
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
"The things I want to do with my family!"

Monday, June 23, 2008
Hunger For Apple ?


Thursday, May 22, 2008
Denon goes after Bose with the AH-NC732 noise-canceling headphones

Denon entered the headphone game just last year, but for a freshman competitor, the company had a lot to offer. Most of the models we auditioned--both full-size home headphones and travel-friendly in-ear models--ranged from good to excellent. Now the company is expanding its offerings with a noise-canceling model. The AH-NC732 On-Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones offer a lightweight (160 grams), acoustic optimizer (said to offer deep bass), and compact hard case. A single AAA battery is needed for the active noise cancellation, which counteracts ambient noise with an inverse soundwave. In other words, the new Denons look to be targeted directly at the similarly styled--and very popular--Bose QuietComfort 3s. Look for the Denon AH-NC732 On-Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones to hit in August for $300--a cool $50 less than the Bose.
HP introduces new 'green' label for products
Sure, recycled paper is nice, but what about feeding it through a recycled printer?
Not as in refurbished and resold, but a new Deskjet that is composed of 83 percent recycled plastic. Hewlett-Packard is introducing a new green-focused label for some of its peripherals, and one of the first items under that label is the aforementioned D2545 printer.
HP hopes to tempt the environmentally conscious as well as those looking for a bargain with the D2545, which retails for $45. Even the ink cartridges it uses are made of recycled plastic resins.
The printer is one of several products that will fall under the HP Eco Highlights label. So far it also includes three LaserJet printers (P4015x, P4515x, and P4515xm models). HP says the label will list the environmental attributes of the product, and will eventually encompass all products the company offers.
HP recycles tons of dead tech products every year, so it makes sense that it's able to make products from the materials it recycles. So while consumers are becoming much more aware of the environmental impact of the products we use, and even businesses are beginning to see the boon that green policies are to their bottom lines, why not make this standard instead of an outlier?
HP responded that by 2010,100 percent of its Deskjet printers will contain some recycled materials, and will increase by three times the number of inkjet printers made from recycled materials.
A watch for the microbiologist in your life

It's been a long while since we've posted about unreadable timepieces, and for good reason: We can't stand them. But Tokyoflash, the most shameless purveyor of these maddening devices, has truly outdone itself with the "Infection."
As best we can tell, the face of this wristwatch is supposed to symbolize a colony of bacteria or some other disgusting microorganisms, with LEDs pulsating along the way to resemble their movement. And tell time, of course, though we defy anyone to figure that out at first glance.
It's unclear what kind of statement this is meant to convey, other than perhaps to warn others to stay away because you should be quarantined. We won't even attempt to guess the message if it's worn with Tokyoflash's other well-known model, "Pimpin' Ain't Easy."
Solar bags find it's not easy being green

The merits of solar-paneled bags transcend mere fashion, of course, but we're still surprised at how long it's taking for these green-conscious accessories to find their true aesthetic value. Try as they might, too many of them simply can't shake the look of chicken-wire siding or some other material that might seem more appropriate for a prison yard.
As seen with other products, the subtly named "Solar Energy Purse" absorbs ultraviolet rays to power any number of gadgets inside, with a backup battery for those rainy days. Despite this undeniable usefulness, as Boing Boing says, it still looks like it's made from "cut-up bits from your grandfather's old belts and velour loungewear." Harsh, but fair. Especially because they could have hired that student from Iowa State University who designed the "Power Purse."
Myvu ships new fashion video glasses

About a year ago it seemed that everyone was coming out with their own version of video glasses. Perhaps one reason their production has since slowed down was their awkward design.
Some manufacturers have tried to address this asthetic challenge, but it remains a work in progress. Now Myvu, which was one of the earlier companies in the market, is taking its products to the runway with the fashion-conscious "Myvu Crystal" and "Myvu Shades," both of which the company has just begun to ship.
The viewers have 320 x 240 resolution and include "CyberDisplay" technology, according to iLounge, with the Crystal version offering an improvement in vision field of 35 percent over previous models. Whether the new designs are enough to make them popular among fashionistas is an open question, but one never knows. They could become the gadget equivalents of the "Cadillac of Mini-Vans."