Gadgets Future

Shock Bug Zappa

Anyone for a game of squash? Squash and sizzle that is! When the sun makes an appearance in Britain it’s a big occasion ? we’re so used to gray days and freezing temperatures that the minute it gets above 16? we’re out in our deck chairs and boxer shorts determined to soak up some warmth. So what if every other self-respecting European is donning a cardigan ? they don’t spend nine months of the year wrapped from head to toe like the Michelin man. It doesn’t seem fair then, that along with the sunshine, comes a whole host of flying creepy crawlies set out to ruin our enjoyment of the rays.Never fear though ? we’re a resourceful race and we’re determined not to be beaten by a bunch of bugs. Enter the Shock Bug Zappa. Sorry little creatures ? we know that you too are part of the food chain but unfortunately you’re way, way down the pecking order and you simply can’t compete with our innovative greatness! Not only are we going to destroy you but we’re going to have fun doing it… evil snigger! The Shock Bug Zappa is shaped like a squash racket but with a slightly larger head to give you more surface area for making contact with your prey. Basically you just turn it on and swish it about and when the fine mesh face comes into contact with a bug it zaps it with an electric shock. Smaller bugs are instantly frazzled whereas larger ones may just be stunned, (you can choose how you want to dispose of them according to your conscience). Effective and, (sorry but we’re duty bound to tell the truth), really, really, funny. 2 x AA Batteries (Not Included)Do not touch the wire net for 10 seconds after use as it will still be live. Do not hit people, or animals, with the racket. Not suitable for anyone under 10yrs of age.

You could say that the upcoming HTC Touch Diamond is the crown jewel from HTC’s camp, featuring delicious specifications as shown below :-

• 2.8″ VGA display
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
• GPS navigation
• Integrated FM tuner
• Quad-band HSDPA 7.2
• 4GB internal flash memory
• microSD memory card slot
• 528MHz processor
• 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus

No idea on whether it will come with a QWERTY keyboard or not, but this looks set to be another highly desirable piece of electronics to own. Sigh - if only I made more money.

After slowly expanding its domestic iPhone Developer Program over the past couple of months, Apple is finally starting to show a little love to international developers, too. According to TUAW, the company began sending out a handful acceptance letters to third-party developers in both the U.K. and Norway on Monday.

A quick visit to the iphone DevCenter reveals that Apple still has the disclaimer about “having many more requests than [it] can serve,” but a screenshot of the international enrollment process actually suggests the program is now (unofficially) open to developers in 28 countries.

During Apple’s fiscal Q2 earnings call last April, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer said the company had signed up a total of 200,000 developers so far for its iPhone Software SDK, adding that more than one-third of Fortune 500 companies were also actively developing software for the iPhone and ipod Touch. With the official launch of the iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store still scheduled for late June, it looks like iPhone users here in the U.S. and abroad will have a healthy number of apps to choose from.

[TUAW]

Golf is supposed to be a game of quiet calculation, merging both brain and brawn to execute the perfect swing. Forget about all you’ve learned with the Golf Ball Launcher - designed by Air Force Golf, this air-gun-turned-golf-rifle has a working range of up to 300 yards and will set you back by $795. Meant for folks who suffer from physical disabilities and yet want to play a few rounds at the local course, I believe the Golf Ball Launcher will also find its fair share of fans who are perfectly able to walk the entire course. Not all courses approve the Golf Ball Launcher yet, but for the weaker players this will be a heaven-sent gizmo on the greens.

If you’re a gaming addict and have both a PS2 and a PS3 console, including a bunch of controllers (like guitars and gamepads) for the PS2 and now you’re bummed you have to buy new ones for your PS3, have a look at this Universal PS2 to PS3 Converter.

Plug your PS2 controller into this device and then the device into your PS3, and now you’re ready to rock out with Rock Band and any Guitar Hero game.

Gimme!
More info from the manufacturer

Price: $19.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is
correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Posted in Miscellaneous

It sounds like a re-launch; an open letter this week on the Amazon.com website from founder/CEO Jeff Bezos announcing that his Kindle book reader is “in stock and ready for immediate shipment.”
Never mind that the electronic, wireless reader was actually ready to ship in November 2007, garnering headlines at the time in all the major national daily newspapers and the cover of Time Magazine. Bezos’ big bet on e-reading sells for $399, weighs just over 10 ounces, is as wide as a trade paperback and uses cell phone networks to wirelessly download books, magazines, newspapers and blogs from Amazon’s library. But it’s been as difficult to find as a Cormac McCarthy novel with a happy ending; Bezos’ letter explains Amazon couldn’t keep the device in stock after selling out initial shipments in the first five-and-a-half hours of release.

So Bezos and Amazon wanted to make sure that customers know he’s been working with manufacturers and suppliers to ramp up production and now, it appears, mass orders can be filled. There’s also an update on how much content is now available for the Kindle: more than 115,000 of the aforementioned books, magazines, etc.

The letter, which includes a link to Bezos’ note to shareholders, is an unusual step that risks negative PR for such a big product gamble by the leading e-commerce company - especially when there are no hard sales numbers accompanying the note - but Bezos clearly is rolling the dice that the consumer will appreciate the corporate candor. In that respect, it falls in line with Bezos’ oft-stated philosophy of putting customer service first; think back to Amazon’s efforts in the late 90s-early 00’s to get its Christmas shipping issues fixed. Certainly this all indicates widespread pent-up demand and revenue waiting to be tapped, but there have been a lot of negative economic headlines flashing across those Kindle screens since last November. Many customers might have other things to do with their $399, like buy gas, rice…or a playstation 3 for playing Grand Theft Auto IV.

Read [Amazon.com]

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When I was a kid I loved watches. For years I wanted one that was both waterproof and had a button which would light up the face. I found out later that there weren’t actually all that many situations where a waterproof watch came in handy for me, but it was still cool nonetheless. What I didn’t understand back then is that the watches weren’t really waterproof, because if you attempted to engage the chronograph, water would seep in. If you’re one that is concerned about such an issue, you’ll be happy to hear that watchmaker Breitling has solved this issue.

This Seawolf Chrono achieves true waterproof status by using strategically placed magnets where your button are. When you press one of the buttons, it will activate another magnet on the inside to create the desired response. This prevents water from ever being allowed inside the watch. I still don’t think that I’ll ever have much of a use for something this fancy, but perhaps some of you divers out there would enjoy it.

Source: CrunchGear

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We know HTC’s got a big announcement coming this Tuesday, and while we can’t say for sure it’s going to the Touch Diamond, if today’s leaked images and specs are at all accurate we think they might have something big on their hands. Check it out:

* 2.8-inch VGA display
* WinMo 6.1 Pro
* WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0
* eGPS, FM tuner
* Quad-band HSDPA 7.2
* 4GB internal flash, microSD slot
* 528MHz CPU
* 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus
* 10.7mm (0.47-inches) thick
* Supposedly also features an orientation sensor / accelerometer

Whether it’s got a QWERTY keyboard could still be up for grabs, especially since that configuration might belong to the CDMA-based Raphael. Still, the it makes sense HTC wouldn’t want the XPERIA X1 they made for Sony Ericsson to be their best engineered device on the market for long. We’ll be watching this one closely.
[ Source ]