Fan -- Engadget

Dyson's Air Multiplier is the overpriced bladeless fan you never asked for

by Paul Miller posted Oct 12th 2009 at 7:01PM

We can't fault Dyson for chutzpah. After putting the company's spin on vacuum cleaners and then hand dryers, we probably should've guessed that a revolution in table fan engineering was next up. When we first saw an image of the Dyson Air Multiplier "bladeless fan" a few spurious theories popped into our heads as to how it works, but it didn't take long to figure it out: it has blades in it. It's just that these blades are inside the lower canister, rather similar to, dare we say it, how a vacuum cleaner is set up, with the air then routed through the ring up top. The benefits of this tech are that there are no nasty blades to get fingers caught up in, but also that there's no "buffeting" -- that on-off gush of air caused by fan blades unceremoniously chopping up the air into inelegant segments. Unfortunately, the downside of the Dyson method is that you can't make Darth Vader voices through the backside of the fan, and the whole assembly is closer in noise pollution to that of an actual vacuum cleaner than a regular table fan. And then there's the matter of price: $300 for the 10-inch model, $330 for the 12-inch, and neither of them offer nearly as much wind as a regular fan this size -- quite a steep entry fee for the gentle breezes that emanate out of this plastic wind tunnel. Full PR is after the break.

Gallery: Dyson's Air Multiplier

Continue reading Dyson's Air Multiplier is the overpriced bladeless fan you never asked for

Crapgadget: 'Hopefully USB 3.0 can avoid this path' edition

by Darren Murph posted Sep 21st 2009 at 6:08AM

With USB 3.0 on the horizon, we can only hope that the world's purveyors of crap have a little respect for the forthcoming standard. By and large, USB 2.0 is plenty fast to handle the awful data transmissions between USB hand grenades, alien flash drives, moody card readers, Japanese fans and your PC, and frankly, we're not sure if the world can handle oodles upon oodles of SuperSpeed rubbish. Have a peek at the latest roundup from the worst of the worst, but please, not while you're eating.

Read - Bear hand warmers
Read - Solar cap fan
Read - USB hand fan
Read - USB moody card reader
Read - Alien flash drive
Read - Mosquito repellent USB dongle
Read - USB hand grenade

LED cooling fans steal sexy back from liquid-based solutions

by Darren Murph posted Jun 4th 2009 at 8:31PM

Skipping the air cooled approach in favor of some fancy water-cooled rig? Think again, chum. Over at Computex, a smallish company going by the name of Fresh-Tech was on hand to demonstrate the absolutely howling device you see above: a LED-infused PC cooling fan. The fans can be programmed to display nearly anything you wish, and obviously these have the greatest impact on observers when installed in clear or translucent PC enclosures. Ghetto fabulous? Maybe. Nerdalicious? Totally.

Apple firmware update aims to fix vertical line issues on 17-inch MBP

by Darren Murph posted Mar 25th 2009 at 7:59PM

Apple's latest firmware update for the recently shipped 17-inch MacBook Pro sure is light on details, but one thing's for sure: it reportedly nixes those weird vertical line issues that have plagued so many. Unfortunately, the "MacBook Pro Graphics Firmware Update 1.0" doesn't point out whether it was an overheating problem or a GeForce 9600M quirk that was wreaking havoc, but so long as it works, we guess it matters not. Hit up your Software Update when you get enough courage to suck down 770KB of problem-solving goodness.

[Via MacRumors]

USB-powered desk fan doubles as 4-port USB hub

by Darren Murph posted Aug 21st 2008 at 1:44PM

Any halfway dedicated nerd already owns at least one desk fan that's either USB-powered or features some sort of dual purpose, but if you're a budding star in the kingdom, this might be the one to get you going. The way-too-loudly-colored Cute Green Desk Cool Fan plugs into any spare USB port, moves a small quantity of air around and doubles as a 4-port USB hub. There's even an On / Off switch for the fan for those times with stagnancy is preferred. Not too shabby for $14.99 delivered, we say.

[Via Protein OS]

Brando's 4-in-1 desk lamp completes your workstation

by Darren Murph posted Jul 28th 2008 at 10:47AM

Oftentimes, Brando's assortment of "must-have" doohickeys don't actually do much for your productivity level. This particular gizmo, however, bucks that trend in glorious fashion. The $23 USB 4-in-1 Web Cam is a fairly standard desk lamp with built-in LEDs that also acts as a webcam, voice input device and fan. Best of all, this one's USB-powered, though that could spell disaster (or "USB hub") if your sockets are already occupied with other Brando gear.

Brando's Solar Mini Clip Fan ruins your shot at picking up friends

by Darren Murph posted Jul 26th 2008 at 3:36AM

Unless you're strolling through Disneyland (or Dollywood, we suppose), we can't imagine anyone not giving you an awkward stare when you approach them with this on. Brando has triumphed once more by offering up the Solar Mini Clip Fan, which does a remarkable job of explaining itself. For those who can't understand what's going on here, it goes like this: clip on the fan, get out in the sun, experience a mild breeze on your brow and enjoy the solitariness. Obliterate your shot at being the life of the party for just a Hamilton.

