heads

Apparently the Sanrio empire, growing bolder by the day, no longer feels the need to use more subtle imagery in its universal brainwashing campaign. ("Subtle," of course, is a relative term whenever Hello Kitty is involved.)

Unlike more restrained uses of the ubiquitous HK logo, its newest camera inverts the entire relationship between function and branding: The gadget is part of the cat, not the other way around. Yes, the feline head pictured here is the actual camera, a much more extreme design from that of other models we've seen, including one just a few weeks ago.… Read more

HD Radio looks set to be the key feature for car-stereo makers this season. This week, Sony unveiled two budget stereo head units with HD Radio compatibility. The top-of-the-line Sony CDX-GT520 ($140) and entry-level CDX-GT320 ($100) are both HD Radio-ready, but require the addition of the Sony's clunky XT-100HD HD radio tuners module ($100) to pick up HD channels. Both systems can also be used to play satellite radio and iPods (via additional modules) and generic media players through their as-standard auxiliary-input jacks.

Meanwhile, Dual is launching its own bid for the aftermarket HD Radio crowd with the launch … Read more

Three words you don't want to hear around the Simbex's new shock measuring helmet. "Wait! Wear this."

The U.S. Army has awarded $932,000 to Lebanon, N.H.-based Simbex for 20 Head Impact Telemetry (HIT) System-equipped helmets to be used to "measure the shock from explosive devices." The Army wants to determine the amount of head trauma soldiers receive while in combat.

"There has been tremendous interest in better understanding the biomechanics of brain injury following both blunt trauma and blast events," Simbex founder Richard Greenwald said. The technology is … Read more

We've known for some time that in-car CD players are ultimately destined for the recycle bin of consumer-electronics history, and a report out this week by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) confirms that the slide has already begun. According to this report in Twice, the CEA predicts that sales of OE integration products such as MP3/iPod adapters, auxiliary-in adapters, universal controllers, FM modulators, and Bluetooth-integration devices will surpass those of CD stereo head units in 2007 for the first time.

The report also highlights growth in the market for "mech-less" car stereos (or, stereos with no … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--If there's one business where the intersection of new technology and old is creating confusion, I can't think of a bigger muddle than the recording industry.

So it is that I had a chance to listen to an interesting discussion on the future of the music business here at the wrap-up day of the iMeme conference organized by Fortune magazine.

Jerry Harrison, who used to play with the Talking Heads (and is now chairman of iLike) offered a provocative and entirely insightful comment about where things likely may be heading.

Nowadays our choices are still limited because … Read more

Tonight Gizmoz is launching an upgrade to its service that brings photo face-mapping technology to user avatars. Originally the service allowed users to add voice clips to various pre-existing characters, including celebrities, inanimate objects, and house pets. With this new technology, users can upload a photo of themselves and the service will automatically map their face to a moving, talking character.

Once user faces have been mapped, the service takes on a look and feel a little similar to that of Meez [review] with a build-it-yourself creation tool. Users can adorn their avatar in all sorts of clothing and hairstyle … Read more

For awhile we thought the majority of Webcams on the market were being designed by aliens. That was the only explanation we had for the inordinate number of models we've seen that have menacing or downright scary looks. (Except the ones that look like blenders, of course.)

The "Bubble Head" concept could change all that, as their friendly one-eyed faces show, if some manufacturer would just show a little guts and make them on a mass retail scale. The cams are made of polyurethane to survive falls from wherever they're perched, including the ladder that comes … Read more

Remember when you were in fourth grade and wanted to stop other kids from copying your stuff? You'd erect a fortress of open books around your paper, blocking it from prying eyes and creating a little courtyard in the middle for your work.

That's what the "Office Collar" essentially wants to do for your head, except in reverse: It's basically a horse blinder for humans, aimed at keeping you from getting distracted by your surroundings. Textually.org notes that this self-imposed isolation device, the brainchild of designer Simone Brewster, could also be used to help … Read more

This is one of those products with a name that really does say it all: the "Head Spa Massager." And that's probably about the best thing about it.

Just look at this thing. Would you be caught dead wearing one of these? It almost makes the solar fan hat look downright fetching. On the other hand, people might think you're either a cyborg or the victim of a horrible accident, in which case you might get preferential treatment out of fear or sympathy.

Gizmodo quotes the product description thusly: "This patented Italian design incorporates Japanese … Read more