The Gadget Vault

This blog has moved

2008-07-06T22:11:00.000+02:00

In case you stumble upon this blog, it has moved to a new location:

http://www.gadget-vault.com

The new iPhone has arrived

2008-06-10T19:01:00.002+02:00

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you probably already know this: the new iPhone is coming! It finally has 3G, GPS and it's a hell of a lot cheaper. Gizmodo has a first hands-on review of Apple's newest shiny toy.
First impression: it's thinner, a bit rounder and the reception is a lot better. Probably has to do with the plastic back instead of metal. The feature everyone has been waiting for, 3G, works quite well. Gizmodo reported it's only slightly slower than Wifi. The GPS also works fine, and can be used to geotag pictures you take.
A bit of a surprise is the price: it starts at $199, wich is a lot cheaper than the original iPhone a year ago. I bet a lot of people are pissed off about this. Not only are they gonna buy a new phone with features that should have been there from the beginning, they are gonna be stuck with a year-old phone they payed $500 for! You'll probably find dirt cheap iPhones on eBay pretty soon...

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Related Gizmodo articles

gadgets apple iphone

Wifi Detecting T-Shirt

2008-06-08T13:37:00.002+02:00

If you want to find out if there's a wifi signal, there are several options. You can turn on your laptop, PDA or smartphone, you can use one of those Wifi detecting keyhangers, or you can wear this Wifi Detecting T-Shirt! A signal detector is built into it so the strength of the signal is shown on it by glowing bars. It is powered by a small built-in battery pack that takes 2 AAA batteries.
A small warning, perhaps. Obviously, you can't just wash this thing like any other T-shirt. You have to unplug the battery (of course!), hand wash it, don't wring it and dry it lying flat in the shade. Also, don't iron it over the image and for the love of God, no dry cleaning (would probably dissolve the entire detector)!

Buy from Firebox

gadgets

Stealth Boat

2008-06-06T19:52:00.002+02:00

This boat looks like it belongs in a James Bond movie, but you don't need a license to kill to play with one of these. A four hour charge gives it enough juice for thirty minutes, and it can reach speeds up to 30 kilometers per hour (18.6 mph). The propeller will only spin when it makes contact with the water, wich is a good thing because you don't want your fingers getting caught in it! Check out the following video for a demonstration of its speed and manoevrability.

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gadgets radio control

HTC Touch Pro

2008-06-04T16:54:00.002+02:00

HTC has announced the HTC Touch Pro, their newest addition to the Touch line of Windows Mobile smartphones. It has the same slide-out keyboard as other HTC phones and a 2.8" touch screen with VGA resolution. What makes this phone even more unique is the TouchFLO interface, wich makes browsing through different tasks and options very easy. Also included are a MicroSD card slot, 3.2 meapixel camera with flash and autofocus and a GPS receiver.

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gadgets cellphone smartphone

Rsstroom Concept

2008-06-03T18:27:00.002+02:00

Here's another gadget that belongs in the category "What the hell were they smoking when they thought of this?". What is it? It's a printer that prints your favorite RSS feed on a roll of... toilet paper! And not only that, it also has a biometric toilet seat wich measures your weight as you sit on it. I wonder if it can also tell who is sitting on the toilet, so it can automatically select the correct RSS feed. It's just a concept, though, so it will probably never be available commercially. Would be nice to catch up on some Twitter feeds, though.

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gadgets weird

Asus EEE PC 900 comparison

2008-06-01T09:54:00.002+02:00

The following video compares the new Asus EEE PC 900 with the older 700 model. The most notable difference, of course, is the larger display. Also demonstrated is the multi-touch system, wich means you can operate the touchpad with 2 fingers at the same time.

Another significant difference is the upgraded storage. The 700 had only 4 gigs of storage, the 900 can have up to 20.

gadgets eee laptop

Optimus Popularis prototype

2008-05-31T13:49:00.002+02:00

The successor to the insanely expensive Optimus Maximus keyboard is already in the works. Here's a picture of the prototype. Art Lebedev isn't giving away a lot of information at the moment, but it's supposed to be a keyboard with transparent keys on top of a single TFT display instead of a small OLED display in every key. Although they promise it will cost under $1000, it will probably still be expensive as hell.

