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led

Sun Jar lights up with a solar glow

Tobias Wong was probably the kid who kept lightning bugs in a jar for far too long.

He's designed a nifty gadget for summer that doesn't require electricity, candles or the imprisonment of bugs.

It's the Sun Jar from SuckUK for $40.

Leave the mason jar in the sun and a solar cell inside the jar absorbs the solar light and charges its companion battery. You then have 5 hours of lovely glowing illumination that evening. A light sensor turns the LED lamp on when it gets dark and, if need be, off when the sun comes … Read more

Displays have a long way to go

Today I take my lead from a Reuters article that describes two alternative display technologies that may some day replace (or at least augment) LCDs in mainstream computer systems.

Both are on the market today. OLED (organic light-emitting display) technology, used on some cellphones, creates what amounts to an array of tiny LEDs. This approach is theoretically superior to the way LCDs work, which is to combine a white backlight with colored filters and tiny shutters (the liquid crystals) for each pixel. All the light generated by the OLED is visible to the user, but most of the light in … Read more

Russian government shuts AllofMP3

The Russian government has agreed to shut down Web site AllofMP3, which offers downloadable MP3 songs for a significant discount--20 cents per song or less--compared with stores such as Apple's iTunes.

The site was controversial because it paid royalties to a Russian organization that was not recognized by the record industry. In 2005, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) filed suit in Russian court to shut the site down, but its request was denied by Russian prosecutors. Now, apparently under pressure from U.S. trade representatives, who are pressing for stricter copyright enforcement before agreeing to admit … Read more

LED dress leaves us in the dark

We thought this LED dress would be the subject of immediate mockery, considering our view on the infamous "Illuminated Handbag" some months back. But those who have far more fashion sense than us apparently think otherwise.

The lighted garment, which will reportedly be available only on the Japanese market later in the year, would apparently be de rigueur for club-wear, as far as Shiny Shiny is concerned. We'll stick to the kind of apparel we know--like solar-powered fan hats.

Hourglass ditches sand for LEDs

If you insist on joining the LED parade but don't carry a purse or work in a coal mine, there's still hope.

The inaccurately named "Electric Sand Timer" can be used in place of the traditional hourglass, programmable in increments of 1, 5 and 10 minutes, according to Newlaunches.

Why anyone would need one, of course, is anyone's guess. All we know is that, if a gadget has LEDs, someone will surely buy it.

New 13-inch Dell laptop leaked

It's getting pretty hard to keep a secret these days, especially when it comes to laptops. Eagle-eyed bloggers already managed to rain on the Santa Rosa parade in early May, and we've since seen leaked laptops from Sony and Lenovo.

The latest unplanned product announcement comes from Dell, where Engadget has managed to get their hands on some promo literature for the upcoming Dell XPS m1330, a new 13-inch laptop. Purported highlights include:

13.3-inch LED backlit screen 32GB SSD hard drive WWAN (Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T) 802.11n Wi-Fi HDMI output Slot-loading DVD drive

The … Read more

LED bulb is a tribute to Uncle Fester

Much of the stuff that comes out of Hong Kong-based Brando ranges from the curious to the bizarre, but every once in awhile its insane R&D department will come up with something that tickles our fancy, like this battery-powered LED lightbulb flashlight that Technabob found. And it would do the same to you too, if you grew up with bad--sorry, "classic"--TV in the '60s.

We're alluding to our affection for the Addams Family's "Uncle Fester," of course, best known for being able to light up a bulb using his mouth as a socket. … Read more

Photos: LG's big LED billboards

Nothing says "Look at me" quite like a giant, multicolored video billboard perched above a city square. That's why advertisers are starting to adopt new LED technology that lets them blast their marketing messages your way--and why IT services companies like LG CNS are scrambling to become the providers of choice for the high-tech systems.

The South Korean company--the "consulting and solutions" (hence "CNS") arm of electronics giant LG--has been busy installing the systems from Guangzhou, the industrial hub of southern China, to Cairo to New York. CNET News.com has a photo … Read more

Mini-subs run silent, run deep

Just when we thought we'd found the best pool toy ever with the remote-controlled water cannon, another one comes along to run (or swim) circles around it. The "Remote-Controlled Omnidirectional Submarine" supposedly can "dive and surface like an actual naval submarine," including 360 progressive rolls.

The mini-sub can accomplish these mighty feats with three high-powered motors and can even see where it's going at night with its LED headlamps. Oh well, our cannon can still blow that puny yellow submarine out of the water. Tough luck, Caroline.