Gadgets Blog

by Donald Melanson, posted May 26th 2008 at 12:10PM

While recent attempts to create a perpetual motion machine somehow, inexplicably didn’t pan out, a physics professor from Osaka University now claims to have made a scientific breakthrough of another sort, with him now touting nothing less than a supposedly successful demonstration of cold fusion. That was apparently done by forcing deuterium gas under pressure into an evacuated cell containing a sample of palladium dispersed in zirconium oxide, which caused the deuterium to be absorbed by the palladium sample, resulting in a denser, or “pynco” deuterium, with deuterium nuclei that are close enough together to fuse. That process also supposedly resulted in a rise in temperature to about 70° Celsius, and a temperature in the center of the cell that remained “significantly warmer” than the cell wall for 50 hours after the test. Of course, there doesn’t appear to be any other scientists ready to back up the experiment just yet, so you’ll have to rely on your own armchair science expertise to get your hopes up or down accordingly on this one.

[Via Slashdot, thanks One]

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets

One thing I learned in college was there was nothing better then a good and dependable backpack. If you’re an avid hiker or outdoors junkie then a solid backpack is also something you quickly learn is an essential tool to keep your items dry and your back from suffering. Even with this said, there is no rule that states you have to have just an ordinary backpack. If you are a gadget geek there’s no doubt that I have found the backpack for you. It’s the Link Hydro Pack by Skullcandy.

Hydro as in water?

The first cool feature in the Link Hydro Pack is a bladder which fits into a zipper pocket between the main compartment and the very back of the pack. It can be filled with your favorite beverage and can be quickly accessed through a convenient plastic nozzle that runs through the right backpack strap making it easy to get a quick drink whether you are hiking or on a mountain bike.

Located in both of the backpack straps is a speaker covered by a protective cloth to keep the occasional rain out of them. An mp3 player can be connected to the speakers through a side pocket clearly indicated by a musical note. The speakers are powered by four AA batteries and let me just say the sound that comes out of the speakers is surprisingly full and loud for the size of them and the power. If that wasn’t cool enough, there are weather proof controls built into the right strap of the backpack which allows you to control volume and turn the speakers on and off. If you have an iPod, iphone or ipod touch there is an additional bonus. The MP3 pocket includes an iPod jack in addition to a regular audio jack enabling you to control the music coming from your player including pause, play, forward and reverse.

Ironically, Skullcandy was nice enough to send me the backpack shortly before I made my annual pilgrimage to Disney World. I can honestly say there was nothing more enjoyable then walking around Disney World with your own personal soundtrack. My kids definitely enjoyed it considering my wife’s iPod touch was chock full of Disney songs.

Now chances are you aren’t always going to want to walk around with a personal soundtrack that anybody can hear. Skullcandy thought of this as well which is why a headphone jack is located on the left strap of the pack. Near the jack is a light which lights up green when your speakers are on so you can be reminded to turn them off before putting on your headphones. Also, near the headphone jack is a place to hook up the pack to external power. If you have rechargeable batteries installed in the pack, you can literally recharge them without having to take them out. No external power supply is included, though. The battery back is located in a self contained compartment in the main section of the backpack allowing for quick access.

If the backpack only had a place to store liquids and support for an MP3 player or iPod with built-in speakers that would be enough, but it seems the folks at Skullcandy couldn’t leave things there. They added another side pocket on the pack for you to place your cell phone into. Your cell phone can then be plugged into a cable located in the side pocket which will allow you to answer the phone through the pack’s straps. Various adapter cables are included to support your phone. A microphone is built into one of the straps of the pack while the speakers are then used for you to hear the call. If you have headphones plugged in then you’d be able to hear the call through them.

The backpack is absolutely loaded with gadgets and the designers have made sure that the liquid bladder and important electronic components are separated so that the two do not meet. No worries.

Even though the included liquid bladder and the built-in gadgets are no doubt a cool thing to have in a backpack, at the end of the day you still want a good quality backpack made out of strong materials, that has plenty of pockets and that is extremely comfortable to wear. The biggest compliment I can give Skullcandy is if this backpack didn’t have any of the cool features on it I’d still buy it because its just a great little backpack that can hold a ton of stuff. Making things even more convenient is the zipper which expands the size of the backpack if you need to hold larger stuff. I also appreciated the nice placement of padding so that the pack sits comfortably on your back.

The Link Hydro Pack by Skullcandy is a great find for the active person, a parent visiting Disney World, or the college student. Honestly, I wish I could have gotten one of these while I was in college. Besides being available in orange, the backpack is also available in camo. It retails for US$149.95 and can be ordered through the Skullcandy website.

by Thomas Ricker, posted May 26th 2008 at 8:16AM

There you have it, Sonos’ reputed ZP120 zoneplayer mounting its chubby ZP100 Appalachian cuz. The new amplified zoneplayer adds 802.11n to the mix while ditching the analog outs. Also rumored is an un-amplified, 802.11n ZP90 to replace the ZP80. When? We have no idea but you’ll know when we do. Backside front after the break.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

Firefox 3 Release Candidate 1 users, listen up. Mozilla has stated that RC1 contains ten “high-priority” bugs, which have been marked as “critical.” Released almost two weeks ago, RC1 was thought by the developers as a possible final product, but now that these flaws are coming to light, the company is debating whether to release Firefox 3 Final with the updates or ship out another release candidate for further testing from the community.

