Spring Design sues Barnes & Noble Over Nook

Topic: Hot Gadgets

You may recall that dual screen eBook reader that turned up last month from Spring Design running Android and called the Alex. The company has announced that is has filed a lawsuit against Barnes & Noble for allegedly infringing on its intellectual property with the design and features of its Nook eReader announced recently.

“Spring Design unfortunately had to take the appropriate action to protect its intellectual property rights,” said Spring Design Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Eric Kmiec. “We showed the Alex e-book design to Barnes & Noble in good faith with the intention of working together to provide a superior dual screen e-book to the market.” Read more

Posted on Tue, 3 Nov 2009 10:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Soyea MID Z5: For The Serious Nerd Only

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Most MIDs tend to have pretty anemic hardware. Not so with the Soyea MID Z5 (Engadget). This bad boy dual-boots Windows XP and Linux, which should satisfy the hardcore open source geeks among us. In addition to the unique OS combo, the Z5 has some pretty intense hardware.

Posted on Mon, 2 Nov 2009 12:27:11 CST | by Robert Evans

Garmin Unveils New Aera Series GPS Solutions for Car and Aircraft

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Garmin has unveiled a new GPS solution that can go from the car to the airplane. The GPS series is the aera 500, 510, 550, and 560. The devices share many of the same features and the same form factor and only differ in the software included on the devices.

The 510 and the 560 models have access to XM satellite radio. All of the devices have private airport data, terrain and obstacle data and more. The devices are designed to allow pilots to use them once they get to their destination in the car. Read more

Posted on Mon, 2 Nov 2009 05:27:53 CST | by Shane McGlaun

The Waiting Game: OLED Cheaper Than LCD By 2016

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Early-adopters are people who don't mind being screwed on cost. They're fine picking up a $2000 television that'll be worth half that much in six months time, as long as they can claim to be ahead of the curve. I bought my G1 last year knowing full well that, within a few months, my mobile would be outstripped by every other smartphone on the market. It was worth it to be one of the first Android users.

For people who don't care about nerd bragging rights, it's important to know when the latest and greatest will be cheap and effective enough to be a worthwhile buy. Take OLED technology, for instance. While tech geeks might be cool with dropping thousands of dollars on a 15” monitor, normal people would rather get a 50” LCD screen instead. OLED just isn't cheap enough to be a viable choice for most folks, but the day when it will be is coming up.

Posted on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:32:12 CDT | by Robert Evans

Eye-Fi Now Uploads Video to Facebook

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Eye-Fi has announced a new update is available for users of the Eye-Fi line of SD cards for cameras. The latest update adds the capability to upload video directly from the camera to Facebook without needing to turn on a computer.

Photos and video can now be uploaded to more than 25 different websites. The memory card solutions range in price from $49 to $149 and are available in several different models. These things are perfect for the Facebook user who can’t seem to remember how to do the uploads manually. Read more

Posted on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Zagg Gives Few Details About ZAGGbox

Topic: Hot Gadgets

If you are familiar with the name Zagg, it is likely thanks to the line of invisibleSHIELD products that the company sells to protect various different phones and computers from scratches. Zagg has announced that it is working on a new product called the ZAGGbox that is totally different from the things that the company offers now.

Zagg has unveiled the first features of the ZAGGbox, which is a home automation device. The device stores, records, and plays media and acts as a media aggregator for video, photos, and music. The device can encode video into two formats at once with one for TV viewing and the other for the iPod. Read more

Posted on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

TomTom Car Kit Does NOT Work With iPod Touch/iPhone 2G

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Bad news, iPod touch users and owners of a first generation iPhone; the TomTom car kit will not work with your gadgets. AppleInsider has received direct confirmation from TomTom that neither product is compatible with the car kit. Both gadgets can handle the app, but for whatever reason the car kit is only compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS. The TomTom car kit offers a better GPS and higher quality audio, in addition to acting as a dock.

Posted on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:28:09 CDT | by Robert Evans

JVC $200 XV-BP11 Blu-ray Player In Time For Black Friday

Topic: Hot Gadgets

JVC today released their first budget Blu-ray player, the XV-BP11. This player is a back-to-basics type of machine. It only recognizes Blu-ray Profile 1.1 and measures only 1.5” thick at its fattest point. The XV-BP11 has the standard, front-mounted USB drive and the ability to read H.264 files right out of the box.

Electronista states that the BP11 can also read WMV videos, JPEG images, and MP3 and WMA audio files. It can output surround sound audio via Dolby Digital, Digital Plus, True HD, DTS, DTS Essential, and DTS HD Master Audio standards.

Posted on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:30:05 CDT | by Robert Evans

Easy Energy Unveils YouGen Handheld Charger

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Las Vegas based Easy Energy has announced a new handheld charger set to debut on November 15th. The device is called the YoGen and can recharge any small to mid size personal electronic device without batteries or having to plug the charger in.

The charger is powered by pulls on a ripcord that works sort of like a Yo-Yo. The internal alternator promises to generate enough power to recharge things like cell phones, iPod, PDAs, MP3 player, and portable game consoles. Read more

Posted on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

The Shadowbox Live: Track Your Rides

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Are you a skateboarder, skiier, snowboarder, or professional bobsled racer? If you're one of the first three, you might be interested in the Shadowbox Live. If you're the fourth, please send me an email. I've always wanted to have a friend with his own bobsled.

Anyway, back to the gadget. The Shadowbox Live is a personal measurement device designed for 'extreme' sports like snowboarding. The Shadowbox clips right onto your board and measures your runs in exacting detail. Afterwards, it can create detailed 3D maps of your runs and show you detailed information about any tricks or stunts you pull.

Posted on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:17:54 CDT | by Robert Evans

E-Readers: The Future Of Libraries?

Topic: Hot Gadgets

Where would our national libraries be without stack after massive, mouldering stack of books? Based on what we're seeing in the UK, they could be doing pretty well. Certain libraries there have started giving out e-book downloads in lieu of real book rentals. The temporary e-books are deleted after 14 days and, due to their digital nature, are never out of stock or on a waiting list.

For the first time in years, many of these UK libraries are seeing increases in subscriptions again. People are actually getting excited about going to the library again, and it isn't hard to see why. Fourteen days is long enough for most people to read a book, and e-books remove all of the negative limitations normal library rentals have. You'll never find an e-book with a weird stain or have to wait six months to check out a popular title because there's a waiting list.

Posted on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:49:39 CDT | by Robert Evans