EveryJoe » Robin Parrish

Borders taking on Kindle & Nook with Kobo

Robin Parrish — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:26:38 +0000

Borders has announced it’s entering the ebook marketplace with its new partner, Kobo (formerly known as ShortCovers), with plans for digital books in the open-source ePub format, and a selection of its own ereader devices. Yes, that’s “devices,” plural.

Kobo, which is already available as a downloadable app for smartphones (seen above), will join with Borders to launch a selection of ereader devices sometime in 2010. Borders has released few details about the devices; the line doesn’t have a name or price point yet. But the devices will come with WiFi included, and will be sold in Borders bricks-and-mortar stores, as well as online.

In the meantime, Kobo’s library of 2 million ebooks (1.8 million of which it says are free) is being absorbed into Borders.com, a process expected to be complete by Q2 2010. But that shouldn’t delay ebook sales; Kobo publishes its digital books in a “device neutral” format, so that its ebooks can be read by virtually any ereader device currently available, including the new Barnes & Noble Nook, with the notable exception of Amazon’s Kindle. Expect prices to be competitive with Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with new titles starting at $9.99.

Can Borders compete even though it’s arriving late to the party? If it creates an attractive, user-friendly device at a killer price point… absolutely.

Image: Kobobooks.com.

Post from: EveryJoe

Borders taking on Kindle & Nook with Kobo

Multi-Touch Smart Pad

Robin Parrish — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:59:15 +0000

Multitouch gestures are all the rage right now. The most basic laptop functions like scrolling a page or zooming in and out, traditionally handled by using a single finger to find the right on-screen function and click-and-drag, have been replaced with more intuitive gestures using multiple fingers on the touchpad.

But those with older-generation laptops have been left out in the cold. No multitouch gestures for them. Until now.

The USB Multi-Touch Smart Pad is a simple peripheral that adds multitouch gestures to any computer. Just plug in the USB connector, and you can use two or three fingers to scroll, zoom, rotate, switch windows, and more. As a nifty bonus, the Smart Pad can also use its touch-sensitive trackpad as a numeric keypad, something that desktop users often miss when switching to a laptop.

The only catch is that the Smart Pad doesn’t work with Macs — only PCs. Then again, now that the Magic Mouse has come, Mac users really have no need for an additional multitouch device, do they?

The Multi-Touch Smart Pad is on sale now at ThinkGeek for $39.99.

Image: ThinkGeek.

Post from: EveryJoe

Multi-Touch Smart Pad

You won’t fall back sleep with this alarm

Robin Parrish — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:43:45 +0000

Alarm clocks come in all shapes and sizes, and let’s face it: they’re all pure evil. But when it comes time to get up and you can’t let yourself go back to sleep, but here’s one that guarantees you’ll stay awake. The Dumbbell Alarm Clock requires you to do 30 curls to make the obnoxious beeping stop.

When the alarm clock sounds, turning it off requires 30 upward swings of the 1.5 lb. dumbbells — that’s 15 reps with each arm. The LCD display on one end shows the current time, and then when you start doing your bicep curls, the LCD display counts down from 30.

It does offer the option of a “normal” mode, so you can turn off the buzzing the normal way. But why would you spend good money on a dumbbell alarm clock and then not use it? Besides, you can trick out your guns just by waking up.

The Dumbbell Alarm Clock requires 2 AAA batteries. It’s available as an import from Britain’s Gadgetshop for £19.99, which is approximately $32.50 plus shipping.

Image: Gadgetshop.

Post from: EveryJoe

You won’t fall back sleep with this alarm

Thirsty Light blinks when tree needs water

Robin Parrish — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:38:49 +0000

Live Christmas trees are great. They’re less convenient than their artificial counterparts, but they add an air of authenticity and naturalistic beauty that even the best faux tree can’t match.

But the upkeep sucks. All that constant checking to see your tree needs water can cramp your feel-good holiday ya-yas. But miss a watering or two and that thing of beauty will up and die on you, lickety-split.

The Thirsty Light is a clever little gadget that’s part tree life-saver, part decoration. Hang the green bulb on your tree, where it’s camouflaged to look like just another Christmas ornament, and then dunk the attached sensor into your tree stand. That’s it. The Thirsty Light blinks to alert you when your tree needs water. There’s even a new Snowflake model (pictured) that works the same way but blends in better with your existing ornaments.

The cord between the bulb and the sensor is five feet long, so you won’t be able to hang it at the top of your tree. And it requires 2 AA batteries to work. But at $8.99 for the Snowflake or $9.99 for the original version, your knees and back might just love you more for not having to bend and kneel to constantly check the water level.

Additional models are available that include three, six, or nine bulbs to string across your tree.

Image: Trident Design, LLC.

Post from: EveryJoe

Thirsty Light blinks when tree needs water

Think blackmail with this keyboard

Robin Parrish — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:50:40 +0000

Bendi Board has made a name for itself by manufacturing and selling keyboards made entirely out of silicon. Their unique keyboards are ultra-portable even though they’re full size, because the silicon they’re made of allow them to be bent or rolled up for carrying along. This makes them perfect for using with portable devices like PDAs or smartphones, though they can be used for any computational device.

