Gadgets Blog

Apple’s very lucrative fee sharing arrangement with AT&T over iPhone fees may be coming to an end in favor of a new carrier … Verizon Wireless. If Apple’s interim CEO Tim Cook considers what to do with the current carrier arrangement over the iPhone, rumors are flying that Verizon wireless may be courting Cupertino for a similar exclusive arrangement for Apple customer loyalty. But most tech reporters agree that changing one deal with the devil for another is just as bad and Apple should consider tossing iPhone use wide open for all carriers, and customers to enjoy.

The initial arrangement with AT&T for subsidizing the cost of the iPhone was supposed to be for 5 years. In the course of such an arrangement, Apple has enjoyed a very lucrative profit sharing position as provider of what many call “the Jesus Phone.” But it seems that support for sticking with AT&T seems to be waining in the hallowed halls of Apple and considering that Verizon has been nipping at Apple’s heals since the iPhone’s inception back in 2007 with a promised iPhone killer (get in line) could it be that Cupertino is finally taking a look at the popular wireless carrier as a potential replacement to MaBell?

Rumors are rumors and Apple is no stranger to them. But frankly, it would complicated, but a much more lucrative arrangement for Cupertino if they got out of the exclusive deal and opened the iPhone wide open for any carrier to carry. They’d probably sell ten times more phones that way.

Hat Tip â€" PMP Today

I’ve seen lamps like this before, but usually with a candle glowing within the lamp.  However, this one features a flickering bulb that gives the illusion of a candle glinting within.  It will provide a much safer way to have soft lighting within your home that takes a new spin on an old fashioned design.  Although they did put in a bulb instead of a candle, this light didn’t cut any corners.  The shade is real frosted glass, so at least they didn’t cheap out on the rest of the lamp.

It is a far safer design, but I always have a hard time with gadgets meant to replace candles entirely.  I like candles because they smell good.  Something tells me a light bulb isn’t going to smell as grand as a nice hazelnut scented candle.  The light has a built-in timer that can be set to shut off five hours after you flip it on.  You can also manually shut it off or turn it on via the switch.  The lamp uses 3 AA batteries to keep it powered, so it’s cord free.  Beyond the glass shade, it has a bronzed base and stands 8” tall.  You can purchase this on Amazon for $19.95.

Source: GadgetGrid

GiiNii has unveiled some interesting products at last CES, and you can read here for our interesting encounter of breaking the Movit. It appears that GiiNii has forgiven us, as they offered me a review of their 8-inch Multimedia Digital Picture Frame.

This Digital Picture Frame from GiiNii does not require a PC connection in order to work. To test this out, I inserted the SD memory card from my cellular phone and I got an instant slideshow. I was surprised that worked so well, so I inserted a thumb drive and I got another instant slideshow. Clearly, GiiNii succeeded in creating a frame that is both “user-friendly” and “plug-and-play”.

The pictures come out very clear with their “Dazzle Color” chips that enhance the photo, and the user has a lot of options when it comes to displaying their photos, music, or video.

One of the things that I liked about this frame is that the controls are on the back, but you don’t have to memorize where the buttons are. As soon as one is pushed, the button configuration will appear on the screen. I know I’m not doing a good job describing this, and you will have to see these controls for the easy navigation.

This GiiNii Digital Picture Frame is one of the best that I have ever tried, and it is available at major retail outlet stores everywhere. Feel free to click here for more information about its features.

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About two years ago, we covered the Intelliscanner Personal Barcode Scanner which allows you the user to scan your own merchandise and upload them to the PC. That might be good for establishing your personal inventory in your home, but I have recently discovered the Scan It, which is good for business on the road.

Simply put, the Scan It is a barcode scanner that allows you, the customer, to self check your groceries. All you need to do is scan your merchandise, put it in the bag, and scan the “all done” bar code when you are finished.

Just think! No more waiting at the checkout line for something that you can do all by yourself. No more bagging all your groceries at the end when you can just do it as you go. You can save at least fifteen minutes on your next shopping trip, easily!

So, how soon can you get one of these? The scanners are made by Motorola, and they are not quite ready for full mass production just yet. My source had a chance to try this out, and there is a catch when using this technology. The user has to agree to a random audits, and it will keep track of what you’re doing. In other words, Big Brother is watching you shop.

