Gadgets 2008

I have no idea if the CamBall is the world’s smallest miniature digital video recorder, but seeing it next to the tiny pile of coins might actually convince me. Then again, I’ve seen spy cameras that are small enough to put them on pins. That is, I have seen them being used in movies. At least this one known as the CamBall is real.

The CamBall is able to record MPEG-4 video in 320 x 240 or 640 x 480 resolution. All data storage is possible via tiny SD card that is able to do about 8GB worth of memory, but I’m not sure what that translates to as far as the amount of time that is actually recorded.

You can even purchase another model that has an MP3 player built-in. The CamBall also comes with a case so it can be used underwater. I’m not certain if these balls mount on places, because I wouldn’t want them to roll over during an important surveillance operation.

Unfortunately, you can only get these CamBalls in Korea, and they will cost about $200. This just in. I have just discovered that the CamBall is actually the world’s largest camera, and that pile of coins that you see in front of it is actually a pile of silver manhole covers. Just kidding.

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by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Aug 6th 2008 at 10:17AM
That’s right, kids, T-Mobile launched 3G data in Vegas this morning. The 1700MHz AWS 3G network went live for phones that can hit the UMTS 3G data stream, and if your phone is one of those, you may want to look for the pretty little icon and start doing some Intertron browsing. T-Mobile still expects to hit another 20 markets this year (along with some new handsets), so if you’re not in Sin City, be patient — 3G is coming.

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Filed under: Cellphones

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 6th 2008 at 8:54AM
For the longest time, Luxeed’s eye-tingling keyboards were only available on the other side of the planet. Now, however, the Dynamic Pixel LED Keyboard is finally for sale on US soil. We’ll spare you the completely irrelevant Optimus Maximus links — after all, this thing only allows you to tweak the colors of each individual key — but those obsessed with lighting up their gaming area without using those boring incandescents will certainly find plenty to love. And yeah, the $199.99 (for the keyboard alone; the number pad attachment is another $34.99) price tag is way closer to “manageable” than that ‘board you really want.

[Thanks, Zarian]

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Filed under: Peripherals

It’s usually best for all parties involved that I don’t cook and sadly that even includes something as simple as grilling a hot dog.  It’s just not good.  I have a tendency to get distracted or take them off too soon in fear of me screwing it up if I leave them on much longer.  Yes I know, it’s really quite sad.  I tend to eat like the stereotypical bachelor, frozen dinners and Ramen noodles.  Well with this little gadget, I might manage to at least get an even burn on my hot dogs and actually add something new to my diet.

This little tool inspired by the Seven-11 cookers will rotate your hot dogs for you.  Then you can get those gas station style hot dogs without having to worry if it will land you with food poisoning.  Pretty sure they do leave those hot dogs there a month before they actually get rid of them.  Frankly, if I have never seen the workers eat one, I’m not touching it.  This will hold up to 5 hot dogs and is powered by 4 AA batteries.  To get one it will cost you $39.95.

Source: bookofjoe

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One of the world’s largest airlines, Delta Air Lines has announced that they will be outfitting all 330 plus of it’s US domestic airplanes with Wi-Fi access.  The plan is to have all planes outfitted by the summer of 2009, which should be plenty of time, especially considering the technology can be installed into a plane overnight.

The service will be known as GoGo, and will allow for internet and text messaging services inflight. 

Of course, GoGo won’t be free.  For flights less than three hours long, it will cost $9.95.  Flights longer than three hours will cost $12.95 for Wi-Fi access during the entire flight.

This might be useful for those with netbooks, iPhones or other small devices.  Opening a full sized laptop on a plane can be quite hard to do comfortably in economy class, especially when the guy in front of you leans back to take a nap on a cross-country flight.

Read [eWeek]

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by Thomas Ricker, posted Aug 6th 2008 at 5:46AM
Remember Orb Swarm, that merry band of rolling semi-autonomous spheres? Well, they’ve seen the open-source wizard and came back with a brain. In other words, they’ve gone autonomous, or mostly so as they are now capable of navigating within a pre-defined GPS course. Besides navigation, these orbs feature an embedded processor, accelerometer and ZigBee wireless communication all of which allow the rolling spheres to “flock , flirt, dance and interact,” say their creators. They’re set for release en masse onto the Burning Man playa at the end of this month where they’re sure to punish chemically-influenced revelers with a sense of panic suitable to the uprising. Check the video after the break for a taste if participating in pagan festivals celebrating experimental living is a bit beyond your sense of sheltered sensibility.

[Via Hack A Day and BotJunkie]

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Filed under: Robots

FROM GAMERTELL - ezGear’s gun accessory puts buttons in inconvenient places, making it more difficult than it’s worth. It also is the only one we’ve seent that requires batteries. Find out why…
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by Nilay Patel, posted Aug 6th 2008 at 4:01AMLogitech’s diNovo Edge has always been one of the sexiest Bluetooth keyboards around, with its circular-scrolling trackpad, orange-backlit keys, and slick dock / charging cradle, but Apple fans have been left out of the party — until now. Yep, there’s finally a Mac version of the Edge. Apart from some new OS X-centric key labels and driver software (sadly, it’s the same iffy Logitech Control Center that ships with the company’s mice), there’s not much new here — but the lower $159 price tag is certainly welcome. Should be shipping soon, we’re told.

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Filed under: Peripherals

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 6th 2008 at 6:37AM
As you’ve surely heard (and hopefully confirmed for yourself) by now, The Dark Knight is a runaway hit. So much so, in fact, that a number of manufacturers have figured it prudent to crank our hardware with the iconic Batman logo front and center. Next in line for admission on the bandwagon seems to be Microsoft, which apparently showed off a “limited edition” (read: likely one of a kind) Dark Knight Xbox 360 over in Taiwan. We know, you want the details — eventual release dates, a price, the works. Unfortunately for us all, we’re stuck with just that image above and hope for the future. Hey, at least you can let your imagination run wild.

[Via IGN]

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Filed under: Gaming

by Thomas Ricker, posted Aug 6th 2008 at 5:12AM
Eww. Clearly, the jaded, nicotine-stained Engadget editor in his big-boy trousers is not the target for the latest incarnation of the iriver Mplayer. While the 1GB innards remain unchanged, iriver has slathered the ¥14,800 (about $137) MP3 player in a healthy crust of Swarovski and silk to invoke the little girl trapped inside us all. Clap clap, bounce bounce, curtsy… a few more samples after the break.

[Via AVING]

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Filed under: Portable Audio