Harman Kardon GLA-55 speakers will leave you cold and broke

Okay, now that the idea of putting up an iceberg on the mantle was your battle won, all you need is to win another one and convince your family to loan you one grand. After which, you can remain assured that the Harman Kardon GLA-55 speakers can grace that coveted spot you fought so hard for.

Though the only observable uniqueness of the GLA-55 seems to be the artistic cut-glass motif which gives the appearance of the speakers being embedded in ice sculpture, Harman Kardon claims that they deliver "stunning sound" as well. That too minus subwoofer, and "numerous proprietary technologies to provide the highest audio quality". Apparently, the Atlas AL woofers and CMMD tweeters that the speakers are built on, deliver a great bass response and accurate high frequencies. Add to that DSP processing and touch-sensitive volume controls, and you just heard of the most expensive speakers ever. Instinct must be given its due while it still struggles to get you away from this $999.99 eye candy.

Via Coolest Gadgets.

Casio Celebrates Hello Kitty's 35th Anniversary

Hello Kitty, the fictional character that adorns everything from purses to laptops is beloved around the world. The iconic kitty is turning 35 and to celebrate, Casio is unveiling this limited edition Hello Kitty Casio EX-Z90 digital camera.

The camera is available in two versions of pink. The area surrounding the lens is decked out in Swarovski crystals and of course features the face of Kitty and her trademark bow. Spec-wise, this is a a solid camera. It has 12.1 megapixels and 3x optical zoom. There's also intelligent Auto Focus that can detect any subject and automatically adjust exposure and focus. In addition, the Dynamic Photo function has been tweaked making it both easier and faster to create animated greeting cards or any other digital creations.

Unfortunately, this camera is a Korea exclusive, so you'll have to find an import site. But that shouldn't be too big of a hurdle for Hello Kitty fans.The price tag, however, might be a little much to swallow. Expect to pay $500 to satisfy your Hello Kitty lust.

Via Aving.net

Freecom struts out world's only USB 3.0 external hard drive

No frills, sauciness, or eye-candy here. Instead, it is a hard drive that claims to hold enough raw speed to help you cruise to USB 3.0 readiness, supposedly to become a worldwide standard by 2012. It is XS 3.0, the world's first USB 3.0 external hard drive announced by Freecom. The hard drive guarantees rapid transfer speeds thanks to its 'SuperSpeed USB' technology, and what you will see on the grounds as proof of that claim is currently the quoted 130MB/s speed. Freecom is expected to launch a USB 3.0 "controller" to allow users to take advantage of the USB 3.0 speeds on the XS 3.0, though they don't promise that anytime soon.

To get into the specifics, the XS 3.0 is rather boringly clad in a black rubber enclosure and claims an almost silent operation as it is designed with a fanless cooling system. With looks that resemble pretty much a leather bound book, it weighs in at around 1.9 pounds. It is backward compatible with all USB 2.0 systems and sports AES 256 bit encryption standard. The pricing is quite reasonable too, with the 1TB drive priced at 119 Euro (about $175 US). Expect the numero uno to hit the market by mid November in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB sizes.

Via PCLaunches.

Harlequin Brings Romance to the World of Gaming

What can you say about romance novels? If you've read one plot involving heaving bosoms, rippling pectorals, and furtive sighs with a physical attraction fueled by dislike which eventually turns into lust and love, you've read them all. The question is, would you play a game based on the same premise?

Leading romance publisher Harlequin Enterprises has teamed up with casual game producer Big Fish Games to create Harlequin Presents: Hidden Object of Desire. I could spend a good half hour making jokes about the title alone, but I digress. The game is a mash-up of a romance novel and you guessed it, a hidden objects game. Based on the Harlequin mini-series "The Royal House of Karedes", premise is simple:

Allie`s on a quest to find some breaking news in the Kingdom of Adamas, but must now choose between her friend`s well-being and true love! The bachelor Prince of Aristo is the most enchanting man she has ever met, but she must fend off his charming advances long enough to figure out what is going on. Help Allie find valuable clues in Harlequin Presents: Hidden Object of Desire, an exciting Hidden Object game.

Black Hello Kitty PMP is Techie Catnip

I haven't had anything Hello Kitty since I was a little girl, but iriver is really making me backtrack on that decision. Their new black Hello Kitty PMP is sleek and stylish enough that I wouldn't feel silly using it public. From the gold-accented bow to the whiskers, I just can't stop looking at it.

Available in 2GB and 4GB versions, the player is still a Japanese exclusive. It come packaged with earbuds and a USB cable. Volume and playback controls are located on the back of Kitty's head. Weighing in at a mere 16g, you just want to take it everywhere. The silicon cases are a cute touch, not only can you dress your Hello Kitty up, it keeps it safe from scratches.

It's set to release in Japan in time for the holidays. No word on when or if its coming stateside, but if you're a Hello Kitty fanatic you might want to look into importing this pretty mama. It's retailing for about $90.