Still, you got to admire the Scan It’s initiative for changing the face of grocery shopping with the use of technology. Perhaps there will come a day when a Scan It is on everyone’s cellular phone.

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I’m sure that some of you are looking at that picture of the cassette recorder and saying: “Is this the coolest gadget that you can find today?” and “What is this, the early eighties?”

However, this product is for those of you who may remember the eighties, who might still have a collection of albums on cassettes that were purchased before the advent of CDs. Some of you probably keep your cassettes around because you don’t have the song on any other media. Of course, you still have to go through the rigmarole of fast-forwarding or rewinding to find your favorite track. What you really need to do is take the songs off the cassette and put them on your iPod.

Fortunately, the Tape2USB is designed to convert those old cassettes into MP3 files. All you need to do is plug it into your computer via USB and use the included Audacity software to edit the cassette-to-audio files.

There is definitely a retro look to the Tape2USB. Notice that all the controls are dials, and there is even an old-school counter with a reset button. Could this be any more old-timey? I’m surprised it even has a USB connector. That’s like putting an iPod dock inside a Model T.

I actually have a pile of cassettes that I could use the Grace Tape2USB for. Perhaps I should get over to the Grace Digital site and lay down $129.99 for it. While I’m at it, I should purchase the Vinylwriter Pico for $99.99, and turn my old vinyl LPs into MP3s. Of course, I wonder how the digital versions of my old favorites will sound when they are converted.

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I love having music in the shower, like many others do, but most shower speakers that are meant to hook up with your iPod aren’t interesting in the least.  Not to mention being overly expensive, but I finally dealt with it and bought one (it’s nowhere near as cute as this duck).  Unfortunately I bought one that keeps your iPod inside and my poor iPod Touch has to be crammed in the compartment with a bit of not so gentle force.  With this little duck speaker you could keep your iPod safe and someplace dry, while the duck plays your music in the shower/bath tub.

Just plug your iPod into the egg and it will wirelessly transmit the music to the duck.  The obnoxious part of the duck is that it takes about ten batteries to keep it going.  It needs 4 AAA for the duck and then 3 AAA for the egg.  Hopefully it’s not like my speakers, which will kill the batteries in no time if you’re not careful.  If you’re in the mood for a bit of mood lighting, the duck can change between four different colors.  To pick up the iDuck it will cost you £27.99 or about $40.  Sadly, as of now these are all sold out.

Source: NerdApproved

Hershey has no problem creating non-chocolate products to go with their line of sweets.  They even have Hershey dedicated stores filled with t-shirts, mugs and some chocolate scented lotion so that you can cover yourself in chocolaty goodness, which I wish I had bought when I came across it.  Then again having Hershey products, you’ll probably gain 10lbs just due to being reminded of your chocolate cravings.  Well now Hershey is even breaking into gadgets to go with their line of Hershey accessories.

The new line will include a USB drive that will range from 1GB to 4GB  and features a plain Hershey bar (as shown above) or Mr. Goodbar, Krackel, Twizzlers or Bubble Yum.  The USB drives will range in price from $14.99 to $29.99.  You’ll also be able to pick up 2GB and 4GB drives in the shape of Hershey Kisses for $19.99 to $29.99.  Besides USB drives, they will offer digital cameras featuring a Jolly Rancher design, Hershey’s miniatures and Bubble Yum for $24.99.  Then for slightly more expensive, the Hershey’s Kisses camera will cost $29.99.  To go with your music you can pick up plus MP3 speakers in the shape of giant Kisses for $9.99 and Kisses earphones for $7.99.  You’ll be able to find all of this on Jazwares.  As of now, it’s still set as coming soon.

Source: Gearlog

The winner of last week’s coolest gadget competition is the Microwave Oven with a Pizza Drawer Underneath.

The days of soggy reheated pizza are over! Where was this when I was in college and ate pizza 6 days a week?! It’s a microwave oven with a built in pizza oven drawer underneath. The Stainless Steel Kenmore 1.1 cu. ft. Countertop Microwave & Pizza Oven has your standard microwave features (popcorn button, defrost, reheat, etc) as well as several very specific pizza reheating buttons.

