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Toyota takes the high (lander) road

Toyota used the Chicago Auto Show to launch the new generation of its Highlander Hybrid SUV. The new 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is bigger than the previous generation and is based on the Camry and Avalon platform. Although the new Highlander Hybrid's engine remains the same, Toyota engineers refined the hybrid system and tuned the engine to increase horsepower by 55, up to a net 270 horsepower for the engine and electric motors combined. But that increase hasn't changed the fuel economy, with the Toyota claiming to have kept the Highlander at 31 mpg city and 27 mpg … Read more

Three new Sony Ericsson headsets

Sony Ericsson has just announced three new headsets to go with the slew of new cell phones the company announced earlier this week. While the HBM-75 is a regular wired stereo earbud set, the HBH-PV702 and the HBH-PV710 are two Bluetooth headsets that appear to have the same pen-shape design as previous Sony Ericsson headsets such as the HBH-610 Bluetooth headset. While both of them look similar, the HBH-PV710 has a rated standby time of 12.5 days and comes in brown and red, while the HBH-PV702 is the more basic model with a rated standby time of 8.3 … Read more

Amazon Unbox video downloads coming to TiVo

TiVo DVR owners will soon be able to watch movies and TV shows purchased or rented from Amazon's Unbox video download service. The new feature, being beta tested by a "select group of TiVo subscribers" according to TiVo's press release, will eventually be rolled out to more than 1.5 million TiVo Series2 and Series3 owners.

According to the FAQ page on Amazon, you'll choose the videos you want to download while browsing Amazon's site on your PC, but the videos will be downloaded directly to the TiVo. Once they're fully downloaded, they'… Read more

'Minority Report' Lexus on eBay

If you're not interested in going back to the future by splashing out on a new DeLorean DMC-12, then you might consider bringing the future back home with you by bidding on eBay Motors for a copy of the futuristic Lexus that Tom Cruise thrashed around in the movie Minority Report.

According to the seller, the 2054 model-year car, which is one of only three made by Lexus, is about the same size as a Chrysler 300 and has only 38 miles on it since it was built. Curiously, it boasts a six-cylinder Chevy engine--which is 47,000 miles … Read more

NY state senator pitches gadget ban for pedestrians

Barely a day goes by in the Big Apple when we don't see someone get almost hit by a car while mindlessly chatting on a cell phone or listening to an iPod. State Sen. Carl Kruger of Brooklyn thinks this is a big enough problem to propose new legislation aimed at protecting distracted pedestrians.

Kruger's bill, which has not yet been formally introduced, would ban the use of electronic gadgets--including MP3 players and cell phones--by pedestrians using a crosswalk in New York state. Violators would be subject to a $100 fine under the plan.

Kruger told WCBS, "… Read more

Craving NYC: Inside Etsy Labs!

If you're tuned into do-it-yourself blogs like Make, you've likely heard about Etsy Labs, the new work and social space opened by online craft marketplace Etsy to give its online community an offline presence. So, thanks to employees Anda Lewis and Mary Andrews, I was able to go on a fun tour of the new facilities and learn about how Etsy Labs fuses its high-tech site with old-school cottage industry. Plus, this video showcases even more of my Mooninite addiction. Mooninites are the new penguins!

And a special reminder: If you're in the NYC area, every Wednesday … Read more

Nvidia responds to Vista driver dust-up

If you've followed PC-related Vista transition news, you'll know that Nvidia still doesn't have a fully functional graphics driver for its GeForce 8000-series graphics cards. The best you can do under Windows Vista is run a single GeForce 8800 with only half of its typical option settings available. Running two 8800's in SLI mode in Vista is out entirely. I find it irritating that Nvidia made a bunch of grand Vista-related promises with these next-gen cards when they were released in November, and hasn't delivered yet. My irritation is mild, though, compared to the folks … Read more

Real retro gaming on the Wii

The Wiimote, Classic Controller, and Wavebird are fine for playing Virtual Console games, but they're still missing something. Maybe it's the lack of wireless, maybe it's the stark white plastic, maybe it's the slightly awkward button placement, but these controllers just can't be the best choice for playing classic NES and Super Nintendo games.

Controller-modding company RetroZone is now selling NES and SNES controller adapters for the Nintendo Wii. One end goes into the Wii's GameCube port and the other connects to the classic rectangle or dogbone controller. You still need the original decades-old … Read more

Will the FishCam catch you a delicious bass?

Remember that bird-watching gizmo that interprets bird calls for you? I could've sworn it would be considered anathema to the whole raison d'etre of the pastime. But then one of our editors, Harry Fuller, who happens to be really serious about bird-watching, said that it was actually a cool device. So maybe I'm wrong when I think that certain classic professions are being corrupted by geeky gadgets.

Nevertheless, I think this one is a little much. Called the FishCam, this device is a $362 souped-up fishing rod with a camera attached to the line so that you … Read more

Sunshine on your shoulder to make you happy

Winter is fully upon us. Whether you have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or Winter Blues, the milder version of the disorder, you are probably yearning for the warmth of the sun and the hypothalamus boosts it triggers.

The Litebook Elite is a portable device that contains 24 LEDS that mimic sunlight minus the dangerous UV radiation.

As the Gadgeteer (who suffers through Indiana winters) points out, many of us get to work and arrive home in the dark, leaving no opportunity for what little natural light is available during the winter day.

The Litebook Elite for $30 is intended to … Read more