USB has given rise to numerous whacky gadgets--witness the USB-powered massage mouse I found at CES last month. But this one I can't quite figure out. It's a marketing sample of a USB flash drive that has a speaker built into it and the ability to play a 10- to 20-second voice or sound clip the moment it's plugged into a PC.

 

Question is: ...Why?

 

(via UberGizmo)

 

Stress is a big part of your average geek's life. Work, coming up with the answers no matter what, lack of social adroitness, deep concern of the goings on in Dungeon & Dragons universes, a loss of virginity at far too late an age, WAY too much caffeine on a daily basis, etc. We're tense people. Consequently, reducing stress is important to us, and hence to CES. At this year's show, I found three levels of massage therapy in order of cost:

 

First, the MassageMouse. It's between $50 & $80 depending on which model you get. The basic deal is that it looks like a desktop mouse. But instead of the wire attaching to your USB port, it attaches to to electric stick-um leads. These are positioned on your shoulders (as the sales guy is doing to mine in the picture with the shockingly pale skin) or some other body part (lower back, arms, legs, and before you get all porno on me, I'm stopping).

 

The device is powered by a nine-volt battery which then begins sending different soothing sensations to your body part in the form of electronic shocks. And I'm here to tell you: IT WORKS!! This thing can get pretty powerful in its deep tissue phases, so watch out (especially if you're thinking about getting all pervy with it). Last thing is the two different versions: The cheaper version is for the MassageMouse only, meaning that's all it does. The more expensive version is both a USB desktop mouse and a MassageMouse, so you can be working and massaging at the same time.

 

Next comes the human touch. Her name was Leslie and she was giving chair massages to weary conventioneers on the show floor at the Sands. She's smiling in the picture because of all my muscle tone (right!). I would have married her on the spot, but apparently she wanted different things, like youth and prospects. Still, her massage was definitely the most customizable of any I encountered at CES and her  highly skilled hands only cost about $1.25 per minute. That'll add up to more than the MassageMouse over the long-term, but I'd have to say I'd still opt for Leslie given the choice.

 

 

 

Last is the ultimate massage chair. My Mom got my Pop a massage chair last X-Mas, and I thought that was cool. But it was nothing compared to the Inada Family's RoboChair. This thing takes being a lazy boy to a whole new level. If you can make it out in the picture (below), there's an adjustable microphone near the head area. That's so you can give the chair voice commands. It won't respond with as much accuracy as Leslie, but it certainly means you don't need to use the remote as much. It's also got a new 3D roller mechanism, which means it can do a shiatsu massage better than any non-sentient leather massage master out there. Last, they've modded the head-area assembly to provide new ways to do head and shoulder massages--way better than the average chair, I tried it. Downside? The most expensive option of the three: $12,000. But it's available in different colors.

 

 

 

Bottom line, I'm getting a MassageMouse and visiting Leslie at next year's show.

 

Every year, the motorcycle clans get some attention here at CES--not just the geeks. This year, I didn't get to hit the car electronics section much, but I did run across a couple of neat gadgets.

 

Both are evolutionary, but the first one is a little sexier. It's a third-party heads-up display for the motocycle helmet. On the right, you're looking at me holding up a little demo device they had at the booth. Represents a helmet face shield that's down. The little doohickey above the face shield is Motion Research's SportVue MC3. The device clips onto the helmet right about that spot and projects info like speed, gear, etc. Requires a tag on the bike, but that seemed pretty simple to install. Costs about $250.

 

It looks pretty clunky on the demo shield, but it's not really that intrusive once it gets popped onto a helmet. The display you get looks something like this:

 

 

Next comes the latest in motorcycle GPSes. Yeah, this isn't new, but it's the newest one from Garmin. Mounts on the front of the bike in the handlebar/speedo assembly as pictured below. There are two new ones to be had, the Zumo 450 and the Zumo 550. The 450 comes with US maps preloaded, UV-resistant touchscreen, waterproofing, a motorcycle mount and an optional traffic alert with a GTM receiver. The 550 has all that stuff but also has a speaker so it can say the street names, plus it's outfitted with a Bluetooth transceiver so you can hear those street names on your helment's Bluetooth speaker system (provided you've got one) and also has an option XM Satellite Radio you cabn pop in there to listen to traffic, weather or music when you're not trying to figure where the hell you are. Purty nifty.

