Be Smart

The new pink and silver Panasonic Lumix DMC FS20P is a 10 megapixel digital camera with 30mm wide-angle lens, 4x optical zoom, Intelligent Auto Mode and 3.0" Diagonal Intelligent LCD - which translated, means it's easy to use, has a huge LED screen, great resolution, and handy features to quarantee a great photo. As a camera is only as good as it's lens, this is covered by a Leica, one of the best makers of lenses.

With half my family living halfway around the world, I quickly embraced Skype, the program (or if you want to get technical, Voice Over Internet Protocol) that allows you to talk to other Skype users over your computer, for free. In fact, I'm always amazed that more of my friends and family haven't signed up... it's almost like they don't want to chat to me for hours or something.

Anyway, despite Skype calls being free to other Skype users, if you wanted to use your account to call landlines or mobile phones in the past, you would still have to pay - and the cost would depend on the length of the call and where you were calling. But no more! Skype's new calling plan aims to encourage more people to pick up the service, and it sounds like a bargain to me.

Pay just $9.95 per month and you can make an unlimited number of calls to landlines in 34 countries, including the United States, Canada, most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Malaysia. Calls to cells in the US and Canada, China, Hong Kong and Singapore and also included.

With Skype phones now meaning you don't even need to be connected to your computer to make a call, I hope all you holdouts will be rushing to sign up when this new service is made available on Monday.

Via USA Today.

According to a survey by Samsung Telecommunications America, quoted on textually.org, more than half of Democrats, Republicans and Independents would be happy to text their vote for the next President.

I like the idea of voting being made simpler - I'm sure we've all heard that famous fact that American Idol pulls in more voters than national elections, perhaps because you can vote without leaving your house, or perhaps because presidential hopefuls are rarely as entertaining as even the worst Idol rejects.

Do you know what "dark matter" is? I thought I knew what it was until I tried to explain it to myself and failed. But I no longer need to file away topics like this for later study (my ever-growing list of things I will learn someday in order to become a more cultured and informed human being) because I now know I can pick up knowledge about dark matter - enough to get by in a drunken conversation at a bar in any event - and other weighty scientific subjects in 60 seconds (or thereabouts).

As part of its 60-Second Science offerings, Scientific American has been running a video podcast series in which its editors explain big scientific topics of general interest, using common objects. I haven't timed the videos to see how close they come to just 60 seconds, but they are indeed short enough that I don't have time to get distracted like I did in high school science class. The editors at 60-Second Science know how to put together teaser headlines too, like "What can the Olsen twins tell us about telomeres?" You can subscribe to 60-Second Science on iTunes or in RSS. --- (continues)

When it's not playing music or a video for you during sanctioned "breaks" at work, what is your iPod nano doing? Considering how brazen it became after slimming down, my guess would be that it's just lounging on its back and falling asleep due to inactivity.

It's time to teach that lazy player a lesson. I mean, if you have to work, why shouldn't it? Snap it into one of these apple-shaped kickstand hard cases ($14) from USB Fever, set it up next to your computer, navigate to the Photo menu, and press play. Voila! Your nano is now serving as a digital photo frame instead of dozing off and contributing nothing to society. And by "society," of course I mean your entertainment needs.

Available in pink, black, crystal clear, and apple green.

Via GeekAlerts.

There's no such thing as too many shoes or USB Ports. Kensington can't help with the first, but does have the brilliant new Ci70 which has two easy-access USB 2.0 ports for quick connection to cameras, MP3 players, thumb drives, etc. See that built-in mini USB connector with cable? Just plug in your camera or phone and start downloading those photos for your Facebook page.

With a 35% smaller footprint and low-profile design, it saves on desk space and, they say, "reduces clutter," though I haven't seen a difference in my pile of post-it notes, press releases, iPhone cases . . . maybe the next version will organize my desk? Vacuum?

There are five keyboard hot keys for instant access to mail, media, and search, and media keys offer volume control, track control, play and pause. I like the soft-touch keys which provide a nice, responsive touch, but what really sets this apart are the USB ports and mini-USB connector.

PC and Mac compatible. Approx. $49.99 at Kensington or pre-order for from Amazon.

Mimoco, maker of the popular Mimobot designer USB flash drives, has partnered with tokidoki, the brand created by pop fashion designer Simone Legno, to create the tokidoki for MIMOBOT series. This newest group of flash drives is part of Mimoco's MMOBOT Artist Series, and comes in three different characters, each priced at $39.95: Pirate Nero, Pistaio, and Meletta.

