Gadgetstronics

Art Lebedev has released a mock-up for the cheaper second version of the Optimus Maximus keyboard, optimistically named the Optimus Popularis. There’s no word on the exact price (they probably haven’t even started firing up the molds), but if it’s true popularis they seek, they must come down to Logitech-level pricing. 

The Optimus Maximus keyboard made the leap from a super-hyped product that took more than two years to be released, to a super-hyped product loved by the few lucky few who can afford it. Most other people (i.e. the rational majority, plus a few dedicated haters) have not only been put off by the price, but by the fact that it doesn’t discernibly improve the keyboarding experience that much. Just check out out the livid public response when we mentioned its released last month in a post right here.

So unless you’re a well-trained media professional, you probably won’t get your money’s worth.

But we say that customization of basic computing tools like keyboards are an important part of the irrepressible love of gadgetry (see the last two posts below). The Optimus Maximus keyboard, its junior version, and its future copycats will likely stay around.

See also:
The Optimus Maximus Keyboard Is Now Available For Purchase, If You’re Filthy Rich

I tend to chuckle a little when I see a new iPod accessory, because there is such an overabundance of all different types of them.  Any new one that comes out really has to do something different to stand out from the rest.  Some prefer to do so with extremely high quality sound and others decide to go for a design that just looks a bit different from the rest.  This Rotating Alarm Clock works for all those with the fancy new ipod Touch or iphone.  However, don’t worry, the alarm clock allows for you to plug in other devices as well, it just won’t sit on the dock like the iPod Touch does.

The dock is meant to allow you to be able to flip it to watch a movie or sit it straight up when you just want to fall asleep to your favorite tunes.  It has many of the usual features of an alarm clock, a backup battery when your power dies and of course that precious snooze button.  It features a Expanded Bass and Reson8 speaker and a jack for all those other audio devices.  The alarm won’t be available until July, but you can preorder it for $79.99.

Source: SlipperyBrick

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Adobe has officially launched its new web-based office application suite available in beta at adobe.com. The web tool is kind of like a combination of both Google Docs and Microsoft’s Office applications. Adobe offers up a word processor called Buzzword, a web conferencing application called ConnectNow, file sharing, an online desktop solution and of course an online PDF creator which is a scaled-down version of Adobe Acrobat. The PDF creator allows users to convert up to 5 files only. So, it pretty much serve as an appetizer to Adobe’s proprietary Acrobat software.

In brief let us walk you through the different web applications that Adobe.com is offering. Buzzword as we said is Adobe’s take on word processing on the web. Utilizing Flash/Flex, Buzzword displays all text formatting seamlessly regardless of the size of the screen you are reading the Buzzword document. On the other hand, ConnectNow is an online whiteboard that lets users conduct live meetings online and features screen sharing, chat, whiteboards, VoIP and video conferencing. Share is your typical web based file sharing application where you can upload documents on adobe.com and share them among your friends and colleagues for collaboration purposes. Finally we have My Files, a document organizer and storage center which can be located and accessed easily. Adobe.com gives out up to 5GB of maximum storage, which for most users should be more than enough storage.

Via [Read Write Web]

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 2nd 2008 at 4:20PM
What’s this? Some joyous news on the Palm front? No need to Windex your spectacles — the aforementioned handset maker has indeed managed to up its share of the smartphone market from 7.9% in the fourth quarter to 13.4% today, largely thanks to the popularity of its Centro. In general, analysts seemed quite pleased by the gains, noting that it (along with RIM) were able to take advantage of the 7.5% skid experienced by Apple during the same period. Despite the recent gains, Palm’s market share is still down from 23% in Q1 a year ago, but considering the sweeping slump in cellphone sales of late, we’d say this should still go down as a victory — however minor — for the firm.

[Via Palm InfoCenter]

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We previously offered a Mother’s Day Gift Guide and are now proud to announce our 2008 Father’s Day one. Father’s Day in the United States is coming up fast–June 15th–so take a look at the recommendations below and order today, before it’s too late.

Open It!
Price: $11.99
It made its debut in the Mother’s Day Gift Guide but we had to feature it for dad’s, too. Name a dad that hasn’t faced a package that refuses to open. Open It! will put an end to that nightmare. Open It! is like a scissor on steroids. It’s a scissor-like device designed to open hard plastic clamshells, blister packs, and more. When you can’t cut it, you can use the retractable knife in the handle or the screwdriver. It’s a three-in-one. It’s also pretty geeky looking so dad can proudly display it on the tool rack or just leave it lying around as a conversation starter.

