Looking to further subject your Mimobot USB flash drive to more unspeakable cuteness and accessorizing? Then look no further than Mimobot’s new series of protoHoodies.
Keep your inanimate object warm and fashionable this winter season in three different designs: Spacesuit protoHoodie (black), Monkey Ears Spacesuit protoHoodie (black), and Headphones protoHoodie (white). These USB jackets zip up in the back so you can securely snuggle your flash drive into the protoHoodie. There’s also a keychain attached to the top, so you can fasten it to your cell phone, key ring, or bag. A thin layer of clear vinyl covers the face, so you can protect and still show off your Mimobot USB.
The protoHoodies cost $5.95 a piece and are compatible (yes, compatible) with any Mimobot flash drive without giant ears.
With Jeff too sick to come in this morning, Dan Ackerman and Scott Stein from CNET’s Digital City Podcast jump into the studio with me to record today’s show.
And don’t worry, this will NOT be a repeat of the infamous “Cheese Stands Alone” episode, so big thanks to Dan and Scott for coming to my rescue!
We spoke briefly about Google Chrome OS on yesterday’s show, but I’d be a dummy not to ask two of our laptop editors about it while I have a chance.
At Tuesday’s Chrome OS launch event, Google unveiled the Cr-48 Chrome Netbook that has a 12.1-inch display, a full-size keyboard, embedded 3G access and 802.11n Wi-Fi, an SSD, and a battery rated to eight hours of continuous use, and more than eight days of standby time.
The laptop won’t be available to purchase until the final one rolls out at the end of next year, but Google’s Chrome pilot program gives anyone the chance to be a beta tester for the hardware and software.
Speaking of laptops, Dan brings in the Dell Inspiron Duo for show and tell. The creative design marries the traditional folding clamshell laptop computer with a hinge in the middle of the lid that flips the screen 180 degrees, transforming the device into a tablet PC.
You can also purchase an optional speaker dock for higher-quality media playback, and we like that there’s a built-in Web cam for video chats, but it’s built into part of the screen bezel so it disappears when the display is flipped into tablet mode- doh!
A good portion of the show is also dedicated to a prototype of a new prosthetic arm shaped like a tentacle, but you’ll have to tune in to get the full story.
Thanks again to Scott and Dan for coming in this morning, and send your best wishes to Jeff for a quick recovery! Seriously, the show can’t go on without at least 2/3 hosts!
When you live in a big city, green space is hard to come by. New York City has Central Park, and now it also has the Lincoln Center.
The building is now home to what’s being called the Hypar Pavillion; essentially, a rooftop covered in grass. The roof is located directly above a restaurant, and takes spans 7,200 square feet. It features a twisted design that recreates the sensation of sitting in a hilly field, and it also makes the rooftop park accessible from the ground. The restaurant is completely surrounded by buildings and concrete, creating a perfect contrast for those looking to relax in the grass.
We’re seeing reports pop up that discounting — some of it heavy — off the full retail prices of Windows Phone 7 handsets by third-party retailers this early in the game could be a sign of trouble for Microsoft, but realistically, you can’t use that yardstick for guesstimating how well a phone (or a platform, in this case) is doing. Guys like Amazon, Wirefly, Simplexity (which runs a number of mobile stores, including Walmart), and Best Buy Mobile regularly undercut carriers’ first-party pricing on handsets immediately following release — or shortly thereafter — because it’s effectively a win-win: they’re given multi-hundred-dollar commissions for each new contract they bring to the network, giving them the wiggle room to apply some of that cash to the sticker price. The retailers win because they’re earning sales by offering phones for less than the carriers, and the carriers still win because they’re pushing on-contract units either way — and that means they’ve captured another long-term revenue stream, which is where the real money’s at. Popular Android devices like the Epic 4G and the Vibrant (among countless others) were handled the same way in the retail channel as these Windows Phone 7 devices are being handled.
Of course, that’s not to say we know Windows Phone 7 is selling well — Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore dodged questions about numbers this week at D: Dive into Mobile, which seems shady at best for a platform that’s now been on the market for a solid month. We are saying, though, that you can’t use third-party discounting to steer the conversation either way. Call us when AT&T or T-Mobile starts blowing out Quantums and HD7s for a penny directly when they’re not tied up in some sort of holiday BOGO promotion, because that’s when you have to worry.
Correction: Walmart’s mobile store is actually operated by LetsTalk, not Simplexity as we’d originally reported.
Dexim–manufacturer of accessories for iPhones, BlackBerrys, and other smartphones–has sent us a pair of devices from its car solutions line of products.
You may not have to wait until the year 2154 for your own remote-controlled body. Mark Stephen Meadows discusses wetware technology and how the science-fiction of Avatar is quickly becoming science fact.More »
Air conditioners use a lot of energy, so it’s great news to hear that the first residential solar powered A/C units are on their way in the US. Gree, the largest producer of air conditioning units in the world, has announced that production has started on a new line of units powered by the sun.
The first generation of the device will be almost entirely solar powered, utilizing traditional electricity only when it can get enough juice from the sun. And it’ll be out first in America,as Gree says that the firts 50,000 units sold will be in the American market. The company is already planning the next wave of solar powered A/C units, with an updated line that’s expected to begin production early next year. This new unit will improve the formula by making the device 100 percent solar powered, with no reliance on electricity.
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