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Started by D Lim; Last updated Feb 27, 08 6:56 AM CST by K Schwartz | View history

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Gear & Gadgets

"One day soon the Gillette company will announce the development of a razor that, thanks to a computer microchip, can actually travel ahead in time and shave beard hairs that don't even exist yet." - Dave Barry

Stories

Stories 21 - 40 of 129

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July 2008
- Aspiring Spies Get New Toys
  
  New York Times | Jul 31, 08 4:57 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Two new Bluetooth headsets are meant as cellphone accessories, "the type that make white-collar executives on city streets look like the muttering deranged," but David Pogue has found a much cooler use, he writes in the New York Times. SoundID’s SM100 and Callpod’s Dragon V2 easily convert to "secret-agent two-way radios." More »
- PC Makers See Big Trouble in Smaller 'Netbooks'
  
  New York Times | Jul 21, 08 11:22 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Smaller and lighter than most textbooks, “netbooks”—the latest generation of computers used for light computing and surfing the web—are causing heartburn among PC manufacturers who see the low-cost innovation as a threat to already-slim profit margins, the New York Times reports. Perhaps more worrisome to giants like Microsoft and Dell is that the trend could signal a major industry shift. More »
- GM Developing Futuristic Windshield
  
  Associated Press | Jul 17, 08 5:45 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - America’s driving population is aging, and GM aims to do something to help older motorists: develop a high-tech windshield that compensates for declining eyesight, the AP reports. The system, now in the research phase, uses lasers and infrared sensors to identify hazards in the road—or perhaps the edge of the road itself in bad weather—and projects them onto the windshield. More »
- Gardeners Dig These Gadgets
  
  MSNBC | Jul 10, 08 6:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Technology is coming to the rescue of gardening-handicapped yard owners. A variety of new tech tools can help weekend gardeners keep their plants alive and even thriving with a minimum of effort, reports MSNBC. Among the new green gadgets: Wireless Weather Projection Station: This handy device measures temperature and barometric pressure to tell you when to plant. More »
- IPhone 3G Won't Set World Afire
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jul 9, 08 8:08 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The iPhone was an industry-changing event. The new iPhone 3G is, well, a lot like the original, writes Walter Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal . It’s now able to access the faster 3G network, of course, and it sports better sound quality and a GPS chip, so it’s a nice upgrade. But the battery life is much worse, and the price drop is a mirage. More »
- iPhone 3G Faithful Already Lining Up in NYC
  
  Apple Insider | Jul 5, 08 4:29 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The next-generation iPhone won't ring up sales until Friday, but eager shoppers are already lining up outside Apple’s flagship New York store. Ready with chairs and other gear, ten people have a head-start, and may be smarter than they look: For this release, customers must activate their 3G phones in-store, which could “slow the line down considerably,” Apple Insider says. More »
- Digital Pens Becoming Ever Mightier
  
  New York Times | Jul 3, 08 10:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Though the Pulse digital pen has won hearts of gadgeteers looking to transcribe written notes to their PCs, David Pogue, in the New York Times , finds the special paper needed to use it limiting, and turns to a pair of pens that can write anywhere. In a side-by-side comparison, "the Dane-Elec ZPen makes the Iogear Mobile Digital Scribe look like an amateur." More »
- New Bags Let Laptop Users Fly Through Security
  
  New York Times | Jul 1, 08 4:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Eagerly awaited "checkpoint friendly" luggage is at last in the pipeline, and travelers will be able to clear airport security without removing laptops from their bags by September or October, the New York Times reports. The TSA-approved bags allow security personnel to see computers on X-ray machines through either protective sleeves or fold-down sections in bigger cases. More »
June 2008
- The Next Big Web Start-Ups
  
  MIT Technology Review | Jun 28, 08 6:04 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - What’s next in the wide world of Web? MIT’s Technology Review lists 10 up-and-coming apps and gadgets to make communicating even easier: Pinger . Like texting, but with your voice: leave voice messages for your friends on the company’s server. Pownce . A microblogging service like Twitter—but users can send large files back and forth, too. Qik . Broadcast live to the Internet using just your mobile phone. Dash Navigation . Road-ready Internet access that lets drivers grab traffic info on the fly. Ushahidi . To help get the word out during disasters, text messages appear on a web-based map showing the texter’s location. More »
- 'Wearable' Gadgets Respond to Body Movements
  
  Associated Press | Jun 26, 08 4:37 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Someday, you may be able to tap your fingers to control your DVD player or roll your eyes to pump up your music player’s volume—if technology under development by Japan's top mobile carrier comes to fruition, the AP reports. A cell phone shaped like a large ring that wearers can hear by sticking their fingers in their ears is another of NTT DoCoMo's inventions. More »
- Suit Circus Threatens to Drown Trials
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Jun 26, 08 4:05 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - “The last honest Olympic sport” is about to kick the can, Scott Ostler writes in the San Francisco Chronicle , and the culprit is a familiar one: technology. The sport is swimming, and Olympic trials (beginning Sunday) coincide with a brutal competition among swimsuit makers for athletes’ affection. "Swimmers and coaches are caught in a last-minute scramble, at a bad time," Ostler writes. More »
- Photos Tell Who, What; New Card Can Tell Where
  
  New York Times | Jun 26, 08 2:11 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Add geotagging to the list of must-have features for digital photo buffs. Yep, David Pogue writes in the New York Times —no more need to note where you took pictures. The newest Eye-Fi memory card—a WiFi-enabled sliver that uploads pictures automatically—also tags photos with a location. The downside: Coverage is limited to big urban areas in the US and Europe. More »
- HP's Touch Still a Bit Clumsy
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jun 26, 08 10:32 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hewlett-Packard’s revamped TouchSmart PC, a one-piece desktop computer with a touch-controlled user interface, improves on its previous, bulky iteration, with a sleek case, big 22-inch screen, and wireless keyboard and mouse, personal-tech guru Walter Mossberg writes in the Wall Street Journal. But the touch-screen software is still in its nascent form, simple and somewhat rough around the edges. More »
- Chill Chips May Take Heat Off Computers
  
  ComputerWorld | Jun 25, 08 3:49 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Researchers have developed a tiny refrigeration system to keep computers cool, an invention that will do away with the clunky fan currently used—and potentially lead to much smaller and faster devices, Computerworld reports. The team at Purdue University expects the technology to be ready for installation within 2 years. More »
- Skip the Ties and Tools: Dads Want Gadgets
  
  ABC News | Jun 14, 08 7:06 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Lose the power tools and the landscaping implements this Father's Day, ABC News suggests. The kind of cutting edge Dad really wants can't be found at the hardware store. Among them: For dads who want media at their fingertips, the enV2 by LG hosts music and video via V CAST and sports a QWERTY keyboard for only $129, with a phone contract. More »