Gadgets Blog

For all of you who have been eying this beauty for quite sometime, now might be the time to finally take the plunge. Kindle 2 has gone down further by $40! What’s the big deal, you say? Considering that it debuted at $400 a couple of years ago, i say “Yay!” It also now comes in an international version that will be available and can be used in over 100 countries using a built-in AT&T SIM card for $279. So you can download a book in US and read it in other parts of the world. The new model can be pre-ordered now at Amazon.com and it will get shipped on October 19. However the original Sprint Kindle is available immediately on sale at $259.

If you need a little rekindling of what Kindle is all about, let’s jog your memory: Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazinesLightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperbackWireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots.

Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required. Wirelessly send, receive and read personal documents in a variety of formats such as Microsoft Word and PDF.

Paper-Like Display: The screen works using real ink and doesn’t use a backlight. Reads like real paper with no glare, even in bright sunlight.

Choose Text Size: Kindle lets readers customize their reading preference by providing six different text sizes.

Long Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging. Kindle’s electronic ink display sips battery power so users can read for over two weeks with wireless turned off and up to four days on a single charge with wireless on.

Carry Your Library: Holds over 1,500 books in its tiny frame.Read-to-Me: With the new text-to-speech feature, Kindle can read every newspaper, magazine, blog, and book out loud to you, unless the book’s rights holder made the feature unavailable.Free Book Samples: Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.

Large Selection: Over 350,000 books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs available. This includes new Releases and 104 of 112 New York Times Bestsellers. If you are a committed traveler, you would be happy to know that Lonely Planet travel guides have been recently added to the vast collection .Travelers can now pack as many Lonely Planet guides as they want into Kindle and download new guides wirelessly elsewhere in the world.

Low Book Prices: Most downloads will set you back $9.99, unless marked otherwise

Dictionary Lookup: Kindle comes with the New Oxford American Dictionary and over 250,000 definitions that appear instantly at the bottom of the page.

I don’t own a kindle yet. But I must admit I’m tempted!

As a society we are now all about efficient time management and multi-tasking. It has led us to demand more from our everyday gadgets and appliances as well. Chumby is a $199.95 customized alarm clock that just does not relax! It works over time as a WiFi-connected personal Internet appliance that gives you access to widgets providing games, news headlines, weather, Internet radio, current stock prices, music, short movies, social-media websites and picture files .

For getting access to these online applications, you register on the Chumby website ,select and download for free the 1000 or so widgets that catch your fancy to your individual Chumby through a WiFi broadband connection .What’s more, it can also be used to monitor incoming e-mail on any POP3 account, track eBay auctions or play an iPod through Chumby’s on-board stereo speakers. A WiFi access point though is a must have to play the widgets.

If you are a fan of open-source, Chumby industries provide a totally open hardware/software setup providing access to everything from the hardware schematics to an open-source Linux-based software client so that users can hack the device and develop new applications for the platform. The cuddly beanbag exterior with soft leather cover surrounds the device’s internal printed circuit boards and 3.5″ touch screen LCD interface. A soft-touch top button hidden underneath the skin activates WiFi connection. It even comes with its own drawstring canvas bag. Never been a fan of cardboard boxes…

So, is $200 worth it? It depends of course on your budget and specific needs. But if you are looking for a great gift to give someone who loves high-tech, who is very difficult to please or who is a teenager on his/her way to becoming a software applications guru, this just might impress!

Source: EE Times

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And I thought voice command was cool.

The BSI-TOYOTA Collaboration Center (RIKEN, Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyota Central R&D Labs, and Genesis Research Institute) announced yesterday that it has developed a system that successfully uses brainwaves to control a wheelchair. 

Applications are aimed at rehabilitation, assisting the elderly and those using wheelchairs.  The company is improving on its electrodes and anticipates the possibility of expanding the system to analyze brainwaves from various mental states and emotions.

This goes way beyond changing the song on the car radio or dialing your cell phone with a few words.  It’s telekinesis in action.  Ooh , the power and the possibilities!

The brain machine interface technology is one of the fastest in the world, reacting in as little as 125 milliseconds, and analyzes brainwaves using “signal process technology” commanding smooth forward motion and left and right turns.

The data is displayed in real time so drivers feel no delay and operate the vehicle efficiently and have done so thus far with 95% accuracy.

Check out the video from BBC News below:

No info on when the technology would hit the market, but it’s obvious how that would benefit so many people, not to mention how the system could advance other daily activities.

I’m fascinated and cautious at the thought of the BMI system reading and reacting to emotions though.  There’s gotta be a safety filter or censor system in place when that arrives, for obvious reasons.

Sources: Toyota, Computerworld. BBC News

Apparently this toilet -washer is a “greener gadget” because it saves energy and obviously space by utilizing the same water source. Which is all well and good BUT I don’t like it.

Here is why - LOOK at how close the toilet is to the washer. Do you know how much feces and urine inadvertenly splatters about whenever you flush! Call me a germaphobe (which I sort of am) but I don’t like the thought of my clean clothes being that close to the exit source of my twozies! I’m just saying….

What do you guys think? You like it? 

(Source of Image: Craphound.com)

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