Gadget Design

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

2010-01-16T15:59:00.000-08:00

Some say the designers at Sony Ericsson designed the Xperia X1 to be a work of art, and while you cannot help but admire the beautiful design, you cannot help but notice the simplicity of the design. It is almost as if the design tries to make your life 'easier', with more functionality and less buttons to push to actually make it work.

Yes, I would say 'beautiful simplicity' is a phrase that comes to mind when thinking of this phone.

But of course if you can combine those two attributes into a new design, you're likely to have a winner on your hands, or should I say, 'in your hands'.

The design is clean, crisp and clear, and the phone seems to have been designed in an easy to use and easy to understand way, which will most likely make you appreciate technology again. The design is simple, yet inviting - with the casing very clearly hinting at the underlying powerful features.

The 3 inch touchscreen features an interactive panel display which can be personalized to suit user preferences. It also has windows mobile installed, which allows you to access Windows documents, such as Excel, Word. You can even download applications such as Adobe Reader to view pdf files.

The phone features powerful search functions for files, contact, sms and emails as well, and should your phone ever get lost or stolen, it can be locked remotely and any sensitive information deleted, if the need arises.

The phone also features a threaded sms function, which makes it easy for users to follow conversations on the go. Naturally, in addition to the touch screen, it also features a Qwerty Keybord.

And how about a cut, copy and paste function? Well, that's included too.

The dashboard has space for 9 panels on the touch screen, and you can swop these around or even add new ones to suit your needs. Each panel is accessible by simply touching it with your finger. Music, videos and photos are also accessible, and as with earlier Sony Ericsson models, it also has a handy FM radio feature - also accessible as one of the panels on the screen.

Turbo 3G provides super fast access to the internet, or you can use Wi-fi where available, and in addition to all these features there are rumours of a Skype panel coming soon.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 was launched towards the end of last year, 2009. I might be biased, but this is probably one of the best looking phones I've seen.

More info at sonyericsson.com

Edifier Luna 5 Encore iF500 iPod Dock

2010-01-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

Edifier Luna 5 Encore iF500 iPod Dock

We have seen different iPod docks of shapes and sizes, but this one's trying to outdo everyone.

The Luna 5 Encore iF500 by Edifier is highlighted by its huge, satellite-shaped 5-driver speaker that can pretty much disturb the peace in your neighborhood. It comes with a digital FM tuner, as well as compatibility with MP3 players and even MP3-enabled cellphones.

Although it has a sleek design, after the initial shock of seeing the speaker, Pocket Lint finds it frustrating to use, especially the FM radio.

Nevertheless, the Luna 5 Encore iPod Dock has been awarded as an honoree at this year's International CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards. It will become available in North America within the year, costing about US$329.

Western Digital My Book 3.0 Desktop External Drive Gets Reviewed

2010-01-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

Only a few electronic devices are testing SuperSpeed USB 3.0, one of which is the My Book 3.0 Desktop External Drive from Western Digital.

Despite the My Book 3.0 having USB 3.0, it is backwards-compatible and can function with older USB 2.0 and 1.1 ports.

Meanwhile, PC World has recently gotten hold of the 1TB version, which is now available, and their reviews are promising.

With USB 3.0's speed of up to 4.8Gbps, 10 times that of USB 2.0, the limitations in the drive's 3.0Gbps speed capability causes data to "bottleneck," making the ten-fold promise more like three-fold in real life. Nevertheless, real-time speed is faster than what we have become accustomed.

The My Book 3.0 1TB version costs US$179.99 alone and $199.99 with a PCIe USB 3.0 adapter card. Meanwhile, the 2TB version will become available in late January.

Lenovo Skylight Smartbook

2010-01-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

Lenovo Skylight Smartbook

One of the most talked-about new products at the CES 2010 is Lenovo's ARM-based, Snapdragon-powered smartbook, a first in the industry. The Lenovo Skylight is a netbook that runs on a low-power operating system usually found in smartphones and is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon chipset from Qualcomm, thus creating a fast-performing, very mobile device.

