Gadgets Blog

by Darren Murph, posted May 25th 2008 at 4:07PM

RFID has long since been a pretty common find in your modern day hospital, but now GE and CenTrak are teaming up to make the technology even more useful in those long, winding hallways. Simply hailed as RFID “virtual walls,” the creation enables venues to “track tagged mobile medical equipment down to a portion of a single room.” By providing sub-room-level distinction, personnel can locate hardware within a monitored area as tiny as 6- x 8-feet, and although it’ll likely be used to locate cardiac defibrillators and portable ultrasound machines, patients could theoretically be tracked, too. The new tech will be shown off at the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) Conference in San Jose next week, though there’s no word on how soon the duo will roll this stuff out en masse.

[Via medGadget]

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Filed under: Wireless

by Darren Murph, posted May 25th 2008 at 1:30PM

You never really know what all will emerge from a simple interview, and thanks to a recent sit-down with Canonical chief executive Mark Shuttleworth, we now know that a build of Ubuntu tailored for ultraportables (or subnotes, as it were) is just around the bend. According to Mr. Shuttleworth, the aforesaid software will be announced “in the first week of June,” and it’ll be called the Netbook Remix. He also noted that the outfit is currently “working with Intel, which produces chips custom-made for this sector.” Sadly, it seems we’ll have to wait a week or so before finding out more, but those interested in reading the interview in full can certainly give the read link a visit.

[Image courtesy of TurboGadgets, thanks KC Kim]

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Filed under: Laptops

by Ryan Block, posted May 25th 2008 at 1:58PM

Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of ‘em, but Hop-On’s got a new $10 disposable cellphone that goes by the name of HOP1800. Dual-band on 850/1900 or 900/1800, featuring totally rad vibrating or polyphonic MIDI ringing, Hop-On’s billing this one as the “anti-iphone“; we’re not exactly sure what makes this the anti-iPhone other than the fact that it, um, doesn’t actually do anything (except make calls), but hey, sounds like an easy way to sell some throwaway handsets.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: cellphones

Vudu, while maybe not attracting quite as much attention as originally hoped, are proving they are still alive in the small but welcomed movie set-top-box market. The Vudu box was originally launched back in the Fall of 2007, but sales may have been slow because of the limited availability, up till now it could only be found directly with Vudu or with Amazon.com.

However customers can now purchase the Vudu box in one of 24 Best Buy outlets in California, which should help overall sales and awareness of the product. While the management from Vudu would not comment on the strategy behind the limited availability of Best Buy locations, its safe to assume that they are most likely looking to see just how well they will sell.

According to Patrick Cosson, VP of marketing at Vudu;

“Brand awareness is growing very quickly, as our Web site traffic is growing very quickly,” said Cosson. “And it’s growing all across the country—in all kinds of markets.”

Hopefully they move well and eventually move on to stores in other states as well. Currently Vudu offers around 5,500 movies, about 1,000 TV episodes and only 150 HD movie titles. The Vudu currently retails for $295.

Via [Video Business]

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The latest low-cost, practically disposable handset to hit the market comes courtesy of Hop-On in the form of the $10 HOP1800. The handset will be available to use worldwide as it will come in two models, the dual-band 850/1900MHz or the 900/1800MHz for Europe and Asia. The HOP1800 is just the handset and will require a local and working SIM card wherever you choose to use the handset. The Hop1800 will offer users up to 4 hours of talk time and 150 on standby.

According to the press release is being marketed as the “perfect iphone traveling companion” thanks to the cost of “roaming fees going though the roof.” The HOP1800 is currently on the market and being sold just about everywhere to include “retailers such as drug and convenience stores, big box retailers and to businesses looking for a unique branding opportunity.” While the handset itself is selling for $10, Hop-On is also offering a $5 rebate should you choose to return the phone after using it in an effort to “keep it green,” which makes sense because at $10 simply tossing it in the trash after use, aside from filling up the landfills will not be a real loss to your wallet.

Via [SlashPhone]

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Solar power looks like it is here to stay, and we have so far seen solar powered cars being the Holy Grail in the fight to be independent of black gold, or rather, oil. Hybrid cars aren’t exactly catching on as fast as environmentalists prefer, and solar powered cars have not made the impact they were supposed to mainly because the technology is not yet there for a powerful, conventionally shaped vehicle that runs entirely off the sun’s rays. Never mind modes of transportation on land - here we have a solar powered speedboat that will slice through water pretty much in the same way an ordinary speedboat does, save for the fact that this one relies on the sun to power its electric engine instead.

Dubbed the Czeers MK1 prototype solar speedboat, this is the first of its kind in the world, and is capable of hitting speeds of 30 knots in full stride. It will come in shades of carbon fiber, solar cell and lush orange leather that makes it look truly out of this world. I wonder whether there will be wind-assisted versions in the future, but who knows? The Czeers MK1 is but a prototype at point of publishing, and was developed by the Dutch-based Delft Technical University Solarboat Team. Its original platform was an entry in the 2006 Nuon Frisian Solar challenge, picking up first prize whilst attracting some serious investment power from Rabobank so that a full scale test boat could be constructed.

Constructed entirely from 100% carbon fiber inlaid with leather trim, the Czeers MK1 features photovoltaic cells on almost all horizontal surfaces and an LCD touch-screen control system that will definitely drive any geek wild. It measures 10 meters in length, cramming in 14 square meters of solar panels and an 80kw electric motor. Not a single drop of oil is used, making this penguin friendly. Since it relies on an electric motor, you can bet your bottom dollar that no fumes nor engine noise will be produced, making this one quiet puppy. The current build rate stands at 4 to 8 boats a year, so these ought to cost more than your firstborn.

Source: Gizmag

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by Darren Murph, posted May 25th 2008 at 5:54PM

Truth be told, we still can’t believe this is the first commercially available glow in the dark Xbox 360 chassis, but then again, glow in the dark hasn’t been remotely fashionable since Bill Clinton left office. Still, if history is beginning to repeat itself, you know you want to be first on the bandwagon, and there’s no better way to throw it back than with the XCM Glow Pearl case. As it stands, the shell isn’t quite ready to be ordered, but we’re sure it’ll be worth every penny when your BFF sees just how gnarly this thing is in the dark.

[Via technabob]

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

These cuff links are the perfect gift for the game enthusiast. Scrabble game pieces that are attached to gold or silver cuff links can make you the talk of the party. You get to choose the letters personally. This is definitely a unique idea that will spell out your fashion style. These cufflinks are sure to be a conversation starter no matter what party or event you will be attending.

In case that wasn’t enough, they will be mailed in a velvet cinch pouch.

Gimme!

Price: $15.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Posted in Gizmo of the Day, Miscellaneous