Gadgets 2008

This news has excited both the chocoholic and the egomaniac in me: you can now personalize M&Ms! You can both select the colors of your choice and choose the letter you’d like instead of an M. As Shiny Shiny reports, you can have your very own message printed onto each piece of candy, too (but keep it short or it might take Ia magnifying glass to read it).

However, the best news of all as far as I’m concerned is that you can add a photo to each individual M&M — a great way to celebrate a special occasion, and let’s face it, just plain fun to make!

I can see these being used as wedding favors instead of tired old almonds, as a unique way to wish someone a happy birthday, or just a fun experiment. Find out more via the M&Ms custom print store.

Good news, Memento Guy! Even though Polaroid announced that they were discontinuing instant film cameras last February, they are bringing it back, and making it even better!

That’s right, the big P announced that they intend to add instant printing to digital cameras. All I can say is: it is about time! I can’t stand going to my printer every time I want to print out a picture, and if I could do it from my camera, it would be excellent.

Of course, if I wanted to get a print out of a picture, I could just go to Kinkos or Wal-Mart, and probably get my prints from there. If Polaroid can offer this service with some convenient smaller gadget that is cheaper, then I believe they might be on the verge of some kind of photographic success.

Now all of those old nostalgic people who mourned the death of instant film at the beginning of this year will be appeased! I suppose this is what the marketing people at Polaroid would call a “target audience” for their new product.

These pictures have a size of 4×3, just like the old school photos. I don’t have the information on when this new instant film process will be available to the general public, but they had better keep the price low.

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by Darren Murph, posted Aug 13th 2008 at 10:01AM
It’s been a solid tick since we’ve seen a new monitor from Fujitsu Siemens, but apparently it’s been spending a lot of time on its SCENICVIEW Premium Line ECO range. Announced today, the 20-inch P20W-5 ECO and the 22-inch P22W-5 ECO are being hailed as the planet’s first to feature power supplies that “automatically switch off completely in power-save mode.” The whole zero-watt bit comes from their ability to suck down precisely no power when not in use, while the majority of LCDs continue to draw slivers of energy even in standby. Furthermore, the new devices include the DisplayView AutoBright functionality, which automatically adjusts brightness “in harmony with ambient light” in order to net even greater power savings. Both screens are available now in Europe starting at €419 ($625), though 24- and 26-inch models are arriving next month.

[Via BIOS]

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Filed under: Displays

Today, Cannondale unveiled a “Secret Scalpel” version of their popular light cross country racer for the Olympics.  Three riders, Roel Paulissen, Jakob Fuglsang and Kashi Leuchs will be putting the new rig through its paces in ten days in China.  The bike features the culmination of black box skunk works from a lot of different companies.  The bike weights an impressive 8.8kg or 19.4lbs.

According to Cannondale, that weight was achieved by:
• the Scalpel’s Zero Pivot optimized chainstay
•high modulous carbon layers
• raw carbon finish (no paint) and lightweight personalized national decal kits
• HeadShok Lefty, ride tuned and race optimized by 88+
• Cannondale’s Si SL 2×9 mountain crankset with ceramic bearings
• Vredestein prototype Black Panther tubular tires
• Mavic’s prototype tubular wheelset

The highest-end Scalpel Team weighted in at 22.4lbs and cost a stuffy $6900 retail.  3lbs of weight is impressive and likely a lot of it was taken out of the wheels and tires, making it seem a light lighter (rotating mass).  It will be interesting to see what these athletes are able to do aboard this exclusive ride.

Personally, I can vouch for the Scalpel.  I owned a team version when the bike was introduced and it was one of the best cross country rigs I’ve ridden.  From the single sided Lefty fork up front to the clever bending chainstays, it was an impressive ride.

Read [Cannondale] via [bikeradar]

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by Joshua Topolsky, posted Aug 13th 2008 at 9:39AM
Carrying on the rich hacker tradition of picking up the slack for companies that are unwilling or unable to provide the functionality users need, a team of Wii coders have given the console what Nintendo could not: DVD playback. By installing a small, hidden channel on a system, this package blesses the console with a libdi file (DVD access library), and allows you to watch your favorite videos with the MPlayer application, an open source media player. The install file will run on modded and unmodded systems, and the software is also capable of playing media from SD cards (though it’s experimental right now). Finally Wii owners can join the ranks of, well… pretty much everyone else.

[Via TehSkeen; Thanks, brakken]

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Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

Newegg is offering a rather sweet deal right now on The Silencer 610 EPS12V Power Supply. Listing at an original price of $199.00 on their site (although Dell offers it for $109.00 and Amazon for $129.00), they are offering an instant $90 rebate, and also a $30 mail-in rebate to bring your final cost down to $79.00; beating any price I could find for this item on the net. (and yes, they still have the free three day shipping).

The Silencer claims to use an “ultra quiet cooling design”, which offers 90% less generated noise per watt with an efficiency rate of 83%. It also features voltage protection, as well as regulating input voltage. It offers automatic fan speed control as well. The power supply comes with a 24-Pin Main connector, a 4-Pin 12V connector, an 8-Pin 12V connector, 8 peripheral connectors, 6 SATA connectors, a floppy connector, and two PCI-E connectors.

Users rated The Silencer PSU five out of five eggs, and most of the reviews on the site were glowing, appreciating the bang they got for their buck. Lots of comments to the point of reference of it’s stability and how quiet it ran. Only “downside” I came across was that a few mentioned it was a tad longer than they were used to. So, if in this case, size really doesn’t matter then this may be the PSU you’re looking for.

