Archive for September, 2007
Join YES, APPLE DROPPED THE HAMMER, BUT WAS IT NECESSARY?
We all saw it coming. In what amounts to using the “nuclear option,” Steve Jobs made good on his on threat to brick any iPhone that has been unlocked and used outside of the AT&T service. Cupertino claims that unlocking your iPhone can cause it irreparable damage – and not the update that has probably created thousands of $700 paperweights. But is that really the case? The Giz certainly doesn’t think so. According to their investigation – including some choice words from Apple Development technicians – there were a myriad of ways to relock unlocked phones – even as easy as simply resetting certain values in the phone in the same manner that the hacker’s Sim programs have been setting them to open it up.
Continue reading » YES, APPLE DROPPED THE HAMMER, BUT WAS IT NECESSARY?
Now it’s time to say goodbye … to Disney Mobile
In the Dog eat Dog world of the Cellular business, not even Pluto can catch a break. The House of the Mouse has announced that Disney Mobile will cease operations effective December 31, 2007. A three month warning is a nice warning to it’s customers (not even Amp’d gave more than a few days), but Mickey is going one step further by reimbursing the faithful for handsets, accessories and even downloaded music and other content purchased directly through Disney Mobile. Disney is even waiving all early termination fees for customers who’s bills are zero’d out (they’d better since they’re pulling the plug). Users are then free to port their phone number to any wireless carrier they choose.
Continue reading » Now it’s time to say goodbye … to Disney Mobile
Mio DigiWalker C720t GPS System
The previous news related to GPS navigation systems had Holux, Asus, and IO Data as the target, but one of the popular GPS manufacturers, also known as Mio, has announced a new device with the following codename: C720t. Obviously, this is an upgrade of previous versions, and the best part of all – it is the first Mio GPS system that comes with a digital camera.
The good thing about the 2 megapixel digital camera is that its functions are not normal, for instance, you can embed GPS coordinates into an image, and navigate back to it as if it were an address.
The other strange feature is associated with the capturing lens, and being able to distinguish business card which are afterwards stored in the contact list. Pretty useful if you ask me – you can lose the business cards, but at least the important information will be in a safe place.
Continue reading » Mio DigiWalker C720t GPS System
Star Wars Salt and Pepper
I wonder if George Lucas ever imagined the number of uses people have found for R2D2 (I also wonder if he gets a cut of every one sold). This time our favorite utility droid has been turned into a set of salt and pepper mills, the ultimate dining table accessory for any die hard Star Wars fan.
No idea where you can buy these (probably Japan), found via ForeverGeek, thanks Michael.
This fridge shares something with me: the love for beer!
What you to see here is the Asko HomePub Fridge. The name itself says a lot about it – Home Pub. Easy and suggesting one sweet thing to someone thirsty like me: cold, frothy pints.
I like this fridge. I really like it. I’d go as far as to suggest it as a second fridge in the house, with a better location, i.e. the living room.
Why? Well, look to the left: beer! This is the beer lover’s appliance. Besides an oh-so-precious beer tap, it’s got some interesting drink-storage facilities. Still, there’s some space left for food. It’s just not that much, it’s just good enough for living room snacks.
Want to see it? Click on! You’ll also get the specifications as a bonus.
Continue reading » This fridge shares something with me: the love for beer!
Full DVD downloads coming from KDDI
KDDI will finally take advantage of Japan’s speedy domestic Internet connections by offering subscribers the option to download DVD-quality films for a mere ¥500 ($4.30) each via the ‘DVD Burning’ service. These movies will no doubt come with copy protection measures found on SD cards and will require to be written to DVD-R discs before they are played on a standard DVD player. This means you won’t be able to make duplicates of the downloaded films, but no doubt this is but a minor obstacle to overcome these days. Good thing this discs do not have a fixed lifespan and have unlimited replay value. There will currently be 1,000 titles available to choose from, with plans to increase the amount by fivefold early next year.
Source: Digital World Tokyo
Sony NW-A910 TV Walkman
The Japanese have moved onward with the Walkman brand, and they have the NW-A910 series of TV Walkman to keep them entertained on-the-go. This device features an internal 1Seg TV tuner that caters for those who need their digital TV fix no matter where they are, 16GB of internal memory for you to record up to 16 hours of programmes, and Electronic Programming Guide for easy recording. Unfortunately, the 2.4″ display won’t be easy on your eyes, which means you’ll probably end up with a temporary squint after a spending a short while with this. The Sony NW-A910 will come in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities when they’re released in this November 3rd in Japan, retailing for $260, $305, and $390 respectively.
Source: Far East Gizmos
LapBeat portable music maker concept
How about using some music to share with others just how you’re feeling at this moment? I suppose this would come in handy just in case, you know, your facial expressions and gesticulations fail to get the message across.
Lapbeat is a digital percussion instrument that can be played anywhere, in any position, and at anytime. Lapbeat has been designed with precise ergonomic considerations for playing in a sitting position. This digital percussion instrument has adapted and innovatively redefined the sound structure of classical percussion instruments where sound of the drumming echoes and flows out from below. By installing built-in speakers at the bottom and v-drum (advanced electronic MIDI drum trigger) technology into the touch pads, the timbre of the sound is made deeper and richer.
This concept was designed by Lee Dong Chul & Tamy Lee.
via Yanko Design
