Gadget Sleuth

Here’s an item destined to please any geeky girl (or guy, I suppose) in your life: The Rubik’s Cube Handbag. Makes me wonder who would sit around and think of this, or hope this doesn’t become mainstream in the fashion world. I kinda doubt it, but…you never know.

I especially enjoy the attempt to look trendy by swinging on the arm of a seemingly fashionable girl in this ad pic. I seriously doubt this girl would bother with this bag in real life, but again, fashion reinvents itself pretty often, so you never can tell.

If you have a favorite loved geek in your life this could make a unique gift for only $18.

By Derek

Digital photo frames are dime a dozen these days, but some of them do come with added stuff such as Wi-Fi connectivity these days. How far a simple picture frame has come these days.

The iGala wireless digital photo frame is one such device, allowing you to not only display your favorite digital memories across its 8? touchscreen display in 800 x 600 resolution, you will also be able to use it to read your latest Gmail, check out the most recent news, traffic and weather information, while remaining connected to Flickr directly for easy album management thanks to the touchscreen display. This could be one of the most functional picture frames ever released, if the software lives up to its promise.

Ultra cool device as well as displaying pics of your loved one, that’s technology.

$239 is the list price, so it isn’t cheap. You can get yours here.

By Derek

If you have a tendency to need a little extra lighting that can move around with you, you’ll love this tiny light. It clips onto whatever you need, be it a book, laptop or a monitor.  It would be especially great for those that travel, because it would be easy to toss into your laptop bag or suitcase.  It’s also an attractive light, which is rare for book lights.  Usually they are just dull plastic and look extremely cheap.  Luckily this light is cheap, but it doesn’t actually look it.

The light has four LED lights which would give you a decent amount of lighting.  The light also rotates 360 degrees to make it easier to work.  To keep it powered you’ll need three AAA batteries.  And the light doesn’t produce any heat either so the batteries will last much longer than traditional light similar to this one.  The company claims a 100,000 hour lifespan, which is pretty impressive. 

You can grab it here for only $12 (add two batteries for only $2 more).

By Derek

SanDisk has been making little MP3 players for awhile now, mostly little 1GB-2Gb models that have been seen as poor people’s iPods. That may be changing with their latest release, the Sansa Clip.

The Sansa Clip is an MP3 player that is small with a ton of features included. That might not seem new in today’s MP3 market, but what is new is that this tiny device packs 8GB of memory (that’s enough for about 2,000 songs or so). Other features include the podcast and audiobook support with automatic bookmarking, an FM tuner, as well as Rhapsody DNA integration with playback of MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, and Audible files. Tons of file support and tiny size (and price) make this a winner.

Amazingly, the SanDisk Sansa is about the size of a matchbook, and 8GB is a ton for that footprint. It should be available soon (next few weeks or so) for about $99 retail or so.

Get 30% off the Sansa Clip while supplies last! Use the coupon code: SANSAEMP226 before it expires 12/31/2008.

By Derek | tags: Sandisk

Those who grew up in the 80’s in small, dark arcades will definitely remember the challenge of Space Invaders as you attempt to save the earth from a horde of ever advancing aliens who are absolutely ruthless, stopping at nothing until our home is reduced to mere rubble and ash. It was one of the first “modern” video games of the era.

Of course, the recognizable musical ditty that speeds up as they approach nearer to the earth’s surface makes it all the more exciting, and will probably remain fresh in the minds of many for years to come. Firebox has a brand new retro alarm clock known as the Space Invaders Alarm Clock. This officially licensed piece of merchandise will light up in a bunch of zany colors when it is time to wake up, and you’ll be greeted by a cacophony of familiar sound effects. Choose from black and white for 24.95 GBP (about $39 USD) each. Not cheap, but a great gift for the 80’s collector.

Purchase here.

By Derek

Sanyo’s latest high-quality projector is the PLC-XW57, and this ultra-portable 3LCD projector will target the education and business presentations market with its very solid specifications. Sanyo have really outdone themselves this time where the PLC-XW57 and portability is concerned, and it will tip the scales at just 6.4 lbs., taking up a minimal amount of space courtesy of its tiny footprint of 13? x 3.15? x 9.3?. It’s portable enough to be carried to various locations. 