 

More gadget fodder from CES:

 

This company is called GoPro and their product is the Digital Hero. I tried to make the binary mustard joke, but not everyone calls a sandwich a hero so it didn't work. At first, you might think the Digital Hero is a bit of a joke: a digital camera mounted to a wrist strap--who cares? Turns out, I talked to some of the attendees hovering around the booth and plenty of folks do, especially those into photographing outdoor sports. Skiing, mountain biking, running, roller blading, heck even SCUBA diving. The Digital Hero can take it all seeing as how it's a shockproof and waterproof camera with a 3-megapixel resolution as well as the ability to do 30 frame-per-second full motion video with sound. Keep that strapped to your wrist and you can get 2GB worth of action shots na matter what extreme stuff you might be doing.

 

SanDisk has a cool booth that was hugely crowded. I'll probably head back there today one more time, but I was able to find this puppy as a new release the first time. It's SanDisk's new V-Mate video flash card recorder. Think of it as a VCR that uses flash media like SD Cards instead of video tapes. Just hook the V-Mate up to your cable box, satellite box or DVD player and you can record and download content to SDs, MMC,s MMCPlus cards, Memory Stick Pros & Duos and more. Then you can just stick those flash bits into your media player, cell phone or whatever else it is that you tote around to watch media during your off-minutes. It's even capable of generating a 640-by-480 resolution image, which means you could play it back on a laptop and not feel that image was too small. Last good thing is that it only costs $129.

 

And some neato laptop news. If you've been following laptop trends, you know that the latest laptop expansion tech is called ExpressCard. This technology began as PCMCIA and refers to those flat cards you stick into the side of your PC to provide things like network connectivity, modem support, additional audio and loads of other stuff. The technology started as PCMCIA back in the 90s. Then it had several revisions in size and speed, lately becoming PC Cards. The next step up from that is the ExpressCard and the reason the newest notebooks are using it is the usual reason: It's way faster. But it's also incompatible with older PC cards, which makes some folks unhappy. So if you're one of those looking to use an older PC Card on a new ExpressCard system, check out Duel System's new DuelAdapter. Lets you plug a PC Card into one and and then connects to the ExpressCard port on your PC. There are competing systems out there, but they hook the PC Card onto the USB slot, which is considerably slower than the ExpressCard slot. Need for Speed and all that. Supposed to be here next month and you should be able to get it for about $120.

 

More to follow later today.

 

This is going to be real quick. More notebook news: Brian dragged me over to drool on the new Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet. This is a sexy PC--not quite as sexy looking as the Flybook, but it's got a lot more muscle and undoubtedly costs less than something sold at Barney's.. Its also been upgraded so that you can move the cursor on the screen without needing the pen--just your finger. Plus it rotates in two directions, runs Vista all the way and starts at $1800. Worth checking out.

 

And then this Bluetooth earwig from Aliph. They call it the Jawbone, which isn't the nicest name, but it does look cool enough to win a design award here at the show and it has an ambient noise dampener built-in, too. You can only buy them at Cingular outlets ($120) but it should be compatible with any Bluetooth phone.

 

Japan celebrates its robots if not foreign workers.  A generation of Japanese people are now retiring out of the workforce and the country’s population is diminishing.  Instead of taking chances on workers sneaking across its borders to do the work Japanese workers can no longer do, Japan has engaged workers with a microprocessor instead of workers with a heart.

At the same time, the same robots can perform miracles for aging and disabled citizens who can no longer perform some key tasks.  This week, the Japanese government honored several of its innovative electronic helpers with its annual “Robot Award.”

Among the winners is “My Spoon,” a robotic arm that brings a spoon full of food in reach of those who otherwise might not be able to lift the spoon.  Another robot called “Parro” gives autistic and disabled children a furry toy that responds to stroking by opening its eyes and moving its flippers.  

Also honored were manufacturing robot systems that replace human workers with robots in an assembly line such as the Motoman factory worker robot by Yaskawa Electric Corp. 

It is not known if any of the factory robots were awarded pay increases for their award-winning efforts.

Posted by Barbara.

What better way to start the new year than an alarm clock that challenges you to chase it down?  

No, it’s not an April fool’s joke.  “Clocky”  is an alarm clock that demands a certain level of alertness.  If you are someone who repeatedly hits the “snooze” button to delay your morning ritual, “Clocky” makes the process more difficult.  Upon your second attempt to hit “snooze,” the alarm clock literally goes on the move.  It will roll on your carpet or wood floor and begin a game of “hide and seek.”  “Clocky” is powered by a microprocessor capable of setting random directions and speeds through its journey of diversion. Presumably, you must get out of bed to find the clock, especially since it is sending out annoying alarms. 

The clock is the product of a young MIT grad, and was shipped last week for the first time — a timely Christmas present of course.  It is available in both traditional furry and modern sleek and shiny. 

Give it some time…

Posted by Barbara.

