Although you’re surrounded by wireless LAN connections, but you may feel uncomfortable with the underperformance and data security of the WiFi network. If a wired LAN is a preferred choice, then this Buffalo USB powered Ethernet hub should come in handy while you’re on the run.

The Buffalo USB-powered Ethernet hub offers three LAN ports, which should come in handy for you to set up an impromptu LAN party between you and two of your friends. And you can enjoy better performance and security that you don’t get with WiFi network. It can take power directly from the USB port of a computer.

via akihabaranews

Most gamers will only turn off the TV and always forget to turn off the game console after finishing gaming. If the game console is left on or even on standby mode, it will still consume some significant amount of electricity and of course this will go to your bills.

TrickleSaver is a little device that can help, if you always forget to turn off your game console. Just plug in your TV and your game console into the TrickleSaver. When you turn off the TV, the TrickleSaver will recognize that the TV has been turned off and will then turn the game console off.

The TrickleSaver costs $35, which sounds a bit overpriced. But it should save pretty much of your bills in long run. Just roughly count how many times that you’ve forgotten to turn off the game console before, then you’ll know how much it could save for you.

Buy online, $35, Tricklestar

via gadgetsteria

Nokia has got their most rugged phone to date into its line. Called the Nokia 3720 classic, the phone is leak-proof, dust-proof and shock resistant. The phone is packed with nice features such as a 2-megapixel camera, Nokia Maps (preloaded on an included 1GB micro-SD card) and Bluetooth 2.1

The Nokia 3720 classic has a slim internal memory but it offers expansion via the micoSD card slot. The 3720 rugged phone also comes with a media player, FM radio and a basic web browser. It’s equipped with a 2.2-inch QVGA display and runs Series 40; equipped with an LED flash for the camera which can also be used as flashlight.

The battery life is pretty impressive, is able to last up to 7 hours of talk time and 18 days on standby. This handset is pretty compact, measures 115 x 47 x 15.3 mm and weighs at 94g only. Unlike other rugged devices which are usually heavy.

The Nokia 3720 rugged phone supports triband GSM 900/1800/1900MHz, priced at EUR 125 before subsidies or taxes and will go on sale this summer. The clip below shows how the phone can stand the shots of paintball gun.

via slashgear

Designer Pierre Junod has designed a unique watch, that comes in shape of a planet. And it’s called the Astronomical watch, named after the largest known dwarf planet in our solar system.

A watch in a spherical shape shouldn’t be wearable on your wrist. So, it’s meant for hanging around your neck as it comes with a neck strap or it can be hung on your home wall or used as a pocket watch. As shown in the picture, this planetary watch has the minute and hour hands floating through the equator of the globe.

Telling time is far different from other watches, you need to pay attention to the orange top pointer which indicates the minutes, and the lower white pointer that shows the hours.

This spherical watch is constructed from a dramatic anthracite anodized aluminum case, complete with a curved mineral glass crystal to protect the hands. The watch uses battery-powered Swiss quartz movement to keep time accurate.

Buy online, $450, Watchismo

via gizmowatch

Most work desks come with one or more grommet holes for cable management. The In-desk 4-port USB hub simply fits in any one of the grommet holes. So, it will not take up any additional space on your work desk. And some more the USB connection to the computer can just run through the grommet hole, should present a neater way of connecting USB devices on your work desk.

The in-desk 4-port USB hub fits inside a 2-inch round hole, offers 4 USB 2.0 ports, it measures 65mm diameter by 31mm. The in-desk USB hub costs $12 and the specs at a glance are as follows:

Buy online, $12, USBGeek

via geeky-gadgets

Fancying sexy hips shaking and dancing around right in front of you? This little USB shaking hip is all what you need. Simply hook the USB hip to a computer’s USB port, it’ll start shaking all day long for you.

It isn’t a useful USB gadget, it simply shakes all day along and does nothing apart from shaking. If your days are too boring, you may need one of these USB hips to cheer you up. Or this USB hip shall compensate what you may have lost in this summer – the chance of going to the sunny beach, seeing beautiful hips shaking around.

Pre-order, Geekstuff4u, $25.70 (2,450 Yen)

via ubergizmo

If you have hearing problem, the iPhone can help. You just need to get the SoundAmp app to be installed on the iPhone, plug in a pair of earphones, and it should let you hear more clearly than before.

The SoundAmp presents you an oversize slider on the iPhone screen, so you can lower or increase to the volume you want. It also comes with audio DVR features, allows you to record and play back the recorded conversation. The user will just need to tap the onscreen button for replaying the last 5 to 30 minutes of conversation.

