Mobile Devices

The cupholder hardly feels like breaking technology today, but back in 1950, it was the bee’s knees (and we say that without an ounce of snark). Seriously, Popular Mechanics featured the device in their November issue that year with this caption:

Travel snacks can be enjoyed while the car is in motion with a dashboard tray which prevents cold drinks or water glasses from tipping over. The tray hangs from two cords which are held on the dashboard by suction cups. Bottles or glasses rest on two disks which are suspended below the tray on chains. When not in use, the tray can be folded into small space for storage in the glove compartment.

Heh, suction cups. Popular Mechanics called the trend, but they could have never predicted that no puny suction cup technology could hold the 2-liter-sized megadrinks to come. [modernmechanix via boingboing]

Our Panasonic pals just dropped a new compact digital camera into their Lumix range. The new device, bearing the DMC-LS80 moniker, will boast an 8.32MP CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom, 2.5-inch intelligent LCD, MEGA O.I.S image stabilization, ISO 1600 (maximum at full resolution), 30fps 4:3 (640×480) and 16:9 (848×489) video capture, as well as support for SD, SDHC and MMC. Checkout the gallery for a closer look.galleryPost(’ls80lumgi’, 3, ”);

Given the lack of camera releases across the weekend, we have been forced to bestow Panasonic with our new “Best 8MP Camera This Weekend” award. We are sure they are very proud of their new achievement, and we would be very disappointed if they didn’t choose to include this endorsement on the product package. We’ll keep our eyes peeled. Shipping dates and price details have yet to be confirmed. [Panasonic]

Motorola has recently shown off its latest portable media player, the MobileTV DH01. The PMP offers the ability to watch television via the DVB-H standard, with the linux-powered DH01 users will be able to watch live, on-demand and even view recorded programs at 25 frames-per-second.

The DH01 features:

• 4.3-inch display supporting up to 16 million colors
• SD/MMC card slot
• DVR: Via supported Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard card; 90 minutes of TV video storage on 256MB card
• Mini A/B USB connector; USIM/UICC card reader; earphone and power jacks
• Video formats: H.264 AVC QVGA, MPEG-4 SP level 3 QVGA
• Audio formats: AAC, MP3
• Image formats: JPEG, GIF, PNG
• Battery: Rechargeable battery with up to four hours per charge
• Other features: Five-minute memory buffer for live-TV pause; automatic channel scan; channel listings

Motorola has not yet announced any availability date or pricing information.

Via [IntoMobile]

When the high end Nuvi 880 was released, it was speculated that Garmin would come out with the Nuvi 860, which would have came with a little less features than the 880. However, that fell through and now Garmin has recently announced the Nuvi 850, which is the downgrade of the 880. One of the main features that will be missing is the lack of hands free calling via Bluetooth. Also, it won’t come with a 3 month free trial of MSN Direct.

However, the Nuvi 850 will still come with many notable features including voice recognition, FM traffic updates, MSN Direct, text-to-speech, even a car locater.The Garmin Nuvi 850 is available on Amazon for pre-order, and it costs $800.

Via [NaviGadget]

If you have a portable drive that you carry around, there’s a good chance you’ve worried about your data being stolen, especially if you have sensitive information stored on it. There are a few ways you can keep it secure. While there’s no foolproof way to make sure that a thief won’t be able to pick it up and run off, you can make sure that they won’t get to your precious files. There are many methods from simple passwords to biometric locks, however, this is the first RFID-protective drive I’ve seen thus far.

The STYSEN E08 RFID Security 2.5 Inch HDD Enclosure comes with two RFID keychains that will act as the keys to your data. Until you scan one of them over the enclosure, the data stored on the drive will be useless. The best part is that if someone tries to simply remove the drive, it will automatically be formatted. Personally I wouldn’t want to have to carry around another keychain, but if you don’t mind, it sounds like a good way to go. The enclosure will set you back $56 and will work with any 2.5-inch SATA drive.

Source: EverythingUSB

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Posted Jan 20th 2008 1:46PM by Evan Blass
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops True to its word, the US Supreme Court has started to hear arguments in one of those LG vs Quanta patent suits we’ve been following, with its eventual decision expected to have major effects on the rights of patent holders. Specifically, LG is arguing that since chipsets sold by Intel to Quanta use licensed manufacturing techniques and employ non-Intel components, Quanta also owes LG compensation as per its original agreement with Intel. Pretty confusing, we agree, but the Court’s final decision — expected in June — promises to clear up once and for all what has admittedly become a legal gray area concerning so-called “exhausted” patents.

Kensington Flylight LapTop LED Light

Your presentation in a darkened boardroom will have more impact now, because you can actually see your laptop’s keyboard rather than guessing (and missing) the right keys to hit. The gentle illumination of the FlyLight? won’t drain your battery or disturb others.     Features No batteries, powered by USB port Long-lasting, bulb-free design No switches, bulbs or batteries–virtually nothing to break Gentle LED glow for task light without disturbing anyone Flexible neck positions light where it’s needed Small enough to take anywhere Uses less than 90 seconds of battery charge per hour of use

Technorati Tags: Gadgets

The pet obsession in Japan continues to reach epic levels of absurdity. The latest example of this trend comes from the creators of the Cool&Hot comfort pad for dogs.

As the name indicates, the pad allows your pooch to enjoy soothing cool temperatures in the summer and warm pulses of heat in the winter. This device might not be considered so crazy if it wasn’t for the price: a cool 18,500 yen ($173). For those prices it’s just a matter of time before we see the first K-9 latté drinks rolled out.

[Via]

Click for a larger image.

In cased you missed it, or want to watch it again, here is the video spoof shown during the CES 2008 Bill Gates keynote about his last full day at Microsoft. The production team pulled out an all-star cast for Mr. G, including: Brian Williams, Steve Ballmer, Matthew McConaughey, Robbie Bach, Jay-Z, Bono, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Jon Stewart, Kevin Turner, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Al Gore, Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie.

Click for a larger image.

In cased you missed it, or want to watch it again, here is the video spoof shown during the CES 2008 Bill Gates keynote about his last full day at Microsoft. The production team pulled out an all-star cast for Mr. G, including: Brian Williams, Steve Ballmer, Matthew McConaughey, Robbie Bach, Jay-Z, Bono, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Jon Stewart, Kevin Turner, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Al Gore, Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie.