Much has been said about the new 14.1 inch Satellite E105 from Toshiba of late and luckily all preconceived ideas can be washed away as it is available for purchase and we have the specs ready for your eyes only.

The Toshiba Satellite E105 packs a punch with its 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo processor and 1280 x 800 TruBrite LCD display and might even blow you away with its 4GB RAM and whopping 320GB hard drive! (That alone impressed me!) However, it still astonishes us by containing an Intel 4500MHD integrated GPU.

The Satellite E105 will come standard with VISTA Home Premium and an interesting fingerprint reader (safety, it seems, is the deal with this baby!)

Other than these usual specs, the Satellite E105 from Toshiba will model 802.11a/b/g/n and an HDMI output, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and Wi-Fi Link 5100AGN.

The Fusion finish with copper tones and backlit keyboard are reminiscent of the MacBook Pro I’m sure you’re thinking but give the 1.2 inch thin Toshiba Satellite E105 its dues and try it out. It is available online for $1199, 99.

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Acer has a new powerful desktop to show off and it has just become available in Japan. The ASG7700-A11 desktop is a powerful piece of technology in a gorgeous sleek design that all those who like function crafted ingeniously into form, will love.

This beast Acer ASG7700-A11 comes with an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9560 (3.00 GHz) processor and not one but TWO GeForce 9800 GTX graphic cards for some serious gaming, graphics and multimedia expectations you may have.

The Acer ASG7700-A11 desktop has more to offer obviously, including an NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI chipset, 1TB of SATA HDD (7200 rpm) and a Blu-ray disk drive (packed with the latest technology as you can see). Additionally there are 6 USB ports for all your USB devices as well as a multicard reader and 2 eSATA ports, 4 DVI-I ports and another 2 S-Video outputs.

All in all – as I’ve stated before – a stunning machine that fulfills two basic needs in the consumer; the need for beauty and the need for functionality. Available for 329,800 Yen (2250€).

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As if Blu-ray wasn’t fabulous enough, Sanyo has just revealed that they may have a solution for significantly speedier recording times as well as doubling up on available storage!

Sanyo revealed information regarding a new 450 milliwatt beam that would read and write data up to four data layers and up to speeds of 12X. This is significantly higher than their current top of the range product which runs at approximately half of that.

Current Blu-ray lasers can burn 2 data layers of 25GB each and now with the added 2 layers (thanks to Sanyo’s newest Blue-ray laser concept), this means that each new disk will have the capacity doubled thereby allowing each disk the potential of having 100GB worth of storage capacity which (in theory) can be burnt onto the disk within 10 minutes, thanks to this amazing 12X speed acceleration!

Imagine 8 hours of 1080 resolution video being copied over to a disk in less than 15 minutes? It’s almost unimaginable if you consider the times we spend in front of our burning ROMs before a tight deadline is due.

Sadly, despite this being the best news since well, the advent of Blu-ray itself, these lasers won’t be available for quite some time as they will need to be approved by various bureaus of standards and the Blu-ray Disc Association. They would obviously need to ensure that all companies start working on standardizing the lasers for ease of use in the world of users (to make our lives that much simpler of course). Right now we can only hope this comes sooner rather than later.

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Once upon a time LG wowed us with their Viewty, now the successor; the LG KC910 Renoir is completely blowing us away! This amazing touchscreen phone is jam-packed with everything we want in a phone, camera, and PDA functionality… Yes, when I said jam-packed I wasn’t kidding.

The LG KC910 Renoir is a 14mm thick phone that defies its size with its functionality and specs that you would expect in nothing less than a brick-sized phone. The 8 megapixel camera will amaze those who require a decent photographic device as well as a phone. Now you needn’t have 2 separate devices when just this LG KC910 Renoir will impress you with both abilities in one. The camera also comes standard with Auto focus, Manual focus, Image Stabilizer, Face Detection, Smile Detection, Xenon Flash, Schneider-Kreuznach optics, ISO1600, Geo tagging and 16x Digital zoom. In fact, if we have to be honest, this phone carries a camera more technologically advanced than some plain single-device options out there.

Along with the amazing photograph taking ability, video can be captured using VGA resolution at an impressive 30fps or in QVGA up to 120fps for an outstanding slow motion effect.

If this multi-faceted device hasn’t impressed you yet then you’ll be glad to know it has much more to offer as the LG KC910 Renoir also supports an array of video playback formats such as H.264, MPEG4, WMV, AVI, DivX and Xvid while also keeping in tune with music formats including MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA and boasting an FM Radio for people on the go.

Luckily you’ll be able to use the 120 MB in-built memory as well as use either a microSD or microSDHC card to further enhance your storage capabilities and this 3G enabled device can utilise GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA 1.8 Mbits, HSDPA 3.6 Mbits, HSDPA 7.2 Mbits.

Obviously the usual Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Alarm, Calendar, Calculator, TO-DO, Stopwatch, World Clock, Notes and contact lists you’ve become accustomed to are always there for you to use whenever you need!

What I find even better regarding the LG KC910 Renoir , is that all these abilities come crammed in a stunning package. A real piece of art!

LG’s KC910 Renoiris expected to ship in October thought, at the time of writing, unit pricing has not been confirmed.

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We tend to spend hours picking the most chic technological items for our home but hardly stir up a fuss for our garden equipment – preferring to simply get something that “works”. Well, now you can get something gorgeous that works for you (in theory of course seeing as it is still in concept stage) – The Victa Amore Lawn Mower

The Victa Amore Lawn Mower looks as stylish as it’s suave name and the designer, Ansley Jones, had style and ease in mind when he came up with this concept.

Ansley Jones is a well-known industrial designer who focuses his energy on creating designs that are both stylish but still have purpose and this Victa Amore Lawn Mower is testament to that.