Mimoco has released tokidoki for MIMOBOT preloaded with the second issue if its mimoZine, the first digital magazine delivered via flash drive. This pop culture magazine features interviews with Japanese pop-rock artists, videos of art events, and musical videos.

See a preview of the mimoZine after the jump.

I back my data up as though it were a religion and I a zealot. Yet, I still haven’t learned how to keep myself from making really really dumb mistakes (e.g. washing my laptop bag with my memory stick inside of it – twice).

SanDisk’s new Cruzer Titanium Plus boasts 4GB of storage and a free 6-month subscription to BelnSync, an online backup service to protect Windows users with an uplink that saves your data outside of the flash drive itself. (The service is $29.99 per year afterwards.)

If you’re a savvy tech kid you probably won’t need this, but if you’re not or your significant other, parent, grandparent, or forgetful friend is not, then this might be a smart gift with a knack for remembering.

Prices:
$35.99 at Amazon.
$64.99 (w/free subscription) at Bestbuy.

SIGN UP HERE.

There aren't many things that annoy me about writing about technology for a living. Having permission to ring the founder of Postsecret and ask him about his vision for the site? Not horrendous. Being offered new gadgets to trial before they are even on sale? I can deal with it. Writing about a fun topic I enjoy learning more about as time goes by? Two words spring to mind: cushy gig.

But one thing is hard to cope with, and that's being patronised on a regular basis.

When you say you're a woman who writes about technology, you still receive looks of astonishment or disapproval, even in 2008. When you put out a call for technology press releases of interest to women, you'll still be inundated with cellulite zappers and baby monitors (what, women don't like games consoles, laptops and cellphones?) even in 2008.

Things are getting better, and one of the reasons I love Popgadget is that it's woman-friendly - which doesn't mean it features pictures of half-naked women straddling new technology while giving seductive looks to the camera. Unlike some places I could mention (but won't).

The number of tech-savvy women does thankfully seem to be growing, online at least, so here's my shout-out to some of my favorites:

I am happy to report that I didn't personally test this product, a tobacco odor elimination product, because no one I know smokes. And that's a good thing.

But Vamoose tells me: "Independent lab testing of the Vamoose 1808T Tobacco Fabric Spray demonstrated that when compared to other leading fabric sprays claiming 'tobacco odor elimination,' Vamoose was the only product that demonstrated no residual tobacco odors present in the fabric even several weeks after the application." So there.

The power behind the permanent removal of tobacco odors is Novexium which "molecularly combines with the tar and nicotine molecules deposited by smoking and converts them into inert matter." So you know it's working, a scent is created (unless you get the fragrance free option) - Fresh Scent, New Car Scent, and Leather Scent.

If you need to spray someone who smokes, buy it for $29.99 for the 32 ounce size at Amazon. (Spraying people with the product is not recommened by the manufacturer however.)

Jenna, our art director and editor of Babygadget, started a new food business this spring with her pastry chef husband, Mark. Whimsy & Spice, Brooklyn Confectioners, makes "handmade sweets with a dash of spice," which you can buy at the Brooklyn Flea on Sundays, and now also in their Etsy shop. Lavender cookies, chocolate and caramel marshmallows, espresso brownies, and chocolate chilli cashew biscotti are some of the edible creations you can now buy online.



Jenna and Mark keep a blog called "Sweet Fine Day" in which they chronicle their experience in launching this new business, as well as their daily food adventures (along with beautiful photos of dishes Mark whips up in their kitchen) and life in Brooklyn with their two young daughters.

Don't worry if you missed out on your chance to shell out $870 for Levi's ultra limited edition Red Tab cell phone. You can still stuff a Levi-branded handset into the pocket of your . . . um . . . Calvin's when Orange France starts selling the new (and unnamed?) 3G slider.

In addition to 3G mobile broadband connectivity, Bluetooth, and a built-in MP3 player, the 3.4-ounce phone's got a logo-engraved backside and microSD card slot to store everything the unit's 80MB of onboard memory can't hold. Starting at just 9 euros (about $14) per month with a contract, Levi's new phone is expected to become available this month.

Oh wait, you live in Europe, right?

Via MobileBurn.

In my small attempt to help the environment, I am trying to turn down plastic bags when I go shopping in favour of using my own canvas bag.

