Gadgets Control

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — Bike maker Litespeed showed off a brand new prototype of its storied Blade triathlon bike — the titanium-framed bike that helped propel Lance Armstrong to his first Tour win. No one could keep their hands off the $30,000 prototype. One after the other, show attendees came up to caress the bike’s unique, knife-shaped frame. "It looks like a Stealth Bomber," said Will Holt as he admired the bike. Holt is the owner of Bicycle Link, a bike store in Atlanta and a Litespeed dealer. The Stealth Bomber comparison is apt. With its expertise in shaping titanium, Litespeed also makes missile wings for Lockheed Martin and built the chassis and suspension for NASA’s new Mars rover, the Mars Science Laboratory,  which is headed to the red planet next year. (Read the full post about ‘Litespeed’s Titanium Bike Looks Like a Stealth Bomber, Is Priced Accordingly’…)

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I’ve noticed trends in electronic musical instruments to play air. Some of you may have seen certain type of electric drumsticks that can make drum sounds if played in the air, and I believe we’ve already covered the Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker. The piano has been getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the air instruments market. Fortunately, there is the Piano Hand, gloves that allow the user to create a tune by just tapping the fingers. I looked all over and tried to find more information on the Piano Hand, but I could find very little information on it except that you can choose from about eight instruments. I tend to get suspicious about new products about these, and raise a bunch of questions. (Read the full post about ‘Play me a song, it’s the Piano Hand’…)

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LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Bike maker Craig Calfee has found a way to grow bicycle frames in a field, with sunlight and water. He makes them out of bamboo. "It’s like bonsai basically," said Calfee, who is based in Santa Cruz, California. "If you grow it in the shape you want it, it’s by far the strongest way to get it in the shape you want it." He’s been making bamboo bikes for awhile now, but because each bicycle is made to order, his workshop can turn out only limited numbers of the $2,700 frames. To increase production and improve design, Craig is experimenting with growing bamboo into pre-formed shapes in the field. (Read the full post about ‘Bamboo Bike Maker Grows His Frames, Bonsai Style’…)

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I suspect this alarm clock won’t appeal to anyone who has young children: they can be woken up by a screaming tantrum on any day of the week. But if that doesn’t apply to you and you need a little more incentive to get up every morning, the Tantrum alarm clock should do the trick, by launching an aural assault the likes of which you haven’t heard from an electrical appliance before. It’s available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $49.95, which isn’t cheap to be screamed at every morning - I’ve had bosses who would do it for free… Via Boing Boing gadgets. [Editor’s note- this alarm clock seems to be identical to the Room Tech Beingz alarm clock by Hasbro. I have a review unit and I love it. (Read the full post about ‘Trouble getting up? Try a Tantrum’…)

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Griffin is back with an updated iTrip Auto FM Transmitter, where you will get a one-cable design that merges the FM transmitter and auto charger into a single device. Features include an in-line control box with a backlit LCD screen, SmartScan automatic FM frequency-finder button, four presets, and tuning buttons, and a charging stem with power switch as well as a three-color charging indicator. If you’re itching to get the latest and greatest of any product, the Griffin iTrip Auto FM Transmitter can be purchased for $60. Tags: cameras, Hi-fi, mobile devices, gps (Read the full post about ‘Griffin Refreshes iTrip Auto FM Transmitter’…)

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by Donald Melanson, posted Sep 24th 2008 at 8:51PM
MobiBlu has certainly managed to turn a few heads with some of its PMPs in the past, but it seems safe to bet that won’t be a very common occurance with its new T20 model, which looks to be relying primarily on questionably-sourced images of Wall-E to garner attention. That same-ness also extends down to the player’s specs, which include a 2.4-inch WQVGA display, 1GB to 8GB of storage, an FM radio, a voice recorder, and support for all the usual file formats, not to mention some unspecified games. (Read the full post about ‘MobiBlu pulls T20 PMP out of the ordinary bin’…)

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Remember Jammie Thomas?  The single mother who fought against the RIAA when they sued her?  She was originally told to pay $222,000 for copyright infringement.  On Wednesday, U.S. (Read the full post about ‘Mistrail declared in RIAA file-sharing case’…)

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Talk about a truly unique convergence device! The o2Cool MP3 speaker fan comprises of a couple of 3″ stereo speakers that have been integrated into a fan, letting you cool down from the heat with both a fresh blast of air as well as your favorite chillout tunes. You have a choice of powering this using batteries or an AC adapter, something tells me you’re going to opt for the latter most of the time. The o2Cool MP3 Speaker Fan can be brought home for $29.99. Tags: DAB, consumer electronics, electronic toys, laptops (Read the full post about ‘o2Cool MP3 Speaker Fan’…)

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by Donald Melanson, posted Sep 24th 2008 at 12:58PM While most folks working to improve on the traditional lie detector have veered towards MRIs, EEGs and the like, Scott Bunce of Drexel University’s College of Medicine has taken a decidedly different approach and turned to an infrared light-based method, which he seems to think would be both less expensive and more accurate. Apparently, the system works simply by sending infrared light into your brain and measuring how much is reflected back, which varies depending on the levels of oxygen in the blood, and in turn gives an indication of brain activity. Not surprisingly, the research appears to have already attracted the interested of some of the usual suspects — namely, the U.S. (Read the full post about ‘Lie-detecting headband promises to find the truth with infrared light’…)

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The G-Pen F509 is a stylish tablet from the house of Genius. The ultra slim table offers 5.25″ x 8. 75″ working area, and features a cordless pen with support for Windows and Mac operating system. The tablet lets you freely write or draw anything, while it’s cordless pen offers 2 buttons which can function as left and right mouse buttons with 1024 level pressure sensitivity. What’s more, it features 26 programmable hotkeys which can be used to open office, internet, and media programs. No word on pricing, but looks like it’s available in Asia Pacific market. (Read the full post about ‘Genius G-Pen F509 ultra slim tablet’…)

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