The Victa Amore lawn mower is electric, fashionable, sleek, small and slimmer than its cumbersome predecessors. This makes it more targeted at the younger generation who require space-saving items that are both sympathetic to form and function, and space-saving it is! The foldable handle ensures that this stunning “worker” gets to hide behind a door or under a couch when not in use!

So there’s not much more to say other than … I want one!

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Speculations arise as talk of Nokia Tube’s unveiling is rumored to take place on 2 October 2008, in London. Although we can’t say that this is true, we can only hope that it is, as we are dying to know more about Nokia’s first touchscreen phone. Yes, it’s true, Apple may have started the trend and slowly but surely, all manufacturers are following hot on their heals.

Although many phones have surfaced with similarities to the iPhone, the Nokia Tube is said to be the closest competitor (So we are anxious to see if this is indeed true)

The Nokia Tube will be an S60 variety phone which will boast a 640 x 360 touchscreen. It will also include Wi-Fi and GPS capability and is rumored to have 3G too. The 3.2 megapixel camera should take some beautifully crisp images which you will then be able to Bluetooth to one of your closest friends (Or save to your MicroSD card!)

Although no pricing structures, for the Nokia Tube, have been discussed as yet, we have heard (yet again through the proverbial grapevine) that it should enter the market at a reasonable price and be one of the cheaper touchscreen varieties to be sold.

This is good news for Nokia lovers as well as all those who like the concept of touchscreen varieties but haven’t had the money to afford one yet – The Nokia Tube is your answer!

UPDATE: see – Nokia N5800 XpressMusic Touchscreen – Nokia ‘Tube’ Specifications & Pricing Become Official.

We always think of aerial photographs and helicopters in the same sentence but now thanks to Skyros, you can take amazing bird’s eye view pictures while remaining safely on the ground.

Interesting concept you might agree! This fascinating device, known as the Skyros, designed by Siddharth Kambe & Dipti Hanako Kambe, provides a refreshing view on modern day concepts regarding cameras. If you consider that not too long ago (in historical terms at least) the human race marveled at the daguerreotype (1839) and just over 170 years later we’re talking about launching cameras and taking digital photos at bird’s eye view (without leaving the earth’s crust!) It is simply amazing how far we have progressed in such little time.

The Skyros concept revolves around the simple scientific art of pneumatic pressure. The Skyros aerial camera is launched approximately 120 feet into the air, from the ground, and eventually retains stability through use of its rotors. As the Skyros floats back to earth, it takes a series of images, at various intervals, from the high angle position.

Luckily the designers, of the Skyros, have ensured that this concept has an in-built sensor which will ensure that the camera flies back to the user without the user having to worry about running after it like a mad man!

Once the Skyros has safely returned to you, then you can attach it to its base where you will be able to view the pictures it has just taken.

Fairly simple if you ask me!

The Skyros aerial camera is also said to be multi-functional and can be used as a normal every-day camera, meaning it will be useful rather than just a gimmick if it were to ever break free from the conceptual stage.

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Nissan has a phone? No, I don’t mean they have a telephone, I mean they have teamed up with 2 other impressive companies to release a new mobile phone incorporating the “intelligent key system”.

Nissan Motor Co Ltd, NTT DoCoMo Inc and Sharp Corp have jointly developed the world’s first mobile phone capable of functioning as an intelligent key for automobiles.

Nissan, who has been installing this technology in their vehicles since 2002, already has approximately 950 000 vehicles on the road, with this technology cleverly built-in (ready for this type of mobile phone to hit our shelves).

Instead of waiting, Nissan supplied their technical support to the two companies in order to create this phone that will now automatically unlock/lock the car door and start/stop the engine. Basically be the key to your car!

This mobile phone has been made possible due to Sharp manufacturing it while DoCoMo has focussed on the marketability of such a phone in the current market. Luckily, due to Nissan’s foresight, this phone can easily slot into our lives (if we own a Nissan manufactured between 2002 to present) or are planning on buying one.

This is a clever invention which is moving in the direction of past theories of a cellphone/ mobile driven world. It will be interesting to see what other companies start using mobile connectivity and availability in their future products.

At present no solid information is available on this new mobile phone but a demonstration will take place at CEATEC in Japan on the 30th of September and will be released within the 1st quarter of 2009.

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Hmmm … it’s not often I start a review with those words but then this invention is making me ponder somewhat into the mind of the designer/inventor, like … is he on drugs??? The “Hitch” is an object that was borne in the mind of someone nuts or simply sporting a grand sense of humour.

The Hitch, designed by Robert Nightingale, is a concept that would like to see that all people can “hitch a ride” so to speak, using triple load vacuum suction cups as a means of “sticking” yourself to a host vehicle and zipping away. He believes that transport and “hitching” in particular ought to be freelly accessible and this is his thought on how to establish this as the norm.

The designer had this to say:
“For best results position yourself at traffic lights, railway stations or air hangers. Subtly wait for the opportune moment (which is precisely 7 seconds before the initial point of acceleration) and attach the product as firmly as possible to the host vehicle (a brief run up usually does the trick), paying attention to ground clearance for ones feet and enjoy the ride…”

Robert Nightingale has obviously not considered that this is all fine and dandy as long as people learn to drive safely, but seeing as though this is impossible to establish i foresee people getting squished against walls and other vehicles in the near future. Let’s also not forget dilly teens and their ludicrous ideas! This will become the next adrenalin rushing-die-to-do sport!

Needless to say. I’m no fan! Despite desperately wanting a velcro wall in my home, I cannot fathom throwing myself at a moving vehicle in the hope that I’ll get from point A to point B safely!

