Hasta La Gadget!

An AT&T executive said Wednesday that the carrier is planning to tighten data usage controls for heavy smartphone users, according to USA Today.

It’s no secret that carrier networks are fragile beasts. Thanks to AT&T’s excruciatingly slow 3G build-out and the wildly successful iPhone, it’s probably the worst off of the four carriers in this regard. But even as AT&T struggles to catch up with network upgrades, head of consumer services Ralph de la Vega told investors in New York that it’s planning “incentives” to get high-bandwidth users to cool it, the report said.

This probably has something to do with how data card subscribers (at $59.99 per month) have a 5GB cap, whereas right now smartphone users don’t. De La Vega said that just three percent of smartphone users are eating up 40 percent of available capacity, and that most of it is thanks to high-bandwidth video streaming apps.

“We need to educate the customer … We’ve got to get them to
understand what represents a megabyte of data,” de la Vega said in the report. If that’s the case, rather than blaming his customers, he should probably have a talk with Apple–which is currently featuring CNN‘s video-heavy mobile app as “Pick of the Week.”

Nothing says “extreme” quite like wrist-guards… and knee pads… and elbow pads… and a PS3 Slim backpack. Epson combined all that and more to create its vision of an “extreme gamer,” a Ghostbusters cast-off with a gaming console on his back and an EH-TW450 projector on his chest used to splay Need for Speed: Shift on the walls of buildings, the ceilings of clubs, and the interiors of wind-tunnels. It’s exciting stuff, shown in the video below. Why this projector out of all the company offers? We’re not entirely sure. It’s a 3LCD 720p model with a 3000:1 contrast ratio and a single one watt speaker that probably couldn’t overcome the din of all the road traffic this extremophile was dodging. If you want in on this kind of action expect to pay about $1,000 — for the projector. You’re on your own for the rest of the kit. Loss of self-respect? That comes for free.

Continue reading Epson says EH-TW450 is ‘ultimate gaming projector,’ straps PS3 on nerd in jumpsuit to prove it (video)

Epson says EH-TW450 is ‘ultimate gaming projector,’ straps PS3 on nerd in jumpsuit to prove it (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Electrolux came up with the Silence Amplified, the “most silent vacuum cleaner ever made”, it decided to do something useful with all that extra quietness (the machine operates at just 68dB) that it had left in its wake: Fill it with music. And because today, “music” means “iPod”, Electrolux put in an iPod dock and integrated speakers.

At first, this seems absurd, but why not? Electrolux ran some tests with real, live people to see how they vacuumed with and without music. The result is predictable, but still wonderful: vacuuming becomes fun! The subjects in the video (below) wiggle and dance to the music, burning extra calories, getting the job done faster and generally having a great time.

Think you could do this with your regular vacuum? Think again. Just this week I was hoovering (what the Brits call vacuuming) our cow-skin rug. The Lady wanted to watch me dance, so of course I put on Queen’s “I Want to Break Free”, the anthem of housework. Utter failure. The noise drowned out the music, and I ended up just looking like I couldn’t stand up properly.

Two things make the racket normally associated with a vacuum cleaner: the motor itself and the air swooshing around the internal pipes and bends. Electrolux’ Silent Air Technology straightens as many kinks as possible and hangs the motor to keep it isolated, suspending it by its own suction.

The iPod-dock version of this appliance won’t, sadly, be made, says Cecilia Gustavsson, Product Line Manager at Electrolux. “Mind you,” she adds “if
we were to get a million pre-orders through our website, we would start production.” There are, however, a couple of silent vacs you can buy without the dock, starting at 2550 Swedish Krona, or $360.

I’ll probably never have need for this machine. We sweep in the summer and, in the winter, when the tiled floors suck the heat from your feet, we just let the dust build up into a thick insulating layer we call a “carpet”.

Product page [Electrolux. Thanks, Per!]

It might look like an innocent box of fruit but inside there’s a surprise!

Put your coin on the box’s fish-shaped button. You’ll hear a noise — and before long a cute paw will appear to nab your cash! It’s not on the market till January but this coin bank will surely be a huge hit. This is the Itazura Bank — or “prankster money box”. Available in dog and cat versions, and with appropriate noises for each, animal-lovers will not find a better way to save their money.

We love these kinds of toys and there has been a surge in them recently, starting with the uber-popular Facebank to the recent Choken Bako (above right).

***UPDATE: The Japan Trend Shop now has the Itazura Bank on pre-order. See here.

From now until Christmas, we’ll be giving away one prize a day on Crave (except for weekends and holidays). Today’s prize: a $500 gift card from Crutchfield.