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Munitio Headphones Go Black

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 05:05 AM PST


True story: a few weeks ago Munitio, a headphone company that makes earbuds shaped like 9 mm slugs, sent me a pair of their silver earbuds. I was supposed to fly so I put them in my bag and went through security. Luckily, big metal slugs shaped like bullets don’t show up on scanners so I was just fine. A word to the wise, however: unless you’re someone like Slash or something, these things are probably too rock and roll for you. You’ll probably also get tased by the TSA if they see them.

Their latest version, the [M] BLK, offer the same great Munitio shape with a small microphone for making phone calls. They’re available today for $180. More specs after the jump but you get the idea. Apparently they’re only available in “lifestyle boutiques” so hit your local Wet Seal after work.

[M] BLK : nine millimeter earphonesTM Titanium Coated Tactical Earphones with Suppressor [M]ic ControlTM Product Specs and Information
Features include: • 9mm speaker drivers with rare earth neodymium magnets for superior dynamic range
and quick recovery • Machined copper alloy housing, coated in titanium providing unmatched sound purity,
natural noise cancellation and durability • MUNITIO's proprietary BassEnhancingChamberTM engineered to produce the tightest,
most accurate bass without distortion • Custom-tuned AccousticSoundFlowSystemTM for the smoothest mid to high frequency
response while minimizing ear fatigue • SiliconeHollowPointsTM with noise isolating technology designed for secure comfortable
fit, resulting in lower volume levels and better sounding music • Kevlar® reinforced fabric cable combining light-weight with high strength to protect the
premium copper wire from stretching and shorting • Premium machined billet Suppressor [M]ic ControlTM for crystal clear voice and hands
free operation (iPhone® & Droid® compatible) • 24K Gold plated 3.5mm stereo plug providing exceptional audio signal transfer • Compatible with leading industry Mp3 and PDA devices. • Frequency Response: 12Hz-22kHz • Sensitivity: 100db +/- 3db at 1kHz • Rated Power: 3mW • Max Input Power: 10mW

Product Page


TagCandy: Augmented Reality-Powered Candy Sucking System (Video)

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 04:41 AM PST

A team of researchers at Tokyo-based Keio University came up with a solution to make sucking candy more fun: dubbed TagCandy, their device intensifies the taste of real popsicles using augmented reality (the use of this term is a bit of a stretch in this case, but OK). All that users need to do is to stick the candy into the device and start licking it.

When your mouth touches the popsicle, a sensor built into the device detects the action and passes the information on to a vibration speaker. This speaker can produce various sensations, i.e. crisp apple or fizzy soda, depending on your choice. TagCandy’s makers says even the sensations of “fireworks and airplanes” can be imitated.

The system also detects when you start biting into the candy with your teeth, producing a sound through bone conduction in that case. TagCandy’s makers now think of ways to share candy sensations on the Internet, it seems (no joke).

Watch this video (shot by our friends over at DigInfoNews) to see how this works (subbed in English):

For Guitarists: Sanyo’s Pedal Juice Battery Pack

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 03:40 AM PST

Sanyo keeps on adding products to its eneloop brand of eco-friendly, rechargeable batteries. Today the company announced the so-called KBC-9V3U Pedal Juice for the US and other markets, a 9V lithium-ion battery unit designed for charging multiple guitar effects pedals at the same time (it features two 9V outputs and can power multi-effect units and portable recorders, too).

Sanyo says that a full charge of the Pedal Juice takes approximately 3.5 hours. The device then offers up to 50 hours of power for a 10mA effects pedal, or up to 27 hours for a 100mA pedal board. According to Sanyo, the Pedal Juice is resistant to water (alcohol) and shocks and provides cleaner, more stable and quiet power when compared to conventional 9V batteries.

Sized at 65x42x120mm and weighing just 280g, it’s pretty compact, too.

In the US, the Pedal Juice is already available (for example on Amazon) for $150 (the MSRP seems to be $199.99).

