Google to Lay Own Transpacific Cable, Furthering Benevolent World Domination

Google is not leaving anything to chance, and according to an Australian newspaper is now planning to span the Pacific Ocean with its own undersea fiber optics cable to blast the world with its do-no-evil goodness. Owning a fat pipe like this will make Google the Big Dick of the high seas, making it cheaper for the company to move data and to dominate all those other weasels that are selling internet bandwidth.
Let's hope Google's alleged entry into this bandwidth biz will bring prices down, because with the way things stand now, even though there's a glut of dark fiber spanning the Pacific, the stubborn owners of all that potential bandwidth aren't budging on their too-high prices. Do it, Google, and get going on that wireless carrier threat you made, too! Teach the rest of the world your catchphrase: "Don't be evil."

Ladies' Facial Shaver Makes me Say "Whoaaa"

This, my friends, National's Ferie facial shaver for ladies, available on Amazon Japan. It's got two interchangeable blades, one for trimming your eyebrows, the other for "downy hair" (as opposed to "uppy hair," I guess.) I don't see anything wrong with a quick pluck, so this is not one for me — although I can think of some alternative uses for it:
1. Tagging TFSU on Jesus's chest while he sleeps.
2. Getting mediaeval on jumper fluff.
3. Trimming my bonsai lawn.
4. Creating a hair-don't for the dog.
5 @%*& — no, that's just rude. -Addy Dugdale

Government Retreats From Manhunt 2 Controversy

The government has decided not to cross machetes with the passionate gamers that think Manhunt 2 should not be banned because adults deserve the right to make their own choices.

Just like it did recently with the BBC iPlayer fiasco, the government has abdicated full responsibility to the body in charge, in this case the BBFC.

It has responded to the 3,000-strong signature petition on the Prime minister’s Web site. That’s about all though since it merely reaffirmed its trust in the BBFC’s decision. After all, to come out in favour of Manhunt 2 would probably lead to politicians being bludgeoned to death with prams and breadsticks by concerned mums the nation-over. This is what it said:

“The BBFC considered Manhunt 2 and concluded that, within the current guidelines, it could not be given a classification. The BBFC takes its responsibilities very seriously and it uses its powers to reject works extremely rarely. Details can be found on its website. There is an appeals procedure which the game's producers are apparently pursuing.

The Government is satisfied with the BBFC's procedure and with the provisions for appeal, and will not be intervening in this process. The Government has recently announced a review aimed at helping parents ensure that their children are protected from exposure to inappropriate material in games. This is not intended to restrict the choice of material available to adults.”

The BBFC is expected to make a final decision on Manhunt 2 in the coming months.

Ripple Note Notebook for Stylish Users

Korean company Pixel Labs has a “Ripple Note” laptop that has a particular texture on the outside shell that gives it a “luxurious” look.

The inside is rather plain and comparable to its other notebook cousins:

- Intel Core 2 Duo T7500
- 1.3 Megapixel webcam
- 3 USB Ports (still better than my Vaio SZ)
- Improved WiFi-g connectivity

I think that it is a little “fatty” and that Pixel Labs needs to do it on a slimmer laptop. Price: $1300.

Military-Grade USB Key

Iron Key has a USB key for “enterprise and military” applications. Enterprise, because it is using hardware encryption and military because it’s rugged, thanks to its shock and water resistant casing. From the website:

“A password is used to unlock your IronKey, and this is verified in hardware. If an IronKey is lost or stolen, attempts to unlock or tamper with the IronKey will trigger a self-destruct sequence, ensuring data is kept confidential.”

And I guess that in a life-or-death situation, throwing the key to the adversary’s face could even save your life.

Sony Ericsson readies new accessories

Sony Ericsson has been pretty busy lately, recently launching the "Hearty Red" color for its DS-220 Bluetooth headset and MPS-70 audio system. Not only that, there is the MBS-100 Bluetooth speaker that comes in the shape of a football for those living in Europe. No further specifications concerning the speaker are available, but do expect it to come with some decent audio performance as well as the option to run off AC power or battery.

New Four-Legged Robot - New4LR

A German University (Technische Universität Darmstadt) is working on an Aibo-like robot that will come with an open-source software development kit (SDK). It is currently aimed at researchers and enthusiasts, but it is possible that someone will turn it into a product down the line. It is powered by two AMD Geode 500Mhz processors and is called “New4LR” (they don’t say, but Old4LR seem to refer to the Aibo).

