Home Made Wii Sensor Bar
November 25, 2006
A few days ago I came across a video of someone removing the Wii sensor bar (which apparantly was needed to detect movements on the wii remote or wiimote). The video on youtube shows how to TV remote controlls can do the same thing… meaning the Wii Sensor bar doesnt seem to do what they said it does.
Anyway, as seen above a home made Wii sensor bar has been made which is powered by batteries and means that the official one can stay stuck on top of your telly while you take your wii around to your friends house to play on. The video below shows the wii sensor bar being unplugged and used with remote controls instead.
Link: How to make your own sensor bar
Via: OhGizmo
Zip It
November 25, 2006
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
Spirit Xplore - Rugged Tablet PC
November 24, 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
UK Ban on FM Transmitters Lifted in the UK
November 24, 2006
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
Skype Dual Phone
November 23, 2006
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
Newman Ultraslim MoMo Digital Media Player
November 23, 2006
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
Dot Matrix Watch
November 22, 2006
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.
