July 9, 2006, 8:17 PM CT

CMoy Power Mini Amplifier

Check out this DIY portable mini amplifier built by Chu Moy which is also known as CMoy Pocket Amplifier. It can be fit in a lozenge tin and into your pocket. It is powerful enough to drive your weak sources sound to thunderous volumes. Since it's so powerful, will it burn or blow up in your pocket? Who knows, technical failure may lead to unwanted things to happen.

Chu Moy was able to pack everything in the CMoy Pocket Amplifier for just USD20 and a better one with the price of USD50. As per Chu Moy, you won't need to understand how the am or its components works, but you will have to be able to follow some pretty exact directions. I plan to try it out one day.........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source

July 9, 2006, 8:12 PM CT

Microsoft "iSoft" VS Apple iPod

Apple has had total control of the handheld MP3 market since the birth of iPod in 2001. Competitors are not giving i though and are coming out with their handheld MP3 devices to go against iPod all the time, but none of them really ever take the lead at the moment. We have seen Sony trying hard to take the lead against Apple but failed, what to say with Microsoft? I'm sure some of you have heard about Microsoft is going to come out with their latest high-end handheld MP3 devices which will be the "iPod killer".

As heard from the rumors, the secret weapon device will only be announced in November. It should be the right time for Christmas when it reaches the market with glory. It should be a good news but what Apple has in hand? Apple is going to come out with the next model of iPod and probably will hit the market at the same with so-called Microsoft iPod Killer. As per rumor, the former head of XBox division will be in charge of this project, Robbie Bach. Will the Microsoft new music player break into this market in the same way that the XBox broke into the video game market?.

We heard that Microsoft new portable media player is going to have a built-in wireless communication capability for music downloading. A Wi-Fi function could also enable localized ad transmission and ad hoc short-range networks. I'm very sure during the next released of new iPod model, Apple won't miss these two capabilities as well. If they come out with Bluetooth headset, then Microsoft iPod Killer will turn out to be Microsoft iPod Loser. The new device is definitely going to have a larger screen size than the current iPod but will it be thinner and lighter as well?.........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source

July 5, 2006, 8:42 AM CT

Garmin Mobile XT FCC Approved

It looks like Garmin has a new GPS device up its sleeve - called the Garmin Mobile XT. The device has just been approved by the FCC, and while details are sparse, the manual sheds light onto what the device may actually be.

The Garmin Mobile XT looks ideal for daily use - whether you want to find a route or look up your contacts. The device also has a touch-screen interface, which is nice. Now, if only Garmin would be kind enough to announce the pricing and availability of the device, we'd be done.........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source

July 3, 2006, 9:52 AM CT

LG LP4100 Breathalizer Phone

LG Korea has gone a step further with the party gimmicks by introducing their latest breathalizer phone, the LG LP4100 which has a built-in breathalizer capabilities that records your blood-alcohol level. When blown into by an intoxicated partier, it will gives a warning and displays a nifty little animation of a car swerving on a road and crashing into traffic cones. I guess this type of animation won't really wake them up.

The good thing is it also features a Drunk Dial Preventer. It can be programmed to block selected numbers in the address book (bosses, moms, exes, pizzerias) if breath analyzer records a blood-alcohol concentration over 0.08. It's already a hit in Korea, where more than 200,000 of LG's Breathalyzer-type phones have been sold.........

Posted by: Ashley      Permalink         Source

July 1, 2006, 9:31 AM CT

How to Photograph Fireworks

Fireworks are something that evoke a lot of emotion in people as they are not only beautiful and spectacular to watch but they also are often used to celebrate momentous occasions.

I've had a number of emails from readers asking how to photograph fireworks, quite a few of whom have expressed concern that they might just be too hard to really photograph. My response is always the same - 'give it a go - you might be surprised at what you end up with'.

My reason for this advice is that back when I bought my first ever SLR (a film one) one of the first things I photographed was fireworks and I was amazed by how easy it was and how spectacular the results were.........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source

July 1, 2006, 9:28 AM CT

Bicycle-powered blenders

There's a Starbucks in Washington that has a bicycle powered blender and the customers make their own drinks or something (I couldn't find any information on why they're doing this or which one in WA, but there was a video on Keith Obermann last night). So, here are some resources around the web on bike blenders, seems pretty easy to make a DIY version.

