In Case of an Emergency, C.Y.A. with the Sterling Multi PowerStation

In case of a natural disaster, the Red Cross suggests that we have a couple of emergency kits prepared for each possible event - tornado, hurricane, fire, etc. Each kit should have basic survival fare like water, food, tools, and a first-aid kit. But what happens if you need to call for help and your cell phone has gone dead.

If you're smart enough to seek out this device, you'll never have to answer that question. The Sterling Multi PowerStation 5600 is a functional and practical gadget to have around in case of an emergency. The PowerStation is a hand-cranked, solar-powered gadget that can solve your power problems with a turn of the wrist. The device can fully recharge the included 3 AA rechargeable batteries, play FM/AM radio, and light a LED flashlight.

The best part of this potential lifesaver is its ability to charge cell phones and other mobile device through the packaged adapters. Unfortunately, this is currently a Japan-exclusive, so if you want to add this handy gizmo to your emergency kit, you'll have to export it over. But at $65 plus shipping fees, this isn't a bad piece of tech to have in the collection, especially when disaster strikes.

Via Gizmodo

Sandisk Sansa Clip+ mp3 player looks pretty, plays awesome

The successor to the Sansa Clip mp3 player - the Clip+ - is here and stands every bit as tall as its predecessor did, only, the changes will make you dance even without listening to the music. We swear.

The Sansa Clip+ packs a cute punch with its great looks and almost flawless design. It is sleek, uber compact (2.1 x 1.3 x 0.4 inches), and at 0.9 ounces, weighs a feather. The 1-inch OLED display maybe a little cramped for space, but can be forgiven considering the petite form factor. As regards the functionality, expect great sound quality, support for most audio formats (except AAC), 15-hour battery life, a built-in mic for voice recording and an FM tuner with an autoscan mode and 40 preset slots.

But the greatest gift of all is the microSD card slot which can accomodate preloaded slotMusic and slotRadio cards as well as your own music cards. So what you can look forward is creating your own vast library of portable music that is not even a great burden on the wallet.

Speaking of which, another aspect totally in its favor is that the Sansa Clip+ is unbeatably priced for a player that packs so many features - the 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB options (black, red, and blue) are available at $39.99, $49.99, and $69.99 respectively. The Clip+ is available at Best Buy or SanDisk now, but will move into retail stores in the US starting September 13th. Releases in Europe and Canada are slotted for end-of-year.

Check out a detailed review on CNET.

Ed Hardy's Tatted Up Tech

If you like tattoos, but don't want to go through the pain of getting a permanent piece of art added your decidedly risk-adverse frame, you can go the Ed Hardy route. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past several years, you know that the distinctive designs of Ed Hardy have become one of the mainstays of urban fashion gracing shirts, hoodies, and sneakers.

Now the skulls, roses, and daggers are going techie with the introduction of the Ed Hardy USB Drive. The Limited Edition tech is retractable, Mac and PC-compatible, comes decked out in a colorful Tiger motif with the charming message "Love Kills".

The keys have a capacity of 1, 4, and 8GB retailing for $32, $52, and $78 respectively on Amazon.com. At those prices, you're obviously paying for the privilege of owning something considered to be couture. Makes you long for the days when tats were cool because they drove your parents nuts.

Via Gizmodo

Make Solar-Powered Robots with MzTek

Last February, I reported on MzTek, when they started their first workshop on introducing Wordpress. Now, the London-based women's media arts organization is upping the ante with their new workshop, Solarbots. For a mere £15, you can build your own solar-powered robot, which includes the costs of the electronics. Although you do need to bring extra ornamentation like fabric or feathers as the site suggests. The workshop is designed for novices, and both men and women can register.

Solarbots will be held on September 12th, from 11am - 5pm, at SPACE, 129-131 Mare Street, London E8 3RH. Get more information at info at mztek.org.

Robocalls are banned. Sort of.

The US Federal Trade Commission says there will be no more of those infuriating prerecorded telemarketing solicitations, known not so fondly as robocalls, unless you're so lonely you want them. Telemarketers, the government says, will now need written permission from the callee before setting the robots loose.

So, great, no more robocalls at dinnertime. Oh, wait. Except for the exceptions. Which include calls from charities, banks, politicians, insurers, phone companies, surveys--and, best of all, debt collection agencies.

Also permitted are telemarketing calls from actual humans--unless the phone number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. Find the Do Not Call registry here.

Women are sort of more tentative than men, aren't they?

Depends. Turns out that this is another common sex stereotype--men always state conclusions firmly while women always hedge and dither--that does not truly reflect behavior.

What makes people dithery is perceived lack of expertise when the topic under discussion is associated more with one gender than the other, according to researchers. Some topics cause women to communicate tentatively when the topic is "masculine"--like changing a tire--and firmly when it is "feminine"--like cosmetics. And vice-versa. And with some gender-neutral topics, like picking a good restaurant, both women and men appear equally tentative.

Synthetic life before 2010?

Will scientists have synthesized a living organism for the first time by the end of this year? That's the breathtaking prediction by Craig Venter--a top-rank molecular biologist whose breathtaking predictions have a way of coming true.

Among the practical reasons for doing such a thing would be creating organisms that can make biofuels or clean up toxic wastes. Might there be other reasons, some of them scary? Stay tuned. Meantime, take a look at the 80Beats analysis.

Back to school and work with spiffy supplies

Back to school and back to work. SIgh. But don't lose heart: find cheerful, stylish office supplies and organizing tools at See Jane Work.

The site has a fine array of handsome basics to get you through the day: binders, notebooks, agendas and calendars, pens and pencils, school supplies, and gorgeous Moonsus bags. Also a slew of organizing tips--and even a printable ToDo list.

An easy, healthy way to lose weight. Really.

Dieters have long been advised to eat more fiber. Now there's a bit of evidence that increasing your fiber consumption can indeed help you lose weight.