Via Engadget

Smart Baby Case Diasterproof and Travel-ready

Traveling with a baby can be challenging. You need to make sure there's a solid supply of diapers and food as well as lug around that bulky stroller. Sure it comes in handy when you're transporting your little one, but it becomes the instrument of the devil when it encounters some stairs. It's even worse with the initial setup. I've seen too many parents struggle with getting the blasted thing set up while trying to comfort a crying infant. Whew!

Luggage company Samsonite, held a competition a few months back looking for designers that could design a better way for parents to transport their children. One such concept came from Iranian designer Pouyan Mokhtarani. Called the Smart Baby Case, the design is a hard case pod that borrows design cues from the humble egg, a shape already familiar to a child. The case would keep baby safe and comfortable while the parents navigate the hustle and bustle of pedestrian traffic or get to safety in the case of an emergency.

Square Enix Wants You to Smell the Final Fantasy

Star Trek has its own line of fragrances, why not a video game? Courtesy of game publisher, Square Enix, Final Fantasy XIII heroine Lightning, now has her own perfume line. The fragrance shares the same name as the character and will be available in 50 ml bottles for about $83.

Lightning Eau de Toilette is described as having notes of peach, followed by rose, and then a feminine musk -- whatever that means. While it's a little outlandish to have a video game-inspired fragrance, considering the wacky merchandising that we've seen attached to video games (energy drinks, life-sized sculptures, and the legions of fans that dress up like their favorite character at any comic book/anime convention), this is one of the classier promotions.

The fragrance is set to hit Japanese shelves one month after the game release, just in time for spring. Now loyal gamers can look and even smell like their favorite video games. What's next, a cologne for Solid Snake?

Via Technabob

Find True Love with an App

For those of us in the hunt for that special someone, being thorough is important, especially when it comes to dating. They say dating is supposed to be a fun experience, but for a lot of us, it's an interview process where one wrong answer can send a potential Mr. or Ms. Right crashing and burning into the reject pile. Now there's an app, to alleviate a little bit of the pressure.

The app is named iRateMyDate and its exactly what it sounds like, a way for daters to keep track of a date and track various qualities the user is looking for in a potential mate. According to the press release, the the iPhone-exclusive app's goal is to answer the question "Is my date worth having my legs waxed" or "Was she worth missing the game?"

Developed by Yollswa, the app allows you to do side by side comparisons of potential mates, for those of us lucky enough to have that many candidates to choose from. You can choose up to 20 of must-have or important traits that "The One" should have and rate them. You can upload their photos, add their horoscope and take notes on the date, as well as schedule the next date -- if there will actually be a next date.

Play Your Child a Lullaby with Lullabelly

It's been proven that babies do hear and respond to noises in the womb and do enjoy an nice tune every now and then. For those parents that want to provide your child with some soothing tunes while still in the womb, the Lullabelly iPod speaker belt is just for you.

The Prenatal Music Belt wraps comfortably around pregnant bellies and has a front pocket to store your mp3 player or other accessories. Simply plug your player into the Lullabelly into the built in speaker and let the concert begin. You can play soothing sounds or read your unborn child a story via an audio book. There's also a dual adapter included in the deluxe edition so mommy and baby can both listen as well as a speaker volume control so you can protect baby's sensitive ears.According to the site, the highest decibel Lullabelly can reach is the equivalent of a telephone ringing.

Pre-order the inPulse BlackBerry Bluetooth watch, wait until 2010 for shipping

The wait is longer than we imagined, and it is now official. Allerta is offering its limited, first-edition inPulse Bluetooth watch for the BlackBerry on pre-order, but you will have to hold on until February 2010 for the shipping to begin.

The watch sports a 1.3-inch color OLED display and functions as a virtual, display-only accessory for your BlackBerry while wirelessly communicating with it via a Bluetooth 2.0 connection. So that, based on the email, SMS, Twitter previews or call alerts you see on your wrist, you can choose to flip out your smartphone or not. The magic is made possible through a custom BlackBerry background application which runs on the watch to keep track of your received messages/calls and also provides the ability to customize the watch itself.

Powered by a 150mAh Li-Ion battery, the watch has a micro-USB jack for charging - with a single charge going approximately into 4 days while you get an average 20-30 updates per day. The inPulse has a built-in vibrating motor to alert you of incoming calls and boasts the ability to pull in new text messages directly. All the settings on the watch (time, alarms, alerts) are controlled through the BlackBerry itself, with the wireless connection also facilitating over-the-air firmware updates.

Part with $149 (shipping extra) and book your seat for some great wrist candy. And much more.

Via SlashGear.

S&J's Incredible, Non-edible Speakers

Computer peripheral manufacturer, S&J Co., Ltd, proves that sometimes to get great sound you have to break a few eggs. Their new line of ultra portable speakers are egg-shaped and awesome hence their name, Eggy.

The little speakers pack decent sound thanks to their 2W output and digital amps. They're USB-powered so there's no need to worry about batteries. The coolest thing about these speakers is that the magnetically lock. Once you're done using them, just put them together and you've got a shiny egg that can be easily slipped into a bag or pocket. These speakers would be an awesome peripheral for all those netbooks and laptops out there.