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Yes – what would my week be without another one of John Nouanesing’s crazy and amazing concepts? This time its the Fenêtres (Windows) 3.1 shades.

Yup, this ironic piece for your “real” windows will bring joy to those around you who are witty enough to get it (The irony that is)! The Fenêtres 3.1 is a concept design “blind/curtain” for a real window complete with “code” shades.

Home decor enthusiasts might be gagging at the thought of these entering one of their designer homes but i’ll tell you something, i reckon these would rock in my study/office! My whole life revolves around my pc … I may as well introduce my home to the prospect of being geeky too!

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Seeing as though you are all reading this from a computer somewhere in the world, you will all (at some point) suffer from the same thing i do; sore shoulders from sitting badly in front of the pc *sigh*. When this next happens, hopefully you will own one of these; The Six Hour Cordless Heat Therapy Shoulder Wrap.

The Six Hour Cordless Heat Therapy Shoulder Wrap is, as it says in this post, cordless, heated and (amazingly enough) provides 6 hours of (you guessed it) deep penetrating heat therapy!

Despite my sometimes sarcastic reviews, I am impressed with this particular product as you can use it wherever you are, meaning I can sit in front of my pc all day (as I usually do) while it works its magic on my sore, stiff muscles! All you need for The Cordless Heat Therapy Shoulder Wrap to work is in fact, your sore shoulder! Yup – no more AC outlets or cords keeping you attached to the wall – this baby is powered by a uniquely slim, long-lasting, lithium-ion rechargable battery! This means that you can even wear this wrap under your clothes and go out and you can rest assured that the unit remains in place due to its velcro fasteners.

Of course, what would a gadget be if it didn’t have “Stipulations”. This “Six” Hour Cordless Heat Therapy Shoulder Wrap will only work 2 and a half hours on the highest setting (which is 130 degrees farenheit) and obviously anywhere inbetween when set between the lowest temperature of 108 degrees and the highest setting.

Luckily it recharges to its full capacity within 4 hours! So make sure that’s when you’re sleeping!

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We all like to know that we have safety in our lives, especially with regards to fires when we have children frolicking around the home, but how do our kids manage to grab those heavy extinguishers? These “random” plastic flower extinguishers should do the trick!

These plastic flowers look like the fake ones we tend to have around our homes (seeing as though they don’t die and they’re the cheaper alternative to beautifying our tables) but they have a secret power; they stop fires!

You are probably wondering how? Well, these plastic flowers have been designed in such a way that they can stop stubborn grease fires in their tracks! As soon as the fire erupts in a pot or around the stove area all one has to do is grab a flower or two and dump it in. The special plastic will melt and expand around the surface which will suffocate the fire and stop it from spreading!

If ever you have been faced with a grease or kitchen fire you will knwo the worst things you can do are try and fan it out or throw water at it as the spreading ability of grease fires is dangerously volatile! Keep these flowers in a vase or stuck to your fridge (yup – they come with a magnet in the stem) for easy accessibiltiy!

You and your kids are safe with these “fire fighting friends” and they’re available for $40 per pair from the Japan Trend Shop!

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Oh how I LOVE colours! Any colour under the rainbow is my kind of colour – yes, that does mean ALL of them! This new LED Colour Changing Light Bulb With Wireless Remote gives people like me the opportunity to experience all of life’s colours at the touch of a button!

This LED Colour Changing Light Bulb With Wireless Remote can fit into any standard incandescent socket which means you can use it anywhere in your home or business. The LED bulb is RGB powered (which means, like computer screens, colours are created from Red, Green and Blue. These cpolours can remain static or, with a simple push of a button on the remote, you can create one of 4 colour changing effects.

The CVSCL-8101 can therefore create RGB and 12 additional brightly coloured options for your light needs, while only using 3 watts of energy at a time! Energy saving and stunning effects – all in one simple easy to use bulb! It almost seems impossible.

Besides the colourful options, the control also allows you to change functions such as the obvious ON/OFF option as well as Flash, Strobe, Fade, Smooth
and Dimming.

The boring bits of info that everyone needs to know is that the bulb will glow at 140 lumens and has a typical lifespan of 25000 hours. The control distance is around 6m and dimensions are 50mm x 58mm and will set you back $21.60. Not bad for an energy saving, eco friendly, colourful LED bulb if you ask me!

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I have to laugh at this next “interesting” invention. The Fuzzy Blue Fish Hand Warmer and Mousepad Cover is somewhat bizarre and geekish and … did i mention bizarre?

The Fuzzy Blue Fish Hand Warmer and Mousepad Cover is exactly what it is, though I can’t imagine people rushing out to buy them and use them in the office. I think embarrassment might stop them to be honest. Though – I’ll be frank, perhaps if they made it in more designs I’d be happy to own one seeing as though my right hand gets rather freezing in winter!

Now don’t get me wrong, by no means do I come from a freezing climate whatsoever … but it does get nippy and perhaps my blood circulation in my right hand isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. So, what I’m really trying to say is that this should come in handy in very cold countries … keeping your hand all warm and snuggly to finish working on all those important assignments!

With this fish, one has to do the unthinkable and pop your hand into it’s mouth! The whole fish covers your hand and mousepad, thereby keeping it warm via its USB heating device. The temperature will get to a whopping 107 degrees so you should be the HOTTEST worker in the office! (lol)

So, if you can handle embarrassment and quite fancy fish, then this gadget is for you!

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So we all love those fancy webcams that make us feel uber techno-geekish; like we all know what we’re doing, right? Well, how about webcams for kids because let’s face it – they don’t care about technology! They just like cute things! These Lili Webcams should do the trick!

