Thanko’s New MP4 Watch puts a camera on your wrist

This isn’t the first time we have reported on Thanko devices, and if they keep putting out devices like an MP4 Watch with Video Camera, it won’t be the last. After all, a watch with a video camera feels like it was taken right out of James Bond or Dick Tracy.

The Thanko MP4 watch also supports other types of digital formats including MP3, WPA, WMA, and can also display JPG files. I am assuming that everything can be downloaded via the mini USB port on the side.

You can’t help but like all the features in these kind of watches, but they always end up looking so thick. I had a chance to try out the MP4 watch from Brando, and it was like having a deck of cards strapped to my wrist. It appears that Thanko was not able to perfect their design.

I’m not certain why you would want a camera on a watch, except for covert operations. I believe that the lens is on the side, so if you are trying to film in secret, you will probably be a dead giveaway.

GadgetFreak

SuperMultiBlue, the perfect solution

While Blu-ray and HD-DVD are fighting fiercely for the market share, Korean electronics giant LG has come up with a perfect solution - putting the 2 players together into one - SuperMultiBlue.

The LG’s solution is the world’s first dual-format Blu-ray and HD DVD player, capable of outputting footage at 1080p (the highest of hi-def outputs), boasting a full range of connections including HDMI and component alongside the usual AV suspects. SuperMultiBlue also supports a wide range of video formats, and is also capable of playing your old DVDs.

A cool addition to the player is the java-based interactive menus. This enables you to see the footage on screen, also with an overlay menu, which enables you to get into the interactive options.

If you’ve been scratching your head for a decision on whether buying a HD-DVD or Blue-Ray player, then LG has just made the decision for you and it’s the best.

The price will put a lot people off, but I’m sure it will drop at some point, and in the end of the day, it’s worth it!

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Battle against terror goes ‘outdoor’ in Mumbai

Following the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, angry citizens are venting their feelings and opinions in the form of blogs, candlelight vigils and protests. Now, hoardings about fighting terrorism have sprung up across the city.

One of the first messages seen on hoardings read “Enough is Enough” and announced the peace rally held on December 3 at the Gateway of India, close to the Taj Hotel, where one of the terror attacks took place. The hoarding generated a buzz because it featured the name of no brand, company or person. Citizens gathered at the Gateway of India in large numbers with handheld signs and candles, voicing their views on the attacks.

DNA has launched a campaign in Mumbai, putting up hoardings that read “Enough of tolerance? Speak up.” and “Spirit of Mumbai. For how long?” The campaign, which is called DNA Eyes and Ears – People Protection Group, will provide people with a fast and decisive means of getting in touch with the concerned authorities in a crisis situation.




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Solar powered iPod - yes that is true !

I’m not sure if the world needs another type of PMP, but I will definitely give Shiro credit for trying something different.

Shiro has put a solar cell on the back of the SQ-S, which gives the user the option to charge the device with the power of the sun. Considering that power to PMPs is always an issue for mobile music, it is refreshing to see a PMP that does not require a wired charging method like an AC cord or USB cable.

The user has the option of using a USB cable if he or she wants to. Just to put it in perspective, it takes six hours with a “full sun” to charge the SQ-6, but only four hours with the USB. With a full charge, the SQ-S is capable of up to 38 hours of music playback and 10 hours of video playback.

The screen of the SQ-S is a 1.8 inch 65K color display, made for both video and photo playback. The SQ-S comes with 16GB of built-in memory, but does not have a memory card slot. It supports formats of MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, APE, OGG, and M4A. It also has an FM radio and is capable of FM recording.

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Acer Aspire Predator desktop PC makes good...

Acer from Taiwan is already the third largest vendor in the PC market, and has announced its Acer Aspire Predator desktop PC as well as the Acer G24 widescreen LCD display to accompany that gaming beast. Both models will be available to customers in the US, packing in top notch gaming specifications into a case that looks way too cool to be an ordinary PC, and chances are anyone who lays their eyes on it might be forgiven if they’re fooled into thinking the case might actually transform into a robot suddenly when nobody’s looking. Gotta love the deep metallic copper color it comes in, where the top of the chassis features USB and audio ports that are easy to reach, while a multi-memory card reader is located on the front.