But the trouble with my canvas bag is it doesn't fit comfortably over my shoulder, or fit neatly inside my bag, so I've been casting around for an alternative.



These RuMe (short for "reuse me") bags are definitely on the shortlist. They come in a variety of styles and colours and are water-resistant and machine-washable. They also fold up to the size of a cellphone so you can always keep one with you for emergency shopping situations. More importantly, a portion of the proceeds of every bag is donated to a charitable cause.

$28.50 from Delight.

It turns out that this mobile game, Silverbackers, has everything to do with gorilla conservation. Go to the site to download the game and learn about these awesome creatures living in the forests of Central Africa - their population totals just over 700. Here's the interesting part: these gorillas are endangered because they live in a habitat rich in Coltan, a mineral used for the production of cell phones. What better way to bring attention to this problem than through our cell phones?



Read more about the history of Silverbackers at textually.org.

I used to have a friend who refused to listen to my rationale about why something like a PSP or Nintendo DS Lite was more cost-effective (not to mention better looking and more versatile) than her basket of those dedicated handheld games she'd get from supermarkets and drug stores.

Unable to break through her steel wall of stubbornness, I eventually gave in and started buying her games to add to her collection. When I gave her some "big screen" version of Tetris a few years ago, she nearly keeled over from excitement. Never mind that the graphics looked like something from the original Game Boy (aka "the spinach-green era"); she couldn't get over how "big" the screen was.

We ended up having a falling out a few years later (unrelated to gaming) that we've yet to get over, but I'm still thinking about sending her this new Tetris Gold Game ($35) because of its 2.5-inch color screen. It would floor her.

Tetris on a color screen. Imagine that!

Via GeekAlerts.

When I was at university, I had a friend (hi, Ruth!) who loved to grate cheese. I think she found it therapeutic or something. Me, not so much. We don't live together anymore, so I can't ask her to do my grating, but this new kitchen invention might make the chore a little more bearable.

In fact, I don't know why someone didn't think of this sooner. The worst thing about grating anything the traditional way is that the grater slides around all over the place and the 'gratings' fly everywhere (or get stuck to the back of the grater).

So Danish company Eva Solo had the ingenious idea of making a grating bucket, which is what it sounds like: a metal container with a grater on the outside, which collects your grated cheese or vegetables on the inside, ready to tip straight into the pan/dish/casserole. It's a lovely shiny chrome, and would make a stylish and practical addition to any kitchen.



The only problem is the cost: it's not available in the U.S. yet, so you'd have to order it from Europe. And it costs £22.95 ($45.49) before shipping. I'm sure that price reflects great workmanship and would be a worthwhile investment for a serious cook, but I might just give Ruth a call, instead.

Via The Telegraph magazine.

Sprint have confirmed that they will be carrying the BlackBerry Curve 8330, the existence of which has been well speculated, with the QWERTY-equipped smartphone compatible with both the Sprint Music Store and the Sprint TV entertainment service.  The 8330 has both GPS, to take advantage of Sprint Navigation, and a 2-megapixel camera, with a microSD card slot and stereo Bluetooth.  It's also ready to take advantage of Sprint's high-speed data network, thanks to EV-DO support, and the carrier will also allow you to tether the smartphone to a laptop for use as a modem. 



The Curve 8330 will be available this month, priced at $179.99 with a two-year service agreement, a $170 instant savings credit and $100 mail-in-rebate. 

Press Release:

Sprint Bolsters Industry-Leading Blackberry Portfolio with Addition of the BlackBerry Curve 8330

Operating on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, the BlackBerry Curve 8330 is the smallest BlackBerry smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard and supports exclusive multimedia content via Sprint Music Store and Sprint TV

LAS VEGAS -(Business Wire)- Apr. 1, 2008 Sprint (NYSE:S) and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq:RIMM) announced today that Sprint has further energized its BlackBerry portfolio with the addition of the new BlackBerry(R) Curve(TM) 8330 smartphone.