No word yet on price or availability, but they will be showing at this year's CES, so hopefully there will be more information in January.

Via Coolest Gadgets

Free shipping on December 17!

Not that we want you to postpone your holiday shopping any more than you already have, gulp. But this is just a friendly reminder that Thursday, December 17, is Free Shipping Day!

Free Shipping Day is, duh, the day when online merchants, some 700 of them, will ship your orders for free and vow to get them delivered by December 24.

Thanks to Consumer Reports, which kindly provides details here.

Cool and Unique watch by phosphorwatches

So your looking for a new cool LED watch, one that is both unique but subtle. Well take a look this way at a new watch by phosphorwatches.com. This unique and styleish time piece sports technology that is rare in watches and is sure to turn heads with its sleek look. Based on “E-Ink” the same type of technology used in Amazon Kindle and Sony ereader the display has a very book like font to it, unlike regular LCD watches that have an absolute streight edges.

An elegant curved watch case houses a distinctive digital display that fits comfortably on your wrist. The bright, high contrast E Ink electronic paper display insures readability day or night and allows you to select between differing watch dial modes to match whatever style fits your mood.

The Phosphor watch also has a contured case that wraps around your wrist to give a great fit and feel. If you are looking for a great Christmas gift this year thetechnologyblog.net highly recommends the Phosphor E Ink Digital Hour Clock Watch Stainless Steel

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Cool and Unique watch by phosphorwatches

CO2 Dress Senses Pollution, Owns the Runway

The pretty frock in he picture is more than the latest piece of haute couture. Thanks to the efforts of Forster Rohner, Alexandra Institute, diffus.dk, and The Danish Design School this dress is not only fashion-forward it's also eco-friendy.

The LEDs embroidered into the dress actually show the levels of CO2 in the room. The dress monitors CO2 levels and transmits the information to the LEDs which flicker in response to the data. I wonder if the decision to make the dress a charcoal gray a purposeful one made by the collaborators to symbolize our declining air quality. At any rate, this is another example of how technology and fashion can come together to create something that's beautiful and functional both on and off the catwalk.

Via Fashioning Tech

Zlico's System Might Spell the End for Pap Smears

We have witnessed steady strides in the fight against cervical cancer. Vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix are now available for girls to protect them from the human papilloma virus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer. Unfortunately the vaccines are only given to young girls. They also don't protect women from every form of HPV which means there's still a need for Pap Smear testing to attempt to catch the disease early.

Every year, millions of women visit their gynecologists and endure the discomfort of the Pap Smear. After the test is complete, there's often weeks of waiting for the results, leaving women to wonder if they'll become part of the frightening statistics on cervical cancer. British medical diagnostic, Zilco is working to alleviate some of the stress with its new device that can conduct a relatively quick and painless pap.

Ideeli's Big Deal

Finding a good sample sale is has to be like hunting prey in the wild. It's illusive, secretive, and gone in a flash. You have to keep your ear to the ground and be willing to hit the pavement at a moment's notice, but once you've found one and saved bundles on that designer purchase, you leave feeling like a mighty lioness ruler of all she surveys. Okay i might be taking it a little far, but there's something crazy thrilling about sample sales.

Online shopping community ideeli, packages that excite and sends it to your inbox daily. The online sample sale site has been up and running since 2007, hawking designer wares in limited-time sales to fiscally-minded fashionistas. A members-only site, you have to receive an invite to play in this arena of shopping champions. And while it may seem counterproductive to have a closed community of shoppers, it seems to be paying off. According to TechCrunch, ideeli has just raised 20 million in funding to keep their members decked out in the exclusive fashions we love so well.

In addition to the big payday, ideeli has also reached the million member mark. Kudos, to ideeli and sites like it that realize that just because we're living in a recession doesn't mean wie have to dress like it.Id

Domyos Gym in a Box

For those of us out there that don't have a Nintendo Wii and still want to get our fitness regimen from a video game, there's hope thanks to fitness company Domyos. The French company recently raised the curtain on the Domyos Interactive System (DIS) a potentially serious competitor to Wii Fit.

A complete gym in a box, the DIS is serious business. Instead of encouraging players to lower their "Fit Age", the system challenges you to an intense workout via an exercise mat, gloves for martial arts challenges, and a bike attachment. For those seeking a group sweat, fitness fanatics can attach more exercise mats.

The best part about the DIS is that it's console-less. Players simply plug the DIS into their television, insert one of the cartridges and viola, you're doing Olivia Newton John and Richard Simmons proud.

Retailing for £ 39.95 or $58.92 in U.S. dollars, the Domyos Interactive System is ready to whip you into shape.

Via Coolest Gadgets

Picnic by Juicy Couture

Juicy Couture new product is putting a fresh coat of paint on the old picnic theme. Available for pre-order, the Staycation Kit has everything you need to have a fun day at the park. The kit comes in a logo-themed leather tote bag that contains two mp3 speakers. There's also cutlery, dishes, and tumblers which are diswasher safe. There's even a blanket and cloth napkins that are machine washable.