So it started with credit cards--new ways to pay for things without the hassle of cash or checks. Key aim? Convenience balanced by security. Then computers and the Internet came along and turned that security part of things upside down. But that's only purred the financial world's inventiveness, not slowed it down.

 

Newest on the agenda is paying with your cell phone. Started by MasterCard and dubbed PayPass, the technology lets you tap a compatible cell phone onto a PayPass screen and do an insta-pay right there on the spot. Mastercard is being backed by Nokia and Citigroup (hone and bank) and it'll soon have competition from Motorola's M-Wallet.

 

Sweet part is there's a New York trial underway right now, so I might be able to see it in action. But, considering that their slogan is "Tap & Go" they better have security blocks galore in place just in case a user loses her cell phone.

 

(via SciFi Channel)

 

Every mag, newspaper, e-zine and blogger is putting out their "Holiday Gift Guide for Geeks". Stock content. I was going to ignore the whole trend, but then it was pointed out to me that this might be one of the very reasons folks might bother to peruse these lonely bits. Plus tomorrow is the last peaceful Friday before Christmas, so it's also the big last-minute shopping day. Okay, it's time. But if I'm going to do one, dangnabbit, I'm going to do it right. All the way. No holds barred.

 

So first, these are my favorite Geek Gift Guides from other places:

 

IGN's All-Encompassing Holiday Buyer's Guide: This is my absolute favorite. If you've got geeks on your list, this has something for them, absolutely guaranteed. IGN covers all kinds of games, associated hardware and even movies/comics news. They have Top 10 Gift lists in 16 different categories covering everything from the DS game console to the PC, the Playstation, the Wii and every gaming platform in between as well as different kinds of peripherals, DVD entertainment and the best comics to get your anime freak animated. Check it out. 

 

The Ars Technica Gift Guide: Proper shrift to Sennhauser, a great video card and check out the staff selections, especially Eric Bangeman's. For the discerning and slightly more mature geekazoids.

 

MSN Tech & Gadgets 2006 Holiday Gift Guide: I have to or they'll fire me. Seriously, tho, the Must-Have Tech section had a couple of good selections, including a Roomba competitor and the PowerSquid--awesome geek stocking stuffer.

 

PC Mag's Appy Holidays: PC Mag had a general gift guide, but this is their software-only version. Good idea, as software is more price conscious than simply recommending everyone buy everyone else a new PC. Only problem is that they didn't put nearly enough stuff in there. I added to it below.

 

 

If you've scrolled through all of the above and still not found anything, then you need Oliver's Discerning and High-Falutin' Geek Gift Guide. Fewer selections, but they're not the obvious ones (no game consoles or Roomba's here), and they're guaranteed to please your nerd cheese. I'm also trying to stick to things that cost less than $400--just keeping it human.

 

Best iPod Accessory: the iRecord. This is a Brit deal that lets you record content directly to your iPod. That includes music, movies, TV, whatever. Just hook this little box between your stereo or TV and the iPod and you're good to record. Order now, tho, 'cause it's got to cross the Atlantic.

 

Best Flash drive: SanDisk Titanium Cruzer U3 Flash Drives: These little thumbdrives are the bees knees and make excellent stocking stuffers. Get them in at least the 2GB version to make your geeks smile. They're fast (15MB/sec transfer rate) and via U3 can run certain apps directly off the flash drive, including OpenOffice, Thunderbird, Skype, Winamp and more.

 

Best geek toy: Snap Circuits. If you're my age, you remember the old electronics kids that the geek kids in teh 70s and 80s got. Part of why we grew up cranky. Snap Circuits is definite step up over those. These are electronic kits with between 100-500 projects each that will teach your kids about electronics quickly and easily. And they don't cost a fortune either.

 

Best robot kit: Lego Mindstorms. Don't kid yourself. If you've got a geek of any age on your list then robots rock. And do-it-yourself robots rock hardest of all. Lego has done some amazing work on making this technology accessible to anyone from the little ones on up, and they've done it in a reasonable price package; so check it out.

 

Best robot: R2-D2. Yeah, he exists as more than just a little action figure. This foot-tall robot rocks HARD! It's autonomous, mobile and responds to more than 40 voice commands. Responds to other Star Wars characters, has a motion alarm to guard your room, a little robot arm, a built-in light beam, a mood indicator and a rotating dome. It's ages 8 and up, but I'm 40 and I'd love one.

 

Sporting accessory: Hammacher Schlemmer MP3 Bicycle Attachment. For the mountain biking geek on your list. This deal attaches to the handle bars and lets your geek listen and pedal outside rather than just inside on a treadmill. Has a docking station for charging and transferring tunes.