The BlackBerry Curve 8330 is the smallest BlackBerry smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard and strikes an attractive balance between functionality, design and usability, giving users access to phone, personal and corporate email, contacts, calendar, tasks, camera, multimedia content, GPS navigation, enhanced Web browsing and other capabilities. Whether customers are interested in advanced capabilities for personal or professional use, the BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone delivers innovative features including a two megapixel camera with video recording*, advanced media player for music, videos and photos, 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth with support for stereo headsets and car kits, microSD/SDHC card slot for expandable memory (8 GB memory cards are available today), voice-activated dialing, voice notes recorder and the ability to be used as a modem with a laptop. Customers can also take advantage of exclusive Sprint services like**:

- Sprint Music Store - Download stereo-quality tracks instantly over the air. Choose songs from thousands of artists in virtually every genre.

- Sprint TV(R) - Watch live TV or video-on-demand with full-motion video and vivid sound or catch the latest news, sports, weather, entertainment and movie trailers on the go. Choose from more than 50 live television channels.

- Sprint Navigation - As the first carrier to have offered a GPS-enabled BlackBerry smartphone, Sprint continues this innovation with the addition of Sprint Navigation, which delivers voice-guided and on-screen turn-by-turn GPS-enabled driving directions, 3-D moving maps similar to an in-car navigation system or personal navigation device, as well as more than 10 million local listings and real-time intelligent traffic alerts with one-click rerouting, anywhere on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network.

"Powerful core organizational capabilities, sleek and attractive form factors, exclusive multimedia content, flexible international service options and industry-leading push-to-talk service are combined factors that give Sprint one of the most attractive BlackBerry smartphone portfolios in the industry," said Danny Bowman, vice president of customer equipment for Sprint. "The addition of the BlackBerry Curve 8330 to our lineup gives our customers access to information now, with no compromises."

"The BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone offers a unique blend of functionality, design and usability that hits a real sweet spot for both personal and professional use," said Mark Guibert, Vice President, Corporate Marketing at Research In Motion. "It's as adept at keeping people productive at work as it is with helping them stay connected to friends or entertained and informed with Sprint's music, video and navigation services."

The Sprint Difference

Sprint provides true value for its BlackBerry customers with several industry differentiating areas:

- BlackBerry(R) Pearl(TM) 8130 smartphone - includes support for the largest range of exclusive Sprint content including Sprint TV, Sprint Music Store and Sprint Navigation.

- BlackBerry(R) 8830 World Edition smartphone - equipped with international voice and data roaming capabilities offered by Sprint, as well as an unlocked SIM card slot for voice and data services. Customers can sign up for competitive international roaming service plans directly from Sprint or take advantage of service from local providers in other countries.

- BlackBerry(R) 7100i smartphone - equipped with Nextel Direct Connect(R), the industry's largest and fastest push-to-talk service, allowing instant, efficient and economical means to communicate across the nation and in and between six international locations: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico and Peru.

For a full line-up of BlackBerry smartphones from Sprint, including pricing, visit http://www.sprint.com.

Network Strength:

Customers who use BlackBerry smartphones from Sprint and subscribe to national calling plans, can make voice calls (with no additional roaming charges) in more places. Sprint provides the largest voice calling area, reaching more than 299 million people in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. These same customers receive unbeatable value for data services as well. The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (inclusive of data roaming) reaches more than 234 million people, 13,453 cities and 1,321 airports.

Sprint offers BlackBerry users the convenience of instant push-to-talk communication on the world's largest push-to-talk network and largest community of users. With Nextel, BlackBerry smartphone users can connect coast-to-coast and country-to-country in under a second with anyone from the world's largest community of push-to-talk users. The Nextel National Network continues to operate at best-ever status with internal metrics showing double-digit percent improvement year-over-year.

Simply Everything Pricing:

Regardless of whether Sprint customers are using their BlackBerry smartphones with a BlackBerry(R) Enterprise Server or with BlackBerry(R) Internet Service, they can receive great value with Sprint's new Simply Everything pricing plan. For a flat rate of $99.99 per month the Simply Everything plan offers BlackBerry Internet Service customers unlimited voice and data. Pricing complexity and concerns about overage charges are virtually eliminated, letting customers think more about how they can use their wireless device for work and play, and less about their bill. BlackBerry Enterprise Server users can subscribe to the same plan and receive access to their corporate email, calendar, contacts and firewall protection for an additional $20 per month.

BlackBerry Curve Pricing and Availability

The BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone will be available later this month online at http://www.sprint.com, through Sprint Telesales, Sprint business sales channels and retail locations for as low as $179.99 with a two-year service agreement, a $170 instant savings credit and $100 mail-in-rebate.