The Lenovo Skylight appears thinner than most smartphones, weighs less than two pounds, and has a high-def 10.1-inch screen. It contains 20GB of standard flash, 2GB of cloud storage, 1.3-megapixel camera, twin USB ports, 8GB miniSD card slot, and has a battery life that can last for up to 10 hours, enough to watch two or more movies. Meanwhile, charging time is as fast as that of a mobile phone.

Connectivity features include built-in WiFi and 3G, which users can use both, for fast and easy online access. It is also preloaded with web-based add-ons like Amazon MP3 to download music and Roxio CinemaNow to buy digital movies.

The Lenovo Skylight is expected to become available beginning April 2010 in the United States, with prices starting at US$499, service plan from AT&T not included. It will also be shipped in China and Europe later in the year.

Kodak Playsport

2010-01-07T13:43:00.000-08:00

The Kodak Playsport is a handy video camera that adventurous people would love. Its size makes it quite handy enough to bring just about anywhere without being a bother. Its ruggedness is also something that its users would welcome.

What makes the Kodak Playsport such an ideal companion for the adventurous type is that getting wet is all part of experience for this handy digital video camera. It works even underwater for up to 10 feet and still record video in full 1080p HD quality. A 5 MP optical sensor, image stabilization and other automatic features make taking still pictures quite easy. With the Kodak Playsport, you no longer have to be too concerned about protecting your digital camera from the elements. It is available at Kodak for US$150.

Sling Touch Control 100

2010-01-07T13:42:00.000-08:00

Sling Touch Control 100

Although you may have all the current high tech home entertainment systems in your home, you may however, not say the same for your remote control. You may consider also giving your handy remote control an upgrade to go along with your home entertainment system. If so, then the Sling Touch Control 100 may just be what you are looking for.

The Sling Touch Control 100 is a high tech remote control that can both interact with SlingGuide-enabled devices via IP or non-IP devices via the conventional IR-based control. It is equipped with a 4.3 inch capacitive touch screen LCD display that communicates with devices such as HD DVR's and most of your IR-based audio and video devices. The Sling Touch Control 100 offers all the functions that any native remote control of any device offers and more. It is slated to be introduced later in the Consumer Electronics Show this year in Las Vegas.

Google Introduces Nexus One to Public

2010-01-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

After weeks of anticipation from techies the world over, Google has unveiled to members of the press the Nexus One, its first consumer electronics device previously known as the Google Phone. Set to compete with Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry, the HTC-made Nexus One runs an updated tweak of the Google Android OS.

Apart from what are expected from smartphones developed post-iPhone-touchscreen display, 5-megapixel camera, and stereo Bluetooth for headphones-the Nexus One pulls off features that impress us. The phone includes a Global Positioning System, two microphones (one for noise cancellation), and a speech dictation technology, which transcribes what you speak on the Nexus One as you compose e-mails, tweets, and Facebook status updates.

Reactions, however, were not as mind-blowing as Google might have expected. "The Nexus One has attractive features, but many of them were already available on other phones that use Google's Android operating system," wrote Jessica Guynn of Los Angeles Times.

Michael Gartenberg, an analyst from Interpret research firm, says that the new phone provides a perception that not all Android phones are created equal. "If I was a (Motorola Droid) customer who just bought the phone a month ago, I might not feel so good."

The Nexus One is now available on Google's online store for US$529 if you want it unlocked or $179 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile. Similar offers will be available from Verizon Wireless and United Kingdom's Vodafone within this year. It is also expected to be shipped in Singapore and Hong Kong.

PQI Cool Drive U366 USB 3.0 Flash Drive

2010-01-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

PQI Cool Drive U366 USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Even flash drives seem to enjoy rapid development in so short a time. Just when USB 2.0 has just taken off, others have gone through the next step in developing faster devices for USB 3.0. And to accommodate this need for speed (in file transfers for example), there are now USB 3.0 flash drives coming out such as what Taiwanese manufacturer PQI is releasing.

