Jul 5 2007 Tiny Hardwood Speakers
These are tiny little wooden speakers which are made in Korea and cost about $45. Each speaker gives about five hours of playback, although at 1.5 watts per channel they aren't exactly the most powerful speakers on the market. They are, however, the most wood-like. Unless you count the ones I built. Although those are aren't really speakers, they're more like blocks of wood.
Mar 7 2007 Zenum Organum makes iPod look like poo
The Zenum Organum is a music player in development that has a 1.8" color display and can hold 2GB of music and pictures. There aren't any visible controls, although it's ridiculously sleek looking and actually makes the iPod look dull. It's like they traveled into the future and stole an iPod from the year 2064.
Jan 29 2007 MP3 shoes look totally awesome, dude
Some clever geniuses felt your regular shoes just didn't have enough integrated CD-ROMs, speakers, tweeters, and a volume control knobs, so they put this little concept together. Forget the fact that there's no way a CD will read in a moving shoe, but look at it. I mean really, look at it. It's like how they predicted the shoe of the future would look like in the 80's.
Jun 6 2006 Laser-Based Mini Projectors
Laser manufacturer Novalux is working towards creating colored lasers that could be used in tiny, laser-based projectors for handheld devices like cell phones, MP3 players, and PDAs. These laser-based projectors could produce bright and clear images the size of laptop screens in well-lit areas and projections of up to 10 feet in darkness. The projectors also won't require focusing because of the laser technology. If this technology takes off, people could watch movies projected onto the backs of airplane seats, subway walls, and even fast food restaurant tables. I'm excited that this technology has the potential to revolutionize handheld gadgets, I just don't think it's a good idea to project your business all over the place. If the person next to me on a plane can easily see that I'm watching just a 30 second looped sequence of David Hasselhoff running on the beach, he's probably not going to tell me when the dinner cart comes by.
Apr 12 2006 Weirdest USB Gadgets
Wired has compiled a list of weirdest USB gadgets. The list includes the standard favorites like hand warmers, toothbrushes, and novelty aquariums, as well as adding some lesser-known entries like electric blankets, humidifiers, and the inappropriately corded puppy cam. Pictured is the USB eye massager, which provides "comfort for the weary-eyed computer user." I think we can all agree that nothing is more comfortable than jamming a vibrating plastic finger into your eye. One glaring absence from the list is Dada's MP3-playing shoe. What's wrong Wired? Afraid of a little class and style?
Apr 10 2006 Toddler-Targeted MP3 Player
Fisher-Price has announced that it will launch the Digital Song and Story Player, an MP3 player that is aimed solely at toddlers. The MP3 player will feature volume-restricted headphones, a basic five button layout, and a screen that will feature simple pictures. Fisher-Price is also unrolling its online music store that will sell only parent-approved songs, stories, and Scandinavian death metal. The MP3 player will be released this summer, and it is only the first in a line of gadgets that will target toddlers, which includes digital cameras, cell phones, and junior electronic breathalyzer tests. Maybe.