The Eating Well blog is reporting on a study that has refined that advice into a formula: Add 8 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories you consume. In the study, women who did that lost an average of 4 1/2 lbs in less than 2 years.

I know, I know, it ain't all that much. But adding fiber is pretty painless and often pleasant--and fiber, as we know, is also very healthful for, ahem, other reasons.

Eating Well appends a short list of fiber-rich foods. I see that a cup of raspberries has 8 grams of fiber. Yum yum.

So if I just turn that hot fudge sundae into a hot-fudge-and-raspberry sundae, I should come out even, right? And yet somehow I don't think it would work that way.....

The death toll from avoidable medical errors

Quickly now, which causes more deaths in the US every year: avoidable medical errors or auto accidents?

I guessed auto accidents too, probably because car carnage is in the headlines every day. But a new study reports that it's medical errors. They're responsible for more than 200,000 deaths annually, the study says. And these are all preventable deaths.

More widespread technology for linking medical records, which is supposed to be part of that health insurance reform legislation currently being "debated" at top volume all over the country, might help prevent errors. But it might not. One expert says there are a growing number of reports of medical mistakes due to computer errors.

Read all about it at Scientific American's 60-second Science Blog.

LoJack for Your Child

If you're a parent, you know that you can't be with your children 24/7. So how do you safe guard them against the ever looming threat of stranger danger? Thanks to the geniuses over at Amber Alert GPS, parental units everywhere can breath a little easier with the release of the Amber Alert GPS 2G.

The 2G version of the Amber Alert GPS is being billed as "the world’s smallest, most powerful GPS tracking device." Now if your child wanders off or something more serious is afoot, you can simply call or text the 2G and you receive a detail map of their location to your phone within seconds. One feature that sets this tracker apart from others on the market is the new bread crumbing feature that creates an accurate trail of your child's travels. Another nifty feature is the Safe Zone feature that allows parents to create an area where it's safe for the kids to be in --kind of like a digital fence for juinior.

Sharp NetWalker: Not Quite a Phone, Not Quite a PC

What do you get when you combine the simple operation of a cell phone with some of the performance of a PC? According to Sharp, you get their new NetWalker PC-Z1. Smaller than your average netbook, this smartbook takes the best features of your mobile phone, PC, and e-book, creating a new mobile internet tool we never knew we needed.

The 5-inch NetWalker has a 1024 x 600 LCD touchscreen display with a quick response feature that allows the smartbook to launch at a blistering 3 seconds. There is also a full QWERTY keyboard which will come in handy for emailing as well as creating spreadsheets and documents. In addition, Sharp plans to provide unique content for the device including specialized dictionaries, comics, and other literary fare turning it into a e-book/electronic dictionary.

The PC-Z1 runs on the Linux Ubuntu OS and is powered by a 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 CPU and has 512MB of RAM. It also has approximately 10 hours battery life and 4GB worth of memory that can be supplemented via the microSD Memory Card/microSDHC Memory Card slot.

Set to launch in Japan on September 25th for $478, there's no word on whether this little beauty will be reaching U.S. shores anytime soon.

Via Akihabara News

Tanning beds cause cancer. Period.

You've probably heard this before, but now it's extremely official: Tanning beds cause cancer.

Tanning beds cause all kinds of cancer, from basal cell (the not-serious kind that your dermatologist can freeze off) to melanoma, the potentially deadly kind that can move fast. Also, yikes, eye cancer.

WHO says? A bunch of experts put together by the World Health Organization, that's WHO. You can't get more authoritative than that. Journal Watch Dermatology has a brief explanatory article that's free.

Bodum Bistro toasters look great, toast even greater

Ask me to name any one "gadget" that has only been absolutely utilitarian and rarely good-looking, and I would answer in a blink - the toaster. Really, the toaster is the last appliance I would expect to possess great beauty. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that its job of toasting bread is an absolute necessity and not one that people can be excited about, compared to say, the iPhone that does your communication, photos, videos, music, what not. But this Bistro toaster from Bodum challenges the underdog status that has been assigned to toasters, and manages to bring elegance to the mundane task that it is assigned with.

This two-slice toaster commands total attention with its sprightly, heat-resistant rubber exterior that always stays cool to the touch. Take your pick from 8 bright colors to suit your kitchen decor. And be assured that the bread will be toasted to perfection with its powerful 900-watt capacity. The Bistro also features adjustable-width slots, variable browning function, built-in warming rack, cancel and defrost settings, and pull-out crumb tray. Personally, this device gets a thumbs up because of its great looks plus a sensible, sturdy design. Priced at $79.95 from Sur La Table.

Via OhGizmo.

REW Headphone Cord Wrap is from that summer of '69

The Walkman era with the big hair, cool jean jackets and soulful music might be gone, but memories if it are still hanging around like the smolder left over from a mighty flame. And it is made fresh with this lovely REW Headphone Cord Wrap that looks like mini tape and can, if nothing else, hold your dangling earphone wires in place. They will be available in different colors from Perpetual Kid in late September, for $4.99 a piece.

Hey I want to entertain my inner child too.

Via Chip Chick.

AT&T Denies Squelching Google Voice For iPhone

AT&T told federal regulators on Friday that it played no part in Apple’s decision to keep the Google Voice application from the App Store, while Apple said it never actually rejected the application. In response to inquiries from the Federal Communications Commission, AT&T’s Jim Cicconi, senior executive vice president for external and legislative affairs, told the agency, “Let me state unequivocally: AT&T had no role in any decision by Apple to not accept the Google Voice application for inclusion in the Apple App Store.”