For more information on the BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone, visit http://www.blackberrycurve.com. Customers can sign up to be notified of commercial availability from Sprint at http://www.sprint.com/curve.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two robust wireless networks serving approximately 54 million customers at the end of 2007; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit http://www.sprint.com.

About Research In Motion (RIM)

Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIM's portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry(R) wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld(TM) product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit http://www.rim.com or http://www.blackberry.com.

* Video recording requires a microSD card.

** Use of services may incur separate, additional charges. Visit http://www.sprint.com for rate plan information and charges for services.  

Memory card readers come in all shapes and sizes these days, but few rely on a rechargeable lithium battery to power their . . . built-in cash note verifiers. Yes, this innocent-looking ladybug 3-in-1 reader ($16) is absolutely unforgiving against counterfeit currency. Don't ask me how it works (I couldn't tell you if you did), but the 2.2" x 1.4" x 1.0" ladybug is packing a black light (?) somewhere under those wings that "illuminates" the security strip embedded into U.S. dollars.



If you've never questioned the legitimacy of the cash in your wallet, you can still make use of the ladybug's integrated USB charging cable and ability to read T-Flash, microSD, and microSDHC cards.

Via GeekAlerts.

We've covered Bamboo products here at Popgadget before: from laptops to clothing.

Now online food magazine Chow reports that the newest and best way to store bread is in a specially-designed bag made from bamboo fabric, a naturally sustainable textile which is water-absorbent and great at repelling bacteria, meaning your bread should stay fresher longer. Plus, it's much better for the environment to have a re-usable bag and as much as I love Nigella Lawson, I'm not shelling out $100 for her bread bin.



The bamboo bags are available in two styles, Loaf Pouch (above) or Baguette Quiver (don't you just love the word 'quiver'?), pictured over the page.

Ever see those kids blasting their iPods by turning their headphones inside out and turning them into makeshift speakers? The sound is so distorted at that level that I wish they'd just bring back the old school boombox and share music properly. Or you could give those kids a taste of their own medicine and poke a little fun too, by using giant earbud speakers. These oversize speakers provide big sound and big laughs. They take 3 AAA batteries and work with any audio player with a standard audio jack.

The giant earbud speakers are $60 from fredflare.

Legendary British nature documentary maker David Attenborough (you may be familiar with his work if you saw the groundbreaking and epic Planet Earth has developed an oddly effective new way to film his favourite subjects - reclusive wild animals - in their natural habitat.

For his new program, Tiger - Spy in the Jungle, currently showing on BBC1 in the UK (and no doubt in America and the rest of the world soon), he got exclusive footage of tiger cubs, and was able to follow them from newborns to adulthood thanks to an inventive new filming technique. Trunk cams.



Yes, somehow Attenborough and his team got elephants to film the action in India's Pench National Park, using cameras made to camouflage with their trunks. (I swear this isn't an April Fool).

You can read more about this revolution in nature documentary making here, but I still don't understand how the elephants were persuaded to participate. I hope they at least got union rates.

Imagine being stuck in a downpour, your destination still miles away - and you have nothing other than an umbrella to protect yourself. You resign to a dull, wet journey, right? Not if the umbrella happens to be the Pileus WiFi Camera umbrella.

The Pileus umbrella seems like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie – it has a built-in camera that you can use to shoot pictures in the rain, plus other add-ons too. That includes a GPS system (wow) and in the future, a video camera as well. Though I choose to be skeptical about the picture quality you'l get out of the camera under such weather conditions, I have to concede that the concept is definitely unique. The Pileus also has integration with Flickr! With a wireless Internet connection in place, the photos you click can be uploaded to Flickr at the touch of a button on the handle! Or you can browse photos from Flickr on the umbrella’s webbed innards just by “a snap of your wrist.”

I think the reasons behind the creation of this umbrella would be as interesting as the features themselves. There's no word yet on the release or detailed specs, but expect to see it selling soon on Sharp Edge.

Via Shiny Shiny.

More on innovative umbrellas:
Self Standing Umbrella
Weather forecasting umbrella, plan for puddles
Almost unbreakable umbrella: Senz
Music in the Rain
NanoNuno umbrella featured in Time's Best Inventions 2006

If you were blown away by the color-screen version of the handheld Tetris game, then you'll love this Meiji chocolate bar puzzle from Strapya World. You're clearly quite easy to please, so I can tell you won't mind that the inedible puzzle isn't electronic and that rather than clearing lines, the object of this "game" is to fit all of the chocolate-looking pieces into the included clear container.