Multi-Card SD And MicroSD Readers From Elecom

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 12:15 AM PST


These little gadgets are… very practical. I’m surprised this kind of thing isn’t more common. Basically you’ve just got one doodad with room for multiple cards of the same type. So if you need to duplicate or transfer files from one to the other, no middle step, you just plug ‘em both in to the USB thing and boom, you’re copying.

This would be handy for photographers and people who do a lot of hacking with their phones. I constantly have to trade data between MicroSD cards, and while I don’t often have to copy from one SD to another, I’d definitely welcome the ability to do so.

Both these little adapters are from Elecom; you can get the multi-SD reader here and the MicroSD thing… well, I don’t know. I can’t find it for some reason. Oh well, if you’re pumped about it, you’ll find it somehow.

Hmm. I also love the cassette and Famicom iPhone cases. Makes me wish I had an iPhone to put ‘em on.

[via Akihabara News]

Daily Crunch: Train Edition

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

Report Shows iPad Gaining On Kindle In E-Reader Category

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 06:32 PM PST


I’m not really sure this research is as revealing as it seems to be. Take a look at the above diagram. The take-away is that since the introduction of the iPad, the Kindle’s share of the e-reader market has dropped from 68% to 40%. This suggests that sales of the Kindle are dropping, or that Amazon is losing ground to Apple. But the simple nature of the study by ChangeWave suggests a different conclusion.

Think about it. The iPad comes out, and millions have sold. Percentage is zero-sum; a new competitor on the market will almost always decrease the points owned by the market leader, but that doesn’t mean that people are buying it instead of the market leader. The Kindle is selling like crazy, and so is the iPad; it’s become, as Ars Technica puts it, a two-horse race for now.

As we so often have to point out, the differences between the Kindle and the iPad are enormous. Comparing the two is a foolish game, as they exist in and appeal to different markets. Very few people said to themselves “the Kindle is a nice device, but I think I’ll spend the extra $400 and get an iPad.” They don’t compete the way the Kindle and the Nook or Kobo compete. And within the Kindle’s real realm of competition, they reign supreme.

The iPad has simply added to the total number of people who identify as owning an e-reader, and because of its immense success (which I am in no way trying to deny), it has skewed the numbers.

More Convertible MacBook-Tablet Patents Granted To Apple

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 05:29 PM PST


We saw some really interesting convertible touch device patents back in August, but they mainly pertained to a sort of “kneeling” iMac and the transitions between OS X and iOS. Now, convertible touch device patents back in August, but they mainly pertained to a sort of “kneeling” iMac and the transitions between OS X and iOS. Now, in a new bevy of patents granted to Apple, we’re seeing a new, interesting sliding-screen design for a MacBook-tablet hybrid.”>in a new bevy of patents granted to Apple (including some I examined) we’re seeing a new, interesting sliding-screen design for a MacBook-tablet hybrid.

Back at the Apple event in October, Jobs mentioned that touchscreens like to be horizontal. A “standing” touchscreen attached to a laptop is a bad idea, something ergonomics experts have already determined. But this design allows for a device to be both a horizontal tablet and a vertical screen for touchpad and keyboard input. To be honest, though, I’m not sure it could be executed in as attractive and lightweight a way as would be necessary for it to be a success.

Dell is already exploring this space with the Inspiron Duo, but I think they might have undershot as far as quality goes. A device like this can command a premium, and shouldn’t cut corners, as the touch interface on the Duo seems to do.

It may also be that an Apple engineer found a clever way to do this kind of thing, and Apple just wanted to reserve it for themselves should they ever feel the urge to put one out. No way to tell right now, but don’t expect one of these to come out in January.

[via TUAW]

Goodbye iPhone, Hello Smartphone

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 04:30 PM PST


I started a new full time job at about the same time that my 2-year AT&T contract ended. My new job provided me with a Blackberry Bold 9700, to chain me to the corporate teat. I opted not to renew my personal AT&T contract, officially retiring my iPhone 3G, as it didn’t make sense to carry two smartphones. The Blackberry is not a perfect device, but I’m wholeheartedly convinced that it’s a terrific smartphone, whereas the iPhone was a neat little computer that could make phone calls.