The speaker dimensions are 12"H x 13"W x 6"D. There's no word on the wattage, so the sound quality is anyone's guess. The kit is available for $248. Just like the tagline says it's "everything you need to take your beau or bestie out for a picnic."

Via UberGizmo

New Site Promises to Help in Search for Perfect Gadget

The holidays are coming up and you're eager to find the perfect gadget as a gift to someone special or yourself. The problem is with all the different brand names, specifications, price differences, and hype, how do you find the right product for the job? Let's face it, tech can be expensive and there's nothing worse than shelling out hundreds of dollars on the a piece of equipment that you either don't know how to use or worse is the absolute wrong product for the job.

There's a new search engine that can make the decision-making process a little easier. Measy is a website that helps the not-so-tech savvy locate the correct gizmo. The site is pretty simple to use. Choose the type of gadget you're shopping for (smartphone, digital camera, etc.) and you're given a quick quiz that narrows down your choices. If you're looking for a smartphone, you'll be asked about budget, texting, and carrier and their level of importance.Through the process of elimination, Measy picks the best device based on your answers.

The site displays general specs and features of each product. There are also links to reviews from reputable tech sites to help bolster the choice and give you a little reassurance so when you go into the store you know exactly what you want. That way you won't part with more money than necessary because a smarmy salesperson sold you more gadget than you actually need.

Measy is currently in beta, so the amount of products to choose from in some categories is a little small, but hopefully with a little more time and elbow grease, the site can be a go-to resource when shopping for tech.

Via Mobile Crunch

Ammonia-free hair coloring is here

Here comes a "revolution" in hair coloring, according to scientists. That would be scientists at L’Oréal, who say they have found a way to replace stinky ammonia with a new, odorless, substitute.

You are probably dying to know that ammonia has been a part of hair coloring since L’Oréal's founder invented it a century ago this year. The new dye is called INOA for Innovation No Ammonia, which seems sensible. L’Oréal claims that, in addition to being free of ammonia smell, INOA feels more like a thick skin cream than regular hair coloring products.

INOA is already used in salons in Europe. It will be available at salons in the US and Canada early next year and eventually in home hair dye, the company says.

LED flashing umbrella

I am really not a big fan of umbrellas, they always seem to be in the way, keep one hand constantly occupied and if they are not small and vulnerable to the weakest of winds, I forget them everywhere. For me to use an umbrella it really has to rain pretty hard, the kind of heavy rain you can’t fence off with good waterproof outwear clothing.
This LED flashing umbrella on the other hand, would almost make me wish for a rainy day, because it would make me look like Luke Skywalker and for me that would be a cool thing.

This “Lightsaber-umbrella is available at gadget.brando for $44,- in five different colors. The LEDs are placed inside the umbrella tube and have four different light modes: dim light, light, flashing light and dim flashing light.

The new PBS NewsHour: Pick and choose the news to use

The PBS NewsHour is undergoing major remodeling. That's good news for US newshounds who need more than a flood of celebrity gossip followed by 20-second snippets of real news but don't have time to watch an hour-long broadcast every evening.

The NewsHour has beefed up its online presence in a major way and also embraced podcasts, RSS feeds, Facebook, and Twitter. Even if you don't own a TV, you can keep up with the NewsHour's in-depth treatment of the day's news automagically.

Listen to interviews with movers and shakers and the smart folks who analyze their moves and shakes, Paul Solman's lucid explanations of what's up (and down!) in the financial world, international news from all over, plus thoughtful looks at current issues like health care reform, the environment, the arts....life, the universe, and everything.

There's way more here than the NewsHour folks are able to cram into their daily hour on TV, but it's served cafeteria-style, so you can pick and choose just what news you can use. And there are extras like special material for teachers to bring to their classrooms.

LED Kimono Takes the Stage

There's something about LEDs and clothing that really gets me, provided it's done well. You won't catch me within 100 feet of one of those cheesy light-up holiday sweaters, especially those garish Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer deals. This kimono however, has class and sophistication that negates the gimmicky feel of the LED lighting.

The kimono was created by performing artist/composer Miya Masaoka. The garment's sleeve has 444 LED that are individually controlled. The lights respond primarily to sound and the movement of the wearer. Future iterations of the kimono will allow it to function more as a smart garment with the ability to improvise, listen, and react to its environment.

It looks a little bulky with the lights on, but once the lights are dimmed, this piece of performance art becomes a fluid showcase of captivating light and movement.

Via FashioningTech

How to be a planetary scientist--and a Martian too. For free.

Want to live on Mars and even study it as a scientist? Then move to this amazing new Web site

Drawing on observations from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Mars missions, the "Be a Martian" Web site is designed to help the public to participate as citizen scientists to improve Martian maps, take part in research tasks, and assist Mars science teams studying data about the Red Planet, according to NASA. The site was put together by NASA and Microsoft and is just opened.

Among the possibilities, NASA says, participants will be able to explore details of the solar system's grandest canyon, which resides on Mars. Users can call up images in the Valles Marineris canyon before moving on to chart the entire Red Planet. The collaboration of thousands of participants could assist scientists in producing far better maps, smoother zoom-in views, and make for easier interpretation of Martian surface changes, the agency says.