 

Cool Webcam: Logitech's QuickCam UltraVision. This is pretty much the current state of the art in home-oriented Webcams. Connects via USB 2, does both still and full-motion (30 frames per second) at 1.3 megapixels. Also has a microphone and a nice price tag.

 

Home media attachment: HAVA Wireless HD. This thing is great and way less expensive than buying someone a new flat panel TV. It connects to your TV, cabel box or satellite box and then streams whatever content you wish to the PCs on your home network or anywhere else you happen to be on the Internet. Even supports HDTV and multiple PCs at a time.

 

Best motorcycle accessory: Scala Rider Bluetooth Helmet Headset. What sets this guy apart is that it actually works and that it's specifically designed for motorcycle use. Mounted in and outside the helmet. Talks to any phone that does Bluetooth and even has smart features like the ability to automatically adjust volume depending on how fast you're going.

 

Workaholic software: Microsoft Office 2007. Hey, it's available; it's under $400 for the SMB version and it's the best office productivity suite bar none. You can even get it as a download and burn your own gift DVD of the install file. 'Nuff said.

 

Mobile media software tools: PodMediaCreator. It's cheap and does it all: tweak photos, tweak music, tweak videos and all with a specific orientation towards plaback on a mobile device--mainly iPods, tho.

 

Best audio apps: Got two of these and can't decide between them. First there's MixMeister Express 6.0. This is a PC-based DJ-ing system. Easy to use and full-featured. Great intro for the person who wants to try being a DJ without spending a fortune on turntables. For the slightly more advanced audiophile, there's BIAS SoundSoap 2. This is audio editing software with specific capabilities to clean up old tracks, rough tracks or otherwise flawed sound content. Great addition to a digi-audiomeister's tool kit.

 

Coolest gaming peripheral: X-Arcade Tank Stick. Solid, price worthy and it just works. Made for classic arcade games on the PC and connects via USB or PS/2 plus drivers.

 

Fave console game: Assault Heroes. This is a fantastic first person shooter for the xBox 360. If you've got someone who lilkes hosing down digital dastards, this is the game for them.

 

Fave PC action game: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent. Nothing else to say: this game rocks. hours and hours of sneaking, blood spattered fun.

 

Fave PC strategy game: Medieval II: Total War. This is a thinking warrior's game, but it's got great graphics and a real nice interface. Once again, hours of immersive fun.

 

Okay, that's all I've got. But if you can't find anything in my list or the ones above from other webinations, then you're not shopping for a geek, you're shopping for a dead person. So buy them a headstone and let it rest.

 

Happy Holidays.

 

Congress recently authorized the building of a 700-mile wall to protect us from the flow of illegal aliens crossing our international border with Mexico.  Yet, we have left open our extra-terrestrial borders — especially now that we learn that there is water on Mars.  

Just in time, the folks at Tokyoflash.com offer an effective means of determining if alien life forms are in your vicinity.  The company’s “Biohazard wrist scanner” measures Alien DNA in your vicinity and delivers the result in graphic form.  The watch alone will give you star status at any Star Trek convention anywhere.  

Oh yes, it also tells the time.  A  DNA helix made of 12 bars tells the hour. Blue blocks at the bottom measure five-minute periods.  Green blocks tell one minute increments. 

Sure, the $138 price tag may be steep for the average unemployed Star Trek fan, but chances are that you can work out a deal with the aliens to remain silent about their presence. 

Posted by Barbara

What's the one thing that geeks love more than electronic gadgets? Coffee, that's what. But because we're largely ADD, we tend to pour and forget. That means our much-needed life juice often suffers from lack of maintenance. This little honey solves that problem.

 

It's a self-stirring mug. On the outside, it looks much like any thermal mug. But press the button on the handle and you activate a propeller in the base that stirs the liquid inside. Hey, for about $30, it's a great little stocking stuffer.

 

(via Gearlog)

 

Why can’t real sports be more like video games? 

Now, it can, with electronic bling that is worn directly on the players.  Thanks to an Australian firm called TeamAwear which has created a basketball jersey that lists a player’s fouls,   points scored, and even the time left in a quarter. 

The shirts work with a wireless transmitter worn by the player that activates stripes and bars on the shirt that light up with the various bits of information.  The device was created by Mitchell Page at the University of Sydney.

The shirts may ultimately advance beyond the sport of basketball, and include more sophisticated electronics.  A similar shirt for baseball may  have CNN-type news ticker when the action slows down?  Perhaps, when a basketball player fouls out,  he can foul out to the tune of several thousand volts? 

Posted by Barbara.

