Gadgetstronics

Oh yeah, this is just what I need; a portable office disguised as a pool toy. Unveiled at the Next-gen PC Design Competition, the ‘Swim-Ring” device, shaped like a big floatie, can check e-mail, surf the net, play movies, games, and music. It also features a GPRS receiver, Bluetooth wireless solutions, finger-touch input, solar power driven processor, water-cooling system, magnetic charging interface, and water-proof design. And just in case you get lost in your pool (in which case, I want whatever you’re drinking), the GPRS helps show you the way. The concept-only amphibious PC includes a backlight keyboard design (in case you’re skinny dipping at night), a 7-inch LCD display, and a stereo speaker set.

I’ll stick with my inner tube, thanks.

Via Born Rich.

No matter how you slice it there is no computer out there which offers 100% protection from a virus or a Trojan horse. That’s even true for the Mac and its OS X Tiger and Leopard operating systems. One new Trojan horse can be especially damaging to not only your identity, but to your privacy as well.

SecureMac has giving the Trojan horse a security risk of critical. That’s probably because of how damaging the AppleScript THT Trojan horse can be since it is capable of logging ketstrokes, taking screenshots, turning on file sharing and even taking a picture using the built-in Apple iSight camera. The good news is that the file can only be activated by someone downloading it and executing it. That’s why it is always a good idea to ensure you are sure of the source and the validity of files you download online.

I never thought about a Trojan horse utilizing a built-in camera to take a picture of someone without their knowledge. I suppose this is another reason why it may not be a good idea to keep a computer in the bedroom. It would be devastating to find a picture of yourself posted somewhere online in a compromising position. Very scary!

Read more from the SecureMac article.

Here at Hiptop3.com we get quite a bit of email, a lot (Ok, most) of the emails we get are the same questions over and over. So we’re going to cover them all in this post rather than answer each one individually.

Is the ota a new sidekick or is it something that’s on the sidekick lx

Hey, I was wondering, what really is a ota update? Will it benifit me or my sidekick lx

The OTA is a Software update for the Sidekick LX. You don’t have to buy a new sidekick for the OTA. Yes, your sidekick will benefit from the update of course. Read our previous posts on the new features.

How can I get the OTA update in my sidekick lx

how do you get the ota update for the lx? through an email or something

U probably are tired ΦF hearin this bu I jus wanted 2 Ｋ₪ how I would Ｋ₪ when I get my ota

For the sidekick lx ota update does the update come in from your email. Like can u send me a screen shoot of what it would like when the ota comes and I would know that, that is the ota and I need to upgrade it.

That’s the hidden beauty in the OTA process. You do nothing. Just continue using your Sidekick as usual. When the update is ready a box will popup on your phone letting you know that a system update has been downloaded. You can choose to install now, or install later. If you choose later, it will prompt you again later or you can press Menu from the Jump Screen and select the Update menu item.

This is what the box looks like.

It sucks, I can’t go on myspace using my phone’s web browser anymore because of the new myspace layout. Do you think they did it on purpose to force people to buy the myspace application?

No. MySpace is notorious for being very poor on the Sidekick. Every time they change something the site breaks on the Sidekick. It’s just a coincidence that there is a full Application and MySpace has web developers that occasionally screw things up. You can take the foil hats off now.

So are THE ota updates coming on THE 26 of june

On the 25th is the OTA for everyone gonna be rolled out

We don’t know when the OTA rollout will start. Everything now is a rumor. What we do know is just because the roll out starts on say the 25th of June, that does NOT mean everyone gets it that day. It can still take weeks for you to get your update.

How can I get my update faster?

You’ll get your OTA when it’s ready. Just wait. This might be Tomorrow, this might be weeks. The only thing you can do to make the OTA come faster is slip into a coma until around Mid-July (The OTA should (by our estimations) be fully rolled out by then.)

Will the sidekick slide get the OTA update too?

No, the Slide will not be getting this OTA from all that we have heard. If this changes, we will certainly report on it.

The robot that replicates itselfJun 25, 2008 English scientists have created an unusual robot. The device can make 3D copies of different objects. It can be a realistic object, like window handles and pens. But the most interesting thing is that it can replicate itself.

So, the robot is a kind of a three-dimensional printer. It doesn’t print documents or images, but it uses blueprints to make 3D plastic objects.

Zack Smith, the director of the RepRap Research Foundation, says that the aim is to develop a robot that will be able to produce individual processors and circuit boards. It is necessary in order to give people the possibility to build their own computers.

3D printers have been on the market for about 25 years, but the robot’s creators say that the RepRap Company is the only one company in that sphere that made a machine that can materially make its own structural parts.

A usual printer uses ink; but the robot warms plastic and then compresses it into a line. These lines are made up into handy forms as they solidify. As yet the device has created different plastic objects that we use every day, for example door handles, sandals and coat hooks. Moreover, the robot has made its own structural parts.

The most exciting thing is that the company has developed the machine that can build other things. There is still a lot of work to do in order to upgrade it and perfect the robot to get even more unbelievable results.

