Gadgets Control

IPods aren’t just a hot item in the United States; they’re hot enough in Japan to cause fires, according to Japan’s trade ministry. The Japanese government cited overheating ipod nanos as the cause behind three fires. The trade ministry believes the overheating is due to a battery defect in the nanos. Apple has not provided an official statement regarding the incidents, but the Japanese government said Apple reported two cases where people suffered minor burns, according to a Reuters story. "We are not in the position to speculate on the outcome of the investigation. But after several incidents like these, it would be appropriate for Apple to take some measures to raise the public’s awareness," a trade ministry official told Reuters. (Read the full post about ‘Japanese Ministry: iPod Nanos Causing Fires in Japan’…)

Share This

Lenovo is taking a new mobile Internet device, the IdeaPad U8, to the Beijing Olympics. The device is about the size of a Sony playstation Portable, with a similar shape, and has a 4.8-inch touch screen. It weighs 12.3 ounces and has Wi-Fi, EDGE access, two cameras and up to 2 GB of memory. It also supports mobile TV, GPS navigation and has free live coverage of the games through China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting. The IdeaPad U8 will be available either in all black or a black-and-silver finish. But for the Olympics, Lenovo has created a special commemorative edition that has bright red, yellow and pink stripes on the back. (Read the full post about ‘Lenovo Ultraportable Makes an Olympic Debut’…)

Share This

Japan is offering the Nintendo-nostalgic a Mega Man energy drink to quench their thirsts for the past. Selling for ¥137, or about $1.25 a can, the official Mega Man drink (aka Rockman in Japan) promotes the ninth installment of the 21-year-old video game series. Capcom has slated Mega Man 9 for a September 2008 release. The Mega Man energy drink’s can design is based on the energy capsule that the Mega Man character consumes to rejuvenate special weapons and health. Maybe I should order some of these to recover my soul after writing for an automotive web site last year. Neer. (Read the full post about ‘Japanese Energy Drink Promotes Mega Man Sequel’…)

Share This

Intel has a new vision for the future, and one of them is a mobile mood ring concept that is able to recognize a person from the heartbeat, speech pattern, movements and appearance, helping keep your private information by blocking it from others who it does not recognize. This same device could see use at hotel desks int he future, where checking in will allow this mobile mood ring to run a scan through you, automatically sending your personal preference in room temperature, TV channels and special requests to your suite before you even go up the lift. In addition, this ring is able to track your mood as well as the moods of others, warning you if somebody you don’t like is in the area. (Read the full post about ‘Intel Mobile Mood Rings’…)

Share This

Some people think that solar panels are part of the solution to our energy problem, while another team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) thinks that a solution may be right underneath our feet or, more accurately, beneath our cars. A WPI research team is advancing the idea of using heat absorbed by pavement as an inexpensive source of electricity and hot water. The idea has already been patented by Novotech, Inc. whose president, Michael Hulen, requested that WPI take on the project to perfect the technology.

The research behind the idea of using pavement to generate energy was presented by team members earlier this week at the International Society of Asphalt Pavements in Switzerland.

(Read the full post about ‘Roads could be a new source of energy’…)

Share This

Palringo is bringing the functionality of “Push-to-talk” to the Apple iphone. Back on July 29th, Palringo launched its messaging client for the iPhone. Now the company has added voice instant messaging functionality as originally promised.

The Palringo application is currently compatible with a number of instant messaging platforms. Some of these platforms include AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, Gadu Gadu, ICQ, Jabber, Windows Live Messenger, iChat and the Apple IM client.

(Read the full post about ‘Add push-to-talk to your iPhone’…)

Share This

Mitsubishi isn’t content with where they are at the moment and will be releasing its higher-end MZW series of LCD HDTVs, where the larger models consist of the 46″ LCD-46MZW200 and the 40″ LCD-40MZW200 which will retail for $3,643 and $2,732, respectively. Both of those models will sport a 1080p 10-bit Diamond panel and 120Hz technology, targeting an October 21 release date. Those who have smaller pads (and budgets, of course) can always settle for the 19″ model which retails for $910. Which LCD HDTV brand is the best in your opinion? Tags: DAB, gprs, ipod, video games (Read the full post about ‘Mitsubishi MZW Series LCD HDTVs’…)

Share This

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 19th 2008 at 5:04AM We’ve never been big fans of giving your tween some Nickelodeon-ized gizmo when you can simply hand down your current gear and use it for an excuse to upgrade, but apparently not everyone sees it that way. Nickelodeon, Viacom and Imation have jointly announced the latest line of kid-friendly Npower gizmos, which includes a digital voice recorder, a digicam and a webcam based on the “breakout hit” iCarly. Additionally, the outfit is churning out SpongeBob SquarePants-themed speakers, boomboxes, MP3 players and digiframes, and there’s even a few Dora the Explorer toys thrown in for good measure. All the (inflated) prices and shipping details are down there in the read link — we won’t bore the (Read the full post about ‘Nickelodeon and friends unveil more Npower gizmos’…)

Share This

It is without a doubt if you are able to parade a Mobiado handset around, you’re pretty much set for life. The Mobiado Lucido is no different, as it comes with a combination of sapphire crystal, stainless steel and aircraft aluminum in the final product. There will only be 200 of these circling around the world, so getting spare parts would be pretty much out of the question - hence, be careful while using this! Features include :- Triband GSM/WCDMA 2100 Supports MP3, MP4, eAAC+ and AAC file formats 2 megapixel camera Internal memory No idea on pricing, but as I mentioned, this shouldn’t be cheap in any sense of the word if its pedigree is anything to go by. (Read the full post about ‘Mobiado Lucido For The Rich’…)

Share This

Axxen of Korea has just released a couple of its portable media players (PMPs) in the form of the X11 and X12. These will measure a phenomenal 5.6mm thin - that’s really slim no matter which device you compare it to. The Playgo X11 will come with a 1.5″ OLED display while the Playgo X12 has a 2″ OLED display. I must say they both look a whole lot like the older LG Chocolate phones at first glance. Shared features include a touch keypad, MP3 and MPEG4/AVI playback, an e-book viewer, USB connectivity, an integrated FM radio and FM recording. No idea on pricing, but these ought to target the budget conscious market. (Read the full post about ‘Axxen Playgo Portable Media Player’…)

Share This