Missile Webcam Over MSNWe thought Brando had finally reached the pinnacle of jokey USB armaments with its recent wireless missile launcher -- the third such product in this evolving line -- but apparently there is demand out there for a remotely-operated version capable of waging war over the internet. Filling this strange market gap will be the USB MSN Missile Launcher, which tacks a webcam onto the standard version and allows your buddies on the Microsoft network to randomly shoot at you throughout the day.

Again, we're not sure who buys a weapon whose main purpose is to attack its owner, so the $49 device may not be the huge hit its predecessors were when it 'launches' on the 18th.

Source- http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/05/usb-missile-launcher-adopts-webcam-for-geeky-wars-over-msn/
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New Super Smash Bros Brawl in JapanNintendo has just released two new Super Smash Bros. Brawl commercials in Japan (available January 24th), showing off its multiplayer gameplay.

Source- http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/video-nintendo-releases-new-super-smash-bros-brawl-commercials-in-japan
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Xbox Live logoWe can't say that we're shocked to hear this -- you know, considering just how long those Xbox Live holiday blues went on -- but Microsoft is indeed being slapped with a class action lawsuit over the aforementioned outages. Reportedly, a trio of angered Texans are alleging that Microsoft didn't abide by its own contract when network issues disallowed a good chunk of Live users from getting their fix over the past few weeks.

According to the complaint, MSFT understood that the time of year would lead to increased activity, yet "failed to provide adequate access and service to Xbox Live and its subscribers." Of course, we're betting the Redmond-based lawyers point out that clause about not guaranteeing any minimum level of service, but who knows, maybe we'll all end up with two shiny new Arcade titles.

Source- http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/05/microsofts-free-arcade-title-not-enough-still-hit-with-lawsuit/
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SRV-1 Mobile Surveillance RobotNot your average robot. The SRV-1 Mobile Surveillance Robot from ThinkGeek sports "tank-like treads, a 32-bit ARM processor and a mini video camera."

An autonomous roving mode allows the SRV-1 to explore independently while avoiding obstacles. Video surveillance recording can be scheduled based on time or date and saved as an AVI video file. Built in web based user-management controls who has access to pilot the robot or change settings.

Source- http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/video-srv-1-mobile-surveillance-robot-avoids-walls
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Google may have plans to expand its search engine beyond static text.

The search giant in June filed a patent application for technology that can recognize text in images. It could be used to retrieve text from video or from photographs that may show up as part of a street scene. The application was published on Thursday.

The company is seeking the patent for methods, systems and computer programs that can extract image text. For example, the application noted, the technology could search a collection of keywords extracted from text and retrieve an image associated with the extracted text.

The digital images that the technology aims to scout for text include illustrations of landscapes, people, urban scenes and other objects, according to the application.

"Image text typically includes text of varying size orientation and typeface," the application noted. "Text in a digital image derived, for example, from an urban scene (a city street scene) often proves information about the displayed scene or location. A typical street scene includes, for example, text as part of street signs, building names, address numbers and window signs."

Duncan Riley, a blogger at TechCrunch, noted that if Google really has found a way to index text in static images and video, "this is a great leap forward in the progression of search technology. This will make every book in the Google Books database really searchable, with the next step being YouTube, Flickr and more."

Adam Ostrow, a blogger at social networking site Mashable, said that potential applications of text recognition technology go beyond Google's existing products.

"Google could start photographing the aisles of stores to create product indexes with vast amounts of data," he wrote in a blog post. "For example, if Google were to photograph a box of Lucky Charms, it might be able to tell you not only its price, but nutritional information and ingredients."

However, Ostrow noted that the amount of manpower needed to capture this type of data would be hefty.

"Google Street View provides a fair amount of photos for major metropolitan areas, but it would seem that creating meaningful search products that utilize text recognition technology would require far deeper and more precise imagery," he said. "It sounds challenging, but perhaps not impossible with 15,000-plus employees at the company's disposal."

