Space Invader Playing Cards
Space Invaders cards use different arcade game sprites to denote the suits. Its like a lovely 8 bit design.
Space Invaders [store.artlebedev.com]
via – Oh Gizmo
Archive for: product
ASUS Ebook Reader Official
The EBook Market is hotting-up very rapidly with every man and his dog looking to make a quick buck (pun intended) on this new way of reading. Amazon revolutionised eReaders but now ASUS have announced their DR-900 EReader at CeBIT today.
ASUS, who are rapidly making a name for themselves with low-end electronics such as netbooks, may well be the perfect candidate to bring EReaders down to an affordable level. This new model will have a huge touch screen (1024 x 768 pixels), WiFi with a 3G option, 4GB of internal memory and a great interface from the screenshots I’ve seen.
It will support numerous popular file formats such as PDF, TXT, ePUB and Mp3 (there is also a 3.5mm headphone jack). I think this will be a great device. We’re still waiting to hear exact prices and launch dates from ASUS. I would be surprised if it wasn’t out by late summer.
Three New Asus Eee PCs Coming Our Way
News is spreading that the most popular netbook creator, Asus, will be launching three new Eee PC netbooks at CeBIT next week in Germany. The three new machines are said to be 10 inch screen models and have some exciting features.
For one thing, 14 hours is rumoured to be the battery life of one of the business models and will have an aluminium chassis with a brushed effect as seen above. Another model will have some premium features such as a fingerprint reader for increased security and will be the thinnest netbook Asus has ever created. USB 3.0 will also be standard on the netbooks.
Finally, matt displays and wider touchpads are the order of the day over at Asus.
I for one am becoming more and more fond of netbooks. They fill the gap between smart phone and laptop to keep us happy on the train or just act as a backup. What OS these new machines will be running is sill to be announced. More next week when we get some more information from CeBIT.
LG Unveil First Win7 Touch Screen Laptop
Today, LG have unveiled their first ever laptop which is also the first ever laptop to get the official Windows 7 touch screen seal-of-approval sticker from Micrsoft. This is different to other touch screen laptops out there which use primitive overlay touch screen technology found on many budget touch screen phones. By using an inbuilt screen technology which leaves the screen firm and doesn’t reduce picture quality and responsiveness, LG are sure to have success with this model.
Undoubtedly, Samsung will be unveiling a competitor to this new product in the coming weeks and months, perhaps a little disgruntled having been bet to the post. Perhaps these touch screen laptops will be the new ‘iPad’ seeing as that doesn’t have enough computing power for most of us.
The LG model will go into mass production in the second half of this year although I’m sure some review units will be floating around. For now, we have this video from LG.
New Rechargeable Battery Lasts for 20 Years!
There’s nothing more depressing for a gadget guru than to pick up favourite camera or media player etc… and have it lay dead in the palm of his hand. Diagnosis? A dead battery. Bummer.
It’s really been a given for the past century. Batteries waste. Sure the Duracell bunnies would have us believe otherwise but they do. Even rechargeable batteries which can be found in everything from cameras to electric scooters can die due to being worn out. However, that’s all about to change. A new type of lithium-ion rechargeable battery has been introduced which is said to last over twenty years (around 10,000 charges). Now that’s value for money.
A Japanese company by the name of Eamex have cured the cause (<– link requires a subscription to read) of batteries burning out. With normal rechargeable batteries, the negative electrode deteriorates over use. This new design aims to coat the negative terminal in a special protective film (tin coated resin) which will protect it. This will last a regular user over twenty years.
So in theory, you could have five or six digital cameras but only one pair of batteries! Pretty cool. Expect to see these new batteries later this year.
LG Go Classic With Their New Korean CRT
There’s something about 60’s styling which has never really died. It think it’s the funkiness. Eye-catching colour and god-awful shapes make something marvellous. Groovy, man.
Now, LG are jumping aboard the ‘groovy’ band wagon (or VW van, whichever you prefer) with their new CRT TV which just launched for the Korean market.
It’s available in either black or bright red. It has a period styling with a pair of bunny ears antenna, twisty dials and four telescopic legs. Yet it’s fully compatible with all our modern electronics such as DVD players and games consoles.