What lies within the belly of the Acer Aspire Predator? Well, for starters, you have the powerful Intel Core 2 Quad processor to help you out when it comes to processing crunch, while NVIDIA’s GeForce 9 Series graphics cards will be able to let you enjoy even the most demanding games without dropping enough frames to render the title unplayable. In addition, it won’t rely on regular air to keep everything inside running cool - instead, the Aspire Predator will use an advanced state-of-the-art liquid cooling system that ensures all parts run at an optimal level without overheating no matter the processor-intensive tasks thrown its way. The Acer Aspire Predator is also accompanied by the Acer G24 LCD display, a 24″ widescreen LCD display to go along with the Predator’s stunning looks. You will find a 2ms response time, a brightness of 400cd/m2, a contrast ratio of 50,000:1 and a maximum resolution of 1,920 x 1,200. You will be able to pick up the Aspire Predator from $1,649 upwards while the Acer G24 LCD display will retail for $399.99.

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Rumor of new Apple laptop !!

Word on the street has it that Apple will be rolling out a new line of laptop computers sometime next week, including an entry level device that won’t break the bank while jumping on the coveted Apple bandwagon. Word on the street has it that this new Apple laptop will finally break the sub-$1,000 price point - a level somewhat like the Dow Jones, plunging to depths never seen before. Some of the analysts are so bold as to predict a $800 pricing, but I’ll leave that up to the Apple accounting department to decide just how much profit they want to make. Will this help bolster Apple’s stock?

GadgetFreak

ZumReed’s Turntable Speaker

I’ve seen a couple different speakers from ZumReed, but I think this new one is my new favorite. The tiny little turntable would be ultra-portable and look good while doing it. It’s one of the few that would make a cool keychain. With the little strap you could attach it to your purse or any other bags you might carry on a regular basis. It’d also be small enough to slip into your pocket, especially with its slim shape. Although you probably should be careful not to sit down with it in your back pocket, otherwise you’ll probably have to pick up a new one.

It comes in the three different colors shown here, black white and orange. You can easily see where the sound itself will come out of from the picture. If you spin that spot, that is also how you control the volume. The speakers come with a built-in rechargeable battery. If you hook it up to your USB port, for every hour you charge it you’ll get three hours of music.

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Philips Luxe MP3 player

Philips is entering the MP3 player market with something vastly different from what they used to do in the past, and this time round the Luxe might not come with a whole lot of internal memory (just a paltry 2GB), but it is interesting as it can also function as a Bluetooth headset, allowing you to interrupt your music session with incoming calls seamlessly. The one line LCD display lets you know who is calling while your cell phone remains tucked away in your pocket. Sounds pretty redundant though, since cell phones are pretty capable MP3 players in their own right these days, so separating that function onto a Bluetooth headset is more of a novelty. Gotta love the design though as it would go down well with a Nokia Prism in tow. The Philips Luxe MP3 player cum Bluetooth headset will be released in Singapore next month for approximately $94.

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Sonic Vox has no flame to play with

We have covered iPhone applications from Smule before, like the Sonic Lighter, which gives you a flame for your portable touchscreen. While there might not be a practical use for a virtual flame, Smule has released the Sonic Vox, something that will bring even more fun.

Sonic Vox has no flame to play with, but you can have some fun playing with your voice. This isn’t some application where you record your voice, and the Sonic Vox distorts it on the playback. The Sonic Vox will distort it in real-time.

All you need to do is set the pitch and the level of echo effect on the touchscreen. You can then make yourself sound like someone like Gollum. It reminds me of the Optimus Prime voice changer toy, but without the blue mask.

According to Smule, they say the Sonic Vox can work from phone to phone, but my source says that it does not work that way. However, if a Sonic Vox iPhone is hooked up to a speaker, MacBook, or boom box, then you can still have lots of fun channeling your inner James Earl Jones.