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gadgets input keyboard

RoverPC P7 Smartphone

2008-05-30T20:14:00.002+02:00

The relatively unknown Russian electronics manufacturer RoverPC has released its newest smartphone, the P7. It sports a 416 MHz processor, 2.8" touch screen, GPRS/EDGE, Windows Mobile 6.1, Bluethooth, Wifi. It supports MicroSD cards and has a mini-USB connector and a 2 megapixel camera. Unfortunately, there's no 3G support.
As for now, the phone is only available in Russia. Since RoverPC has only sold phones in Russia in the past it's safe to assume this won't cross the border either. If you're Russian or visit Russia any time soon, it costs 8990 RUB, wich is equivalent to €250 or $380, wich is very affordable for a Windows Mobile smartphone, even without the 3G.

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Asus EEE Desktop PC

2008-05-29T21:36:00.002+02:00

One of the most talked about gadgets of the moment is the Asus EEE laptop, a cheap, small and light laptop. Because of its popularity, Asus decided to design an EEE desktop computer, the EEE Box. No picture is available yet, but it's supposed to be about the the size of a book.
The computer will have a harddrive from 80 to 250 gigabyte, wireless networking, four USB ports and memory card readers. No other specs are available. It will run either Windows or Linux, with the Linux version being the cheapest.

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gadgets computer pc

Iconic Notepad

2008-05-28T17:52:00.002+02:00

No need to explain much, the picture tells it all.

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gadgets office

SSD Drives mainstream soon?

2008-05-26T21:17:00.002+02:00

Solid state drives have been around for a few years but because of their enormous price tags their use has always been limited to high end users. Perhaps this will change soon, because Samsung has announced it will start mass producing and marketing their new 256 gigabyte SSD. As a 2.5" drive, it's perfect for laptops, and a 1.8" version is also announced, wich would be a good storage medium for small portable devices.
A full press release can be found at Gizmodo.

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gadgets storage ssd

Sandisk High Speed Memory Cards

2008-05-25T13:09:00.004+02:00

Sandisk has launched a new line of ultra high speed memory cards for cellphones and other portable devices. The MicroSDHC and Memory Stick Micro cards are available in capacities of up to 8 gigabytes. Sandisk doesn't mention the exact transfer speeds, unfortunately. All cards come with an adapter to plug them into a USB port, so you can easily transfer content from the card to your computer.

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gadgets memory storage

Mensa Touch Screen Sudoku

2008-05-23T19:46:00.002+02:00

This Mensa-designed hand held sudoku game has a backlit touch screen, a timer function and save option. It holds about 1 million different games of varying difficulty levels. And if that's not enough for you, you can copy games you find in newspapers and magazines to the device! Enough for a lifetime of puzzling!

Buy from Shiny Shack

gadgets games puzzles

Radio Controlled Cooler

2008-05-22T20:32:00.002+02:00

Nothing tastes better than a cold beer on a hot day. But hot weather and thirst make you lazy, so you need either somebody to fetch you a beer, or possibly one of the greatest inventions ever: the R/C Drinks Cooler! Too lazy to get up? You don't need to, because this ice bucket has wheels and a remote control, so you can just send it over to you while your lazy butt stays down, as it should!
The set requires 6 C-size batteries for the cooler and a 9 volt battery for the transmitter. It can hold about 12 bottles or 10 cans, and the range of the transmitter is approximately 10 meters.

Buy from Firebox

gadgets beer cooler

Flux Capacitor For Sale

2008-05-21T20:41:00.002+02:00

Ever found yourself building a time machine out of one of the ugliest sports cars ever made, thinking: "I feel like something's missing, but I don't know what!"? We all have, of course. And this is probably what was missing and the prime reason your time machine didn't work: a Flux Capacitor!
You don't need to despair any longer, because now you can get your very own Flux Capacitor, so you can finally go on crazy adventures, disrupt the space-time continuüm endanger your own existence and, who knows, that of the entire universe as well! Oh, by the way, did I mention you'll also need a 1.21 gigawatt power source?

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gadgets energy scifi

Canon Fuel Cells

2008-05-19T19:20:00.003+02:00

Canon is developing a fuel cell pack for DSLR cameras. It's a bit different than other fuel cell designs. This one is especially designed to supply fluctuating currents. It contains several cells that supply different voltages, wich can then be combined to supply the voltage needed, so no energy is wasted. I am very curious about how this will turn out!

