Gadgets

If you've got a high tolerance for cute peripherals, you might like these little USB 2.0 flash drives by Mimoco. They come in yellow and blue and have bug eyes and funny faces--Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore.

The first bunch of MimoBot drives, labeled the Cosmo Series, will debut on Sept. 9 at a coming-out party befitting funky flash drives. The fete will take place at Giant Robot New York and will feature MimoBot designer Yahid Rodriguez and DJ DB spinning tunes. Why didn't I get to go a party like that when I bought … Read more

Hitachi is thinking ahead to the days when people will want to save a lot of high-definition television shows to watch later.

The company unveiled plans to ship a new hard disk drive DVD recorder that can store one terabyte of data on two 500 gigabyte hard disk drives. That's enough space for about 128 hours of high-definition digital broadcasting, according to the good folk over at Reuters who did the math.

The device will initially be available in Japan next month for 230,000 yen ($2,089.95). Hitachi is also offering models able to store 160 gigabytes ($… Read more

Put away that tin foil hat. A London-based company has come up with a device it claims meters potentially harmful pollution resulting from nearby wireless technologies--or what's being described as electrosmog.

Enter the Electrosmog Detector. The portable battery-powered device has a speaker that signals if there is a large concentration of activity in the wireless spectrum between 50MHz and 3000MHz. That's the frequency that includes cordless phones, cell phones, wireless computer networks, 3G Bluetooth, baby alarms and microwaves.

Sensory Perspective, which developed the 5.78 inch by 3.3 inch device, said it wanted to let people actually … Read more

Fuel cell developer UltraCell has come up with a new fuel cell power source for portable electronic devices that it says has twice the energy density of lithium batteries. That's potentially very good news for power-hungry mobile gadgeteers.

UltraCell's reformed methanol fuel cell, or RMFC, technology uses a micro reformer to generate fuel-cell-ready hydrogen from a highly concentrated methanol solution. The new portable power system has the density of a hydrogen fuel cell but uses readily available, low-cost methanol fuel in a compact package.

The technology is designed to work in a user-friendly package which, with the push … Read more

If you happen to be inventing an amazing new mouse that also plays MP3s, spell-checks your text and hunts down monsters in "Everquest," you might want to know about Digital Innovations' D.O.C. (Design, Originality and Creativity) Awards. The awards, kicking off this year, offer inventors of consumer electronics accessories and peripherals the chance to take their products to the worldwide market.

The $25,000 worth of prizes include cash, the opportunity to nab an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Digital Innovations and an all-expenses paid trip to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Winners will … Read more

You may not be able to use it to dial up Captain Kirk, but the Star Trek Communicator Phone still takes you closer to the Enterprise than the average handset.

Designed to resemble the Starfleet communicators used on the popular '60s TV series, the special-edition phone from Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products will come equipped with a custom "Star Trek" faceplate and other themed features unique to the "Star Trek" franchise. The phone will, for example, offer Trekkies the ability to play a multiplayer, online "Star Trek" game, stream real-time Trek video and surf … Read more

Imagine a video instant messaging session where the guy on the other side sees your face starting to melt or your hair catch fire.

That's what the minds over at Creative Technology have brewed up with their latest WebCam Live! Effects, which ships this week at an estimated street price of $79.

The camera has a tracking feature that keeps the user's face in view and even tracks multiple users. The device also ships with a 4-way flexible base and a lapel microphone.

But the included software is what makes the camera palatable. Two CDs contain Creative WebCam … Read more

Going to the 2005 East Asian Games in October? You can now bring along your Palm Treo 650 smartphone.

That's because Palm announced this week that it has tested and certified its multi-function handheld with CTM, one of the largest telecom service providers in the host city of Macau. CTM runs a GSM/GPRS network there.

Ticket sales for the 2005 East Asian Games went on sale today. Some 15,817 seats are available in the Opening Ceremony, and 6,808 seats in the Closing Ceremony.

Athletes participate in several events like swimming, basketball, bowling, boxing, football, gymnastics, handball, … Read more

Dinosaurs may be extinct, but robotics maker WowWee is bringing them out of the Cretaceous Period and into the computer era.

The Roboraptor is a fierce but cuddly interactive toy robot dinosaur that simulates a real raptor's body movements. His head and swishing tail are guided by touch and sonic sensors that detect sound and direction; infrared vision sensors help the 32-inch bipedal beast avoid obstacles.

Roboraptor's behavior changes according to his moods, which swing between hunter, cautious, playful--and every now and then, introspective. Go near the little guy's face when he's hunting and he'll … Read more