There are a number of third party programs out there that let you enjoy AIM on your mobile, but nothing beats one directly from the source: AOL. AIM for Windows Mobile lets you IM or text, update your AIM status, manage your buddy list, and more, all from your Windows mobile device.

This latest beta release of AIM for Windows Mobile supports the T-Mobile Wing, Sprint Mogul, HTC Touch, Blackjack II, Tilt, Samsung ACE, Motorola Q, Verizon Wireless 6800, and most Palm Treos.

I already went to the site and downloaded it and plan to test it out on the HTC Touch Diamond and HTC Advantage, so we’ll see what other phones it’s “unofficially” supporting. I used to have a version of AIM on my Pocket PC way back and AOL actually charged about $20 for the software back then. I guess that’s why third parties stepped into the space and AOL stepped out.

The screen shot on the beta page looks promising so this could be a must-have application for every Windows Mobile owner.

Read more about the beta or download it from beta.aol.com

Holographic gadgets of the futureJun 25, 2008 Indian Infosys tech company assures that by 2010 holographic mobile handsets will open new possibilities for their users. The company has developed and patented devices capable of projecting, capturing and sending 3D images.

These portable devices will fix and send 3D photos of the surrounding world. This will help accident investigators, teachers and doctors work remotely by immediately transmitting realistic images of car damage, injuries, medical scans or educational aids.
Infosys’ gadget will feature a built-in powerful processor, that will build a part of 2D images into 3D holograms. Thanks to algorithms called ‘Fourier’ transformations these modifications will be possible.

Why is it useful? The answer is the following: complex 3D holographic images will be contracted, and there will be sent just unprocessed information and translated into 3D hologram at the other end.

The gadget will both send and receive 3D photos. They will be displayed via projector with a laser source and micro holographic optical elements lenses.

These Infosys holographic devices will increase users’ experience, because the images will have much higher quality. For example, such areas as gaming, medicine and movies will develop to the advanced level.

The company says that with the help of this newest technology 3D images will be displayed without losing quality and resolution that, unfortunately, is not possible yet.

A microwave beam weaponJun 25, 2008 A microwave beam weapon is not a fantasy nowadays, it really exists.
It works in the following way: the so-called active denial system (ADS) projects microwave-like radiation even for more than 500 yards.

This system makes a painful, full-body burning sensation in someone who got in its rays. Can you imagine that these millimeter-wave rays permeate skin into a depth of about 1.64in? But the most important aspect is that as the result you get just temporary damages.

The ADS have a lot of advantages, and the result have been seen for the last few years.
The Scientific Development Branch is working on a portable variant of the ADS, because these prototypes of the weapon weigh about 3 tones. It looks like American police is going to get one soon. A working concept has already been created.

One of the first customers for the original variant of the weapon is the US Air Force. More than 10,000 tests have been made and 99% of the volunteers said it is an effective method.
So, is a microwave beam weapon the weapon of the future?

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• gadgets for the Father’s Day

I think we all know that people just want their lives on the Internet, and they will gladly paste their photos and videos on their MySpace and FaceBook pages without any regards to the consequences.

This is why the Camoria has been developed. The Camoria is an over-the-ear digital camera that is designed to put your life in the form of pictures. Of course, there is no way that you can get your own face in the shots, unless you stand in front of mirror.

Right now, the Camoria is a concept device by German designer Akbiyik Vokan. Information that I got about the Camoria is very sketchy, so I don’t know how much memory it has, or how long the battery will last.

I have a proposal as to how it could be better. Make it so the Camoria can be charged and automatically download its pictures or videos at the same time. Better yet, make it so it will automatically download its footage in chronological order directly to the user’s social networking site.

I’m not certain that I am ready for a future where every person has a Camoria. Because when I talk to someone wearing one, I will wonder if I am going to see a video of this on their site later, with their commentary.

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ATI/AMD have launched their new Radeon HD 4870 card. The chip is smaller than NVIDIA’s GTX 280, but just to give you an idea, it is still larger than an Intel Penryn… “Cheap and fast” can also be called “efficient”. At first sight, it looks like this GPU has a good performance/size ratio – it’s always a good sign. At the same price level, AMD is extremely competitive - especially against the GTX 260 (that is $100 more expensive), and forces NVIDIA to revise its own line-up pricing. The Radeon HD 4870 and its sibling the 4850 are excellent mid-range products.

Feel free to post a comment about the retail drivers so that others know what to expect.For detailed benchmarks, head to Anand or Tom. Our GeForce 280 GTX Review

JVC’s new range of LCD TVs can even entertain you with videos straight from your iPod since it comes with an integrated ipod dock. All four models will boast JVC’s new TeleDock, with all but one of them featuring full HD resolution. The four models in question are the 32″ LT-32P679, 42″ LT-42P789, 47″ LT-47P789 and the 52″ LT-52P789. The iPod, when docked, will remain charged regardless of whether the LCD TV is on or off. Is there nothing sacred these days that have nothing to do with the iPod?