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 31st 2008 at 7:26AM

While MSI’s 8.9-inch Wind U90 first made an appearance in June at Computex, it took MSI this long to flesh out all details — which is actually a relief, given the ridiculous quantity of Eee PC SKUs ASUS has managed to pump out in the meantime. We just got to handle the new laptop, and we think MSI might have a winner here. The laptop is shipping with SUSE Linux exclusively to start, with an XP version in the works, and boots quite rapidly to the full OS. SUSE has never looked better, and we think these two might be quite the pair. MSI has kept the full keyboard of the 10-inch Wind, and merely bumped up the bezel while cutting the price; all the other specs are the same. MSI is planning on shipping this at the end of September or beginning of October for 339 Euro (no word on a US release), and is also working on a six cell battery to fix the paltry 2 hours of battery the Wind currently gets from the three cell.

Gallery: MSI’s 8.9-inch Wind U90 in the flesh, Linux version shipping for 339 Euro

• Permalink
• Email this
• 24 Comments

Filed under: Laptops

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 31st 2008 at 4:21AM

Alright, maybe “superflous” is a bit harsh, but we’re still a bit confused as to why LG stuck Bluetooth into its new 7000-series LCDs and plasmas. Sure, if they offered a Bluetooth remote we’d take it all back in a heartbeat, but the fact is that there are about four people on earth that own stereo Bluetooth headphones, and none of them have been watching TV on mute all this time — and the rest of us are too lazy to figure out how to beam pictures from our phone over Bluetooth, the other main function LG provides here. But would you look at that menu! It really makes it all worthwhile. Heck, LG could toss in some 802.11a, SCSI and a pinch of MIDI plugs if it meant more menus like this. Oh, and we suppose those purtiful icons will come in handy when browsing for photos off of the 7000’s USB port, so good on you, LG, good on you.

[Gadgie was the winner of our Engadget Mascot contest last year, he approves this message]

Gallery: LG’s 7000-series TVs win Gadgie Award for best menu design pertaining to a superfluous connectivity feature

• Permalink
• Email this
• 1 Comments

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, Household, Wireless

by Nilay Patel, posted Aug 31st 2008 at 5:44AM

Toyota hasn’t made a huge secret of its plans to develop and sell a plug-in version of the Prius, and it the wheels are turning a little faster than we’ve heard — fleet testing of plug-in models has been pushed up to early 2009, with the goal of having “several hundred” on the road by the end of the year. Still no timetable for actual retail sales, so you’ll have to be a wheelman for a government or commercial fleet to get your hands on one — good thing all those modders have the rest of us covered.

[Via Autoblog Green]

• Read
• Permalink
• Email this
• 16 Comments

Filed under: Transportation

Doorbells are normally pretty ordinary but designer Li Jianye has different ideas with the ‘Enter’ doorbell. Doesn’t really words to describe it, it’s just a cool idea.

Enterbell via designzen via Home Tone.

• Email to a friend
• Leave a comment

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 31st 2008 at 6:27AM

Toshiba is offering up a nice respite from the inane quantity of LCDs and, um, more LCDs at IFA this year. The SD Multi Tool and the SD Photo Editor are two touchable handhelds, offering up some beefy features where similar devices lack, and also skipping over some of the more traditional MID OS features that might put these over the top — a confusing mix, but again, not an LCD, so we’re hooked. The SD Multi Tool is the real wild one, offering dual 3.5-inch touchable (finger or stylus) LCDs, rated at 960 x 480 each if the spec sheet is telling the truth — that could be a combined resolution. The device offers wireless connectivity of some sort, and can handle web browsing, email, videos, photo editing and pretty much anything else that isn’t an actual phone call — though it can’t be tough to squeeze some VoIP in there. Meanwhile, the SD Photo Editor really earns its “SD” moniker with dual SD card slots, while the Multi Tool just has one microSD slot. The Photo Editor runs a similar OS, but seems distilled down to mainly the photo browsing and editing functions, with a bit of PMP functionality thrown in we hope. A 5-inch WVGA screen with 16 million colors should be plenty of room to work your magic. No word on what OS is under the hood, but it seems to be mostly homegrown Toshiba fare. We know the Multi Tool does HDMI out, and we’d hope the Photo Editor does as well, since they’re both supposed to hit in 2009 for a similar price point: around $300 US.

Gallery: Toshiba’s SD Multi Tool and SD Photo Editor are a nice, touchable surprise

• Permalink
• Email this
• 0 Comments

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Handhelds