Hawt Gadgets

Update: This was an April Fool’s Day joke.

As I mentioned in my last post, I got a tattoo this past weekend. Several people have asked about it by email, so I’ll go ahead and post a couple shots of it. I decided to get a Firefox tattoo because it’s a cool design and I really like what Firefox is doing these days. Here’s what it looks like:

And here’s a photo from a different angle:

I thought about getting the design in black and gray, which also looks pretty cool. But the Firefox colors are really nice and I figured that with the colors the tattoo would “pop” a little more. So far I’ve been getting some great reactions. A couple friends have seen it and said “I didn’t know you had a tattoo” so I told them it was new. If you like the photos, I’m sure you’ll get a chance to see it at upcoming search conferences.

At the recent CTIA 2008, US cell phone lovers will be glad to know that the HTC Touch Dual will debut in US in the next few weeks. The HTC Touch Dual is a close cousin of the earlier HTC Touch with the new Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and a slide-out keypad. It also features Wi-Fi, 3G, and the interesting TouchFLO user-interface which is close but not as good as the Apple’s multi-touch on iPhones, IMHO.

The HTC Touch Dual US version will have a 400MHz Qualcomm processor, 256MB of ROM and 128MB or SDRAM, a 2.6-inch touch-sensitive TFT-LCD screen, 3G, HSDPA, and GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity, as well as Bluetooth, a MiniUSB port, dual cameras and a MicroSD card slot.

Here is the full press release:

Debuting in the United States, the HTC Touch Dual Incorporates an Intuitive Touch Screen, Slide-Out Keypad and Windows Mobile 6.1 Software

HTC offers customers an enhanced mobile experience through the introduction of Windows Mobile 6.1 software updates for a variety of HTC devices.

LAS VEGAS — April 1, 2008 — HTC Corp. (TAIEX: 2498; “HTC”), a global leader in smartphone design and manufacturing, revealed that the popular HTC Touch Dual™ will debut in the United States this quarter. Announced today at the Cellular Telecommunication and Internet Association (CTIA) Wireless 2008 spring conference, the HTC Touch Dual™ combines an intuitive touch screen with integrated TouchFLO™ technology and slide-out keypad and Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional software, making it easier for customers to communicate on the go.

“HTC has witnessed incredible support and demand for the Touch product portfolio, and we are pleased to provide our customers with the opportunity to experience additional iterations of the Touch product family,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. “The Touch Dual will be among the first devices in the United States to run Windows Mobile 6.1 and will be followed by a range of 6.1 updates for several other HTC products.”

Software Upgrades Available on HTC Devices

In partnership with Microsoft and key mobile operator partners, HTC will continue to extend the functionality of many current HTC devices both in the United States and abroad by providing Windows Mobile 6.1 updates. Windows Mobile 6.1, an update to Windows Mobile 6, provides new timesaving features, easier phone navigation and management, stronger security safeguards, and support for Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008. Some of HTC’s most popular smartphones including the Touch by HTC and Mogul by HTC from Sprint, AT&T Tilt, Alltel Wireless’ HTC Touch and PPC6800, and the HTC TyTN II, will be among the first of many devices available for a Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade.

Supporting existing customers and enhancing their experiences continues to be a focus for HTC; Sprint and HTC recently provided an update for the popular Mogul by HTC, making it the industry’s first EV-DO Rev. A-capable handset while also enabling additional GPS functionality.

“Windows Mobile enhances people’s lives by providing them with an experience that keeps them close to what’s important to them — anywhere, anytime,” said John O’Rourke, general manager of the Mobile Communications Business, Microsoft. “HTC has a history of providing a great selection of popular Windows Mobile phones, and we are pleased to bring the latest in software to a range of its products around the world.”

HTC Touch Dual Availability and Features

Best Buy will be the first to offer the HTC Touch Dual, which will be available through select Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile retail outlets, online at BestBuy.com and htc.com.

