(Credit:
CNET)
As the holiday season approaches, get-togethers have a tendency to grow...merry. After slurping up a couple spirited mugs full of glogg or 'nog, will you know when you're fit to drive home?
You might if you've tracked your drink intake with Buzz Buddy for iPhone and iPod Touch ($0.99). It can't guarantee you'd pass a breathalyzer test, but this blood alcohol calculator gets close.
After entering your gender, weight, and whether you've already consumed alcohol, you'll tap the drink type you're about to imbibe--standard measures of beer, wine, cocktail, and shots. That means if you're sipping a strong Belgian ale or Long Island iced tea, you had better 'fess up.
Using your weight and gender, Buzz Buddy will graph your calculated blood alcohol level over the hours, helping you predict when your levels will get back into the safety range. If you spill over from sassy to sloppy, the colored indicator will supposedly shift from green to yellow to red and you'll be warned that your blood alcohol level is far too high to drive. A small bug in version 1.0 kept the indicator green even as we "chugged" enough booze to fell a mule.
We have some other ideas for expanding Buzz Buddy's possibilities. What about calling an emergency contact from within the app? Or viewing an in-app map detailing late-night munching spots nearby? Entering submissions to the graph retroactively, to account for the drinks you may have forgotten to add as you got swept into your evening, however, is a more urgent request.
With a button you can tap to call a cab and arguably helpful tips to instill a sensibility for responsible drinking, Buzz Buddy is a good idea--as long as you have the the presence of mind to use it.
(Credit:
TriGem Computer Inc.)
Announced last month, the Averatec Buddy is now shipping. Averatec's first Netbook is listed on its Web site as being in stock. The specs and price are the same as those reported in September: $449 gets you 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and Windows XP Home. The 2.65-pound Netbook features a 10.2-inch display with a 1,024x600 WSVGA resolution. (You can ignore the erroneous specs on Averatec's site that state in some parts that it has a 12.1-inch display and a WXGA resolution.) Sadly, the Netbook features a tiny three-cell battery. Your networking options are 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and 10/100 Ethernet. Also onboard are three USB 2.0 ports, a multiformat memory card reader, and a VGA port. Features not found on the Buddy include a solid-state hard drive, Bluetooth, and an ExpressCard slot.
We're waiting to get acquainted with the Buddy and hope to be able to bring you a full review soon.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
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EPISODE 107 |
Pottery Barn makes 'Star Wars' bedsheets cool again--kind of
Moldy bag prevents your lunch from being stolen
Vacumm in style with the Issey Miyake + Dyson Limited Edition (thx Richard)
Hello Kitty Watch
Hello Kitty robot coming to clean you with cuteness (thx Sheala and Gregory!)
FUG!
Ferrari station wagon is a crime against cars
Kill me.
PMS Buddy isn’t at all offensive to women. Oh, wait…
What a concept
AI helicopters. Awesome.
Pink Watch
Memorex miniMove boombox
(Credit:
Akihabaranews.com Inc.)
This week's Netbook entrant? The Averatec Buddy.
Announced today, the 10.2-inch laptop costs $449 and features the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and Windows XP. It's not yet listed on the Averatec Web site, but upon first glance, it looks like the MSI Wind with a VAIO-like round hinge. While the press release is light on product details (size of battery? Screen resolution? Draft N Wi-Fi? Solid-state-drive options? Bluetooth? ExpressCard slot?), the Averatec Buddy on the surface serves up a larger hard drive than the MSI Wind for less.
(Credit:
Taylor Gifts)
What could be better than a remote that finds your remote? A device that will find four of them at the same time, all from one base.
The "Remote Buddy Stylish" (we don't know what the "Stylish" means either) is a caddy with color-coded buttons that correspond to individual remotes. When one or more inevitably gets lost, it will send a signal to the remote to help locate it, according to 7Gadgets.
In a perfect world this would serve as a recharging dock as well, but we know that few remotes work that way. But it does have another invaluable feature: If you still can't find said remotes, there's a cupholder so you can have a cocktail to ease the frustration.
(Credit:
i-Buddy)
It should have been obvious that the "Nabaztag" was having some emotional problems when it turned to graffiti, let alone self-defacement. The Wi-Fi rabbit had apparently grown quickly from its innocent beginnings into precocious adolescence, perhaps accelerated by instant fame.
Yet it's not too late to set it straight: All it needs is some positive companionship to avoid following Britney to UCLA Med Center. And that's where "i-Buddy" comes in.
It would seem to be a perfect match for the troubled bunny, recognizing specific acquaintances when they sign onto MSN Messenger and then reacting to certain emoticons accordingly--shaking, twisting, changing colors, and flapping wings, according to Chip Chick. It wouldn't, however, be a good sign if its face turns red during an encounter with the 'Tag. But fear not, the i-Buddy won't pose much of a threat because, at just 3 inches tall, it's only about a third of the rabbit's height.
How can you resist a beer cooler with an integrated speaker system for under $50? Admit it, it's impossible. We put the Burton Lil' Buddy speaker cooler through rigorous beer testing--overclocking it well past its rated capacity of 12-beers to an outstanding 16 (12 cans, 4 bottles). Want to see what your new best friend looks like up-close? Take a look at our Lil' Buddy slideshow.
Sure it plays music, but does it keep your beer cold? Click the photo to see our slideshow of the beer-tastic Burton Lil' Buddy speaker cooler.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze / CNET Networks)
(Credit:
Robot Watch)
It's good to see that the Japanese haven't forgotten about cultural entertainment in their apparent quest for a human-free society. At least their robots haven't, anyway.
The recently unveiled "Motoman" was initially assigned to such mundane tasks as sorting mail, for example, but it's already showing that it's got rhythm too. Four of them, to be exact--two twin-armed models and two welding versions.
The robots displayed their prowess on the taiko drums at the Kokura Gion Daiko Festival, an event that Pink Tentacle says is almost 400 years old and is known for its competition in the traditional percussion. After viewing the eerie performance on the video below, we're not sure whether to be impressed or scared for our lives.
(Credit:
Tokyomango)
Technology has allowed more amateur guitarists to take their instruments on the road, from guitars to keyboards. Yet the possibility of an easily mobile set of drums has been confined largely to the likes of the "Finger Drum Mousepad."
But percussion lovers can take heart now that the "Portable Electric Drum Set" is here. Similar to roll-up pianos that have been on the market for awhile, this virtual instrument is built into a 20-inch rubber mat that can be rolled away anytime, anywhere. Tokyomango says the eight-drum set even has "preset tunes and rhythms to jam to."
Granted, this rather nerdly alternative doesn't quite have the visual effect of a real-life drum solo. It would, however, be a nice complement to the Spotswood kick-drum PC.
(Credit:
Hammacher Schlemmer)
If you're going to start messing around with combo gadgetry, at least be creative. That's the lesson that should be learned from Hammacher Schlemmer's "Finger Drum Mousepad." Rather than some useless combination like a mouse pad with built-in speakers, this electronic drumming surface lets you strum your fingers to eight percussive sounds, "including bass, snare, two rack toms, a floor tom, hi-hat, crash and ride cymbals." You can even record up to 30 of your creations so you can play back the most annoying ones for all to hear, over and over.
