Mobile Devices

It’s late and you had a rough day at the office. You want to unwind and take it easy. You need to relax and I mean really, really relax. You could always grab a frosty beverage and kick out the recliner, but now, thanks to relaxation company Klini, you have another tech-based option for stress relief.

Meet the SoundWave. What looks like an average massage chair is actually a hooked-up recliner that will help you melt stress away in a matter of minutes. Designed for people wanting to kick phobias and depression, the makers of the SoundWave claim the chair puts users in a deep state of relaxation by using sound from multiple stereos, thumper speakers, and guided imagery using special glasses.

Unfortunately the cost of relaxation is not cheap one. But if you have $3000 lying around you don’t know what to do with, you can put one of these SoundWave chairs in your own home and take the express train to Chillville.

Read more at Übergizmo.

by Donald Melanson, posted May 14th 2008 at 1:01PM It’s far from the first to turn a standard issue Mac laptop into entirely different, but Munk Bogballe has gone a bit further than most with its new Workstation laptop, which turns an otherwise modest MacBook into a full-fledged slab of excess. That includes an anodized aluminum surface, European aniline leather on the underside, and even a specially designed leather bag (which costs a hefty $640 on its own if you want a second one). As for the hardware itself, you get a standard 2.4GHz MacBook under that shiny exterior, right down to the MagSafe adapter, although it is at least topped off with 4GB of RAM and it apparently comes with Windows XP pre-installed for your convenience. If that sounds like the laptop you wish Apple had made, you can get your order in now for £3,500 (or just over $6,700), which also generously includes a donation of one OLPC XO laptop to make you feel a bit better about your ridiculous purchase.

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Filed under: Laptops

by Paul Miller, posted May 14th 2008 at 11:21AM
Samsung rightly hasn’t wasted much time in finding a successor for its suddenly-vacated CEO position. Yoon-Woo Lee as of today will be taking on the role of Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics, swiping the spots from Jong-Yong Yun — who will remain in an advisory role — and the disgraced former CEO Lee Kun-hee, respectively. Yoon-Woo Lee is no young upstart, however. He joined Samsung SDI in 1968 and moved to Samsung Electronics in 1977. From 1996 to 2004 he was the President of Semiconductor Business and since then he’s been working as Vice Chairman of Corporate CTO. Given Samsung’s dominance in the Flash and DRAM memory markets, it’s hard to call this a bad move, but Samsung also has appointed Hyung-Kyu Lim to work on new “growth engines” to help Samsung find new ways to make cash as its current strongholds meet stronger and stronger competition. Nice to have you back on your feet Sammy, now let’s see some more of those world firsts you’re so fond of.

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets

Dash will be announcing that it is opening its platform to 3rd party developers in the near future, enabling additional customization as well as consumer applications to be added to Dash Express through MyDash. This allows folks to obtain weather information directly, learn more about various speed trap locations and shop for real estate, all directly from the Dash Express. Whatever the case is, opening up Dash’s platform to 3rd party developers is the first step to see just how creative the community is. Here’s to wonderful and zany results! *glasses clinking*

by Paul Miller, posted May 14th 2008 at 9:26AM
Not one to string us along endlessly, Philips has ‘fessed up to its pair of touchscreen phones, the X800 and the Xenium X-Connect. The X800 does it low-end with a 2.9-inch 240 x 400 screen, 2G GSM for data (no EDGE or WiFi!), a 2 megapixel camera, microSD slot and Bluetooth. Interestingly, the phone offers a documents reader and handwriting recognition, but this hardly seems to be that next do-it-all handheld you’ve been dreaming of, though the battery life is laudable. The Xenium X-Connect steps things up considerably, however, with Windows Mobile 6, UMTS and HSDPA, and a 3-inch display — which hopefully sports a few more pixels. Still no WiFi, though, and other details like launch price and date are still slim.

[Via Just AMP]

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Filed under: cellphones

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted May 14th 2008 at 10:46AM
Fujitsu’s long-running and questionably-named Handy Drive line of external drives got a bump today with the Handy Drive 400. As you may imagine, the 400 packs 400GB of storage on a 4200rpm platter and connects via USB 2.0. The entire, sleek case measures just 82 x 141.5 x 22mm and weighs in at 230g. It’s available in Japan — US release and pricing surely to come.