“At Best Buy we are committed to providing customers with a wide selection of high quality handsets,” said David Ryan, director of merchandising, Best Buy Mobile. “We look forward to adding the innovative HTC Touch Dual to our current lineup of unlocked phones.”

Taking user control to a whole new level, the HTC Touch Dual combines an intuitive touch screen and keypad within a stunning design. The versatile device offers an interactive cube interface for quick and easy navigation to e-mails, text messages, calendar appointments and contacts. Features include the following:

* TouchFLO™, a touch-screen technology that allows finger-touch scrolling, panning and photo zooming
* Slide-out 20-key keyboard for quick dialing, text messages and e-mail
* Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
* Microsoft Office Mobile for working on documents and getting your Outlook e-mail
* Live HTC Home™ featuring time and weather display, quick launcher, and one-touch ring-tone settings
* 2 megapixel camera for shooting photos/videos and a second camera for video calls
* Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) and HSDPA (850/1900Mhz) connectivity

Come Visit HTC America at Booth 1624
At CTIA Wireless 2008, HTC will show the latest lineup of HTC devices, including the Touch Dual. Those interested should stop by booth #1624, located in the C hall, to see the latest innovations from HTC.

via gadgetell

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Overview

If you are a music lover you would love playing your favorite collection wherever you go. COBY MP-C582 1GB CLIP MP3 Player is just for you. Sporting a cool design COBY MP-C582 1GB CLIP MP3 Player comes in five different eye catching colors including pink, blue, red, white and black. You can easily start this MP3 Player with its Quick Start Guide.

Features

• Plays MP3 and WMA Digital Music Files.
• Mobile Data Storage Function.
• Hold Feature Presents Accidental Key Presses.
• USB 2.0 for Fast File Transfer.
• Random Music Playback.

COBY MP-C582 1GB CLIP MP3 Player supports integrated flash media. You can easily enjoy your favorite music with the 2.5mm Headphone audio output of COBY MP-C582 1GB CLIP MP3 Player. This new MP3 Player works wonder with the integrated rechargeable Lithium Ion-Battery.

Box content

The box comprises of COBY MP-C582 1GB CLIP MP3 Player, Manual Guide, USB Adapter, Sterep Earphones and 2.5mm to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter.

Price

COBY MP-C582 1GB CLIP MP3 Player is available at a price of $ 28.00.

Source: Coby

You have a digital camera and you scanned in all your grandmother’s photographs back in 1999. Now, you find that your old scanner just kicked the bucket. Do you spend the money on a new one or can you just live without one? Here are five reasons why you still need a scanner.

1. Scrapbooking

Photo books are still very much alive today in the form of scrapbooking. If someone you love is into scrapbooking, then you must preserve a digital archive of their work. Even though you have a digital copy of the photographs, you don’t have a digital copy of the beautiful pages that your loved one has created. I promise you, in twenty years, those pages will be just as valuable as the raw photos they were created from. In this case, a scanner with a flatbed that can scan 12″ X 12″ sheets is essential. The Mustek Scan Express A3 1200 Pro is the most affordable scanner (priced at under $200) in the large format category. There is also the Mustek ScanExpress A3 USB Flatbed Scanner, which is a little over $200. The Epson GT-15000 Professional Scanner is considered the best, but it is priced at over $1000.

2. That Old Box of Negatives and Slides Collecting Dust In The Basement

Scanners like the HP Scanjet G4050 have attachments that can work with slides and negatives. The software can create photos from those old negatives and slides. Rather than risking loss at a photo developers, you can process your precious negatives on your own.

3. Receipts

The easiest way to keep track of your receipts is to scan them and store them on your computer. Then, if you have a warranty issue, you have documentation of every thing you’ve purchased. Instead of scrambling in a file, all you have to do is pull up the scan and print off a copy to prove your date of purchase.

4. Faxing

So much of our world has gone digital that we forget that there are still some old businesses that still use fax quite heavily. When you have to deal with those old-school businesses, it’s helpful to have the basic fax functions that today’s scanners still provide.

