Test Pattern Clock

test-pattern-clock
It seems like a good number of years have passed since the test pattern was used on TV. Due to advances in equipment such as digital signalling, better televisions and most TV channels broadcasting 24 hours the requirement for test pattern is just not there any more.

The test pattern clock is built to bring back the memories of late night TV. Luckily the annoying beeeep is not present in this clock. I have to admit that it looks fairly cool clock although I think they should have used the UK’s most popular test pattern which is Test Card F. Surely all you from the UK remember the young girl (Carole Hersee) playing noughts and crosses with a clown puppet. Here is a quick random fact… Carole Hersee is supposed to be in the Guinness book of Records as the person who has been on TV the most (estimated 70000 hours, or 8 years) although they wont put it in because no one can beat it :S

So go ahead and pick up one of these Test Pattern Clocks to bring back the memories.

Via: GearFuse

Pizza Cutters for Bikers

Pizza Cutter for Bikers
If a standard Pizza Cutter is not enough then you need to pick up one of these beauties. They are designed by Frankie Flood and are based on a chopper motorcycle style.

Pizza Cutter

Pizza Cutter 2

Pizza Cutter 3

Pizza Cutter 4

Via: TrendHunter

G3 Tower burns 7 CDs at a Time

Power Tower Pro CD Burning
Maybe you enjoy making 7 backups of your data, or maybe you want to be more of a pirate either way, this is quite cool. John Masone has hacked up a G3 Blue and White Tower to create a tower which is capable of burning 7 CD’s at a time. If you still have a need to mass burn CD’s then this is ideal for you. It can rip CD’s at the drives maximum speed and then is capable of burning to the 7 drives in compressed MP3 or similar formats. The case uses metal caging which has been hacked in to the original tower which now allows the 7 drives to sit comfortably.

If you want a ton of your old CD’s ripping then you should give John a shout 😉

Google Street View car Spotted in NZ

Google Street View Car
A Google Street View car was spotted recently in Christchurch, NZ. It was spotted by Bevan over at Bevan’s Blog and he was able to snap a few pictures of the car, GPS unit to keep track of where the 360 degree images were taken and all the necessary computer equipment in the car.

Check out the pics over here.

LG UMPC – HSDPA Enabled

toshiba-umpcc
Engadget managed to take LG’s new UMPC for a spin over at CES. The LG has a nice keyboard, a touch screen with stylus, can transfer data at high speed using HSDPA networks. The screen is a nice size too at 4.8 inches (wide screen). This particular model is aimed at Europe, Asia and Canada, but not the US. No doubt a similar version will be made available for the US though.

This particular model was running Vista. Hopefully with Vista’s SP1 soon to be released it will run quite nicely.

Via: Engadget

LimePC – Reinventing Computing?

limepc
The LimePC will be launched during 2008 and claims to be the next era of personal computing. It will work by allowing users to keep the small iPod-size device with them which permits them to connect to whoever they want and the way they want. From what the brief LimePC website page mentions, it appears to be built around a community which could well be a FaceBook type web 2.0 app in your pocket. Not only will it allow for a community type operation, it will also allow for you to choose what you want on your device and what needs to be carried around with you.

On the security side of things the device uses LimeConnect which is a secure data delivery platform. Apart from this information there isn’t much available yet. As soon as we receive more details from the LimePC people we will let you know exactly what it will do.

Via: RedFerret

150 Inch Plasma Screen

panasonic-150-inch-plasma-tv
Last year, Panasonic unveiled a massive 103″ plasma screen. If you thought that was big then check out their latest from CES 2008. This new screen has stepped up even further to a massive 150″ (12.5 feet) which is truly huge for an actual TV. The resolution is also huge 2 as it’s 4 X 1080p which is 4k by 2k. Not bad at all, but it is a little large to fit through my front door 😉

Back in October 2006 this 103 inch beast was estimated to cost over $70k. This might give you some close idea as to what the 150″ version will cost.

Via: SlipperyBrick

Sony Nav-U Series Split Screen

Sony-NV-U83T
Over at CES, Sony are introducing a couple of new Sat Nav-U units. The new sat navs are model numbers NV-U73T and NV-U83T. What sets it ahead of a number of Sat Nav units is the split screen which allows for a dual view. A common problem when using GPS for navigation is trying to work out exactly which exit to take should there be a few right next to each other. With the split screen set up it zooms in one the right side of the screen to show precisely what turning to take. Also it allows for you to get more familiar with POI (Points of Interest) around the immediate area.

Another feature it has is how it can keep track of you when a weak signal is present. It does they by the way of a pressure sensor, gyro sensor and an accelerometer which can keep a good estimation of where you are travelling.

The 2 units mentioned above are to be made available early in spring this year and can be ordered over at SonyStyle costing $349.99 or $499.99.

Features of the Sony Nav-U83T

The U83T has a 4.8″ touch panel widescreen which also displays information such as live traffic updates. The units available in the US contain map data for the entire United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Also Bluetooth is available which allows you to hook it up to a mobile phone to use it as a hands free kit. Text to speach is available as well as a unique gesture command. What gesture command does is allows you to use on screen finger movements. An example would be using an inverted V to automatically navigate you home. This allows quicker access to the more common functions that you need.

Traffic updates come via radio reception which is constantly updated and when bad traffic is spotted, you are automatically routed around the problem.

Overall a very nice looking Sat Nav unit from Sony.

Via: UberGizmo

Alienware Gaming Monitor

Alienware Gaming Monitor
CES 2008 is under way now and ShinyShiny managed to get a look at Alienwares latest gaming monitor. The display runs at 2880 x 900 and could well be the ultimate gaming monitor. The curved screen and huge resolution allows for a superior immersive gaming experience. The Alienware gaming monitor is due out the second half of 2008. Video after the jump.

[Read more…]

Sky Fi Vintage Audio Equipment

Sky Fi
Sky Fi is a company which recycles old broken equipment. They spend time repairing, building, altering, engineering and even Frankensteining the equipment which then allows you to connect an iPod or similar device. As each product is recycled there are no two similar units available. The one pictured above can be purchased for $75 over at Etsy. The device pictured above uses the phono input to interface with your iPod or any other more modern signal. The sound quality is described as being transistor tubish from yesteryear.

USB Edge with Antenna

USB Edge
This gadget is a USB Edge mobile device which connects direct to your laptop’s USB port. It connects right to a EDGE/GPRS or GSM networks across the world due to it being quad band (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz). When using EDGE it can receive data at 236.8 kbps which is sufficient for an almost broadband type connection on the move.

All you need to make sure is that your network provider offer a good chunk of data as 236.8 kbps could burn a hole in your pocket if you are not careful.

The USB Edge with antenna costs $199.99.

Product Page

Pen with 4GB Flash Drive

4gb usb_pen
A lot of people carry around pens with them. These days a lot of people also need to carry flash drives around with them. This ball point pen comes with a 4GB flash drive built in. Not only a 4GB flash drive is crammed in there though. It also has a laser pen in there too although it’s not as powerful as TechLasers 125mW green laser. It makes for the perfect geeky presentation device. All what is needed now is a mini projector in the end of the pen and you have a PowerPoint presentation right in your pocket.

The device costs $99 which isnt bad for a 3 in 1 device like this.

Via: GadgetSpy and Aving