By counting craters, the public also may help scientists determine the relative ages of small regions on Mars. In the past, counting Martian craters has posed a challenge because of the vast numbers involved. By contributing, Web site users will win game points assigned to a robotic animal avatar they select.

And if you're a software developer, you can win prizes for creating tools that provide access to and analysis of hundreds of thousands of Mars images for online, classroom and Mars mission team use.

It's not clear to me whether doing this stuff will actually help NASA out--although in these parsimonious days, who knows, maybe your contributions will actually count. And even if they don't count, this site is just incredibly cool.

New Samsung Camera Has 14.2 Megapixels, Wi-Fi Capability

I'm chomping at the bit for the new year to arrive. New beginnings, renewed focus, and most of all shiny, new tech. According to Boy Genius Report, Samsung is bringing the new year in a grand fashion with the unveiling of their latest camera. The Samsung ST5500 is a vision of beauty in silver, but it's what's under the hood that will have camera geeks grinning from ear to ear.

ST5500 features include 14.2. megapixel sensor, 7X optical zoom, and Wi-Fi capability so you can upload pics almost instantaneously. There's also 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen, 100MB internal memory, and a microSD slot. The camera also takes video in 1280 x 720 resolution at 30 fps.

We're still waiting for a press release or announcement from Samsung, so no word on pricing and availability as of yet. The only piece of information is that it's set to debut sometime during Q1.

Aimat gun camera makes point-and-shoot serious fun

Franziska Dierschke was definitely having "fun" while creating the Aimat digital camera. Taking no assumptions of structure from the concept of a traditional digital camera, the Aimat carries forward its point-and-shoot functionality by creating the ability to take small, pinhole-shaped images without the aid of a viewfinder. And by being shaped like a gun.

Oops. Did I say "gun"? And that's supposed to be "fun"? Okay, I am going to shake off the skepticism and allow the playfulness that the designer had in mind while creating this concept camera. The intent behind which was to "put less emphasis on picture quality, and more on the playful act of taking the picture" itself. Cool. No word on when this one is going to find its way into production.

Via Toxel.

Manhole information-point

I have always had a fascination with urban furniture projects, especially as today’s fast and ever evolving technology allows for endless creativity. I am loving this manhole-redesign environmentally friendly manhole-redesign, that is powered by rainwater. Step on it and it will display information about the nearest subway station or bus stop.

Via Yanko Design

How to find a Christmas tree farm near you? Google Maps

Another innovative use for Google Maps: how to find a Christmas tree farm near you. Just plug "Christmas tree farms" plus your Zip code into the Google Maps search box, and there they are. Round up the kids, climb into the SUV or pickup, and get chopping.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches, but where art thou?

Now you know.

Thanks for the seasonal tip to Wendy Boswell, About.com's Queen of Search.

Speakal iPom Givea Floral and Aural Delight

Sometimes gadgets and their designers can take themselves a little too seriously. In the need to show that their new product is worthy of geek worship, tech gets painted in the utilitarian colors of black, white and silver. I'm not a huge fan of tech painted pink and marketed towards women either, but a little color wouldn't hurt some of these devices.

IPod speaker manufacturer Speakal has always been one to buck the trend, giving us speakers in the shape of cute little piggies, loveable ghosts, and playful pandas. Their latest speaker follows the same irreverent design cues and puts the "aw" in awesome.

The Speakal iPom is an shaped like an apple and has two flowers perched on top acting as speakers with the third hiding out in the apple-shaped base. This pom has a little punch with its 2.1 stereo speaker system, adjustable bass, and 12W subwoofer. In addition to being iPod compatible, the iPom can also play music from USB memory sticks and SD card. It also works with any mp3 player that has a 3.5mm output.

The flower speakers are removable so they can be placed around the room. Retailing for $99, the iPom is a cute change in pace from the black and silver, slick design gadgets have become.

Via SlashGear

Green Tech: Green jobs outlook, hope or hype?

Is the promise of green jobs all hype, or are more and more green jobs on the way in the US? Popular Mechanics has just published an extensive report on green jobs that is mostly optimistic.

At the moment, green jobs account for a minuscule proportion of US jobs--just under half of 1%. But between 1998 and 2007, green jobs grew at a rate of 9.1% annually , compared with overall job growth of 3.7%. That initial burst may help cushion job green job decline during the current recession, experts hope.

Among the green jobs growing fastest, Popular Mechanics reports, are fuel cell engineers, smart-grid engineers, green architects and builders, and energy auditors. A few states have taken the lead in green job growth. In Oregon, for example, green jobs are already 1% of total Oregon jobs, the highest in the nation. Other states on the move are Idaho, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Maine.

iPhone App Store pulls 1000+ apps in fake 5-star review scandal

The iPhone app developer Molinker has been accused of faking reviews for a number of its 1000+ iPhone apps, and Apple has pulled all of Molinker's apps--nearly 1% of all iPhone apps--from the App Store, according to PC World.

