Stan Horaczek
Articles by Stan Horaczek
F1's $500 carbon fiber mousepad for the rich and insecure
We thought $50 was a lot to spend on Kokuz's mousepad made of 200-year old elm wood, but apparently we hadn't seen anything yet. F1 racing is hocking a mousing surface made of polished carbon fiber, leather and Italian suede for a whopping $489.34 ($470.52 if you don't need the leather surface), boasting that it was made by "specialist composite technicians." Sure, it will probably look great sitting next to your new Acer Ferrari 1000/5000 and Pininfarina-designed external HDD, but we can't help but think how much more impressed we'd be with someone who took a little initiative and built their own air-cooled mousepad or, better yet, embraced the unique pointing technology of the Novint Falcon.
Blackberry detox offered at Chicago-area hotel
We've heard plenty about the negative effects of Blackberry dependence -- eye damage, thumb damage, the complete loss of interpersonal communication skills -- but Chicago hotel general manager Rick Ueno is helping his guests kick their high-tech habit. Upon check-in to the Sheraton Chicago, you can surrender your precious handheld -- we're assuming any type of life-stealing smartphone is eligible -- where a non-robotic clerk will keep it under lock and key until you break down and ask for it back. It was Ueno's own addiction that sparked the idea for the free program, so he understands how hard it is to go cold turkey, even if you're only out of touch from the time you check in until you fire up the in-room WiFi connection.[Thanks Alex N]
Kensington's MicroSaver products lockdown your laptop
In the past, Kensington's security solutions have been far from infallible, but they're hoping their new line of locks will raise the bar when it comes to thwarting would-be laptop snatchers. The MicroSaver uses a carbon-tempered steel cable and traditional locking mechanism, while the MicroSaver DS adds a "nearly impenetrable multi-disc locking mechanism" to make sure only the person with the key can get your device off your desk. If you don't want another key battling your gadgets for pocket space you can opt for the combination lock, which simply requires a 4-digit code to open. Prices range from $40 (for the combo version) to $70 (for the Twin model that'll secure two machines at once), which seems like a reasonable price to pay for the privilege of knowing your brand new Superman-themed desktop replacement will be safe and sound while you're gone.
Sandisk's Sansa e270 gets nude
Loyal Engadget reader turned gadget pornographer Francis noticed how much we cared for Sandisk's new Sansa e200 series MP3 players, so he cracked his open and sent us pictures of the silicon and flash memory goodness that spilled forth from within. Sure, the photos don't leave much to the imagination, but you can't tell us you weren't wondering what that navigation wheel looked like under its shiny plastic cover. Don't worry, we're not here to judge.[Thanks, Francis]
Alienware's Superman-themed limited-edition Area-51 systems
Not to be outdone by parent company Dell's X-men-themed XPS machine, Alienware fired up their factory on the planet Krypton to produce a limited number of their Area-51 laptops (limited to 350) and desktops (limited to 250) with artwork, themes and a mousepad from the upcoming movie Superman Returns. The desktop, which is emblazoned with an impressive mural by comic artist Tommy Lee, starts at $1,899 (without a monitor, of course) but quickly heads skyward when you add upgrades like a 3.4GHz Pentium D dual core processor, liquid cooling, 1TB of storage and the ability to turn back time by reversing the earth's rotation. The 17-inch Core Duo notebook starts at around $2,500 and is slightly less bawdy in appearance, ditching the mural for a sleek blue finish and the Superman shield in place of the usual alien head. You can keep track of how many of the individually-numbered systems are sold via Alienware's website, so we'd recommend you move faster than a speeding something-or-other should you want one.
Pioneer delays Blu-ray player launch until "autumn"
Close on the heels of their exit from the DVD recorder market, Pioneer has announced that their line of Blu-ray players, which were originally slated for a May release, will be delayed until sometime "this autumn." The company didn't announce exactly what's holding them back, but we wouldn't rule out lack of content as at least part of the cause. Don't worry Pioneer, we still love you for your BDR-101A, but for right now we have to go sit and stare longingly at the online manual for Samsung's upcoming BD-P1000.
