[MobileRatty] tag: customs

KLEER wireless attachment comes to Sleek Audio's SA6 earbuds

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:31:00 +0000

Sleek Audio's SA6 earbuds generated quite a bit of buzz due to those adjustable acoustics, and if you've been wishing on your lucky stars for a wireless interpretation of said headphones, something is clearly going right for you. The outfit has just revealed that a new partnership with KLEER (yes, KLEER) has led to a wireless application for the SA6 and Sleek Customs, which, according to Sleek, is the first wireless technology that could do these drivers justice. The new adornment attaches right to the SA6 earphones to provide "CD quality sound from a wireless platform," and better still, the SA6's detachable cable ensures that you can keep on listening with a tether should your battery die in the midst of cordless jamming. The KLEER accessory should be up for pre-order shortly at $120, while a KLEER / SA6 bundle will sell for $299.99. Full release after the break.

Continue reading KLEER wireless attachment comes to Sleek Audio's SA6 earbuds

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Passengers Worried X-Ray Security Shots Will Wind Up On Facebook And Myspace

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:00:57 +0000

Passengers are worried that pictures from a new x-ray security camera, the "virtual strip search", will end up online and display their privates for the whole social networking world to see. Readers feel the new security measure has gone too far.

"Sure as heck, some customs officers will make snide remarks about young girls with breast implants and people with piercings in private locations. You betcha some will appear on Facebook or MySpace," said a post on news.com.au

However, authorities insist there's nothing to worry about.

"Faces are blurred and images are not saved and cannot be transferred," said Office of Transport Security executive director Paul Retter.

Oh yeah, because I'm dying to see some fuzzy monochromatic images of a chick's privates on Facebook. Wait....I think I am. Sweet! Passengers fear airport "virtual strip search" [news.com.au]

Optimus Prime - We Come In Peace [PIC]

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:58:40 +0000

My friend Steve Koukoulas is an extremely creative person. When he got a Canon 5D 2 years ago, he applied his creativity to photography and this is one of his many delicious pieces.

Alien robots have come to Earth from outer space but with the recent spate of attacks from other sentient beings, this group wanted to make the world feel comfortable so they try to mingle in with Earths customs by picking up an umbrella and holding out a friendly hand.

Canon Photo5 - Cocktail Umbrella submission.

To see more of his work follow this Flickr Link.

Metal Plate X-Ray Messages - Because Airport Security Officers Have A Great Sense Of Humor

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:56:39 +0000

By Andrew Liszewski

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, while I’m not exactly thrilled with having to deal with Customs lineups and random security searches whenever I fly to the U.S., I’m more than willing to take the ‘just suck it up’ approach, instead of the ‘let’s poke the bear’ approach. So in the future I probably won’t be traveling with these custom etched steel plates created by Evan Roth which are designed to show up whenever your luggage passes through an x-ray security machine. I’m sure 1 out of 1,000 Customs officers might find them amusing, but the other 999 who’ve been dealing with travelers all day probably won’t.

[ MAKE: Blog - Metal plates send messages to airport x-ray screeners ]

German Customs raids over 50 booths at IFA looking for patent infringements

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:32:00 +0000

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We've got our crack team of Engadget ninjas at IFA working to figure out exactly what's going on, but early word is that over 220 German Customs agents have raided the show looking for patent infringements. It's not clear how many booths have had visits from The Man, but it's somewhere over 50 -- we've been hearing a number in the 70s -- and spokespeople for Customs says inspections will continue until tonight. Sounds like a repeat of what's happened at CeBIT for the past few years, where German firm Sisvel has had several companies' booths shut down and products seized over claimed MPEG patent infringements -- you might remember last year's kerfuffle with Meizu and the wrongful seizure of SanDisk DAPs in 2006. There are rumors that Asian companies, including MSI, are being targeted, and that the Taiwan Image Hall in particular was hit hard, but nothing's been substantiated and German authorities say they're looking at all companies equally. We'll let you know what's going down as soon as we find out more.

[Thanks, Adam]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

IC distributors turn conservative for September as China white-box handset clients cut orders

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:07:00 +0000

IC distributors are turning conservative about China's white-box handset market, as clients are cutting orders amid weaker-than-expected demand, according to industry sources.

