วันเสาร์ที่ 22 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551

Cowon iAudio D2 DAB 16GB

Okay, we’re cheating slightly with this one - it’s not so much a radio, more a palm-sized touchscreen media player that manages to pack an awful lot in, including MP3/WMA/Ogg/FLAC playback, video, photo viewing and SD memory expansion. For our purposes though, how does its intriguing DAB functionality hold up? The D2 tunes in to the digital ether in the same way it picks up FM signals, via the headphone wire - which is great if you’re in a good reception area, but rather warbly and gurgly if you’re not.

It’s also worth noting that this ‘lead receiver’ solution can come a cropper with the ‘fixed station’ nature of DAB compared to fine-tuneable FM, sometimes resulting in complete drop-outs, while hooking it up to an amp via a phono lead can prove more trouble than it’s worth.

Take a stroll outside though, and the clarity improves substantially. Its screen is put to great use in DAB mode by displaying the track details and news headlines broadcast by certain stations, and the overall sound quality when you get a good signal is very pleasing to the ear indeed. DAB die-hards tread carefully then, but casual listeners with heavy on-the-go media demands, you have our blessing…

Adium for Mac Users - All IM Software in One

Available exclusively for Mac OS X, Adium supports just about every instant messenger client: AIM, Aplle, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, LiveJournal Talk, Lotus Sometime, MobileMe, MySpace IM, Novell GroupWise, QQ, Windows Live, and Yahoo Messenger. If your contacts have more than one IM contact, their handles can be merged together into a single entry. Downloading the 20.8 MB file from Adium’s web site took relatively longer than 3 minutes over w Wi-Fi connection.

Contacts appear on a single, highly customizable buddy list, for which users can select from a number of skins, the window layout, menu bar icons, status icons, service icons, emoticons, and opacity level. When an IM is received, the cute Adium duck icon, which resides in the OS X dock, flaps his wings to grab your attention and displays the number of unread messages. Conversations appear in a tabbed window, and you can toggle through them by holding the Apple Key and pressing the left or right arrow key.

Adium does not support voice or video chatting, but it’s in the works. The program does offer off-the-record messaging, which encrypts conversations with a password key . If voice or video is essential, I recommend Meebo for Mac users. Otherwise, Adium is a cool basic way to stay in touch with all your buddies.

Small but Strong Computer - Sony UX Micro PC

So I was just checking out some specifications of my soon to be new laptop on Sony’s website and I came across something small and powerful. Look at this device; it’s the size of a sidekick. The display that you see in the picture is only a 4.5 inches wide but equipped with XBRITE LCD technology and is in 1024×600 resolution. It’s called a Sony VAIO UX Micro PC, and as the name suggests, it is an actual PC. Just like any other PC it has a processor, it has an Intel Core Solo Ultra Low Voltage CPU. It comes with Microsoft Windows XP installed. This PC defeats any portability advantage any other computer might have. It is a size of a calculator for God’s sake. The following are some of its modest specifications: 512 MB RAM, built-in speakers, Ethernet card, two cameras, Biometric fingerprint sensor (yes we are not playing), USB port, DVD writer, wireless card, magic gate port, and it comes with 1 year Sony warranty.

This wiki page is useful for this Micro PC.

10 Gadgets That Transform Your Bathroom Into a Home Office

According to a recent survey conducted by Nokia, 53 percent of Americans have taken a work-related call or email in the bathroom. Although the data has been lost, we conducted a survey in the past that found the percentage could be even higher. So what does this all mean? I think the answer is clear…we want to work in the bathroom. Yeah, it sounds gross but consider this: many of us do our best thinking in the bathroom. Our productivity could skyrocket (in more ways than one). So, I say why fight it. Here are some gadgets to help you get started on your own bathroom-based home office.

Via Gizmodo

Boom Arm Starbase Workstation: Okay let’s start with the basics. You are going to need a way to mount your laptop so that it is easily accessible from the toilet. This swing arm should do the job nicely—plus it is height adjustable and comes with a built-in cupholder. Yeah, that’s right—a cupholder. You’re already working in the bathroom, eating and drinking are not far behind.

The Loo Read: Having a full-on desk in there is going to take up too much space, but you still need a flat surface to spread out paperwork now and then. In that case, the Loo Read has you covered. It may even be sturdy enough to support light or ultraportable laptops.

Fish n’ Flush Toilet: As for the throne itself, you are going to need something a little better than your standard toilet. This particular version uses half its reservoir to create a fish tank—which is perfect for reducing stress at work. Although, I would go easy on the coffee and beef for a while. Reducing the amount of available water in the tank means less capacity for flushing.