Google Voice, which allows users to receive calls placed to a single telephone number in multiple places and make cheap international calls, was deemed unfit for App Store inclusion in July, after it was released for BlackBerry and Android smartphones. Several days after the story broke, the FCC requested that AT&T, Apple, and Google all comment on what led to the exclusion of Google Voice. Apple, for its part, claimed that the application was never actually rejected. “Contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application and continues to study it. The application has  not been approved because, as submitted for review, it appears to alter the iPhone’s distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone’s core mobile-telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging, and voice mail,” Apple said in a statement.

Google also filed a letter in response to the FCC inquiry but redacted a significant portion of that letter when releasing it to the media. A PDF copy can be found here. Suspicion immediately fell upon AT&T after the Google Voice application did not make it through the  approval process, based on the fact that the application lets users bypass hefty rates on international
calls. AT&T has also been believed to be behind the delay or rejection of several other applications that could have placed a strain on its network, such as Sling Media’s SlingPlayer Mobile application. But AT&T said it has little influence over the approval process. “AT&T was not asked about the matter by Apple at any time, nor did we offer any view one way or the other.

More broadly, AT&T does not own, operate, or control the Apple App Store, and is not typically consulted regarding the approval or rejection of applications for the App Store, or informed when an application is approved or rejected,” Cicconi said in the letter, a PDF copy of which can be found here.
Still, Apple said it’s not like AT&T is an innocent bystander. “There is a provision in Apple’s agreement with AT&T that obligates Apple not to include functionality in any Apple phone that enables a customer to use AT&T’s cellular network service to originate or terminate a VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) session without obtaining AT&T’s permission. Apple honors this
obligation, in addition to respecting AT&T’s customer terms of service, which, for example, prohibit an AT&T customer from using AT&T’s cellular service to redirect a TV signal to an iPhone. From time to time, AT&T has expressed concerns regarding network efficiency and potential network congestion associated with certain applications, and Apple takes such concerns into consideration,” Apple said in its statement. Skype, perhaps the most well-known VoIP service, seized upon part of AT&T’s letter that promised a review of policies regarding VoIP apps running on 3G network as a hopeful sign that Skype would soon be allowed to work on cellular networks. “We welcome AT&T’s willingness to take a fresh look at authorizing VoIP capabilities on the iPhone over AT&T’s 3G network,” Skype said in a statement e-mailed to reporters. “Skype hopes this is a step forward in enabling consumers to be able to use Skype together with their iPhones and 3G connections and looks forward to hearing more about any potential change to AT&T’s policy, in connection with the pending FCC proceeding related to the Skype petition.”As for Google’s part, its decision to redact a key portion of its letter to the FCC will raise many eyebrows. The company asked the FCC to redact its part of its answer to the FCC’s because “the redaction information relates specifically to private business discussions between Apple and Google and, as such, it constitutes commercial data ‘which would customarily be guarded from competitors’…The Internet service industry is highly competitive, and the redacted material relates to business and operations of Google, warranting protection from disclosure under the commission’s rules,” Google said in a letter to the FCC asking for confidential treatment.

Related Posts:

• Google Voice To Be Retooled As Web App For iPhone
• Google Voice Coming To Android BlackBerry
• eBay For iPhone Gets Notifications, Pay-On-Phone
• iPhone Grabs 32 Percent Of Smartphone Profit
• Apple Introduces A New Time Capsule With 2TB Of Storage Space

Kodak and Facebook: So Happy Together

With the battle of the pocket camcorders fully underway, Kodak is swinging for the fences with the latest addition to it's mini-camcorder Z series, the Zi8 Pocket Video Camera. Set to release in September, the zi8 has a 4x digital zoom and takes video in 1080p HD. Still images aren't too shabby at a respectable 5 megapixels.

It also has a 2.5 inch LCD screen, image stabilization and face detection. Additional features include built-in microphone, 128 of internal memory that can be expanded upon thanks to the SD/SDHD expansion slot. And like the Flip mini-camcorder, it can upload videos to YouTube with ease.

So what's sets it apart from the Flip Ultra HD? The Zi8 has Facebook support which means you can upload all your cinematic antics to Facebook with the same ease that you can upload video to YouTube.

Available in black, red, and blue the Zi8 is selling for $179 so if you're a Facebook fanatic, you might want to check this out in September.

Sony's S Series Walkman: The S is for Style

Sony's new S Series Walkman Video MP3 players have just hit stores and they're looking mighty fine. Available in 8 and 16GB, the S Series is a stylish, affordable option for the overcrowded MP3 player market. At W 1 3/4 x H 3 5/8 x D 5/16 inches and weighing in at a mere 1.6 oz, the S series is the thinnest Walkman to date, but let its slight frame fool you, this Walkman has a few tricks up its sleeve.

Want to live out those latent DJ fantasies? Now you can thanks to the high quality, built-in “Digital Linear Phase Speaker System” that lets you share your great taste in music with others. In addition to the speakers, Sony has also added their patented “Clear Audio” technology to ensure listeners get quality playback every time.

The MP3 player also comes equipped with an FM tuner with the added bonus of an FM recording feature that allows users to record songs from the radio, just like we used to do in the good old days with tape decks and cassettes. There's also a voice recording feature so you can record memos and reminders. The S Series is compatible with iTunes 8.1 so songs can be transferred using the Content Transfer feature or use can just drag and drop what they need onto the device.

Nikon Pro Battery Grip cranks up your Nikon DSLR like a determined soldier

Consider yourself lucky if you own a Nikon D200 DSLR. Atleast on one count - more battery power.

This clever Nikon Battery Grip can attach itself to your camera and give you the much needed juice - it holds within 6 AA batteries or two EN-EL3E Li-ion batteries, which means double shooting time. There is also provision for improved vertical shooting as the grip provides functions for additional shutter release, main dial, sub-main dial, AE lock/FE lock.

And as always there is the price to consider. The grip costs around $170, and can be a worthy investment if you are a serious photographer. Well, we assume you would be, with the DSLR and all.

Via The Red Ferret.