Brennon Slattery, who wrote the PC World report, speculates that Molinker's apps aren't the only ones with bogus 5-star reviews. Slattery urges Apple--and its App Store customers--to be more diligent in exposing fraudulent reviews.

LED Dress Lights Up Your Wardrobe and the Night

One look at this dress and I was blown away by its beauty and innovation. The Galaxy Dress is a one of a kind of creation put together by two designers. Comprised of 24,000 LED lights, 4,000 Swarovski crystals and quite a lot of iPod batteries, this dress is being called "the largest wearable display in the world." While it's a breathtaking creation in still images, video is the only medium that really does this light-up gown any justice.

Designers Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz, creators of a "fashionable technology company" called CuteCircuit, reached out to Wired.com to give some background story to the dress.

“We used the smallest full-color LEDs, flat like paper, and measuring only 2 by 2 mm,” say designers Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz in an e-mail. “The circuits are extra-thin, flexible and hand-embroidered on a layer of silk in a way that gives it stretch so the LED fabric can move like normal fabric with lightness and fluidity.”

Dell Pulls Bait and Switch with Adamo Laptop

Imagine my joy to see the news about the new Adamo XPS from Dell. At an astonishing 9.99 mm, it looks like it will definitely be a sight to behold whenever Dell stops being coy with the details. My morning techie glow was dashed to pieces when I went over to Engadget and read about Dell's other news.

Apparently, the powers that be at Del thought it would be a great idea to team up with nail polish maker OPI to create 26 new colors and patterns for the Dell Design Studio. I mean it's great that you can coordinate your laptop with your favorite nail color, but with news of the Adamo scares, this seems like a total letdown.

Holiday card snailmailed for free from Google

A free holiday postcard, and snailmailed free too! We keep reading that Google has more money than it knows what to do with, and here's further evidence. Not that I'm complaining.

So, go here, write your 255-character message, add the recipient's address, pick out your card from a selection of six, and Google says it will do the rest: stamp it, snailmail it, the whole deal. Thanks, Google.

Limit 1, US only, no naughty content. Google says the supply is not endless despite its riches, so better not tarry. If you want to send more than one--a couple of the designs are particularly nice--you can download and print Google holiday cards and mail them yourself.

LoJack for Your Lingerie

"Find Me If You Can" is the name of the latest line of lingerie at lingerie.com. The name, meant to be cute, kind of loses its meaning once you discover the skimpy bits of cloth meant to get pulses racing has a GPS tracker sewn-in to the ensemble.

Designed by Lucia Lorio, the sexy outfit is comprised of a lace bodice, bikini-cut panties, and a huge pacemaker-like contraption included on the bodice. The purpose of the lingerie is to make the wearer feel safe. (Um, huh?) The GPS has a login and password for the wearer's partner so they can track the object of their desires every move on the internet.

I guess I get it. It can be sexy to have that always being watched feeling...not! Personally this is a little too close to cyberstalking for my taste. Even though the woman has the choice to turn the GPS on and off as she please, I still can hear the delighted sighs of jealous partners everywhere.

Amazingly the sexy tracking device has been selling in Sao Paulo, Brazil for $1200. The more advanced GPS model costs $1650. No word if this little get-up will make it to the states, but I hope not.

Via Gizmodo, GizmoWatch

Robocalls are banned. Sort of.

The US Federal Trade Commission says there will be no more of those infuriating prerecorded telemarketing solicitations, known not so fondly as robocalls, unless you're so lonely you want them. Telemarketers, the government says, will now need written permission from the callee before setting the robots loose.

So, great, no more robocalls at dinnertime. Oh, wait. Except for the exceptions. Which include calls from charities, banks, politicians, insurers, phone companies, surveys--and, best of all, debt collection agencies.

Also permitted are telemarketing calls from actual humans--unless the phone number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. Find the Do Not Call registry here.

Nikon Pro Battery Grip cranks up your Nikon DSLR like a determined soldier

Consider yourself lucky if you own a Nikon D200 DSLR. Atleast on one count - more battery power.

This clever Nikon Battery Grip can attach itself to your camera and give you the much needed juice - it holds within 6 AA batteries or two EN-EL3E Li-ion batteries, which means double shooting time. There is also provision for improved vertical shooting as the grip provides functions for additional shutter release, main dial, sub-main dial, AE lock/FE lock.

And as always there is the price to consider. The grip costs around $170, and can be a worthy investment if you are a serious photographer. Well, we assume you would be, with the DSLR and all.

Via The Red Ferret.

Gifts for the geek home, under $50

More gifts under $50, this time geek gifts rounded up by Unplggd. And therefore more home decor than tech toys.

Yes, a plethora of coasters, posters, and pillows, to say nothing of laptop decals. But a selection of more intriguing stuff too, including a shower radio designed to look like shampoo bottles, sure to puzzle houseguests who only want to wash their hair.

My favorite is the emoticon shower curtain from Bed Bath and Beyond for a fairly reasonable $14.99. Brush up while you bathe.

