(Credit: PediaSedate)Sometimes we hear about gadgets that are made for good but could definitely be used for evil. Take the PediSedate, a combo gaming device and sedation machine.
It’s essentially a Game Boy system modified to distract kids ages 3 to 9 with Tetris or something while they’…
Like many things in life, the whirrs and noises of old computers that were formerly annoying now inspire a nostalgic sense of retro glee — the bleating of a fax modem, the blatting of a large-format dot-matrix printer. It’s this sort of nostalgia that inspires some users to make them sing, like a YouTuber going by the handle of bd594 who orchestrated a collection of outdated gear to emit the soulful strings of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. It starts with an HP ScanJet 3C playing the part of Freddie Mercury, then an Atari 800XL makes the organ sounds, TI-99/4a handles guitar duties, and a selection of other archaic goodies make visual and aural appearances. While the scanner did need to be recorded four separate times for all the “vocal” tracks, nothing was pitch-corrected, meaning your old scanner is officially more talented than three quarters of the Weekly Top 40. See for yourself after the break.
[Via Boing Boing]
Continue reading Antiquarian peripherals play Bohemian Rhapsody
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Antiquarian peripherals play Bohemian Rhapsody originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In one of the more unexpected developments from NAB 2009, Qtv is pushing its streaming media player platform for consoles. Not an altogether radical idea we know, but what’s different here is a plan to launch first on the PlayStation 2 and move to newer hardware later. From the makers of the Qcast technology behind the GameShark Media Player, Qtv includes YouTube and access to streaming video from other sources, plus pictures, music and video (DivX, h.264, XviD & more) from USB devices or networked computers. The PS2 may not be the first HD set-top box we thought of, it does have the highest installed base. The Qtv player launches later this year and will be available on Mac and PC as well for “less than $50,” although thanks to the free 30-day trial the hardest part may be remembering where we left our PS2s.
Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home Entertainment
Qtv launches console IPTV platform on the PlayStation…. 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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(Credit: Perpetual Kid)Flashlights can be serious business for some people, with collectors spending upward of $200 for a high-end one. That’s not what the Battery Snap is. This $5 flashlight connects directly to a 9V battery and can be turned on using a tiny switch on the top. …
Sometimes the craziest coincidences happen. These last few days I have been wondering at the amount of badly-designed soap bottles littering the shower and kitchen, and whether I could find a simple, tough old bottle and just re-use that. “Of course you can”, is the answer, but where do I get the soap?
The solution is to be found at New Soap, a company which takes old plastic and glass bottles, cleans and sanitizes them and loads them up with soap. And not just any old soap — this is the good stuff, bought in bulk from the very suppliers who push the crap that helps us keep the landfills topped-up.
You can order anything from Windex to 409 to Palmolive Ultra, or opt for no-name products instead. You’ll find the liquids in old Heineken beer bottles, 2-liter soda bottles and Sprite bottles with spray-gun caps, and prices run from just over $2 and up.
We love the idea. Not only is it green, but these bottles look way cooler than the “real” thing, especially with the minimalist labeling, Of course, the best answer would be a local store that will refill your bottles for you, much as my local bodega will fill my empty water bottles with wine (they gave me a strange look when I asked them to turn a loaf into a fish, though). If you like the scheme, you can join the petition to get these bottles stocked in your local supermarket.
Product page
[New Soap. Thanks, Scott]
If you thought Mitsubishi’s LaserVue HDTVs were the beginning and the end of laser-tech in boob tubes, think again. Mitsu’s line is carrying on, but the brightness and depth of color offered by that telly are apparently just the beginning of what’s possible according to researchers at the Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics at the University of Cambridge. They indicate that the use of liquid crystals in concert with a single, laser-based light source would result in the same color depth but at a lower cost and higher reliability than the LaserVue, which requires separate lasers for RGB. What cost, exactly? That, dear reader, remains to be seen, but given the source we’re thinking you have plenty of time to save up — and to practice those Dr. Evil impressions.
[Via OLED-Display]
Liquid crystal lasers will light up next-gen HDTVs, your life originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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When I used to drive a car, I had no use for any gadget that plugged into my cigarette lighter socket. It was in constant use — as a cigarette lighter. Now that I don’t smoke, I’m pretty intrigued by Belkin’s new widgets which slip into the 12v socket and turn it into a USB port, enabling it to charge pretty much every gadget ever. This comes too late for me (my bike has no cigarette lighter) but for all you drivers, I suspect it will be very useful.
The Micro Auto Charger only has one port, but it’s tiny and sits flush with the dash. It even has a glowing blue blinkenlight, which is probably acceptable in a car as you a) don’t sleep while driving and b) don’t want to dig around trying to find the hole in the dark while you’re driving. The price is a mere $15, available “soon”.
Product page [Belkin]
Now that every kid on planet Earth is attempting to mimic the once-heroic Michael Phelps, it’s only fair to equip them with the very best in training tools. FINIS, the same firm that’s been cranking out bone conducting underwater MP3 players for years on end, has finally branched out a bit with the introduction of the AquaPulse. By utilizing an Infrared sensor, the device — which straps onto one’s goggles and rests on the temple bone — can continually monitor heart rate and communicate it audibly to the swimmer via bone conduction in customizable intervals. Unfortunately, FINIS didn’t think to integrate music playback into this for moments when it’s not dishing out vitals, but you could also rock one of its dedicated music players on the non-dominant ear. Olympians-to-be can catch it this May for $139.99. Full release is after the break.
Continue reading FINIS AquaPulse monitors, communicates heart rate to swimmers
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wearables
FINIS AquaPulse monitors, communicates heart rate to swimmers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Ready for the ultimate in convergence overkill? Meet the SmartFaucet from iHouse; a tap with built-in face recognition technology that automatically adjusts the water pressure and temperature to your preferred settings. The touchscreen display even features widgets for at-a-glance access to eMail, appointments, and the outside temperature while LEDs illuminate the flow with temperature matching colors. iHouse’s Fadec (pictured after the break) also adds face recognition to a 2.8-inch in-house remote control. That little trick allows the remote to respond to pre-programmed scenes (think AC, lighting, audio) customized by inhabitant. Too much? Never.
[Via BornRich]
Continue reading Video: iHouse SmartFaucet with face recognition is more smug than smart
Filed under: Displays, Household
Video: iHouse SmartFaucet with face recognition is more smug than smart originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 05:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you live in a city apartment, large or small, a balcony is essential to stop you going stir-crazy. But despite this, I’m having trouble seeing the point of the Bloomframe, unless it is so easy to fit that you can do it yourself.
The Bloomframe is an aftermarket balcony from Dutch architect Hoffman du Jardin. Like a convertible car, when the sun shines you can open it up to the air. What looks like a simple window folds out and down to make a platform and a glass balustrade.
But, we wonder, why? Would a real balcony not be better? The Dornob blog has a valiant stab at justification:
This delightful mechanical design allows a condo owner or apartment renter the flexibility of adding extra space at the push of a button without the requirement for outdoor furniture and continuous cleaning that normally come with a balcony.
But why not have outdoor space all the time? After all, its outdoors, right? It’s not like it takes up any space in even the tiniest apartment. The furniture argument fails — if you want to sit on a chair, you need a chair. At least with a real balcony you can leave the stuff out there instead of storing it indoors. And cleaning — what would you rather do — sweep the floor, or clean and polish glass until it is smear free?
Still, if you don’t have any outdoor space, and this is indeed a simple swap-in unit for an existing window, the great. If you’re building a house from scratch, though, use the real thing. Price on application — this is an architect after all.
Product page [Bloomframe via Dornob. Thanks, Kurt!]
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