Not only are the Lili webcams cute, adorable and “kiddish” but they have been created in such a way that they are considered eco-friendly. Yup, these delightfully colourful creatures are what the industry would like to call a “Fair Trade” product. This means that no child labour was used, no minimum wage workers were abused and that the product was made in an environment where workers are treated with dignity and respect and are paid their worth (So theoretically you are supporting the right kind of industry and doing your bit for the world!)

This weird colourful creature, similar to that of an octopus, has flexible legs and a built-in microphone. It’s also cuddly for your kids to carry around and really fall in love with their kind of technology! They come in red, green or grey and their 1.3 megapixel camera and 30 frame per second ability means they’re more than adequate for your state of the art pc!

The Lili webcam will be available for £29.99 which is approximately $54; but think about that smile on your little one’s face! We all know that’s priceless!

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So we all know how much I LOVE Hello Kitty stuff (cue visual gagging) but now I don’t mind writing about this Hello Kitty Roomba because it will be exactly where I would put it – in the dirt!

The Roomba is a cleaning device that has been designed and manufactured through iRobot and Sanrio. Only 500 units have been made and they’re only available in Japan (This makes me happy for obvious reasons).

This Roomba basically glides along the floor sweeping up dirt and gunk and all the nasty things we like to pretend don’t exist (similar to Hello Kitty paraphernalia actually) so when I saw the amalgamation I had to give my thumbs up!

Despite me being happy about it rolling in the dirt, this gadget is going to be sold for $810 per unit!!! Why anyone would do that to themselves, I cannot say, but we all know those 500 will sell like hot cakes!

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When we were kids we had Meccano and Popoids and Lego and we would build amazing contraptions from our overactive imagination. Now as adults we have Lotus concept Mobile Furniture by Zaha Hadid?

Lotus’ concept Mobile Furniture has turned us into big kids with increasing needs for multi-functional furniture as our living spaces grow smaller each year!

Zaha Hadid has created this Mobile Furniture which can be taken apart and connected in a myriad ways. The innovative design allows for the pieces to be removed and then connected in such a way that one could create almost anything from a seat to a shelf.

It might not necessarily look like furniture you’re accustomed to but this concept design is said to appease all your needs by offering solutions for resting, sitting, storage and browsing (I’m yet to understand this part)

Obviously due to it’s connectivity and interlocking abilities, one could spread the pieces out and knit the object into its environment or simply create something free standing to co-exist in the environment with other furniture.

One might wonder, when looking at the interesting pictures, how such a thing was borne in the minds of designer. Well, I still have 3 words; Meccanno, Popoids, Lego!

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I have always understood the concept of desktop and laptop; one is big and bulky and offers you a place to work at a desk and the other is slim and light and can be taken from meeting to meeting. So I’m wondering why we need a desktop as light as a laptop? The Fit-PC Slim from Compulab is just that.

To me (and perhaps it’s only me) this is a little pointless because then I may as well own a laptop that offers me a more portable option. I understand it being a space saving machine but I don’t think we all live in capsules (just yet, anyway).

However, I’m sure this Fit-PC Slim will appeal to a few out there (even if it is just for bragging rights) and will want to know all about this dinky offering.

First off the mini-pc is fanless and measures a mere 110mm x 100mm x 30mm (without screen of course!) and will use approximately 6 Watts of power at it’s penultimate performance. (I’m scared already).
It offers an AMD Geode LX800 500MHz processor with Ethernet connectivity, Wi-Fi connectivity, VGA output, 2.5 hard drive option and 512MB RAM.

Again I ask, why wouldn’t I just want a laptop with screen included into it’s portable design?

But wait!!! It gets even better (Sarcasm is not a good quality but it’s fun). Now you get to “pick” which option suits you best (in other words what silly small machine with limited functionality do you want to spend your hard earned money on). You have the option of the 256MB model (this excludes Wi-Fi) and will set you back $220 or you could choose the 512MB version (With Wi-Fi and no hard drive) for $25 more. Alternatively you could fork out $295 for a Linux powered, 60MB hard drive with 512MB of RAM or $335 for the Windows XP version of the same machine. I hope you realised that was MB and not GB! Some of my Photoshop documents laugh at that size!

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So Samsung is also in the running for coolest new phone what with their new introductions; Samsung BEATb (model M3410) and the Samsung BEATs (M3200).

Both of these phones are said to feature the “Motion Play” concept which will allow you to control your phone and music by a simple movement of the hand. You’ll obviously have to familiarise yourself with the movements but so far it seems rather simple. Tapping the phone will play or pause a track while flipping it will mute the music. We all know that shaking it will take you to the next track!

The only worrying thing is that I foresee a drop in dancing or moving (without reason) when using one of these phones in the fear that you might lose that awesome track you’re listening to!

The Samsung BEATb (released this September) is a skinny 9.9mm phone that will feature DNSe technology, Auto EQ and of course; motion play. It’s 2 inch LCD display will ensure crisp pictures and the 2 megapixel camera will also keep you enthused. It also comes standard with Bluetooth, a 3.5 mm audio jack input and is compatible with a wide variety of music formats (MP3, WMA, e-AAC+, AAC+, AAC)

The Samsung BEATs (released in October) will be the crème de la crème of the 2 by offering the same specs as the Samsung BEATb but will also offer a stereo speaker, amplifier (B&O ICEpower) and this will all be house in a neat slide phone body.

I’m thinking, wait a month for the better specs!

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So I’m not much of a bike rider myself but I can sure appreciate the beauty of the streamlined design such as this new concept Electric Superbike; The Vectrix!

The Vectrix Electric Super Bike is the first completely electrically powered bike and is said to be able to complete 20 laps of the Vallelunga circuit in Italy at a top speed of 200km/hour.

