Hawt Gadgets

Filed under: Laptops

As we've seen countless times by now, the folks behind the Commodore brand will stop at nothing to keep the venerable name alive, and they've now finally hopped on the biggest bandwagon going, with the UMMD 8010/F marking the company's first foray into the netbook game. Unfortunately, apart from that familiar logo, there's not too much that stands out here, with the netbook packing a 10-inch screen, a 1.6GHz VIA C7-M processor, an 80GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, built-in WiFi, and optional Bluetooth. The nearly $600 price tag also doesn't do it any favors, but we're guessing there's at least a few nostalgic folks out there that'll add one to their Commodore collection as soon as they're available.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

Windows Mobile’s been around the block a few (6.1?) times, so there are endless lists of apps for it. What the phone OS doesn’t have is a universal place where users can buy and download programs. This job listing, which Long Zheng of Istartedsomething.com wrote about, reveals Skymarket, Microsoft’s solution to this problem. The marketplace is set to launch with Windows Mobile 7. [Istartedsomething]

Kara at All Things D and Phil at Google Blogoscoped predict a Google Browser soon, maybe as soon as tomorrow, that is open sourced, with an intelligent “omni” search/address bar, a multithreaded javascript engine called v8, and tabs on the top of windows. Part of their source material includes a comic which explains its design. [All Things D and Google Blogoscoped]
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The Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog continues its incredible coverage of all things wonderful to look at today with a spread relating to the space shuttle Atlantis and the Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis is scheduled to launch on October 8, equipped with all manner of instruments, batteries and gyroscopes for Hubble. Pictured above is one of the massive Atlantis engines being moved to the main bay for installation. That’s just one engine, though—there’s plenty of space-related tech porn to be found in the rest of the spread, too.

Servicing Mission 4 astronaut Drew Feustel uses the “Pistol Grip Tool,” a computer-controlled power tool, to install the Wide Field Camera 3 into a high-fidelity Hubble model. Just another day at the office.

Feustel gets all the fun gadgets, apparently. In this image he’s practicing with one of the cameras for the mission. It’s certainly no Nikon D90, but—what am I saying. This thing is one of the most advanced pieces of gear in the solar system. It’s Labor Day today. I need this thing for a barbecue. [NASA images via The Big Picture]

Filed under: Desktops

Filed under: Handhelds

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/Wibrain_shows_off_Atom_based_i1_takes_shot_at_Blackberry';

We've already seen some nice and polished images of Wibrain's Atom-based i1 MID / UMPC, but the company's now finally let the device out on the trade show circuit, and the folks at Pocket-lint thankfully managed to grab a few shots of it at IFA. As we had heard, the device packs either a 1.1GHz or 1.3GHz Atom processor, along with 1GB of RAM, a 30GB or 60GB hard drive or 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB SSD (no 64GB option, it seems) and, perhaps most notably, tri-band UMTS / HSDPA and quad-band GPRS / EDGE connectivity. There's still no word on a price or release date, unfortunately, but Wibrain sure is taking a rather, um, interesting approach to marketing the device, with one of its leaflets (pictured after the break) boldly proclaiming, "Sorry, Blackberry. We provide you a real free mobile life - full browsing internet plus the complete functionality of Outlook, of course all MS Office documentation anytime, anywhere". Oh, snap.

Continue reading Wibrain shows off Atom-based i1, takes shot at Blackberry

With all due respect to Jenny, who sent this in, Rule 34 is so applicable to the the USB Angel Webcam. But don’t take our word for it:

Is it too much to ask that the camera be placed in a less conspicuous area? Anyway, the USB angel webcam is available for $16 (exclusive of the $5 shipping charge) over here. It features maximums of 1280 x 960 (1.3 megapixels) in resolution and 15 fps.

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newVideoPlayer(”/tshirtmagic_gizmodo.flv”, 506, 423,”"); The Fraunhofer Institute—the guys who invented MP3 and screwed the music labels as a result, which is why we like them so much—have a booth at IFA with their latest inventions. The best one is this stunning magic mirror, an augmented reality display that gets any piece of clothing and transforms its fabric in real time. Live, the effect was absolutely amazing, indistinguishable from a real mirror.

Honestly, when I was in front of it I just couldn’t tell the difference from a real t-shirt. It deformed like the one she was holding. I think she’s a witch. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]

Filed under: Laptops

newVideoPlayer(”/siemensraisingoven_gizmodo.flv”, 520, 410,”"); The Siemens HB 78P570 oven looks like any other oven until you notice that it has no door, which is precisely when it starts to open automatically from its bottom: The glossy black food platform slides down mechanically until it is at the same level as your kitchen top. Sounds a bit crazy, but it’s extremely convenient to put your suckling pig stuffed with chicken wings, then easily paint it with BBQ honey sauce until it’s done. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]

Filed under: Cellphones

With the prices of home entertainment consumer electronics being as they are, factory refurbished items may be a more practical alternative to consumers on a budget. What’s “factory refurbished”, you ask? Check out Wikipedia’s entry below:

Computers and laptops that are refurbished usually means that it did not initially pass quality standards of the manufacturer. They then fix or recertify the unit and sell it at a discount price (Up to 30% off). Most of them carry a 30 day store warranty and 90 days with manufacturer.

“Refurbs” are labeled such because they “may have scratches, dents or other forms of cosmetic damage”. More importantly however, these “do not affect the performance of the unit.” Aside from that, it’s also illegal to sell refurbs as brand-new, even if it’s been resealed by the manufacturer.

One online retailer that sells refurbished items—at prices much lower than their brand-new counterparts—is Second Act, a website based in Minnesota. Currently, they promise even lower prices through the deals below (don’t forget the coupon codes!):

$25 Off Any Merchandise Order of $500 or More!
Code:2nd1118

$50 Off Any Merchandise Order of $1000 or More!
Code: 2nd1119

$100 Off Merchandise Orders of $2000 or More!
Code: 2nd1120

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