[MobileRatty] tag: attention

USB Heated Shawl

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:10:35 +0000

Maybe you have a nerdy grandmother who loves gadgets. This would be the perfect gift from a loving grandson. Or perhaps your grandmother is addicted to online games and complains of a chill between kills. Again, this is the perfect gift. Could also be that you rarely pay attention to your grandmother and are using the computer area as a sort of rest home, hooking her up to all kinds of USB gadgets.

Yeah, I’m just not seeing how you can go wrong buying this for that special elder in your life. It even has a button to hold it in place around the shoulders while you work or play bingo, count pills and the like. Only $29.

[Likecool]

18K Gold Plated Cell Phone Watch Neither Sounds Nor Looks Pretty

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:51:36 +0000

The M830 is your typical enormous cell phone watch that would make the math geeks with their calculator watches back in the day eternally envious. It is big, it does lots of things and yes, it will certainly attract attention and probably uncomfortable silences to boot. Not only is this thing enormous, it also has some 18K gold plated accenting that would make the red face even more garish, if that were possible.

Check out the full range of functions.

18K gold plated watch decorative frame
Free bluetooth headset earphone included (for making and receiving calls)
1.5-inch vibrant color touch screen LCD display
Quad-band GSM network support: 850/900/1800/1900 Mhz
1GB TF flash memory card included
MicroSD/TF memory card slot allows up to 1GB memory expansion
1.3 mega pixel digital camera (manufacturer claimed)
Supports GPRS/WAP/MP3/MP4
Plays MP3/MP4
Bluetooth V2.0 with A2DP stereo music support
Comes with a 700mAh rechargeable lithium battery
100~240V AC charger included
Languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Vietnam, Russian, Arabic, Thai, and Italian
Comes with USB data charging cable and headset earphone
Spare wristwatch strap included

Price: $163 [Deal Extreme via Geek Alerts]

Google.org invests more than $10 million in breakthrough geothermal energy technology

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:26:00 +0000

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) could supply thousands of times US energy needs

Mountain View, California (August 19, 2008) – In the continuing effort to develop electricity from renewable energy cheaper than from coal, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), through its philanthropic arm Google.org, announced $10.25 million in investments in a breakthrough energy technology called Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). Today's announcement also includes funding for research on next-generation geothermal resource mapping, EGS information tools, and a policy agenda for geothermal energy.

EGS expands the potential of geothermal energy by orders of magnitude. The traditional geothermal approach relies on finding naturally occurring pockets of steam and hot water. The EGS process, by comparison, replicates these conditions by fracturing hot rock, circulating water through the system, and using the resulting steam to produce electricity in a conventional turbine.

A recent MIT report on EGS estimates that just 2% of the heat below the continental United States between 3 and 10 kilometers, depths within the range of current drilling technology, is more than 2,500 times the country's total annual energy use.

"EGS could be the 'killer app' of the energy world. It has the potential to deliver vast quantities of power 24/7 and be captured nearly anywhere on the planet. And it would be a perfect complement to intermittent sources like solar and wind," said Dan Reicher, Director of Climate and Energy Initiatives for Google.org.

Google's Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal initiative focuses on solar thermal power, advanced wind, EGS and other potential breakthrough technologies. Google has set a goal to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity, enough to power a city the size of San Francisco, in years, not decades.

To advance EGS, Google.org announced funding for two companies and a university:

AltaRock Energy, Inc.: $6.25 million investment to develop innovative technologies to achieve significant cost reductions and improved performance in EGS projects. For more information, please visit http://www.altarockenergy.com/.
Potter Drilling, Inc.: $4 million investment in two tranches, to develop new approaches to lower the cost and expand the range of deep hard rock drilling, a critical element to large-scale deployment of EGS. For more information, please visit http://www.potterdrilling.com/.
Southern Methodist University Geothermal Lab: $489,521 grant to improve understanding of the size and distribution of geothermal energy resources and to update geothermal mapping of North America. For more information, please visit http://www.smu.edu/geothermal/.
"Innovation is the path to massive quantities of cleaner, cheaper energy. The people we're funding today have a real shot at lowering the cost of EGS, and bringing us closer to our goal of Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal," added Dr. Larry Brilliant, executive director of Google.org.

"EGS is critical to the clean electricity revolution we need to solve the climate crisis, but EGS hasn't received the attention it merits. That's why we're pressing for expanded support from government and increased investment from the private sector," said Reicher, "We're big believers in EGS and we're looking for more opportunities."

Ongoing Commitments

Today's announcement represents the latest step in Google's commitment to a clean energy future.