Impressive if it indeed does this.

The Vectrix Electric Super Bike comes from the concept first borne through Robrady’s rMOTO. With a little direction from Peter Hughes, this concept became a reality. 

The Vectrix follows in its baby brother’s footsteps what with its clean technology and eco friendly vision. It has batteries instead of engine, fuel tank or exhaust so this bike will be gliding along the roads in clean, crisp style.

The “green” bike has caused quite a stir in Milan (where it premiered) and will be on its way to Harrods in London and then Monte Carlo and finally it will debut in America at the January 2008 International CES in Las Vegas.

Once the bike returns from its highly publicized round the world trip, we hope to be seeing it hit the auto shops within the following year – it’s about time a green “vehicle” made it to our grubby paws!

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Instead of calling this the Z pen they should have named it the “EZ” pen because that’s exactly how our lives will be now that this baby is around.

The Z Pen is a tool that transforms your handwritten text into computer type text in a few simple steps!

First, use any paper (up to A4 size) and simply write, in your own handwriting, with the Z pen supplied. The pen has ink (which can be replaced with a standard refill) and the writing is stored in a clever USB dongle device. Once you have finished writing in all your glorious curvy nature, just plug the USB dongle into your pc and download the type to the ink to digital software supplied. Here you will be able to convert it to editable text and have as much fun possible, knowing that you needn’t be a touch typist to “type” at the speed of light!

The lightweight pen and receiver are easy enough to carry around with your laptop even and you can rest assured that the 1GB memory will store 1000s of text pages. Luckily this little device can also pick up images from 300DPI all the way to 900DPI so you needn’t buy a wacom unless you’re a designer and specifically need it!

This multi translation gadget supports 16 different languages namely Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Danish, Dutch, English UK, English US, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish and on top of all this you can use the Z Pen in Windows, Mac or Linux.

Well, that’s basically the Z Pen in a nutshell – making life simpler as we know it!

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So there seem to be a lot of globes swirling around the net these days and today I found this cute one that acts as a docking station for iPod and I quite like its spherical appearance.

The Globe Speaker System For iPod with Clock Radio is neat in that it docks your iPod for playing and charging and will accommodate iPod Video, iPod Photo, iPod Nano, iPod Mini and 4th generation iPods and although it wont charge your 3rd generation iPod, you can definitely play it through this system.

The dual alarm system ensures that you wake up to a choice of iPod, radio or buzzer (I’m thinking the buzzer for me seeing as though all music is relaxing to me!)

The built-in radio is AM and FM enabled and luckily for those of you who hate tuning, it comes with the ability to pre-set your favourite stations!

And just in case your iPod wasn’t enough, the AUX input allows you to plug you Mp3, digital audio and personal CD player into the unit for even more playing power.

The nice thing (other than the price of $39.92) is that although it runs off AC power it also has battery back up which means you can still rock out when the lights go out! So there’s non stop fun with this item (or at least till the battery dies!)

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Being a band manager, I’m often caught offguard by my bands telling me about their new masterpieces (which I never seem to get to get to hear) … mainly because half of these MASTERPIECES get lost to a few drinks in the jam room. Now Line 6 has introduced the BackTrack which will solve this problem.

The BackTrack is a simple recorder that any musician can afford. No longer do you need an array of expensive recording equipment that you need to lug around to your jam sessions just in case you happen upon that next big track! This little gizmo plugs into your quarter inch cord of the guitar and away you go!
The device works in such a way that it is continually on while you play but when you want to “bookmark” a piece you particularly like, then all you have to do is hit the “Mark” button for when you download to your pc via USB.

The nitty gritty is that this gadget records audio at 24 bit in 48KHz WAV files. It comes with a standard 1GB memory which should enable you to record up to 12 hours on non stop music. The battery is also impressive and will last up to 12 hours too, depending of course, on your settings.

So while other muzos spend a small fortune on basic recording equipment, you can rest assured that your pocket sized line 6 BackTrack will only set you back $140 and will make your composing life easy as pie!

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We’ve been lucky enough to review a few “mini computers” as it were and this one looks to be pretty impressive. The New Asus R50 will be setting a hugh standard for others to follow.

The 520 gram creation comes standard with a 5.6 inch built in LCD screen for Impressive viewing. It comes equipped with Wi-Fi and HSDPA 3.5G as well as GPS functionality which ensures that this gadget will get you from one place to the next while being completely in touch with your world all the time!

When using a notebook or laptop or even desktop, we have become accustomed to many features built in to the system to make our day to day lives that much easier to handle. This portable R50 is no different. It comes jam packed with calculator, navigation functionality and the ASUS Photo Navigator which allows you to take photos (2 megapixels/ auto focus) while on the go.

The Sun Read touchscreen allows you to view your pictures at the touch of a button, operate your video camera or even navigate the web in a few simple steps.

The mobile theatre system allows the user the ability to connect to tv stations when you have nothing to do (work wise of course) and when not in use, you can rest assured as your finger print is required to access your information!

The Asus R50 is for the discerning traveller who needs to work on the go and will impress the right person with its 32GB storage capacity, Wireless connectivity, integrated GPS, 3 USB ports, Micro SD slot, 5.6 inch Touchscreen, 1.33G Intel Silverthrone Processor and it’s compact (19.9 x 9.7 x 2.84 cm) design.

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Just when I thought 10 megapixels was the way to go, Canon throws out all the stops and releases information on their 3 new Powershot series cameras; SX10IS, SD880IS (IXY DIGITAL 920IS in Japan) and SD990IS (IXY DIGITAL 3000IS in Japan).

The 3 new PowerShot series cameras come action-packed with features, lenses and megpixel technologies t owhet any photographer’s appetite.