Nice idea!........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source

July 1, 2006, 9:04 AM CT

The Imaginary Cult Of Benign Girl

Shopping in Holyoke on Saturday for a birthday present for Mr. Bill Myers I had a crazy and surreal experience. I went looking for the religious artifacts store but in its place was a "for rent" sign and an empty window. Dejected, I drove around Holyoke hoping to find another religious artifacts store but had to settle for the "Plus Dollar" store on High Street.

I was standing near the register looking at the assorted things when all of a sudden I spotted "Non-malignant Girl" and suddenly I heard the mermaids singing. Two Latina women were looking at Non-malignant Girl and reaching forward as if to grab it and in a flash I knew this was something extremely precious and rare and that I needed to act fast!........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source

July 1, 2006, 8:34 AM CT

Kyocera KR1 Mobile EV-DO Router

Back in January I had written about how much I love EV-DO. Well things just got even better. I recently purchased the Kyocera KR1 Mobile Router, which is a 4 port D-Link router that has a slot for EV-DO cards and a USB port for EV-DO phones so you can setup and even share an EV-DO broadband connection through a wireless network or ethernet connection.

I ordered it through the fine folks at EVDOinfo.com, who provide excellent up-to-date EV-DO news and info. The unit is fairly compact (the size of a normal 4 port router) and even comes with a vehicle power adapter. This really opens up the possibilities for how this can be used. In fact, imagine its potential with a portable power supply.........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source

June 30, 2006, 9:53 AM CT

Rock Pegasus 660 and Quaddra TX2 Notebook

Rock has strengthened its product line-up with the launch of two new models. Both features a powerful mobile dual core processor and fitted with nVidia's GeForce Go 7600 graphics as standard, these new laptops claim to offer a level of gaming performance only previously seen in top-end desktop replacement models. This laptop gives the best performance with the support of Microsoft DirectX 9, Shader Model 3.0 and High Dynamic-Range Lighting (HDR).

The available model is the 15.1-inch widescreen Pegasus 660 which boasts an Intel Centrino Core Duo Mobile Technology and nVidia's GeForce Go 7600 graphics card with 256MB onboard memory. The silent mode button on the keyboard will allow down its processor cores to 1GHz with a press of the button. It weight 3.1kg and its one of the lightest in its class.

The next line up model is Quaddra TX2 which is a 17-inch notebook which features AMD's latest Turion 64 X2 dual core processor, nVidia's GeForce Go 7600 graphics card and WSXGA+ resolutions with supported graphic up to 1680 x 1050 pixels X-Glass screen. The new Quaddra TX2 remains the same outer casing as the Quaddra T64 and has Bluetooth and wireless capabilities as standard. No words on the availability and pricing yet.........

Posted by: Ethan      Permalink         Source

June 26, 2006, 11:20 PM CT

Kestrel 4000 Pocket Wind Meter

I have to admit this is the best weather gadget i've seen so far. It's an awesome-fully-packed Kestrel 4000 Pocket Weather Meter Station. It could now measure every major environmental condition, easily, and accurately right in your hand. The chart mode allows users to recall and graph up to 2,000 measurements, along with the date and time of storage. You can even check the current Wind speeds, temperature for air/water/snow, Wind chill, Bew point, Heat stress Index, Barometic pressure, Density altitude, and Wet bulb temperature. The flip-top impeller cover allows use of other functions while protecting the impeller. If you happen to drop it and spoilt the impeller, you can change it without any tools.

You can choose between automatic store measurement upon shut off or manually store measurements with the press of a button. The advanced thing is it has exterior temperature, humidity and pressure sensors for fast and accurate readings. The humidity sensor can be recalibrated in the field with their "Relative Humidity Calibration Kit". No matter where you go, jungle tracking, diving or even flying, you wont need to worry about the "toughness-ity" of Kestrel 4000, it's waterproof and it floats! You can always use the included neck and wrist lanyards to make sure it won't let go from your side. Powered by two AAA batteries, i got only one word for this little-muscular-guy, PERFECT!........

Posted by: Ryan      Permalink         Source