Technology has advanced more than the state of our lives.  It has advanced the state of our pain.  Just a couple of decades ago, when keyboards reached beyond the secretary’s office, carpal tunnel syndrome became more widespread. 

Now, we have a more sophisticated ailment that affects an exclusive group of technology addicts.  Yes, Blackberry thumb is becoming a popular pain among the upscale electronics crowd who thought they were out of the range of pain.  Still, Blackberries require thumb stretches and inflict pain when certain keys are accessed repeatedly.   Employers are being advised to provide specific instructions and time limits for those employees using company devices. 

Users of Blackberries and similar devices such as Palm Treos and others may ultimately require physical therapy according to the American Physical Research Association. 

Of course Blackberry thumb may become one of those injuries that can gather sympathy like ski injuries at a chalet fireplaces. 

Posted by Barbara

New Scientist just released a new book called Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze? Dorky title aside, the book is filled with esoteric Mr. Wizard-style science and tech answers. And yes, the term 'answers' indicates a preceding question. Their sample question is done in honor of the new James Bond movie: How does the silencer work?

 

The answer is pretty detailed in case you ever wondered how Bond puts down all those big people with just a little phffft sound. If you study really hard maybe you can figure out how to make your own as stocking stuffers.

 

(via Digg)

 

Manufacturers are beginning to realize that women buy more than cosmetics, jewelry and men’s underwear.   At last, those of us of the female persuasion are being looked at through the technology looking glass.

Technology aimed at women of course comes with the standard stereotypes:

·          It has to be pink or something close to pink.
·          It has to be small.
·          It has to have some bling.

Cell phone manufacturers are increasingly noticing the feminine touch by adding features like fingernail clearance on keyboards,  avoiding interaction between technology and makeup, as well as the most important feature of all — the ability to find your phone in your purse.

Even in the game market, manufacturers like Nintendo are aiming new touch screens and other devices that enable women to play more games.  The features are working, as women are buying a large number of the new Wii systems that will be under the tree this year.

All we need now is a new video game that inspires men to do housework. 

 

Posted by Barbara

 

Imagine you’re a novice right-wing talk show host driving out in the country, hundreds of miles away from the nearest human being.  You’ve got the low-cost FM radio on the Ford Escort tuned to NPR. 

Can anyone hear Howard Dean scream?

Perhaps, if your Escort’s stereo system contains a sophisticated equalizer created by Tony Bongiovi  being introduced this week .  The Digital Power Station is in effect, an equalizer that adjusts sound quality specifically for the make of the car, and the space that’s available inside your traveling concert hall. 

The equalizer is a special chip built into the stereo that is factory set to make the sound resemble studio quality.  For now, the chip is built into a JVC stereo system available as a near-$1,000 option in a brand new car.  There are obviously other possibilities for the chip in other sound systems. 

Next,  the developers will discover a means to make certain vocalists palatable to the ears.

Posted by Barbara

The robot that can make your end-of-day martini is still a ways off, which leaves us with the robot that looks like a pet and the robot that can clean your floors. But that doesn't mean the robot makers are out of ideas. How's about a surveillance 'bot?

 

That's the idea behind Bandai and Evolution Robotics' new NetTansor robot. Evolution was the company behind the dead Sony AIBO's (remember the little dog robot?) visual system. They've put that experience into the NetTansor and basically built a surveillance system that can roam around your house. For $415, Japanese consumers (or American buyers who happen to be there) can get a NetTansor and have a bot with an onboard camera, speakers, microphone and wireless network capability. Lets the little 1-foot tall dude drive around your house either on its own or under your direction using the Internet--so you can move it from your office as well as your den.

 

It's a cool idea, but you can probably build something similar using a remote control car, a battery and a webcam.

 

Who says men can’t take directions?

If the directions are packaged with some microprocessors,  perhaps a beating TomTom, intense graphics and most importantly  a feminine voice that utters a very sexy “turn right at next intersection,” it apparently keeps even the most macho guy from getting lost.

The futuristic geographic positioning system, first introduced in the 1970s is expected to see its biggest year under the Christmas tree this year, primarily because both its size and its price is coming down.

Once upon a time the first generation systems were available only to the buyers of very expensive cars.  Now, backpackers and neighborhood walkers can carry them through strange streets,  knowing that a government satellite is guiding their way.  Hewlett Packard is introducing a hand-held IPAQ rx5900 “travel companion” that allows users to access the Internet, read email and get directions. 

More than 1.2 GPS systems were sold a year ago, and researchers expect about 4 million buyers to keep themselves  from getting lost  before the decade ends.
Posted by Barbara