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Filed under: Storage

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted May 14th 2008 at 8:57AM
In the latest of a series of when-can-I-get-the-Triac false starts, the three-wheeled electric car of obscene cuteness has a real launch date. No, really. According to AutoblogGreen, Green Vehicles is accepting pre-orders for July delivery of the Triac, which means you could actually be silently cruising the beaches in this thing come summer. For those concerned about safety and all that “not dying” stuff, Green Vehicles has assured the press that a safety cage designed by race car fabrication experts has been integrated into the car’s design. Also, they promise that the lithium-ion batteries are good for at least 2000 cycles, which should last you about 5 years. We’re being told that the Green Vehicles site will be updated today with reservation info, so keep an eye out.

[Via AutoblogGreen]

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Filed under: Transportation

Apparently in this day and age where technology rules supreme, there are still some folks who prefer to rely on good old voodoo magic to take revenge instead of backstabbing one through e-mail and forums. The VoodooBuddy brings voodoo magic to the 21st century, where you enter the information of your most despised foe, followed by poking away at the doll as you please. The same theory applies here - poking certain areas of the doll supposedly allows you to curse the victim. Strangely enough, if you go overboard on your curses, it will snap a photo and send it to the victim instead automatically in order to reverse the curses. I suppose it ought to be connected to the computer or something in order for this to happen.

Axiom Audiobyte Desktop Speaker System

Do you ever get the urge to blow the roof off your office with some AC/DC or Metallica? Yeah, me neither. Most offices just don’t roll like that.

But if you do like to crank tunes on your PC, Axiom’s Audiobyte speaker system is one of the biggest desktop boomers out there. It includes two satellite speakers, a subwoofer, and a 55-watt-per-channel amplifier that connects to a PC, ipod, or any other source via the minijack port.

The satellite speakers put out a clean, neutral sound with plenty of detail and depth in the high and midrange, even at low volumes. And they look pretty sweet too: we opted for the high gloss walnut wood models. They look gorgeous, but might feel a little out of place if your desktop decor is littered with brushed aluminum Apple products. The front-firing subwoofer has three positions, and fills out the system sound nicely, with smooth and hearty bass.

For a desktop system, though, the sub is awfully big and boxy. I even began to wonder what was inside – an ant farm maybe, or some runaway Cabbage Patch dolls? The amp also doubles as a space heater, so you’ll probably want to stash it under the desk, and then use your feet on the volume knob.

At $350, and another $180 for the sub, this is one of the priciest desktop systems you’ll find.  But if you have a home office where you listen to music, play video games, and watch movies, it will certainly breathe new life into the experience. —Christopher Jones

WIRED Nice build quality, including titanium-domed tweeters. Satellite speakers look and sound sharp. Lots of color and finish choices, like faux walnut burl. Crank up the volume without distorting the sound.

TIRED Over five hundred bucks and there’s no remote? We like our LEDs and all but the big ring of them around the volume knob is overkill. Seriously, a sub that large should thump harder.

$530 as tested, axiomaudio.com

(Photo by Jon Snyder for Wired.com)

Perhaps there will come a day when all of our electronic devices, mobile and stationary, will be linked by Bluetooth. Until that day, companies such as Spracht are ready with products like the Aura Mobile BT.

The Aura Mobile BT is a small handheld device that allows a Bluetooth sync with your mobile phone. It was built to take conference calls, and it works right out of the box with no software to install. All a user needs to do is press the sync button, and then prepare his or her mobile phone or other Bluetooth compatible device for pairing.

In addition to Bluetooth Mobile phones, the Aura Mobile BT also works with cordless phones, as well as PC and Macs for VoIP calls. There are some wires required for that particular function, but the setup is just as simple.

One of the best features of the Aura Mobile BT is its portability. Users can charge the device with AC power or car adapter, and then take it with them on the go. The device isn’t quite pocket-sized, but it does not take up too much space for travel.

The Aura Mobile BT is available at the Spracht website for approximately $129.95.

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