Gadgets Control

I love getting new gadgets. Whenever I do, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I want to tear into the packaging and catch a whiff of that new gadget smell. However, with some such devices, their packaging is nearly impossible to get into. You know the kind, the ones with the super-thick plastic that even the sharpest of knives have difficulty with. That’s why I wouldn’t mind a pair of these.

They’ve called this handy tool Open It, and for good reason. You have three different tools that ensure you’ll be able to open any package. First there are the cutter blades which can cut through even the toughest plastic clamshells.

(Read the full post about ‘Tear through plastic shells with Open It’…)

Share This

Kodak, a household name when it comes to all things photography, has just announced an enhanced Digital Picture Frame portfolio which consists of three different digital photo frames, ranging from 7″ in size to 8″ and 10″ to suit just about every need there is for a casual living room accessory. Not only does Kodak claim that these will look both sleek and stylish, they also boast a range of features including the recently unveiled Quick Touch Border for easier image manipulation and maintenance. All it takes with Quick Touch Border is a slide or touch of the finger at the highlighted sections, as this will not result in a smudged screen which will interfere with photo viewing. (Read the full post about ‘Kodak Easyshare digital photo frames released’…)

Share This

Solid State Drives (SSD) not only continue to get bigger storage, but they are also getting smaller in size. Super Talent is offering a 256GB SSD, which is the world’s smallest 256GB SATA drive, according to the company’s website. It is also 40% thinner than other 256GB SATA drives available. The dimension of the 256GB SSD drive is 100.2mm x 69.9 mm x 12.5mm. They are many advantages to having an SSD drive. The drives are especially useful in portable electronics and devices. That is because they consume up to 85% less power than a typical spinning drive. They also generate less heat and allow for extended battery life. (Read the full post about ‘World’s smallest 256GB SATA SSD drive’…)

Share This

For iPhone and other mobile phone users who rely on EDGE technology to get connected to the web using their mobile phones, the start of Nokia Siemens EDGE Evolution program comes as a welcomed development. Nokia Siemens has announced that as an initial salvo to the EDGE Evolution program, data speeds for GSM/EDGE capable networks will increase to 524kbps. The current EDGE standard for data speed is set at around 262kbps. Nokia Siemens is set to implement what it calls the Dual Carrier EDGE solution via software upgrade by the third quarter of 2008. So you, iPhone fanatics will have to wait a couple of months more before you get to enjoy the same data speed that 3G-enabled mobile phone users are enjoying right now. (Read the full post about ‘Nokia Siemens to upgrade EDGE data speed’…)

Share This

A report by Infonetics Research shows WiFi phones and 802.11n wireless LAN equipment continued to gain popularity in 2007. For the year, the sale of WiFi phones were up 60%. On the wireless LAN side, equipment sales were up 20%. The research firm believes this is thanks in part to the acceleration and desire of consumers to upgrade to 802.11n technology.

Infonetics Research published the findings in its Wireless LAN Equipment and Phones quarterly report. The report also indicated wireless LAN equipment revenue was actually down 1% in the fourth quarter of 2007, but the 20% increase for the year was driven in part due to a record third quarter.

(Read the full post about ‘WLAN equipment sales up 20% and WiFi phones up 60% in 2007′…)

Share This

Television is coming to AT&T customers in just over a month, courtesy of the LG Vu (essentially an un-badged LG Prada) and MediaFLO. AT&T announced its intention to use the Qualcomm-owned service last year, but has apparently been waiting for both the network to support streaming TV and for a handset to watch it on. “[It’s] a brand new service on a brand new network, and two brand new devices.” said AT&T’s Mark Siegel We wonder, though, if AT&T should bother. The kind of people comfortable viewing video on a handheld device are likely to be those already ignoring television in droves. There is plenty of online content, from video podcasts to YouTube, and it’s free. (Read the full post about ‘Mobile TV Coming to AT&T In May’…)

Share This

Immediately after USA Today published a report declaring that Amazon’s music store is now the number 2 online seller of digital music, eMusic CEO, David Pakman disputed the report and said that eMusic is the number 2 online music seller and not Amazon. “This morning I read with some surprise in USA Today that Amazon is “No. 2 in digital [music] sales since opening nearly six months ago.” Amazon’s entry into this market last year was an important milestone in the continuing irrelevance of DRM and the overly restrictive and anti-consumer policies that the music industry has foolishly wielded in this new, digital age. (Read the full post about ‘“We are number 2, not Amazon” says eMusic’…)

Share This

Remember last week’s post about the toy gramophone which records not onto a wax cylinder but instead onto a coffee cup? Make magazine’s Phil Torrone took a trip to Tokyo and visited the toymaker, Gakken.

(Read the full post about ‘Video: Plastic Cup Gramophone In Action’…)

Share This

Posted Mar 28th 2008 2:29AM by Nilay PatelFiled under: Misc. gadgetsWe knew the Army’s supposedly-dead Land Warrior high-tech uniform program still had some life in it, but now it appears that good marks from tests in the field might mean it’s going to make a full recovery. The Army sent the 4/9 Infantry (aka the “Manchus”) off to war loaded down with the 16-pound Land Warrior kit, and after some on-the-fly adjustments that made the gear lighter and more functional, the soldiers had talked Land Warrior up to the point where the 2nd Infantry Division’s 5th Combat Brigade Team has now officially requested 1,000 more Land Warrior rigs. (Read the full post about ‘Army tests of Land Warrior high-tech uniform successful, soldiers request more’…)

Share This

I admit the title of this post is a bit cryptic, but bear with me. If you own an inkjet printer, the short video referenced here is worth a look. In case you’re wondering why your printer may be running out of ink quicker than you think it should or maybe just plain not working, take a look as the author rips apart his own printer; this may be why.

(Read the full post about ‘Inkjet Printers suck … down?’…)

Share This