Posted Feb 6th 2008 5:34PM by Joshua TopolskyFiled under: Gaming Some folks in the UK happened upon a set of British patents submitted by Nintendo recently for a whole slew of crazy Wiimote accessories, and you might be surprised to know what the company wants dibs on. Included in this large collection of sometimes bizarre add-ons is a Wiimote-cradling teddy bear, skateboard, helmet (with goggles), golf club, baseball bat, and of course… a bicycle. We’re not sure what the big N was thinking when they assembled this list — perhaps they just wanted to cover all the bases as those filing patents are wont to do. However, we suggest they scramble for these gems that have been unfairly left off: Wii-c (Read the full post about ‘Nintendo files Wii accessory patent for everything, includes the kitchen sink’…)

It’s hard to know just what to say about the Wine Rack, a bastardization  of the Camelback hydration system that stores a full 750ml of liquid in a sports bra. Aimed at the kind of people who like to sneak hooch into concerts, games, etc., the thing also increases bust size by two cups. Could this be just the thing to liven up a too-serious wine tasting? Or derail several years worth of therapy aimed at getting you past the oral stage? Or just inspire untold bad jokes? (Read the full post about ‘Booze Bra Hides Full Bottle of Wine’…)

I’m not certain who would want a floor that would talk to them, but a Spanish ceramics company known as Tau Ceramica has created one. Inventor Pep Torres has created the Diet Floor, specific ceramic tiles that are weight sensitive and have a CPU for different parameters. These two features work together with the speakers in order to tell loiterers what’s up. For example, if you put them by the refrigerator, it will detect someone standing in front of it and will say a few choice phrases like “Keep your diet in mind before you snack”, or something. I have no idea if those voice files come with the Diet Floor, or are programmed by the user, and I’m not certain which would have more of an effect on the hearer. (Read the full post about ‘Tau Ceramica Diet Floor’…)

Helio and BuzzD have announced a partnership that will offer real time on-the-go information for bars, clubs and restaurants to Helio’s users. The BuzzD service will be available to all Helio users and will provide them with event and venue information as well as up-to-the-minute reviews and ratings from other members of the BuzzD community. A quick demo on the BuzzD website breaks the service down into four parts; Go Out, Find Out by sending a text with your zip code, Shout Out letting others know where you are then Check Out reviews and recent activity from other users and friends. BuzzD is currently available in all “major” US cities and also lets users find, connect and message friends with SMS or other messaging services. (Read the full post about ‘Helio partners with BuzzD to offer local entertainment service’…)

Hmmm, it seems that Microsoft is moving in line with Toshiba to drop the price of HD DVD players by lopping $50 off the $180 price point to a new low of $130 in the US and Canada. This makes it cheaper than the Toshiba HD-A3 standalone player that costs $150, placing it in top spot as the cheapest HD DVD device in the market (although it must be connected to an Xbox 360 to run). There is no word on whether this offer will qualify it for the 5-movie giveaway deal as at press time. A desperate firesale or stroke of genius to recapture whatever market share the HD DVD camp has lost? (Read the full post about ‘Xbox 360 HD DVD Price Drop’…)

Posted Feb 6th 2008 2:31PM by Paul MillerFiled under: Household Despite numerous technological advancements in home automation, it’s never really seemed to catch on with the mainstream. Now it’s time for the children — our future — to take things into their own hands. Hasbro is launching the Room Tech Clock (left) and Room Tech Lamp (right), which put a bit of wireless conspiracy to good use by having the Clock turn on the Lamp when the alarm goes off. Sadly, these kids aren’t really dreaming big yet, since that’s about all this duo can do, other than an audio jack on the alarm to play tunes off your portable audio player. The two Room Tech devices will be out in September, at least in the UK, for £39.99 (Read the full post about ‘Hasbro’s Room Tech Clock is in kahoots with the Lamp: be afraid’…)

Wired reviews the Nokia E90 Communicator and writes, “No, it’s not going to tuck you into bed at night, and we’re guessing it won’t get you chicks either (really though, what gadget does?) but the E90 is definitely a good choice for those who want laptop functionality dressed up in the guise of a cell phone.” Read more about the Nokia E90 Communicator. Tags: design, pvr, lcd, dap (Read the full post about ‘Nokia E90 Communicator Review - Wired’…)

Here’s a sneak peak of Dell’s latest computer, the XPS 730 H2C which has been targeted to be the successor to the XPS 720. While it might not look too easy on the eyes, the innards are what matters when it comes down to framerates. The XPS 730 H2C will feature DDR3 memory, a minimum graphics setup of being triple SLI-ready, a generous amount of drive bays and pretty decent cooling that ought to get overclockers drooling to see how far they can push such a system. It will only be a matter of time before Dell pushes out thte XPS 730 H2C, so stay tuned! (Read the full post about ‘Sneak Peek of Dell XPS 730 H2C’…)

Posted Feb 6th 2008 12:50PM by Paul MillerFiled under: Networking If you’re reading Engadget today because your favorite Iranian gadget blog is offline, here’s why: a fifth undersea cable has now been reported as cut, responsible for knocking Iran and a few other million people mostly off the interwebs. Things were already looking awfully suspicious when a fourth undersea cable in the Mediterranean was cut yesterday, and while nothing about a fifth cable being cut necessarily means some sort of sabotage is to blame, it’s not exactly reassuring. Emergency measures are already underway to repair the cables, but we’re not sure our inter-continental Quake III Arena deathmatch can handle any more snips. (Read the full post about ‘Cut four undersea cables, shame on you, cut a fifth, also shame on you’…)

Posted Feb 6th 2008 1:04PM by Donald MelansonFiled under: Misc. GadgetsIt won’t give you the non-stop learning of something like LeapFrog’s handhelds, but ViewPlus seems to think its new and improved IVEO system has its share of knowledge to spread nonetheless, although all that learning doesn’t exactly come cheap. Coming in at just under $600 for the basic kit, the system is centered around the IVEO touchpad (available in two different sizes), which can accommodate special tactile templates or custom templates made with the IVEO Creator software (available at an added cost). Those, in turn, interact with the IVEO Viewer software, which pumps out sound clips and other information about the items the user touches. (Read the full post about ‘ViewPlus intros upgraded IVEO hands-on learning system’…)