Gadgets 2008

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 15th 2008 at 8:10AMJust under two years ago, researchers at Boeing-Spectrolab managed to achieve 40.7% solar cell efficiency. Two years later, scientists at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory have demonstrated their nerve by trumpeting an all new world record… one that’s 0.1% points better than the last. Yes, your new record now sits at 40.8% — tremendous progress, wouldn’t you say? Looking outside of the numbers, you’ll find that these cells differ “significantly” from the prior record holders, which enable them to be thinner, lighter, cheaper and altogether swanker. That’s it for now folks — come back in a couple years, we hear 40.9% is just around the bend.

[Via CNET]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Revo of the UK has just unveiled its latest DAB radio tuner, the Pico RadioStation. Not only do you get to benefit from both DAB and FM radio broadcasts, the Pico also comes with the latent capability to stream both Internet and computer content over a LAN connection. What’s most interesting is the compatibility of this device with DAB+ (an improved radio standard with error correction) in addition to support for AAC+ compression. It is relatively safe to assume that the Pico is one of the first few portable tuners in the world possessing such technology despite a diminutive size that stands at 6.6″ tall. Other features include a 12-hour battery life, Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity, a 3.5mm headphone jack and RCA line-out, all packed into a splashproof shell. The Revo Pico RadioStation will retail for £170 when it hits the UK this September.

Source: Electronista

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I don’t know if there is any serious need for this USB Indoor/Outdoor thermometer, but at $22 a pop, surely there isn’t much harm in trying to give this a go? Below are some of the specifications before you make up your mind on getting one.

Temperature Range - Inner: -40° ~ 120°
Temperature Range - Outer: -50° ~ 150°
Temperature can be captured from every second to 12 hours

So now you’re the office’s walking encyclopedia when it comes to the temperature, both within and without. Too bad it can’t tell the chemistry level between you and that hot new colleague who’s sitting in a cubicle opposite you. All the recorded data can be pasted in Word or Excel, letting you draw the temperature chart for reasons only you know.

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Thanks to some recently uncovered pages on the Palm.com website, it seems like the upcoming Treo 850 will actually be the Treo Pro. Of course, as you would imagine, a leaked page like this will quickly be taken offline, which will only further add to the speculation, but thankfully there are some screenshots showing off the new Treo Pro.

These images certainly look quite a bit like the previously leaked images of the Treo 850, and we must say its a nice looking Treo. The few details that we can gather from these images further seem to support the theory that the Treo 850 is the Treo Pro, those specs include a reset button, 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a wireless button on the side with a power button on top.

Via [WM Experts]

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Take a glance at the Matrix Cube Alarm Clock and chances are you’ll either hate it or love it, depending on your taste for all things retro. The hours, minutes and seconds are separated by their respective cubes, so make sure they’re all in order lest you wake up at 59:12 in the…wait a minute. 59:12 is no time! Must’ve had a wee bit too much to drink the night before, eh?

Connected by thin ribbon cables, each clock module can be stacked vertically, horizontally or in a pyramid, depending on your mood and the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn’s moons…Each cube is approximately 3.5″ square. 12 or 24 hour format available! Even includes a snooze button.

You can now bring home the Matrix Cube Alarm Clock for $34.99 from ThinkGeek.

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Blackberry, a company known to present sophisticated yet elegant looking cell phones is again in news for its Pearl 8130 Cell Phone model. BlackBerry Pearl 8130 Cell Phone has been designed to give you all the features of an entertainment device. Whether it’s a digital camera or multimedia, you get it all on the amazing BlackBerry Pearl 8130 Cell Phone.

Features

• Voice Activated Dialing
• Instant Messaging
• Organizer
• Video Recording
• Media Player

BlackBerry Pearl 8130 Phone comes with a 64 MB built-in memory that can be expanded via microSD card. This Bluetooth enabled cell phone from Blackberry features SureType keyboard technology in a QWERTY-style layout. BlackBerry Pearl 8130 is GPS capable phone that helps you view your geographic location on a map.

Price and Availability

BlackBerry Pearl 8130 is available at a price of $ 149.99.
Source: BlackBerry

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If you don’t have the time to accompany your pet and make sure it gets to go outside (or come in) according to your timing, then the Smart Pet Doorbell could help you out.

The new PetSafe Smart Pet Doorbell is the first collar-activated doorbell that easily mounts on a wall, door or glass to help you control the indoor and outdoor access of your dog or cat. There are no mats or buttons to push, so minimal training is required if the doorbell is installed at the same door your pet uses most frequently. Your pet wears a small, lightweight SmartKey tag that attaches to their everyday pet collar and communicates with the Smart Pet Doorbell. The tag only weighs 0.64 ounces. Using radio frequency, when your pet’s SmartKey is within range of the Smart Pet Doorbell, an audible, volume-controlled alert with 4 volume settings, sounds to let you know your pet is waiting to go outside or come inside. The sensing range is adjustable up to 3 feet from the unit, which can be installed with or without the external antenna.

Hmm, I’m not too sure about this device since we’re supposed to let our dog know who the pack leader is, and it should not be able to come in and go out as it pleases. Still, if you want to bring home the Smart Pet Doorbell, it can be yours for $89.99.

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by Paul Miller, posted Aug 14th 2008 at 11:39AM
Logitech is getting into the earbuds game, announcing today that it’s buying privately-held Ultimate Ears. Historically focusing on spendy in-ear monitors for live musicians, Ultimate Ears has recently hit the earbud game with full force, and Logitech seems to want a piece of that action. Plus the acquisition price of $34 million is like, what, profits from your last seven minutes of iPod dock sales, Logitech? Logitech and Ultimate Ears expect the deal to close in August.

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Filed under: Portable Audio

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 14th 2008 at 9:58AM
Look out, Pure Digital — you’ve got a new rival in town. Radiopaq, best known for bringing thousands of internet radio stations and podcasts to listeners via the web, has decided to hop into the hardware game. The Rp5 tabletop radio features a five-way speaker system, digital / analog processors, a headphone jack, remote control and a rather stylish design. There’s also an integrated WiFi module for tuning into the outfit’s website and even sucking down news, weather and traffic information. Of course, the more traditional FM / DAB tuners are there as well, making this one quite the multifaceted box. Word on the British streets has this one pegged for a September launch at £250 ($468).

[Via Pocket-lint]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Aug 14th 2008 at 9:35AM
It’s about time Boeing went and shot that frickin’ laser. The Boeing Advanced Tactical Laser C-130H aircraft has completed its first ground test, shooting a high-energy chemical laser through a beam-control system. The gun successfully acquired a ground target and shot the darn thing on August 7, paving the way for an in-air test later this year, hopefully from that bad-ass 747 they’ve been touting. Boeing promises that the ATL will “destroy, damage or disable targets with little to no collateral damage.” Yay for surgical strikes? Maybe some popcorn?

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Filed under: Transportation