5. Scanner Art

Sometimes the camera just doesn’t do something justice, despite macro mode. Like pressed flowers before it, scanner art is becoming a known field of art that you just might enjoy. Here are a couple of links that talk about it:

• Creating Art work Using your Scanner

• REDONDOWRITER’S SACRED ORDINARY: New Ways of Seeing: Scanner Art

Final Notes

If you are trying to decide whether to buy a new scanner or if your current scanner is broken or unreliable, there are many inexpensive items to choose from. My favorite is the Canon CanoScan line, the newest of which is the CanoScan LiDE90 that is going for under eighty dollars. No matter what your needs, there is sure to be a scanner available that will work for you. Preserving your memories is well worth your time and money.

Ever thought of waking up in a stylish way, then AVL342 - AVLabs iPod Dock Alarm Clock lets you do so. Offering music depth and clarity, AVL342 - AVLabs iPod Dock Alarm Clock is a portable device that can add up futuristic touch to any room of your house. Enjoy waking up at the voice of pre-set digital tune with the new AVL342 - AVLabs iPod Dock Alarm Clock.

Listen all your favorite iPod tunes and AM/FM radio on AVL342 - AVLabs iPod Dock Alarm Clock that comes incorporating the new digital tuning technology. Its full function remote control lets you change settings with ease. This iPod Dock Alarm Clock offers you to play and recharge simultaneously.

AVL342 - AVLabs iPod Dock Alarm Clock works fine with a 12V/1.0A DC Power Adapter. Moreover, its convenient secondary input jack for connection with other audio devices like laptops, older iPods and MP3 Players. Feel free to choose either white or black color of AVL342 - AVLabs iPod Dock Alarm Clock from the market.

Source: AV Labs

Update: This was part of an April Fool’s Day joke. I did this post so that people might believe my other jokes on April Fool’s.

I’ve decided to skip April Fool’s Day this year, and I’ll tell you why: I’m April Fools’ed out. I’ve done a bunch of April Fools jokes in the past, and this year I’m just too tired to do it. Plus I’m worried that if I escalate the jokes much further, things will get out of control. There was the time that we converted our VP of Engineering’s office into a beach, complete with hundreds of pounds of sand. Do you know how hard it is to clean out 200 pounds of sand out of a carpet? Then one April Fool’s I switched Eric Schmidt’s picture on Google’s intranet to be the fictional billionaire from NewsRadio:

I’m still a little nervous that Eric will figure out it that I was the person that switched the photos.

Two years ago I pretended that I was switching jobs with Jeremy Zawodny at Yahoo. Of course, a helpful co-worker emailed HR as if I were really leaving. It took me six weeks to undo my “resignation” and straighten out all the paperwork.

Last year was the final straw. I pretended that my blog got hacked:

Although the hack was a complete joke, a group of script kiddies actually did attack my blog soon afterwards. My blog got hacked for real twice in the following months. Luckily I keep good backups, so it didn’t cause very much harm.

So call me a party pooper if you want, but I’m sitting out this year. I haven’t decided whether I’ll do any posts tomorrow, but if I do they’ll be real. For example, this year I set a goal for myself to try to do something totally new and out of character for me each month. My new thing for March was to get a tattoo, which I got this past weekend. Maybe I’ll post pictures of the tattoo and people will think that it’s a joke.

Are you a Post It Note freak? Me? I’m an Index Card Junkie.

If you love your posties, there’s a link below to a really cute story about Post Its and Post It-a-be’s. You’ll find out how the company that makes both Post Its and Scotch tape are dealing with identity theft.

Get into it and get into a Sticky Situation.

Overview

Now you can have a clean home with the advanced Sanyo PowerBoy™ Canister Vacuum Cleaner SC-Y130. Moreover, you get a full 1-year warranty with Sanyo PowerBoy™ Canister Vacuum Cleaner SC-Y130. Its flexible wire-reinforced hose can easily reach every hook and corner of your home for a better cleaning. Bring home the compact Sanyo PowerBoy™ Canister Vacuum Cleaner SC-Y130 and get the power packed performance of cleaning in style.