Vanity, Thy Name is Ad Notum

Let's face it. Sometimes we look so good its hard to stop checking ourselves out in the mirror. Ad notam, creator of the LCD mirror is about to make the dilemma that much harder, thanks to it's new Vanity line of mirrors. Shaped like a halved oval or a subtly curved "V", the Vanity is a stylish way to admire oneself.

The mirror is an ample 23.3" h. 11.2" w. 1.3", making sure there's more than enough view to go around. It also rotates horizontally and vertically so users can always find the right angle. The 5.6" patented LCD Mirror Image is nestled near the bottom of the mirror to further entertain the beholder.

The Mirror Image screen can support a number signal sources including DVD, PC, TV, and HD. It's customizable, so there's always a reason to peer into the looking glass. Prospective buyers can also choose from a number of mounting and sound options.

Easy to clean and pretty to look at, the Vanity mirror from ad notum is a cool place to say your daily affirmations.

Project your Creativity with Nikon's Latest Camera

Nikon has just lifted the curtain on their latest camera and if it lives up to the specs, it promises to be one of the coolest cameras to debut this year. The Nikon Coolpix S1000pj is the world's first camera that has a built-in projector.

Without the brand new feature, the S1000 is a great camera. It has12.1 megapixels with a 5x zoom NIKKOR lens with up to 4x digital zoom, ensuring high quality, high-resolution photos. it also includes the Smart Portrait System with Skin Softening, Subject Tracking, and Quick Retouch to ensure the proper balance and contrast. You can check out all the photo action via the 2.7-inch Wide Angles LCD monitor.

Machismo may explain why men's lives are shorter than women's

A new survey is reporting that the more macho a man is, the more likely he is to resist preventive health measures like prostate exams.

That helps explain, researchers say, why US women currently average 5 years more of life, to age 80, than men do. The researchers speculate that especially macho men don't like taking advice from anyone else, even a doc.

If the data hold up, I wonder if there isn't a less psychological, more human explanation. We all secretly believe we're immortal--at least until hair-raising experience teaches each of us that death isn't going to make a special exception in our own case. Some of us are forced to learn that hard lesson sooner than others. Maybe men whose ideal is the tough guy are able to hang on to the fantasy longer than most.

Buddy home computer offers to be your handy, geeky companion

While netbooks have successfully changed the concept of a computer being a bulky, traditional storehouse of data, touchscreen phones have done a similar makeover for the cellphone market. And industrial designer Guy Ceder’s “Buddy” home computer system promises to bring all under one roof. Buddy is the concept for a new 3-part mobile computing system that features a compact and ultra-portable touchscreen unit with hook, a larger touchscreen display with integrated projector, and a base-station with the basic hardware and recharging elements.

The entire system makes use of fabric for casing, which not only looks amazing, but also presumably provides for a better tactile experience. Both the touchscreens (Wi-Fi enabled) can be used for surfing while you are on the move, for in-depth content reading and for larger-scale film and video projection. Little else is known about other areas of the specs, and we can only hope that none of them is too limiting to let Buddy actually make it into our homes in the near future.

Catch a demo after the break.

Via Slashgear.

Samsung's Point and Shoot Goes Wireless

Currently, regular cameras still take better pictures than our cell phones, but having to wait to get to a computer to share those crisp images with family and friends can be frustrating. Samsung's latest release gives the point and shoot camera the instant internet access mobile phones have been lording over them for years.

The CL65 camera is Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and DLNA compatible which allows photographers to share their photos as soon as they take them via email or social networking site. The Bluetooth comes in handy when you want to beam over to other compatible devices, like say a digital picture frame or an HDTV. Thanks to the included software, editing your images before uploading them to Picasa is well, a snap. The camera also has geo-tagging, showing users a display of the city they're in, highlighting the location the photo was in and creates a reference for reviewing and managing images.

Speak up little piggy, the big bad wolf would like to dance

Bad enough that you made little piggy carry those heavy coins when you were a cheeky little kid, and worse still that as yet you give no respite to his species - all for that one selfish reason called entertainment.

We refer to this fella called the I.D.E.A. Pig Speaker which carries a full-blown speaker in its belly and a connector where its tail was supposed to be. The ceramic pigs can belt out music from your media players, and you will need a pair to get a (somewhat) stereo effect. They are available in black, white, shiny gold and pink. Only in Japan for around $50 USD.

Someone tell me this is another joke that missed the mark.

Via DVICE.

Shower power with your Palm Pre or iPhone

You love your iPhone--or your Palm Pre--so much that you take it everywhere. Now you can even bathe with it.

Yes, it's soap in the form of today's two cult phones, the Palm Pre and the iPhone. You can't call or tweet or download or listen to music with these babies. But at least you can get clean, which is more than you can do with the phones themselves.

The question you must ask yourself: Do you love your phone so much that the pleasure of showering with a sudsy mute version is worth $7.99?

Thanks to Chris Matyszczyk over at cnet News.

Daihatsu: Are you Loco for this Cocoa?

Japanese car maker Daihatsu recently pulled back the curtain on its latest creation. Dubbed the Mira Cocoa, this cute mini-car is specifically being marketed to women. The type of woman being targeted according to the press release jargon are in pursuit of a "fun and laid-back" lifestyle.

The name Cocoa was chosen to reflect how the car gives passengers that warm and fuzzy feeling that occurs when drinking hot cocoa heaping with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel and chocolate (okay, I added the whipped cream, caramel, and chocolate, but it's a great image right?). The design language for the Mira, includes catch phrases like "friendly modern" and "carefree". With it's rounded edges it's definitely non-threatning, but I'm not sure if I would describe the thinly veiled attempt to have the headlights and turn signals resemble eyes all that "lovable", but to each her own. The car's interior is designed to resemble a "well-loved bag." The Cocoa Plus features suede seats that has a deodorizing feature that keeps the car smelling fresh.