Moody Aquarium Sink: If you would prefer, the aquarium concept is also available in a sink version.

Dell Latitude XFR D630: I suppose it goes without saying, but if you are going to work in the bathroom you will need a laptop that can handle the occasional splash of water. The Dell Latitude XFR D630 can do that and much more. In fact, it meets Department of Defense MIL-STD 810F standards for operation in extreme temps, moisture and altitude. Plus, the specs are decent with a Core 2 Duo processor, 14.1-inch / 500nit screen, 802.11n, and high-end thermal management for the processor and RAM running on XP.

MarineAV 70-inch LCD TV: If you are going to get a waterproof display, you might as well go all out with Marine AV’s 70-inch TV. It features full 1080p resolution, a 1,500:1 contrast ratio, 600cd/m2 brightness, 8ms response time, 178 degree viewing angle, and AV, S-Video, Component, HDMI, PC (VGA) inputs.

Wall Mirror TV/PC: There are plenty of mirror TVs out there, but manufacturers are also starting to throw PCs in to the mix as well. The “ARCO” falls into this category with an all-in-one PC, TV and LCD embedded behind mirrored glass.

Sonim XP1 Cellphone: A waterproof cellphone in another must-have. The Sonim is rugged enough to handle a beer dunking / car mauling quite easily and even being smashed for weeks on end. The XP1 is a Europe-only release, but an American version is already on its way.

Potty Putter: Indoor putting surfaces are a staple of any office, and so it shall be with your bathroom version. The Potty Putter allows you to sink putts and deuces at the same time.

Toilet Vacuum: It’s always a good idea to have a desk vac around to handle small cleaning jobs around the office, and none would be appropriate than this toilet-shaped version. [Link]

Bonus: If you are looking for a little inspiration on what a home office bathroom should look like, consider the following examples:

Bathroom Office: Here is an example of a basic setup. The equiptment is old school, but the comfy looking executive toilet is a nice touch.

Roto-Rooter’s Pimped Out John: Last year Roto-Rooter ran a contest that rewarded the winner with the ultimate bathroom gadget setup. It came complete with an Xbox 360, 20-inch LCD TV, laptop, TiVo, refrigerator with beer tap, bike pedal exerciser and more.

Thanks Gizmodo!

Innovative Monitor - FitBit

A two-inch accelerometer equipped sensor from Fitbit lets health conscious people track their physical activity and the calories they burn; slipped into a wristband to monitor wrist tremors, it can even gauge quality of sleep. A base station connected to the Internet retrieves data wirelessly from the device and uploads it to the web. Online, users can measure calories consumed against calories burned, or compare their physical activity with that of friends and family.

Lamborghini Reventon Inspired by F-22 Raptor Fighter-Jet

The good news is that Lamborghini is building 20 of its F-22 Raptor fighter-jet-inspired Reventon supercars, each priced at an eye-popping $1.5 million. The bad news is, alas, they’re all sold, no doubt with a prearranged slot at the 2015 Barrett-Jackson auction. Investment potential, who needs gold bars? To justify its stratospheric sticker, the Reventon comes with a completely redesigned carbon-fiber body with more angles that a Picasso print. And while you’d think that after forking out $1.5 million you’d want the car painted lime green so everyone would notice; Lamborghini thinks otherwise. That’s why all 20 Reventons will come in a dull, flat stealthy shade of battleship gray. Climb aboard and the fighter jet association continues with 3-D liquid-crystal displays showing need-to-know info, such as lateral and accelerative g-forces.

List price: $1.5 million
Engine: 6.5-liter V-12
Horsepower: 650 hp @8,000 rpm
Torque: 487 lb-ft @ 6,000 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed e-gear sequential auto
0-60: 3.4 seconds
Top Speed: 205 mph
Weight: 3,670 pounds
Length: 185 inches
Tires: 245/35ZR-18 (front), 335/30ZR-18 (rear)

Cell Phone Jammer

This cool device jams any incoming cell phone signals within its range. Once activated, it creates a dead zone in which no mobile device associated with the protocols below can receive or send signals. This particular device has a range of 40 meters. It blocks out DMA, GSM, DCS, and G3 bands. While blocking the respective signals, it allows other wireless devices to function. You can get one of these for around $200.

HP TouchSmart IQ816

Thouch gets bigger! The TouchSmart IQ816 adds a modification to its prior model by enlarging itself from 22 inches to 25 inches along with 1080p resolution. With the integrated Blu-ray drive film buffs can kick back and watch high-definition movies and use HP’s slick touch interface to access music, pictures, videos, and more. The chic, piano black chassis, complete with ambient lighting, contains a 2.1-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a massive 750GB hard drive.