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• Japanese company sells “women-only” video camera
• Thanko’s USB powered, Dinosaur foot-shaped slipper keeps your feet warm
• The motherboard as art: The Mona Lisa
• Let all other flashlights kneel before the mPower Emergency Illuminator
• Thou shalt not look: Activision slaps a Cease & Desist on MW2 aimbot hack
• Kindle being criticized for failing to support the blind
• Gearbox talks Borderlands 2
• Video: Checking out the Zune HD’s new 3D games
• The new Palm Pixi commercial: The mystery witch is dead!
• Facebook coming to PS3 in mystery update?
• iBuyPower outs its first Core i7 gaming notebook, the Battalion 101 W870CU & M980NU
• The Droid receives the obligatory teardown treatment
• How much to tour Bill Gates’ house? About $35k
• HP Acquires 3Com For $2.7 Billion
• Windows 7 was in fact inspired by OS X, says some random Microsoft manager
• Microsoft bans ‘small percentage’ of modded Xbox 360s from Xbox Live
• Should mankind be able to control the weather?
• Fight Night Round 4 (and everyone else on planet earth) predicts a Pacquiao win
• Chumby One goes on sale for $99
• Review: idox Traveler Series iPod touch case

Japanese company sells “women-only” video camera Posted: 12 Nov 2009 05:00 AM PST Japan-based electronics maker Greenhouse has announced the GHV-DV30HDLXW/P [JP] today, a video camera specifically designed for women. The device is available in two colors, white and (the inevitable) pink. Buyers will also get a cute pouch that fits the color of the camera. Greenhouse has partnered up with fashion brand GAUDI (who I never heard of before) to design the camera. It features a 3-inch TFT LCD screen, 128MB of internal memory, SD/SDHC memory card support (up to 32MB), a miniHDMI port and a USB interface. The device can record video in 1,280×720/720p resolution and at 30fps in (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264(MOV)). The video camera will go on sale in Japan only for $190 (including the pouch) from the end of this month. If you live outside Japan and want to look cute while shooting video, contact import specialists Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U.

Thanko’s USB powered, Dinosaur foot-shaped slipper keeps your feet warm Posted: 12 Nov 2009 12:59 AM PST OK, now the USB gadget craze gets really silly. Tokyo-based crap USB accessory maker Thanko has been selling USB-powered slippers and gloves that are supposed to keep you warm in the past, but the new model, Dinosaur foot-shaped slipper(s) [JP] (of all things), is probably the silliest. The thing isn’t only suitable for your feet, but can apparently serve as a warm bed for your pets, too (as Thanko shows in their official promo pics – see below). There’s a heater placed in the slipper, which is powered by USB, meaning the thing is even more useless without a PC in the vicinity. Thanko is selling the Dinosaur foot slipper in their Japanese online store now. If you live outside Japan, head over to Geek Stuff 4 U and get them for $31.64 plus shipping.

The motherboard as art: The Mona Lisa Posted: 11 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST Well, I think we finally know what Asus does when they get a dead motherboard. They take it apart, and turn it into a picture! Behold the loveliness that is the Motherboard Mona Lisa, a model of PCI and AGP slot beauty and mystery. This Mona Lisa isn’t on display in the Louvre, but rather the lobby of Asus’ corporate headquarters. [via Technabob]

Let all other flashlights kneel before the mPower Emergency Illuminator Posted: 11 Nov 2009 10:30 PM PST LEDs have really changed the flashlight market. It used to be that a Maglight was the pinnacle of illumination technology. Not any more. Now, the LED flashlight is king. Lower energy requirements, higher lumens, less heat; the LED really makes a difference. At first, there were problems with focusing the beam, however nowadays it’s not an issue. Most LED flashlights are quite functional, durable (try dropping an incandescent bulb light from 6 feet up) and if you’ll pardon the pun, the future is quite bright. Enter the mPower. Designed to be used as an emergency flashlight, it’s main power source is a CR123 (photocell) battery, along with a special reserve battery. The reserve battery (which is technology that the builder mPhase specializes in) has a shelf life of 20 years. In addition to this special power source, the mPower has a built in USB port for emergency charging your cell phone, as well as any other device. The best part: if the CR123 battery is dead, the backup cell will charge your device for you. We don’t know yet how many lumens or any of the other information that really matters to flashlight geeks like myself, unfortunately. Expect to be released into the wild in March of 2010, the mPower flashlight will set you back somewhere between $250 and $300. Ouch. [via CNET]