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

USB necktie's much-anticipated followup finally arrives

by Paul Miller posted Jun 20th 2008 at 3:01PM

Admit it, you've spent a good many sweat-drenched months waiting for this moment, when the USB necktie would come into its own. Sure, last year's model was great and all, but it lacked a certain amount of class that you find necessary in any USB-based fashion accessory. So you played the waiting game, and this time it paid off big. Thanko's second-gen USB tie fan has a slip cover, which hides the fan completely when you're going about your day, and slides down to reveal that powerful fan when it's most needed. Also, this year's model is made out of fabric, a huge win over the chunky plastic of last year's version, making this tie the true must-have accessory of the summer. Thanko's selling this in Japan for 2,980 Yen, about $28 US. What a steal.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Green House USB table fan totally blows

by Ryan Block posted May 12th 2008 at 7:14AM

Sorry folks, it looks like Green House's USB table fan is strictly Japanese for the time being, so you'll have to settle for something a little smaller. Not that we're terribly confident a 500mA current is really all that capable of moving a lot of air in a table fan anyway.

Solid-state, microchip-sized fan promises to cool laptops

by Donald Melanson posted Mar 19th 2008 at 2:17PM

While solid-state hard drives are still only just beginning to catch on, if a group of researchers from Thorrn Micro Technologies have their way, there could soon be another solid-state laptop component headed your way. That component in question is a microchip-sized fan, which boasts no moving parts but is apparently capable of keeping a laptop or other electronic devices cool. To do that, the fan reportedly makes use of the same technology found in household air purifiers, which results in a flow rate three times greater than typical small mechanical fan, not to mention lower power consumption and completely silent operation. Of course, the fan is still in the early testing stages, but the researchers see virtually no end to its potential, with them boasting that it's "one of the most significant advancements in electronics cooling since heat pipes," and adding that it could "change the cooling paradigm for mobile electronics."

66-fan case mod exemplifies overkill

by Darren Murph posted Nov 25th 2007 at 8:48AM

We've seen some pretty questionable case mods involving additional fans, but this one will likely hold top honors until something even more extravagant comes around. The "Super Cooler" straps a grand total of 66 fans around the tower, which probably doesn't do a whole lot of good when all's said and done. Truth be told, we've all ideas that this thing was created more so for people to gawk at than to actually enable users to run uber-overclocked CPUs and graphics cards without the use of water, but whatever the case, it's an interesting (if not cacophonic) take on cooling. Hit the read link for lots more images, and keep those fingers a safe distance away, k?

[Via Uber-Review]

PS3 v2.00 released

by Thomas Ricker posted Nov 8th 2007 at 1:13AM

Sony's full-version firmware bump to 2.00 is now out and available for your downloading fix. So go ahead and get to downloading and feel that underwhelming surge of decorative features overwhelm your console. As to the remote start feature, once enabled, prepare to have the PS3's cooling fan spinning 24 x 7 in preparation for remote access even when the console is turned off. Fortunately, it's nearly silent so no worries -- just as long you're not concerned with the wails of the baby Gore. That, according to Engadget Japan's translation and confirmed by their testing. Wha?

[Via Engadget Japan, thanks to everyone who sent this in]]

Read -- Firmware 2.0
Read -- Remote Wake

Vintage Sanyo fan sparks fire, leads to two deaths

by Darren Murph posted Aug 23rd 2007 at 2:59PM

This past Monday, an old electric fan (circa 1970) that was produced by Sanyo reportedly "caused a fire" which led to the death of two people in Tokyo. Apparently, a fire broke out "due to decay in the motor and other parts" of the fan, but the firm has denied that there were design flaws "or any other defects" to blame. Interestingly, the company has purportedly received "23 similar reports since 2000, including two involving people who suffered burns," but recalling a device made nearly four decades ago isn't exactly high up on the feasibility list.

USB necktie with built-in fan keeps you cool, single

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 10th 2007 at 8:31AM

Ain't nothing classier than a clip-on tie...except one with a built-in USB-powered fan in the knot. We're not certain how this thing keep you cool, or why you wouldn't just use any of the million other USB-powered fans that don't increase your dork factor by 1000, but the people in the photos look so blissfully content we're actually a little curious.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Yet another cooling solution for your Wii

by Darren Murph posted Aug 6th 2007 at 10:35PM

For anyone who has neglected their introverted tendencies lately and stepped foot outside, you'd realize that much of the US is unbearably warm, and while we haven't seen any outbreaks of overheating Wiis, this here fan is aiming to ensure it stays that way. Of course, it won't go down as the first of its kind, but this USB-powered wind pusher provides two extra USB ports for the ones it covers, should match your Wii in color fairly well, and is reportedly ultra quiet when squashing heat. No word just yet on pricing or availability, but if you've got a wonderful invention known as "air conditioning," you needn't worry anyway.