PQI recently announced its new Cool Drive U366 USB 3.0 flash drive to be released into the market soon. The PQI Cool Drive U366 still looks like your usual USB drive but now enjoys the speed and the advantages offered by USB 3.0. The Cool Drive U366 flash drive is now able to accommodate 5 Gbps/sec maximum bandwidth. That is ten times the maximum bandwidth USB 2.0 flash drives may offer. This allows ultra fast data transfers as well as high capacity storage solutions for those who rely on speed on just about everything they use their PC on. What's more, it's also backwards compatible. Price for the PQI Cool Drive U366 has not yet been released but it sure will offer quite an improvement for those looking out for faster and better portable flash drives.

Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock

2010-01-05T15:19:00.000-08:00

Frequent PC upgrades may eventually leave you with some hard disks in your home. Those spare hard drives may no longer be of any use of once you take them out of your new upgraded system and take up some valuable room space. You can bring them to life once more and use them by using the Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock.

The Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock provides a home for your spare hard drive that you have replaced from your upgraded PC. Place your spare 2.5" or 3.5" SATA I or II hard drive into the NexStar dock and you have for yourself a handy external drive to store more of your files. You can easily connect the NexStar Hard Drive Dock into your PC via USB. You can then be able to transfer copy or backup your files, giving your spare hard drive into better use than just letting it gather dust in your room. This handy device is available at Amazon for US$38.

RoyalTek RPJ-2000 Pico Projector

2010-01-04T15:17:00.001-08:00

RoyalTek RPJ-2000 Pico Projector

Taiwanese company RoyalTek, a subsidiary of hardware manufacturer Quanta, is eyeing the pico projector market with its first of five models for 2010. The palm-sized RPJ-2000 Pico Projector can project images up to 65 inches at 640 x 480 resolution and 14 lumens of brightness.

This pico projector uses second-generation LCOS optical engine from 3M, LED backlight from Osram, 0.5-watt speakers, VGA and NTSC/ PAL inputs, and imaging chipset from Displaytech. It is also equipped with its exclusive cooling technology that does not require cooling fans and is also compatible to both iPod Touch and iPhone. The features may appear quite basic, we expect a lot of good things to come from RoyalTek as they unveil the rest of its pico projector line-up, such as one model specially equipped with digital TV function and 2010 FIFA World Cup-inspired design.

The RoyalTek RPJ-2000 pico projector, which will come in white and black, will be released in Taiwan in 2010 with an expected price of about US$43. No word whether this will be shipped outside the island.

Metro Pink Cosmopolitan Phone

2009-12-31T12:48:00.000-08:00

Today's mobile phone can be a bit boring, that is, if you are into color. I mean, what's with all the stuck-up, blah-looking black? Good thing this quirky phone comes in a delightful pink!

The Metro Pink Cosmopolitan is the "girlified" version of the Metro Cellphone, which has gained quite a following in China. It has a unique 2.8-inch QVGA swivel screen that reveals a QWERTY keyboard after turning the display around. The Metro Pink Cosmopolitan comes as an unlocked, quad-band, dual-SIM phone, providing better coverage and the freedom to choose up to two wireless networks that you want to subscribe. It even has a built-in mirror at the back of the swivel display for quick touch-ups and also serves as a "preview monitor" as you take self photos with its digital camera, which also doubles as a video camera.

The Metro Pink Cosmopolitan is available at Chinavision for about US$100. It also comes with a free 2GB microSD card for early buyers.

Monster Beats Solo Headphones

2009-12-30T12:46:00.000-08:00

Great sound comes from excellent audio equipment. And in the case of headphones, the sound quality most of the time may not be near as to what most audiophiles usually expect. It takes a type of headphones with that special quality to capture that detailed and rich, full sound that serious artists usually want to hear.