Source- http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141014-c,google/article.html
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VUDU set top boxRegardless of your feelings regarding the VUDU set-top-box, it's hard to knock its intrigue. From inception, we've been hooked on the concept, and while we've had our reservations about it, our hopes were bolstered after checking it out at CEDIA. After release, a number of reviewers found the device to be interesting, relatively useful and unfortunately hamstrung, but we still see quite a bit of promise in the box.

In its current form, there's no denying that the limitations are stifling. Right out of the box, you're stuck with a smallish internal hard drive that fills up quickly if you prefer your material in high-definition, and even if you look to external HDDs to catch the overflow, you're still left with content that's hardly portable. Sure, the port selection is up to snuff, the interface is beyond acceptable and the design is at least moderately sexy, but the inability to transfer content to discs along with the relatively high prices of downloadable media really put a damper on things. Couple that with the expansion of HD VOD and it's easy to slip your $399 right back where it came from. Still, we're curious to see how you all would tweak the VUDU to make it a more formidable competitor. Granted, we've all ideas that the majority of the changes will involve a massive overhaul of DRM in general, but don't be scared to think outside of the proverbial box on this one.

Source- http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/04/how-would-you-change-the-vudu-set-top-box/
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Line Rider heads to NintendoFor those who aren't familiar with Line Rider, this game "allows players to construct their own track filled with as many ramps, hills, and jumps as they can imagine utilizing a pencil tool." It's headed to the Nintendo Wii and DS later this year.

Once the player is done creating their course, they can send a virtual sledder down the route until he wipes out.

Source- http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/video-line-rider-heads-to-the-nintendo-wii-ds
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Nova media has announced Fone2Phone for Mac OS X, a new utility that moves data from an "ordinary" cell phone to the iPhone or iPod.

Nova media has announced the forthcoming release of Fone2Phone for Mac OS X, a new utility that moves data from an "ordinary" cell phone to the iPhone or iPod. It will cost US$19 (a special price) when it's released at Macworld Expo in San Francisco on January 14, 2008.

Fone2Phone integrates a "wizard"-style interface that helps you migrate contact information, events, tasks, notes, bookmarks, photos, music and movies from your old phone to the Macintosh. One the data's done being copied to the cell phone, iTunes can be used to synchronize data to the iPhone or an iPod on its next sync operation.

Fone2Phone requires Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later. A demo version will be available.

Source- http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141021-c,iphone/article.html
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Blu Ray BD ReviewThe Players: Panasonic DMP-BD30 ($500) and Sony PlayStation 3 with 2.1 firmware ($400 to $500)
The Movies: Fox's Sunshine and Sony Pictures' Resident Evil: Extinction
The Challenge: To find out what's so special about Blu-ray's BD Profile 1.1, also known as Full Standard Profile or just simply "Picture-In-Picture Enabled"

Every new phase of technology has its first few tentative steps. Not only is Blu-ray in its earliest stage, but that stage seems to be subdivided into a few mini-stages. As we talked about in The State of Blu-ray, most Blu-ray players today are Profile 1.0, which means they play Blu-ray movies (usually).

The two above are currently available with Profile 1.1, with several more, such as Samsung's BD-UP5000 and Denon's DVD 3800BDCI, on the way. This profile is characterized by picture-in-picture—and at the moment nothing else.

The final profile is often referred to as 2.0, though the requirement is simply BD Live, that is, an Ethernet port that allows internet connectivity for downloading bonus content. There are currently no players that fit this description on the market.

This week, we decided to take a pre-CES look at Blu-ray 1.1. The movies are cool enough—who doesn't like a sci-fi thriller by the guy who made 28 Days Later? And can you even be on Gizmodo if you don't think Milla Jovovich is some kind of supreme being? But the movies' status as the next phase in Blu-ray evolution seems to be an embarrassment for the studios. Rather than champion the 1.1 players and the discs' new capabilities, they celebrate them in the finest of print sizes:

Blu ray Picture EnabledFor first attempts, the "enhanced viewing" is not bad: In the 1980s, picture-in-picture was a lame concept created to convince wives that the football games could go on in the corner while the soap opera took up 85% of the screen, but that never actually happened. Now picture-in-picture has been reborn as something far more useful, where you can watch a movie while seeing the shots the director saw before special effects came into play, or the sketches that became the sets, or the faces of the commenters as they goof on their faulty stunts.