For the most part, my transition to the Blackberry has been pretty smooth. Say what you will about the perils of “living in the cloud”, but apps like Evernote, Dropbox, PogoPlug, and TripIt have made the bulk of my transition relatively painless. I’ve given all my friends and family my Google Voice number, which rings my Blackberry, so no one really needs to know I’ve even changed platforms.

And speaking of Google, the Google apps for Blackberry reveal just how depressingly myopic Apple’s walled garden approach to apps really is. I know Apple spends a lot of time and money making things work simply and beautifully, but their continued arrogance toward knowing how best users want to use their consumer devices is mind-boggling. I installed the Google Voice for Blackberry app and was absolutely delighted to see two new menu options when clicking on a contact: “Call with Google Voice” and “SMS with Google Voice”. There’s no need to go to a dedicated Google Voice application, as is required with iPhone, because the app perfectly integrates with the native software stack. That, my friends, is what makes a smartphone a smartphone.

I know that I’m late to the Blackberry game. I moved from a Palm Treo 700p to my iPhone in December of 2008. I’d never used a Blackberry, so I was mostly ignorant of the strengths of the platform. For those of you who, like me, haven’t used a Blackberry, I can say without equivocation that they absolutely nail messaging. Email is brilliantly fast. Launching the email application on my iPhone 3G, even when it was brand new and not bloated with apps, was a sluggish operation. Not so on the Blackberry.

The unified inbox is another brilliant aspect of the Blackberry platform. Emails, SMS and MMS all end up in the same inbox. The need to launch a separate dedicated app just to read or respond to a text message often made using my iPhone more of a nuisance than a convenience. Loading the SMS app took time. Tapping on an individual conversation took time. Tapping in the text input field took time as the phone thought about bringing up the on-screen keyboard. The Blackberry, on the other hand, makes sending and receiving texts as fast and as simple as it’s stellar support of email.

Lest this sound like a paid endorsement for Blackberry, let me say that I’m not altogether thrilled with the device. The browser is absolute rubbish. The organization of options is confusing and complicated. I do often miss a touchscreen interface. The blappworld has an anemic selection of apps.

But the more I think about it, the less I care about the selection on blappworld. The core apps I need — Evernote, Dropbox, etc — are there and work great. I don’t need two dozen flatulence simulators or a guide to sex positions or any of the other absolute crap that fills up the Apple App Store. The app selections, I think, perfectly highlight the fundamental differences between Blackberry and iPhone: the former is a smart phone, and the latter is a neat little computer that can make phone calls.

Of course, all of this is just my opinion. If you’re happy with your phone, that’s great! No, really, it’s great. I don’t have a dog in this specific hunt, so you don’t need to justify or explain your happiness to me. If, on the other hand, you’re ignorant of Blackberry, as I was, consider giving the platform a shot.

Inside A Vintage Black Box Recorder

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 04:00 PM PST


If you are one of those who appreciates interesting old technology, this video should be right up your alley. I always actually wondered how black box recorders worked before the digital age (indeed, I still wonder how many survive crashes), and this great explanation from the Engineer Guy makes a lot of sense.

The way it records is reminiscent of a seismograph, as it is direct analog sensor to analog medium, via a single arm for amplitude and steady rate of advance. I only wish the video could have shown what the data looks like on the Inconel magazine — and how it’s read off.

[via Make]

Surplus Swiss Army Axes? Yes Please

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 03:30 PM PST


Oh man. I don’t know what it is about a finely crafted axe that I like so much. I should probably just stop there. But I can’t. I just love axes, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

These beautiful axes are apparently Swiss Army surplus, and are decades old and handsome as hell. They’ve also just gotten a price reduction, because apparently people don’t recognize a good axe when they see one. Well, I do, and I just bought one. What do you think of that?