Product [Newegg]

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by Darren Murph, posted Aug 13th 2008 at 7:43AMShortly after picking up its very own adult channel, VUDU is announcing a more, shall we say, family friendly bit today. Effective immediately, VUDU users will be able to renew any SD rental for $0.99 within seven days of first viewing the film, while renewals of HD rentals will cost $1.99. Additionally, VUDU has launched a new “99 for 99″ movie channel which contains a rotating list of 99 films that can be rented for — you guessed it — just south of a Washington. Interestingly, VUDU calls the deals “summer blockbuster specials,” though there’s no sign of an end date for either. Can’t say this totally changes the way we see the movie set-top-box, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Full release after the jump.

VUDU ANNOUNCES 99 CENT SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER SPECIAL

VUDU Enables Rental Renewal for 99 Cents and Launches “99 for 99″ Movie Channel.
First Major Shift in Rental Window Policy in Digital Delivery Category

SANTA CLARA, CA – August 13, 2008 – VUDU, the company that brings instant access to 1080p HD entertainment to the living room, today announced a summer movie extravaganza that will let viewers rent recent blockbuster hits and cinematic classics for just 99 cents from VUDU’s groundbreaking service.

Extended Rental for $0.99: Starting immediately, the VUDU service will allow viewers to renew any standard definition video rental for just 99 cents within seven days of first viewing a film. The 99 cents video renewal is a first in the digital delivery category and guarantees that VUDU owners receive the most generous rental renewal policy in the industry. The rental of high definition movies can be extended for $1.99.

99 for 99: Simultaneously, VUDU launched a movie channel called “99 for 99″. Its editorial team selected 99 blockbuster films each available to rent for 99 cents. New films will be rotated into the channel to ensure that new mega-hits are always available throughout the year.

“In this age of $4-a-gallon gas and staycations, we felt that VUDU customers deserved a break and should be able to watch a great film for just 99 cents,” said Patrick Cosson, VP of Marketing for VUDU. “These initiatives are groundbreaking. Our 99 cent rental renewal is a first in our industry and will make it easier for our viewers to finish watching a great movie when it fits their schedule, not ours.”

VUDU enables high-speed broadband customers to get instant access through their TV to a vast selection of top-quality video entertainment including HD movies, more than 1,000 hit television episodes and more than 6,000 movies from all major studios and over 50 independent distributors. VUDU delivers movies directly to consumers’ homes as they are released by the studios on DVD and maintains an up-to-date library of new releases and classic movies.

About VUDU

VUDU is dedicated to bringing instant access to video entertainment, including thousands of mainstream movies, to every living room. Through relationships with every major US movie studio and more than 50 independent studios and distributors, VUDU gives movie fans the ultimate in flexibility and choice. Consumers can finally watch what they want, when they want-no planning needed, no computer necessary, no software downloads, and no cable TV service or satellite subscription required.

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Animal heads being hung on the wall is one topic that can make a great many women groan in annoyance, and even several men I’m sure.  However, there is that bunch that still does it anyway, well this lamp is for the man that couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn but would still like to look like a dedicated hunter.  So if you can’t manage to get a decent animal head for yourself, you can pick up this odd little wall lamp.  Which looks a bit like a slightly more high class version of a talking fish mounted on the wall.

The bright white does make it a decent lamp for the slightly more odd décor with a modern twist.  All I see when I look at it though, is a silly overpriced novelty light.  One that makes it so you almost appear as if you might be able to hunt.  When in fact the only thing you’ve really killed was a bunny rabbit that wouldn’t move fast enough across the road.  The lamp is being sold through the Scandinavian Design Center for a whopping $1,180.59. You’ll have to preorder it for now, it won’t be actually released till sometime later on this month.

Source: Charles&Marie

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Animal heads being hung on the wall is one topic that can make a great many women groan in annoyance, and even several men I’m sure.  However, there is that bunch that still does it anyway, well this lamp is for the man that couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn but would still like to look like a dedicated hunter.  So if you can’t manage to get a decent animal head for yourself, you can pick up this odd little wall lamp.  Which looks a bit like a slightly more high class version of a talking fish mounted on the wall.

The bright white does make it a decent lamp for the slightly more odd décor with a modern twist.  All I see when I look at it though, is a silly overpriced novelty light.  One that makes it so you almost appear as if you might be able to hunt.  When in fact the only thing you’ve really killed was a bunny rabbit that wouldn’t move fast enough across the road.  The lamp is being sold through the Scandinavian Design Center for a whopping $1,180.59. You’ll have to preorder it for now, it won’t be actually released till sometime later on this month.

Source: Charles&Marie

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by Thomas Ricker, posted Aug 13th 2008 at 7:29AM
Ok, you’ve really gone and put us in a twist this time Philips. The he-man editors of Engadget haven’t exactly been wooed by Philips’ lineup of Active Crystals USB drives slathered in Swarovski excess. Then again, we’re not their target audience. Somehow though, these new 2GB Happy Laura and Naughty Raymond USB drive robots make us want to titter coyly with demure fingertips pressed lightly to our pouty mouths. But for €150 (about $223), we won’t.

Read — Naughty Raymond
Read — Happy Laura

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Filed under: Wearables, Storage