The Sunshine disc handles PIP with a shiny golden console screen that pops up to contain the standard-def bonus commentary. There aren't many segments, but what is shown, such as walkthroughs of the sets and shoting in zero-gravity, is cool to see juxtaposed with the final film.

Sunshine CapIn the end, we were glad that Blu-ray could now do what we've already seen in Warner HD DVDs such as 300 and the latest Harry Potter. PIP may yet be a wondrous tool. But we're a little puzzled by two things:

1) It's hard to believe that $1,000+ players from Pioneer and Sony Electronics can't do what these were able to do so easily.

2) If this is all possible, why does it take so long to just complete the damn profile and make all players capable of both picture-in-picture interactivity and online connectivity?

If I had to lay money down on one Blu-ray-only player at this minute, I'd have to choose the PS3. The jury is still out on the dual-format players we want to love best, but the early rumblings suggest they may need some work. And any standalone Blu-ray player without an Ethernet jack may be in danger of obsolescence in a few years, if not a matter of months.

We'll personally be looking into all of that... right after CES. In the meantime, stay tuned for big Blu-ray and HD DVD announcements at the show!

Source- http://gizmodo.com/340402/first-blu+ray-bd-profile-11-review-verdict-is-that-all
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Hawkeye- Bust Your Drunken AssYou can chew all of the gum you want, but it won't save you from the latest weapon in the police arsenal against individuals driving under the influence. A new device dubbed the "Hawkeye," can record your eye movements/pupil size and accurately determine whether or not you are impared—regardless of the substance used.

The device has just been awarded two separate patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, so you can expect to see these out in force at sobriety checkpoints sometime soon. On the bright side, you might make it on TV as the latest guy on COPS pressed face down onto the hood of a car with no shirt on.

Source- http://gizmodo.com/340279/the-fuzz-have-a-new-way-to-bust-your-drunken-ass
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Laptop as free Xbox wi-fiYour router and Xbox 360 are on completely opposite sides of your home, running a long, ugly wire along the floor is out of the question, and you don't feel like dropping $100 on an Xbox Wi-Fi adapter? If you've got a laptop with Wi-Fi, Instructables details how to use it as an Xbox 360 wireless adapter. In all its a really simple process involving sharing your laptop's wireless internet connection with your Xbox through an ethernet cable. It's not as good as a wired connection, but if you don't regularly rely on the connection, it's a good workaround. If you want a slightly more permanent solution, you can also build an Xbox Wi-Fi adapter on the cheap.

Source- http://lifehacker.com/340158/use-your-laptop-as-a-free-xbox-wi+fi-adapter
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Apple iphone Christmas girl imageA software program designed to easily browse porn on your iPhone, complete with category-based picture, video and audio navigation and a "steamy room" to store all your favorites in its internal memory. This is the first version, so it has some bugs and not enough content. However, it looks promising enough to guarantee a good try. And maybe make some people to change their iPhone recommendation.

iStreamy installationiSteamy's installation is very easy.
You only have to point Installer.app to their source repository (at http://repo.codegenocide.com), After refreshing your sources in Installer, you will see the option appear in the menu under the Adult category, like the video review shows.

The application itself is very simple. It's well structured into four sections, Pictures, Video, Audio and Steamy Room, which is like your pornoteque and uses your internal memory to store your favorites for later use. You will have to register to have access to save to your the Steamy Room.

It uses the same conventions and software components as the iPhone. The scrolling, video and zooming work exactly the same (although the latter is buggy at this point.) It even has a five-star rating system, like iPod songs.