The Canon PowerShot Series SX10IS has 10 megapixels and a wide angle (28 x 560 mm) 20 x optical zoom and buil-in OIS (optical image stabiliser for that perfect picture), DIGI 4 and a 2.5 inch LCD screen.

The Canon PowerShot SD880IS is also 10 megapixels but his time with a 4 x optical zoom and 3 inch LCD screen.

The Canon PowerShot  SD990IS is super powered with a whopping 14.7 megapixel capability, 3.7 x optical zoom, 36-133 mm wide angle lens and 2.5 inch LCD screen. As you would have guessed, this one also has a Digi 4 processor.

All 3 cameras are said to brighten our lives this October!

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Awhile ago you might remember the secret diary review – basically a modern answer to a girl’s diary! Well, I would consider this Locket Flash Drive is the more masculine or adult version of this gadget.

This 1GB Locket Flash Drive ensures that you manage your secrets and keep all your important information safely secure in one easily accessible (To You) storage device.

What I also enjoy about the design of the “locket” flash drive is the fact that it’s cover swivels over it and therefore affirms that someone like me wont be losing yet another USB cap! Damn annoying but I’m sure I’m not the only person with a sea of papers strewn over my desk.

The Locket Flash Drive is compatible with Windows 2003 and XP as well as Vista. So unfortunately not Mac at the moment.

The encryption is unknown and therefore considered safer than usual and the flash drives will be selling for $109.95. I’d consider this much cheaper than a good protective briefcase PLUS you can keep this baby plastered to your body unlike the bulky folders and lock-up bags you’ve been using up till now!

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Man oh man how I wish I was back in school now! This might give my age away somewhat but I still remember researching in the library with a set of encyclopaedias! Now all I want is to play on this educational toy; The Smart Globe Deluxe!

Forget normal, standard, average globes of the world. This baby is the Rolls Royce of globes!

The Smart Globe Deluxe comes standard with a cleverly named SmartPen (lol) which helps the Globe function to its fullest potential. All one needs to do is to touch any area on the globe to learn a wealth of knowledge about the place concerned.

As if this wasn’t fancy enough, the globe comes pre-programmed with 30 activities and quiz games to make the learning experience even more entertaining, and even better, you can invite up to 3 friends over for a game of 4 so that you can all pass that Geography, History, World Culture or Current Event test together!

The 3 skill levels ensure that you’re always tested according to your age and if you’re English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese or Mandarin Chinese you can learn in your own language.

The designer globe has a base with drawer and contained within one will find a map of the US with detailed info of each of the 50 states. The base also contains a set of speakers which can be used if you need more volume, however, due to the SmartPen having built-in speakers, they can also be used for wireless use.

And yes, as with all funky new gadgets in the educational department, there’s more! When you purchase this globe it comes with a 25 page book which comes with more “random” information on countries, animals, dinosaurs, flags, foods, landmarks and my favourite; inventions!

And what would this gadget be worth without regular updates? Plug it in using the USB cable and download free weakly updates to keep it modernized.

*Phew* … Around the world in 80 days? I think not … more like Around The World in 80th of a second for as little as $199.98!

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What red blooded mentally stimulated human cannot love the game of Chess? I, for one, have at least 3 boards in my house. 1 magnetic, 1 electronic and 1 crafter set and I’m probably not the only one. Now we introduce the USB chess set.

The brilliant reason for wanting to now own a USB chess board is for the simple reason that it takes the game of chess and makes it all easily accessible on your pc; saved games, timed games, scores and competitions are easily accessed on your pc at the simple click of a button.

The USB Chess has specially formed sensors on each square in order to track your every move; whether it be easy, medium or hard and using the supplied software you needn’t even look at your board as you’ll be able to see a virtual image onscreen! This of course means that you can play against your own machine (when your friends have tired from your continual winning streak).

Hints, pause, stops and email interactivity make this USB chess even more interactive and educational than the electronic sets of the 80s.

The USB game is only compatible with XP, 2000 and Vista at this stage and is priced at a modest $26.99 (what with all its features this is a steal).

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We all like to keep our loved ones close and where better than in our wallets! We all have at least one picture of a loved one or lover or kiddies in our back pocket/hand bag and now with the Leather Wallet With Digital Photo Viewer you can keep an array of images in slide show format.

Next time you’re showing off your hot girlfriend, wife or kids to your work mates, forget scrounging around for that dog eared photo and simply pop open your wallet and scroll through your 60 digital images stored in your amazing Leather Digital Photo Viewer Wallet.

The Leather Digital Photo Viewer Wallet has a 1.44 inch LCD screen and can store up to 60 photos from either mac or pc. This is made possible with the USB cable (included with wallet). The standard lithium battery is automatically recharged while the gadget is plugged into the USB port.

The 4 ½ x 3 ½ x 1 ¼ inch wallet is standard size and able to fit snugly in your pocket as usual. It retails at $59.80 which is not bad considering some plain wallets go for more than that.

I wonder what they’ll think of next?

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We’ve all been there … living with mates while finishing off university or just simply starting off on your own (not quite when you need a room mate to pay the bills). Remember waiting to get home to sup on that last bottle of hooch and opening the fridge to … NOTHING! The Flatshare Fridge should take care of that!

The Flatshare Fridge is an ingenius design by the creative Stefan Buchberger, designed specifically for the annual Electrolux Design Lab competition, held in Vienna. This Applied Arts student wowed audiences with his impressive thought-provoking design. Not only is the fridge retro-looking and absolutely cool but its usefulness shadows these characteristics ten fold!

The idea behind this concept is that each room mate gets their own “mini-fridge” within a fridge unit. Each compartment has an area for larger standing bottles as well as space for the usual commodities one would find in a fridge (think mouldy cheese and limp lettuce) as well as an area for your frozen goods.