Thou shalt not look: Activision slaps a Cease & Desist on MW2 aimbot hack Posted: 11 Nov 2009 09:20 PM PST Hope you peeped that youtube video when we told you about it earlier, because Activition has fired off a cease and desist order on the video of the aimbot and wallhack being used. They claim it’s a copyright infringement, but there’s a whole lot more video out there that they are just ignoring. Sounds like someone is trying to hide their dirty laundry.

Kindle being criticized for failing to support the blind Posted: 11 Nov 2009 09:01 PM PST Despite the fact that the Kindle has been suggested as an almost perfect alternative to traditional textbooks, some schools have been reluctant to embrace it. This is due to a design issue that makes accessing the audiobook function somewhat difficult for the blind. The Kindle’s new read-aloud feature shows great promise for the visually impaired, something that has been missed by other e-readers on the market. The issue becomes activating the read-aloud feature. It’s buried fairly deep in the menu system, and would pretty much require a sighted person to activate it. In a rather interesting move, the Federation for the Blind has sued one of the schools that participated in a pilot program that brings e-readers into libraries and classrooms for students. The group also filed complaints with the DOJ against 5 other schools that were participating in the trial with Amazon. MSNBC reports that Amazon has already stated that they working towards making the software easier to navigate, and now many schools have stated that they are not going to be rolling out the electronic devices to their students any time soon.

Gearbox talks Borderlands 2 Posted: 11 Nov 2009 07:30 PM PST In a recent interview, Mike Neumann from Gearbox software was asked about DLC and the possibility of a Borderlands 2. And while Gearbox was pretty vague about the future of the franchise, I sincerely doubt that any game that has been selling so well that it’s hard to find at retail outlets won’t have a sequel. Apparently there really is no rest for the wicked. Gearbox confirmed that “there’s a chance of a Borderlands 2″. Currently though, they are focusing on downloadable content and other such horse beating projects. It’s quite obvious that there will be a sequel, however considering the fact that the game has only been out for a very short time, I think it’s safe to assume that we’re looking at a year or more before we see it.

Video: Checking out the Zune HD’s new 3D games Posted: 11 Nov 2009 07:01 PM PST A major and valid criticism of the Zune HD when it launched was the utter lack of apps. Weather, a calculator, and a game that’s been on the Zune for like a year. It had nothing on the thousands upon thousands of apps and games available for the iPod touch… and it still has nothing on that. But slightly less nothing. There are now a dozen games available for the sexy little player, and they’re really not bad at all. I downloaded the interesting-looking ones and put them on video so you can see just how they perform. Somehow I missed the skating game, but I already shot and rendered my video before even seeing it, so if you’re waiting on that one, best look elsewhere. But I checked out Audiosurf Tilt, Project Gotham Racing, Checkers, Lucky Lanes Bowling, and Goo Splat. I skipped Chess, Sudoku, and for some reason Space Battle 2, which sounds right up my alley. The games are all free, and they all display an ad beforehand. That’s a bit ugly, but we knew it was coming, and I have to stick to my guns — the ad-supported world is coming and we’d better get used to it.

The new Palm Pixi commercial: The mystery witch is dead! Posted: 11 Nov 2009 06:02 PM PST It's a new day at Palm. The Pixi, Palm's Treo-esque addition to the WebOS line-up, is getting new commercials without Miss Crazy Face and her magical Pre. Instead, you get hot people taking pictures of each other and having fun. This is the kind of commercial that I call the McCafe (or Devin's lifestyle in Seattle) – excited people doing something exciting. It's a big departure from Palm and a points to a move towards the mainstream. It's a nice change and look forward to our Palm Pixi review shortly.