Shipments to China's handset market were satisfactory in July as clients advanced their orders to avoid strict customs controls during the Beijing Olympics in August, the sources said. Shipments in August have been stronger than expected, prompting the IC distributors to believe that demand would persist in September, the sources added.

But a poor outlook for the country's economy is preventing clients from placing orders, the sources said. IC distributors who met their clients last week to confirm September orders were surprised to find that the clients were cutting orders, the sources disclosed.

In the past, orders in September would usually rise 10-15% compared to August, but this year the volume may decline 3-5%, the sources remarked.

source

Noon Logan Solar laptop bag

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:39:21 +0000

The Noon Logan Solar Laptop Bag does the usual: slurps up light on the papillae of its flexible exterior solar panel to charge an internal power bank, which can then be used to electrically infuse your flagging gadgets. Unlike most of the alternative bags, though, it actually looks rather nice — a fine compromise for the green fashionista. It's also more affordable than most, although will still cost more than an infant's pineal gland: $452 all told. And god knows whether or not a laptop bag with a visible electronic element would earn you a deep rooting by the TSA next time through customs.

Logan [Noon Solar via Geek Sugar]

Stronger seasonal demand for IT goods expected in China after Olympics

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:06:00 +0000

Despite that demand for IT goods in China has been suppressed by natural disasters and stricter customs checks, industry players anticipate that the upcoming strong season in the fourth quarter should beat seasonal patterns when distributors replenish their inventory and consumers resume their buying.

Most IT goods makers failed to see the anticipated strong sales in China prior to the Beijing Olympics, partly due to a series of disasters such as snow storms and an earthquake which took place in the first half of 2008. Sales were further suppressed before the Olympics as the China government enacted strict policies over customs checks, which in turn discouraged distributors from building up inventories.

Since IT retailers are still operating during the Olympics, and the influx of visitors is encouraging sales, some distributors have already found their inventory rapidly decreasing. Some industry watchers estimate that all IT retailers will replenish their inventory on a massive scale. Also, consumers are also expected to start buying again after the Olympics.

Slim-type TVs, handheld devices, LCD TVs and notebooks have seen a noticeable upsurge in sales. The industry players noted that full HD LCD TVs will enjoy a good sales record as many Olympic events are broadcast digitally. Mobile TV is also expected to see hot sales as consumers look to receive real-time games broadcasts.

source

Suitcase full of bacon triggers airport bomb detectors

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:45:23 +0000

According to this article on German news site Nachrichten, as un-ablauted by Google Translate and turned into a slurry of humorous pidgin gobbledygook, a quantity of bacon is enough to set off hand luggage bomb detectors.

Apparently, the traveler — on his way to America through Linz — was stopped going through after a machine detected that a piece of bacon his wife had packed "had a similar molecular density to certain types of explosives."

Confronted with an X-Ray of the bacon and asked to identify it, the nervous passenger replied: "It's fat." In America, such flip would earn you a solid truncheoning, but the passenger was merely requested to open the package in a bomb-proof room and prove that it actually was bacon. Humorously, the traveler apparently seemed worried that the bacon might actually be an explosive, as it was packed for him as a lunch by his wife, whom he was on the outs with.

What happened to the traveler? The Nachrichten piece ends surrealistically:, ranting and raving about the Virgin Mary wanting to fly to Rome. It remains unclear at this time whether the bacon incident delayed the Holy Mother's pilgrimage, or whether the bacon was confiscated by customs officials for "disposal."

Bacon in suitcase triggers bomb alarm [Nachrichten via Google Translate]

Cigarette Box Handsfree Kit

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:41:39 +0000

Now this is one of the more ridiculous gadgets I've ever seen - the Cigarette Box Handsfree Kit. It plugs into your phone and you would look extremely silly talking to a faux cigarette box, no idea why that form factor was chosen. It also comes with an anti-electromagnetic wave capability, presumably countering whatever harmful waves that might cause brain cancer (for the paranoid, of course). Heck, it is even cheaper than what some cigarette boxes cost at $6.79 a pack, and you don't have to pay customs or taxes if you're bringing this through the airport security checkpoint.

Source article | Add a comment