The latest addition to Bendi Board’s lineup is this novelty keyboard that has letters on its keys made to look like the cut-out letters from a blackmail letter. The Blackmail Board retails for $45, the same as all of Bendi Board’s products, so it’s a little too expensive to qualify as a stocking-stuffer, even though it would easily roll up to allow for placing inside a Christmas stocking.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the appearance of the keys on the keyboard is purely decorative; there’s no corresponding font that displays on your computer or smartphone.

Image: The Conran Shop.

Post from: EveryJoe

Think blackmail with this keyboard

Credit Card Light Bulb

Robin Parrish — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:47:34 +0000

Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer? Look no further.

It’s a light bulb. The size of a credit card. For reals.

This clever little number from UK gadget maker Brando Workshop is exactly the same size as a credit card, but a hair thicker (exact size: 52mm x 85mm x 3mm). It comes with its own battery (type CR1216), and to turn it on, all you do is flip up the light bulb-shaped part and the built-in LED light switches itself on. The remaining part functions as a stand.

ThinkGeek is selling these bad boys for just $4.99, so can easily afford to get one for all your friends.

But wait. What would you use it for, you ask?

Who cares! It’s a light bulb that fits in your wallet!

Images: Brando Workshop.

Post from: EveryJoe

Credit Card Light Bulb

Power outlet + USB ports: genius!

Robin Parrish — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:00:09 +0000

This is so insanely cool, it makes me want to slap my forehead, I-should’ve-had-a-V8 style, and shout, “Why didn’t somebody think of this before?!” It’s simple: a power outlet with two built-in USB ports that can be installed into any existing wall outlet.

Genius, right? I mean, how many peripherals do we all use that are powered by plugging into a computer via a USB cord? Exactly! So why bother your computer every time you need to power-up your iPod, when you could just plug right into the wall?

FastMac.com is selling the “TruePower UCS Power Outlet” for pre-order, with shipping expected to start in January ‘10 (after it passes that pesky UL Approval for safety). The best part? It’s priced at just $10. Come on, at that price you could put one of these bad boys in every room in your house.

Image: FastMac.

Post from: EveryJoe

Power outlet + USB ports: genius!

Gboard: the keyboard for Gmail

Robin Parrish — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:32:00 +0000

Even the most hardcore power Gmail user knows that with so many commands available, keystrokes are easier and faster than point-and-clicking all over the place. Fear not, meager emailers, the Gboard is here to save the day!

Just out today for $19.99, the Gboard makes for a great little stocking stuffer. The 19-button keyboard makes those time-saving keystrokes even faster. Common functions like search, reply, and trash are mapped to color-coded keys. It’s powered by a USB connector, and doesn’t need any software or drivers to make it work on Windows or Mac.

Image: Gboard.

Post from: EveryJoe

Gboard: the keyboard for Gmail

DVD & Blu-ray on a single disc

Robin Parrish — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:46:36 +0000

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has invented a way to create a disc that plays DVD video on one side, and Blu-ray video on the other. It’s a two-fer that gives viewers a more versatile choice when it comes to buying their favorite movies.

The funny thing is, Universal attempted this exact same thing a while back when the company still supported the now-defunct HD-DVD format. So it’s not too surprising that they’d resurrect the idea now that they’ve thrown their weight behind Blu-ray.

These “flipper” discs, as they’re called, allow consumers to not have to choose between old-school and high-def, since you’ll get both on a single disc. The first release on the flipper format will be the three films in Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne trilogy — The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum — all of which arrive January 19, 2010.

If the idea catches on, additional “flipper” discs for other films are a sure bet.

Post from: EveryJoe

DVD & Blu-ray on a single disc

CrunchPad is D.O.A.

Robin Parrish — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:38:46 +0000

TechCrunch has been working for more than a year on a simple but large, touchscreen device that could be used to “surf the Internet from your couch,” intended to be sold for a $300-or-less pricetag. Today, TC reports that all of their long efforts have gone up in smoke, due to a bizarre series of events that ultimately boil down to one thing: greed.

The CrunchPad was an ambitious, brilliantly obvious idea. Who wouldn’t want to have an easy-to-use, open source touchscreen pad with wireless connectivity and ease of use? Surf the net, watch video, play games, etc. The CrunchPad was poised to be a major competitor against Apple’s impending iPad device. But the dream has ended.

According to the story posted on TechCrunch, the CrunchPad was being designed by a small startup called Fusion Garage, which apparently turned on TC due to pressure from its shareholders. Fusion Garage basically attempted to shut TechCrunch out of the project that TC first conceived of, abruptly informing them that Fusion Garage would be releasing the product themselves. This, despite the fact that TC jointly owns the “CrunchPad” intellectual property along with Fusion Garage, and TC owns CrunchPad trademark alone.

It looks like the folks at TechCrunch are still scratching their heads in confusion over this attempted theft of intellectual property. The whole business is sure to be mired in lawsuits for a long time as the legal system sorts the mess out. There’s a lot more to this sordid tale — click here if you want to read it.

Image: TechCrunch.

Post from: EveryJoe

CrunchPad is D.O.A.