I think we’ll be seeing quite a few of these up on Ebay destined for the US and Europe. Although I guess it’s understandable why LG won’t launch it as a product in the Western market.
Stupid Tool Of The Week: Wand to Kill Swine Flu
If you’ve rode the bus, gone shopping or just been in a public area then the chances are you’ve touched the dreaded H1N1 virus. It was probably just some guy sneezing and then hundreds of people touched the same handrail as him. I guess that’s how it spreads. Then, you went home and turned on the family PC and typed out a blog post or just surfed. Now it’s all over the keyboard and mouse. Oh God! We’re doomed!
Not really, because at the end of the day it’s just like the normal flu and 99% of those infected can’t tell the difference and can simply ride it out in bed for a week or so.
However, a new UV germ killing wand has been released and claims it can massacre any H1N1 germs living on a surface. Well, 98% of them anyway. When it’s held a few inches over countertops and other surfaces it kills pretty much any germ living on there or renders them incapable of multiplying. It costs $70 from Hammacher and Schlemmer. Here’s what they said on the product page:
“Also capable of killing MRSA, mold, and dust mites, the UV-C light penetrates viral and bacterial membranes and destroys their DNA, rendering the microorganisms incapable of reproduction and survival. Unlike liquid disinfectants, UV-C light can sanitize keyboards, upholstered furniture, cell phones, or any delicate surface that harbors germs.”
Some may say this is exploiting the fears of millions – but then they’ll probably buy the thing.
Worst iPhone Charger Ever
One of the main reasons Apple’s products have become so popular is because they’re sleek, slim and small. The iPhone, iPods and Mac Books should, in their own right, be twice their sizes considering what they can do. It seems Apple is always ahead of the competition when it comes to the size of things. So it goes without saying that Apple customers like their gadgets small. So how about a three-foot tall iPhone charger?
Then Reverb iPhone solar charger stands at a whopping 3 feet and is over a foot wide as well. Your iPhone/iPod is perched in the upper right-hand corner of the monster where it can take 40 hours to charge indoors, and twenty hours outdoors. Seriously? So it’s three-feet tall and take almost two days to charge your device and it’s never going to look good perched on your windowsill. But do you want to know the main reason they’re not going to sell? Here’s why: $2,229 !!!
They’re due to launch in April next year.
Weird Product: Shield for Your Laptop From The Sun
I love to work outside. There is nothing more appealing to me during a work day than an opportunity to take my laptop and work in the back garden or in the park. Relaxation, quietness and fresh air. But of course there is one fatal flaw in this seemingly perfect plan and that is the sun. It causes a glare on the screen leaving me with a suntan and strained vision.
However, I have found a product that will stop this glare on ANY laptop and it’s called the Laptop UNV which is available here. Basically, It’s a thin contraption that is fixed to the lid of your laptop. It fits all 10” to 17” laptops. You can open it up to form a protective shield from the sun as shown.
Yes you may look a little daft sitting on a park bench with your hands dipped into a mysterious black box but at least you’ll be able to read up on the latest happenings at Crenk!
Cnet’s Laptop Finder
Recently, my laptop has been given me some trouble. It got slow and unresponsive and not so much to my surprise, the other day she died – the screen just stayed white and the hard drive just couldn’t live any longer. I guess that’s what you get for working on one computer eight hours a day squeezing every bit of juice you can out of her. Five hours ago I was in the market for a new laptop until I discovered Cnet.com’s laptop finder.
Basically, it’s a constantly updated database of laptops currently available to me and you. You go through its interactive list ticking off requirements for your new pride and joy such as operating system, memory, screen size and other jargon.
Then, after less than five minutes of putting in your needs and desires for a new laptop the system returns a list of laptops with prices defines to what you want. It also allows you to “check prices”. This feature, when used lets you compare prices between top retailers where the computer is available both online and offline such as Amazon.
So for example, as a work laptop I put in medium needs with less of an emphasis on performance as I won’t exactly be streaming HD films from the net. I got a few good models with the pick of the litter being a HP Compaq Business Laptop. A great laptop for a good price of $694 at the California Computer Store. Spot on.
