Crave

(Credit: Tech On)

Don't you hate it when your TV remote runs out of juice? Or when your clicker gets totaled by a battery leak? NEC and Soundpower Corporations' new battery-less remote control may be the solution. This technology is based on three key components:

• Vibration power generation that harnesses energy created by clicking a remote button
• A microprocessor that transmits and receives data in varying bandwidths
• A power supply controller that drives the electronics with minimal electricity

It will probably take some time for this technology to mature, but both companies are planning to promote its adoption in the consumer electronics market as early as 2011. That said, do we have to click such remotes furiously just to get them running fresh out-of-the-box?

(Source: Crave Asia via Tech On)

(Credit: 900Global)

I suck at bowling, and the only time I'll play this game is on the Wii in the comfort of my home without the guy in the next lane snickering at me. But it seems I can soon conquer my local bowling joint with this remote-controlled bowling ball from 900 Global.

The RC900 has an adjustable weight mechanism built within and it can shift around to swing the ball back to the right direction, and in my case, away from the gutter. But make sure you color the ball with some opaque paint, or else everyone will know what your magic is.

Does $1,500 justify the price? Well, if your dignity hangs on the last strike, go for it, champ. Just don't get caught with the controller in your hand.

(Source: Crave Asia via Newlaunches)

The new Rocket 622 and Rocket 620 SATA 3.0 controller cards from HighPoint.

(Credit: HighPoint)

In September, Seagate made the first 6Gbps SATA hard drive available. The new Seagate Barracuda XT hard drive offers twice the throughput speed of existing popular 3Gbps SATA hard drives. Now you're about to get the chance to take advantage of the new drive's performance with your current PC.

HighPoint, which makes controllers for storage devices, announced Monday the availability of the first SATA 6Gbps (or SATA 3.0) host adapters, the Rocket 600 series, which are based on PCI-Express 2.0 technology.

SATA 3.0 is the next generation of the SATA storage standard. Currently most computers use the second generation of this standard, the 3Gbps SATA (or SATA 2.0). At its full potential, the SATA 3.0 standard could theoretically transfer entire contents of a CD (about 800MB) in just one second. According to HighPoint, its new controller cards, however, offer the sustained speed of up to 500MBps.

HighPoint's new series of controller cards comes in two versions, the Rocket 622 that offers external eSATA connections to 6Gbps hard drives and the Rocket 620 that adds the higher-speed SATA to a computer's internal storage. Both of them, however, require an available PCI-Express slot inside the computer. You need the Rocket 620 if you want to install an operating system on the new and faster SATA 3.0 hard drive.

The two add-in controller cards are fully compliant with the Advanced Host Controller Interface (or AHCI) standard. They can also be installed in PCI-Express 1.0 slots and are backward compatible with previous generations of the SATA standard (the 1.5Gbps SATA 1.0 and the 3Gbps SATA 2.0). This means you can use them with any existing SATA-based hard drives and solid-state drives, other than the new 6Gbps SATA Barracuda XT from Seagate.

The new controllers are available this month. The Rocket 620 is slated to cost $70, while the Rocket 622 costs another $10.

(Credit: Rakuten)

Hang on. You're coughing and sneezing your lungs out, and you want ME to come inside Ground Zero to pass you a tissue? No thanks. Four little letters and numbers: H1N1.

Fortunately, we have Rakuten's Running Tissue Box to come to the rescue. Using a standard remote-control chassis, you put a tissue box on top and drive the absorbent paper to its destination at a maximum of 26 feet away. Think of it as a bomb disposal robot that enters dangerous contaminated territory where no man should tread.

The only thing that makes us scratch our heads is how long it took for someone to bring this idea to fruition. The Running Tissue Box comes in white, red, and black and costs around $25. It's available from online stores such as Japan Trend Shop.

(Credit: Japan Trend Shop)

(Source: Crave Asia via CrunchGear)

(Credit: Imregun Erturk)

How many cameras can float in the air and take pictures of you automatically? None, and there probably won't be any for some time to come. This is how skeptical I am of the Wagabond conceptualized by Turkish designer Imregun Erturk.

According to Erturk, the Wagabond can float in the air (the floating mechanism wasn't explained) and users can employ a remote control to adjust the height and shooting angles. This gizmo is targeted at lone travelers who don't want to bother people around them to help take their pictures.

All that is required for the user is to place the Wagabond on the floor and then use the remote control to activate it. The snapper will then float to the designated position and start taking shots.

I'm not placing too much hope for the Wagabond to go into commercial production. For now, I'll just use my Gorillapod.

(Source: Crave Asia via Trendhunter)

At today's Apple event, the company devoted a generous amount of time to various charts and numbers declaring that the iPhone and the iPod Touch offer much more in terms of gaming than the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS.

iPhone and iPod Touch games have a lot going for them. The titles are cheaper, they offer tilt functionality, and the graphics are better than what the Nintendo DS can display. All that aside, it's tough to consider the iPhone as a legitimate gaming platform until Apple can offer some sort of tactile button functionality.