You can also get a nice-looking waxed-canvas log carrier. I didn’t go in for that, though. Our woodpile is pretty close.

[via Uncrate]

Give Your Wireless Apple Keyboard The Power Of Numbers

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 03:00 PM PST

The wireless Apple Keyboard is a fantastic device. It didn’t work so well for me in a Windows environment, but it’s a cult favorite — especially in HTPC circles. But it lacks a number pad. Well, it doesn’t come with a number pad by design, but there are certainly times when one would come in handy for some users. Tax time, playing Math Blasters, and for the few times a year you dust of Excel and play around in a spreadsheet.

That’s where this number keypad comes in. It’s from some random company, LMP if you wanna know, and recently made its way through the bowels of the FCC. It seems to use some sort of collar to attach itself to the original wireless Apple Keyboard. Connectivity is done through Bluetooth and it’s powered from two AA batteries. Of course since this thing is currently just in the post-FCC portion of its lifecycle, I can’t dig up the US pricing, release date and expected retail channels. But sometime, hopefully, Apple Wireless Keyboards will have a number pad to go dancing with a few nights of the year. [FCC via WirelessGoodness]

Budget Kyros Android Tablet From Coby Is Budget

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 02:30 PM PST


Are you thinking about picking up an Android tablet for Christmas? Stop. Stop right now. It’s a bad idea. Whether you spend $600 on a Galaxy Tab or $250 on a Nook Color or this Kyros thing, it’s a bad idea. They’re all cut-rate, beta products that will be obsoleted shortly by Android 2.3 and 3.0 devices. Sorry for souring the milk with this little editorial, Coby, but you know it’s true.

The Kyros doesn’t impress, but it is only $250. It’s got an 800MHz processor, 4GB of internal storage (plus an SD slot), a 7″, 16:9, 800×480 resistive touchscreen, HDMI and one USB port. It runs Android 2.1, with no mention of an upgrade.

See, just not very exciting. Not garbage, certainly, and it’s a nicely-designed, compact package, but with so many options available and forthcoming, I don’t see this poor guy making much of a splash.

[via Hot Hardware]

This $395 Flash Drive Would Make A Great Gift For The Steampunker In Your Life

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 02:00 PM PST

That right there is a 16GB USB drive. It’s crafted out of scrap of rosewood, brass thingies and an analog gauge for good measure. All for $395 plus shipping. But this isn’t the most expensive flash drive in this guy’s Etsy store. Nope that honor goes to this 4GB drive that costs $600. I’ll take both, thankyouverymuch.

If This Model Train Was Much Bigger, They’d Just Call It A Train

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 01:15 PM PST


In some families, the holidays are a chance to take out the old model train, have it run around the house a bit, and revel in nostalgia. At Tokyo’s Make Fair, however, the model train is just another hobby to be taken to extremes. This awesome train was spotted a couple days ago, and is probably about as large as you can get (1:8.4) before you start having to apply for a moving vehicle license for the thing.

It’s powered by a gas turbine engine and seems to have enough torque to carry its creator back and forth (like a boss, as Gizmag notes), though I can think of heavier cargo.

Hidepon Works has actually been making these for quite a while; you can see more pictures and video at their site, which is of course in Japanese. I want one of these things in my neighborhood.

[via Gizmag and Neatorama]

Battlefield: Vietnam Will Take Up Your Free Time Beginning On December 18

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 12:45 PM PST

If we’re to believe Steam, then Battlefield: Vietnam will be released on December 18 of this year. Two weeks and counting!

The $15 expansion pack adds four new multi-player maps, 15 Vietnam-era weapons, six vehicles, and a "rocking 60s soundtrack."

Yes, "Fortunate Son" will be there, and yes I’m listening to it right now.

I don’t know if these are bullshots, but man, looks pretty good to me. It doesn’t hurt that Battlefield’s multi-player is pretty nifty, too.

