A camera for the kids
Kids these days don't know how good they've got it. When I was a kid, you were lucky to get one megapixel in your camera, and that megapixel would be written to a single 3.5-inch floppy disk. We didn't have MP3 players or pocket camcorders or any of those fancy things. The only moving pictures we had were on our CRT monitors. And don't get me started on the regular ritual of taking the mouse ball out of your beige mouse and picking lint out of the rollers.
Today, kids have their Facebooks and Myspaces … Read more
iTunes plug-in finds good concerts
It's early February. Do you know where your favorite band is?
iConcertCal does. This free iTunes plug-in for both Mac OS X and Windows scans your iTunes library and lets you know when the bands you listen to are coming to town.
After installing iConcertCal, the iTunes visualizer becomes a calendar that lists local concert dates for bands in your library. Clicking on each listing in the calendar lets you buy tickets, and changing the city and state brings up personalized listings for other cities.
Since a co-worker sent out a link to this free plug-in last week, I'… Read more
The return of the living room console
Let's face it: no matter how much you spend, home theater gear is pretty ugly. That's why the stuff used to be built into fine furniture in the '50s and '60s. And now that is happening again.
The "Theatre" system is part of a collection designed by Marcel Wanders for HE of the Netherlands. It's a low-slung, modern wooden side table with all the home theater stuff built into it and barely visible. The specs are fairly modest at just 25 watts of audio output, but they're probably just being honest, unlike the labeling … Read more
No backyard for a barbecue? No worries
Yup, just in time for summer. It's all of 12 degrees Fahrenheit here in Manhattan, which is a big improvement over the 8-degree temperatures this morning, but still not warm enough to be thinking about outdoor barbecues. Nevertheless, this contraption on ProductDose is worth a nod, in my opinion: it's a balcony barbecue that allows you to fix a mini charcoal grill onto the edge of a balcony and use it to prepare burgers, fish, steaks, shish kebabs, or what-have-you. It looks as though it was somewhat inspired by flower boxes: there's a lower space to hold … Read more
British pop band plays Pac-Manhattan!
Geeky, oddball music videos have been all the rage since OK Go hit it big by dancing on treadmills for their song "Here It Goes Again." Well, here's the latest addition to that trend. A similarly-named band, Britain's The Go! Team, created a music video for their song "Junior Kickstart" in which they run around the streets of New York City playing live-action Pac-Man.
The video's cool. But "Pac-Manhattan" is nothing new; the concept first surfaced as a final project by students at New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program a … Read more
New headphones from Denon
Denon is getting into the headphone business. The company, best known for it home theater products, has announced five headphone models ranging in price from $50 to $700. With the exception of the DN-HP1000, a $160 model in Denon's professional DJ audio line, the new products are the company's first foray into the consumer headphone market.
At the top end of the new lineup are two high-end, over-the-ear (circumaural) models, the AH-D2000 ($350) and the flagship AH-D5000 ($700), the latter model boasting a real wood mahogany housing that is said to deliver superior acoustics. While those full-size models … Read more
So much for those Beatles iPod rumors
By now you know it: one, Peyton Manning is pretty fantastic; and two, there was no big announcement from Apple last night involving the Beatles. No "Beatles Edition" widescreen iPod, no Fab Four tunes in the iTunes Music Store, nada. Guess we can file that one under "unsubstantiated Mac rumors."
The ad everyone's talking about, according to the similarly disappointed Cult of Mac, is the Coca-Cola spot that spoofed Grand Theft Auto. Kind of reminded me of that South Park episode where half the action took place in World of Warcraft. So, here it is; … Read more
Microsoft's official women's laptop bags. Uh, yeah.
If Steve Jobs had anything to say about it, any "official laptop bag" created by Microsoft would probably be a giant fanny pack in '80s-style Day-Glo colors that was desperately trying to be cool. Just imagine it worn by John "I'm a PC" Hodgman. But remember, Vista has made Microsoft cool. (They wine-and-dined us at Cipriani, after all.) So, Ballmer & co. have commissioned luggage manufacturer Samsill to create its official laptop bags geared toward female customers, as recently seen on ShinyShiny. They might not be real leather (poly with accents of "leather-look vinyl&… Read more
Ever wanted a combination shower-sauna?
Yeah, I thought so. This little appliance from DiVapor, featured on BornRich (naturally), will provide your bathing facilities with both an 8-jet steam shower and a personal sauna unit. Called the Utopia Steam Sauna, it'll only set you back $6,800.
The only beef I have with the design: it looks like you have to step out of the contraption entirely to go from the shower to the sauna or vice versa. But then again, I'm sure nobody who owns this thing will have much of a problem with freezing cold bathrooms to begin with. (Wirelessly controlled thermostats, … Read more