“We are making a go/no go decision early next week, as we are still collecting feedback.”

Some of the bugs include certain websites crashing the browser, Ubuntu 8.04 breaking “3.0pre’s addons,” the spell checker once disabled is not able to be re-enabled again, and drag and drop bookmarks not being usable. These bugs could also be fixed, if RC1 is the final release, in 3.0.1 (which would essentially be RC2). The bugs are currently undergoing testing and by May 27, we’ll have word if RC1 is in fact the final release or if RC2 will be compiled and released to the public for another round of testing.

Read [PC World]

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This is one of the coolest inventions for those who play golf. This little gizmo is the newest gold caddy available. The technology is not new, but the ability to commercialize the product is a first. What’s so great about it is that it will follow you wherever you go with out having to use a remote. You simply use a transmitter that attaches to your body.

The shadow caddy carries your golf clubs behind you and even has a park mode so it will not follow you onto the green. This is great for any golfer who wants to enjoy the walk as well as the game itself. There is no better gift for the avid golfer. No more wasted money on a regular caddy who can not keep up anyway.

via Gizmag

Posted in Sports, Health & Fitness, Outdoors

by Thomas Ricker, posted May 26th 2008 at 6:47AM

While we wait, and wait… and wait for manufactures to perfect long-lasting fuel cells, Apple and others are pursuing at least one other approach: solar augmentation. In a patent application dated April 24, 2008 and titled “Solar cells on portable devices” attributed to a number of Apple employees, Apple reveals possible plans to integrate solar cells into devices such as iPods and MacBooks. The application describes a scenario where, “Solar cells are typically stacked with other layers made of transparent or semi-transparent materials… Some of these layers may be used for display or input purposes, and some layers may be coated with various materials or they may be etched with product logos or other patterns.” In other words, Apple is looking to cover the entire device, including the transparent display, with a layer of solar cells — the latter approach already patented by Motorola. While the efficiency of solar cells and existing manufacturing techniques call into question the immediate viability of such an approach, it’s intriguing nonetheless as a means to offset any lost battery life on the move to say, 3G.

[Via MacRumors]

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Filed under: cellphones, Handhelds, Laptops, Portable Audio, Portable Video

by Darren Murph, posted May 26th 2008 at 5:03AM

Not to get all scientific on you or anything, but a team of Imperial physicists have just figured out a way to use plastics in laser diodes. For the uninitiated, scientists have been unable to make plastic semiconductor laser diodes because they had not yet found / developed “any plastics that could sustain a large enough current whilst also supporting the efficient light emission needed to produce a laser beam.” Now, however, that obstacle has reportedly been overcome by making minor tweaks to a given plastic’s chemical structure, and the resulting material will transport charges some 200 times better than before without impeding its ability to emit light. By the sound of things, the crew behind the breakthrough isn’t quite ready to offer up the solution to manufacturers, but with a bit more work, we suspect that notion will change.

[Via Slashdot]

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets

Move over, 007 – the doors to spy craft just opened to the public. Sharp recently announced its new 5-megapixel CMOS camera (RJ63SC100), purportedly the world smallest. Measuring in at only 9.5 x 9.5 x 6.6mm, the device even offers auto focus for better image quality. The new camera will expected to be available for mass production in July. The camera’s diminutive size, surprising thinness, and high resolution would enable future devices (phones, etc.) to have ultra small cameras.  While it is easy to see its use in the race for smaller and sleeker phones, more inventive uses (shades cam? Camera in your shirt buttons?) are also possible. 

Via [Hiptop3]

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If the recently announced Fujifilm Finepix Z200fd made you excited because of its ultra-slim, compact metal body and high 5x optical zoom, the other Finepix model, the A850 may not even make you pause for a second look. Even its official press release put down the A850’s output quality with the lines, “offering high-end technology to every-day users who want point-and-shot simplicity at an affordable price point, but are not prepared to compromise on image quality.”

I mean who would get excited with that statement? But at least the Fujifilm people are honest enough to admit that users may not find the A850 capable of producing high-quality images. So better not expect anything spectacular about the A850.

True enough, you may have seen these features of the A850 with other point-and-shoot cameras already available in the market; an 8.1-megapixel CCD sensor with 3x optical zoom, a 2.5-inch lcd monitor, ISO sensitivity of up to 800, 24MB internal memory, movie mode at 30fps with monoaural sound, picture stabilization and 14 selectable stabilization settings.

With its no so advanced features, the Finepix A850 would suit well with the novice entry-level digital camera users. They would certainly have an easy time using this simple point-and-shoot camera. Hopefully, Fujifilm will not put a hefty price tag to the A850 once they release it sometime in July.

Read [Fujifilm UK]

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The band Weezer posted their new music video called “Pork and Beans” on YouTube. The video features a huge collection of “internet stars” from Tay “Chocolate Rain” Zonday to Chris “Leave Britney Alone” Crocker. Weezer even plays in front of a huge deluge tribute to “Coke + Mentos“.

Weezer’s new self-titled “Red Album” comes out June 3rd, 2008.

methodshop

Posted in Miscellaneous