Gadgets Future

Alright, starting April 7, you will be able to get a Volvo C30 with one of those 20 patterns. That’s only if you’re living in Sweden. Check out more of the patterns after the break.
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Nokia 2680 slide makes history by being Nokia’s first slider phone for the entry-level market. Along with the Nokia 5000, the Nokia 2680 slide was presented during the Growing Together 2008 conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. The phone focuses on its music features and internet access. The model is a slim digital camera phone, equipped with a music player with FM radio capability, MP3 ringtone feature, and an expanded phone book. The low end Nokia 2680 slide cell phone will be available starting this second quarter of 2008 with a MSRP of $118.
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I don’t know if you ever notice our “categories” for Coolest gadgets, but many of them are pretty descriptive. One of them is “Cool Clocks”, and when I saw the Bulbdial clock, I knew I just had to write about it under that category.

As you can see, the Bulbidal is an electric clock that thinks it is a sundial. Instead of using the natural energy of the sun, it uses miniature streetlights that spin around the post. There is an hour hand, a minute hand, and a fast moving second hand. All these combine to give you a time that is a lot more accurate than your everyday sundial.

This design was created by a DIY creator/blogger David on Ironic Sans. He says that it can be used horizontally, like on a table, or vertically on a wall. The biggest irony is that the Bulbdial clock won’t work in the sun, because the sunlight will outshine the electric lights.

I don’t know about you, but I can think of some other uses for this device, other than a clock. For example, a player for old school LPs. I mean, look at it, it has a post right in the center. Make it spin and give it an arm with a needle, and you’ll be playing all your pre-80’s hits.

I can also think of another unconventional use: a cat toy. Any cat owner who dares to place this on a table will find that their tabby will be mesmerized and will undoubtedly be pawing the little lights like a catnip mouse.

No word if this one is becoming a reality, but I personally think it is quite aesthetically pleasing.

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Here is another offering from the CTIA Wireless 2008. The Alcatel Playboy-branded handset OT-V770A is available in Pink, Gold, or Silver metallic trim. Alcatel’s latest handset supports 1.3 megapixel camera, 10MB onboard memory and media player. Delivering full-screen video playback the cell phone has microSD card slot for extendable memory. Sporting Playboy logo, the headset comes with metallic rear-panel.
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This belt not only helps keep your pants up, but your spirit as well. Using polyurethane leather, the buckle boasts a headphone port that allows you to listen to your iPod nano just about anywhere you go. After all, with the ipod nano tucked away safely inside the buckle itself, it makes it all the harder for someone to nick it. The iPod nano belt retails for $33.99 a pop. I’d strongly recommend you removing your headphones before you drop your pants, lest you want the earbuds to unceremoniously make a hasty exit from your ears down to the floor.
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Dart Coat Hooks
These stainless steel lovelies, straight from the design stable of Anthony Crisp meld together both retro styling and innovative construction in one oh-so-clever fusion.

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This funky map shows the best 3G and voice network around the country according to Neilson survey.  Where does your major metro area rank?  You’d think the big cities would at least be in the top five right?  Nope.

Indeed, it seems the bulk of city dwellers in the nations largest cities suffer with subpar speed and access.  Florida is looking pretty good for phone service while good data is spread out.  Anyone planning on using this data to plan your next move?

Cities with top ten voice networks averaged a 99.2% successful call rate; on average, 0.3% of all calls in these cities were dropped. Among the cities with top ranked 3G data networks, the average download speed for a 4 megabyte (MB) file was 727 kbps—an increase of more than 100 kbps over the top market average measured during the second half of 2006. Nielsen defines a “successful call” as one established and maintained for at least two minutes.

Read: [gigaom]

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Dart Coat Hooks
These stainless steel lovelies, straight from the design stable of Anthony Crisp meld together both retro styling and innovative construction in one oh-so-clever fusion.

See price

Flickrer George has posted details of a clever project, wherein he turns an ordinary 32oz styrofoam cup into a ring flash. It’s as ingenious as it is simple: The large end of the cup is cut off and flipped, then re-glued to form a collector for the camera’s built-in flash.

It’s designed to be used for macro photography: there’s too much light-spill for regular shots, but the results when combined with an add-on Raynox close-up adapter are stunning in themselves, before you even consider the simplicity of this hack. Check ‘em out.

CCRRFD-RNX Magnum - “How To Make It” [Flickr via Make]

Picture: [George/Flickr]

PicooZ

You can have this for ?19.95