Tech Gadgets Reviews

3G reviews the Sony Ericsson W580i and writes, “The W580i harbours a standard mid-range two-megapixel camera, woefully deprived of autofocus, Macro focus for close-ups and any type of flash. You can muck around with white balance, shoots modes and effects, but really it won’t mask the average picture quality blighted by soft focus around the fringes. Similarly video capture shoots in a judder-tastic but YouTube fit 176×144 pixel resolution.”

Read more about the Sony Ericsson W580.

“CARRY WITH FUNS” (Look for this one as a giveaway in this week’s Popgadget Drop email. Not a subscriber yet? Takes only a second to sign up here.)

You can’t help but smile when you see an E.Square Bag - the bright colors, the cheeky designs - but hiding under all that fun is a meticulously crafted, functional bag. I’ve been carrying my MacBook around in it for a week, and it’s comfortable (has a padded shoulder strap which I’ve come to learn is essential for a 13 lb.laptop). It sports padded pockets for all your electronics, plus essential outside pocket for easy access to travel docs.

Kristina Kim, who founded the company with her husband says they “put fun prints on the bags in order to add splashes of colors” into our lives. “We know the designs are very bold and in very eye-catching colors, no one would ever think to have YELLOW on a laptop bag, but we did it and together with some other bold colors and big retro flower prints. AND hey! It’s working and actually is very very well received in the market. So, we know tech cases (are) missing some colors, we will continue to put fun prints and bold colors on the bags.”

As much as I can’t stand that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition show, I wouldn’t mind if Ty and his buddies came to my house and whipped it into shape with a few sledgehammers and new furniture.

There is one thing that I never see the Extreme Makeover team do: connect all electronic devices in the household together, seamlessly. In other words, all the electronic devices (TV, PC, etc.) are all wired or shared together seamlessly in a true Digital Home Makeover.

It appears that Microsoft wants to fill that homeowner’s need with the launching of their Digital Home Makeover Contest. To enter, you have to make a video of yourself creatively explaining why you need a Digital Home Makeover.

If you win, your dream will come true, and Microsoft will come to your door. They will then apply their Windows Media Center and Extenders for Windows Media Center to make your home completely connected. By connected, I mean that every room will have full access to your digital material.

If you are drooling over this, you had better hurry and make your video, submit it here, and enter by April 18. You won’t have to wait too long to see if you won, because the winner will be announced on April 30.

Source

The Luminous Stylus Handy Strap makes it easier for you to find it even if you’re in the most disorganized of bedrooms - all you need to do is leave the light on for a while, turn it off and hope that it glows bright enough for you to locate it. Otherwise, it makes for a suitable companion in the cinema (make sure it absorbs some light before you go in), enabling you to go about your stylus-enabled tasks without any hassle. The Luminous Stylus Handy Strap will set you back by $5.

Merium Home Theater PC creator Christoffer Nøkleby has boldly and proudly proclaimed that his creation comes with a “sky high wife approval factor.” I won’t take him at his word, since looking good isn’t the only criteria for the de facto home minister - one will still need to tiptoe around potential landmines like its cost and usefulness at time of purchase. This Windows Home Premium-powered PC is bundled with the following for every $1,561 purchase.

• White front and top cover
• Remote controller
• Remote receiver
• Wireless keyboard
• USB dongle for keyboard
• USB extension cable for keyboard
• DVI extension cable
• DVI to HDMI converter
• DVI to VGA converter
• Audio cable
• WLAN antenna
• S/PDIF converter
• Power supply

Porsche or Ferrari Frenzy

You can have this for ?129.00

Posted Mar 25th 2008 6:02PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Misc. gadgets

We’ve gotten pretty used to seeing crashed digital billboards and signage dot the landscape, but just like regular billboards, what’s really interesting is when the graffiti artists manage to get their own messages up on the big (big) screen. Looks like Clear Channel is the latest victim - 10 LA-area billboards owned by the media giant started displaying the logo of 18-year-old graffiti artist Skullphone last Thursday, slotted innocuously within the regular ad rotation. Sure, it’s not quite at the anarcho-political level of the Billboard Liberation Front and their ilk, but every great leap begins with just a small step, no? Hit the read link for tons more photos.

[Via Textually.org]

Posted Mar 26th 2008 1:32AM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Robots

Finally, a robot that “gets” us. Researchers at Toshiba in Japan have created a talking bot that can be used as a voice-activated universal remote in addition to formulating plots about terminating humans. The 5-pound, 11-inch-tall android is called ApriPoko, and is capable of learning how to control electronics by watching you and asking questions about your behavior. When you use an infrared device, the robot senses the signal and asks the user “What did you just do?” If you say something akin to “I turned on the TV,” it will commit the command to memory, and you can operate those functions by voice. Apparently, the little guy is still in the R&D stages, but there are plans to turn this technology into a consumer device — one which the company swears will not kill you in your sleep.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

Posted Mar 25th 2008 9:57PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Wearables

Late last year, Diesel popped out a pair of timepieces that featured a smallish OLED and lots of shine. This year, it’s the OLED sitting front and center. The DZ7076 and DZ7086 both ditch the heavy chrome look and head back to the basics, and there’s even four animations that do the OLED proud with the push of a button. Each watch also touts a genuine leather strap and the all-important Diesel logo, and while the DZ7076 can be yours for just $120, the slightly more retro DZ7086 will demand an extra $30.

[Via OhGizmo]
Read - Diesel DZ7086
Read - Diesel DZ7076

Posted Mar 25th 2008 3:46PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Wearables

Mind you, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen garb constructed to withstand vicious knife fights, and apparently a few Japanese streets are becoming just as frightening as some in London. Reportedly created to provide protection against stabbers following an “increasing number of malicious crimes that have victimized children and late-night convenience store clerks,” Nihon Uni has developed a t-shirt crafted from “ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fiber.” Aside from rendering blades useless, the material is also completely machine washable and lightweight; still, the fabric can be penetrated by “sharp points,” so it’s up to you to steer clear of rooftop archers. Nevertheless, long-sleeved versions can be had this June for ¥22,000 ($221) to ¥59,000 ($593), while the way less protective short-sleeved variety will run you between ¥19,000 ($191) and ¥52,000 ($522).

[Via Slashgear]