Features

• Convenient Wand Holder for Upright Storage.
• Large Wheels for Quick Turns and Easy Mobility.
• 18-Foot Cord with Cord Reel.
• Wide Air-Driven Floor Brush with Rug and Floor Selector Switch.
• On Board Crevice Tool and Round Brush.

Sanyo PowerBoy™ Canister Vacuum Cleaner SC-Y130 incorporates features like Edge Grabbera Floor Nozzle and Powerful 10.0 Amp Motor. The main body of Sanyo PowerBoy™ Canister Vacuum Cleaner SC-Y130 weighs less than 7 lbs and easy to carry for cleaning the home. You also get a cloth and paper bag attached with the Sanyo PowerBoy™ Canister Vacuum Cleaner SC-Y130.

Box content

The box comprises of Sanyo PowerBoy™ Canister Vacuum Cleaner SC-Y130 and User’s Manual.

Price

Sanyo PowerBoy™ Canister Vacuum Cleaner SC-Y130 is available at a price range of $ 78.00 - $ 100.00.

Source: Sanyo

Overview

Omega, world’s leading watch makers have come up with the latest Speedmaster Legend Watch for Men. This one is a part of the famous Michael Schumacher Speedster Legend Watch Series. Sporting a black shining dial, Omega Speedmaster Legend Watch for Men comes in a stainless steel case. With a case diameter of 44.25 mm, Omega Speedmaster Legend Watch will truly serve as an ideal gift for your man.

Features

• Scratch-resistant watch.
• Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment inside.
• Free sprung balance.
• Self-winding chronograph movement with column wheel mechanism.
• Co-Axial Escapement for greater precision stability.

Featuring three separate dials inside, Omega Speedmaster Legend Watch for Men can reserve power for up to 52 hours. Its date, hour, minute and small seconds hands, central chronograph give you the exact timings each time. This water-resistant watch for men can work fine up to 100 meters under water. This watch is ideal for those men who want both a chronograph and a chronometer on their wrist.

Box content

The box comprises of Omega Speedmaster Legend Watch for Men and Warranty Card.

Price

Omega Speedmaster Legend Watch for Men is available at a price of $ 4680.00.

Source: Omega

I’ve been thinking about the George Foreman Grill a lot lately. Why did it become so popular? It seemed like everyone I knew became an advocate for the thing a few years ago. It was like they suddenly discovered that they could cook food. Couldn’t we always grill food on our stove before? Yes we could. So why did we forget it? One word:

Microwave

Back in the seventies and eighties, we became obsessed with the microwave. It was SO easy and quick to heat up food. We tried to cook EVERYTHING in the microwave. We even were willing to bake cakes in the microwave, as shown in this commercial from Pillsbury:

As silly as it sounds, those microwave cakes tasted alright. I remember another commercial when I was a child in which a woman was demonstrating a microwave and a curmudgeon in the back of the audience kept asking, “But does it brown?” None of our microwaves browned food (except the miracle microwave in that commercial), but browning is something we gladly gave up for the convenience of speed.

After ten or fifteen years of eating soggy microwaved food, grilled food sounded pretty good. Food that was grilled on both sides at the same time was innovative and made the grilling time quicker. That, coupled with the infomercial world that we found ourselves in was a phenomenon.

Do I like my George Foreman Grill? Yes, I own the red one pictured here.

I’ve never used the other three plates that have come with it, but I keep thinking that I’ll make some waffles with it someday. Huge waffles for an army of angry football players who are REALLY hungry. Until then, I’ll just keep grilling my pork chops, hamburgers and steaks. It’s an awkward and bulky appliance sitting on my precious counter space when I could just as easily grill on my stove with a pan, but I still love the thing.

What can I say? I’m a child of the microwave generation.