2008 May 21 | tech gadget update

May 21 2008

Have way too much money? Buy a Dior phone!

Posted by: admin in Mobile Gadget

If you’re on the market for a phone that costs more than a down payment on a Honda and does nothing other phones can’t, luxury clothing retailer Christian Dior has the phone for you!

Jumping on the mobile bandwagon with rival luxury lines Prada, TAG Heuer, and Dolce & Gabana , Dior has announced their own cellular offering. With the base price of the phone set at around $5,500 bucks, I’m willing to wager we won’t be getting a review unit.

What does $5,500 bucks get you? The device’s touchscreen and camera certainly don’t cost that much, so what’s the killer feature? Surely, it must do something extraordinary. Something other phones simply can’t. Get this: It comes with a second, miniature phone. This mini-phone, branded My Dior, connects to the main phone in case it’s ever just out of reach. Revolutionary! You can answer and receive calls with — Oh, wait. That’s just a bluetooth headset that you can’t wear.

[Via WSJ]

May 21 2008

Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Mobile Phones

Posted by: admin in Mobile Gadget

Researchers in France this day announced they had invented a hydrogen fuel cell that can be used as a backup power source for mobile phones. It is hoped this will increase the usage time between battery recharges.

Different groups have been working on miniature hydrogen fuel cells for a few years now. This version, which is being developed by Bic, the company that makes pens, lighters and razors, is meant to augment a handsets battery. The device is designed to be part of a hybrid system in which the phone draws on its conventional battery first and taps into the fuel cell as power is needed.

The fuel cell is filled with hydrogen and is about the size of a small cigarette lighter. Each cartridge can recharge a typical cell phone battery three to five times before it runs out of hydrogen. According to STMicroeletronics executive Igor Bimbaud, the hydrogen cartridge will reach the market in early 2010.

This type of fuel cell does have one major concern, safety. A typical miniature hydrogen fuel cell has to be pressurized at two or three atmospheres. Not a lot but enough to cause concern. Hydrogen is highly volatile and can explode with tremendous energy. Remember the Hindenburg disaster? That zeppelin was filled with hydrogen gas which unexpectedly exploded. The developers of this technology have the basic science done. Now they’ve to engineer a storage device that proves to be safe in most environments.

May 21 2008

Microsoft: Live Anywhere is not abandoned

Posted by: admin in Mobile Gadget

Microsoft first mentioned their Xbox Live mobile tie-in application Live Anywhere almost 2 years ago at E3 2006, after which it pretty much disappeared. While theres been a private demo or two, no real solid news (like a release date) has come of it since.

At the Electronic Gaming Summit yesterday, Microsoft exec Jeff Bell touched on the topic for all of two seconds, saying “Live anywhere isn’t abandoned, it’s just not easy to do.”

The difficulty most likely stems from the mobile gaming portion, and not the gamercard/statistics side of things — they’ve been showing off what appeared to be working demos of the latter for two years now, and alternatives have already been rolled out by third party iPhone developers. Gotta push out something soon, Microsoft. Two years is a long time.

[Via Kotaku]

May 21 2008

Soon US Citizens allowed to send cell phones to Cuba

Posted by: admin in Mobile Gadget

Since the 1960’s, the United States has had various types of trade sanctions aimed at Cuba. The hope has been that these sanctions would spur democratic reforms on the island nation. President Bush announced today that Americans will soon be allowed to send cell phones to Cubans, a policy change that’s meant to increase the freedom of expression for Cuban citizens.

MobileCrunch reported on April 14 of this year that Cubans are now able to buy cell phones, but for a hefty price. A cheap handset costs the equivalent of more than nine months of say wages. Earlier, on March 28, the Cuban government lifted restrictions on mobile phone use and allowed citizens unrestricted access to their handsets.

The new policy takes effect in a few weeks. The administration is saying that this is not a loosening of U.S. sanctions. Americans are currently granted to send gift parcels to Cuba and this is stated to be an extension of the gift allowance.

Ever since Raul Castro became President of Cuba, the nation has went through some basic economic and human rights reforms. Commenting on this President Bush stated, “If Raul is serious about his so-called reforms, he will allow these phones to reach the Cuban people.”

