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The Samsung Tango View Cleaner has an onboard webcam and mic

Gadget Lab Notes is an eclectic roundup of gadget news briefs and intriguing products that catch our eye.

Samsung Tango View Cleaner-Bot Streams What it Sees
If you’ve always wanted some sort of spy cam in your home, and your floors are perpetually dirty, Samsung has created the hybrid device you’ve been looking for. The Tango View VC-FL87W is an autonomous, Roomba-like vacuum cleaner with a built-in webcam that can stream its view to a smartphone or tablet. An onboard mic and low-light video support make it a sneaky (creepy?) way to keep tabs on what’s going on in your abode when you’re not around to keep an eye on things. Or you can just have fun getting a mouse-eyed view of the world as your floors get cleaned.

Samsung Robotic Vacuum Cleaner [Akihabara News via Slashgear]

Expedition Tripod Is Made of Wood Instead of Metal
The Expedition Tripod is made of sustainably harvested varnished ash in Germany. Why wood? It absorbs vibration better than metals like carbon, steel, or aluminum (or so they manufacturer says). And craftsmen have used the same techniques to build it for over a century.

Wood Camera Tripod [Photojojo via Uncrate]

LinkedIn and Snaptu Join Forces to Bring a Smartphone-Style App to Feature Phones
For international users who want to access LinkedIn on the go but are lacking a smartphone, life will soon get easier. LinkedIn is working with mobile developer Snaptu to create an app that lets dumbphone users access their update stream and profiles, search their network, accept invitations, and invite users to their network. Snaptu is also working with Facebook to bring the social network to feature phones.

LinkedIn Teams Up With Snaptu [TechCrunch]

Google Joining In on the NFC Payment Game
Although Google has explicitly stated that they don’t sell hardware, they have, according to Bloomberg’s sources, been purchasing “thousands” of VeriFone’s NFC payment terminals. The search engine giant is planning to install them in the tech-forward cities of San Francisco and New York City so users can swipe their Android smartphone to pay for transactions. There have been previous rumors that Google was developing their own payment system; this Verifone-purchasing information is right in line with that.

Google is said to ready payment test in New York and San Francisco [Bloomberg via Engadget]

Harman GHS-1 Gaming Headphones Look Sweet, Are Packed With Features
Currently available for $80, Harman’s GHS-1s feature a directional (cardioid) boom mic and passive noise reduction for filtering out background noises. It’s got in-line volume control and mic on/off switch as well as a mechanism in the headband so it can fold up compactly. They’re designed for longwearing comfort, and won a Red Dot Design Award for their good looks.

GHS-1 [Harman via Crunchgear]

Magic Spoon, A Simple Solution for Transporting Flatware
When I decide to eat some food in my room, it’s always a pain to juggle a glass, plate, and forks or spoons as I walk across the house. The Magic Spoon design fixes at least part of that problem by elongating and bending the handle of your utensil, turning it into a hairpin-type clasp. Just slide and clamp it onto a plate or cup to secure it.

The Magic Spoon [Yanko Design]

The Independent is starting our week off on a sour note with the information that Apple’s next iPhone won’t have NFC hardware built in. Near Field Communication has found itself coming to the fore this year, thanks in large part to the Nexus S touting it as a major feature, however sources at “several” of the UK’s major carriers have told the newspaper that Apple intends to skip on it for this year. That intel is reportedly coming directly from meetings with the Cupertino brain trust, which is said to be dissatisfied with the current lack of a clear, universal NFC standard. It’s generally been Apple’s wont to omit or delay features it doesn’t feel it can implement well, and NFC looks fated to be another one on that list.

iPhone 5 won’t have NFC, say insiders at UK carriers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 03:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, here’s a bold step forward for NFC — payment solution provider Verifone says its new batch of point-of-sale terminals will come standard with the touch-to-pay wireless technology. That’s the word from Near Field Communications World, who quizzed the company just a few days after CEO Douglas Bergeron called on the payments industry to foot the NFC bill, saying “The retail point of sale represents a point of convergence for smartphone-initiated payments, social networking and electronic couponing, but it won’t happen if retailers are expected, on faith, to absorb the costs of making it work.” Sounds like a company that’s very keen on letting us pay by swiping our phone. Unfortunately, he didn’t say when such technology might roll out.