Shame about this weird crash-to-desktop problem I keep running into (apparently the last Radeon driver this game works with is 10.5a, which was released several months ago)…

Panasonic’s Jungle Game System Begins US Testing

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 12:30 PM PST


At the beginning of October, we pulled the curtain back on a certain Jungle device from Panasonic, but there’s been little chatter since its dramatic debut. But in an email recently sent to some users, Panasonic appears to be fishing for testers for the device. Could we be approaching a public hands-on?

The email describes the system as being “committed to the cloud and web-based content, the free-to-play movement, social and community-based gaming, and new forms digital entertainment.” They disdain “traditional” handheld gaming as being covered by those other guys, and congratulate the reader of the email for thinking outside the box with them.

You then can apply to the user-testing program, but beyond that, there are no dates or specifics regarding games, pricing, or hardware. Keeping things on the hush hush, I see.

Comcast & Netflix In Net Neutrality Row: Now Will You Care About Net Neutrality?

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 12:00 PM PST

*Now* do you people understand why Net Neutrality isn’t merely some thing that Slashdot-dwelling sysadmins argue about during lunchtime? Surely you’ve heard by now that Comcast, one of the largest Internet Service Providers in the U.S., has been fiddling with Netflix traffic? But no, Net Neutrality isn’t worth defending, right?

The story goes that Level 3 Communications, which handles Netflix’s Internet traffic, says that, all of a sudden, Comcast started demanding more money to accept said traffic. Comcast says it’s merely a commercial dispute—if you want us to pass this traffic over to our customers, you’ll have to hand over X more dollars than we used to charge&mash;and that it has nothing to do with Net Neutrality.

Which, of course, is syncretic nonsense.

A sort of, "We’re threatening to use our position as a major ISP to extract more RENTS~! in order to carry your traffic. This has nothing to do with Net Neutrality, honest."

Hmm.

Level 3 said as much in a statement yesterday:

With this action, Comcast demonstrates the risk of a 'closed' Internet, where a retail broadband Internet access provider decides whether and how their subscribers interact with content.

The problem is that there really doesn’t seem to be an easy way out of this mess. Clearly streaming media is taking over the world, but there’s one problem: bandwidth isn’t free, and that’s Comcast’s biggest complaint. If you want Comcast to carry this or that stream, then you can’t expect Comcast to do so at a loss, right?

Granted, I’ve no idea how much it costs Comcast to run and maintain a broadband network, but I recognize that they’re in business to make money.

If nothing else hopefully more people will now recognize what’s at stake: among other things, your ability to stream the content of your choosing.

People only care about things when it happens in their backyard, right? Well here you go.

The Best Black Friday Story, Hands Down

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 11:54 AM PST

Reader Grant posted this comment when I asked for great Black Friday stories. His is the greatest:

some friends and I were hanging out, buying random stuff on Newegg, until about 11:30 on thursday. We then decided to head out to the mall area, and the lines were so long we wondered what to do. We were driving my Ford E-350 van, and the cargo bay happened to be full of about 30 two pound cooking pumpkins. What did we do? We pulled my van up to people in the lines, jumped out of the bay doors, shouted out "Everyone gets a pumpkin!", handed pumpkins to everyone, then drove off, shouting "PUMPKIN MOBILE, OUT!"

We got a mention in the local paper.


From the story:

There were odd moments in the wee hours. At one point, a car showed up. Four guys got out and started giving shoppers small pumpkins.

“They just handed us pumpkins,” said Sargent. “I don’t know (why).”

“Pumpkin Mobile, out” is how I’m hanging up the phone from now on.

Video Walkthrough Of Virgin’s New Project iPad Magazine

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 11:31 AM PST

Virgin’s somewhat highly-anticipated Project iPad magazine went live early this morning. Its focus is on “design, entertainment, technology, entrepreneurs” and its format is kin to other attempts at next-generation magazines, though I’d say this one is more successful.

