In yet another invention taking advantage of what we have been getting for free for millions of years, some ingenious engineering students have figured out a way to use the power of the sun to create ice. The students from San Jose University have created a solar icemaker that doesn’t use electricity but is capable of creating 14 pounds of ice every day. Unlike conventional ice makers that uses a refrigerant that gets pressurized by a compressor to get things chilly, the solar icemaker works like this: the unit uses the sun to heat a sealed liquid refrigerant which then becomes vapor when heated. (Read the full post about ‘Solar icemaker uses the sun to keep your drinks frosty’…)

It’s always amusing to see the frivolous designs for something as practical as a USB thumb drive. These “fashionable” jewels from USB Brando are designed to wear around your neck (necklace included) or on your cell phone strap. A little too drag queen for me, they scream “Steal me”! Each to her own, however. Supports Window 2000/XP/Vista or MAC OS; 81 x 24 x 10mm (approx.); Weight: 20g. $39.00 for the 4G. Tags: M4A, sat-nav, equipment, robots (Read the full post about ‘USB Jewel thumb drive’…)

The HTC S740 is one of the most anticipated smartphone and although we appreciate HTC’s product photos (that look more like computer graphics rendering) there’s nothing like live photos of our favorite gadgets. So yes, in the real world, it’s less shiny, it gets dirty (blame your fingers) and thicker than one might think but it’s still worth a look. HTC S740 specifications Tags: design, Gadget, plasma, equipment (Read the full post about ‘HTC S740 live photos’…)

Amazon has slammed the brakes on increasing speculation that an upgrade to the Kindle e-book reader is coming soon.

Despite high anticipation of a "Kindle 2.0," Amazon spokesman Craig Berman told Guardian writer Jack Schofield that a revision to the popular Kindle device would not be arriving in 2008.

"Don’t believe everything you read — there’s a lot of rumor and speculation out there about Kindle," Berman told Schofield. "One thing I can tell you for sure is that there will be no new version of Kindle this year.

(Read the full post about ‘Amazon: Kindle 2.0 in 2008? Nope’…)

Here’s an awesome video featuring a robotic cucumber hand, a styrofoam sheep and some other interesting creations in Pittsburgh. The easy to follow video list the ingredients as 5 seedless cucumbers, a round of cheese, basic kitchen utensils and a sensor sensitive to sound.

The result is a computerized cucumber hand that responds to sound. It’s fun to watch though we are not sure how edible the final creation made by Mickey McManus, CEO of Maya Design actually is. Here’s a step-by-step how to from YouTube.

There’s also Moe, a six-legged Styrofoam sheep. Moe has ultrasonic range finders to keep him from crashing into objects while an invisible fence ensures he stays within the fence.

(Read the full post about ‘Robotic Cucumber Hand: Yummy or Not?’…)

With features like calendar, clock, radio, music player and an alarm, the T.photo looks more like a fancy alarm-clock than a digital photo frame to me: I hope that it also has a light sensor to dim the backlight when in the dark. Transcend claims that it is using a special algorithm to “enhance the skin color tone” on the photos, but that sounds like some marketing fuzz that should be discarded. The device also has an orientation sensor to go from portrait to landscape when you hold it. You can copy your photos to the MicroSD card via USB. There is no word on pricing and availability. Tags: gprs, gadgets, gizmos, cable (Read the full post about ‘Transcend T.photo 720 (fancy) digital frame’…)

WIFI-R (802.11R) also known as Fast Basic Service Set Transition has been designed so that computers can roam from one access point to another seamlessly, without any disconnection. This would allow the construction of wide WIFI networks in cities. It could be great for free municipal WiFi, but we suspect that commercial applications might go to WiMax, which is a long-range wireless networking often thought as “WIFI on steroids”. Amusingly enough, WIFI-N, which is widely deployed is still a draft. Tags: consumer technology, M4A, games, sat-nav (Read the full post about ‘WIFI-R approved by IEEE standards association’…)

Dell has announced an update to its Vostro range of desktop machines and laptops with a view to catering more to developing markets. In total four new machines are being added to the range including two desktop models and two laptops. Prices will starts at US$475 for the two notebooks, model numbers A840 and A860, and US$440 for the two desktops, model numbers A100 and A180. (Read the full post about ‘Dell adds to Vostro range for developing markets’…)

I’m a big fan of Bluetooth hands-free solutions which attach to the sun visor in your car. My experience has shown that typically these devices offer better sound quality for your calls because they are so close to your face while speaking. One such solution is the Supertooth 3 by BlueAnt. It’s nice to have someone to talk to One feature which sets the Supertooth 3 apart from other similar solutions is that it actually talks to you. When you first setup the device to pair with your phone a female voice walks you through the whole process. No doubt, that was a nice touch. Once Supertooth 3 is paired with your phone then it will attempt to download your phone’s address book. (Read the full post about ‘Review: BlueAnt Supertooth 3′…)

If you have a thing about sleeping in all that spooky darkness, you might need something to add a glow to your room.  Sure, you can pretend it’s for a your kid or a niece or nephew, but we know the truth.  This tubby little hippo sits on your bedside table, munching away on some cookies which of course only make him fatter.  Although, that’s probably best since a skinny hippo would be the slightest bit creepy.  Some things should never be scrawny and hippos are one of those things. (Read the full post about ‘Hungry Hippo Lamp scares off things that go bump in the night’…)