Congrats again to Craziest Gadgets.

In second place we have the Gigapan Epic For Gigapixel Panorama Photography.

The Gigapan Epic is a robotic camera mount that allows photographers to capture gigapixel images and works with most digital cameras. The process consists of identifying the panorama you wish to capture. The included software will then activate the camera to take hundreds or thousands of pictures and will subsequently stitch them together to make the finished image.

Finally in third place comes the The Third Eye Video Camera.

Smaller than a golf ball, this ultralight spherical video camera attaches to a headband, providing a third eye while biking, hiking, or during other activities. The camera’s sensor captures images at 320 x 240 resolution at 30 fps (the built-in microphone records audio).

Thank you to everybody who voted, submitted, commented or told a friend. The randomly drawn winner of the $50 Amazon vouchers is:

Jabberwock (jaroslaw.m…@), congratulations.

Thanks again everybody and good luck with the next CGOTW contest on Friday.

Want to hear about future contests first? Subscribe to our daily digest via email or RSS.

If you write for a gadget themed blog and wish to be included in next week’s contest check out the CGOTW instructions page.

Microsoft’s SideWinder X8 mouse is finally available in store shelves this week, and you’re able to take advantage of Microsoft’s BlueTrack Technology for best-in-class performance. While most gaming enthusiasts still believe that going wireless is a big no-no when it comes to professional gaming, we must admit that a mouse sans wires is just way more attractive, although there is the teeny problem of a battery life in the long run. What you get with the X8 includes the best frame rate, speed and acceleration on the market and a tracking range from 250 dots per inch (dpi) to 4,000 dpi. A single charge is able to last for up to 30 hours of active gaming, and you can also rely on the play-and-charge cable as another ingenious option. The SideWinder X8 Mouse will retail for $99.95 a pop.

Press Release

The next time you want to monkey around with a webcam, might we suggest the Monkey USB Cam? USBGeek is carrying it for $25 a pop which is more expensive than what generic USB webcams are going for in the market, but the rest ain’t half as cute compared to what you have here. It is able to capture your antics at resolutions of up to 800 x 600 pixels, although that would mean a 15 fps frame rate. There is an adjustable lens that provides manual control for the clarity of your image as well as auto white balance to give the best image quality possible. You won’t need any drivers if you’re running on Windows XP SP2 or Vista.

Apple has just dropped an announcement of the public beta of Safari 4, touted to be the fastest and most innovative web browser for Mac and Windows PCs in the world. Hopefully they will be able to live up to this claim, as Safari 4 uses the Nitro engine which is able to run JavaScript 4.2 times faster than Safari 3 in a controlled test environment. As with any new version of software or hardware, one can expect new innovative features to make the cut, and in this case, we hope that our browsing experience will be more intuitive and enjoyable. One of the more interesting feature that we’d look forward to would be Top Sites, as it offers a visual preview of frequently visited pages (would it be like thumbnails found in Google’s Chrome?), a full History Search, Cover Flow for easy flipping through web history or bookmarks and Tabs on Top that helps ease the pain of tabbed browsing (not that we found it hard to do so in the first place).

Some of the new features in Safari 4 include :-

• Top Sites, a display of frequently visited pages in a stunning wall of previews so users can jump to their favorite sites with a single click
• Full History Search, where users search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages to easily return to sites they’ve seen before
• Cover Flow, to make searching web history or bookmarks as fun and easy as paging through album art in iTunes
• Tabs on Top, for better tabbed browsing with easy drag-and-drop tab management tools and an intuitive button for opening new ones
• Smart Address Field, that automatically completes web addresses by displaying an easy-to-read list of suggestions from Top Sites, bookmarks and browsing history
• Smart Search Field, where users fine-tune searches with recommendations from Google Suggest or a list of recent searches
• Full Page Zoom, for a closer look at any website without degrading the quality of the site’s layout and text
• Built-in web developer tools to debug, tweak and optimize a website for peak performance and compatibility
• A new Windows-native look in Safari for Windows

This is a public beta for both Mac OS X and Windows platforms, and you can download it here for free.

