Video: Digital Life in 1967

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Thanks, Dave

Like I said above, it’s easy to make some things like this yourself with two paper wings and a little bit of tape, but when I ever come across this one, I’ll buy it for sure.

The videos you shoot with it are of good quality and the sound of the things you record is too. With 30fps, it’s a nice experience to play back your adventures. I didn’t use the secondary CIF videocall camera because I didn’t quite know who to call :-)

Scanning for wireless networks, connecting to them and uploading goes very fast. I have nothing to say about that. Holding on to the network has proven to be a little more difficult, I had to reconnect at least once every 10 minutes when I was uploading pictures to Flickr. Once the connection is there, it’s almost as fast as broadband. I like this feature the most. It is, however, VERY battery-consuming.

A few downsides to the device though:

Even though it has up to 220 hours of stand-by time and up to 6.5 hours of calling time, I ran out of power quite a lot when I used the wi-fi feature to upload images to Flickr or to browse sites or make videos. I realize that for regular use this power supply is really good, but if you deliver a mobile multimedia pc and show off with its features, I think there needs to be some more power to it to cover all the fun. If you play some movies you’ve put on the little 1 Gigabyte memory card, you can see the battery power bar shrink almost in real time. That’s a bummer.

The mobile GPS works fine when you’re on foot and you could download maps for free from the website to cover more than 100 countries. The service becomes paid as soon as you want voice guidance added to the road descriptions of your travel route. Here’s something I don’t understand either. It takes a really long time to locate the 5 needed satellites when you’re in the middle of the city. You need to find an open spot to get a signal (took quite some time) and from then on it’s pretty smooth, but it’s only good when you’re on foot. I tried it on a bike and that was about as fast as the thing could go. For usage in a car, it simply is too inaccurate and sometimes it loses contact with the satellites, leaving you stranded and waiting for a signal to continue the quest. Then comes my question: why would you need voice guidance? If you go slow enough to read the map I don’t see a need/market for it, unless the receiver becomes stronger and the service improves.

I’m very satisfied about the speed of the browser and the fact it has RSS built in. It’s also remarkable that it’s not an ordinary WAP browser, but a full browser ‘as is’. It’s the same sort of browser you’d use on your regular pc. That’s pretty cool.

What I don’t like, or rather, what I miss, is the touch-screen functionality. I’ve been using the HTC TyTN (and still do) and it’s really a super thing that you can navigate with touch. Switching back to a device that needs confirmation keys and has keys that require multiple touch for a character or action is very challenging. I kept pressing the screen, expecting something to happen out of habbit. Sending text messages or answering email is far more time-consuming compared to when you have a sliding keyboard.

If Nokia was keen enough to have a slider in two ways, it would even be so much more cooler if there was a three-way slider or if the regular phone keyboard could be replaced with a small keyboard similar to the one you use on a pc. If they aim to be the leading mobile multimedia device, they need to let go of the old mobile phone functionality and approach pc users with an environment they are more familiar with.

Closing remarks are the items I already mentioned in my first review:

• Have the phone remember the location of the images, it saves about 4 clicks I think, per image (+ moving the cursor to the right link every time). The images are stored on a micro SD card, so navigating to that time and again… that’s just way too hard.
• Need more battery power, for real
• Have the phone remember password settings in the browser. If you have a strong password like $TR0ngPaSSw0rd!, typing it again and again every time your wireless connection drops… Awch
• Need more battery power, for real

Useful links:

* Full phone specs
* Nseries product site

Thanks, Arnoud

Order yours here
Via: Swissmiss

Good for an OXO Peugeot Design Award in 2002.
Browse to it at Tom Seymour’s product gallery

To use the screensaver you need a PC with Windows and a graphics card supporting OpenGL. Enable Asian language support in Windows, because we all know there’s lot of that stuff in the blogosphere.

Produced by PrimeLabs

• Download that nifty thing
• Check out the website

Via: CrossTheBreeze | UpStream

The system is very simple: a Hug Shirt (Bluetooth with sensors and actuators), a Bluetooth java enabled mobile phone with the Hug Me java software running (it understands what the sensors are communicating), and on the other side another phone and another shirt. If you do not have a Hug Shirt but know that your friend has one you can still send them a hug creating it with the HugMe software and it will be delivered to your friend’s Hug Shirt!

The Hug Shirt is not meant to replace human contact, but to make you happy if you are away for business or other reasons and you miss your friends and loved ones! It also has some very interesting applications in the medical field with the elderly and children. And is fun to use and very soft!

Seen on CuteCircuit | via Lichtgeraakt

via SwissMiss | Fosfor Gadgets

UPDATE: It IS a direct marketing goodie from Pattex. Beautiful!

Over at the main Zune site, there’s 6 commercials posted at this time, all weird and funky, the Zune way. I’ve been looking at the auction for the customized Zunes too, but I think I’ll just wait for a regular one and customize it myself, even though the Stüssy Zune looks tempting and pretty neat.

I know there was a reason why my inner self told me not to go for ye olde iPod. And I think this is the reason. :) Looking at the specs, the shape, the design… boy-oh boy. Pleasure overload. I can’t wait to buy one of these.

Things that make me horny:

Display

• Size: 3.0 inches
• Orientation: Vertical and Horizontal
• Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels

Wireless

• Connectivity: 802.11 b/g
• Range: Up to 30 feet

Battery

• Music: up to 14 hours (wireless off)
• up to 13 hours (wireless on)
• Pictures: up to 4 hours
• Video: up to 4 hours

Yes, and Zune you too!

Agency: Futura DDB
Advertiser: Belinka
Creative Director: Žare Kerin
Art Director: Matjaž Zorc

Thanks, Michael

Ice Cube Bricks
Fridge Magnets

via Gizmodo

Seen on iBt4iM

Product sales pitch:

What better present for the person who has everything than a poignant reminder that they want for nothing? This lovingly crafted vial of emptiness is filled to the brim with unfettered nothingness. Free from the burden of possessions, the weight of responsibility, Nothing is as idiotic as it is brilliant.

Indeed even old Macbeth, though mad as a kipper, realised that life, whilst full of sound and fury (and that was before iPods) is inherently daft and ultimately signifies Nothing. And let us not forget, that ‘Nothing’ is so important that most of our universe – and the contents of a lot of people’s heads – appears to be made up of it.

It’s a statement, an empty gesture if you will, a nod at the futility of ownership, and yet despite ‘Nothing’ being nothing, it is of course packed with millions of protons, neutrons and what have you, which is pretty good for Nothing.

Yours for the humble price of $6.28

For sale on: I Want One Of Those | via Bnox

Pro Flickr users can try out a set of 10 cards for free (if they’re part of the first 10.000), otherwise it’s going to cost you $ 19.99 for 100 cards.

Go to Moo! | via zog

“Cashel’s Daddle: A soft, stuffed “saddle” for Dad (or Mom) to strap on, to give the give kids (age 2-6) a horsy ride. Offering interactive fun for kids and adults, the Daddle™ is made of washable sturdy cotton, complete with soft saddle horn and adjustable stirrups.”

Heh, I wish they invented this back when I was a kid! How come the good stuff is always being invented when it’s too late for me to enjoy it?

Check out The Daddle | via SwissMiss