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Hands-on with the i-mate Momento 70
Thrown together by well-traveled ODM Inventec, i-mate's new Momento series of digital picture frames break some important ground. First of all, they do WiFi -- a seemingly obvious feature for this category of devices that's inexplicably missing from a majority of the mainstream models currently in the marketplace. Next up, the Momento is among the very first commercially available devices to support Microsoft's SideShow concept for secondary displays that should (theoretically, anyway) untether all manner of information from the PCs on which it typically resides. In that respect, the Momento is very much a first-generation device -- but as a picture frame, we came into the hands-on expecting a certain level of refinement, now that they've had a few years to ripen on the vine. Does the unit deliver on its promise as a highly connected, Vista-compatible accessory? Does it deliver as a plain ol' frame, for that matter? We took the $200 Momento 70 -- the smaller of the two, clocking in at 7 inches of diagonal real estate -- for a test drive to get some answers.%Gallery-1792%
1 in 8 blokes would swap their lady for a "must-have" gadget?
Alright, so we're taking this survey episode of propaganda quite lightly, but apparently an alarming amount of guys would give up their "must-have" woman for that "must-have" gizmo. Reportedly, a UK survey conducted by GfK NOP on behalf of mobile price search agent (read: spam bot) 60207 found that nearly one out of every eight men surveyed would willingly ditch their girlfriend -- but not their 'fro -- for a hot gadget, which was classified as a svelte HDTV, iPod, or some other desirable inorganic object. While the 16 to 24-year olds were quickest to swap a person for a gadget (17-percent), only 2-percent of the happily married 55 to 65-year old crowd was willing to throw away their silver anniversary for something found at Circuit City. Also of note was the female reaction, as nearly six-percent of ladies admitted that they would kick their man to the curb for a lovely piece of electronic kit, but considering just how much the dames have fallen for gizmos of late, this isn't all that shocking. So while holding onto your SO might not be all that difficult a fortnight into February, don't be alarmed if things get testy around June.[Via TechDigest]
The Atari 2600 changed the world
The Atari 2600 makes Wired's list of the top 10 gadgets that changed the world. This article from Wired Test lists the Walkman, Western Electric rotary phone, microwave, and other gadgets that we take for granted.The Atari 2600 spurred the home game industry, being the original must-own console. We didn't realize that it was still available until 1992, giving it a 15-year lifespan. Wired Test picks the Wii as today's version of the 2600. Will any of our current systems be as iconic as the classic Atari console?
Retro glow: iBlueTube vaccum tube amp for iPod
If your interior decorating ideal is somewhere between Dr. Who and the engine room of the Enterprise, this may be the iPod accessory for you. The iBlueTube, from Japanese vendor Thanko (we've covered their stuff before as did Engadget Japan; apparently there's now an English site as well), features 2 Philips "6922" vacuum tubes and 12W outputs -- and a slightly breathtaking $449 sticker price. On the plus side, it is available from a US domestic site.Make sure to tell houseguests that the blue glow is due to Cerenkov radiation. Yeah, spent nuclear fuel, that's the ticket!
Widget Watch: ThinkFree/Office doc viewer (Dashboard, Yahoo! and Google)
If, for one reason or another, you don't have or don't want Microsoft Office installed, but you still need to view a doc, spreadsheet or presentation, the ThinkFree Online office crew have created a couple widgets (and even a Google module) to help ease your pain. I haven't been following ThinkFree's products very closely, but one of their services called the ThinkFree Viewer lets anyone publish a document online by linking to their web-based viewer - this removes a visitor's need to have one compatible app or another installed just to be able to view the file.To make things even easier for those attachments you receive or the occasional document you simply have lying around, they have now released a new Dashboard widget and a Google module (for their Personalized Homepage), in addition to the Yahoo! Widget we blogged way back in May. These all work essentially the same way: drag and drop a compatible ThinkFree or Microsoft Office doc onto the widget, and it will upload the file to ThinkFree's temporary online viewer so you can crack it open with the least amount of hassle. Of course, there might be limitations to what their viewer can render, but this should make things a little easier for non-Office Office users out there.
DS Lite leading in Time's Gadget of the Year race
You cast your vote today? 'Cause DS Lite could really use your support. Or at least, that's what we thought.The lil' guy appeared out of its league in Time's Gadget of the Year race, but [at the time of this writing] DS Lite is leading the online ballot with 44% of the vote -- 27 percentage points ahead of Apple's MacBook Pro. What looked to be a kindly nod at the Nintendo folks for shaking up the industry, has turned into a virtual landslide. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't vote -- each one counts. So gets to clickin'!
