Gadgetstronics

We talk a lot about how technology makes things better.  We look to computers and tell ourselves how much better off we are, how much more efficient we are, how advanced we are.  The OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) Give 1 Get 1 program is back again after selling out more than 500,000 units last year.  Now, you can join this movement by purchasing a laptop for yourself and sending one to a child to change the world in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Cambodia, Ethiopia and others that need help. 

The laptop is an impressive piece of kit.  The hand crank allows users to provide their own power to keep it going while the mesh Wi-Fi network allows many users to access the web via just one connection.  The laptop is durable, designed for the regions of the world where it can do the most good.

This year, Amazon is helping out. and offering the laptop on their site.  For just $399, not only will you be sending a laptop to a child in a foreign land, but you’ll get an identical one of your own.  You can also opt to just donate as many as you like for $199 each.  Some companies, like Google and SWIFT are matching your gift, so you might want to check with your employer to see if they have a program or are interesting in stepping up to one.

The non-profit behind the OLPC aims to distribute 1 million laptops by the end of this year.  Here is the chance to help bring your beliefs into the fold and quite possible change the future of the developing nations.  We know how powerful technology can be, let’s show the children of the world.

Order info: [Amazon] Non-profit info: [OLPC]

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Domino’s and TiVo have gotten together to allow kids to prank their parents by ordering up to $100 in pizza.  Either that or give TiVo users the convenience of ordering their pizza from the comfort of their couch.  Taking advantage of TiVo’s widgets, Domino’s is bringing ordering options to broadband-connected TiVo Series2/3/HD owners. 

Truth be told, I’ve not eaten a Domino’s pizza since I was in college, but for sake of gadgetry and the same reason I order brochures after watching 2 minute BMW ads on TiVo because I just think it is cool, I might just do this.  Imagine watching a football game and a link comes on screen that says, “you look hungry, how about a pizza?“  You click yes and 30 minutes or so later you are chowing down.  That is a utopia we all can aspire to.

There are a couple of catches; things like you can’t order a pizza on TiVo when your local Domino’s is closed, you can’t order more than $100 worth of product (which is what? 10 pizzas these days?)  I don’t know about you, but I am going to try to figure out how to hack into my neighbors TiVo right now…  And of course, I have to disclaim we don’t advise doing that.

If Domino’s pizza isn’t your thing, you can’t help but wonder what else your TiVo will help you order in the near future as they look to bring in more partners.  Perhaps more impulse buys after a commercial shows for the latest Kindle killer, or learn more opportunity.  I think TiVo is on to something big here.  I can’t wait to see the fruits of this effort.

Source: [Zatznotfunny]

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Have you ever seen an ad for pizza on television, and immediately wanted to order one from delivery right away? Fortunately (and unfortunately), TiVo has found a way for you to give into that impulse.

Here’s how it works: a Domino’s Pizza ad will play, and then all the viewer needs to do is use the remote to select it. You can then access an on-demand ordering screen, similar to the one used by Fandango or Amazon.com. I imagine that there will be some selection of size and toppings, and the pizza should arrive at your door within a half-hour.

This is the first time that ordering pizza via the television has ever been offered, and Domino’s vice president of marketing, Rob Weisberg, is especially proud of this new achievement.

I have to admit that this has got to be one of the most ingenious ways to market product based on consumer impulse. However, it certainly makes it one of the best ways to keep a consumer on the couch. The only time he or she needs to get up is to “get the door, it’s Dominos”. So ask yourself, is this a good thing or a bad thing? Chime in on the comment section and let us know what you think.

By the way, you will have to pay in cash, as there is no credit-card setup on the program.

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That thing on the right is “The Aquos Experience,“ a Christmas tree made up of 43 Sharp televisions and it’s at Grand Central Terminal in New York City.  What’s the gimmick?  Sharp is running a sweepstakes where you can win one of the televisions in the display. 

While it’s a rather cool display, it’s pretty much the antithesis of being “green.“  However, the sweepstakes helps a good cause.  When you register for the sweepstakes, The HOPE Program will receive a dollar donated by Sharp.  More pics after the break.