It's the anti-Tetris really because you've got similar-looking pieces that must be positioned manually (instead of flipping them frantically into place as they fall from the sky at accelerating speeds) and the more open space you have, the less "done" the game is (as opposed to trying not to let the rows of blocks build up too high). Additionally, if you've managed to figure out all 2,339 ways to solve the puzzle, you get to"level up" by buying another chocolate bar: white chocolate = easy, milk chocolate = beginner, black (dark?) chocolate = advanced.

Grab yours from Strapaya World for about $7.

When I saw this on Tokyo Mango, the first thing that came to my mind was the ShePhone, a crazy concept phone design with at least a half dozen functions having nothing to do with communication. (Mia is credited with its design, which is another story.)

Developed, and currently being tested, by NTT Communications, the "Mobile Fragrance Communication" service is not as futuristic as I first thought. As it turns out, the fragrance isn't actually emitted by the cell phone itself; the service is a mobile version of an existing service which connects downloaded audiovisual content with fragrances that come out of a separate device. So, with this mobile version, you download a "fragrance playlist" on your cell phone, then the fragrance data is transferred via the phone's infrared port to the fragrance device which contains fragrance cartridges. A device controller connected to the Internet can also receive instructions from your cell phone remotely.

Apparently, the company's plan is to partner with mobile content providers to pair fragrances with videos, music, and other content.

Seems like an awful lot of trouble relative to the benefit, but who am I to say, considering I once said that same thing about TiVo? See full press release.

When you're hurting like Virgin Mobile USA are, you really have two choices: one, bring out some kick-ass must-have cellphone (it helps here if you have ties with Apple) and let the hype drive your share price upward, or two, launch a super-cheap handset and hope that sheer numbers will push you out of the red.  Given Virgin's target audience - the cash strapped and contract fearful - they've sensibly gone for the second option, hence LG's Flare (aka LX175) fresh to the network.  You don't get much flare for $29.99, though; don't think last-gen, think a couple before that.





A compact 3.54 x 1.85 x 0.78 in size, and weighing just 2.72oz, the Flare lacks such niceties as a camera, but then it also lacks a two-year contract.  In fact, that $29.99 gets you Bluetooth, a speakerphone, WAP browser and external colour display, together with no contract obligation.  Battery life is rated at 3.5hrs talktime or 170hrs standby, and you can download games and MP3 ringtones direct to the Flare. 



[via Crave]

For the existentialist in your life who has everything, how about the Milky Way galaxy suspended in a glass cube? Supposedly, there are 80,000 stars inside the cube, rendered using three-dimensional data from Japan's National Astronomical Observatory. In the exact center of the cube is our solar system - a tiny speck, a reminder of how invisible we are in the cosmic scheme of things.

Because it's a cube, you can view the galaxy from different angles:


Available from Living World for a mere $80,000 JPN (about $770).

Via Crave.

I love to cook, but I'm messy and temperamental and hate to clean up. I throw things around like a little Asian, non-professional Gordon Ramsay. I tell people in my family that in exchange for cooking intricate meals, all they have to do is clean up, but in truth, I'm not sure they get the better deal. The thing that bothers me the most about my kitchen rampages is that when they're over, I've almost inevitably killed any cookbook I've been using. My regularly used cookbooks are crunchy with olive oil, batter, and butter, and would probably taste pretty good by now if I baked them. Some pages have become hard to read and I've been searching for a solution to protect my precious cookbook collection.

Enter the "chef's center" which supports your cookbook at a good reading angle, swivels all the way around, and most importantly has a crystal-clear, splatterguard which keeps your book open at the right page and safe from flying ingredients. The spring-loaded screen guard fits everything from the single xeroxed page to the thickest of cookbooks. There's a pull-out measurement guide to help you adjust recipe servings while you cook. Then when you're done, the chef's center folds down flat for easy storage.

The chef's center is $29.95 from Prepara.

I recently realized, when writing a letter, that I can now barely write. I'm so used to putting everything into a computer, or a PDA/phone that I can type with my thumbs much more quickly than I can write. I was ashamed and a little frightened and started imagining scenarios when there's a big Cloverfield-like attack and power outage and I die while thumb-typing and screaming into a dead Blackberry.

