Gadgets Control

I sit in my 15 year old Suburu, glancing at my fellow drivers with envy. Look at all of them with their fancy rear view mirrors and their LED turn signals. Psh, like I would want something like that anyway. Don’t look at me that way! No need for smugness! I already know you have a nicer car, no need to rub it in that you’re better looking and most likely better in bed too. But there’s a few tricks up my sleeve which might just make me feel a little better about my crap-mobile, even if it’s not nearly as chic as the real thing. The TurnSmart Mirror System adds a set of wide rear view mirrors onto your current mirrors. (Read the full post about ‘TurnSmart Mirror System’…)

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It looks like the rumors have come true, Virgin Mobile has officially announced plans to acquire Helio. The deal is still pending approval, however it is expected to close during Q3 2008. The deal is not going to be a cash deal though, instead Virgin Mobile is taking Helio from the current owners, which are SK Telecom and Earthlink for $39 million in Virgin Mobile USA stock. Its also sounding pretty good for current Helio customers, as they have already posted a nice FAQ to answer most questions. It also looks like there are not going to be any quick changes. It seems to be that current Helio customers will not see any service interruption, and new customers are still able to sign up for Helio service. (Read the full post about ‘Helio acquired by Virgin Mobile for $39 million’…)

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Shoppers who head towards the Georgia Wal-Mart will be pleased to know that there is the EyeSite kiosk available, making it a snap for folks to get their eyes checked while they’re busy shopping for their weekly groceries or simply taking a stroll through. The EyeSite kiosk is the brainchild of Atlanta entrepreneur Bart Foster, and his start-up company, SoloHealth, is currently working hard at testing the self-service vision screening device in several markets. Foster hopes to raise the awareness among people concerning the importance of visiting their eye care professionals for regular eye exams. (Read the full post about ‘EyeSite Kiosk debuts at Georgia Wal-Mart’…)

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by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jun 28th 2008 at 11:42AM If anyone is going to make a decent waterproof mp3 player this time around, it would have to be someone like the tight bathing suit-producing Speedo brand. The Speedo Aquabeat — made by Iriver — contains 1GB of storage, plays for nine hours on one charge, come in three colors, and weighs just 35 grams. So what’s so Speedo about them? These players (and earphones) are good for up to 3 meters below the surface and they float — so you can just leave the things floating about while you go mix another margarita. (Read the full post about ‘Speedo Aquabeat MP3 player sinks, floats, and is terrible at the butterfly stroke’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 28th 2008 at 10:04AM Look folks, just because Dyson can build a motor with enough oomph to power a vehicle, that doesn’t mean it’s actually going to. At least that’s the message a company spokesperson wants you to believe. Contrary to earlier reports, James Dyson is not looking to enter the electric automobile sector in any way, shape or fashion. (Read the full post about ‘Dyson actually not looking to build electric car, just a wicked fast vacuum’…)

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by Nilay Patel, posted Jun 28th 2008 at 8:35AM Progressive insurance has been testing out the MyRate driving monitoring system for a few years now (it used to be called TripSense), but it’s finally taking the system national, bringing pay-as-you-drive insurance into the mainstream. The little blue box plugs into your car’s ODB II diagnostic port (all cars made after 1996 have one), and studiously records your driving habits, wirelessly sending the data back to Progressive HQ (it’s not clear exactly how). Every six months, Progressive will crunch the numbers and issue a new rate for you based on how you drive — savings of up to 40 percent are possible. (Read the full post about ‘Progressive MyRate drive-monitoring device goes national’…)

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Ever tried to open your own frozen ice treats back when you were a kid? Those were some tough times, eh? Well, with the Freeze ‘n Snip, all of that can change since it offers a safe method to open ice treats. Handy especially with summer just around the corner. Freeze ‘n Snip was developed so children (ages 5 and up) can open frozen ice treats safely and easily by themselves. We’ve spent countless hours perfecting the functionality so that kids won’t need to rely on adults when it’s time to cool off with a frozen treat. No teeth, no scissors, and definitely no knives ought to keep parents’ minds at ease as their kids indulge in ice treats. (Read the full post about ‘Freeze ‘n Snip’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 28th 2008 at 5:33AM Just think — Zappos has been shipping out shoes .9284 minutes after you order them for years with mere humans running the show. Now, your new kicks will likely be at your doorstep moments after you think of ordering them. Said e-tailer has just completed implementation of Kiva Systems’ Mobile Fulfillment System, which will see “a fleet of Kiva’s mobile robotic drive units and inventory storage pods” hit the company’s Shepherdsville, Kentucky facility. (Read the full post about ‘Zappos hires robots to take over inventory floor’…)

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Filed in archive Announcement by jim on June 28, 2008 Here's a concept I just discovered and it really appeals to me. The organization, "World Wide Moment", has a goal of attaining peace on Earth, for at least one moment, on August 08, 2008, or, 08-08-08@08:08+08GMT. The idea is that if everyone stops at that particular time and snaps a photo the world will have been at peace for that moment. By doing so the photos will forever preserve what the world was like in various places for that moment. World Wide Moment intends to store and display the photos both in galleries and online for all to see. I think this is a cool idea and I intend to participate and I hope you will too. Source:www.worldw (Read the full post about ‘Let’s Take A Digital Photo At The Same Time’…)

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by Ryan Block, posted Jun 28th 2008 at 3:27AM You didn’t really think we’d make it through his retirement without running the sexiest of all Bill photos, did you? We have to wonder what he’ll feel like tomorrow morning, though — we hear the headache on a 33 year software hangover is absolutely vicious.Anyhow, just because the man’s left the building doesn’t mean you can’t take home a few of his fine products. (Read the full post about ‘Bill Gates Day wrap-up’…)

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