Life Gear Flashlight/reading lamp/multi-band radio
Price: starting at $39.95
What dad doesn’t have a survival instinct? The folks at Life Gear are offering up some interesting products which range from including an AM/FM weather band / NOAA Alert radio, emergency siren, and 0.5 watt flashlight, to that and a mobile charger, reading lamp, and more. Both of the units I’ve played with feature tri-power, which means you can crank them, use batteries, or plug them into a wall or car. It’s the ultimate gear for any survival dad. The company offers up a host of other products, too, so be sure to check them out.

Chargepod multi-device charger
Price: starting at $56
Does dad have a lot of gadgets? Next time he travels he’ll remember you fondly if you purchase a chargepod for him. The unique device offers the ability to charge six things at once, and the company offers up connectors for just about every gadget. Does dad have a Motorola mobile and a blackberry and a Nintendo DS? No worries, chargepod will handle it.

Solio Magnesium Edition Solar Charger
Price: $199.99
When it comes to cool, useful, and environmentally responsible gadgets, the Solio is a great pick. This device is under five inches long and weights 6.3 oz. but it is an extremely handy tool to have around. The Solio is a hybrid charger, which means it can charge a wide range of devices either by a wall outlet or with solar power. It has a internal battery that will hold a charge for up to a year so if it’s sunny now and you want to charge it, but your cell phone currently has a full battery, you can shift the power from the Solio to your phone later on. A number of tips are available if you don’t have a device that charges from mini-USB, so whether Dad wants to charge his Nintendo DS or his GPS it’s possible. When it comes to slick design and compact solar power units, the Solio is tough to beat, especially in the extremely cool magnesium casing.

Jawbone Bluetooth headset
Price: $130
We previously reviewed the Jawbone and deemed it to be a must-have headset and even awarded it a geek.com pick. Well, there’s a new Jawbone in town that is 50 percent smaller and has even better noise elimination technology. It’s also much cooler looking, so dad will look high-tech without looking like too much of a geek.

Navigon 2100 Max
Price: starting at $242
We have gushed over the Navigon GPS units in the past and now the company has a new widescreen model that can’t be beat. It features voice guided navigation with door-to-door-directions, a 4.3″ widescreen, spoken street names, Reality View for realistic 3D guidance, DirectHelp, which will show you exactly where you are and the closest hospital, police station, and more. It’s a great device and priced right.

Apple iPod Touch
Price: starting at $299
The iphone has stolen the spotlight since its launch last June. What hasn’t grabbed the attention it deserves, however, is the iPod Touch. Featuring the same cool touch technology, Safari browser, iTunes download store, and just about everything else the iPhone has to offer, this little beauty doesn’t require an expensive contract or data plan to enjoy. It’s one of the best wifi-based devices I’ve used and is worth a second look if you’re thinking of getting dad a media player that he can enjoy. I should also mention that it now ships in sizes ranging from 8GB to 32GB.

Sansa Fuze
Price: start around $74
If you don’t want an Apple iPod, look no further than the Sansa Fuze. As its name suggests, it fuzes your entertainment options together, providing you with one device that offers 24 hours of battery life for you to watch videos, view photos, listen to music, and more. It features a 1.9″ color screen, integrated FM Radio, built-in voice recorder, and is about the size of the ipod nano. Best of all, it features a microSD slot, so you’re able to enjoy an unlimited amount of media.

Canon PowerShot S5 IS
Price: from $303
If you want dad to enjoy something that’s close to DSLR, but without the price tag, get him this little beauty. Canon’s PowerShot S5 IS hits that sweet spot by offering an 8 Megapixel camera with 12x optical zoom lens with image stabilization. It also offers the usual features including Red-Eye correction, and a 2.5-inch LCD. This camera really can’t take a bad picture.

HP 2133 Mini-Note
Price: starting at $549
If you’re looking for a ultraportable or “mini” notebook, check out HP’s latest offering. It features an 8.9-inch screen, almost full size keys and comes with Vista, XP, or SuSE Linux. It’s a great machine and may even end up being dad’s primary device post father’s day. With a starting price of $549, and a myriad of configuration options available, this is the “mini-note” to beat.