Memory card readers aren’t exactly the most exciting peripherals in the world, and they certainly won’t send the whole tech journalist community into a frenzy whenever a new model is announced. Things could very well change in the future with SanDisk’s new ImageMate All-In-One memory card reader that offers increased efficiency and faster data transfer rates, all crammed into a form factor that’s pleasing to the eye. The ImageMate All-In-One readers have already begun to ship to retailers in North America, so if you’re on the lookout, chances are you will be able to pick one up at a good store near you.

The new SanDisk ImageMate All-In-One readers are faster, smaller and sleeker than their predecessors, and they will come with upgraded software applications that further enhance their usability. Most of our readers will just want to know the juicy details concerning performance before they read about anything else, so here goes. The new ImageMate All-In-One reader is able to transfer data between a wide range of memory card formats and a host computer at speeds of up to 34MB/s when using a SanDisk Extreme IV 45MB/s CompactFlash card, while the new Multi-Card reader can touch 30MB/s read and 27 MB/s write data transfer rates with a SanDisk Extreme III 30MB/s Edition SDHC card popped inside. Both models will come with a stylish glossy black and metallic silver design, alongside a detachable tripod base for instant portability.

Digital content is transferred not only through the tried and tested drag-and-drop method, but it can also be done via a transfer button that will automatically launch a user-defined application or web site. Pressing the reader’s button will open up a designated application (ranging from Adobe Photoshop to a flickr.com account or others) where the user is able to transfer or edit photos from there. SanDisk has even updated the ImageMate software bundle so that users can take advantage of the advanced features of both readers. Virtually every industry-standard memory card format currently available (SD, SDHC, miniSDHC, microSDHC, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro Duo, xD and CompactFlash) is supported, and you can even insert multiple cards for card-to-card data transfers. A blue LED light indicates activity at that point, and you can pick up the whole shebang for $29.99. As for the Multi-Card reader, it is $10 cheaper.

Press Release

Here’s another airplane related gadget to add to the collection.  There has been the airplane shaped mouse as well as the USB fan shaped like an airplane.  If you or one of your children loves airplanes, that short list of airplane themed gadgets would be fun to acquire.  It would also be cheap, those two gadgets are under $15.  Although, this Airplane Shaped USB Drive is actually a little more than $15.  To hold to the airplane design, they made it so that the connector is retractable.

The USB drive is 8GB, so should be a decent size for most people.  It might be hard to get taken seriously at work with this in hand though.  Then again, most novelty gadgets are that way.  It’s sold on Chinavasion, so you can pick up one or you can buy these in bulk.  Of course, the more you buy the cheaper each of them becomes.  The 8GB drive, if you buy only one, is sold for $23.87.  When you buy ten or more, the price starts dropping a little.

Source: GeekyGadgets

A few weeks ago, I covered the Blooming Buds, a set of headphones that I saw at CES that allowed the user to put “blooms” on their earbuds to create a unique look.

These ear buds don’t just have some tiny little bloom that conveniently attaches to it, but it has an insect. Yes, you know those flies that you try to keep from buzzing in your ears? Well these are some flies that you want to keep buzzing in your ears.

I don’t have any word about the quality of sound, but since the price is low, I doubt you’re looking at anything high definition here. Of course, even if the sound from these ear buds was the best in the world, would you want to wear them? I mean, they look like flies, for crying out loud! Let’s put it this way, if you were to collapse with these ear buds on, people would think you were a dead body with flies in the ears.

The Fly Ear Buds are compatible with MP3 players, laptops, as well as portable gaming consoles. They come with two sets of silicone tips, one small and one large. You should be able to purchase the Fly Ear Buds for about $12.95 on such sites like Patina stores.

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Coolest Gadgets has previously reported how the first Ghostbusters movie was put on a memory stick to promote sales of the PNY thumb drive. It appears that Samsung’s new phone, the Delve, has some film footage on it to entice a potential customer.

Yes, the Samsung Delve has not just one movie, but three. In this case, it has the entire Mission Impossible trilogy. All the customer has to do is redeem a coupon via mail that will allow him or her to get a limited edition microSD card that has Tom Cruise’s three-movie deal with Paramount pictures.

As mentioned before, the Mission Impossible trilogy card will only be available for a limited time. The deal began on February 20, and will run until April 16 at Alltel Wireless retail stores and authorized dealers through the mail.