I’d like to see some group offer to send donated handsets to Cuba. There could be a nationwide drive to gather and donate cell phones for the citizens of Cuba who have had their freedom of speech of rights restricted for decades. Cell phone technology might be the instrument by which the oppression of communism melts away to allow more freedom of expression.

May 21 2008

Soon US Citizens granted to send cell phones to Cuba

Posted by: admin in Mobile Gadget

Since the 1960â€™s, the United States has had various types of trade sanctions aimed at Cuba. The hope has been that these sanctions would spur democratic reforms on the island nation. President Bush announced today that Americans will soon be allowed to send cell phones to Cubans, a policy change that’s meant to increase the freedom of expression for Cuban citizens.

MobileCrunch reported on April 14 of this year that Cubans are now able to buy cell phones, but for a hefty price. A cheap handset costs the equivalent of more than nine months of state wages. Earlier, on March 28, the Cuban government lifted restrictions on mobile phone use and allowed citizens unrestricted access to their handsets.

The new policy takes effect in a few weeks. The administration is saying that this is not a loosening of U.S. sanctions. Americans are currently granted to send gift parcels to Cuba and this is said to be an extension of the gift allowance.

Ever since Raul Castro became President of Cuba, the nation has went through some basic economic and human rights reforms. Commenting on this President Bush stated, “If Raul is serious about his so-called reforms, he’ll allow these phones to reach the Cuban people.”

Iâ€™d like to see some group offer to send donated handsets to Cuba. There could be a nationwide drive to gather and donate cell phones for the citizens of Cuba who have had their freedom of speech of rights restricted for decades. Cell phone technology might be the instrument by which the oppression of communism melts away to grant more freedom of expression.

May 21 2008

Next version of Optimus keyboard revealed: Under $1K!

Posted by: admin in Life Gadgets

Ladies and germs, the next version of the Optimus keyboard! Dubbed the Optimus Popularis, it’s currently set to retail for “well below” $1,000. That’s some deal, $1K for a keyboard. Why buy food or pay rent when you can have a cool LED keyboard? All the ideal stories come from random LiveJournals. Or something.

Ladies and germs, the next version of the Optimus keyboard! Dubbed the Optimus Popularis, it’s currently set to retail for “well below” $1,000. That’s some deal, $1K for a keyboard. Why buy food or pay rent when you can have a cool LED keyboard?

All the ideal stories come from random LiveJournals. Or something.

Via [crunchgear]

May 21 2008

Resistance Isn’t Futile: Explosive Edible Flour, Cigarette Guns and Other

Posted by: admin in General Gadgets News

To kick off our CIA gadget series, I’m starting with something from the beginning, well, before the beginning: covert weaponry sent to resistance fighters behind enemy lines during WWII. They thought of all kinds of disruptive technologies, including exploding edible flour, cigarette-shaped single-use guns and other discrete but explodey gadgets.

The Firefly was a “pocketable” explosive cylinder that came with its own time delay fuse, designed for dropping into gas tanks. (If used improperly, it would have given new meaning to the word “hotpants.”) The Limpet was a submersible explosive that latched onto the hull of a boat and blew a 25-square-foot hole. Best of all, its timer could be set for not just hours, but days.

The OSS .22 caliber cigarette pistol above was for close ranges and single uses. One of Spycraft’s authors, Keith Melton, explains that it might have been best used as a distraction, if not a lethal weapon. “Say you’re caught by Gestapo,” he says. Engage the weapon and “there’s a deafening noise in a confined space—disorder, confusion. Remember, any chance you might escape is better than no chance.”As a guy who’s baked a loaf of bread or two in his day, my favorite resistance weapon was the edible explosive flour dubbed “Aunt Jemima.” You could eat it. Let me repeat that: You could eat it. It tasted a tiny gritty, but hey, there was a war on. Baking wasn’t a huge deal, because, according to Melton, it needed an accelerant and a small detonator before it would go boom.

The OSS had a different mission than the CIA, as Spytech’s authors tell us. Back then during WWII, it was imperative to disrupt the enemy in any possible way, and covert weaponry was paramount. After a bit of organizational confusion in the 1940s and early 1950s, the CIA realized that its primary goal was to steal information alone, without leaving a trace—or any dead bodies. Hence the disappearance of cigarette guns, and the appearance of Zippo cameras. [Spytech Book Review]

Via [Gizmodo]