Gadgets Control

by Nilay Patel, posted Jun 11th 2008 at 2:14PM Anyone who lives in an crowded city apartment building can tell you that wireless networking on the 2.4GHz band is almost useless — but the 5GHz band is wide-open, so those of us who’ve switched over are wire-free and living it up once again. The only problem is that most devices don’t support 5GHz, particularly game consoles and other entertainment devices that could benefit from streaming data at high speeds, but Buffalo’s got you covered with the new Nfiniti Ethernet Converter. The black box bridges four Ethernet ports onto a 2.4GHz or 5GHz 802.11 network, which’ll let you add legacy devices onto your hot new network at full speed, and it’s all managed by a simple web interface. (Read the full post about ‘Buffalo Nfiniti WiFi / Ethernet bridge supports 5GHz 802.11n’…)

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by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jun 11th 2008 at 11:23AM Aiptek is making a habit of bringing portable HD recording to some seriously affordable levels. The HDV21X Action HD 1080p High Definition Camcorder w/ Optical Zoom (known as the AHD Z500 Plus in Europe) records H.264 HD video (1,440 x 1080, 16 x 9) on a 5 megapixel sensor at 30 frames per second and 720P at 60 frames all for a paltry $199.99 at your local Wal-Mart. Expect to get up to 8 hours of 1080p video on a 32GB SDHC card. As for still images, the Z500 shoots at 8 megapixels and even sports a macro mode for both video and still. Also on board is a 3x optical zoom, CIF mode for easy YouTube uploads, a 2.4-inch swivel-mount TFT LCD, and component outputs for all the HD goodness. (Read the full post about ‘Aiptek’s HDV21X brings 1080p HD video to the sub-$200 Wal-Mart market’…)

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One of the biggest revelations about the new iPhone 3G is the inclusion of GPS tech, but it may not be enough to bring down the GPS-only manufacturers. After we heard a rumor that GPS maker Tom Tom was going to have a software app ready for the iPhone’s App store within the next few months, we immediately contacted a company rep for a comment, and this is what we received:All I can say is that we have tested and successfully run our navigation software on the iPhone and it looks good and works well.  We’ll have to look more closely to Apple’s strategy before we can say more about what kind of opportunities this will bring us. . . (Read the full post about ‘Will Tom Tom Software in the iPhone Change the GPS game?’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 11th 2008 at 10:55AM So, what do you do after announcing your intentions to spend nearly $30 billion on America’s fifth largest carrier? Why, you announce a trio of new phones for the summertime, that’s what. Verizon Wireless is trumpeting the launch of the Dare (pictured), Decoy and Chocolate 3, all of which are being provided by LG. As for the Dare, you’ll find 3G, V CAST, VZ Navigator and a 3.2-megapixel camera, while the Decoy becomes the world’s first handset with a Bluetooth headset integrated into its body. Finally, the Chocolate 3 goes all flip-phone on us and includes an FM transmitter, twin speakers, 1GB of internal storage, 2-megapixel camera and V CAST support. (Read the full post about ‘Verizon snags LG Dare, Decoy and Chocolate 3′…)

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The lawsuit that has only recently come to light, has seemingly gone away just as quickly. I am of course referring to the recent announcement that T-Mobile was suing Starbucks claiming “breach of contract” and “unfair competition” in regards to how they let AT&T quickly move in and take over and begin promoting their services. According to reports T-Mobile, along with Starbucks and AT&T have reached a “memorandum of understanding” in an attempt to resolve their issues. (Read the full post about ‘T-Mobile, Starbucks lawsuit resolved’…)

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by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 11th 2008 at 11:44AM Sony Ericsson’s Cyber-shot C905 only just broke cover yesterday, and it’s still yet to get official, but it looks like shots and specs of it are already starting to crop up at a pretty steady clip. In addition to giving us a glimpse at the sliver version, this latest batch of pics (available at the link below) also helpfully includes size comparisons to a couple of other phones, and shots of the C905 from various angles. As we had heard before, this one comes packing an impressive 8.1-megapixel camera, which will also capture VGA video, along with a QVGA screen (apparently 2.4-inches), GPS, Bluetooth, and HSDPA support. (Read the full post about ‘More Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905 pics and specs surface’…)

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by Nilay Patel, posted Jun 11th 2008 at 11:03AM Apple’s always been known for its amusingly-conservative disclaimers (you can’t use iTunes to “design a nuclear weapon,” for example) and it looks like the products-liability team at the Fruit has had their way with the iPhone SDK agreement as well, inserting a provision specifically prohibiting developers from creating apps “marketed for real time route guidance; automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life-saving purposes.” Yep, that’s right — no real-time route guidance (or, uh, fleet management) allowed. (Read the full post about ‘iPhone SDK agreement forbids real-time route guidance, dancing, rock’n’roll’…)

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When most of us think about new improvements in automobiles, we usually think of better fuel efficiency. However, a recent program by BMW called GINA thinks outside the box by changing the “box” around the car itself. Simply put, GINA replaces the stagnant metal frame of a car with durable cloth. This cloth is put over a frame, and creates all the stability that is required for a fender, door, or whatever shape is required. What is really fascinating is that frame can be motorized, so when portions of the frame shift, the car can literally change its shape. For example, the hood opens up by parting like the Red Sea. Even more odd is the covers of the headlights open like eyelids. (Read the full post about ‘BMW’s GINA Concept Car is Made of Cloth’…)

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Nerds aren’t typically known for being great surfers. In fact, it’s a rare occurrence for most us nerds to even be seen on a beach. Our pasty skin just burns too easily. Maybe that’s why we should be wearing these wetsuits, even if we don’t go in the water. Just to cover up our precious skin. If your thick glasses and rib-poking skinniness wasn’t enough fuel to spur the fire under the beach bullies butts, wearing one of these Superhero Wetsuits will surely do the trick. Resembling the superhero pajamas we use to wear as kids, these wetsuits allow you to display your comic book fanaticism, even when your not sitting around in your parents basement reading the adventures themselves. (Read the full post about ‘Superhero Wetsuits Make You A Target For Beach Bullies’…)

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With summer just around the corner, it won’t be long until pool parties are in full swing. And if you aren’t one of the rich and famous that has a wetbar installed at the end of the pool, getting drinks to your floating pool guests can be a little bit tricky. Now you can have fun getting refreshments to your guests with this nifty little gadget that brings drinks and snacks right to them. The RC Snack Float is a motorized floating drink and snack tray that can be driven around a pool via a remote control unit. The floating compartment can hold up to five drinks and has a middle section for placing chips or other snackables. The RC Snack Float runs on one 9-volt battery and six D-cell batteries (both not included) and costs around $50. (Read the full post about ‘RC Snack Float brings you refreshments while you relax in the pool’…)

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