But how do you plan to accurately deke?

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

First, let's get a few things straight. In terms of casual gaming, you cannot beat what Apple has to offer. There are countless quick and easy games that fit well on the Apple platform. No one is booting up a PSP game for the 15 minutes you'd sit in a waiting room or the time standing in line at the deli counter. So while that section of the gaming market seems sealed up, the same cannot be said for the more hardcore action/adventure and shooter games.

The way it currently stands, controlling such games on the iPhone or the iPod Touch is a frustrating mess. Players must navigate using a virtual D-pad, which isn't able to provide the accuracy or physical feeling an actual control pad offers on the PSP and the DS. We're delighted to see franchises like Madden and Assassin's Creed head to the platform, we just wish there was a better way to control these titles. Until that day comes, iPod Touch and iPhone games will be stuck under a glass ceiling of shake, tilt, and tapping.

There's no denying that Apple has the upper hand here. No one wants to carry around three devices when one can handle everything. As we've written before, Apple can easily take over the portable gaming market with just a few moves. The first step toward that goal--whether it be an add-on or hardware change--is to add buttons.

(Credit: CellControl)

If you can't keep your hands off your cell phone while driving, a new blocking device can help you keep them on the wheel.

CellControl plugs into the computer terminals of cars made in 1996 and later (terminals are located under the steering column). It then links to your cell via Bluetooth and a downloadable application. When the vehicle is in motion, the device blocks all incoming and outgoing calls, plus texts and e-mails. But it always allows you to call emergency numbers.

CellControl does not depend on cell phone tower triangulation or GPS; as long as a car is moving at more than 1 mph, it will sense the motion and block calling. Incoming calls and messages are stored.

The device can be programmed, though, to allow only calls or text messages. Once the car is stopped, calls automatically come through. Passenger cell phones are not affected.

Driving while distracted (DWD) is becoming an increasingly important public safety issue.

Louisiana-based developer Obdedge says texting was related to about 500,000 road accidents in 2008. Meanwhile, the United Services Automobile Association recently noted that studies conducted in summer 2009 show texting while driving makes a driver 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident, while talking on a cell phone while driving, even hands-free, makes drivers as likely to cause a crash as someone considered legally drunk.

Obdedge is offering free beta testing before it launches CellControl for BlackBerry devices on September 15. Launches for Windows Mobile and Android will come later.

Canon Selphy ES40

(Credit: Canon USA)

Canon just added three new Pixma-branded printers and one Selphy standalone printer to its line of business and family-friendly devices. This debut also sees the materialization of Canon's new Auto Fix II technology that takes one-click touch-ups to the next level of clarity, correcting many common photos including underexposed pictures or low-light backdrops.

Canon PIXMA MP990

(Credit: Canon USA)

Only the Pixma MP990 ($300) and MP640 ($220) printers will include this new feature, but both are also set up to print wireless (the MP640 has a built-in print server), vibrant photos thanks to Canon's ChromaLife 100 ink system and the additional gray ink tank to enhance black and white snapshots.

Finally, the two Pixmas also include large LCD screens as well as Canon's Easy-Scroll Wheel, which we first enjoyed on the Canon PIXMA MP980.

The Pixma iX7000 business inkjet rounds out the Pixma offering and contains auto duplexing, three paper feed trays, an extra large paper input, and Ethernet connectivity--all of which could help small business increase their printing productivity. The iX7000 will retail at $400.

(Credit: Netgear)

I am not a big fan of parental controls, but that might be just because I'm not a parent.

If you are not like me and have been wondering if paying a yearly fee for the comprehensive parental control feature that accompanies the lackluster iBoss router is worth it, Netgear may have just made your life a lot easier.

Netgear announced Tuesday the release of Live Parental Controls, a comprehensive Web-filtering feature it has developed in collaboration with OpenDNS.

The new feature enables parents and small businesses to restrict Internet access to all the devices that connect via the router, with filtering based on more than 50 categories of content. The Live Parental Controls incorporate a comprehensive set of filtering features including some not available in other parental control solutions, such as remote management from mobile devices and highly flexible settings.

The best things about the new features are that they're free and are included with Netgear's new routers. The first one that comes with this is Netgear's Wireless-N 300 WNR2000 router. Netgear plans on putting Live Parental Controls in its future routers and Internet gateways.

The WNR2000 is available immediately and costs less than $80, which is very good for a Wirelesss-N router and it's a great deal considering the new Web filter, especially when compared with the iBoss.

Hands-on testing and a full review of Netgear's Wireless-N 300 WNR2000 wireless router will be available soon.