Cool Gizmos – Gizmora

The au naturel look in technology design has given us computer equipment, digital photo frames and even LCD TVs made of wood. But oddly enough we haven’t seen too many wooden handheld devices, by comparison.
      Olympus apparently wants to rectify this situation with a camera that sports a casing made entirely of wood. Gadgetizer even includes a YouTube video that explains part of the crafting process, though the camera isn’t available for purchase yet.
      We’re not sure if we would buy this particular model anyway, but we do like the look of finished wood over other natural materials used in some recent products, such as stone

The Archos 604 has been reviewed at great lengths by many other websites, so I will not go into great detail into how to operate the player. I will almost strictly give my opinions. I guess you may consider this a mini-review. It will be along the lines of Austin’s fifth generation iPod review.
      The 604 represents Archos’s fourth generation of PMPs. Made of industrial-looking metal and plastic, the Archos 604 stands out from the the crowd. You either like the looks or you hate them. Personally, I love the look. The sharp angles are a welcome chance. The controls and external speaker are on the right-hand side. The controls do look a little busy up-close when you see that each button has two different functions; however, from a glance, I think they look just fine.
 

      The Nodus PSP Sound System is an officially licensed product of Sony PlayStation, and it recently became available online and in stores nationwide. According to the information I was sent, “Nodus speakers are driven by Sonic Impact’s award winning Class T- Amp Technology. The speakers use both digital and analog signal processing to maximize all frequencies and to rock the house. This premier audio accessory comes conveniently packaged to hold the PSP device in a single, sleek cabinet design that allows the PSP battery to recharge while docked in the Nodus.”
     According to the Psyclone Gamer site, the Nodus allows you to “Get unbelievable sound from your PlayStation Portable ™ System.” They say the system is “Completely better than the rest, there is no competition when it comes to filling a room with crisp clear audio.” Truth or hyperbole…let’s find out.

      This is a card reader and it is a MP3 Player. It supports SD/MMC/Mini SD card. It can share the memory with your digital camera, or maybe your mobile phone. Above all, it is cost effective solution for your mobile life. It is available in different storage capacities like 0/64/128/256/512 MB or 1GB..
     Weighing in at 25 grams with no battery means that this MP3 player is so light, you may forget you are carrying it! With a single AAA battery, you can get up to 10 hours of continuous music playback. This can be a problem for those of you who want to recharge your player, and never buy batteries. The other main problem I found was that there was no support listed for operating systems, other than Windows.

     Stockholm-based firm Ericsson recently got approval from New York’s taxi commission to place mobile sensors in the trunks of at least 50 cabs in an attempt to better map dead zones in mobile phone networks. Fox News reports.
     “The small devices, about the size of a computer modem, will automatically feed information about signal strength and clarity to engineers.
     Because taxis in New York are on the road all day and all night, and ostensibly travel into every corner of the city, company executives said they are a cheap way of covering vast amounts of territory with limited effort.
     Similar programs have been launched in several other cities since the 1990s using a variety of vehicles, but this is the first time it will be done in New York, the company said.”

     Apple Computer released new information about its allocation of stock options on Friday, defending Chief Executive Steve Jobs following speculation that a key document had been forged.
     In its delayed annual report, published early on Friday, Apple said it would restate its financial results for the last three years and also take a charge of $84 million.
     Apple also said that while Jobs was “aware (of) or recommended the selection of some favorable grant dates, he did not receive or financially benefit from these grants or appreciate the accounting implications.”

     As if its options woes weren’t trouble enough, Apple Computer Inc. said Friday it is facing several federal lawsuits, including one alleging the company created an illegal monopoly by tying iTunes music and video sales to its market-leading iPod portable players.
     The case, filed July 21, is over Apple’s use of a copy-protection system that generally prevents iTunes music and video from playing on rival players. Likewise, songs purchased elsewhere aren’t easily playable on iPods.
     The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages and other relief. The court denied Apple’s motion to dismiss the complaint on Dec. 20.
     Another lawsuit, filed Nov. 7, alleges that the logic board of Apple’s iBook G4 fails at an abnormally high rate. The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages. In a filing with the  Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple said its response to the complaint is not yet due.

     Microwaves are tricky beasts. It’s a nuisance to check, reheat, check, reheat, etc., and over-nuking isn’t the greatest outcome either. These heat-sensitive spoons respond to a tasty temperature of 120 F by changing colors. Just nuke, peek, mix, and enjoi!
     Attention cooks on the go & cooks at the office! These 3 colorful spoons are meant for microwave meal preparations only. Plastic spoons change color at (120 F) when food is hot. Simply heat, stir & serve
Heat-sensitive spoons

      If you haven’t yet succumbed to the Apple iPod shuffle, then you might be interested in taking a look at another flash-based MP3 player that not only costs less, it can be configured to carry significantly more music for the same amount of money. I’m talking about the Brando USB MP3 Player + SD/MMC Card Reader, a device which shares one major trait with the shuffle – no LCD screen.
      No, the Brando version doesn’t have a stylish aluminum skin, and it doesn’t come with a cute Lilliputian dock, but the it does have a slot which can accept SD or MMC cards, and it can plug directly into a USB port to serve as a portable hard drive.
      Considering that a 2GB SD card can be purchased for under $25, and 4GB SD cards are available for a little more than $50, adding the $15 this device costs to the total means that you could easily tote around 4 times the amount of tunes the shuffle can carry without spending a penny more…

      The Hero Waterproof Digital Wrist Camera. With 32MB of memory offering 360 photos we instantly realise that this is no way a high resolution camera, but hey any kind of image at 30 feet down must be interesting right? Y’see, it’s the day after Boxing Day and I’m still suffused with a gently contended glow, so mediocre products have some leeway with me. 
      So all you need to know is that the Digital Hero Waterproof Wrist Camera weighs less than 12 ounces, is both shockproof and waterproof (obviously) with auto-exposure and timer. For some reason it also includes a self-timer. Hmm…not quite sure how that’s supposed to work down in the deeps. $79.95…