by Darren Murph, posted Apr 17th 2008 at 4:08PM Shamelessly attempting to rip off a plethora of yesteryear’s gaming handhelds all at once isn’t a new trick or anything, but you’d expect the creators of the Cool Boy to at least conjure up a name with some inkling of originality, right? Nevertheless, the portable, um, system features a 2.4-inch color display, gets juiced from a trio of AAA cells and even includes a video out port for taking the sweet handheld action to the 13-inch CRT. Of course, the thing only works with Cool Boy Mega Pack game cartridges, which means that even the homebrew crowd is likely out of luck here. But hey, you can get 120 sure-to-be-riveting titles in a single cart for just $7.99. (Read the full post about ‘Cool Boy handheld gaming system is anything but’…)

Hantat unveiled one of the funnier looking USB flash drive designs to date - it comes in the form of a ripe banana and has been given the code name HK9-03. There is no flesh to eat inside, but the “skin” itself is made out of rubber in order to absorb shock whenever it drops onto the floor to protect the case as well as precious data within. There is no word on pricing, but this banana USB flash drive will come in varying capacities of up to 8GB. Source: AVing Tags: gprs, dap, home cinema, players (Read the full post about ‘HK8093 goes bananas’…)

Trusted Reviews has a review of the Samsung SGH-G800 and writes, “Personally, I’d still prefer to use a dedicated digital camera, but the G800 undoubtedly delivers to a better standard than many mobile phones I’ve reviewed. And with features like an anti-shake mode, face detection, a proper xenon flash and autofocus to help you out, taking photos you are happy to keep and to even to print is certainly within the G800’s capabilities.” Read more about the Samsung SGH-G800. Tags: sat-nav, Ogg Vorbis, gadgets, home cinema (Read the full post about ‘Samsung SGH-G800 Review - Trusted Reviews’…)

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Apr 17th 2008 at 6:04PM Sometimes, you want more than just wide-area broadband. Sometimes you want the downy softness that only “WiMAX” can bring. We’re not totally sure what this is, but we’re almost positive it will not deliver speedy downloads and near-limitless connectivity.Paul: “Sprint’s brilliant plan for rolling out WiMAX coverage on the cheap only had one fatal flaw…”Chris: “Considered key to XOHM’s success, Sprint’s first stab at a steampunk Hello Kitty WiMAX router yields mixed results.”Josh T: “WiMAX: use color-safe bleach only, tumble dry.”Josh F: “For those lighter 2-bar days.”Ittousai: “WE DEMAND MORE PAMUK!”Nilay: “17.45 for WiMAX? (Read the full post about ‘Caption contest: WiMAX hits store shelves in Bosnia’…)

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Apr 17th 2008 at 7:26PM Hong Kong always gets the good stuff first. Witness the SunView PMP Projector… or more handily known as a PMPP. The little silver box is the first commercially available pico projector — created in by Sunlink International in collaboration with iView Limited — and is currently trickling out in small quantities (though there are plans to ramp up production). The device is an integrated PMP running Windows CE, is capable of producing a 640 x 480 projection, has an embedded 3.5-inch LCD display, and utilizes an SD slot for additional storage. (Read the full post about ‘Meet SunView: the first commercially available pico projector’…)

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 17th 2008 at 12:14PM Wearable mice aren’t exactly a new idea, but it seems that Microsoft thinks it can do things one better, with a recent patent application revealing its plans for a desk-defying device of its own. As you can see above, this one is designed to be worn even while your typing on a keyboard, with the cursor movement able to be switched on an off with a simple hand gesture. That pointing itself is handled by some gyroscopic sensors, with an accelerometer and a magnetometer apparently also employed for further gesture and position sensing. (Read the full post about ‘Microsoft patent application shows off wearable mouse concept’…)

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 17th 2008 at 11:26AMApparently, Mexico is the place to be if you’re a laser-equipped robot with 3D scanning on the brain. Just 11 months after the DepthX robotic submarine mapped the El Zacatón Cenote, the 3D-R1 has managed to collect over 5GB of map data in 3.5 days which was then used to create a “comprehensive 3D plan of the underground mining operation.” The mine in question was the San Jose silver mine in Mexico, and while on duty, the robot scooted across some 2.2-kilometers of underground drives and access ramps in order to conduct over 240 total scans. (Read the full post about ‘Laser scanning robot creates 3D map of silver mine’…)

Once again, researchers have come up with a new way to fan the flames of Moore’s Law. As Alexis over at Wired Science reports, a team of British scientists have unveiled the world’s smallest transistor. This diminutive little guy is one atom thick and measures about ten atoms across. That’s about three times smaller than the 32-nanometer transistors that currently represent the cutting edge of silicon-based electronics, and a far cry from the first transistor developed by Bell Labs back in 1947 (pictured right). The discovery also happens to give chipmakers a little more wiggle room before they come face-to-face with the cold, hard laws of physics. The key to this transistor shrinky dinking is a material known as graphene. (Read the full post about ‘Researchers Unveil World’s Tiniest Transistor’…)

Olympus SP-570UZ Cursed with an ambiguous, alphanumeric moniker, the SP-570UZ (that’s one hell of a sexy name there, Olympus) is suffering an identity crisis. It lies in the nether region between point-and-click and DSLR, all the while suffering from a model number that screams "prosumer." Middle child though it is, the 570UZ takes the hand it has been dealt and makes the most of itself, turning out to be a fine and useful 10-megapixel digicam. The 570UZ makes a good shooter for the photo enthusiast who lacks experience yet has enough loot to drop on an entry level DSLR. You can start out relying on the auto settings (they won’t steer you wrong), and then explore the advanced functions as you build your skill using the thorough, 97-page (!) manual. (Read the full post about ‘Review: Olympus Hybrid Camera Makes a Big Splash Focusing Small’…)