As for the Delve itself, we have actually discussed it before. I have heard that it is very similar to a certain phone from Apple and AT&T. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ll give you a hint, it’s a phone that starts with an “i”.

So, is this the beginning of cellular phones that have movies attached to them? I don’t see why not. Now, if they had some newer movie releases, that would be interesting.

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Sure, Portable Media Players (PMPs) are a dime a dozen, and many of them have identical features. So when it comes to new PMPs, it is mostly about the look on the outside, rather than what the PMP has on the inside.

The Myracer lisse T10 has that distinct look to it that is designed by the same people who created those nice-looking Cowan media players released a while ago. It also has taken a page from the iRiver Spinn as it has that dial interface for “analog scrolling” through the menu screen.

Speaking of the screen, the T10 is a 320 x 240 touchscreen that measures in at 2.8 inches. It also has a built-in speaker, voice recorder, and FM tuner. As for memory, it has about 2 to 4 GB worth of storage, which is enough for whatever audio and video files you want to put in there.

This is one of those PMPs that will have a Korean release, but I’m not certain that it will stay in Korea. Unfortunately, we don’t have any word on price or availability.

Another vague detail that I have from my sources is that the Myracer lisse T10 comes with some games. I’m guessing that you play them with the dial, and I can’t wait to see what type of games they are. Super Monkey Ball, anyone?

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Skateboards have always featured interesting artwork and in a wide range of styles.  Which as a kid made me really want to learn how to use one without looking like an idiot.  However, sadly I lack the coordination and balance, not to mention I only had about six feet of sidewalk to practice on.  Beyond that and I was stuck attempting to skateboard on gravel.  Well this skateboard might not draw in the younger crowd, but older tech savvy skateboarders will likely get a kick out of it.

It features on both sides the icons that show up on iPhone’s home screen.  It actually shows the same icons on both sides, it’d be nice if it was at least slightly different on the bottom or top of the skateboard.  Even if it’s not a complex design, you’ll definitely stand out from the crowd if you take this out to the local skate park.  You can purchase the skateboard for $59.99 from Zazzle, which isn’t a bad price for a novelty skateboard.

Source: GeekyGadgets

Most of the time the cool lighting ideas are designated for the living room or bedroom, it seems like typically the kitchen gets left behind.  Well this cute lighting idea is meant to light up your kitchen with a little bit of quirky lighting.  If you have a love for teacups, then this would blend in great with your kitchen.  It’s not the first time teacups have been incorporated into design and used to decorate a home.

Teacups are always great to decorate with, in part because there is such a variety of styles out there.  You can get a delicate and very detailed teacup at an affordable price if you search hard enough.  Well with this one they use simple light colored tea cups with a dark base attached to them.  It was designed by Juan Valdez.  These porcelain teacups measure 150×65mm.  You can purchase this for 156.00 € or about $199.  Really though, if you’re great with DIY projects, this wouldn’t be difficult to create on your own and you would get to choose what style teacups would fit best in your home.

Source: NerdApproved

Want to go green in your lifestyle but am not too sure where to continue after getting that hybrid car for the family? How about purchasing items that use recycled material as packaging, as well as turning your food scraps into compost for a much more fertile garden afterwards? Instead of making the compost yourself using the traditional methods, you can always harness the power of today’s technology to help you out in the form of the Rapid No Turn Composter.

This is the patented three-chamber bin that turns organic matter into compost in half the time of typical methods, without requiring frequent turning for aeration. Vegetable scraps, lawn refuse, and other raw materials are mixed in the top chamber where solar energy absorbed by the bin’s black polypropylene sides and lid (15% recycled) starts the decomposition process. After about a month, material can be easily moved to the middle chamber for further decomposition by simply pulling out a panel. As it continues to break down, material falls into the bottom chamber where it matures into nutrient-rich compost. Apertures in the bottom chamber provide aeration that helps speed decomposition and eliminates odors. Because decomposed matter does not mix with newly added materials, it cuts composting time to as little as 12 weeks - compared to the six months required by lesser bins.

Nobody said that going green is cheap though, as the Rapid No Turn Composter will set you back by a rather hefty $299.99.