Beambox MiLi Universal Charger mixes utility with personality

How does it feel to be alone in a strange country, and to realize that your trusted charger cannot keep your devices alive simply because you were wuss enough to forget the required adapter? Now that we made it sound pretty dramatic, here's the happy news. Beambox, makers of pocket projectors, have released the uber-cool MiLi Universal charger for charging your devices in precisely similar situations.

The universal charger comes equipped with different adapters to charge your devices (two at one go!) on UK, US, Australian, and European shores. This compact charger features two USB ports to enable you to plug in your device's original USB adapter if available even as you are charging another device simultaneously. Each port has an LED that indicates whether the connected device is fully charged. Quite sensibly, there is over-current and short-circuit protection as well. If that wasn't enough, there is also the flip-out in-car plug which ensures that you can charge within your car while you are on the move.

You will not be left wanting for choice as the charger comes in 9 bright colors - need we say pink is also in? Available for pre-order now at $37, MiLi will start shipping in August.

Via Slashgear.

QLOCKTWO from Biegert & Funk spells time in smart typography

The most precious commodity in a human being's life has always been one that is fathomed by an inconsiderate glance at the timepiece on the wall or one's own body - all in pursuit of the selfish need to spend that commodity called "time" wisely and to our own advantage. Which brings us to the question rarely asked - how much time have you spent in trying to read out "time" itself ? Not more than a few minutes in an entire day, we suppose.

Well, not unless you own this German handmade marvel called QLOCKTWO which demands more than that occasional glance to make sense of time. In this clock there are no numbers, or the industrious pair of "hands". Instead, QLOCKTWO spells out time only via text - typographic time format in 5 minute intervals combined with four-minute dots. The text that spells the current hour is highlighted using light sensors that can automatically adjust the display to ambient light. The clock itself is made of wood with an acrylic face and glass polished edges. And the changing display doesn't necessarily mean that the clock is a power guzzler - apparently its LED technology assures a power consumption of less than 2 Watts.

The clock is available in 6 different colors, and can spell time in 6 different languages as well. And if you think all that beauty is gonna come cheap, buzz off. Apparently it has been repriced "affordably" due to popular demand. At €885 or $1268 a (time)piece.

Via Design Milk.

Undercover Laptop Sleeve looks too worthless to be stolen

The easiest way to discourage thieves from getting at your laptop? Stash it away in a case that looks so worn out that no one can ever guess the little treasure that is hiding within. Reminds me of my grandmother's advice for undertaking a peaceful trip - to hide jewelery and money within balls of crumpled newspaper and then carelessly (seemingly) toss them into the luggage. Which has worked for me to this day.

The Undercover Laptop Sleeve does exactly that for your laptop. Since it resembles a worn-out postal envelope, it is not only easy to camouflage your laptop, but also protects it from damage as it is actually a well-padded laptop sleeve by design. The sleeve is waterproof and tearproof. And to add that extra touch of reality, you can even write on the envelope. Genius or what?

I just hope that there aren't enough well-informed thieves to get around this one. Get yours for a worthy $33.

Via Slippery Brick.

Yahoo! pharmacy ads are nothing to shout about, either

Recently I wrote about how two Web policing agencies, LegitScript and KnujOn, reported rogue pharmacies--online drug stores that fill prescriptions illegally--were the predominant drugstore ads on the Microsoft search engine Bing.

Now LegitScript and KnujOn are back, reporting the same discouraging tale for Yahoo! search.

More than 80% of the Yahoo! Internet pharmacy ads they reviewed operate contrary to US federal and state laws, they say. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, an industry group, jumped in immediately with praise for the report.

I'll be fascinated to learn the Google score. Meantime, maybe we all better fill our prescriptions, as in olden days, at the corner drugstore. Assuming you live where there is a corner drugstore. Or even a corner.

Own a Portable Rosetta Stone

Traveling to a foreign country is always exciting, but contrary to popular belief, not everyone speaks English. Thanks to Nomenta Industries, you can conquer the language barrier without totally butchering it. The Trinvo TR01 Talking Translator is a handy device that is the globe-trotting traveler's new best friend.

The translator can cross-translate in 12 languages, including Arabic, Chinese (Manadarin), French and Spanish to name a few. It comes loaded with 750 commonly spoken travelers' phrases, 2500 words for each language, and 8 categories of "fast search desire questions." Each spoken in a clear, easy to understand human voice.eliminating the time-intensive, frustrating and often embarrassing experience of trying to get your point across in a language you can barely pronounce. It also has nifty sightseeing tips for each language.

Apple’s Snow Leopard: A Flurry Of Changes

According to rumors, the release of Mac OS X 10.6, Apple’s operating system also known as Snow Leopard, might arrive a bit early. Though Apple announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June that Snow
Leopard would hit stores in September, tech blogs became overly excited when it was whispered that it might be ready to debut on or about August 28.How much does it matter that it could arrive five whole days before
September officially begins? It doesn’t. Regardless of when the operating system ships, here’s what to expect from Snow Leopard, and why it might matter to you.

What’s the difference between Snow Leopard and Leopard?

