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Latest Gear Live Videos
Windows Mobile 7 leaked: Microsoft’s mobile savior?
Posted by Sparky Categories: Smartphones, CES, CES 2008, Design, Handhelds, Portable Audio / Video,
The Inside Microsoft blog has scored an exclusive first look at Windows Mobile 7, and boy is it hot. Taking some user interface cues from the iPhone as well as throwing some truely unique and possibly revolutionary ideas the whole package looks slick, usable, and very much ‘the future’. The OS features a multi-touch interface similar to the Microsoft Surface table, and additionally features gesture based actions allowing a user to shake or rotate the phone to perform on-screen operations.
Windows Mobile 7 looks to be leaps and bounds ahead of the currently released Windows Mobile 6 and 6.1 OS’s. This kind of software revolution may just be the edge Microsoft needs to keep their market share in the mobile space and help give them an edge in the upcoming generation of portable internet and media centric devices.
Read More 
| Inside Microsoft
Gallery: Windows Mobile 7 leaked: Microsoft’s mobile savior?
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Shades of Jeff Goldblum! Engineer Robert Wood has been working on a robotic fly since the late 90’s. After studying houseflies, bees, and fruit flies, he and his team created a layered composite that bends when electricity hits it, creating a micro-scale gearbox hooked to the wings. While the mass of a fly’s wings was figured to be 80 watts per kilo, this design produced more than 400W.
The Department of Defense liked his idea so much that they funded him, hoping the technology will be used for such applications as lost miners and military spying. Wood claims that he is only a third of the way there, as the next steps are to create an “on-board” power source and then teach the little buggers to fly en masse.
Read More | Harvard Magazine
Gallery: Don’t Swat This Fly
For those who like their clocks to do more than tell time but can�t handle cuckoos or annoying chimes, Chinavasion offers the Time Cube Desk Clock. Triangular sections rotate around a central line to divulge seconds, minutes, and hours. After 12 hours, it begins the process again. At a size 96 x 96 x 96 mm, it uses 1 AA battery. You can order online for a price of $11.82 and, after getting it home, spend the next two days in geometric bliss.
Gallery: Clock Rotates in Time
Samsung to Unveil Larger AMOLED Display
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: CES, Corporate News, Design, HDTV, Home Entertainment,
Samsung has developed a 31-inch AMOLED (active-matrix organic light emitting diode) screen, their largest thus far. When electricity is applied to organic materials, it creates clearer and brighter images than in LCDs and PDPs. Although the company has been playing around with the technology for a while now and released a smaller version in October 2006, they will probably be showing of their new offspring at this month’s CES. We expect Samsung not to be the last company to explore the possibilities.
Read More | Far East Gizmos
Gallery: Samsung to Unveil Larger AMOLED Display
Sanrio Targets Male Customer Base
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Wearables, Corporate News, Design, Misc. Tech,
Say it ain’t so! In one of the last bastions of all things fem, Sanrio has found it fitting to create Hello Kitty products for young men after a Limited Edition collection proved popular. Included in the assortment will be t-shirts, watches, bags, and other articles in decidedly masculine shades of black and blue. No matter what the color, Sanrio seems confident that it will sell in Japan next month and not long after in other Asian countries and the U.S. Even with its slightly revamped image, you still have to be comfortable with yourself to wear one of these items, male or female.
Read More | ABC News
Gallery: Sanrio Targets Male Customer Base
Sylvain Calinon of LASA (Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory,) has been working with robotics for quite some time. One of the results is the Hoap 3 that can create a portrait and sign it.
“When the robot recognizes a face in its field of view, it first grabs a snapshot of the face and extracts the relevant features and contours characterizing it. The robot then grabs a pen and starts drawing the user’s portrait, starting from the rough contours and adding details iteratively,” Calinon said.
While it a charming thing to watch, somehow it doesn’t have the same appeal as local artists who appreciate onlookers.
Read More | Bot Junkie
Gallery: Hoap is Portrait Artist
Feel the Music—Literally—with OUTI Headphones
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Accessories, Design, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
We love innovations in headphones that help prevent hearing loss, such as the iHearSafe headphones for kids. For adults, here’s an interesting concept from Zelco. OUTI headphones clip to your earlobes and transmit audio via your skin and cartilage, instead of directly into your ear! The pros? Reduced hearing loss (if any) and you can carry a conversation while still listening to your tunes. Last, but certainly not least, the headphones produce a “bass sensation” that allows you to feel your music throughout your body! Cool! The downside? Everyone else will be able to hear your music. We think that’s a pretty fair trade-off. Available for $110 USD.
Read More | Zelco via Popular Mechanics
Gallery: Feel the Music—Literally—with OUTI Headphones
The Water-Resistant Teardrop-Shaped MP3 Speaker
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Accessories, Design, Smart Home, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
There are already a number of water-resistant MP3 docks and speakers out there. But this is the coolest-looking one we’ve seen in quite awhile. It’s the TearDrop iPod Water-Resistant Bathroom Speaker. Shaped as…yep…a teardrop, the speaker holds any MP3 player smaller than 2.55W” x 4.17H” x .78D” (or, in iPod-speak, the nano or shuffle). Futuristic-yet-mod-looking for all-around coolness, and there’s a built-in headphone jack for personal use. Plus, the speaker is battery-operated, so you can show it off outdoors. Unfortunately, the website doesn’t indicate which type of battery, or how many. Available in 3 colors, for $58 USD.
Read More | MollaSpace via ChipChick
Gallery: The Water-Resistant Teardrop-Shaped MP3 Speaker
The Diskette Handbag Provides Storage in a Whole New Way
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Accessories, Wearables, Design,
While not Yankees vs. Red Sox proportions (yet), readers of this website may have noticed a war is raging between the Floppy Diskette and the Circuit Board for retro-chic domination. There are Diskette notepads and pen/pencil holders, while the Circuit Board has countered with a photo album, Christmas ornaments, cigar holder and more. Now the Diskette has struck back, this time with a tote bag for the ladies. It’s made of black vinyl covered with 12 floppies, contains lots of pockets for your gadgetry, and measures 7.4x10.6x4.5”. Perfect for that IT-lovin’ lady in your life. We can’t wait to see what the Circuit Board comes up with next. Available for $55 USD.
Read More | Fractalspin
Gallery: The Diskette Handbag Provides Storage in a Whole New Way
Kwout has come up with a way to embed a quote into your blog or website (including Flickr and Tumblr) with one click. Simply type an URL onto the home page and click their bookmarklet. Drag your mouse around the area to take the quote from, select color, size and shape, and click the “Cut Out” button. You then receive the quote with hyperlinks and the embed code. It really is quite easy, once you get the hang of moving around your mouse. Others can take your quote and post it on their website as well.
Read More | kwout