We can’t promise that your mates aren’t going to toss the limp lettuce and fiddle with your compartment but we reckon it will be a deterrent (what you can’t see you can’t be tempted with) and some of your yummy leftovers should be saved another hour till you finish class!

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Shuttles make us think of fast, crazy rides, transportation and the wide open galaxies of space … our mind is opened to endless possibilites and excitement. No wonder they’ve named this cellphone the Shuttle and who should be better to “launch” this baby than Virgin!

Virgin’s Shuttle will be the first Virgin Mobile phone to feature EV-DO connectivity while still supplying standard features such as a 1.3 megapixel camera, 2 inch display, video capture capability, built-in video player, Bluetooth and the obvious SD memory card slot for all the storage requirements that we have come to need with phones of this stature.

The Virgin Shuttle has been designed for those who live for the internet and multimedia but who don’t necessarily want to be strapped and bound to a contract. The phone will be available from the 28th of September and you can expect to pay $5 for a 20MB package or $10 for a 50MB package. The pay-as-you-go option is obviously great for those unsure of their data needs – giving you the freedom to recharge when and as you please.

The Shuttle will also be the first Virgin phone to offer increased accessibility to various social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, Accuweather, ESPN, YouTube and Yahoo. Not only this, but Virgin in conjunction with uLocate will offer location-based services such as “Buddy Beacon” which will find your friend in a crowded city; showing you where they are and what they might be up to (so much for privacy!).

All in all … this Shuttle looks like it will “Take Off” nicely and I can’t wait for it’s “launch” date.

In keeping with all things either being retro or iPod inspired, this new gadget happens to fulfill both criteria in a very stylish and useful way. The Retro Cassette Tape iPod Nano Case brings 1980′s hip into the 21st century!

The Retro Cassette Tape iPod Nano Case will fit first or second generation iPod nanos and allows for various jacks and controls to be easily accessible through its ingenious design.

The iPod Nano fits snugly into the hollowed out centre of the Cassette Tape and is further protected by the original Tape box! It’s like you have been transported back in time (think back to the future!) while you listen to music from your pseudo cassette tape player.

Totally Rad!

Of course we all know it’s just a Nano in disguise but imagine the cool factor when all your friends see the retro design of your new iPod cover? At $37 you might find this gadget pricey but then again, this tape is much more than an 80′s relic … it’s a state of the art iPod Nano cover in retro cool style.

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I date a drummer and I spend a great deal of time looking for random drum toys to appease his hunger for his passion of drums. I’ve got him an array of steady sticks and bogus bags and now it looks like I’ll be adding the Finger Drum Mousepad to his collection.

The Finger Drum Mousepad is quite a nifty gadget for the IT Drummer (i’ll have you know there are many of them). This way, they get to take their drums to the office and play to their heart’s content. Obviously (for all those drummers out there) this will never replace owning the real thing … but imagine becoming the best finger tapping drummer out there? They could add this to the yearly drum fests!

This finger drumming is made possible by using your 4 fingers … gone are the days of tapping sweet nothings on your desk! Full drumkit here we come! The Finger Drum Mousepad with integrated electronic drumpad allows the office rock star to play a full kit by utilising the 8 different percussion sounds (bass, snare, two rack toms, floor tom, hi-hat, crash and ride cymbal).

The Finger Drum Mousepad ($39.95) is equipped with an Mp3 player input so you can play your music through your new “finger kit” and play your amazing solos straight over them!

The Finger Drum Mousepad comes pre-programmed with a demonstration mode which has 6 preset patterns but also allows you the opportunity of recording 30 of your own rhythm masterpieces. Like any other electronic music gadget, you are able to adjust volume and tempo controls as well as insert a headphone so as to not annoy your co-workers (though i’m fairly certain the finger-tapping should do the trick for some highly strung it guys!)

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It will come as no shock to those who regularly read TFTS that I am a John Nouanesing fan of note! If I only had the vision that they had, I would be happier than the proverbial pig in dirt. This particluar feat of technology is none other than the Spirit Level Shelf.

How simple yet damn impressive!

The Spirit Level Shelf takes all the guess work out of erecting those darned tilting shelves! We all know the tilting shelf right? The one that never sits right despite the hours you spend stepping back and fixing it? The cousin of the tilted picture? YES – you know what I’m talking about then (lol)

With this spirit level shelf you can toss the levels, strings, marking chalk and other random marking paraphenalia out the window. All you need now is your funky acrylic and stainless steel shelf (800 x 180 x 50 mm) and a hand or two to construct the floating shelf against the wall.

I can only hope these awesome shelves are part of the range being built, in December, by the conceptual designers, as well as pray that they come in an array of fabulous colours (Though this neon green does in fact rock my world too).

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So I went house hunting this past week and what shocked me more than the prices were how small everything was. I was trying to imagine my furniture sitting in a room the size of a postage stamp? Well, it seems John Nouanesing has come up with a bright idea (yet again); Fix-It-On-The-Wall furniture artwork!

Despite it only being a concept, the designers of the well renowned, and previously featured “Geekini” have come up with a space saving solution for all those young starters who are forced to squish their hand-me-down furniture into a room somewhat resembling a hamster cage. The Fix-It-On-The-Wall furniture artwork acts as a modern piece of abstract artwork (3 Dimensional of course) which doubles up as a D.I.Y table and 4 cushions for that surprise dinner party you were having.

The concept Fix-It-On-The-Wall furniture artwork is 1600 x 1600 x 150 mm and fits snugly up against any wall. It is made of ABS plastic, leather and fitted carpet and will also come in a range of customisable prints and colours – perfect for your own unique style and vibe.

