With millions of iPhones and wifi enabled iPod Touch’s, and over 100 million applications sold, Madison Avenue is playing close attention to Apple’s success. Who wouldn’t? But the MadMen in New York are seeing opportunities, not applications. They are seeing how incorporating advertising into social networking applications like “Loopt” can turn those millions of iPhones into 21st century bill boards. And they’re betting the farm on it.

Vending machine kiosks have been a staple of the Japanese electronics world for years. But as gadgets get cooler and cheaper, it appears that Best Buy is poised to begin flooding American airports with vending machine kiosks filled with last minute gadgetry to help stressed out travelers who seek to get their tech on or simply to replace the AC adapter they left in their hotel room.

I want you to remove all innuendo while you read this dialogue.
“Hey is that some new type of cellphone in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?”
“Yes, that is a new cellphone in my pocket, and I got a woody.”

You see, the second guy has the concept phone that is made of wood, not a (ahem). Maybe I should quit while I’m behind here, but I’d rather just stay on task here and complete my article.

The Maple phone is the creation of a Korean team Hyun Jin Yoon and Eun Hak Lee, and it definitely challenges the notion that all our phones must be made of plastic. The phone also has touch sensitive keypads and even has a camera.

It’s official. The world is gizmo-gadget obsessed. Even in gambling. I reckon it stands to reason that if you grow up in the digital age where everything is virtual and everyone has a password like they have a cellphone, it only stands to reason that, like newspapers before them, poker tables are rapidly going the way of the doo-doo. The Pokermate Table not only gives players touchscreen interfaces to use for game play and betting, it’s also yet another guard against card counters who seek a legal, but wholely frowned upon gaming advantage.

Every once in a while, I discover a new mobile device charger that is really practical and energy-efficient, like the Solio Magnesium Solar Charger. Today I found two devices that charge using another renewable energy source: kinetic energy.

The first is the Orange Dance Charge. This is an armband that you can connect your mobile device to, and then shake it up (preferably while dancing) for a charge. It has the same kinetic energy charger that you see in those “never need winding” watches. So if your cellular phone needs a charge, just dance around like Martin Short back when he was playing Ed Grimley on Saturday Night Live.

The second is a charger that sounds like a cheap joke, but it is real proposal. Apparently, a woman named Adrienne So has proposed a way to harness the power of breasts. That’s right, with a little nanowire fabric in a bra, you can actually capture the energy produced by the up and down movement of the (insert any synonym for “breasts” here). I’m going to justly resist any comment that I could make after introducing a gadget like this.

You have to love those gadgets that make you pause and really wonder.  Mostly about how many people actually purchase it.  This one is definitely one I had to stop and think for a bit as to why on earth it’s actually necessary.  Really, cars come equipped with clocks, that’s a pretty standard thing.  However, I did have at one point an old Ford that you had to look at the clock at just the right angle to actually read the time.  It was an old piece of junk though, everything about that car had issues, but I do get that there are some people that are neglected in the clock department.  It is still a far cry from the brand new car they feature on the site to show the laser in action.

Quake 3 Arena has been ported to the iPhone and iPod touch and looks to be excellent. Unfortunately, not too many details are available just yet, but from the looks of the video demonstration (shown after the jump) it looks like everyone is in for a nice treat! The controls look very simple as it uses the iPhone’s and Touch built in accelerometers to control the direction you are going, and then you simply tap the screen to shoot. Multi player battles are possible too as the video demonstrates below.

If the game runs as it shows on the video this will be one excellent app to install on your iPhone or Touch.

Despite being a hardcore geek, I love the great outdoors. Camping, hiking, canoing and fishing are some of my favorite things to do when it warms up. I enjoy “roughing it” and do my best to leave most of my technology at home. I do carry my cell phone and some electric lanterns, but that’s usually about the extent of it, which is nice. Here’s a low-tech survival kit that almost everyone should keep with them when braving the wild.