The developer of this hearing aid application claims that the SoundAmp will improve your hearing quality in a variety environment including in lecture halls and noisy restaurants It costs only $10, which could a great alternative to replace those expensive hearing aids.

Buy online, iTunes, $9.99

via cnet

Take note, the next generation of netbooks will run a different operating system i.e. the Google Chrome OS. Google plans to launch the Google Chrome OS for netbooks in 2010 and of course in their plan, they will also wanna sweep away Microsoft such as the outdated Windows XP (about 8-year old) and the bad one like Vista etc.

The Google Chrome OS will be super lightweight that runs as fast as what the Google Chrome browser does. In fact the Chrome OS is basically the web as an OS, developers can develop applications for it just as what they would develop on the web, pretty similar to the approach that WebOS for Palm Pre takes. Google says the architecture of this Chrome OS will basically be the current Chrome browser running inside “a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel.” And some more it’ll be open-sourced like the web browser.

Google Chrome OS is able to run on both the x86 architecture chips and ARM chips, the one increasingly found in netbooks. Perhaps, there is an overlap between Android and the new Google Chrome OS. But the obvious difference is Android does not run on x86 architecture, while Chrome OS does.

via techcrunch

For business users, you may prefer a BlackBerry than an iPhone. As the BlackBerry allows you to have your emails such as GMail, Yahoo pushed to your device. If you’ve chosen iPhone simply because of it brings more fun, but you should also wish that it could do similarly what the BlackBerry does, pushing emails to you or at least from the GMail.

Thanks to the new 99-cent application for the iPhone. Called the GPush, a GMail “pusher” application, which now allows the iPhone users to receive push notifications whenever there is a new message coming into your GMail inbox.

The GPush works very simple, you just need to enter your GMail account notification information. On the backend, the app actually communicates with GMail via the Gmail’s standard IMAP idle function, which may have little delay between the mail hitting your inbox and the notification getting pushed from them to your phone. The lag could be around 10 to 30 seconds, which should be widely acceptable for most users.

This app shall work differently from what’s on the BlackBerry. The GPush allows you to get a pop-up notification only when there is a new email. It’s somehow unclear whether it supports multiple GMail accounts, but it’ll be kind of annoying with lots of pop-ups if it does. Anyway, the GPush is still subject to the Apple’s approval for publishing it on the app store.

via gizmodo

LG is to release a new version of their LG Chocolate mobile phone. The new LG Chocolate phone will come with a pretty impressive screen that has an aspect ratio of 21:9, resolution of 800 x 345 and measures 3-inch diagonally.

This new LG Chocolate will fall in the LG’s Black Label series and will likely be released in August. It will come equipped with a 5-megapixel camera,and support high-speed HSDPA connectivity. This model of LG Chocolate will be numbered BL-40. Besides what we have mentioned here, other features of this phone are still unclear at the moment.

via gadgetvenue

Nokia has patented a new method of controlling mobile devices remotely. The Nokia remote input sleeves allow you to use simple gestures and movements of your fingers to wirelessly control mobile devices.

The Nokia’s remote input sleeves will come equipped with various sensors that are able to react to the stretching and relaxation of the human skin. The input sleeve is able to translate the skin stretching while the user moves the finger into commands for remotely controlling mobile devices.

The input sleeves will be able to control a wide range of mobile gadgets including phone, laptop, media player, game console, near-eye display and many others. These remote input sleeves should be pretty handy if wearable gadgets will become popular a few years later.

via unwiredview

In Japan, a robot is used to make Ramen noodle soup for customers. Customers order the noodle soup on a computer which will then initiate the robot to start making the noodle soup.

It takes only 2 minutes for the Ramen robot to whip up a steaming bowl of noodle soup. The robot is able to add the necessary spices and salt into the soup precisely. And some more it has approximately 40 million different flavor permutations for you to choose from.

The robot is actually being used at the “Momozono Robot Ramen”, a ramen shop in Japan that was opened in November last year. And the robot was built by the 60-year-old shop owner, Yoshihira Uchida, who spent a whopping 20 million yen on its construction.

via botjunkie

Called the Dyson Energy Bracelet, which is currently just a concept, designed by four third year students of the Industrial Design at Nantes Atlantic Design School in France. The special bracelet produces electricity from the ambient air and stores it in its internal Li-Po battery, which can then be used to charge your gadgets on the go.

The bracelet simply makes use of the very little difference between the temperature of the surface that touches the skin and the ambient air to produce electricity to store in its internal battery. The Dyson Energy bracelet is equipped with a micro USB port, which is for the user to plug in a gadget for recharging. A video clip is included below to show you how it works.

via gadgetsteria via geeky-gadgets

A little unusual iPod Dock that has an Einstein Photo ball backing it to give you a funky look and great sound on your work desk. Great for the scientist of tomorrow, who wants some music to keep the brain fresh.