It takes an artist to know how rich, full and detailed sounds should be heard even on somewhat portable equipment such as a headphone. That is why a company like Monster teamed up with accomplished rap artist and producer Dr. Dre to come up with its Beats Solo headphones.

The Beats Solo headphones offer amazing sound ever to be produced by a portable and lightweight pair of headphones. The technology behind the Beat Solo allows users to hear the sonic details that artists and sound engineers are able to conjure up in the studios from the deep bass, high frequencies to the midrange sounds.

The Beats Solo headphones also features on-cable controls for easier and more convenient music and sound control. It also has a built-in mic along with sound isolating headphones to allow you better hands free calling features. The Beat Solo is available at Amazon for US$180.

Dell Adamo XPS

2009-12-29T12:32:00.001-08:00

The unique design of the Dell Adamo is what would catch the attention of the people having the chance of looking into this laptop. It features an unusual hinge design connecting the display screen with its keyboard that gives it a unique look. Its slim thickness is another. The Dell Adamo XPS is only 0.41 inch thick when closed. That may also be one of its main attractions considering the tech specifications being crammed into its very slim design.

The Dell Adamo XPS runs on 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor with 4GB 800MHz dual channel DDR3 memory and a 128 GB solid state drive. It is equipped with a super thin 13.4" HD WLED display, in integrated 2MP camera and mono digital microphone. Its lithium ion 40 Whr batteries can last up to 5 hours per use. The Dell Adamo XPS costs around US$1,998 and is available at Dell.

GenevaLab Sound System Model S

2009-12-29T12:15:00.000-08:00

iPods can only be as good as the audio equipment they are being connected to. Aside from good quality earphones, iPods now have the benefit of having their own sound systems specially designed for them. One such example is the GenevaLab Sound System Model S.

The GenevaLab Sounbd System Model S is an iPod dock that also works for the iPhone. It provides high fidelity 2-channel sound equipped with a digital signal processor, bass enhancement and EmbracingSound technology for enhancing compressed audio. It also features an FM radio with a digital tuner and an award winning amplifier known for its energy efficiency. Its features as well as eye-catching design make it quite an iPod docking station to have at home. It is available at GenevaLab for around 496 Swiss Francs. That would be around 478 in US dollars.

Hello Kitty Casio Limited-Edition Digital Camera

2009-12-26T09:42:00.000-08:00

In celebration of Hello Kitty's 35th birthday, Casio's official Korean dealer has launched a limited-edition Hello Kitty Casio EX-Z90 digital camera. This compact digicam comes in two different shades of pink, appealing to women (and probably some men) of all ages.

The camera can actually pass as a fashionable accessory as it is studded with Swarovski crystals and etches of Hello Kitty's famous face and bow.

The Hello Kitty Casio has 12.1 megapixels and 3X optical zoom lens. It is also equipped with Intelligent AF, enabling to detect even non-human photographic subjects and automatically determine the focus and exposure area; as well as Casio's Dynamic Photo feature for composite moving images you can use for animated electronic greeting cards and whatnot.

The limited-edition Hello Kitty Casio digital camera is only available in Korea for 350,000 Korean won (about US$300), although some import sites like Dream Kitty offer the same product for $499.99.

One Laptop Per Child Introduces $75 Tablet Concept

2009-12-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

Despite the criticisms of being quixotic about its plans, the One Laptop Per Child project (the group behind the XO, also known as "the hundred-dollar laptop" before being priced at US$172 upon release) is gunning for something big in 2012 with its XO-3 tablet. Geared for children in developing countries, this 8.5-by-11-inch tablet computer is said to be priced at only $75.

The XO-3, which is half the thickness of an iPhone, will feature a touchscreen display with a folding ring on one corner for easier handling and a camera at the back. It will also have no physical keyboard or buttons. To keep the price at a down-low, this tablet will feature induction charging, pretty much like how Palm Pre is charged by placing it on the Touchstone, and will use an 8GHz processor and Pixel Qi display. The OLPC also aims the XO-3 to be highly durable, all-plastic, and waterproof.

