Gadgets

Business cards emblazoned with a simple name, company and title are so 2004!

CEO IQ out of Dallas has come out with a business card that functions as an interactive multimedia device. The programmable, rechargeable rCard can hold up to 1GB of streaming video, text, graphic and photo portfolio content, which you upload via a USB connection. The little gizmo's "show don't tell" approach may hold big appeal: Why just talk about your product or service when you can hand out disposable multimedia demonstrations?

The rCard is the size of a credit card (3.5 inches … Read more

For those wondering just what is it that makes the video iPod tick, Wall Street firm Jefferies & Co. has published a report that tears open one of the gadgets and documents its innards.

The report, issued Wednesday, notes the similarities between the design of the circuit board in the iPod Nano and that of the new video iPod. The firm puts the total materials cost of Apple's 30GB player at $143.50, giving Apple a 52 percent gross margin on the $299 device.

On the chip side, Jefferies notes that longtime chip supplier PortalPlayer remains in there with … Read more

A new video technology is expected to debut during this year's World Series that will let you see the entire path the ball takes as it leaves the pitcher's fingers.

Sportvision, which is known for its "K Zone" on ESPN, has inked a contract with Major League Baseball and Fox Sports, which has the broadcast rights to this year's fall classic, according to a source familiar with the deal.

The new video enhancement is based on Chicago-based Sportvision's "Pitch F/X" system, which uses multiple camera angles and high-speed video tracking and … Read more

For those of us who are fans of paintball (and you know who you are), there's a new marker out that is powered by propane gas instead of air.

Tippmann Pneumatics, which makes some of the better-known models out there, introduced its Tippmann C-3 with PEP this week for $229. The PEP stands for propane enhanced performance. A marker is the politically correct way of saying paintball gun.

With a 16-ounce tank of propane attached to the bottom line, the pump action marker can let you fire off 50,000 shots compared to a CO2-based canister, which usually empties … Read more

Think you'll get a better night's rest knowing you're safe from biochemical terrorist attacks, stalkers, kidnappers and natural disasters? The peril-resistent Quantum Sleeper's got you covered.

Forget such simple old-fashioned bed-buying decisions as platform or elevated, wood or metal. This polycarbonate-plastic-plated bulletproof sleeping safe room will have you pondering such accessories as cell phone, CB and short-wave radio connections; DVD screens with PC hookups; and a microwave and refrigerator. You might as well stay comfortable and entertained while the world around you collapses.

The patent-pending bed is airtight and watertight, with motion, smoke and other sensors. … Read more

Sometimes cell phones can be so darn apathetic! They just sit around halfheartedly ringing and alerting you to voicemail and text messages. Can't handsets show a little more joie de vivre?

We were happy to discover that Motorola thinks so. According to NewScientist.com, the company has filed a patent for a handset that dances when it gets a call.

The patent describes an ambulatory device that sits on four vibrating feet and performs "translations, rotations or compound movements." But here's where the shimmying phone could really get fun: Motorola proposes using accelerometers to let owners … Read more

While Motorola's iTunes phone has received a tepid response, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs hinted that his company may have more in store when it comes to cell phones.

In an interview with Fortune magazine, Jobs said the ROKR will not be Apple's last foray into the cell phone business.

"There are more phones yet to roll out," Jobs told the magazine. "Cingular has been great to work with."

Traffic jams rank seem to rank right up there with people's least favorite places to be before and after work.

While they are annoying, the annual amount of time the average urban commuter spent in traffic is now more than 60 hours, according to recent study by Texas A&M University's Texas Transportation Institute. All that congestion also causes 2.3 billion gallons of wasted fuel as well as wasted productivity.

So with a little help from Clear Channel Radio and digital map data provider Tele Atlas, Cobra Electronics has put together its NAV ONE 4500, a … Read more

Memorex unveiled its next USB drive with an LCD screen it says takes the guesswork out of remembering what is stored on the drive and how much free space is still available.

Shipping in November, the "TravelDrive ID," is a USB 2.0 standard drive that displays up to 13 characters that can be programmed to name to the drive, add a date, or identify the contents stored on it. The drive can even tell you when it is not plugged into the computer, the company said.

The device comes in three capacities: 512MB, 1GB and 2GB, priced … Read more