Source article

gadgets energy fuelcell

28-LED Desktop Lamp

2008-05-18T12:32:00.002+02:00

This desktop lamp has an array of 28 LEDs and can be powered by either the USB port or AA batteries (4 pieces). You can also set the brightness by switching off some of the LEDs; you can light 4, 16 or all 28 of them.

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gadgets led light

Caffeinated Chips

2008-05-17T14:49:00.002+02:00

Of all the stuff caffeïne is pumped into these days, at least this one makes a bit sense. I mean, caffeïnated soap? Since when is it absorbed through the skin? Anyway, here's potate chips with caffeïne. Why is this a good thing? It's chips and cola in one! Why is it a bad thing? The available flavors are lemon and cinnamon! Just how disgusting is that?

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gadgets caffeine

Mini Wind Turbine

2008-05-15T18:11:00.003+02:00

This mini wind turbine probably won't power a home, but it will do nicely for charging gadgets! It has an on-board battery that is charged with the turbine, wich you can then use at will to charge a camera, cellphone or MP3 player. And in case there's no wind you can charge the battery from a power outlet, although this seems pretty useless since it's better to plug in your gadgets directly instead.
Besides the turbine itself, the package also contains a set of adapters for cellphones. It has adapters for Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Motorola, LG and Nokia phones. Another accessory that's available, and a very useful one, is a clamp for attaching the turbine to your bike. While you're riding a bike you'll always have more than enough wind to keep the turbine going, wich means lots of cheap and clean energy!

Buy from Firebox

gadgets energy green

Bike Mount For Portable Gadgets

2008-05-14T22:11:00.002+02:00

If you often listen to your MP3 player while riding your bike, this might be useful. It's a mount for placing an MP3 player or GPS on the handlebar. It can hold any device between 40 and 75 mm wide, clamped between foam rubber pads. While this works, I wonder how reliable it is. Face it: a few layers of foam rubber aren't really gonna hold anything securely in place. I definitely wouldn't use this on a mountain bike, and even on a road bike I would make sure my gadgets are firmly in place with some rubber bands, or get something a bit better than this.

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gadgets mobility bike

Air Guitar Rocker

2008-05-12T20:10:00.000+02:00

If there's anything that makes me go "WTF???", it's this. If you think Guitar Hero, no matter how much fun it is, makes you look like a total moron, think again. With this toy, you can play air guitar for real, just like Bill & Ted. If you don't know who Bill & Ted are, first of all shame on you, and second get your butt to the nearest video store and rent "Bill & Ted's excellent adventure" and "Bill & Ted's bogus journey".
Okay, so how does this thing work? The set contains a special belt buckle you connect to the amplifier. By strumming the pick in front of the buckle at the correct rhythm, you can play one of the included songs (Ace Of Spades, Smoke On The Water, Iron Man, More Than A Feeling and You Really Got Me).

Buy from Firebox

gadgets music guitar

USB Duplicator

2008-05-11T10:38:00.000+02:00

Here's another gadget that makes me wonder who the hell needs something like this. This device allows you to duplicate up to 60 usb drives at once! It's a whole lot faster than copying everything manually, of course, but why the hell would you want to copy data to 60 drives at once? USB drives are not exactly a common storage medium for distibuting software; they are almost exclusively used for personal data storage. Anyway, if you at some point in your life thought "If only there was something that allowed me to copy all this crap to 60 usb drives at once", you might be one of the few people this thing might actually be useful for.

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gadgets usb storage

Barbecue Sword

2008-05-10T21:46:00.002+02:00

With the warm weather finally arriving, it's time for barbecue again! Here's something you may like if you're a fan of Zorro: the Barbecue Sword! It's like a long fork, but only... well, cooler! And it's good for more than a backyard barbecue. You can also use it on camping trips to roast marshmallows, for example. Don't try to carve a big Z in someone's clothes, though, because that could turn out quite ugly. A Zorro-style mask is included. Hat and cape are not.

gadgets barbecue food

NES Controller Coffee Table

2008-05-09T14:44:00.002+02:00

This is definitely one of the coolest coffee tables ever! It's not just a big picture of a NES controller with a sheet of glass over it, no, it's an actual scaled up NES controller. That's right, this thing actually works! Of course, you'd need an working NES for that, but there are still plenty of those around. Or perhaps someone will build a big version of that as well? Now that would be cool!

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gadgets nintendo