How would these technologies become accessible before the Earth tilts by its side? The OLPC simply allows any other PC maker to take over the project, their way of pressuring the industry to provide cheaper and more education-focused PCs.

And while we wait for the XO-3 to become a reality, OLPC is set to release newer models beginning January 2010, starting with the $200 XO-1.5 that uses a VIA CPU instead of the AMD version in the pioneer model, which would double the speed, as well as provide four times the DRAM and Flash memory. The group will also release the XO-1.75, which will feature rubber bumpers on its casing and an 8.9-inch touchscreen display. The XO-1.75 will have a Marvell ARM processor that enables twice the speed at a quarter of power usage. Sorry, though, no XO-2.0.

Speakal miSoccer iPod Dock

2009-12-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

The iPod has become quite a popular device that many accessories associated with it have been offered and sold. From the quirky to the unique, these accessories always have something interesting to offer. A good example would be the miSoccer iPod dock from Speakal.

The Speakal miSoccer iPod doc is for those who both love music and soccer. Shaped like a soccer ball, this unique iPod dock plays as well as charges the iPod aside from offering a unique decor on any table. It may also play and charge other selected gadgets with its dock connector.

The miSoccer iPod dock also uses a 2.1 Stereo Speaker System via its 3 speakers offering better quality sound distribution and separation. It also features a humanized touch volume control and comes with its own remote to control the speakers as well as the iPod itself even from a distance. It is available at Speakal for US$120.

Silver Ice Cube Maker

2009-12-25T09:36:00.000-08:00

Ideal for anyone who wants freshly made ice "cubes" in small quantities, without the four figure costs of ice making fridges!

Great for parties - cool down the drinks even when other temperatures are rising.

Just fill the water reservoir from the cold tap, then sit back and wait! And no need to wait for long either, as the first ice cubes can be ready within just 10 minutes, with subsequent batches produced even quicker!

You can choose between 3 sizes of ice cube at the flick of a switch. The smaller cubes take 10 minutes to freeze, with longer freeze time of 16 minutes forming a larger cube.

No draining is required, and the ice cube machine is fully self contained.

Details:

2 litre water tank capacity
Alarm will advise when Ice Cube Maker needs to be refilled with water
Only 10 minutes for the first cubes to be produced
10-16 minutes timer for different sized cubes
Mains Powered - 150W
OK so it doesn't produce exact cubes, but you get the idea!
Size: 463mm x 378mm x 398mm. Approx 14 Kg

Mathmos Fireflow Tea-Light Lava Lamp

2009-12-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

Inspired by the 40th anniversary of the Moon landings this year, we are getting all retro here with this great little Mathmos Fireflow Tea-light Lava Lamp. Enclosed in a rocket style casing this little lamp is perfect for sitting on a desk or bedside table and gazing into as you get lost for hours in the gently soothing morphing of the lava within.

What makes this lava lamp different to most you may have seen is that rather than using mains or battery power to heat up the lava and get it moving this ingenious little light uses a simple tealight candle. Simply pop the candle into the designated space at the base of the rocket, and after about 20 minutes the lava will come to life and begin its mesmerising movement around the glass bottle.

The Mathmos Fireflow Lamp is made from a zinc alloy base with an attractive chrome finish, and a glass bottle within which the lava is stored. Each tea-light will keep this captivating light source mobile for around 3 hours, and all you need to do once your tea-light burns out is to pop in another. This lovely looking lava lamp is a visual treat and is sure to provide a talking point for any room.

Features:

Pack includes - 1 x Mathmos Fireflow Lamp, and 1 x
TealightApproximate weight 525gApproximate height 240mm
Cast zinc alloy base and bottle cap with chrome plated finish
Glass bottle containing Mathmos lava formula
Fireflow can be used for around 3 hours at any one time; the average burn time for one tea light
Available in Pink, Purple, or Turquoise

I-No Game White

2009-12-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

Doesn't one just love to remember the happy, happy sound of the Radio 1 Roadshow as it made its annual summer pilgrimage around the UK - stopping-off at cultural high-spots including Swanage, Hunstanton and Scarborough?