First thing to know: This is not a complete overhaul of Mac OS X. Rather, it’s a series of small to medium-sized improvements, what Apple calls “refinements.” Much of the new shine to OS X 10.6 comes from
changes that are under the surface, possibly not obvious to the unobservant. But Apple does say that the improvements make the overall OS much faster, including a 45-percent faster installation than the previous version of the operating system, OS X 10.5, or Leopard. Apple is also promising faster boot times, quicker shut down, a speedier process when joining wireless networks, and faster backups to Time Machine. And it’s not just quicker, Apple says, it’s lighter: Upon install it frees up 6GB of space.Specific applications
have been tinkered with as well, with a lot of attention focused on Quicktime, Expose, and a shiny new Safari 4 browser, which was released in June. For more on that, see here.Quicktime gets a mysterious new version number, and is now called Quicktime X. It’s a bit slicker, and the new interface appears similar to the iPhone’s media player. The real change is that many features that were previously in the Pro version of Quicktime are now in the free version. You will be able to edit video inside QuickTime using a video
timeline ribbon that appears along the bottom of the screen. And there will be fewer steps involved in video uploading. You don’t have to worry about file formats–Quicktime will do any necessary conversion and upload directly to video-hosting sites or MobileMe, Apple’s subscription service that syncs personal files on any of its devices. Apple promises it will take just one click to record audio or video (on a Mac’s built-in mic or camera) with the new Quicktime. It will also support HTTP streaming of a wider variety of
file formats (like h.264 and AAC). It’s a feature that many competing media players have long offered, and it automatically adjusts the playback bit rate according to what the connection can handle. It also means you can stream video or audio through more firewalls.Expose, an operating system UI feature for organizing open application windows, or just the windows from a particular application currently running, gets tweaked a bit too. In Snow Leopard, Expose is integrated with app icons in the dock, which cuts out the need to first switch to the specific application you want before activating Expose to see its open windows. It also means you don’t have to use a keyboard, or use a trackpad gesture to call it up. Clicking and holding an
app’s icon will bring all windows open that are associated with that program to the front.

What’s the one killer feature worth upgrading for?

Many people will probably consider support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 the most important new feature of Snow Leopard. Improved Exchange support will be integrated into Mail, iCal, and Address Book in Snow Leopard, which means e-mail, calendar appointments, to-do lists, and contacts from Outlook will be viewable on your personal calendar, mail, and address books. It also allows things like dragging and dropping contacts into iCal to schedule meetings, and your Mac will be able to discover time conflicts between personal and work calendars and change the meeting time and location.Related: Microsoft is improving its Exchange support for the Mac too. This week Microsoft said that Outlook for Mac will replace
Entourage, the current e-mail and calendar program in the Mac Office suite. Although it will still differ from the Windows version of Outlook, it will add support for more Exchange features, such as public folders and rights management features.

How much?

Apple surprised people by putting the price to upgrade to Snow Leopard at a very attractive $29 for a single license, and $49 for a five-user family pack. But there’s a catch: you have to already have Leopard installed to pay those prices. If you’re upgrading from a previous version of Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), you’ll have to pay $169, which includes an upgrade to 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard). For a 5-user family pack license, it’ll cost $229. And Snow Leopard is only compatible with Macs containing Intel chips. On the
OS front, Leopard is the end of the line for PowerPC Mac owners.

Is it worth upgrading right away, or should I wait?

Some people are fans of waiting until the first update, the 0.1 release, which tends to correct any of the immediate issues that inevitably pop up when a new operating system is released to the public. Some who attempted to upgrade to the first version of Leopard ran into trouble after the software was installed, and when they attempted to restart their machines a blue screen would appear instead. But it appeared to hinge on a specific piece of third-party software many had installed that was out of date. The majority had a smooth transition to Leopard.Overall, we think this will be a worthwhile upgrade if the speed claims turn out to be true. Another way of looking at is that for the price of the Quicktime to Quicktime Pro upgrade, you get most of the Quicktime Pro features plus a newly tweaked core OS. We think it’s a good deal for Apple OS X 10.5 users.

When will it be available?

So far, Apple has said only “September.” Recent rumors have indicated it might be ready earlier than that, but it’s mid-August now, so that’s mostly inconsequential. No matter what, it’s going to be available before Windows 7 is set to roll out on October 22. When it’s available, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Related Posts:

• All new features in Snow Leopard, costs $29
• Windows 7: 64-bit To Go Prime Time
• Making Sense Of Windows 7 Upgrade Options
• Mac OS X 10.5.8 Update Is Out
• Users Begin To Get Final Windows 7 This Week

Verizon AD3700 USB modem goes broadband, global

Thanks to some brute labor by folks at Verizon Wireless and ZTE USA, you will soon be able to lay your hands on this beauty - the ZTE AD3700 USB modem, which was announced yesterday by Verizon wireless.

The modem can access high speed networks in more than 175 destinations including EV-DO, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSPA and UMTS platforms. At 1.6ounces, the modem weighs in just more than a medium-sized pebble and includes proprietary software that allows for easy connection management and automatic installation. The USP being its global internet access - which to us means more travel, and fewer connection woes. The AD3700 will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores today (Aug 14th) and considering that you get a $50 mail-in rebate on the $79.99 price, this one's a definite steal deal.

Via Engadget.

PS3 Goes "Slim", Announces Price Drop

Since the start of the next-gen wars, Sony has taken a consistent trouncing from Nintendo and Microsoft, sinking wistfully sinking into the mire of third best selling console. But from the announcements made at GamesCom in Germany, It's seems that Sony isn't ready to throw i the towel, in fact it looks they're ready to come out swinging this holiday season.

Sony just unveiled a smaller, sexier PlayStation 3 dubbed the PS3 slim. The Slim cuts the fat in some substantial ways. It's 36% lighter, 32% smaller and uses 34% less power than the standard PS3. But where it loss the extra weight it gained some serious muscle in the form of a 120 HDD. For a mere $300, gamers can get their hands on the Slim on September 1st, with stores like K-Mart and Sears.

In anticipation of the new arrival, Sony has dropped the prices on all existing PS3, but it seems kind of crazy to shell out $300 on a 80GB unit when you have a better version retailing at the same price in a few weeks. The question still remains, will this be enough to turn Sony's fortune around?

Get your Unfinished Clock before stocks finish completely

When you take a first look at the Unfinished Clock, the brainchild of Yve Thelermont and David Hupton, it just seems like the hands got misplaced from its supremely minimalistic, geometrical face. But it happens to be deliberate and thus gets categorized under the tag "design".

