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March 3, 2009 7:00 AM PST

Wireless key finder locates your keys and more

by Damian Koh
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Key Finder (Credit: Latest Buy)

I never understood the logic of "ordered chaos." Either you are messy or you aren't. So I rarely sympathize with anyone who is trying to look for his or her phone or car keys under a pile of stuff.

Fortunately for this group of people, the Find It All Key Finder may be the key (literally) to their next search mission. Each $40 set comes with a pair of keychains and a card with wireless receiving and transmitting capabilities. All you need to do is attach them to items that you frequently use or have a tendency to misplace.

When the latter happens, you can use any of these wireless devices to locate the missing item. For example, you can use the keychain on the TV remote to find the flat card in your wallet.

As you walk closer to the missing object, the light on the keychain or card flashes faster to signal proximity. According to the literature, the system is scalable up to a maximum of 36 such wireless devices, though it isn't clear how that will help you remember which device links to what item.

I guess you win some, lose some.

(Via Crave Asia)

February 2, 2009 10:59 AM PST

WiiWare and Virtual Console releases for this week

by Jeff Bakalar
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This week brings us a new snowboarding title that will work with your balance board and a classic Sonic game from the Master System era.
    WiiWare
  • Snowboard Riot (Hudson Entertainment, 1,000 Wii points): In this snowboard battler and racer, you have the option to use the Balance Board to control your character. Ride with up to four players using Wi-Fi.
  • LONPOS (Nintendo, 800 Wii points): LONPOS is a very straight-forward puzzle game that anyone can easily pick up and play. The game offers two modes of play with the option to download more backgrounds and puzzles.

    Virtual Console
  • Sonic Chaos (1993, Sega Master System, 500 Wii points): Choose to play as Sonic or Tails in this game originally made for the Sega Master System. Battle your way through various levels as you try to capture all six chaos emeralds.

What games do you think are missing from the Wii Virtual Console? Sound off here!

August 21, 2007 2:50 PM PDT

9-button mouse would drive us nuts

by Mike Yamamoto
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(Credit: USBFever)

If someone were out to sabotage what little productivity we had left, issuing us one of these would be a good start: a nine-button mouse. Why anyone would want one of these is beyond us--but, then again, we have a tough time just working a remote.

This contraption would surely confound us in countless ways, but Coolest Gadgets Zone says this wireless optical mouse would speed things up considerably while maintaining proper ergnomics, recharging in its cradle when not in use. All that may be true, but we'd have to figure out how to read the diagram shown here first.

January 30, 2007 9:10 AM PST

This bot's name says it all: 'Chaos'

by Mike Yamamoto
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(Credit: Autonomous Solutions)

We've often fantasized of having a robot that could act as a personal bodyguard or bully, depending on what the situation called for. But most of our concepts had been on a relatively modest scale--until we saw the "Chaos."

This is the machine you call upon for duties that are beyond the abilities of mere humans. As Tech Digest says, the Chaos is equally adept at discarding bombs and handling hazardous materials, moving "silently over unstable ground" on its rubberized track treads. We imagine that it would be pretty effective against those pesky spy bots too.

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