Now you don't have to queue for hours to watch DLT dressed in a gorilla suit. You can, instead, bring the cheesy but dangerously compelling 'magic' of radio competitions into your very own front room with the assistance of this high-tech iPod game.

Highly interactive, and ever-so-addictive, it enables you to test yourself - and your chums - against the clock, guessing the tunes and lyrics of some of the world's finest recording artistes and answering questions about these artistes.

Enabling all of one's iPod capabilities to spring to life, this is a sonic treat; a veritable aural feast for the ears. In short, it plays music, too. Which is probably just as well.

Like the Radio 1 Roadshow, it's fun and frothy. Unlike the Radio 1 Roadshow, you won't have to pay £10 for a badly-made t-shirt with a picture of Gary Davies on it. And that alone makes it worth the money.

Features:

Uses music library on an iPod to generate quiz.
Compatible with most iPods - see below for full list.
Built in speaker and iPod dock
4 x handheld buzzers included

Suitable for:

iPod Touch
iPod Classic
iPod Nano 1st, 2nd and 4th generation
iPod 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th generation
iPod Mini 1st generation

Specification

Dimensions: Height: 20.0cm Width: 17.0cm Depth: 17.0cm
Weight: 1.4Kg
Batteries: 6 x AA and 4 x 3V (included)
Batteries Included: Yes

Mini Mixer for iPod

2009-12-23T14:51:00.000-08:00

One, two. One, two. Check, check. Two, two. Now getting nifty on the decks is child's play thanks to the awe-inspiringly innovative Lecci Mini Mixer from the peeps at Bluw. It takes the analogue chore of lining up separately spinning plastic discs and digitizes the whole messy business.

It looks like a two-channel mixing deck. It is, to all intents and purposes, a two-channel mixing deck. Simply plug in two mp3 players and you're good to go. And before you can say 'this one's for all you lovers out there', you're a real, live DJ who's just swapped his bulging record box for floor-filling classics for a sleek machine chock-full of banging choons. Man.

Features

Headphone jack, cross fader and volume controls
Connects to two iPods or mp3 Players
Internal speaker
Audio-out channels for external speaker and headphones
Ultra tiny design - fits into a pocket
Retro styling
Connects to all generations of iPod

Specification

Dimensions: Height: 2.8cm Width: 11.5cm Depth: 6.0cm
Weight: 0.2Kg
Batteries: Requires 4 x AAA batteries (not included)

Jelfin Gel-Filled Computer Mouse

2009-12-22T14:40:00.000-08:00

A new type of computer mouse aroused the imagination of many techies. The Jelfin mouse looks like a transparent ball completely covered in gel. In hindsight, using the Jelfin would look as if you are holding a squishy stress ball.

The design was based on Jelfin's research that many Americans prefer to have a mouse that is more comfortable to use. Preliminary tests reveal that first-times users of Jelfin jelly mouse say that it keeps their hands relaxed and comfortable, as well as lessens the tension over at their wrists and forearm that they normally suffer using traditional mice.

The Jelfin mouse covers up to 1,000 dpi, has a three-directional scroll wheel, and is compatible for both Mac and PC. It is now available at Amazon.com, with your choice from 5 colors, for only US$34.95.

USB Microscope x200

2009-12-21T14:50:00.000-08:00

In the legendary series of educational films from the 1970s, designers Charles and Ray Eames zoom out from a man resting in a park in downtown Chicago, transporting us in minutes to intergalactic space. At the point at which we reach the bounds of human knowledge, they stop... and zoom back in. Only this time, their camera doesn't stop... surveying deeper and deeper inside his skin, ultimately to the level of sub-atomic particles.