Another problem is that when I do scribble little notes and phone numbers, I forget what they're about by the time I find them in my purse a few months later. And forget notes from lectures or conferences- I clearly have undiagnosed ADHD because generally all I can make out are bad drawings of big-eyed waifs and mean notes to the lecturer to please stop talking so I can go to the bathroom. Once in a while, though, I see a note that says something like "IMPORTANT, make sure to look this up!" and I don't remember what it's in reference to at all.

I may simply need Ritalin, but the Livescribe Pulse pen computer could also help me out a little. The Pulse is like a grown-up version of the Fly Fusion pentop for kids.

I may love Twitter, the site where you have 140 short characters to tell the world what you're up to, lovers may love Twitter, but I do understand that Twitter's not for everyone. Some people don't want to share the details of every thought, meal or bathroom break with the rest of the Internet and find the constantly updated details of other people's every thought too much to keep up with.

If you're one of these people, allow me to introduce you to the anti-Twitter: dawdlr. As the website puts it, "dawdlr is a global community of friends and strangers answering one simple question: what are you doing, you know, more generally?"

Instead of typing in what you're up to, you send dawdlr a postcard detailing your activities, and some are chosen for the site. (Current postcards include "trying not to look back" and "enjoying living in London"). It's basically a humdrum version of Postsecret, as well as a satire on our rush-obsessed society.

If you want to join in, you have plenty of time: the site's updated around twice a year, with the next update due on May 21st.

Hop to it! Or y'know, don't . . .

You've seen a lot of iPod cases on these pages, but this upcoming one for the 5G iPod and iPod classic has a twist. Well, if we're being technical and it made sense to say so, the plastic case really has a rotate . . . -ing set of speakers, that is.

Attached to the back of the case are two 770mW speakers set into a rotating unit that flanks the iPod screen when exposed and can be "hidden" when not in use. The speakers run off their own 3.7V lithium polymer battery, so you don't have to worry about suffering the consequences of blaring Britney Spears at work when you hop onto the subway with a pair of headphones. I mean, there are consequences to listening to Britney, of course, but none of them are related to your iPod's battery power.

The rotating speaker case will sell for about $60 when it becomes available at the end of the month.

Via Thoughts from the Sidelines.

Nintendo's long awaited Wii Fit is finally set to be released on May 19th. Not surprisingly, demand is expected to be high, and orders are limited to 3 per household. You can pre-order now for $89.99 at Amazon.

More on Nintendo Wii:
Adjustable tv stand for Wii fanatics
Nintendo Wii Gum
Chocolate Mii for you and Wii
Virtual chefs compete in a Wii cooking game
Show off your Mii

We asked readers about "social network fatigue," which can mean either that you're getting tired of social networking sites or that you're simply exhausted from having too much of your time sucked up by online social networking (boredom, on the one hand, addiction on the other). And, indeed, it appears that, at least among those who participated in the poll, this phenomenon is real.



43% of participants said they're afflicted and have cut back since last year, which could mean the novelty has worn off for them and the experience is no longer so fascinating, or that they've stopped shopping around and have settled into one or two sites they use regularly (which is probably good news for established networks like facebook). For the 9% who said they're afflicted but haven't cut back (the addicts?), those who are still getting acquainted with the whole concept, and those who just don't care yet, new offerings may still appeal.

I don't know if it's because I haven't had a desktop computer in nearly 10 years (I can't wean myself off of notebooks and UMPCs), but I have absolutely no use for a USB hub. My current notebook, a Sony Vaio TZ, is equipped with only two USB 2.0 ports and I've never had a need or even wished for another one.

That's why I had no idea there was so much innovation going on in the world of USB hubs. This Rota-Star hub from Gadget4All.com, for example, features twistable ports that can be turned 180 degrees to form a handful of shapes and designs. Wow!



Available now for $12.

There's good kitsch and bad kitsch, and for the most part these cute tins from Dumpling Dynasty are good kitsch.

They feature stylish retro designs and good quality products and would make great gifts or keepsakes. There's a shoeshine kit, baking kit, first aid kit and sewing kit, which all look great. But the pigtail kit and explorer kit, whilst good whimsical fun, play into gender stereotypes a little too much for my liking (boys explore while girls fix their hair? Pah).

I recommend subverting the patriarchy and buying the former for your bald self-deprecating uncle and the latter for your sexually adventurous sister...



Via Strawberry Fool.