Facebook coming to PS3 in mystery update? Posted: 11 Nov 2009 05:34 PM PST Some leaked screenshots from Sony show a PS3 interface with what looks like a native Facebook client configurable. There’s also a new photo browser and the ability to change the color of your gamercard, but at those features I make a dismissive gesture— thusly. A Facebook app would be handy, though a constant stream of status updates from heavy players might be lead to mutings by less gaming-orientated friends. “Devin found a new item!” But that’s just the usual pain that comes with convergence. Facebook integration was announced for the Xbox 360 back at E3, though it’s not yet to the point of an actual client. It’s been given a few test runs, and I have to say it looks a bit ugly in NXE form, but what doesn’t? I think what irks me the hipshot way the avatars stand. It isn’t right. See? The one small picture of Facebook on the PS3 is at the top (yes, that’s all there is), and it’s not even of a client. It’s a user accounts configuration screen that happens to include Facebook. So it’s not much to look at, but it was traced to Sony UK’s site, so we’re pretty sure it’s legit. Sony “doesn’t comment on rumor or speculation,” obviously, so we won’t be hearing from them, but it would be ridiculous to think that a all-in-one entertainment device like the PS3 wouldn’t have Facebook on it eventually. While the ability to post interesting things to Facebook would be pretty limited with a Dual Shock and other inherent console limitations, I’m really loving the development of a meta-layer to the consoles that’s always floating just out of sight. Hit pause, check the latest tweets and status updates, grab another Fresca, and then back to the game. I’m not a part of it yet since the Super Nintendo doesn’t really have that level of connectivity, but I look forward to it once I actually buy into this new generation of consoles. [via Joystiq]

iBuyPower outs its first Core i7 gaming notebook, the Battalion 101 W870CU & M980NU Posted: 11 Nov 2009 04:04 PM PST IBuyPower is back with a good looking Core i7 gaming notebook. The 17.3-inch Battalion 101 W8u0CU packs just about everything you would expect from a top-tier notebook with the a price tag to match. Or you could opt for the M980NU and net a huge 18.4-inch 1080p LCD. That is, of course, if you don’t ever plan on moving the damn thing. The W870CU fun starts out at $2,114 and comes equipped with a 17.3-inch, 1080p LCD three different Core i7 CPU options, up to 8GB of memory, a Blu-ray combo drive option, up to a 500GB HDD or 256 GB SSD options, and a 1GB Nvidia GTX280 GPU. But if you must have the biggest LCD option, the M980NU has the same hardware options but packs a 18.4-inch 1080p LCD instead. This boy has a starting price of $2,505. Both are available now.

The Droid receives the obligatory teardown treatment Posted: 11 Nov 2009 03:32 PM PST Did the HTC HD2 teardown from this morning leave you wanting more? Here’s the Droid splayed out for the whole word to see.

How much to tour Bill Gates’ house? About $35k Posted: 11 Nov 2009 03:07 PM PST Microsoft (and particularly Bill Gates) is well known for it’s philanthropic work, including a charity auction conducted each fall. One of the most popular items donated is a tour of the Bill’s famous Lake Washington home. Last year, the highest bid was $8,600. This year, the bidding skyrocketed up to $35,000! These amazing numbers were mentioned to the Seattle blog Techflash during a presentation from Microsoft’s CIO Tony Scott. I have to say, while the house is amazing, $35k seems a bit steep for a tour, but remember this is for charity. Also part of the same auction, the “world’s best bologna sandwich” topped out at $500 this year. No word if you would be allowed to eat the sandwich while touring the house though.

HP Acquires 3Com For $2.7 Billion Posted: 11 Nov 2009 02:16 PM PST HP is acquiring network infrastructure manufacturer 3Com for $2.7 billion. 3Com provides networking, switching, routing and security components. HP says the acquisition will further its data center strategy "built on the convergence of servers, storage, networking, management, facilities and services." The acquisition of 3Com also help to expand HP's Ethernet switching offerings, add routing solutions and significantly strengthen the company's position in China thanks to 3Com's strong presence in China.

