Gadgets

Hewlett Packard's 8250 inkjet printer, targeted at consumers who will want to print pictures at home, costs $199 in stores, but it probably costs $199.80 to make, says Doug Moore, an analyst at research firm Current Analysis. The manufacturing cost estimate might be ten percent high at best, but either way, that doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room.

"It's the (business) model for the low-end inkjet market. The manufacturers reap whatever they are losing on the printers on the supplies," he said.

HP is trying to recover lost ground in the inkjet market … Read more

Thinking about podcasting but are nervous about investing in thousands of dollars of hardware?

Russell Johnson, a 30 year veteran of commercial, public and Internet broadcasting and international media projects has come up with his all-in-one box dubbed the WorldVibrations Radio Station & Podcaster--also known as the WVRS-P.

The company is taking orders now starting at $2,850 and expects to ship the product around the globe on August 22.

The box includes all the hardware and software that a person would need to start up an Internet-based radio station as well as an automated podcast studio, including streaming … Read more

Louis Armstrong, move over. A new digital trumpet is now on the market and it looks to help make even the most inexperienced trumpet player sound like a pro.

The Morrison Digital Trumpet--or MDT for short--is a brass-style MIDI wind controller invented and designed by Steve Marshall and Australian multi-instrumentalist James Morrison.

The horn, which sells for a little more than $1,678, also creates alternative sounds that musicians cannot produce on their acoustic instruments.

For example, the Web site says, "you can use the MDT to double on clarinet, saxophone, guitar, or bass."

Transposing songs is done … Read more

Korea's MPIO launched its latest audio and video player more than five months after it was first announced.

The MPIO-ONE measures a little more than an inch--about the size of a AA battery--and can hold 11 hours of music or two hours of video. The tiny player runs on a rechargeable li-polymer battery and comes in three versions: 256MB, 512MB and 1GB.

It comes in six colors including Smart Silver, Fair Gold, Crimson Red, Mystic Gray, Harvard Blue and Midnight Black and sells in Korea and some online channels starting at $247.

There is a hold switch and reset … Read more

Like most religions, Judaism has its time-honored traditions. If you need a little help remembering exactly what time those time-honored traditions should be honored, the Jewish Watch is here for you.

The water-resistant gadget has the standard time-keeping features of today's digital watches, but it's set apart by a microchip, developed in Israel, that displays messages according to the Hebrew calendar and special Jewish occasions. The watch, can, for example, alert you when it's time to recite the shema (the universal Jewish affirmation of faith), or light candles to usher in the weekly Jewish sabbath. It can … Read more

Tired of your average everyday 104-key keyboard? A couple of Russian companies are taking a fresh look at the 'ole " stickers on key caps" problem with some new programmable keyboards.

iKeyInfinity, out of Moscow, is expected to launch its new multi-language design for Windows and Macintosh platforms starting next year. Connected via a USB 2.0 cable, each key has a 17x17 pixels liquid crystal display (LCD) to show the character according to the language used in the operating system.

When the layout map is changed, the image on each key changes accordingly. The company said the image … Read more

You can now do your own revision of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" without having to purchase a separate karaoke machine.

Panasonic is prepping two condenser microphones with an internal SD-card slot for release next month in Japan. The SY-MK100 (black) and the SY-MK30 (silver) connect directly to a television though an AV cable and come with a sampling of pre-loaded songs. Prices were not disclosed.

The microphone also connects to a PC via USB cable so you can download your favorite tunes. The included software comes with about 50 different stock patterns for the background, along with … Read more

To help promote its SportsCamcorder, a pocket-size video camera with a detachable lens that can be attached to a helmet or jacket, Samsung has launched a Web site that will feature films taken by consumers with the camera.

Right now, the camcorder site features video shot by guys riding Kawasaki ATVs in the desert. Sometimes, the lens is attached to the helmet, sometimes the handlebars.

Starting Monday, Samsung will hold a monthly contest by putting the best video shot by a consumer on the site. The company screens the videos, so even though your film of you going down a … Read more

Ever gotten distracted while ironing? You rush off to answer a phone call or get the door, leave the heated iron on your fancy linen shirt and come back to find an iron-shaped imprint on your garb. Not a good look.

Oliso has come up with a workaround for easily distracted iron wielders--the Touch&Glide, which automatically stands up on built-in legs as soon as it senses a user's hand releasing the handle. Grasp the arm again and digital sensors feel the pressure and command a micro-motor to pull the iron back down onto the ironing board. An … Read more