Who says camping can’t be less rugged? Take coffee for example. Sure you can brew up a normal cup of joe at the campsite, but what if you can’t do without your morning espresso? Sure you could haul a bulky espresso maker with you to the deep woods. Of course then, you would need an inverter or some kind of generator to power it. Well, with today’s nifty little gadget, you can still get your espresso on without the need for that pesky electricity.

Introducing the Handpresso Wild Instant Espresso Machine. This little gem for espresso junkies makes it possible to have your perfect shot of espresso practically anywhere and anytime. To make it work, users need to pump the handle of the Handpresso maker up to 16 bar of pressure using the handy built-in pressure gauge. After that, you add hot water to the espresso maker’s mini reservoir and slip in a coffee pod from the supermarket and off you go. It’s almost instant caffeine gratification.

Unfortunately like most cool tools like this, convenience comes at a higher price. The Handpresso Wild Instant Espresso Machine is listed for purchase at £79.99 Pounds, or approximately $144 Dollars, US.

Read more at I Want One Of Those.

I suppose if you’re rich enough to afford this $29,950 X10 automated poker table, you can surely afford to employ a group of dealers to serve you and your guests, right? Then again, you might just want to invoke the green-eyed monster in others by purchasing the X10. This unique table is capable of serving up high-speed Texas Hold ‘em action for up to 10 players, boasting ten 12.1″ touch screen displays as well as a 27″ LCD display located at the center of the table for all and sundry to see. Community cards and chips are displayed in the middle, while the players’ hole cards peel up when a player touches them on his individual screen. In addition, you can always switch to Blackjack for a change of fortunes should you start getting some bad hands.

SanDisk knows how to use the term “extreme” when it comes to a new Memory Stick Pro-HG DUO product. The company’s new Extreme III Memory Stick Pro-HG DUO is not only extremely fast, but durable as well. It will come in capacities of 4GB and 8GB and has been made for used in Sony digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras.

The new memory stick is capable of read and write speeds of 30 megabytes per second. It can also function in extreme temperatures, from -13 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. In case you accidentally delete an image you can utilize the RescuePRO software which comes with the memory stick to recover it. The SanDisk Extreme III Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo will be available in June. The 4GB and 8GB sizes will be priced US$89.99 and US$149.99 respectively.

I think it is safe to say that this memory stick can take a licking and keep on ticking. If a photographer was truly in an environment where they were in 185 degree heat they may die from heat stroke, but at least their pictures would be okay. Also, I suppose this would be the kind of memory stick you would take to Alaska or the North Pole since it can withstand a temperature of -13 degrees Fahrenheit.

Read more from the SanDisk press release.

To see the word ‘cheap’ lumped together with ‘Sony’ is definitely as rare as watching pigs fly, but that day might come pretty soon as Sony has teamed up with Quanta Computer to come up with a prototype Sony laptop that is based on the open-source Via OpenBook reference design. This low-cost laptop is tipped to ship sometime in Q3 this year, and will be powered by Via’s C7-M 1.6GHz processor. Is Sony eyeing more profit at the low-end market dominated by the Asus Eee PC and its rivals? Perhaps, but as I always say, more (healthy) competition among the manufacturers is good as the consumers will be the ultimate winner.

Bob Prior makes sci-fi models from cereal boxes. You might think I’m about to embark on a rant about the strange childlike obsessions of men, or the just aim an arrow of scorn right at the heart of the easy target provided by the picture of Prior, below.

But I’m not. Everybody has a nerdy side (I once got caught with bits of solder on the covers of my Hi-Fi magazine collection), and Bob’s is quite splendid. He has made fifty models so far, ranging from the bridge of the USS Enterprise to Kirk and Picard via, if we’re not mistaken, a few Thunderbirds along the way. The point is, it’s easy to laugh at a man who folds and sticks Rice Krispies boxes into spaceships, especially whilst dressed in a too-tight replica uniform, but at least Bob is actually creating something.

And so what if he has press-ganged his kids to help? It’s certainly a lot better than the cold saturday afternoons my brother and I were forced to spend with our dad on the railway stations of rainy England, writing down numbers in our notebooks, missing the A-Team and being schooled in the lonely and arcane pursuit known as trainspotting.

Star Trek set built from Rice Krispies [Metro]