Windows 7 was in fact inspired by OS X, says some random Microsoft manager Posted: 11 Nov 2009 02:08 PM PST Anyone that has used both Windows 7 and OS X can see the similarities. It’s clear that some Windows 7 parts were sampled from OS X, but now there is confirmation from Microsoft’s partner group manager, Simon Aldous, that OS X was indeed the mold all along. PCR-Online interview, One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it's very graphical and easy to use. What we've tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it's traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics. We've significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it's built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance. I’m thinking that last sentence could be debated seeing as OS X is built on top of Unix, but whatever. Windows 7 works great and that’s all I really care about. [image via arstechnica]

Microsoft bans ‘small percentage’ of modded Xbox 360s from Xbox Live Posted: 11 Nov 2009 01:30 PM PST Fair warning to those of you who play your modded Xbox 360 on Xbox Live: Microsoft is breaking out the ban hammer. Again. While Microsoft hasn’t released official numbers, and only says that a "small percentage" of Xbox Live accounts have been banned, I’ve seen the number 600,000 used a lot. So, 600,000 people who once were able to play their burned DVDs are no longer able to. I’d shed a tear for y’all, but to expect to be able to play copied games online is a bit of a stretch. You want to copy games? Go ahead, your business is your business; I’m not going to preach otherwise. But then to complain that you’re not able to play the game online, well, come on. The Microsoft statement reads, as told to GamesIndustry.biz: We have taken action against a small percentage of consoles have been modified to play pirated game discs. In line with our commitment to combat piracy and support safer and more secure gameplay for the more than 20 million members of our Xbox Live community, we are suspending these modded consoles from Xbox Live. So there you have it. If you want to play online, you’re going to have to play by the rules. I know that can be difficult in places such as Brazil, where the cost of a legitimate, non-copied game can hover around the $150 mark, but that’s a matter for another day, if not an entire book.

Should mankind be able to control the weather? Posted: 11 Nov 2009 01:00 PM PST In lieu of an actually interesting collection of words and punctuation marks, I present this debate that has nothing to do with us: the weather in China. It seems that they’ve figured out how to control the weather over there using super-duper technology called cloud seeding. You may have heard of it. The problem is that officials there are blaming scientists for causing a major snowstorm; more snow is expected in the coming days. Basically, it’s snowing too much, too early, and the powers that be aren’t happy. Like I said, I sincerely doubt the good people of Columbus, Ohio care about the weather in China, but it helps introduce a topic that I can run with for a minute: should man control the weather? I’ve come up with two points of view based on zero research to help get the conversation started. Yes we should! We’re mankind, the top of the food chain and arbiters of all that happens on the planet. If we can move earth, drain lakes, divert rivers, drop nuclear bombs (throwing untold garbage into the atmosphere), then why shouldn’t we be allowed to control when it rains? I can see it being genuinely helpful, too, bringing rain to an area that’s going through a drought. You know what I mean. It wouldn’t merely be controlling the weather for the sake of it. No we shouldn’t! If man were meant to fly he’d have wings, and if man were meant to control the weather he’d have the equivalent of wings for the purposes of this sentence. Who’s to say what would happen if we mess up while seeding the clouds? Or, to get theological, what right do we have to dictate the weather patterns He has chosen for us?

Fight Night Round 4 (and everyone else on planet earth) predicts a Pacquiao win Posted: 11 Nov 2009 12:30 PM PST I know something about MMA, but I know next to nothing about boxing. Yet even I can laugh about the latest EA Sports prediction, via Fight Night Round 4, that says that Manny Pacquiao will beat Miguel Cotto this weekend. I laugh because saying Pacquiao will win the fight is like saying the sun will rise in the morning. (Now watch Cotto knock out Pacquiao in the first.) This is just the latest simulation that EA Sports has run with its games. The most recent one, that the Philadelphia Phillies would beat the New York Yankees in seven games didn’t exactly pan out. EA Sports has also predicted that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win the NBA Finals this year, and that the Pittsburgh Penguins will win the Stanley Cup. Did EA Sports already do a UEFA Champions League prediction yet? (I imagine after the seeding we’ll see a FIFA World Cup prediction.) And now we play the waiting game.

