Posted Feb 8th 2008 12:32PM by Paul MillerFiled under: Features, Laptops It was inevitable, Apple’s got a bit of a new laptop design direction in the MacBook Air, and nothing’s going to stand in the way of the hordes of MacBook Pro Photoshops to follow. This one here is from spicu, and we’re afraid it leaves some proportionality “to the imagination,” but it’s as good we’ve got so far. Think you can do better? Submit yours to contests at engadget dawt com with “MBP mockup” in the subject and we’ll get a little gallery going. Optimists have Apple launching an update in February, and while that rumor might be a tad sketchy at the moment, there’s no better time than the present to make a bid for Photoshop greatness. (Read the full post about ‘Here come the MacBook Pro mockups: get yours in before it’s too late’…)

Scientists from both the US and Canada have managed to develop a brand new accessory that generates energy which could be used to power portable devices in the future, and this very accessory must be strapped onto the knee. Sounds like a no-brainer to help keep your BlackBerrys and PSPs juiced up at all times if you’re the type who tends to do a whole lot of walking. This modified knee brace comes equipped with a drive train that is capable of converting mechanical energy into electricity, collecting lost energy whenever a person brakes the knee after swinging the leg forward to take a step. This works in a rather similar fashion as that of how regenerative braking charge batteries that are found in hybrid cars. (Read the full post about ‘Knee power used as energy source’…)

The GSMA Mobile World Congress begins in Barcelona, Spain on Monday, and the Gadget Lab will be there, tirelessly investigating the latest in mobile gadgetry and trying to find out exactly why Robert Redford appears on the Congress web page. You’ll be able to keep up with all the news right here, and everything that happens at the show can be found under the new GSMA category. If any Gadget Lab readers are going to be there, drop me a line and we can meet up (my email is at the top right of this page – put Gadget Lab Meet Up in the subject line to keep it out of my Spaminator). If there are a lot of us, we might organize some kind of low key, unofficial event (read: you can by me a cerveza in a local bar). (Read the full post about ‘Gadget Lab Goes to GSMA in Barcelona’…)

For the latest info on the coolest gadgets, emerging technology and wired madness, subscribe to our full news feed or have it delivered to your inbox. Always free. Always unique. Thanks for visiting! I want to tell you a little about the product before I get into the price of this cleverly designed retro gaming floor covering which is available from NCSX.  It is modular matting with a Mario theme.  There are Mario, Shroom, Goomba, Question Mark Block and Brick patterns, with which you can create an interesting Mario-themed floor.  The pieces are 40cm x 40cm, so they can be pieced together to fit almost any room.  Upon spotting this article, I could not but feel a little disappointed due to the fact that there were no sky or ground pieces.  If you had those two bits, you would be able to recreate just about any game screen, a flag pole would not have gone astray either. (Read the full post about ‘Mario Floor Covering is Both Hot Looking and Expensive’…)

Posted Feb 8th 2008 8:38AM by Paul MillerFiled under: Gaming Namco Bandai is shuttering between 50 and 60 arcades in Japan, and it’s laying the blame squarely on Nintendo’s shoulders. “A lot of the types of games that people played at an arcade can now be done at home,” said company spokesman Yuji Machida. Namco figures that Japanese kids are saving up their pocket money to buy the latest and greatest Wii game or accessory, which is clearly unacceptable. Sega Sammy also has plans to close about 100 of its arcades, but there’s no word of finger pointing from that camp. While we’re certain the Wii’s popularity has a little something to do with it, perhaps Japanese gamers are just beginning to learn something their American counterparts got down years ago: why leave the couch? (Read the full post about ‘Namco blames Wii for arcade closures in Japan’…)

The specialty of the GE PSB48LSRBV Refrigerator is that it is Energy Star certified. This 48” stainless steel domestic device is equipped with an electronic dispenser. It has got the most mesmerizing looks that pour more richness to your kitchen. Now let us move on to some of its unique features. As earlier mentioned it has electronic dispenser. This dispenser helps you to preserve your food and fruits fresh for longer period. Furthermore, there is GE Water plus Filtration System which supply you pure water. The Light Tough dispenser with indicator light in the GE PSB48LSRBV Refrigerator lets you take out ice. Furthermore, there is an option of Quick Ice which gives you ice faster by 50%. (Read the full post about ‘GE PSB48LSRBV Refrigerator’…)

Posted Feb 8th 2008 7:32AM by Joshua TopolskyFiled under: Gaming Sometimes, there’s no way to appreciate something someone else has without thoughts of pure envy. Such is the case when viewing Peter Hirschberg’s elborate, sprawling recreation of the greatest arcade that never was, dubbed Luna City. Imagine 2400 square-feet filled with nearly every classic coin-op game you can imagine — including stunners like Star Wars, Tempest, Tron, Zaxxon, Missile Command, and Galaga — available for your use, free of charge, 24 hours a day. The massive collection also holds gems like the original Pong arcade machine and the Space Wars copycat Space War (based on one of the earliest known computer games), making the assemblage of coin-ops not just incredibly fun, but also a substantial act of historic preservation. (Read the full post about ‘The 2400 square-foot private arcade’…)

George Hotz, the schoolboy who achieved the first hardware unlock for the iPhone with nothing but sweat and solder, has released a software unlock which will work on any 1.1.3 iPhone, including those fresh from the store.Unlike the new version of AnySIM we covered yesterday, Geohot’s hack will successfully break into the 4.6 bootloader, something he previously thought impossible. Good work, H0tZ!11246unlock, good enough for the prize [iPhoneJtag via Engdget] Tags: tests, equipment, wi-fi, laptops (Read the full post about ‘iPhone Unlocked. Again’…)

Apple has released its series of iPods, namely iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod touch and iPod classic. Amongst, all these series iPod touch seems to be the most promising one. The Apple iPod touch comes in two models, the only difference between them being its memory size. One comes in 8GB whereas the other in 16GB and hence creating a little dissimilarity in their price. The main functions of this magic device can bulleted as follows: - Accessing internet with the Safari web browser, Reading maps, directions and understanding traffic details Knowing the weather conditions, Checking and sending mails, Getting information regarding shares and stocks and Preparing list of to-do items or some notes. (Read the full post about ‘Apple iPod Touch’…)

For the latest info on the coolest gadgets, emerging technology and wired madness, subscribe to our full news feed or have it delivered to your inbox. Always free. Always unique. Thanks for visiting! This seagoing glider is a particularly interesting piece of equipment. It is described as a “green robot” for the reason that it is powered entirely by the temperature fluctuations occurring at different depths in the water that it is used in. This gives it a limitless power source and an incredible lifespan. According to U.S. based researchers involved in the program: They said the glider had crisscrossed the 13,000-feet-(4,000-meter-)deep Virgin Islands Basin between St. Thomas and St. (Read the full post about ‘Self Propelled Water Glider Draws Power from the Water’…)