Now, we're not suggesting for a second that this handy desktop 200 x magnification USB microscope will take you anywhere near sub-atomic resolution from the comfort of your own PC, but it will give you a darned good look at your skin, should you wish.

Here at gadgetshop HQ we're huge admirers of Universal Serial Bus technology, as the legion of USB-compliant devices in these pages will attest. And this high-tech microscope, which offers full 1.3Mp resolution, is among the most inventive USB tool we have yet seen.

With a host of pro-quality features, including variable magnification, widescreen imaging and a range of image capture options, all illuminated by 4 bright onboard LEDs, the sky (or rather, the world right in front of you) is the limit.

Enabling awe-inspiring close-ups, and both still image 'snapshot' and full motion video capture, could there be a better way of passing a chill winter's evening than blowing up one's own hair follicle to the size of the Titanic? We thought not.

Features:

Magnification: 20x - 200x
Interface: USB 1.1 and USB 2.0
Resolution: 1.3 Megapixel, up to 1280 x 960 pixels
Controller: High Speed DSP
Lights up object with 4 bright LEDs
O/S Requirements: Windows 98SE, 2000, XP, Vista
System Requirements: 700Mhz CPU, 20MB Hard drive, 384MB RAM (minimum)

Specification

Dimensions: Height: 21.7cm Width: 8.9cm Depth: 8.9cm
Weight: 0.3Kg

Texthook Smartphone Cradle

2009-12-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

Your hands are full, you may complain. With our fast-paced mobile lifestyle, we think we could do everything at the same time such as checking the emails on your smartphone while shopping for groceries. Well, the Texthook can make multitasking a little more convenient.

This patent-pending design secures your smartphone-whether it is an iPhone, BlackBerry, HTC, or any other touchscreen phone-and straps onto any handle like grocery carts, baby strollers, treadmills among others. It allows you to stay in touch with family, friends, and colleagues while you are busy with something else.

The Texthook is lightweight and durable that it can be attached and removed repeatedly throughout the day simply by using one sliding motion. It can even rotate up to 180 degrees so you can see your phone from almost every angle.

The Texthook is available on its official website for only US$25.99. Additional Velcro straps can be bought separately.

Digital Film Scanner

2009-12-19T14:47:00.000-08:00

At gadgetshop HQ, we like to think we're serious about gadgetry of all shapes and sizes. So it's not every day we ask the ultimate in rhetorical questions: "why didn't we think of that?". It took this cunning device to bring us to that point... and dashed clever it is, too.

Enabling those of us who can remember a time before digital photography to make high quality digital versions of our old 35mm slides and negatives, at a stroke it liberates millions of dusty old images from their analogue prison. And offers the chance to turn them into beautiful digital stills to enhance, edit and share. Fabulous.

And now this wondrous technology is available to Mac users too (and no we're not referring to the raincoat). Compatible with Windows and Macs, there's nothing that those clever chaps at Veho haven't thought of.

Scanning original negatives and slides in high resolution with a quick one touch scan, the scanner automatically converts the outputs into high quality JPEGs or your choice of a range of other digital formats. It even includes software that enables you to edit, crop and resize your new digital images.

In short - and we could go on and on about this device - it provides a high quality, all-in-one solution to a thorny (and previously highly specialist) challenge. And now your slides of that 1975 holiday to Brittany can live and breathe for a new digital generation. Hurrah.

Features:

Convert 35mm and 110mm negatives and slides into digital images
3 megapixel scanning resolution
1/4 inch CMOS Lens
Colourbright technology autocorrects colour
Compatible with Windows XP and Vista
Compatible with Mac OS X 10.3.4 and above
USB Powered

Includes:

Digital Film Scanner
Slide Holder
35mm Negative Tray
110 format film Tray
Software and Driver CD
Instruction manual

Please note:

Not compatible with USB 1.1 or older

Specification

Dimensions: Height: 7.5cm Width: 10.0cm Depth: 9.0cm
Weight: 0.1Kg