Chumby One goes on sale for $99 Posted: 11 Nov 2009 12:16 PM PST In case you’re one for hard lines and plastic over soft and cuddly, head over to the Chumby store and order yourself the new Chumby One. It’s way more advanced than the original model with a faster CPU, a lot more storage, FM tuner, and is half the price at only $99. But like I said before, I still want the older model. The original Chumby was fun and whimsical; the One is up-tight. Just look at the two next to each other. The Classic is like the over weight and funny looking party boy that can always score with the ladies. But the One on the other hand, looks more like the straight-laced, classically handsome church boy. I mean, if you’re actually going to own one of these things, don’t you want one that’s fun? [Chumby via Engdaget]

Review: idox Traveler Series iPod touch case Posted: 11 Nov 2009 12:00 PM PST Short Version: As the owner of an iPod touch (2G), I was happy to give this case/stand a spin on my recent trip over to Ireland. Generally speaking, the case provided adequate protection of the touch (albeit leaving the top and bottom slightly exposed), was very handy for watching videos on the plane, and worked great for transforming the touch into a bedside alarm clock. With a MSRP of $34.95, I’d love to see the price come down a touch (zing!), but overall, the idox Traveler Series is a respectable case/stand combo choice. Longer Version: As anyone who regularly flies the not-so-friendly-skies knows, airplanes seem to be caught in some sort of infinite “shrinking” vortex. I swear. Every time I get to my assigned seat, it’s smaller than the last flight… Anyways, we’re here to talk about something more important than the failing flailing airline industry – a new iPod case from idox. Known as the Traveler Series, the case/stand is available for the iPhone (3G / 3GS – $34.95), iPod nano (4G – $24.95), and the iPod touch (2G / 3G – $34.95). Construction: Think of the case as a hard plastic portfolio, of sorts, for your iThing. The construction of the case/stand is very solid, providing more than adequate protection for the screen and device in general when traveling inside a pocket/briefcase/backpack/etc. The touch sorta snaps into place and stays there thanks to the embedded rubber design. When transformed into a stand, there are some nice rubber stoppers on the bottom to prevent the whole thing from sliding off your tray table (or other flat surface). Cons: The idox Traveler Series is definitely not perfect. For starters, the snug-fitting case is rather difficult to pry open. Yes, PRY. The lid snaps into place very securely, but is challenging to open without torquing the bottom (or top) corner. (In the grand scheme, this isn’t a deal breaker since it errs on the side of over protection.) Another downside is the exposed top and bottom of the iPod touch. The way the case is designed (above) allows for easy access to the iPod dock connector, headphone jack, and the top power switch. However, because of the nature of the design, the exposed areas could potentially be damaged. It is also important to note that the physical volume controls on the side of the Pod are rendered useless while in the case. Although, this is not that big a deal since there are onscreen touch volume controls, but still can be annoying in certain situations. Finally, it would be really nice if future generations could include multiple angle options for better and more adaptable stand use. While on the plane, when the guy in front of me put his seat back, I would have loved to be able to change the angle on the stand to compensate for my new viewing situation. Pros: With all that said, the idox Traveler Series does have some nice things going for it. For one thing, it is actually made pretty well. The case’s solid construction provides adequate protection for the screen, sides, and back of touch. Also, the touch stays securely in place once you “snap” it in. Although I complained about “the snug-fitting” case above, there is a definite plus side to this attribute as well – the touch inside the case fits in my jeans pocket with no trouble. And finally, the fact that it is an all-in-one case/stand, which offers both protection AND more comfortable video viewing, is clearly the biggest selling point here. Conclusion: After all is said and done, the Traveler Series case/stand definitely has its utility and some redeeming qualities. At $34.95 it’s definitely not priced very attractively, but I have to say, having any kind of stand for the iPod touch on a long flight really makes all the difference in the world. If it happens to protect the screen and still fit in my pocket as this idox case does, then that’s not such a bad thing either. iPhone case/stand iPod nano case/stand

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