The Sanyo PLC-XW57 comes with a 2,000 lumens brightness, courtesy of its 200-watt UHP lamp that offers outstanding brightness and well-balanced color reproduction. The inclusion of a 3D Automatic Uniformity Correction Control (AUCC) circuit also makes sure that uniformity is retained, balancing uneven color and brightness gradations for a more natural image. It can do HDTV signals 720p, 1035i and 1080i (no 1080p).

It will retail for $895 and the Press Release is here.

By Derek | tags: sanyo

TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter

Not only did TiVo change how you watch television, but with their wireless USB network adapter they’ll change where you watch it as well. If you have a series 2 or 3 TiVo DVR along with a wireless network in your home, then there’s no reason for you to be stuck watching your recorded shows only in the living room. With this wireless network adapter for your DVR, that’s specifically designed to work with your TiVo, you’ll get TiVo to-go with multi-room viewing transfers, music and photos, online scheduling and more. This USB adapter is plug and play, so you only need to connect it to your 802.11b/g home network and your TiVo should automatically detect it allowing you to get seamless entertainment from your DVR around the house. With this wireless USB adapter you’ll no longer need the use of a phone line that was needed in the past for distributing this service around your house. When you want to get more from your TiVo through your wireless network then buy the inexpensive TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter.

By Gadget Sleuth | tags: Network Adapter, TiVo, USB, Wireless

Duracell is a name that virtually goes with any mention of batteries or related power sources, and a catchy bunny ad campaign sealed that association.

Their most recent release is the Duracell Powerpack 450 with Voice, a solution that ought to be in the home of every American since most people are not adequately equipped for emergencies, be it at home or on the road. This power pack solves this issue, claims the company.

This is no ordinary battery, as the Duracell Powerpack 450 with Voice claims itself as being a completely reliable stand-alone power supply with 450 watts of AC household power that can be used to charge up electronics and appliances in the event of an emergency or disaster.

The voice technology found within is a first when it comes to the portable power category, and is used to “talk” to consumers on how they are supposed to make the correct use of the Powerpack’s built-in vehicle jump-start system. It truly is a marvel of modern battery technology, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Duracell came up with it first.

You can read the company press release here: Link

By Derek

Navigon has announced their newest navigation device called the Navigon 8100T. The device was announced on Monday.

The Navigon 8100T has a fascinating feature called the Panorama View 3D. This Panorama software uses NASA terrain data, so you will see real 3D landscapes, instead of the flat graphical maps associated with Garmin, Tomtom and the like. How this would apply and be useful in real life isn’t clear, but it is cool.

The Navigon 8100T PND also has other features including address entry (voice), full text-to-speech functionality, and Bluetooth compatibility. There is also lifetime free real-time traffic built in as well, all complimented with a large 4.8 inch touchscreen LCD, one of the biggest on any GPS device.

It seems to be one of the coolest GPS devices out there, and you should be able to pick it sometime later in November for about $599 SRP (probably $400-500 street price or so).

By Derek | tags: Garmin, GPS, navigon, TomTom

No one would accuse the iPhone of having the easiest to use keyboard in the world, even its biggest supporters. With little tactile feedback and tiny buttons, writing a document or long e-mail on it is a bit of a chore. But no longer with the BTKeyMini. The BTKeyMini is a Bluetooth keyboard designed for the iPhone (and iPod Touch) that is currently available for pre-order.

With this device, you can wirelessly sync up to your Apple mobile device of choice, and have that great feeing of clicking keys underneath your fingers. It’s a small keyboard adapted for use on the iPhone, with a flap on the keyboard that is presumably there to hold the iPhone in place, and a small size for ease of portability.

The only question that remains is when this product will actually ship. Apparently, it was first announced in January, then available for pre-order in August. It will run you $92, and is still on pre-order here from AVAlive: BTKeyMini

By Derek | tags: Bluetooth, iphone