So if you want to have fun playing with your voice, then you can shell out 99 cents to the App store for the Sonic Vox.

GadgetFreak

Lemur Autovision to help increase road safety

If used correctly, that is. The Lemur Autovision is a device that is a snap to install in just about any vehicle, and it helps you get a clearer picture on your driving, recording important information like speed, distance and brakes while you tear up asphalt in your vehicle. Parents who review such data after their kids have taken out the family car for a spin will be able to better advise the younger ones on picking up life-saving pointers when driving.

Some of the features available on the Lemur Autovision include :-

• Real-time feedback
• Reports speed, distance, brakes
• Convenient keychain LCD
• Easy to install
• Affordable - no monthly fees
• Tamper Proof and PIN protected

You can pick up the Lemur Autovision for $99.95 a pop, and unless used responsibly, it will remain pretty much useless when it comes to cutting down the number of road accidents and fatalities. Still, a tool like this should not go unnoticed as any bit could go a long way in helping us make our roads safer for everyone.

GadgetFreak

The USB Flower Lamp from Apple

With the weather slowly cooling off, soon all of the flowers will die, at least the ones outdoors. Leaving most of us with nothing but dead plants and very cold wet snow. Well with all the plants dead, you might end up missing some of the pretty flowers. Now you can pick up a glowing USB flower that will stay in bloom year round. Even when outside it is ice cold and everything looks gray and white. Yes, I’m just thrilled that winter will be here soon. So thrilled I think I’ll just hibernate all winter and never go outside, seems perfectly reasonable to me.

Well, just surround your desk with these cute little USB flowers and not only will you have plenty of task lighting, but you’ll never get the winter blues. The lamp comes in three different colors, red, blue and orange. The lamp has eight bright LEDs built-in and the flower stem itself can adjust to give you lighting where you need it. You can also power it by using 3 AA batteries instead of plugging it into your USB port. The flower will cost you $15 from Gadget4all.

Source: GeekyGadgets

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If you’re looking for a USB drive that has a little bit of history to it, much like the Mahjong USB drive, you might check out these little warriors. These terracotta warriors are a 7in tall replica of the Xi’an terracotta warriors, found in 1974 perfectly preserved for over 2,000 years. The warriors found at that point were underground, life-sized and were over 6,000 of them. Found by a farmer no less that was digging a well. That’d definitely make the task of digging a hole a lot more interesting.

The drives come in anywhere from 1GB-8GB. It supports password protection, and has a limited lifetime warranty. Which likely means that this drive is going to be an expensive one. Unfortunately there’s no way to tell on that. All the site does is list where you could find one of these drives to purchase, not how much you will pay at the shop once you do indeed find it.

Source: Newlaunches

GadgetFreak

Compwnent USB Nintendo NES Controller

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It’s always nice to have a USB gaming controller that you’re comfortable with and enjoy using. There are a few out there, one being the metal game pad shown here a couple months ago. However, what if you could have a gaming controller that you were already overly familiar with? I think for most gamers that would trump any extra perks other USB controllers claim to have. Well now you can pick up an NES controller that has been modded to work with USB.

You can actually purchase this, this isn’t a situation where you will have to magically learn how to mod controllers. I know despite there being a thorough tutorial that if you don’t have to tools and lack the mindset for that sort of thing it’s going to get you nowhere. The USB controller also has the ability to work as a mouse. If you press in a combination of letters then it kicks on the mouse function. It isn’t being mass produced though, it’s just one guy doing the mods so you’ll have to hurry if you plan to actually get a hold of one.

GadgetFreak

New standard to bring video chat to smart phones

Fresh off their VoiceEngine for iPhone audio platform, Global IP solutions has announced a new video chat engine which promises to turn every smartphone into a video phone. Using peer-to-per video, as well as video conferencing capability, the GIPS VideoEngine Mobile platform promises high quality video calls, even when cell networks are overloaded of experiencing periodic outages. The new VideoEngine takes advantage of “network effects and hardware limitations” (whatever that means) and thereby is also able

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