Nevertheless, I like the fact that this is not just a clock to hang over your wall, but to be placed on the edge of a shelf or table so that the hands are able to perform their 360-deg act of telling time, in style. The clock is available in rectangular and circular models from the Museum of Modern Art store for $46. Do we see some raised eyebrows? Well now, art's always pricey, isn't it?

Via technabob.

Now dark chocolate is even better for your heart!

Yet more fabulous news about the health benefits of dark chocolate!

As I noted here a few months ago, there's lots of authoritative evidence that dark chocolate is good for your heart. Now Discoblog reports on a Swedish study showing that folks who had already had a heart attack were less likely to die of heart disease if they ate dark chocolate 2 or 3 times a week. (In fact, there's a hint that the more dark chocolate they ate, the less likely they were to die of heart disease. But let's not go overboard and forget all the evil calories also lurking in that luscious confection.)

Remember: health benefits are associated only with dark chocolate, not milk chocolate.

Sony PSP Has Some New Editions

Well by now, you've all heard about the upcoming launch of the latest version of the Sony PlayStation 3, The PS3 Slim. While that was a nice nugget to tickle our fancy, Sony had other tidbits to share. One of which includes the impending release of two brand new PSPs.

Come November, gamers can get their eager hands on the Turquoise Green and Blossom Pink versions of the PSP. Aside from the color, there isn't much difference from the original - but these new units are more than a pretty face. Each new color will be bundled with a new game. Turquoise is slated to be shipped with LittleBigPlanet.

In other handheld news, the PSP will be launching a new digital reader that will allow users to access a range of media. Set to debut in December, Sony has partnered with Marvel Entertainment and other comic book publishers to give gamers an all access pass to comics and graphic novels much to the glee comic fanboys and girls everywhere.

So to sum things up, a PSP by another color is still just as awesome.

PS3 Goes "Slim", Annunces Price Drop

Since the start of the next-gen wars, Sony has taken a consistent trouncing from Nintendo and Microsoft, sinking wistfully sinking into the mire of third best selling console. But from the announcements made at GamesCom in Germany, It's seems that Sony isn't ready to throw i the towel, in fact it looks they're ready to come out swinging this holiday season.

Sony just unveiled a smaller, sexier PlayStation 3 dubbed the PS3 slim. The Slim cuts the fat in some substantial ways. It's 36% lighter, 32% smaller and uses 34% less power than the standard PS3. But where it loss the extra weight it gained some serious muscle in the form of a 120 HDD. For a mere $300, gamers can get their hands on the Slim on September 1st, with stores like K-Mart and Sears.

In anticipation of the new arrival, Sony has dropped the prices on all existing PS3, but it seems kind of crazy to shell out $300 on a 80GB unit when you have a better version retailing at the same price in a few weeks. The question still remains, will this be enough to turn Sony's fortune around?

Liquid Wood could soon nudge out plastic from homes

Soon, it maybe easier to "green" up your home by doing away with plastic and bringing in household items made from a natural alternative. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Pfinztal, Germany are hard at work trying to make a substance called "Liquid Wood" a reality for household use. This substance, whose actual name is Arboform, is derived from a material called lignin that is leftover during the paper-making process in cellulose industries. Lignin is then mixed with fine natural fibers made of wood, hemp or flax and natural additives such as wax to derive a plastic-like material that can be use to create household items.

It seems that Arboform is already used in car parts and other durable items, but its foray into homes had been blocked by its high sulphur content. With the current research, it has been possible to reduce the sulphur content in Arborform by about 90 percent, making it much safer for use in everyday items. And eco supporters can also be happy to know it is highly recyclable. We are living in truly exciting times.

Via Core77.

Cineman Swivel: A Sweet Tech Treat

Wow wee, a new pico projector! No, seriously WowWee Technology just announced that its latest product is available for pre-order in the U.S. and Europe. The Cinemon Swivel, their new pico projector is just as sweet as the name suggests.

Like most pico projectors, the Swivel is a portable multimedia device that allows users to watch everything from movies to slide shows anytime or anywhere. What sets the Cinemon apart from the pack is its ability to pivot on a 90 degree angle making it easy to project on almost any surface. It also uses DLP projection technology courtesy of Texas' Instruments which is supposed to give t a clearer, crisper picture than using LCD.

Flatshare fridges are stackable like lego blocks

Where I come from, it is believed that a peek into the refrigerator always reveals a little bit of the owner's personality. If you can discern personality types based on leftovers, that is. But seriously, for me, the fridge is one appliance where innovation is all welcome. Especially if it is so unique and promising as the cool stackable Flatshare Fridges designed by Stefan Buchberger, a student at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

This design proposes clever solutions under three different categories - lessening the cold air that escapes from the fridge while it is open, storing different food groups under customized environments to save energy, and having stackable compartments for different people sharing the same fridge. That's accomplished with style by the Flatshare as each fridge brick (resembling a Lego block) is much smaller than a traditional fridge, thus not only requiring lesser input energy to cool but also allowing lesser cold air to escape each time you open the door. And the bricks are stackable, meaning different compartments can be assembled (each fridge can hold up to 4 stackable compartments) and allocated to different people, say room-mates, making food storage personal and hassle free.

Best of all? This is perhaps the most good-looking and efficient fridge you can ever lay your hands on. If ever, as the Flatshare fridges are not available to us hungry masses yet.

Toxel, via Inhabitat.

Verbatim Shares its InSight

Glossy black finish polished to within a inch of its life? Check. High capacity storage? Check. Affordable price point? Check! Data storage maker Verbatim has just unveiled some seriously pretty tech. The InSight is Verbarim's latest portable hard drive. The palm-sized beauty has loads of storage space available in 320 and 500 GB.

