The Zip It is a huge 10ft long zip in which when zipped up makes a fashionable multi coloured handbag. Now, it’s not really gadgety but still worth a mention as it’s different to the average bag you see.
Via: Hover-Disc
From the monthly archives:
November 2006
The Xplore is a rugged tablet PC with some good features such as bluetooth, wifi at 802.11n, GSM/GPRS and GPS. It features a small but usable 10 inch screen and is specifically designed for tough and hazardous environments. The device is also IP67 rated which means it is totally protected against dust and protected against the effect of immersion between 15cm and 1m.
The Spirit Xplore is available from Insight
If you have used an FM transmitter on your iPod in the past with in the UK then you have been breaking the law. They were illegal to use due to the signals interfering with broadcasts by legal radio stations. You could easily get your hands on one of these transmitters in an arrangement where you can buy legally but it’s illegal to use. I have one my self which I got a few years back and obviously is still in it’s packaging awaiting to be used on the 8th December 2006 when it will be legal to use. The new ruling put in to place by Ofcom who regulate the licences are permitting those that can use “spare frequencies” to be made legal. With this they are also removing the need to have a licence when using a Citizens’ Band radio.
The original law that made it illegal was drafted in 1949 and is called the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1949 and forbids you to broadcast with out a licence. Ofcom saw that consumers wanted this in place and the laws were revised.
However, the new arrangement named “Wireless Telegraphy (Exemption) (Amendment) Regulations 2006″ do not allow all of these FM transmitters to be legal. Many still do not meet certain technical specifications.
To check if the transmitter is legal you just need to look for the CE logo which means it is approved for use in the UK.
Via: BBC News
The Skype DualPhone is the first available cordless phone that doubles up as a Skype phone. RTX have launched this in the market to allow users to use their regular phone for some calls and then switch to Skype to make free or international calls at a lower rate. The RTX Dualphone 3088 needs no PC and it’s built in firmware runs the skype software and connects direct to your broadband internet connection.
Skype has a huge userbase of 136 million… so someone you know is bound to have a skype ID you can call for free. On the cordless side of things the DUALPhone 3088 is dect which is reliable for voice calls with no interference. The base unit connects to a broadband router and then you get the choice of how you want to make the call on screen.
The phone has 10 hours of talk time with 140 hours of standby time. It seems that a nice phone and good contender to the market has been introduced here.
Via: DualPhone
The MoMo is a very slim and sleek looking digital media player. It is just 10mm thick and has a nice 2.4 inch display. The player will play MPG, MP4, AVI, ASF, MPEG, VOB, WMV, DAT and MTV. It looks like it could be a good player to hit the market, but not much else is known about availability or pricing.
Via: TechEBlog
If you are out looking for a cool watch then the Dot Matrix watch might just be for you! The dot matrix watch is a sleek black watch with black coloured LED’s which light up red at the touch of a button. It doesnt do much in the way of tech stuff, but it is not designed to do all the fancy things. It’s just designed to look good on your wrist and tell the time and do some funky mexican wave type things with the LED’s.
* Genuine black leather wristband watch studded with red LEDs.
* The watch displays the time and date.
* Press the button on the side once to trigger a scrolling light effect before displaying the time in classic Dot Matrix style.
* The time can be shown in 24 hour or 12 hour format.
* A built-in power saving mode to extend your watch’s battery. It kicks in after 3 seconds of displaying the time or date.
* A sturdy white presentation box.
* Suitable for ages 8 years+.
* Requires a CR2032 watch battery (included).
* Size: 26 x 3 x 0.5cm.
The levitiating bed somewhere around the 6 figure mark. Luckily the levitating mouse is just a nice double figure at 75 dollars. It uses some kind of electromagnetic hovering technology to make the mouse float above the mouse mat. It has a 6000 dpi resolution.
Via: TechEBlog
We all know the powerbook has motion sensors in and we have seen some cool ideas like the PowerBook Light Sabre and Lilt to just name a few. Anfischer has turned his powerbook in to a puppet (or marionette). The video below shows what it’s capable and I have to admit… It is a cool idea 
Via: TechEBlog
The Nokia N97 picture above which was circulated around the internet recently is found to be a fake. No suprise there It was said to feature 3D sound, a 20Gb drive and 3.2 Megapixel camera.
No doubt there will be another N95 beater on the market, but not for a few months.
Via: SlashGear
Sony have launched a new firmware for the PSP. This will update your PSP up to version 3.0 now which has a number of enhancements and no doubt, a number of security fixes to stop you homebrew folks from making it do stuff it wasnt designed for 
The PSP once updated will have the long awaited PlayStation Network connectivity as well as PlayStation 3 connectivity.
Complete PSP 3.0 Update List:
* PlayStation Network support added under Game
* Online manuals added under Network
* Camera added under Photo
* UMD Auto-Start added under Settings
* 3-Speed Fast Forward/Reverse added under Music
* Visual Player added under Music
* Remote Play added under Network
To upgrade, just go to the network update menu and follow the instructions.
Slashgear spotted some good reviews of the Lenova X60 Tablet PC today. The Lenova X60 is a multi touch tablet PC that works very well. The docking station has a built in optical drive unit.
Review: Lenova X60 Video Review
Review: Multi Touch Video Review
Via: SlashGear
Rubens Tube works by pushing gas down one side of a cylinder and sound down another side of the same cylinder. The top of the cynder is lit with flames and then a frequency generated by the speaker causes different pressure variations down the tube causing the flames to change. It’s a great video to watch.
Via: TechEBlog
The Verté office chair is a chair which will re train your back in to the ideal posture. The back part of the chair is set to the correct setting by you leaning back and releasing a lever.Then you can just sit back and enjoy the comfort of leather cussions filled with gel.
The chair has 11 torsion spring loaded joints that take an exact impression of your back and ideal posture. It is also built with brushed aliminium. At 1500 dollars it better work well
Via: SlashGear Product Page: Anthro
This Stone mouse is from a company based in Russia. I have no idea as to this being real stone or just replica plastic. All I do know is that it’s quite an interesting mouse and I might have to purchase one to be different
More details of the Stone Mouse can be found at the link below.
Via: UberGizmo
You are looking at the latest in hightech urinal technology. The Urilift is a urinal that goes in to the ground through the day and comes up at night. It main idea is to temp those who decide it’s necessary to urinate in corners of streets to have a bit more common sense and be more hygenic. There isnt much privacy, although the people it targets do not really care about privacy as seen below in the video. Maybe we should call it Urinal 2.0. The urilift costs 75000 dollars and is already in use across several cities in Europe.
It makes me wonder if Male Restroom Etiquette could be re written for this
Thanks to John Chow for the entertaining read this Monday morning. John Chow is the owner of TheTechZone and runs the JohnChow blog also which is full of useful information on those wanting to run and monetize a website mainly based on technology.
Via: JohnChow.com
