Gadgets Future

Who would’ve thunk? A month after Christmas, retail-priced Wiis are still pretty much sold out everywhere. And while ours sits in our entertainment center gathering dust, many others still only own Wiis in their hearts, hopes and dreams.

The moral of the story? Apparently those who scored a Wii in Gamestop’s Wii Raincheck offer weren’t so foolish for plunking down $250 upfront to receive their console one month later. Just as Alanis Morissette warned us back in the 90’s: you live, you learn. [i4u]

Posted Jan 27th 2008 11:33AM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Good news, everyone! According to reports, a US spy satellite which has lost power and propulsion is weeks or even months away from striking Earth. Officials say that the space junk — which can now no longer be controlled and could contain hazardous materials — is due to come smashing into some location on our planet’s surface, but they can’t really say where. “Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause,” said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the Nation Security Council. Government agencies are still considering options such as shooting down the stray equipment, though they say they’d be just as happy to let the potentially radioactive / alien-filled hunk of metal crash into a small village in a developing country.

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Who said you can’t reinvent the wheel? The omni directional wheels featured in the video below would make parallel parking a breeze.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXdvLGTW2nQ

Posted Jan 27th 2008 3:28PM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Are you a CEO hoping to “step it up,” “knock it out of the park,” and generally “take it to the bridge” — old-school style — but you can’t seem to work the magic? Well, BusinessWeek has got just the thing for you: a ten-point plan on how to deliver a presentation like our main man, Steve Jobs. Breaking it down from “set a theme” all the way to “rehearse, rehearse, rehearse,” the cats at BW lay out everything you need to know to shatter sales records, hike your stock, and innovate the hell out of a keynote. Of course, they don’t advise you on choice of outfits (we suggest jeans, sneakers, and a turtleneck), products to launch (how does iPhone 2 sound to you?), or how to properly execute a “Boom!” (”Boom!”) — but we’re pretty sure you can suss those details out on your own. If you want the full breakdown of tips and tricks, including how to properly appear excited about your own products, hit the read link ASAP. To help you along, we’ve included a clip of Jobs doing his thing after the break. Boom!

I’m still hesitant to shell out $399 for an iPhone, but Case-Mate’s Diamond Case makes me appreciate my frugality even more. Because, how could I rationalize spending $399 on my iPhone and then not protect it with a $20,000 case?

It’s handcrafted with 42 diamonds (3.5 carats) set in 18K gold; the diamonds are VVS1 clarity and H color. To protect the diamonds and gold is the Diamond Case, crafted of Carbon Fiber leather “previously available only in high end after-market cars (Techart Porsche) and very high end cell phones (Vertu).” As the site explains, quantities are “extremely limited.”

My favorite part? - the link on the site for “Customer Testimonials.” Um, yeah, there are none to date. But, if you submit yours, you’ll be entered into a contest to win a $25 gift certificate, which basically means that you can buy yourself a small meal after you drop the initial $20k.

I wonder . . . shipping included?

Price: $20,000 at casemate.com.

The SurfaceSound Compact may be simply another bluetooth car speakerphone on paper, but its interface and design has definitely grabbed our attention. The visor-mounted SurfaceSound connects to your phone after the microphone is pulled down into position. This simple, tactile method of activation is superior to the usual button press and would make speakerphone usage easier to become a habit.galleryPost(’bluetrekss’, 3, ”);

Though the $100 MSRP seems steep, it’s on par with other bluetooth devices at launch. The SurfaceSound Compact has a rechargeable battery rated for 15 hours of talk time or 22 days of standby, and features Bluetooth 1.2 connectivity. We just hope Bluetrek and Contour Design have paid equal attention to sound quality, as now we need devices like this to stay legal. [Product Page via iLounge]

Levitating Sports Concepts - Incredible Anti Gravity Sports Ball

Amazing anti-gravity sports objects float in mid-air! Computer-controlled levitation ? operates with ease Dynamic design looks great on a desk, mantle or in a den A must for the sports or tech enthusiast! An Incredible conversation piece

Technorati Tags: Toys 4 Boys

Mamiya Pistol camera is a half-frame 35mm camera. Only 250 pieces were made back in 1954 by Mamiya of Japan and in 1993 fist one was sold for $16,500. Now, second one is on eBay and is expected to fetch $25,000.

Link
VIA likecool
VIA tec.nologia

Posted Jan 27th 2008 9:48AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Laptops
You’d think there’d be a bit more excitement associated with the inclusion of Intel’s latest and greatest, but HP decided to take the quiet route with integrating Penryn into its Pavilion laptop lineup. The Pavilion dv2700t, dv6700t and dv9700t are all getting an Intel T9300 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo option, with a 6MB l2 cache and a purported 10% speed boost over last-gen Intel processors. Unfortunately, that mild speed boost comes at a $100 premium over the T7500, so you money might be better spent on RAM or a better graphics card — or you could just choose it all, the Engadget-approved method of speccing a laptop.

[Via NotebookReview]

Mathmos Thaw

You can have this for ?24.95