NeoBloo >> The Best of Gadget and Tech Blogs

It’s always good to see a decent compo to emerge from new technology and Nokia have hit the spot with this one. Like a standard photo competition all you need to do is take a pic on your mobile phone and submit it via the website. Obviously it will help if you’ve got a particularly snazzy camera phone that hasn’t lived for too long in a trouser pocket effectively sealing the lens in a light-proof layer of pocket lint.

Five winners from each of 4 different regions (China, India, Europe and America) will be picked by a panel of expert judges; the winner gets to go and have some real life commercial photo shoot experience, runners up get free plane tickets and all have the chance to get their pic put in a line up of new phone backgrounds.

Read via BBC

Originally by Chris Price from Tech Digest on October 4, 2005, 11:33am

Following Microsoft and Intel’s bold move to set their allegiance firmly behind the HD DVD camp of the approaching format war, film studio Paramount has put its weight behind Blu-ray. So much for any real chance of reaching some kind of truce then. Paramount Pictures President, Thomas Lesinski made an interesting reference to Sony’s highly anticipated PlayStation 3 in his statement; the role of next-gen consoles in this format wars seem to have been a major catalysing factor and raises questions about Microsofts sudden and perhaps unnecessary decision to join the HD DVD camp. Paramount hasn’t ruled out the possibility of producing HD DVDs though only Blu-ray was mentioned in the statement but covering all bases is probably the safest idea.

via CNET

Originally by Chris Price from Tech Digest on October 5, 2005, 7:01am

Off the back of its outing into the MP3 DAB market, Morphy Richards has applied its stylish thinking to other portable areas. This is the new DAB Boom Box which, on top of smooth curved white plastic design, integrates a CD player with its DAB radio. Two 5 watt speakers and a host of features such as stations presets, FM RDS radio and clock settings complete the package. Simple functionality seems to be the key here and if you find that a little underwhelming then fortunately the price tag follows suit. Retailing at just £99 means that the DAB Boom Box is a pretty good rival to dedicated DAB radios that don’t benefit from a CD player.

Also revealed is Morphy Richards’ take on the Micro System Hi-Fi; no DAB on this one but it has an equal selection of useful features and boasts 2×15w speakers. Not too bad for £69.99

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Originally by Chris Price from Tech Digest on October 5, 2005, 7:42am

The combination of low cost travel and the myriad of fantastic gadgets it is possible, nay necessary, to have about your person at any one time, it is small wonder that companies are beginning to investigate means to keep those delicate pieces of electronics protected. Gravis, manufacturers of shoes and bags, has produced the AV range of luggage which is helpfully tailored for laptop, iPod and digital camera owners. The stuff is heavily orientated towards Apple products but as most competing products are of similar shapes that shouldn’t pose much of a problem.

Your technical accessories are shielded from harm by the compression moulded cases, all carefully compartmentalised to stop them rattling around. There are 6 different styles covering just about all the bases; the smallest is the AV terminal, shaped for passports, tickets etc and space for an iPod shuffle (or indeed any other stick shaped MP3 player). For laptop owners there is the L-Case which is available in 12”, 15” and 17” sizes and for your iPod there’s the G-Case which will presumably be equally comfortable holding any hard disk based MP3 player. No word on prices or availability yet.

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Originally by Chris Price from Tech Digest on October 5, 2005, 8:18am

If you’re a die hard T-Mobile customer, and demand everything be Zeta-Jones branded, this is probably happy news for you. T-Mobile launched its first branded bluetooth headset dubbed the SH305. Manufactured by Southwing, the headset comes with not one, but TWO color faceplates for showing off how unique you are. Will you pick red because you’re sexy, smart, and sophisticated? What about blue? It shows you’re confident about what you wear. It’ll retail for £29.99 in the UK (if you gotta have it here, import it) and you actually get bang for your buck—6 hours of talk time. There is also a battery indicator, and you can wear it with or without the hook. Very chic.

T-Mobile launches first headset… [MobileWhack]

Originally from Gizmodo on October 11, 2005, 11:05am

Hyper-competitive South Koreans have been using a light and sound machine to help them relax and focus on their studies—but the jury’s still out on the science of the device. The MC Square is not a hip-hop act, but a small Walkman-sized control unit that runs sequences of flickering lights and rhythmic pulsating sounds out to LED-installed goggles and stereo headphones in combinations that allegedly change brainwaves, helping you to screen out distracting thoughts and ace that big test. It sounds like X-Ray Spec-style hokum, and there are plenty of these focus gadgets available stateside as well. The difference is that MC Square’s backers have made enough money to commission two reputable U.S. universities, Penn Medicine and Thomas Jefferson University, to run studies on the device. I’m betting that the results of this research will never see the flickering and pulsating light of day.

High Tech Gadget Helps Boost Concentration [The Korea Times]

Originally from Gizmodo on October 11, 2005, 12:33pm

If you’ve got Dish satellite TV, you’re gonna likey the new Archos-branded portable media devices. As well as recording your satellite programming, it can download and record content from a PC or Mac, digital cameras, mass storage devices, as well as other video or audio sources such as DVD players, camcorders and VCRs. A USB 2.0 connection makes sure it’s fast and it looks like an hour of Dish programming can be transferred to the device in about five minutes. A 2.2-inch LCD is $329 4-inch LCD is $499 and the 7-inch LCD version is $599.

PocketDISH(es) Released [Zatznotfunny]

Originally from Gizmodo on October 11, 2005, 12:45pm

Oyo, a Japanese research firm will be releasing a handheld radar system that is capable of finding people trapped underneath rubble and debris. The system works by detecting electromagnetic waves that are reflected back to the device from moving chests of humans. Antennas are placed around the area that distributes the electromagnetic waves. Very helpful gadget, could definitely be used in time of devastation such as the earthquake that recently devastated Pakistan and India.

Rescue system pinpoints people alive under rubble [we-make-money-not-art]

Originally from Gizmodo on October 11, 2005, 12:57pm

This is a product that caters to the extremely paranoid, but nevertheless it is a pretty damn good idea. This USB flash drive comes loaded with everything you need to prevent the man from catching you hax teh Gibson or maybe prevent your boss from discovering your fetishes.

StealthSurfer is a Windows PC compatible key-sized USB device that is preloaded with Firefox, Anonymizer, RoboForm, and Thunderbird software configured and integrated for optimum privacy. When using StealthSurfer, all your sensitive Internet files such as cookies, history, and cache are stored on the StealthSurfer device instead of your computer.

Product Page [Via Red Ferret]

Originally from Gizmodo on October 11, 2005, 12:59pm

Among Toyota’s announcements for the 39th Tokyo Motor Show is the concept “vehicle” called the i-Swing (we are going to stubbornly assume the naming of this had absolutely nothing to do with a certain Apple product). This seems to be Toyota’s own personal take on the Segway, The I-swing has two wheels like the Segway for sidewalks, but can be converted into a three-wheeled mode for the road. It can be controlled by a built-in joystick as well as with your body weight (kind of like skiing). Lean left and it follows. It then uses AI to learn the habits and preferences from its riders. I don’t know how I’d feel driving this thing up down Broadway in rush hour, but I guess it would know that about me.

Toyota Fuel Cell Hybrid and new Personal Mobility Concepts [Gizmag]

Originally from Gizmodo on October 11, 2005, 2:31pm