So next time you have a dinner party planned (for four) simply pop the table top, legs and 4 cushions from the “frame” and snap it all together in a jiffy for a great conversation piece and a delightful space-saving idea from John Nouanesing.

P.S. Although we are not sure, there’s a rumour that John Nouenesing will be manufacturing some of their concepts come December ’08 so keep an eye peeled for some exciting news!!!

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What’s better than an iPod nano? A NEW iPOD NANO, that’s what! These new iPod nanos are not only upgraded from the original but are also featured in a myriad colouirs (much more my style!)

These new colour-burst nanos have been released with a new wide screen for watching newer online content. They also work off an accelerometer which helps change the screen size. It also has a shake shuffle ability to change song titles.

The unit may boast upgrades but this doesn’t mean the earbuds haven’t seen a change. This time around they have navigation controls built-in to the cord as well as a microphone for the recording feature.

The new models will be available in 8GB and 16GB bodies and they will set you back about $150 for the 8GB and $199 for the 16GB. Not bad considering the new features and beautiful colour options available.
Ok, well, I’m off to grab a gorgeous purple one! Catch you on Monday with more awesome reviews!

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We all know that according to rumours paper is out and electronic reading is in. I’m still not sure as I love the idea of the crisp paper between my finger tips. However if rumours are correct then this electronic newspaper by Plastic Logic will be the way of the future.

Plastic Logic’s electronic newspaper is said to be an electronic tablet type design that will incorporate e-ink technology and be able to download news (via wireless internet capabilities) to it’s surface where it can be read. Colour photographs are not in the cards as yet due to e-ink only functioning in black, however, as technology marches on, this may become a thing of the past.
The 21.5 x 28 cm electronic newspaper will be able to read Pdf’s, word, excel and powerpoint presentations as well which will make it much easier to share information on this big screen, so to speak.

Unlike other conceptual designs that never make it past the drawing board, this particular concept will be in prototype stage by the CES exhibition in January, 2009. This is good news for all those news and info freaks out there …

So who knows? Maybe by this time next year you’ll be reading TFTS from the electronic paper via an RSS feeder!

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There was Prada 1 and now we introduce Prada II. Speculations arose over the previous months as to what this little smartphone would comprise of and now we know for sure!

We all remember the Prada I was one of the 1st touchscreen phones on the market but was no match for phones such as the iPhone etc.

That being said however, we can promise a jam-packed smartphone packed to the hilt with fabulous features being released by the end of the year. (Think Christmas present for yourself!)

Specs include a qwerty keyboard, GSM/Edge technology, dual-band HSDPA a 950mAh battery, 240 x 400 resolution 3.0 inch screen, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, Infineon MP-EH + M180 chipset, Motion sensor and FM Radio! *Phew* Quite a bit of muscle in this 104.5 x 54 x 16.8 mm phone I would think.
And if this wasn’t enough, the Prada II also boasts a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with flash and VGA recording!!!

Definitely a smartphone I wouldn’t mind in my grubby little paws!

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I was just thinking about the Peugeot design concept car of 2005 when what should happen? Another strangely bubble-like concept gets delivered to my pc screen. The MoVille Tear Drop Concept Car packs a punch both in design as well as in available features.

I’m trying to work out where I should start … this car is just so full of features that I’m almost lost for words … so if you think I’ve stopped short of explaining exactly what this baby does (and started drooling over my keyboard) please forgive me because this concept is too good to be true.

As I have said, The MoVille compact single passenger car (Yes, this would just be for you!) is jam packed with some interesting features which makes this concept car the top of its game so far. Besides its artificial intelligence, it is also eco friendly in that it has a zero emission drive train! This (in English) means that the three magnetic wheels are propelled forward by means of an electromagnetic current.

The artifial intelligence (which makes this the concept car of the century) will ensure that you barely lift a finger. This tear-drop shaped vehicle (for a streamlined drive) will calculate following distances, adjust speeds, drive you around and automatically analyze parameters to ensure the best parking. Proximity sensors, cameras and GPS make this a breeze (so no thinking from your side).

The MoVille also offers wireless road networking in order to connect to other vehicles and respond accordingly.

This minute offering also enables more cars to drive on already congested highways, byways and roads … it tilts vertically to ensure maximum space efficiency while driving and will pivot back and forth to ensure you can exit the vehicle with ease.

MoVille will have an OLED display which will allow passengers to communicate and personalize their own vehicles. This will come in handy as the car won’t be featuring “pimp my ride” paint jobs what with it being made from unpainted biodegradable plastic!

After reading this press release I could carry on forever and extol the virtues of this amazing inventive freaky MoVille … however, I think that the design speaks for itself. With all these features and design ingenuities, I highly doubt we’ll be seeing this type of car in our own lifetime (though one cannot be too sure) … The one thing we can be sure of however is that if more information leaks about a car like this – you’ll be the first to know (from us!)

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LG has recently unveiled their new portable DVD player, namely the DP391 at the IFA 2008 held in Berlin, Germany.

The LG DP391 will offer its buyers an 8 inch WVGA screen, 3 in 1 card reader for SD, MMC and MS cards. Though one might not necessarily need the extra storage what with its 256 Mb internal memory to store photos! (Yes, this portable DVD player is multi-functional!)

You can also rest assured that you’ll be able to watch an entire movie as it has a 3 hour and 30 minute battery life. This should keep the kids happy when on trips at least.

Your LG DP391 also comes standard with remote control, 2 headphone sockets (Yup, they thought of the 2 kid scenario), car kit and built in speakers. Not bad considering the price of £259.99.
Now we wait and see if this is beaten by any other manufacturer … so far seems to be the best.

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