Continue reading VeriFone puts money near mouth, says it’ll include NFC in all new POS terminals

VeriFone puts money near mouth, says it’ll include NFC in all new POS terminals originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The HELLO-Q PC Tower Case is great for the LEGO lover.

Gadget Lab Notes is an eclectic roundup of gadget news briefs and intriguing products that catch our eye.

Fujitsu Introduces A Completely Wireless 22-Inch Monitor
Toted as the “world’s first truly wireless display,” Fujitsu’s Wireless 22-inch screens draw power from their Smart Universal Power Access (SUPA) technology using magneto-induction transmitter antennas. SUPA works essentially the same as induction chargers such as the HP Touchstone or the Powermat. Images are transmitted to the LED-backlit monitor from a laptop or desktop up to 10 meters away via wireless USB. If you’re looking to transform your desktop into a cord-free zone, you’ll have to wait: pricing and availability information haven’t been released yet.

Fujitsu 22-Inch Wireless Displays [Daring Minds]

How Would You Decorate Coobeeo’s HELLO-Q Building Block-Studded PC Tower Case?
Use your imagination to construct designs, messages, or useful enclosures with building blocks: The front face of Coobeeo’s HELLO-Q PC tower case is covered entirely in building block studs. Hopefully it’s LEGO compatible.

HELLO-Q PC Tower Case [Coobeo via Oh Gizmo!]

TazTag’s TazPad is the First NFC-Enabled Android Tablet
TazTag’s 7-inch Android tablet (to be revealed at CeBIT later this week) will feature HDMI output and full HD support, biometric authentication, a camera, GPS, and an accelerometer. It will also include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, NFC, and ZigBee, a communication standard for low-powered gadgets. The TazPad will be available Q2 2011.

Tazpad at CeBIT [Android Community via Slashgear]

Starrynight Lamp Glows Bright in the Day, Starry at Night
A thin photovoltaic layer on the outside of this concept lamp charges up a battery so when it’s switched off at the end of the day, pinpricks of light still provide a glow for the rest of the night.

Starrynight Lamp [Yanko Design]

Complete Your Ironic Hipster Look With a Retro 80s iPhone Case
Skinny jeans? Check. Collection of VHS tapes? Check. Chunky Zac Morris-style cellphone? Well now you can check that off the list, too. For $21, you can get this retro iPhone 4 case which transforms your sleek, pocket-able smartphone into a large, awkward homage to the early days of mobile communication.

80s Retro iPhone Case [IWOOT via Ubergizmo]

Your Next Pizza Could Be Delivered on the Thrust Eco-Delivery Ebike
Unveiled at LA’s recent International Pizza Expo, Thrust Electric Bikes’ Eco-Delivery bike charges via solar power or electricity and means that your delivery guy doesn’t need a pesky driver’s license to do his job. LED’s line the on-bike pizza enclosure, providing extra cycler and logo visibility.

Eco-Delivery Electronic Bike [Thrust Electric Bikes via ChipChick]

Waiting sucks, doesn’t it? Yes, yes it does — which is why we’re delighted to see that direct links to the official, final updates to Android 2.3.3 for the Nexus One and Nexus S have both been turned loose. This is especially exciting news for Nexus One owners who’ve stayed on the straight and narrow and haven’t moved to a cooked Gingerbread ROM already, since they’re still on Froyo — but it’s also good news for developers working on NFC apps with the Nexus S and Android’s freshly-baked NFC API, since it means they’ll have real-world devices to start playing with. So go on, get to it — we know you’re not going to wait for the over-the-air notification anyway.

[Thanks, Will]

Official Android 2.3.3 updates for Nexus One and Nexus S unearthed, available to the impatient originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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