Optimus OLED Keyboard in The Wild

This image has popped on the web and shows the first image (to my knowledge) of the much hyped Optimus Maximus Keyboard designed by Art. Lebedev Studio in Russia.

If you’re have followed the saga, the Optimus keyboard is unique in that each key is made of an organic LED (OLED) display that can be software-configured to adapt to any language and any applications. The idea appeared in 2005, and had episodic drama like rumors of going monochrome or imminent shipping date.

It is expensive: $1564 (1256Euros).

Apple iPods Part 3: nano Gets Bigger Screen And Paint-Job

Apple overhauled the wee nano too this week, whipping out the paintbrush and squeezing in a bigger screen for watching videos with less squinting.

The new nano boasts a 2in screen, with a decent display resolution of 320x240 pixels. Again, like the new iPod Touch and iPod Classic, it comes with Cover Flow for flipping through your tunes via album covers.

The aluminium chassis is newly tweaked and the nano now comes in silver, black, blue, green and a special edition red. It also comes pre-loaded with a few games, including iQuiz, an entertainment trivia game, Vortex, a frenetic 360 degree brick-bashing game and Klondike, a version of Solitaire. New games like Sudoku, Pac-Man and Tetris will be available for download on iTunes later in the month.

Audio playback time is rated at 24 hours and five for hours for video. Shipping now, the 4GB iPod nano comes in silver for £99 but if you want the funkier black, blue, green and red versions you’ll have to shell out for the 8GB version at £129

Card Managing Wallet keep things neat

For those who want to keep everything in its proper place, there is always the Card Managing Wallet that features creatively designed slots at the wallet base which ejects the labeled card, saving you the trouble of fumbling through your entire card collection. Too bad for those who own more than a single Visa or Mastercard - you'll just have to insert the one with the highest credit limit lest you embarass yourself in front of your date at the glitziest restaurant in town when the bill arrives. The Card Managing Wallet retails for $39.99 and $59.99 for the half dozen and 12-card holder respectively.

Apple iPods Part 2: iPod Classic Gets Bigger, But Thinner

Sounding like a Coke flavour, Apple has refreshed its iPod ‘Classic’ player by swapping out some smaller drives with some bigger ones, leaving consumers with a choice of an 80GB or, a whopping 160GB model. Like the new iPod Touch, it also comes with the new interface Cover Flow feature, which lets you browse music by album cover – although, not with your finger on the display like the Touch.

It also sports a new, all-metal chassis and with 160GB of storage under the hood, Apple says it will cope with 40,000 songs – the first generation iPod could tackle a 1,000 and I remember when I thought that was a lot too.

In usage terms, Apple promises up to 40 hours of music playback and seven hours of video playback on the 160GB model and up to 30 hours of music playback and five hours of video playback on the 80GB model.

Both models are shipping now and cost £159 for the 80GB player and £229 for the 160GB one.

Set Phasers To…..TV?

This year marks the 41st anniversary of Star Trek beaming into our homes for the first time with an episode entitled the ‘The Man Trap’.

The folks at Thinkgeek feel that to truly mark the occasion [seeing as we overlooked the 40th anniversary] we need something else that traps men just as effectively as the aliens disguised as the fairer sex: the TV remote.

Except, in this case, it’s a really cool Type II phaser. It would be nice to think that you could atomise annoying neighbours now and then but I’ll settle for changing the channels with something that boasts lights and sounds.

You get four power settings – each one louder and flashier than the last – a light control knob and a flip-up sight, for when you’re smashed and there seems to be two or more TVs floating in front of you.

Best of all, you can detach the Type I phaser from the stock to reduce your geek factor [a little] but still keep all those Trekkie lights and sounds.

Yours for £15. Bargain. That’s around £5,000 cheaper than Spock’s spacesuit and a whole lot less trouble than the Star Trek home cinema
.

New Apple iPods Part 1: Meet The iPod Touch

I’m sure very little of this is a surprise considering Apple’s big event had more leaks than a Russian nuclear power plant, but Apple has introduced a new kind of iPod, called the iPod Touch.

The most noticeable features are the big 3.5in display, with touchscreen controls - a la iPhone – and, for the first time on an iPod, in-built Wi-Fi which can be used with the new iTunes Wi-Fi store for browsing and purchasing tunes on the move. It’s 8mm thin and Flash-based, with an 8GB and 16GB model.