MTV pimps branded MP3 players in Europe
Just a few weeks after the launch of their Microsoft-supported music service Urge, MTV has tapped European company Mini Media to produce two MP3 players emblazoned with branding from Viacom franchises such as South Park and Pimp My Ride. The lower-end MIVI-P1GB sports 1GB of storage (expandable with SD), WMA playback, an FM tuner and a voice recorder, while the higher-end MIVI-P1GBV1 adds photo/video playback on a 1.5-inch CSTN screen. Yeah, the specs are nothing special but MTV is hoping the wacky rubberized finish and cheesy graphics will be enough to separate consumers from their cash after the European release slated for September. No word on price or plans for a US release yet, but we're betting we'll see these before we ever see that other MTV player again.[Via I4U]
RC Rover runs on steam, human fear
Mad scientist Steam-powered RC enthusiast I-Wei Huang, has posted yet another impressive creation over at his website, Crabfu. The six-wheeled RC Steam Rover was born of a decidedly retro-looking Cheddar Puffin engine and two Tamiya 4x4 chassis, using a mixture of butane and propane as fuel. The videos on his site suggest that it won't be breaking any land speed records, but we're still hoping it'll eventually play a part in protecting us from these little steam-powered robots, should they go all Skynet on us.[Via Makezine]
Segway's new loan program offers scoot now, pay later
It seems the makers of everyone's favorite self-balancing scooter (sorry i-swing) have finally realized the average consumer might need a little time to come up with the $5,000 the Segway's price tag demands. The company's execs have tapped the consumer financing arm of General Electric to instate a loan program, much like the one car dealerships have been using for decades, letting buyers pay in monthly installments. This comes as part of an effort, which may eventually include the sale of shares to the public through an IPO, to regain company funds lost to lower-than-expected sales. Of course buyers will have to qualify for the loan and accept the increase in total cost that'll come from interest, so rich guys like crooked hand-held gaming executives will be better off paying cash, then trying not to crash their shiny new Segway into pole at 125 mph.[Via ZDNet]
HP Coliseum does web conferencing in 3D
While we've been waiting patiently for the Xbox Live Vision cam to be released the folks at HP Labs have been hard at work on a heavy-duty system for "immersive teleconferencing" that can be run on a standard PC. A recently released research paper demonstrates a rig consisting of five FireWire equipped-webcams strategically mounted to an LCD monitor. Software combines the cams' images into a real-time 3D model that looks like a character out of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and mimics your every move, shrugs included. The creation and transmission of the virtual you into the rather drab looking virtual conference room takes up some serious resources -- the testing machines were reportedly equipped with dual Intel Xeon processors and between 1GB and 4GB RAM -- so chances are if these go into production they'll be hitting fancy corporate offices well before you'll see them conjuring up all manner of bizarre YouTube videos.[Thanks, Staska. Warning: PDF link]
Samsung's 26-inch LE26R41BDX LCD TV Reviewed
While we were taking a peak at Samsung's summer line of HDTVs, TrustedReviews was busy testing, and ultimately falling deeply in love with, their budget-friendly LE26R41BDX 26-inch LCD HDTV. The 1,366 x 768 box sports all the usual inputs (HDMI, component video, PC and SCART) and an 800:1 contrast ratio, but also includes a surprising array of high-end features, such as a digital tuner and a slot for "pay TV" subscription cards, all for the low -- at least by UK standards -- price of £600 ($1100). Ultimately though, it comes down to picture quality and that's where the review gets the mushiest, raving about dark blacks, intense colors and an "unusually potent backlight." It sounds like a solid deal to us, especially when you consider the alternative.
Wells Fargo's new Envelope-Free ATMs scan your deposits
400 of Wells Fargo's WebATMs in northern California (Contra Costa, Alameda and Santa Clara counties) are in the process of getting a technological makeover that will allegedly cut down on the time it takes to make a deposit, increase security and eradicate those pesky bank errors, which unlike in Monopoly, hardly ever seem to be in your favor. The Envelope-Free system, which is similar to a system currently being used by Bank of America, allows you to insert stacks of up to 30 bills and 10 checks at a time which are promptly scanned, counted, displayed and printed to a receipt. While cellphone ATM access would be nice, other improvements like same day check clearance might make free lollipops your only motivation to set foot in a real bank.[Via CBR]