The Photon Ball iPod dock is also equipped with FM/AM tuner, which comes in handy while your iPod is not around. And you can use it as an LED alarm clock to wake you up in your favorite tunes on your iPod or your favorite radio stations. Features as follows:

Buy online, buy.com, $35

via gearlive

WiFi detecting gadgets are pretty common these days. The question is how you can make it more fashionable and wearable but less noticeable for the user. Here comes a WiFi detecting baseball cap that should be liked by most boys and girls. Wearing this baseball cap allows you to detect the strengths of the WiFi signals and from that on you’ll know where the closest wireless Internet connection is.

This WiFi detecting cap is powered by a couple of CR2032 batteries and it’s able to detect or perhaps display the strength of the WiFi signal on the green glowing indicator just right on top of your forehead. But it seems pretty inconvenient having the indicator up there, as you will need to take the cap off every few minutes in order to check the signal strength on the indicator.

Buy online, ThumbsUp, £12.99

via ohgizmo

Samsung has announced a new slider phone, SCH-W760, comes equipped with infrared night vision camera that allows the user to take photos or have video conferencing in complete darkness. Making a video call in darkness perhaps will present a different kind of romance to your loved one. This could be the reason why Samsung thinks there is such a need for this feature on their new SCH-W760 slider phone.

The SCH-W760 supports 3G high-speed connectivity, comes equipped with a 3-megapixel camera, 2.8 inch AMOLED display with 200×400 resolution, 8GB internal memory and with microSD card slot for expansion.

This new Samsung slider phone will only be released in Korea at this time. It also supports the S-DMB local TV programming and Bluetooth wireless technology. The MSRP for this phone is $457 but no news if it’ll make its way into the markets outside of Korea.

via coated

AcceleGlove – a programmable glove wired with sensors for capturing a user’s motions and allowing the user to interact with computers beyond the keyboard and mouse. The first commercial version of the AcceleGlove has been released by AnthroTronix.

The AcceleGlove is able to record hand and fingers movements, and it costs only $499 for a pair, a price that is much less than what other high-tech gloves are priced at. (such as 5DT’s Data Glove, mainly used in virtual reality costs $1,000 t0 $5,000).

The AcceleGlove accepts open source development of applications for it. Such as it comes with software that allows developers use Java to program it for any application they wish. The AcceleGlove was initially designed for the robotic control in the U.S. Department of Defense, but now it’s been extended for the use in video games, sports training or physical rehab.

via newlaunches

Long-time Apple hacker George Hotz is ahead of the iPhone Dev Team, having released the purplera1n tool, which is not unlocking the iPhone 3Gs but at least capable of jailbreaking it by allowing the iPhone 3GS to install unofficial 3rd party applications.

The purplera1n jailbreak tool is only available for Windows users, can be used to jailbreak iPhone 3GS that runs the OS 3.0 and the process of doing it is pretty straightforward as follows:

Connect your iPhone normally. Click “make it ra1n”. Wait. On bootup, run Freeze, the purplera1n installer app.

The tool is still in BETA, so you’d better backup your iPhone before attempting it. Hotz disagrees the approach that the iPhone Dev Team takes for their their own ultrasn0w unlock/jailbreak, which is they will only address the iPhone 3GS until OS 3.1 is generally released, so Apple will not have time to close off the loophole which their tool takes advantage of. Hotz feels that they should not wait, his approach is when Apple has released a patch for a known loophole, he’ll then continue to find the next loophole.

via slashgear

For parents for who wanna know more why a baby cries. Your baby could be stressed, sleepy, annoyed, bored or hungry. With this baby crying analyzer, you’ll know how to tackle it when the baby is crying.

Such as when you get awaken by the baby’s cry in the middle night, and you’ll get the answer right away from the baby’s cry analyzer, then you will know what the best way to get the baby stop crying – when the analyzer tells you that the baby is hungry then you’ll have to feed the baby with milk. Without this analyzer, you’ll definitely have to spend a couple of hours or even the whole night, trying to figure out on how to stop the baby crying.

Buy online, ThinkGeek, $100

via RGS

The Michael Jackson Thriller headphones are an awesome pair for remembering the pop superstar legend, Michael Jackson and his world’s biggest selling album Thriller.

The Thriller headphones were created before the death of MJ. They’d even won the designer, Johnny Lighthands, the Nokia headset design competition in 2008. It features graveyard imaginery that might come a little bit too soon.

Nokia produced only one pair of working model. The passing of MJ may get Nokia to produce more or some limited edition.

via craziestgadgets