Yahoo Class Action Settlement Is Bad News For Domainers!

DirectNavigation.com wrote today about a notice that went out to anyone who advertised with Yahoo or the its prior service GoTo.com, on its PPC program(s) anytime from May 1, 2000 until September 22, 2009.

That’s a lot of advertisers.

The class action arose out of a suit by advertisers against Yahoo, alleging that Yahoo:

“””breached its contract with its customers by allowing Yahoo! ads to be displayed in spyware, domain name parking sites (also known as bulk registration sites), pop-ups, pop-unders, and typosquatting sites. Plaintiffs brought claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, misrepresentation, civil conspiracy, and unfair business practices.””

According to the settlement each advertiser is entitled to receive the earth shattering sum of $20.

Right $20 USD.

The lawyers, well they are getting only $4,170,000.00, in fees, plus reimbursement of expenses of approximately $100,000.

But I digress.

Back to how this settlement is bad news for domainers.

In settling this case, Yahoo basically agrees to allow advertisers to basically opt out of the domain channel starting sometime next year:
“””Yahoo! has agreed to develop and offer a new ad placement option that will enable Yahoo! Ad customers to control where their Yahoo! Ads appear.””

“”The Ad Placement Option will allow Yahoo! Ad customers to specify that their Sponsored Search ads should be displayed only on websites and other Internet properties owned or operated by Yahoo!, and the websites of certain “Premium” distribution partners.””

“”Yahoo! has agreed to make best efforts to launch the Ad Placement Option as early as the first quarter of 2010, but in no event later than September 30, 2010.””

“”Yahoo! will maintain the Ad Placement Option for at least two years from the date of its launch.”””

Moreover Yahoo says this change will carry over to its deal with Microsoft.

“”Microsoft will agree to implement ad distribution controls on the Microsoft paid search platform””

The problem is that there is general perception that the domain channel is full of typo traffic and generally undesirable traffic, as alleged in the lawsuit.

Unless Yahoo ad executive are trained to understand and educate their advertisers as to the difference between opting out of the domain channel completely, rather than selectively, keeping ads up on generic domains geared toward their business, all domains will suffer.

By the way, if you were an advertiser and want to check in on that $20 windfall, you need to submit a claim online by March 22, 2010.

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Yahoo Class Action Settlement Is Bad News For Domainers!

Joey Roth's Ceramic Speakers up for pre-order now

Joey Roth's Ceramic Speakers will surely blow you away with their looks, if not with their music, considering that these low powered speakers are made to design perfection using porcelain, cork and birch wood. The Ceramic Speakers have a low 15W output per channel and custom-made 4-inch sound drivers neatly housed within a porcelain and cork enclosure. A combination, that apparently promises to reveal every fine nuance of the music that the speaker belts out. The design is elegant to the last detail - so much so that even the usually plain-looking connectors have a distinct radiant finish and are left open to enhance the system's chic looks.

With the designer tag however comes the designer price - the first 200 speakers are up for pre-order now at a price of $495 a pair, and will be shipped out in early November. Sigh. During my childhood, all fairy tales had a happy ending.

Via Boing Boing Gadgets.

USB TurboCharger 3400 keeps your mobile devices from giving up

Living within a "connected" planet where mobile devices almost define our identities, it becomes imperative for them to have (if possible) zero downtime. I sometimes wonder if the companies which make chargers for these mobile devices make more money than those that develop the devices in the first place. Hmm...

That said, the USB TurboCharger 3400 is another portable charger that can be used exclusively to crank up your mobile devices - mp3 players, cellphones or smartphones. The TurboCharger itself stores juice (3400 mAh storage) while it is connected to your PC/laptop's USB port and can decently charge several of your devices before it runs out completely. The device is sleek and compact, with an attractive LED display that shows the level of charge remaining. It comes with a retractable cable and range of interchangeable connector heads for different mobile devices. Will cost ya $57.

Via The Red Ferret.

10,000 gifts under $50

OK, I exaggerate. It's actually only 9,195 gifts under $50.

But still.

That's the number I got when I plugged HolidayUnder50 into the Search box at Etsy.com. Don't know Etsy? Etsy's tag line is "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade," and that says it all.

What can you get at Etsy? What can't you get there? Yes, there's hand-thrown pottery and handknits and handmade jewelry in unique designs. But there are also slightly naughty panties and monogrammed dish towels and Hello Kitty custom soap. And I haven't even mentioned Vintage items like the Polaroid Land camera (I remember those magical photos!) and the Lenox china Christmas angel brooch, and the wooden desktop paper sorter.

And several thousand more. And there's also a page of gift guides organized by price and category--stocking stuffers, food gifts, personalized items, and more.

Pictured above, a handmade iPhone/iPod case recalling the old Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) control pad. If you plug iPhone into the Etsy Search box, the number of items you get is, wait for it, 3,820.

Acer's 3D notebook Aspire 5738DG gets the official nod

Acer has finally come out with the real specs for its much flaunted 3D laptop - the Aspire 5738DG - and gathering from first hand experiences, it remains pretty much a normal laptop except for a moderately satisfying 3D gaming experience.

