Archive for September, 2006
Dell starts up their free recycling program
Posted by in Cool Gadgets on September 30, 2006
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Announced back in June, Dell’s new free recycling program is now live, meaning you can recycle any Dell product at no cost to you, without any of those pesky requirements to buy a new Dell machine in the process. All you’ve gotta do is head on over to their site, print out your free shipping voucher, pack and ship your obsolete Dell product and then throw a little environmentally-friendly party for your environmentally-friendly bad self. We can’t say even a program like this could get Apple off the Greenpeace naughty list, but it seems worth a shot — Dell’s just making y’all look bad.
[Via Slashdot]
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Venturi’s Eclectic solar / wind-powered car
Posted by in Cool Gadgets on September 30, 2006
Filed under: Transportation
Forget biodiesel and fuel cell-powered vehicles, how about a whip that doesn’t require any fuel whatsoever? The Venturi Eclectic, touted as an “autonomous energy vehicle,” gets its charge from wind gusts and 8.2 square feet of solar cells atop its roof. The four-person ride boasts a 22-horsepower purely electric engine, is powered by liquid-cooled NiMH batteries, and can reach a (yawn-inducing) top-end speed of nearly 32mph. While it’s no Wrightspeed X1, the designers had “daily driver” in mind when the Ecletic was crafted, but considering it’ll only roll 31 miles on a full charge, you best take the scenic (read: sunny) route to work if you’re facing a long commute. The car does sport an option to recharge via AC power, should you face darker (and calmer) than expected conditions, but since it weighs just 772 pounds, a foursome shouldn’t have too much trouble using the tried and true “push method” if worse comes to worst. Scheduled for production in June 2007, this oh-so-green automombile will run you €24,000 ($30,511) — if you can manage to score one of the 200 that’ll be built, that is.
[Via MobileMag]
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Shenzhen Adragon Digitek offers up MP4-playing watch
Posted by in Cool Gadgets on September 30, 2006
Filed under: Portable Video, Wearables
If you’re more interested in keeping a certain amount of full motion video strapped on your wrist than an actual clock (or breathalyzer, even), Shenzhen Adragon Digitek’s MP4 watch provides the diversion you’ve been looking for. Similar in utility to Aigo’s F209, Shenzhen’s rendition provides a slightly less repulsive color scheme, and promises a very respectable nine hours of playback time. Reportedly sporting a snazzy color display, MP4 support, line-in capabilities, five EQ settings, and USB 2.0 connectivity, the timepiece can presumably provide a bit of underwater entertainment as well as it touts a “water / shockproof” enclosure. While details concerning the storage capacity, screen resolution, and pricing are MIA, the company is currently seeking firms to OEM the watch (any VCs in attendance?), so you might want to lookelsewhere if you don’t have time (ahem) to wait around.
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FCC find: Novatel U720 USB EV-DO modem for Sprint
Posted by in Cool Gadgets on September 30, 2006
Filed under: Wireless

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Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Video
Posted by in Cool Gadgets on September 30, 2006
You may remember Gimodo’s worldwide exclusive at NEXTFEST where bloggers were hugging/fondling spaceships while reporting on Virgin’s new SpaceShipTwo.
Here’s a video from the event, including Virgin’s video simulation, an interview with the VP of Virgin Galactic marketing and some shots of the cabin interior. There’s a pretty strong emo feel to it all, so make sure you watch it with the blinds wide and the windows shining with sunlight.
Thanks Nathan!
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CE-Oh no he didn’t! Part XIII – Kutaragi sez Sony doesn’t care about PS3 rivals
Posted by in Cool Gadgets on September 30, 2006
Filed under: Gaming
When asked the other day whether Sony’s rivals will outstrip the PS3, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi merely replied: “We do not care.” Closely echoing the sentiments of David Reeves of Sony Europe, this really explains so much about this product. We just wish we’d known sooner so we hadn’t given them as much flack about it — who knew they weren’t playing to win? Strangely enough, Kutaragi fessed up to problems with production in the same interview, saying “Right now, it is an issue, because we can’t manufacture enough blue laser diodes for our PlayStation 3s. But we will resolve that.” No hurry though, right? It’s not like those rivals of yours are going to do something like steal valuable market share in the meantime, or pricing their consoles competitively or anything crazy like that.
[Via Joystiq]
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Japanese Retailers: Wii Wish You a Merry Xmas
Posted by in Cool Gadgets on September 30, 2006

Our “aren’t we cool because we don’t snort whipped cream” friends at Kotaku posted that Famitsu (video game magazine) polled major Japanese retailers about the market this holiday season. Here are the results:
1. Which next gen console will, in your opinion, sell better during Christmas?
88% – Wii
11% – PS3
2. With all hardware considered, which console do you expect to sell best after Christmas?
60.7% – Nintendo DS
32.8% – Wii
3.3% – PS2
1.6% – PS3
1.6% – Xbox 360
Looks like Sony PS3 sales will be right up there with Scony PS3 sales this holiday season.
[Kotaku]
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New CBS Show: Genius Bar
Posted by in Cool Gadgets on September 30, 2006

Yes, the Genius Bar pilot is being created by the two producers of That 70’s Show. And the original concept was by Krishnan Menon, the brains behind many Apple marketing campaigns, so it is “that” genius bar CBS is referring to.
Gizmodo has an exclusive excerpt of their script:
“Hey, welcome to Pear.”
“Thanks. Heard you guys think alternatively around here.”
“We sure do.”
“Is that why you’re wearing bellbottoms with a black mock turtle?”
Genius Bar looks to be at least 50% funnier than previous shows on CBS and each episode plays back up to 3 continuous weeks of canned laughter. Look for spinoff Genius Bar: Miami 6 months following the pilot.
[TV Squad]
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Nokia has a WiFi video streaming device in the works?
Posted by in Cool Gadgets on September 30, 2006
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Portable Video
As a natural followup to their Wireless Audio Gateway AD-42W (pictured), it looks like Nokia might be getting into the video streaming game with a new WiFi device for streaming video from your phone. The rumor comes courtesy of T3, and deets are slim, but we’re sure Nokia can figure out some nifty functionality for such a device if it does turn out to be real. We’d love to see such a unit act as a DVR and prep videos for your phone, but blurry and pointless camphone vids streamed from your Nokia onto the big screen will be nice too. We’re not quite sure we’d be naming this thing a direct iTV competitor, but between this, a Slingbox, a Media Extender, an iPod video loader and an iTV, our TV setup is starting to look more device-laden than our desktop, so we’re thinking something’s gotta give.
[Via atmaspheric]
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NTT DoCoMo unveils portable 3D display
Posted by in Cool Gadgets on September 30, 2006
Filed under: Displays
NTT DoCoMo is looking to unveil a svelte 3D portable display system at the upcoming CEATEC in Japan, but unlike the traditionally uninspiring three-dimensional products we’ve seen (and even the not-so-gimmicky variety), DoCoMo’s device operates sans the red-tinted glasses. Working in conjunction with associate professor Yasuhiro Takagi of the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, the megacorporation has developed a 7-inch “3D display system” that makes images and video appear as if it’s “leaping out from the screen.” This rendition also allows viewers to experience the illusions from angles other than front and center, as onlookers can view the action within a 60-degree horizontal angle or 30-degree vertical angle without losing the wow-factor. An embedded camera senses the position of the viewer(s), and then intelligently beams the images through its lenticular (single-convex) lens attached to the front of the screen. While no word on pricing or availability outside of the CEATEC expo has been given, we can definitely envision this becoming an excellent tool to keep those mischeveous kids occupied for hours, but us grown folk will probably just hold out for the 110-inch version.
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