Archives for June 2007

Erase Private Data with Privacy Scissors

June 21, 2007 by Leave a Comment

privacy scissors
If you have information on paper that needs to be private when you throw it away then a shredder is normally the way to go. However, a shredder isnt always available for such instances. If you have some privacy scissors like the ones pictured above then they would be perfect to scrub out that old printed data you do not need. The scissors cut through the paper and shred what it is in between the blades leaving small pieces of paper just 2mm in diameter.

After the jump there is a video of the scissors in action showing how they work and how small the paper is shredded.

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Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

USB Doorbell

June 20, 2007 by Leave a Comment

USB Doorbell
If you fund your doorbell ding dong chime a tad boring then this USB doorbell looks kind of cool although it will probably be cool for a few days and then still be annoying. The USB doorbell connects to your PC and allows you to transfer up to thirty seconds of a WAV file or MP3 file which can then be played each time the doorbell rings.

The doorbell requires some installation as it is not wireless. Also a stepdown transformer is needed but not included. This will step down the voltage to 4 – 24V allowing it to work. Just make sure you look up what to do before you buy it just incase you cannot use it.

A video of the doorbell in use can be seen after the jump.

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Filed Under: Cool Gadgets, USB Gadgets

Glowing Printer Ink

June 20, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Glowing Ink
The video after the jump shows how you can take a regular printer cartridge and fill it with ink that glows in the dark. All the parts you need can be purchased from regular stores and the process takes just a few easy steps to complete. The image above was printed on to regular paper, charged under a light for a minute and then the light switched off.

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Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

iPhone to get Glass Display Surface

June 19, 2007 by Leave a Comment

iphone
The iPhone made by Apple, has received an upgrade already before launch. Apple have ditched the plastic display surface in favour of glass. This is great as it will mean less scratches although unfortunately that does not mean no scratches. It will add to the final weight of the phone, but I am all for a nice glass covered screen rather then having to stick a screen protector on the plastic one. As well as the nice glass screen, the iPhone is to get a better then expected battery which claims a life of 8 hours talk time, 6 hours internet use, 7 hours video playback and a hefty 24 hours of audio playback. That is quite a nice and very acceptable amount of hours for each of the uses.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Cell Phones, Cool Gadgets

Intel Chips Allow your Computer to Update while Switched Off

June 19, 2007 by Leave a Comment

What would you think to having an Intel chipset that allowed your computer to still receive updates and maintenance while it is switched off? Its kind of cool in some ways but worrying in other ways if you ask me. This technology was introduced by Intel last year. According to them, it only allows authorised personnel to power up, repair and update switched off PCs with in a corporate network.

Intel are wanting to push this further in to main stream with consumers so that they do not need to worry about their PC being upgraded as it is all done behind the scenes for them. When the user switches on their PC a message pops up saying that their new updates have been installed.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Computer Gadgets, Cool Gadgets

Wooden Robots from Japan

June 19, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Wood Robots
I came across a bunch of Wooden robots today over at Wired. There are no details at all about these. They do not appear to actually do anything over then just look like robots. They are quite cool though and definitely different to the usual metal type robots you see around the net.

Product Page Via: Wired

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

Home Made Trekkie Cinema Room

June 18, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Startrek Cinema RoomI have seen several pictures of people trying to create their home in to that Star Trek experience. A few months back, some guy in the UK tried to sell his Star Trek Voyager home on eBay for a few hundred K if I remember correctly.

This next Star Trek is a home cinema set up which uses original props from the set. The owner purchased two original bridge consoles at an auction. As can be seen he hasn’t held back at all in creating the full star trek experience. Crazy if you ask me though! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

How far does your WiFi go – 382 Kilometers

June 18, 2007 by Leave a Comment

When I hear people talking about wi-fi and ranges of their routers you usually get to hear a few hundred feet at the most. This has been totally smashed and a record of 382KM was announced. Thats 238 miles (basically from where I am in Leeds and about 33 miles past London. The equipment used was customised with technology from Intel as well as some custom built parts. The parts used were all off the shelf. The guy who made this is also able to get about 3MBps from this connection which is quite amazing.

Problems faced are that wifi signals tend to break off when the range is increased. By focusing the signal you can increase the distance quite a bit. The next problem is obstacles. You need to have line of sight at this kind of distance… but unfortunately the curve of the earth gets in the way as well as the occasional tree, building etc… which is expected over 238 miles. Intel has created a way to steer electrically the signal which increases bandwidth also. I believe this test was performed up a mountain so it could have near line of site.

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Filed Under: Cool Gadgets, Hacked Gadgets

A Look Back to 2001 – iPod Announced

June 18, 2007 by Leave a Comment


Here is a video of Steve Jobs announcing the iPod back in 2001. When it was launched it had a 5GB hard drive, was just over 3/4 of an inch thick and could store 1000 songs. Battery life was claimed to be 10 hours of continuous play although I know that my 3rd Gen iPod only could handle a few hours so I am not sure if that was true for the 1st gen.

It is interesting to look back to the start of the iPod and see it announced. I wonder if they knew what kind of a gold mine they were sitting on at the time.

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets

Wi-Spy Spectrum Analyzer

June 17, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Wi_spy
The Wi-Spy is aimed at those who need to troubleshoot wireless networks. The software that comes with the wi-spy ariel records data so that you can trace interference and work out why your network is not performing as it should. The Wi-Spy works at 2.4GHz and connects right in to your USB port on your laptop or PC. Once connected you can then load up the software and start tracing exactly what is happening on the wifi network.

It will set you back $399.99 and you can pick one up from ThinkGeek.

Filed Under: Cool Gadgets, Laptops

3G gets Mobile Youtube

June 16, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Mobile Youtube
Youtube has finally hit mobile phones and is named Mobile Youtube which can be found by tapping in m.youtube.com in to your 3G browser. When you first get to that address you are recommended to buy an unlimited plan as data charges could be high with a service running like this.

Gizmodo put together a demonstration which is linked to after the jump. However, if you want to test it out without using a mobile phone then just go to m.youtube.com in your browser to see what is available. You will get an error when trying to load videos through this method, but it will show you what the mobile interface looks like.

One cool thing is that you can see even smaller thumbnails of the videos and skip through different sections such as newly added.

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Filed Under: Cell Phones, Cool Gadgets, Tech News

Automated Football Table

June 16, 2007 by Leave a Comment


If you enjoy table football but have no one to play against then you need to check out the blog over at foospmp. They are in the process of creating a computer controlled opponent that can beat most players at table football. The video above shows a fairly good game happening and it looks to me like they are doing very well with the AI. The AI is able to have the computer team defend and attack as you can see goals being saved and goals being scored.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Computer Gadgets, Cool Gadgets