Features like Cover Flow will allow you to browse your music collection by album cover using your finger to scroll. It sports the Safari Web browser onboard, as well as Google Search, Yahoo oneSearch and Apple’s YouTube application.

The 4GB and 8GB models are due in a few weeks and cost £199 and £269, respectively.

New Apple iPods Part 1: Meet The iPod Touch

I’m sure very little of this is a surprise considering Apple’s big event had more leaks than a Russian nuclear power plant, but Apple has introduced a new kind of iPod, called the iPod Touch.

The most noticeable features are the big 3.5in display, with touchscreen controls - a la iPhone – and, for the first time on an iPod, in-built Wi-Fi which can be used with the new iTunes Wi-Fi store for browsing and purchasing tunes on the move. It’s 8mm thin and Flash-based, with an 8GB and 16GB model.

Features like Cover Flow will allow you to browse your music collection by album cover using your finger to scroll. It sports the Safari Web browser onboard, as well as Google Search, Yahoo oneSearch and Apple’s YouTube application.

The 4GB and 8GB models are due in a few weeks and cost £199 and £269, respectively.

Uncrushable 3,000-Foot Depth Watch

If you're a big fan of scuba diving, then the $299.95 Uncrushable 3,000-Foot Depth Watch would definitely be the perfect timepiece for you. Made by Jules Jurgensen, this watch utilizes washers and O-ring gaskets between the case and back for the tightest seal available. The 4 mm faceplate is twice as thick as those found on other watches and is constructed from the hardest mineral crystal available. Even the case back is twice as thick, ensuring that it is capable of handling more pressure than you ever could. Fathers' Day might be over, but Christmas is coming so if you're all out of ideas on what to get dad/hubby, this could be it (assuming he's not a couch potato, that is).

Official: The UK Loves The Wii The Most

The Wii console continues to break records this week by becoming the UK’s fastest ever selling console, with sales tipping over the 1 million mark just 38 weeks after it launched.

The new data from Chart Track points out that the PS2 took 50 weeks while the Xbox 360 took 60 weeks to top the magical figure. The diminutive Wii now controls a whopping 68% of the UK console market [I take it this does not count older consoles like the millions of PS2s], while Nintendo’s other little earner, the DS dominates the handheld market with an 86% share. A chuffed David Yarnton, general manager of Nintendo UK said:

“The non-stop demand for Wii, even in the traditionally slow sales period for video games in the UK, is clearly behind this record-breaking achievement. With the increasing number of unique software titles for the system from Nintendo and third parties, [the Wii] is being enjoyed by both avid and new gamers of all ages.”

Well, it may not have the power, HD or graphics capabilities of its fatter rivals but as top sod, Simon Cowell, would say, it obviously has the X-factor.

Darth Vader Transformer. Oh No.

There will be Star Wars fans gagging at this and I’m sorry, but Darth Vader has had his asthmatic ass dragged into this century to become, or all things, a Transformer. I could see the usefulness of the Darth Vader costume and even the kitsch fun of a Vader phone, but this?

It looks OK as plastic toy figurines go but it’s still pretty lame. The only upside, if it can be called that, is that he transforms into the Death Star and not some crappy American muscle car with all the handling of a concrete block.

Here are the features, few as they are, of the Hasbro Star Wars Transformer Deluxe Death Star:

* Darth Vader battles the Rebel Alliance fleet with weapons, warriors, and the power of the Force!
* Darth Vader mech figure changes into Death Star vehicle mode and features two awesome battle modes with electronic lights-and-sounds excitement!
* Figure comes with Darth Vader pilot mini figure, 2 TIE Fighter mini vehicles and 3 Stormtrooper mini figures
* This is one awesome figure for your collection!
* A "must-have" for any Star Wars collection!

Wow, how awesome [not] is that? It’s bound to sell lots though. Expect to pay £25.

European Treo 750 gets WM6 update

For owners of the Treo 750/750v living across the pond, you can finally enjoy the goodness of Windows Mobile 6 on your smartphone courtesy of the European site. Users of BlackBerry Connect would have to hold off this upgrade process though since it is now compatible with Windows Mobile 6 at point of publishing. You can now enjoy improved calendar management and an enhanced user interface, email messaging, HTML/Smart Filtering, SharePoint access, and voice command via Bluetooth among others. Those who can't wait for the update on the US site can always head towards the European site without any worry of bricking your precious Treo 750.
[Source]