Is iSteamy worth the price of admission? It's a good first effort and, if you and your hand maintain a close, intimate relationship, it's probably worth it. For the rest of pervs out there, the free mode is fun enough to guarantee a try. [iSteamy]

Source- http://gizmodo.com/340319/isteamy-converts-iphone-in-handheld-porn-powerhouse-extremely-nsfw
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So here's the list of the posts that rocks 2007 gadgets areas. These posts includes electronics, tech, new, games, PC, mobile and all types of gadgets. Check this out-

and last but not the least

Please add your comments about above posts.
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Falkirk-World's first rotating boat wheelLocated in Scotland, the Falkirk Wheel is the world's first and only rotating boat wheel. Its primary use is to connect the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. With a diameter of 35-meters, it boasts two axe-shaped arms and water-filled caissons boasting an 80,000-gallon capacity, capable of lifting 600-tons (combined).

The Falkirk Wheel is surprisingly efficient, needing just 22.5kW to run the electric motors. At $34.8-million, however, this work of art didn't come cheap.

Add your comments....

Source- http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/feature-the-world-s-first-and-only-rotating-boat-wheel-video-
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Skype Sony PSP combinationsAccording to new PR for Sony's upcoming CES showing, Skype is apparently coming to the PSP.

Details are scarce at the moment (i.e., nonexistent), but the company makes clear mention of a Skype client for the handheld game system on its CES 2008 promo site, which is pretty official -- though we're gonna hold our breath a little till we see a press release. Obviously, we'll be hearing a lot more about this when the big show kicks off this month, but until then at least we can all sleep a little better at night knowing the PSP is about to get yet another succulent function. Just hit the read link and click on the controller icon, all you need to know is listed in the sidebar.

Update: Thanks to some sleuthing by the crew over at UberGizmo, a perverse and exciting little easter egg has been found in the PSP promo video which accompanies this new info. For literally one frame, Sony all but confirms Skype on the handheld with a nearly-subliminal image that reads "Make calls with Skype." Check the image after the break and see for yourself.

Source- http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/02/skype-coming-to-sonys-psp/
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Excessive mobile phone uses warnedThe French Health Ministry on Wednesday issued a warning against excessive mobile phone use, especially by children, though it recognized science had not proved cellular technology was dangerous.

The appearance on the market of mobile phones designed for children has raised concern since youngsters would be particularly vulnerable to any possible health effects, the Ministry of Health, Youth and Sports said in a statement.

"As the hypothesis of a risk cannot be entirely excluded, precaution is justified," the ministry said.

It recommended using mobile phones in moderation, especially among children, and gave advice on how users could reduce their exposure to any possible risk.

"One should use a mobile phone with good judgment, avoid calling when reception is poor, or during high-speed travel, and finally, keep the telephone away from sensitive areas of the body by using a hands-free kit," the ministry said.

Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin said on France 2 television that mobile phones given to children could be useful safety items, but parents should be cautious about frequent use.

"Today, here and now, it does not appear useful to completely do away with, or ban, mobile phones for children ... but in keeping with the principle of caution, I want to inform parents completely," she said.

A November 2006 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) said available evidence suggests long-term exposure to radio-frequency and microwave radiation from mobile phones had no adverse health effects.

However, the WHO said other studies pointed to an increased risk of tumors in people who have used an analogue mobile phone for more than 10 years.

A British study released in September 2007 said mobile phones did not pose short-term health risks, but scientists noted that studies to date included few participants who had used mobile phones for longer than ten years -- the time many cancers take to appear.

The head of France's AFSSET, an independent but state-funded health watchdog, said parents should not give small children mobile telephones.

"Since they aren't capable of limiting their use of the telephone, parents should not buy them mobile phones," Michele Froment-Vedrine told Reuters.
As of September 30, there were more than 53 million mobile users in France, about 84% of the population, according to the French telecoms regulator Arcep.

At Orange, France's largest mobile phone operator, no-one was available for comment.

Source- http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080102/tc_nm/france_mobiles_dc;_ylt=Amhq8dCO0tjzBzV3CYHgZmsjtBAF
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World's First Living InterfaceScientists in Germany have created the world's first "living interface", consisting of a microscope, an apperatur with LEDs, computer, and digital aquarium.