Thanks for the tip, mLife

Read [TheHOPEProgram]

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That thing on the right is “The Aquos Experience,“ a Christmas tree made up of 43 Sharp televisions and it’s at Grand Central Terminal in New York City.  What’s the gimmick?  Sharp is running a sweepstakes where you can win one of the televisions in the display. 

While it’s a rather cool display, it’s pretty much the antithesis of being “green.“  However, the sweepstakes helps a good cause.  When you register for the sweepstakes, The HOPE Program will receive a dollar donated by Sharp.  More pics after the break.

Thanks for the tip, mLife

Read [TheHOPEProgram]

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At CES in January, we reported that USB 3.0 had been spotted in the wild. I have just recently learned that the latest version of our favorite compatible connector is on the way.

So what will USB 3.0 mean? Faster speeds, for one thing. Sources say it is 10 times faster. That means that downloading a document that takes 14 minutes to download will take only 70 seconds.

Of course, you will need to have a USB 3.0 cable as well as a USB 3.0 connector for these speeds. There is also talk of better power management and optical cabling, but that is all I know about that.

In case you are wondering, USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. As you can see, the plug on the left doesn’t look too different than our current 2.0 cables, but the one on the right is designed for mobile devices like cellular phones and music players.

The wait isn’t entirely over, as USB 3.0 will be available one week from now. However, the first ever USB 3.0 Physical Layer Device will be available for demonstration at the SuperSpeed USB Developer’s Conference in San Jose. This historic device is the Quasar PHY, designed to “sync and go” with external hard drives, media players, HD camcorders, and phones.

So I guess the big question is how long it will take before every USB enabled device is a 3.0. I suppose that time will tell, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it as a standard feature in the near future.

Source 1 and Source 2

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Just to get an idea of how small the Firemachines Slyc desktop PC is, take a look at it sitting pretty beside the Sega Genesis. Features include :-

• Intel Core 2 Duo processor (2.0GHz or 2.2GHz)
• 1GB/2GB RAM
• 120GB/200GB hard drive
• DVD+/-RW or DVD-ROM/CD-RW optical drive

Prices start from $999.99 upwards, and throwing in another 3-year warranty will cost you $129.99 more.

Here at the G-Lab we love Make, the magazine for hackers, modders and DIY freaks. And, by extension, we dig Makezine, the online home of the mag. Sometimes the projects are a little too ambitious (DIY DNA sequencing, anyone?) but once in a while there is a true gem, a project so cool that you can’t not do it.

The Scanner Camera is one of those projects. It’s a perfect destination for your useless scanner and better still, it’s reversible, meaning you can always go back to scanning boring old pieces of paper.

The video shows you just what to do: essentially you tape a 7″x7″ black box the the top of an old flatbed, fit a magnifying-glass lens into a smaller box and slide that inside, and then punch a few different sized holes into black cards to use as apertures.

That’s it. The image is focussed by moving the inner box in and out, and the light levels can be controlled with the black cards. The images are amazing, and best of all, if you have a Canon LiDE scanner like the one in the video, it’s powered from the USB bus so you could even hook this up to a laptop and go shooting outside.

I will be trying this out over the next few days. I’ll let you know how I get on.

Weekend Project: Scanner Camera [Make via Lifehacker]

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 17th 2008 at 3:02AM
For months now, dutiful Mac users who refuse to load any flavor of Windows on their precious machines have longed for the ability to use Livescribe’s Pulse smartpen. Now, those holdouts can finally say the wait was worth it, as Livescribe has announced that a native Mac desktop application (Livescribe Desktop for Mac) will be made available in beta form on November 24th. Additionally, a few new features for the Pulse have been added over on the Wintel side, including handwriting to text transcription software ($29.95) and the ability for consumers to print dot paper notepads for free. Finally, something for OS X users to digitally write home about.

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Filed under: Peripherals

Definitely a retro flashback, Flüd’s new watch looks like a tiny Boombox from the 70’s. Retro looks are completed by the seven segment LEDs. You know, the Watch is attractive, but a disappointment is that the minuscule speakers don’t play any sound. By looks alone you would expect this to be an MP3 playing watch, but alas it is not. Never the less, if you already have a personal audio player and just want a cool looking watch, the Flüd Boombox watch goes for $90 over at Flüd.