Hasta La Gadget!

Who says that electronic games can’t be good for you? The Geomate Jr is a super simple, kid-friendly GPS device with one function — directing you to pre-programmed geocaches.

Geocaching is the modern-day treasure hunt. The “treasure” is a log book and sometimes a small prize, and their locations are known. The Geomate Jr comes loaded with the positions of 250,ooo caches, and is pretty much ready to go when you open up the box. After switching on, you press the big button and the display fires up with an arrow telling you which way to go (it automatically picks the closest cache). Pressing the small button marks a cache as found, and hitting both buttons together marks your current position as “home” so you can get directions back later.

The pre-loaded locations are all in the US. What if you want to update them, or use this in another country? That’s where they get you. The unit is a reasonable $70, but to update you can’t just hook up via USB. Instead you need to buy a separate update kit. Or you will: The kit is not yet on sale. Can you say “nickel and dime”?

Money-grabbing antics aside, this looks like a lot of fun, and a much better way for the kids to spend a Saturday afternoon than holed up on the couch with a Nintendo DS Lite.

Product page [Geomate Jr via Crave]

It’s about time park benches did some work. All they do now is sit there, overlooking a nice hedgerow, pond or flower bed and providing a place for teenage lovers to scratch their names. Designer Owen Song agrees that these bum-beds are a waste of space and has designed a Wi-Fi-enabled, solar-powered seat instead, called the Solar Inside.

Better still, it lights up at night, the batteries drip-feeding the juice they gathered during the day into a bank of bulbs. This would be a perfect light by which to sit and sip a plastic cup of Thunderbird.

Sadly only a concept design, we love the idea of free, self-powered internet access. And you know those “sponsored” benches, the ones paid for by loved ones to commemorate a dead family member? Sign me up: The Solar Inside is a bench geeky enough to put my name on.

Product page [Coroflot]

We’ll be honest — there’s a decent chance you’ll never experience the joy of handling a Sonix7 Media Pro in your time here on Earth, but it’s still worth looking at just to show that the Apples, Microsofts and Meizus of the world haven’t scared us all away just yet. This so-called MP4 player packs a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, 30 hours of audio playback (20 hours on video) and a built-in camera and speaker. Unlike the hordes of alternatives, this one’s actually not built in China; rather, it’s born and bred in Britain. It’s available now in 8GB and 16GB flavors for £89.99 ($136) and £104.99 ($159), respectively, and you check out the company’s self-assembled showdown with the iPod nano just after the break.

Continue reading Sonix7 Media Pro tangles with the PMP giants

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Sonix7 Media Pro tangles with the PMP giants originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 04:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know, if you’re going to post pics of yourself onto the Internet goofing around with the Palm Pre in a Sprint back-office, Engadget’s going to be there to post them. However, if your dumb enough not to block out your face, well, guess we’ll have to do that for you. After all, you’re likely not bright enough to find a new job after having committed gun powder treason. Word of advice: get a new hat. A few more after the break.

[Thanks, PreCentral tipsters]

Continue reading Palm Pre pics released into the wild by Sprint freedom fighter

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm Pre pics released into the wild by Sprint freedom fighter originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Micro Four Thirds format has received quite a bit of attention lately thanks in large part to the impressive reviews coaxed forth by Panasonic’s diminutive Lumix DMC-GH1. But Panny’s not the only player here, there’s Olympus, the other half of the Micro Four Thirds team remember? Not that you’d forget the camera above taking its visual cues from classic rangefinders while promising a DSLR-sized sensor and Four Thirds lens compatibility stuffed into such a gorgeous compact body. According to AVING, the summer launch has now been narrowed to “early July” with an official announcement coming on June 15th. Oh boy.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Olympus’ Micro Four Thirds throwback beauty set to launch early July originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 02:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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