Tiny organsims, called Daphnien, are placed under the microscope to form an interface in the system cycle... This process allows the organisms to access all processes in the computer, including the ability to manipulate them.

Source- http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/feature-scientsits-create-world-s-first-living-interface-video-
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New Gemei X900 PMP Game with lot of new featuresThis new PMP made by Gemei, is called the United States X900 and comes with a few cool features that are sure to come in handy wherever you are and whatever you are doing. As you can tell from the picture, you can see a gaming like design. At first glance, it looks more like a gaming controller rather than some sort of PMP. The gaming interface, is just one of the few cool features of this PMP.

Let’s begin with the PMP aspect of the United States X900. It comes with a nice 4.3-inch touch screen, and plays AVI, MPEG4, MP3, WMA, and FLAC. Now, regarding the gaming aspect, the cool thing here is that the game pad is attachable, so if you don’t need it for something, you can easily detach it. It uses an ADI chip, which should allow for NES and SFC gaming. Furthermore, it can even act as a GPS if you add on the GPS receiver. So far, with its audio and video capabilities, gaming, and GPS, it is sure to keep you entertained and keep you from getting lost.
Lastly, it comes with an FM tuner, an e-book reader, and it can use SD cards for up to 4GB of memory. Unfortunately, no word on pricing or availability as of yet.

Source- http://www.gadgetell.com/tech/comment/new-gemei-x900-pmp-packs-a-lot-of-features/
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Asus Eee PC Beach GirlIt looks like the next version of the Eee PC will feature WiMax goodness, per this listing for a CES event on Asus's site:
WiMAX Today. WiMAX Tomorrow: An Official ASUS/ Intel/ Sprint Joint Launch Join ASUS, Intel and Sprint to learn about the state of WiMAX technology, preview next-generation mobile solutions (including the next generation EeePC) and immerse yourself in tomorrow's wireless protocol.
That's on Jan. 7, and we'll definitely be there. Now about the bigger screen.

According to Taiwanese paper Commercial Times (reliability factor of Taiwanese papers is about a 5.5 out of 10, generally speaking) run through the cold Google translation machine, "Currently Eee PC seven inches mainly by the Friends of the supply, and with the new Asus eight.9-inch Eee PC forthcoming." Also: "It is understood that in January next year, Asustek also Eee PC, the new specifications will be listed in addition to the screen some of the current seven inches, will join the eight.9-inch screen."

After we press blend on the rumor mixer, we come up with a new Eee PC launching at CES with an 8.9-inch screen and WiMax, which sounds like hot stuff, though the price point is likely to be a bit higher than machine-moving $399. We're pretty psyched to see it, either way.

Source- http://gizmodo.com/339234/next+gen-asus-eee-pc-packs-wimax-89+inch-screen
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Speed up with PCle hard driveIn the computer industry people are always trying to find ways to speed up their PC. Usually when they think of increasing the performance of their computer, they immediately think about switching out their CPU or adding more memory. One bottleneck that is often overlooked is the hard drive.

One of the reasons that the hard drive is often overlooked is because there aren’t a lot of good options for improvement on the market. One that will give you a considerable boost is the ioDrive PCIe card. That’s right, it’s not a SATA or an ATA (eek!) drive, but rather it takes full advantage of your PCIe bus speeds to transmit data. It will feature sustained read/write speeds of 700MB/s and 600MB/s respectively and 3.2 Gbps bandwidth.


Of course such an upgrade will cost more than most people’s computers. A 640GB model will set you back around $2,400 when it comes out in Q1 of 2008.

Source- http://www.ohgizmo.com/2007/12/31/speed-up-your-computer-with-a-pcie-hard-drive/

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The Club PS3/Xbox-360 gameplay demoIn The Club, "Players choose between eight unique fighters, each with their own combat style and agendas, as they travel the globe in a series of visceral urban battlefields."

In addition to a variety of single-player scenarios, The Club boasts an array of multiplayer options to satisfy even the most discerning action aficionado.

Source- http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/the-club-ps3-xbox-360-split-screen-multiplayer-demo-gameplay
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