Of course, it requires an iPad with 4.2 to enjoy, and while five or six million of those have been sold, not everybody will get a chance to check this thing out. So I put together a little video walkthrough for you guys.

Continue reading…

Go All MJ With the Dell Vostro V130′s Hyperbaric Cooling System

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 10:07 AM PST


The thin and light Dell Vostro V130 comes in multiple colors (including red) and weighs in a 3.5 lbs. What’s under the hood? An HDMI port, two USB port, and a Core i3 or i5 ULV processor. I know, right? It supports WiMAX, Bluetooth, and WiFi.

Best of all, it uses Intel’s “hyperbaric” cooling, presumably a fanless solution to keep this thing nice and icy when it’s on your lap. It starts at $429 and is available now.

Entrepreneurs Work Beautifully with Dell Vostro V130

ROUND ROCK, Texas, Nov 30, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Dell today unveiled the Vostro V130, the latest and most stunning addition to its award-winning Vostro laptop line.

Designed with the needs and wants of on-the-go entrepreneurs in mind, the Vostro V130 combines head-turning style with best-of-breed durability and security. The Vostro V130 is one of the thinnest [as thin as 0.65" (front) to 0.78" (rear)] and lightest (starting at 3.5 pounds[i]) ultraportable 13-inch laptops available and includes color options Lucerne Red and Aberdeen Silver. Constructed from sturdy aluminum and reinforced with zinc hinges and a magnesium alloy palm rest, it is also road-ready and able to survive everyday bumps and thumps. In addition, the V130 is the first ultra-thin laptop to offer Hyperbaric Cooling, an Intel(R) Advanced Cooling Technology, to help it stay quiet and cool.

To increase productivity, the laptop can run Windows(R) 7 effortlessly while performing everyday tasks quickly thanks to the new Intel Core ULV processor, full-sized keyboard and 13.3-inch High Definition WLED display. In addition, the new laptop provides business-class security and superior service and support when and where it’s needed, giving customers the power to do more while carrying less. With the Vostro V130, customers can choose their own level of 24/7 coverage with optional Dell ProSupport(TM) services and Accidental Damage Service(2), as well as get help when they need it with DellConnect(TM)(3), which allows tech-support agents to troubleshoot and help repair system issues remotely. The laptop also comes equipped with the latest Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Services to protect your system and servers from viruses and virtual threats, as well as CompuTrace(4) anti-theft.

“Small and mid-sized firms are re-examining their IT needs and are ready to implement technology that gives them comprehensive access to all the capabilities they need, even while on the road,” said Ray Boggs, vice president of small and medium business research at IDC. “Notebook PCs are on SMB shopping lists in a big way as firms shift from desktops and implement product refreshes that have long been delayed. Dell continues to keep SMB needs in focus with effective design, connectivity options and more processing muscle.”

Vostro V130: The Perfect On-the-Go Ultraportable for Small Business

The Vostro V130 is the perfect follow up to the popular V13 and includes new connectivity features based directly on customer feedback, including the addition of an HDMI port for easy connection to High Definition TV, the ability to back up seamlessly or quickly connect devices and peripherals using the two USB 2.0 ports, shared USB/eSATA port and VGA.

Small businesses can work virtually anytime anywhere wirelessly with 802.11n wireless technology, optional WiMAXtechnology (U.S. only)(5) and Bluetooth 3.0 for easy wireless connection to devices and peripherals such as keyboards, mice and headsets within a short distance. The new SIM card slot and upgraded built-in webcam complete the package, helping you stay connected to your business.

“With the V130, we are adding the functionality customers asked for without sacrificing the beautiful design they fell in love with in the V13,” said Sam Burd, vice president, Consumer, Small and Medium Business Product Group, Dell. “Starting today, I predict the V130 will fast become the must-have travel companion for today’s mobile professional.”

Pricing and Availability

The Vostro V130 is available today worldwide, starting at $429.
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