Resembling an oddly shaped cheese platter, the InSight allows users to personalize their drive by letting them name it. Your InSight's new name will be shown across the 32 x 128-pixel display along with the remaining amount of memory left on the system.

Easy to use, the InSight comes a five-year warranty and comes with Nero BackItUp Essentials that allows for system restore and backup. The InSight is currently retailing at $119 and $149 for the 320 and 500 GB respectively -- a good purchase for a stylish yet practical gadget.

Want an imaginative, empathetic career as a story-teller? Become a statistician!

Imran Ali of GigaOM's WebWorker Daily has got me thinking in a new way about the future of work. "It's Data, Baby," he writes in the New York Times.

I'm trying to get my head around two ideas he presents that seem in irrevocable conflict. One is the counterintuitive notion that in 10 years the sexy job description will be "statistician." The other is the equally counterintuitive notion that, because we are drowning in data, the future of work lies not in the logical, data-oriented left brain but in the right brain--calling on intuition, imagination, story-telling, empathy, and an ability to synthesize disparate ideas.

And then a recent example of just that sort of analysis popped right into my right brain, and probably my left brain too.

Remember the excitement a few days ago when the US unemployment figures appeared to nudge down a hair? The headline on the Associated Press story was typical. It read "Surprisingly strong jobs data signal turning point." Hooray!

But keep reading and reading and reading. Not until paragraph 13 do we find out that employers are expected to continue cutting jobs, so the unemployment rate will probably go up again.

And then, finally, in paragraph 14(!), we get the real dope: "In fact, the main reason the unemployment rate declined last month was not an inspiring one: Hundreds of thousands of people, some discouraged by their failed job searches, left the labor force."

So the teeny apparent dip in the jobless rate is a total mirage. If it dipped at all, it was because the government simply stopped counting hundreds of thousands of unemployed folks who would love to get jobs but have come to believe it's hopeless. And we had to wait until paragraph 14 to find that out!

Digidude camera tripods are emotionally attached to the cameras they help hold up

Tripods never looked this funky, nor did they ever take the task of steading your camera so seriously. They are the Digidude portable camera tripods and you can't be blamed if you mistake them for cute looking keychains with big personality. Until you go about unscrewing the head of one of the little men, and find yourself staring at a small bit of screw jutting out of the torso. And then you realize that this dude can do magic for your camera.

The Digidudes, designed by the open-source community called Quirky, have retractable legs that can be stretched out for height-adjustment/grip. They are absolutely low-maintenance too - you can easily string one through your keychain or camera bag, and forget all about its existence until you need to use it. They can mount most point-and-shoot cameras, flipcams, and more. There are 5 dudes to choose from - Pinky Scorsese, Snot Buster, iChomp, BoltBot, and G-bling-Money-Son. Choose your man before they are all taken, as only a limited 250 of them will be made. And oh, polygamy is encouraged and allowed. At $19.99 a piece.

Via Core77.

Has the recession brought the US birth rate down?

The US birth rate appears to have gone down 2% in 2008, according to the government. That's more than 70,000 fewer babies than expected.

The figure is not quite firm, since lower immigration could also explain why the birth rate did not increase for the first time since the turn of the millennium.

The experts are saying that the poor economy is a possible explanation. Although as I do the math it's clear that would mean lots of women decided against pregnancy for financial reasons as early as the first half of 2007--a time when even few experts foresaw that we were headed over a cliff.

So I'm wondering, could decisions about childbearing be a leading indicator of an economic downturn? Monitoring the actual birth rate would come too late to help with forecasting because we are just getting the 2008 data now, when the worst already appears to be easing a bit.

But it might make sense to track behavior that figures into the initial decision not to get pregnant--number of contraceptive prescriptions, for example. Or Plan B purchases. Or possibly condom buying, although the increasing (I hope!) use of condoms for disease prevention would muddy that data.

Do you suppose tracking marriage rates might be useful, even though marriage and having babies are no longer inextricably linked? Sales of bridal gowns? Business ups and downs of wedding planners? Or, here's a thought, could sales of bridesmaid dresses and rates of shoe-dying turn out to be a leading economic indicator?

Thanx to Allison Bond over at 80Beats, who rounded up some news items about the birth rate data.

Corsair 128GB Flash Voyager thumb drive is big but not clumsy

Corsair is out with its new offering - the 128GB Flash Voyager GT thumb-drive, supposed to be the fastest in the world. Only, our computers will not be able to handle one yet, as the company claims that the 32MB/s read and 25.6MB/s write speeds are held in check by the rather unsympathetic "USB2.0 bus and the operating system overheads".

Nevertheless, this future-ready thumb drive is rubber-clad for durability, water-resistant and clocks speeds that are nearly twice that of rival high-performance drives. Even so, it comes with a 10-year warranty. By the end of which you will probably find out for yourself if the proposed limitations on its performance did really exist. Though the Corsair drive is available now, you will have some scouring to do, as few retailers are offering it, and with a hefty price tag of $390 whereabouts.

Via Slashgear.

Bluetooth Mini Phone looks cute, takes away your own Martian looks

Since I have always felt rather uncomfortable with the idea of the bluetooth headset stuck in the ear, however utilitarian it happens to be, I get mighty excited when I see innovation that takes away that basic assumption. Over and above that, gizmos with a retro look cause an omission of atleast a dozen heartbeats. So quite naturally, I have fallen in love with this uber-cute bluetooth device in which blend the two aspects wonderfully - the Bluetooth Mini Phone.

This little device looks like the miniature version of a retro phone handset and can be hung around your neck on a lanyard. And like any bluetooth headset, it pairs up with your mobile phone, whose calls you then can attend by picking up the little laddie dangling around your neck and pressing the call button. The not-so-obvious advantage with this arrangement being, you can hide your shiny new mobile from prying eyes and eliminate the otherwise unsightly burden on your ear. Costs $50.

Via The Red Ferret.