The Aspire 5738DG boasts a 15.6-inch screen specially designed for 3D effects, and carries within a 2.2GHz Intel Core2 Duo T6600 processor, running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS. The gaming uses TriDef's software which provides the 3D environment, and according to the folks at PC Magazine, the 3D effects will not make you fall off your chair. Take your 3D glasses off and the princess gets back to being Cinderella. That's then the basic Aspire laptop with 4GB of RAM, 320GB HDD, ATI Radeon HD 4570 graphics, and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. Suitable for gaming enthusiasts looking for an inexpensive laptop. Acer's shipping the laptop this week at a pretty unassuming $779.99.

Via SlashGear.

Green tech: How to find the best green products

Save $1500 on your energy bill this year. The latest on plastics and canned foods that contain Bisphenol A. Green ratings of electronics, cars, and other products. What green consumer goods should you buy, and how can you find them?

It's one-stop shopping for that information, plus green news too, at the Greener Choices web site, free from the respected publication Consumer Reports. You can sign up for free newsletters, too.

Water-powered Can Clock tells time using juice from water

Sound pretty complicated? But not the principle behind this one-of-a-kind eco-friendly Water Powered Clock from Green Stamp. The idea is, simply, to use energy from water to keep the clock alive and ticking.

Judge it not yet. Because the Water Powered Clock is a small, albeit hugely significant, indicator of how modern electrochemical technology can be used to create electronics without emission or additional burden on existing "non-green" energy sources. And the clock is very conveniently designed for that very same purpose - a can into which you have to pour water once every 6 months to keep it running. A great product to introduce kids to green tech.

The can-shaped clocks are available in 4 colors at £9.99 (around US $17). And yes, the results maybe unexpected in case you decide to get creative with the choice of liquid. We guess.

Via Shiny Shiny.

Kingston's MobileLiteG2 card reader is mean and tiny

Good things, little packages. So it is with the MobileLiteG2 card reader from Kingston. This second generation portable card reader supports almost all the formats (SD, SDHC, microSD, microSDHC, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo and Memory Stick Micro), and is small enough (2.45 x 1.16 x 0.646 inches) to fit into a pocket. Make that a really tiny pocket, like the one on your kid's teddy bear.

That apart, the MobileLiteG2 has retractable covers on each side to protect the USB connector and the flash memory cards from damage. The chipper is available standalone at $11, or bundled with a 4GB ($28.50) or 8GB ($46) Class 4 SDHC Kingston card.

Via Engadget.

All about diets, weight control, and the glycemic index

A lot of what you need to know about the glycemic index is here. Like what IS the glycemic index, anyway? (Short answer: a system of ranking foods according to how much they raise blood sugar.) Why is the glycemic index controversial? Can eating low glycemic-index foods really help prevent diabetes and colon cancer and heart disease? And control my weight?

But not quite everything you need to know about the glycemic index is in that one blog post. Among other things, you need an actual glycemic index that lists foods according to how much they raise your blood sugar. I couldn't find a really complete glycemic index, and maybe there is no such thing. But Diabetes.net has a good one here. (Scroll down past the book-selling stuff.)

And Wikipedia has a brief table summarizing categories of high. medium. and low glycemic-index foods. Keep in mind, though, that you can't always easily estimate the glycemic index of a food. Those bagels up there are actually high glycemic-index items.

As with any topic related to diets, almost any search engine will garner you a ton of stuff. There's an enormous amount of detail about the glycemic index out there, much of it useful. But there is also an enormous amount of salesmanship, so beware.

Samsung Presents the "Diva Collection"

2010 marks the year of the Diva...phone that is. Samsung has announced that two new phones will be hitting the market and they "will satisfy every woman’s fascination and desire for mobile phones." Named the Diva and the Diva Folder now called the Samsung Olivia, both phones are decked out with quilted back covers, because nothing says haute couture like quilts.

The dynamic duo also come with some unique features including a "Beauty Effect", a retouching function that makes photos "flawlessly beautiful. There's also the "Lomo Effect" that makes makes plain pics look like works of art (umm, okay). The phones also have a wish list, etiquette mode, and security features like "SOS Message" and "Fake Call" to save ladies for those uncomfortable bad date situations.

Gemei is Gem of a Bargain

Nothing makes me smile like great tech at a great price. It's like finding those killer designer boots for a fraction of the price. So when I saw the Gemei HD8800 portable media player, my bargain senses started tingling.

Retailing for $122, the Gemei PMP comes with 1080p support meaning it plays back your media in glorious HD quality which comes in handy when you want view your favorite videos or images through your HDTV. The device also features a 4.3-inch screen with 800 x 480 resolution, which unfortunately has no touchscreen capability, but at such a great price, it's hardly something to gripe about.

The HD8000 supports a ton of different formats including RMVB, MOV, AVI, VOB, MKV, MP4, and Flash. It may not be as flashy as some of the more popular media players, but with such solid features at such an awesome price, I'm not complaining.

Via Gizmodo