CNET users vote Wii number 1
Surely you'd expect to see the Wii reach the #1 spot on certain niche websites, but on a popular consumer site like CNET? Of course not, which makes it that much more awesome! On its weekly Top 20 list, CNET has seen the Wii present for 2 weeks running, just this week taking the top spot away from some other gadget thing and Microsoft's Zune. This shows us that Nintendo is realizing their goal of getting gamers and non-gamers alike interested in the platform. Hopefully we'll have a repeat next week, when the list resets.
Scobleizer wasn't wrong about products at WWDC; this just wasn't the right time
Some are upset at The Scobleizer, as his predictions of a 'dizzying' amount of post-WWDC Apple products and wish for an Apple Store sleepover didn't exactly come true. Scoble even went so far as to apologize on his blog Tuesday, offering a theory as to why our credit cards aren't getting maxed on a fleet of new Apple gadgets: he proposes that Apple didn't bring the goods because they didn't want to screw up their back-to-school sales. If Apple dropped something huge now, they might not have been able to supply enough product in time for all those young whipper-snappers to go back to school. It sounds plausible enough, but I propose a different theory.This is the World Wide Developer Conference, not the World Wide Consumer Gadgets Conference. This is an event first and foremost for the developers, so Apple can get them (and also the press) excited about what's coming down the pipeline in terms of developer-related OS improvements, innovations and new tools, as well as pro hardware like the Mac Pro. Events like January's Macworld and out-of-the-blue, invite-only media blitzes are where Apple drops their crazy new products for the masses.So I don't think the Scobleizer was wrong, I just think his predictions were shooting a little early. Don't worry, y'all will get your shot at an Apple Store sleepover yet.Thanks Jonas!
iLounge reviews USB transfer device
iLounge has posted a review of Hitch, a sort of USB middle man device that allows transferring files between two USB devices, including iPods. The Hitch is apparently a little slow, taking 6 seconds to transfer a 4MB song, but hey: it beats needing a computer to do it if you're a chronic swapper borrower, or if you're getting into the 'I bought a new iPod and I need help to move over all my music' business.There is one catch with the device specific to the Mac community though: it can't read HFS formatted iPods. Still, I figured this was worth posting, as not all of our readers are 100% Mac users all of the time (and yes, it's ok. We won't hold it against you). Plus, if we can help get the word out on such a handy device, maybe enough Mac users *ahem* could send an email to Sima Products, the Hitch's manufacturer, and make a request for some HFS love.
Time bestows "gadget" status upon DS Lite
Time Magazine recently gave the DS Lite its oh-so-coveted "Gadget of the Week" award, lauding the iPod-like design and Touch Generations series of games. Time Magazine seems to be the premier mainstream-gaming press outlet of late, also lauding the Wii in recent weeks as well.It's a bit silly, reading an article like this as a well-informed, knowledgable gamer, but pieces like this do wonders for a system's appeal outside of the established market. Before you know it, you might just be getting your backside handed to you by sweet ol' grandma in a game of Metroid Prime: Hunters.[via Joystiq]
Gadget vs Dynamizer in robot grudgematch
In celebration of Children's Day (which is also the day we celebrate Cinco de Mayo), our pals running the Robo-One competition announced a prizefight for what they've apparently dubbed Robo-One GP 2006 (Season 1) to take place in Bucheon Robo Park. The fighters: Japan's infamous Dynamizer on this side; Korea's Gadget on the other. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to see the fight (seems like they neglected to set up a Pay-Per-View feed), but surprisingly even despite the Dynamizer was hooked into a rig that mimicked its master's movements during the bout, the hand-controlled Gadget remained victorious. A severe blow was surely never dealt to Japan's national sense of pride. We understand the 13 year old boy controlling the Dynamizer was heard shouting "I'll get you next time, Gadget -- in space."
iPod second greatest gadget of the past 50 years
The iPod has been named the second greatest gadget of the past 50 years by the editors of PC Magazine. The Sony Walkman, which is an obvious inspiration for the iPod, took the number one spot.PC Magazine does take a moment to call the first generation iPods 'nothing special,' and notes that it was with support for the PC and higher capacity drives that iPod sales took off.When did you get your first iPod? I had the second edition of the first gen iPods which sported a massive 10 gig drive and were Mac only (sorry PC folks!).
