Rally Taster

You can have this for ?89.00

Tags: dvr, gadgets, DAB, electronic toys

I know that intense gaming often results in sweaty palms, so before pausing the game and digging into that pizza, why not take a toilet break and wash your hands instead? The PS3 Faucet from Jean Nouvel will definitely appeal to PS3 fans, where in place of a standard faucet head, you get PS button markings. O represents turning the faucet on while X turns it off. The triangles are used to adjust the temperature, relegating the square to the abyss as it is not featured here. No idea on how much this PS3 faucet will cost, but cheap isn’t the word I’m looking for.

Tags: wireless, game, video games, dvr

Novatel Wireless has announced the Ovation MC990D and MC992D HSPA, two high-speed USB data modems that can deliver high-speed global Internet connectivity anywhere in the world. Both of these USB modems run on HSPA, WCDMA, EDGE and GPRS networks

The MC990D was specifically optimized for HSPA networks in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa on the 900 and 2100 MHz bands, while the MC992D is optimized for HSPA networks in North America on the 850 and 1900 MHz bands.

Both the MC990D and MC992D boast of speeds hitting up to 7.2 Mbps down and 5.76 Mbps up. Novatell has also installed Mobilink Lite Connection Manager Software and a 3G driver package installation for Mac users on both models.

(Read the full post about ‘Novatell Wireless releases the Ovation MC990D, MC992D global USB modems’…)

Facebook continues to prove that it’s a social network like no other by using a new user-powered translation engine for their site. They’re going to use this to add 22 more languages to Facebook so that it will be accessible to more people across the world. Currently, Facebook is only available in four main languages: English, French, German and Spanish. This move will no doubt add to the site’s overall visibility and accessibility. As mentioned previously, the translation engine will be a user-powered, so if you’re interested in contributing to Facebook’s expansion, you may do so by going through the simple application process here. (Read the full post about ‘Facebook expands, plans to adds 22 more languages’…)

Posted Apr 2nd 2008 12:31PM by Darren MurphFiled under: Wearables Right on cue, Nike’s making things official with its oft-rumored (and still unpriced) Nike+ SportBand and even had the time to toss in details about Nike+ Coach, too. The band, which opens up features at the NikePlus website along with enabling runners to check out distance, pace, time and calories burned, is indeed marketed as a standalone device for those who’d prefer not to have a DAP flanking their arm when exercising. Moreover, the outfit’s online Nike+ Coach system will allow runners to have the information they need to appropriately train for long distance events or achieve customized goals. (Read the full post about ‘Nike+ SportBand, Coach gets official’…)

Posted Apr 2nd 2008 12:12PM by Nilay PatelFiled under: Storage Confused by all the various permutations of Western Digital’s My Book line of external drives yet? No? Well, go ahead and add the My Book Studio Edition II to your stack of flashcards, Mr. Smart Face. Just like the previous 2TB My Book products, you’re getting two RAID 0 drives in a quad-interface external case, only this time it’s the updated My Book Studio design. WD’s also gone and upgraded the drives themselves to GreenPower units, which run cooler and use less power, and Mac users will be pleased to know that everything comes HFS+ formatted. Got that? Expect a quiz in the near future. Available now, we’re told, at $349 for 1TB a (Read the full post about ‘Western Digital pumps out the My Book Studio Edition II’…)

Outside of CTIA Wireless, Nokia announced four new cell phones intended for the world’s emerging economy markets. It’s low cost phones like these that made Nokia a worldwide name. This new batch of phones contain some of Nokia’s most affordable phones with features of mid-end phones. First on the list is the Nokia 5000 candybar phone. It has a high-res QVGA display with a 1.3 megapixel camera. It has an mp3 player with recording functionality and FM radio, Bluetooth connectivity, GPRS, and supports Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging. The Nokia 5000 cell phone will ship on the second quarter of 2008 with a MSRP of US$140. (Read the full post about ‘Nokia 5000 Cell Phone’…)

Some may say that Artificial Intelligence has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years, but perhaps a very practical use for this has been discovered by a group of Tel Aviv University students. They have combined pinpointing software with physiological research. Amit Kagian, the program’s developer explained, “Coordinates are used for calculating geometric features and asymmetry”.

To put it simply, the software gauges the distance and symmetry as well as texture and tone of the face. While Artificial Intelligence will perhaps never match human intuition, this could be useful for picking models, as well as facial-recognition software.

(Read the full post about ‘Computer software can judge physical attractiveness’…)

There are three things I’ve always liked about Garfield: his love for Pooky (his teddy bear), the way he looks when tucked into his bed, and his appetite for pans of lasagna. Today I think I’ll add a fourth thing: the cost of his mp3 player.

The Garfield MP3 player may only have 256MB of internal flash memory, but it’s got an SD card slot, comes with matching earbuds, has a built-in microphone for voice recordings, and is only $8. For an additional $6, Surplus Computers will even give you a free 1GB SD card.

Beat that, Nermal!

Via Chip Chick.

Tags: plasma, video, tests, lcd

Just a couple of weeks after Steam started selling digital copies of the Unreal games, Ubisoft has announced it is bringing more than 40 games to Valve’s online distribution service.

Right now you can get Far Cry and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell with a 10% discount if you purchase them before April 8. Another coupe for Steam is the fact you can also pre-order the PC version of Assassin’s Creed, so you will be able to play it the moment it is released via Steam’s pre-loading service.

Other titles we can expect to see in the near future include a selection of their Tom Clancy games, Heroes of Might and Magic games and the IL-2 Sturmovik collection.

(Read the full post about ‘40+ Ubisoft games heading to Steam’…)