Google has been working hard on energy efficiency and making its business environmentally sustainable. To this end, the company has taken concrete steps to reduce its carbon footprint and accelerate improvements in green technology, including:

Developing cutting-edge energy efficiency technology to power and cool its data centers in the U.S. and around the world using 50% less energy than the industry standard
Generating electricity for its Mountain View campus from a 1.6 megawatt corporate solar panel installation, one of the largest in the U.S.
Accelerating development and adoption of plug-in electric vehicles through the RechargeIT initiative (http://www.google.org/recharge/)
Joining with other industry leaders to form the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a consortium that advocates the design and use of more energy-efficient computers and servers (http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/)
Working on policies that encourage renewable energy development and deployment, such as a U.S. Renewable Energy Standard
For more information on EGS, including a 3-D model of a project in Australia, a Google Earth layer, an introductory YouTube video, and our policy brief, see http://www.google.org/egs/.

For more information on the Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal initiative, including $30 million in investments to advance solar thermal and advanced wind technologies, see http://www.google.org/rec.html.

For broadcast-standard video and other multimedia files for the announcement, see http://www.thenewsmarket.com/google.

For more information on Google's commitment to a clean energy future, see http://www.google.com/renewableenergy.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements relating to our ability to develop electricity from renewable energy cheaper than from coal, the development of EGS technology, the expected supply and delivery of energy through EGS technology, our ability to produce renewable energy and the cost of EGS. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted. The potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ include, among others, risks related to the development of EGS technology and our ability to identify and pursue the technologies necessary to achieve these goals, as well as those risks and uncertainties included under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2008, which is on file with the SEC and is available on our investor relations website at http://investor.google.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. All information provided in this release is as of August 19, 2008, and Google undertakes no duty to update this information.

About Google Inc.
Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit http://www.google.com.

About Google.org
Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, uses the power of information to help people better their lives. We develop and invest in tools and partnerships that can help bring shared knowledge to bear on the world's most pressing challenges in the areas of climate change, economic development and global health. For more information, visit http://www.google.org.

Palm Treo Pro images revealed as launch approaches

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:32:41 +0000

The Palm Treo Pro is coming soon…and even though Palm hasn’t officially announced it, some nice, professional photography has popped up online. I have to say, this is a good looking Palm. It’s been a while since I’ve really paid attention to Palm. The Treo line has been ok, but nothing that really blew me away. Certainly not in a post-iPhone world.

This, however, has a nice look to it. It looks slimmer than the previous Treos, has a touch screen, and runs Windows Mobile. If that’s what you’re looking for, the Treo Pro may be the thing for you.

We’ll have more info on pricing and specs later in the week when the device is officially announced.

IPhone 3G - The Newest Fun Gadget

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:53:32 +0000

What have we got to say about one of the newest fun gadgets in town, the Apple iPhone 3G? We enumerate the pros and cons…

In terms of physical appearance, the new iPhone 3G is nearly identical to its first model. Significantly, the biggest change in its look is found at the bottom part, which is now completely covered in high-grade, scratch resistant plastic, as opposed to the 2G’s aluminum and plastic combination. This is actually an improvement, as it contributes to a better GPS reception, which, incidentally, is what the 3G is all about. This smartphone’s GPS functionality is not problematic, compared to other fun gadgets where you’d have to struggle with getting a signal. Reception for the 3G is expectedly much clearer. Before its release the iPhone 3G was promised to have improved sound quality and it does deliver. Only slightly taller and thicker than the 2G, the back side of the 3G is slightly curved, too. This makes handling of it a little easier.

The screen of the 3G is a bit warmer, almost yellowish, than its predecessor. And it isn’t exactly a plus factor for someone with a less-improved vision. The interface loading time is noticeably slower compared to the 2G, especially when browsing the contact apps. Although both these observations are nothing that firmware upgrade should fix.

The usual features are, of course, still there and very much handy, user-friendly and stylish. Gaming capabilities mimic a Wii-like control and some of its choiced applications are pretty cool. The iPhone 3G is both and MP3 and MP4 player with a 2mp camera that most users would love having. Its supreme web browsing function and compatibility with third-party software makes it one of the ultimate must-have fun gadgets for 2008.

Now for the critical part — the battery life. Unfortunately, the iPhone 3G isn’t quite a fun gadget when it comes to this aspect. While twiddling with the 3G over the weekend, it unbelievably only lasted a little over four hours after continuous talking, texting, web surfing, a little internet surfing and one movie. Using the 3G under normal circumstances should ease battery life to about six, eight hours or so, but one can’t help but pay close attention to it all the time. Hopefully, the phone doesn’t die while outdoors and without the convenience of a dock charger. Because it’s still a new release, Apple should have something in store to correct this inconvenience soon.

$50 winner and last weeks coolest gadget

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:34:54 +0000

Last weeks coolest gadget contest in my opinion was one of the best yet. My favourites included:

Another flying vehicle (which are always popular) the M400 Skycar
The digital pasta timer spoon, an OTT but useful kitchen gadget
Periodic Coffee Table, I thought this was simply ingenious.

But how did you vote, onto the results
…

In a commanding first place with 41% of the votes we have the cell phone jammer, looks like it’s not just us who don’t like listening to other people on the phone.

I hate being stuck on a train when some idiot is yelling down a phone (for some reason callers need to shout when in confined public spaces), this nifty gadget fixes that, the Portable Cell Phone Jammer. Now if only they’d make one to work with MP3 players.

