Gadgets Future

There are normal car adapters that transform one cigarette lighter into three, but this one features an extra detail that makes it stand out from the rest.

What feature is that? A simple USB port so you can recharge your ipod, or any other gadget that can be powered via USB. To make it a complete car adapter, it comes with a LED light, and in order to be portable, it is light and considerable small:

- Dimension: 115 x 49 x 32.7 mm
- Weight: 122g

The 3-in-1 Car Adapter with USB Port costs $12.

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It’s not a secret that some people like things to be simple. Because of this a lot of different simple devices were designed lately. Of course they are not as multifunctional as their counterparts, but are much cheaper and smaller. Bomi Kim following this trend has recently designed the simplest MP3 player.

His gadget doesn’t have even a name. It’s just referred to as the “Tactile mp3 player“. Why tactile? Simply because the 5 basic controls necessary to master your music are something like Braille, i.e. a system of writing for the blind consisting of raised dots that can be interpreted by touch. Thus, the main idea of this concept consists in the fact that you can control your music by simple touches. Given gadget is so small that it looks more like a usual button, so at first sight hardly someone would be able to understand that it’s a MP3 player. Device has a pretty slick exterior that resembles a dollop of shiny mercury. It has a single jack plug that is used both for headphones and USB cable as well. As for the price of this concept it’s not available yet, but it will be a moderate one, for sure.

To sum up this gadget represents quite a decent combination of simplicity and originality. As regards its disadvantages I wouldn’t say that there are some, except the lack of functionality. Moreover, those who decide to purchase this device will probably take this disadvantage for granted.

Related:

• Lobster - 5 in 1 multimedia gadget
• The most compact DVD player
• Music Jacket
• Teclast T50 PMP

If you’re looking to get a secure USB flash drive in the near future, then you need to check out an article by Ivan Schneider on TechWeb. The article lists 12 USB thumb drives the author considers safe for keeping data on. Details about each thumb drive are listed including storage capacity, casing, encryption type, special features included, speed, and price.

If I were looking for a good quality USB thumb drive, then this would be one article I would print out and bring with me to the store. Schneider does a great job of listing details for each thumb drive in addition to a simple summary describing pros and cons of each. This is a great guide–especially for someone not familiar with flash drives.

It is so easy to lose a flash drive due to its small size. That’s what makes securing that data extremely important. It’s also easy to assume that all flash drives are equal except for capacity. This article does a nice job of proving that is definitely not the case–especially when it comes to data security.

Read more from the TechWeb article.

With quite a bit of excitement about the recent release of the Cloudbook, Everex has also released another low-cost notebook. The VA1500V, and while its not an ultra-portable it is still is very nicely priced at just $399. The VA1500V features a 15.4-inch display with a 1440 x 900 resolution, 512MB RAM, a 60GB hard drive, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, a DVD/CD-RW combo drive and weighs in at 5.3 pounds. Also included is a full range of ports to include an Ethernet jack, three USB ports, VGA out along with microphone and headphone jacks. One item that seems strangely left off is a card reader, which is found on the Cloudbook. With the VA1500V looking sort of like the big brother to the Cloudbook, it is also running the Linux-based gOS V2, but for $399 I am not sure what else you would expect. The VA1500V is currently available at online retailer NewEgg.

Product [NewEgg] Via [Laptoping]

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Posted Mar 4th 2008 10:10AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: GPS
If you thought Garmin had exhausted all possible options at CES, you thought wrong. Here at CeBIT, the outfit has rolled out four new navigators for your routing pleasure, starting with the nüvi 205 (3.5-inch) and 205W (4.3-inch). These siblings both feature a 333MHz processor, Garmin’s own HotFix technology to get your position on the double, the famed “Where Am I?” feature and the ability to snatch traffic information via MSN Direct when used with an optional receiver. Additionally, these two are set to include map choices such as the contiguous United States, Canada or regional sections of Europe. As for the higher-end 255 and 255W (pictured), they’ll be all too similar save for the maps, which promise “comprehensive coverage of North America, Europe, Australia or New Zealand.” For pricing and availability information, click on after the jump.

[Via GPSReview]

Pricing / Availability:

Garmin nüvi 205: $213.32 / Q2 2008
Garmin nüvi 205W: $266.66 / Q2 2008
Garmin nüvi 255: $319.99 / Q2 2008
Garmin nüvi 255W: $373.32 / Q2 2008

Navigon has released the 8110 GPS navigation system at CeBIT ‘08, bringing the following specifications to the fore :-

• 4.8″ WQVGA display
• Full 3D maps
• 533MHz processor
• 512MB ROM
• 128MB RAM
• SD memory card slot
• TMC Pro support

The Navigon 8110 is tipped for a European release at the end of April for €449, and the company has remained silent on a US release.

While it’s appearance may fool you, the Oasis Media Player will never be able to make a call, even if your life depended on it. Below it’s phone-like facade, it is only a portable media player with features that aren’t exactly ground breaking. With 2GB of onboard memory, it can be bumped up to 4GB via a miniSD card, the portable player supports the usual array of music and video formats with an FM radio and a five-mode equalizer thrown in for good measure. The smallish 2-inch TFT screen can display lyrics to the currently playing song while you are not watching movies or viewing your personal pictures on the go. The Oasis Media Player may not be able replace your ipod Touch or Zune any time soon, but at a throwaway price of $49, we are not really complaining.

Read [ChipChick] Via [UberGizmo]

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Posted Mar 4th 2008 8:32AM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Gaming
Man, remember when the Dreamcast was all the rage, but no one actually had one, so you could only play on in-store demo units while fending off enraged Software, Etc. employees? No? Trust us, it was quite the thrill, especially topped off with some rockin’ TCBY and maybe a pensive moment at the back of Spencer Gifts — and now you can relive it all in the comfort of your own home, here in the future. Yep, a working Dreamcast demo station has just popped up on eBay, for the shockingly low current price of £230 ($456), although you’ll have to be in the UK to pick it up (or be really, really dedicated to Sega). The Dreamcast is actually eminently hackable and still has quite a following, so you’re well on your way to impressing your friends high-school style. Just try to not revive those raver pants while you’re at it, slick.

[Thanks, Dan]

Samsung has just announced its G400 clamshell handset at CeBIT, making it the latest dual screen model of its kind from the Korean phone manufacturer. It is somewhat a spiritual successor to the ‘Soul’, featuring a premium exterior, a high gloss metallic finish and a hairline texture that will definitely attract envious stares no matter where you go. You can also choose from a series of GUIs, depending on your personality. The Samsung G400 will hit Europe this June at a yet undisclosed price. Features include :-

• 2.2″ TFT LCD internal display
• 2.22″ external full touch screen display
• Integrated FM radio and music player
• Built-in 5 megapixel camera with automatic face detection, image stabilization, and Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) functionality
• 7.2Mbps HSDPA connectivity

Looks like the Wii’s functionality in Japan is certainly much higher than those outside of the Land of the Rising Sun. Nintendo Japan has just released a new software known as TV NO TOMO, and this interactive TV guide allows you to check on upcoming TV programs as well as bookmark them. Whenever a program starts, you will be sent an email alert, allowing you to control the TV via the remote. This software is currently a Japan only exclusive, although it does not come attached with any price tag.