Hasta La Gadget!

CrunchGear: It’s true what they say: some of the best products start out as fake products on April Fools’ Day. I don’t know who says that but the next time someone says “You know what they say: some of the best products start out as fake products on April Fools’ Day,” the “they” part of that phrase will be me. Or something like that.

Remember that fake Star Wars Tauntaun sleeping bag from ThinkGeek? Turns out everyone who’s anyone wants one for real. And why not? It’s a cool idea. Well it looks like ThinkGeek is going to actually try making it into a real product. According to the site:

ATTN Tauntaun Fanatics! Due to an overwhelming tsunami of requests from YOU THE PEOPLE, we have decided to TRY and bring this to life. We have no clue if the suits at Lucasfilms will grant little ThinkGeek a license, nor do we know how much it would ultimately retail for. But if you are interested in ever owning one of these, click the link below and we’ll try!

April Fools’ Tauntaun sleeping bag might become an actual product [CrunchGear]

Remember Intel’s Anti-Theft Technology that debuted around this time last year? You know, that wicked cool invention that you’ve heard absolutely nothing about ever since? Evidently it’s still alive and kickin’, as ASUS has just announced that two of its lappies will come loaded with it. The P30 and P80 will both arrive with the so-called theft deterrent system, enabling owners to send a “poison pill” (it’s words, not ours) remotely, rendering their computer inoperable by “comprehensively shutting it down.” If you manage to reacquire it in one piece, a passphrase can be inputted in order to reactivate things. Still, we have to wonder how this will really detract thieves from snapping up unattended machines — we mean, do they really stop to check out the anti-theft software before wheeling away with your rig? We’re guessing not.

[Via HotHardware]

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS equips P30 and P80 laptops with Intel’s Anti-Theft Technology originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know from countless encounters with our dear, dear friends at the Bluetooth Special Interest Group that their certifications aren’t as… shall we say, “detailed” as their counterparts at the FCC; frequently, we don’t even bother with them because there’s simply nothing there to talk about. Android phones are still pretty difficult to come by, though, so whenever we see the platform mentioned in a certification of any kind, we’re bound to sit up and take notice — particularly when said certification comes via HTC. Tipster Jeff came across a filing for an HTC “Fiesta” in the SIG this time around, descriptively noted as “an Android phone” that’ll be available in Asia, Europe, and North America. Other than that, we can count on it having Bluetooth (would be funny if it didn’t, wouldn’t it?), but that’s about it; the G1 / Dream was the Kila, the Magic was the Sapphire, so what’s this gonna be?

[Thanks, Jeff]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

HTC Fiesta is “an Android phone,” so says Bluetooth SIG originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The fine folks at iFixit and TechRepublic have teamed up to show us the innards of Dell’s new thin-and-sort-of-light ultraportable Adamo. They also set the laptop up against Apple’s MacBook Air to compare build quality and specifics. For instance, the Adamo packs a 11.1 volt 40 Watt hour battery, compared to the Air’s 7.2 volt 37 Watt hour battery, and comprises a greater percentage of the weight of the computer than its Air counterpart — who knew? Overall the Adamo seems to pack a good amount more technology into a slightly heavier package, and takes a small win over the MacBook for nixing the screws on the bottom, not to mention the huge win over its Windows counterparts for skipping out on the Intel and Windows stickers.

Filed under: Laptops

Dell Adamo torn to shreds for science and bragging rights originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to those ever-quotable “people familiar with the matter,” Steve Jobs is still “closely involved” in “key aspects” of running Apple, reports the Wall Street Journal. While Tina Fey’s favorite keynote-giver has remained incognito ever since he took a medical leave in January, the WSJ has learned that he’s been working hard from home, involved in strategy and key products — including some nitty gritty of the new interface elements in iPhone 3.0. The article also makes mention of a jumbo-sized iPod touch of sorts (an iTablet, if you will), but it’s hard to tell if that word is from these same people familiar with the matter, or if the WSJ is just picking up that perennial rumor from less reputable sources. Apple’s of course remaining tight-lipped, merely stating that “Steve continues to look forward to returning to Apple at the end of June.” All we know is that we’re looking forward to putting all this rampant speculation behind us, and an Apple-involved Steve seems like a great step in that direction.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Steve Jobs still involved in ‘key aspects’ of running Apple, testing out that iTablet you so desire? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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