…

In joint second place with 71 votes apiece we have the M400 Skycar and ColorRight.

We’ve mentioned the concept of a flying car before on Gaj-it with the Pal-V Flying Car. Well this concept is obviously the way of the future as the guys over at Moller have designed their own four-seat flying car which is aimed to take to the skies within three years

…

In third place (well maybe fourth as second was tied) we have the cool periodic table.

Check out this geeky coffee table, the Periodic Coffee Table, this bound to get some attention, when your friends come round for a coffee.

The Periodic Coffee table measures 4 ft x 2.5 ft x 16 inches, and if features all the 92 natural elements as well as all of the man made elements actually built in to the table.

…
Thanks again to all entrants, voters and commentators. The next weekly coolest gadgets will be up for voting this Friday (write about gadgets and want to enter, here’s how), see you there.

This weeks randomly drawn voter who wins the $50 Amazon voucher is Drew, congratulations Drew we’ll be in touch.
…
Even though ColorRight was in second place it had a very suspicious voting and commenting pattern, we’ve spoken to the submitter, PhotographyBay, and believe they had nothing to do with the suspicious voting so they have been left in second place. This is a fun contest and we’d like to keep it that way but please play fair.

[ $50 winner and last weeks coolest gadget copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Pressy idea: Educational Toys

Graft: Kanera 1 E Sink

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:30:13 +0000

Slated to open Spring 2009, the new W New York Downtown Hotel and Residences brings a number of media-worthy gems (a $2,000 per square foot pricetag, for example), but this stunning sink by Graft, the building's award-winning interior designers, is what caught our attention. Looking at the bathroom as "a place of purification, relaxation, revitalization and timelessness, "Graft came up with the 1 E "to sensually stage the poetry of water within the overall concept 'bath.'"

With gently sloping curves that look as much man-made as they look carved by glaciers, the designers clearly have mastered the impossibly sleek organic forms that define today's aesthetic. The sinks will be available for purchase outside the W Hotel and Residences as well. Contact Kanera for more info.

Casio introduces PCP-1200 and PCP-250 touchscreen photo printers with flip-down keyboards

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:45:00 +0000

Filed under: Peripherals

Photo printers don't really do it for us, but Casio's two newest models pack in enough bells and whistles to make us at least pay attention, if not actually print out photos -- the PCP-1200 (pictured) and PCP-250 both feature fold-down keyboards for titling, print 2400 x 1200 dpi res on up to A6-size paper, take virtually every memory card format you can throw at them, and allow you to draw on the images using a stylus. The 1200 sports a 7-inch screen, while the 250 gets a portrait-oriented 3.5-inch display -- yeah, we'd actually be totally into these if they were coming to the States and had pricing info. Oh well.

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Google lays out Android roadmap, devs scheduled to get more love

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:36:00 +0000

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Google feels really badly about that several month-long stretch where it kept any and all updates to its Android SDK out of the public limelight, developers, honest, but it wants to make it up to you. It seems that yesterday's 0.9 release, which represented the first official SDK available with a platform even remotely resembling what Google intends to release on retail devices this fall, was just the first in a string of goings-on leading up to the grand 1.0 launch in the coming months according to a new roadmap published on the Android site. To start, there'll be "additional Android 1.0 (pre) SDK releases made available, as necessary" in September, followed by the first 1.0-compatible release in the Q3 to Q4 timeframe (that's any time between now and the end of December, for you calendar-disadvantaged folk). Finally, the Android source will leak out in the fourth quarter along with the first "Android 1.0 devices" -- pay special attention to the plural "devices" there -- and an announcement about Android Developer Challenge II. It gives us a warm fuzzy to see that Google's interested in keeping its devs engaged with these contests on an ongoing basis, because let's be honest: "prize money" has a much nicer ring to it than "VC money" ever will.

[Via Talk Android]

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colecovision mini console hits ebay [casemod]

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:27:43 +0000

When it comes to retro game consoles, it seems like Nintendo and Atari get all of the attention. How about some love for the classic ColecoVision, the first console to bring arcade-quality graphics into your living room? This mini ColecoVision casemod is surely a good start.

The guys over at GameSniped stumbled onto this custom-modded miniature version of the classic console for sale over on eBay. The mini ColecoVision does everything the original console did, only smaller.

According to seller doubledownon11, the modded console is a whopping 50 square inches smaller and 1 pound lighter than a stock ColecoVision system. In addition, the system has been upgraded with composite, S-Video and RCA audio jacks. There’s also a handy “intro skip” button, which lets you zip past the annoying 10-12 second loading screen on Coleco-branded games. The unique console is in pristine condition and includes a refurbished ColecoVision hand controller, a Donkey Kong game cartridge, a power supply, and a six foot, gold-plated, A/V cable.

click to view this video clip

With a current bid of $379.99, it’s about twice what an original ColecoVision would have cost you back in 1982, but adjusted for inflation it’s actually a better deal.

[Auction Page]