TomTom has launched their HD Traffic module in the Netherlands where they have users sharing their location in a network of GPS units acting as traffic probes; you help me and I help you. The FCC Site is showing the test results for the TomTom HD unit clearing the way for the module to be launched here. Usually by the time these are posted and publicly available, a launch is imminent. My hunch is an announcement soon with shipping for the holidays.

The TomTom HD Traffic Module is a cellular tranceiver that sends and receives traffic information so that you have the most up to date data available. Not only will it get information that is readily available to units with a TMC receiver, but it will also share the peer based information that other users of the TomTom HD system generate. So, if another user is stuck in a traffic jam up ahead, your unit will be aware of the jam and give you better route timing or routing options. This is similar to the Dash Express offering and how it works. Dash indicated that they needed about 2,000 units per metro area to get high quality coverage; I would imagine a similar number would be needed for TomTom also.

The TomTom HD module will be working on the GSM 850 and PCS 1900 bands and will most likely carry a monthly fee.

Via GPSPassion

Thanks Jeff for sending in.

Tags: ac/dc, back in black, black ice, columbia records, eagles, journey, sam's club, wal-mart

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Monday morning is often a rude awakening, especially with an obnoxious alarm jarring you out of sleepy-time paradise. That must be why designers keep flirting with the idea of a silent vibrating alarm clock for two, complete with twin vibrating wrist bands that let your bedmate keep sleeping if you’re getting up earlier.

This one’s called Silence, with a pleasing, simple design esthetic that stays out of your way and good vibrations that won’t scare you out of bed every morning. We first saw this idea last year in a shiny design that we liked a little better than this, but still, the concept is long overdue in the real world. Maybe this time a consumer electronics company will be motivated to actually turn this into a shipping product.

Yanko Design

The long rumored HTC Dream handset -- once referred to as "The Googlephone" -- just received FCC approval. The handset is listed as type, "Dream" with a model of "DREA100." The same model also appears with a WiFi Interoperability Certificate touting 802.11b/g WiFi. If indeed this is the long awaited Android phone, then T-Mobile, HTC, and Google are free to announce in September with an October launch as originally planned. FCC label with that DREA100 moniker pictured after the break.

Update: Further investigation reveals mention of a "jogball" like that seen on the handset from the videos. The Dream is said to be in compliance with Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR with this round of testing conducted only on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/1900 and WCDMA 1700 bands -- the latter being T-Mobile's preferred 3G frequency.

Read -- HTC Dream WiFi Certification [Warning: PDF]
Read -- FCC Cell Radios
Read -- FCC WiFi Bluetooth

Continue reading HTC Dream FCC approved, Android clear for launch?

I want one.

Here's Blaire Dessent's January 8, 2008 post from coolhunter:
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Strap Bands Chair

Paris-based designer Yahïa Ouled-Moussa has a way with reinventing old clothing or fabrics into funky and functional design objects. He studied interior architecture in Paris, but it was through a job with a French cabinet-maker who specialized in restoring period furniture that he developed his passion for furniture and design. Ouled-Moussa transforms sturdy vintage French linens, army sacks or antique porcelain tea sets into stylish smocks, small sitting stools and bound sculpture.

His "Strap Bands Chair" uses old canvas belts that you may have worn in the 1980s (and that those born in the 1980s may be wearing today) and weaves them onto discarded wooden chairs to create the seat and back. The unwoven part of the belts hang under the seat, giving the piece an added, looser dimension in contrast to the tight weave above. The strap bands chair has been made in shades of pink as well as in a mix of bright yellow, red, blue and orange. There is also a military version which incorporates old canvas military belts in green, brown and beige.

Chairs can be commissioned by the piece or bought directly from his boutique on rue Nollet in Paris’s 17th arrondissement.
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Magno Wooden Radio
The Magno radio is the brainchild of Indonesian entrepreneur Singgih Kartono. Handmade by local carpenters from sustainably-harvested wood, it comes in two sizes (pictured above). In addition to AM and FM frequencies, Kartono satisfies the true retro-philes with two bands of shortwave radio. He also bows to modern conventions by including MP3 compatibility. It's currently available from AreawareAreaware, with the small version costing $200 and the larger $250.

Maple Phone
The Maple Phone was designed by Hyun Jin Yoon and Eun Hak Lee, who won the silver at this year's International Design Excellence Awards. It's comprised of two slender pieces of maple that function as a slider, revealing the LCD display stored inside. A sensor on the back turns the block of wood into a fully functional, touch-sensitive phone with MP3 compatibility and a digital camera. Though still in prototype form, the creators expect to manufacture the phone at an affordable rate so that it's available on a large scale. Keep an eye on the designers' blog for production updates.

Swedx
Since 2002, this Swedish company has been producing electronics embedded in polished wood. They claim to bring a "more human" feeling by using warm, natural materials on their computer monitors, television screens and accessories. But despite the unconventional material, they didn't skimp on technology. Their engineers designed one of the world's thinnest TFT-LCD monitors and didn't sacrifice on usability. Swedx products cost are close to the industry standard, and you can buy them from their website.

David Burel Plywood Headphones
These distinctive headphones are as elegant as they are simplistic. Dissatisfied with wood used as a marketing device for environmentalists, David Burel made sure his phones made wood an integral feature of the design. The "wood arch" is made from Finnish birch plywood and uses the same molding technique employed by furniture and skateboard designers. The resulting arch has a width of 1.2mm, so it's lightweight and flexible, while providing the precise, resonant sound that only wood can produce. They're being launched under the title Precision Unison, where you can preorder one of 100 units currently in production. Since they're made from one continuous piece, you'll have to measure your head for proper sizing. While it ensures a perfect fit, it's also a built-in excuse to reject your friends' request borrow them.

Wooden LED Clock
This clever timepiece looks like an ordinary block of wood when it's deactivated. Once operational, thought, an interior light lets the numbers glow from behind its surface. It can be run like a normal clock with a constant display, with the digits flashing every 2.5 seconds or in "slide mode," where the numbers scroll one digit at a time every minute. It doesn't have an alarm or any advanced features, but what it lacks in function, it makes up for with eye-catching fashion. You can buy one for $150 at ThinkGeek.

Also on Cool Hunting: Suissa: Enlighten

If these mobile towers were permanent fixtures in the city I might be more upset by them, but New York's roving bands of police officers through the Operation Impact project do seem to be keeping crime down. And while I find irresponsible police as frustrating and frightful as anyone, I've come to view a pair of officers walking through neighborhoods keeping the peace as a good thing.

Sky Watch Deployed In Williamsburg [AnimalNewYork.com]

JamVOX is a hardware and software combo that extracts the guitar from any MP3 and plugs you into the mix of their favorite bands. It lets you kick the lead-guitarist out from their songs, and replace him with you and your rocking guitar play. JamVOX gives guitarists instant access to dozens of legendary amps and effects all in one easy to use “drag and drop” software interface. JamVOX includes authentic software models, or recreations, of 19 famous guitar amps and 54 vintage and modern effects, so you’ll be able to perfectly reproduce the sounds of your favorite guitarists. [VoxAmps]

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