Fun Blog

Some UK residents are in for a shock if they purchase the wrong battery charger. According to a BBC report, hundreds of thousands of unsafe, potentially electrocuting chargers have made their way from China into the UK.

The chargers posing risks could overheat and, at worst, electrocute users of mobile phones, portable gaming devices and music players. One of the chargers is marked DE62347066, while others are generically labeled “Travel Charger.” Trading standards officers discovered the faulty chargers and are in the process of issuing a recall, according to the report.

China has been the subject of scrutiny in recent years for importing dangerous, cheaply produced products. Who-Sucks.com, a “site dedicated to researching the reasons why certain people and things suck,” compiled a timeline of about 60 dangerous items made in China that the U.S. recalled in 2007. The list includes flammable lamps, overheating remote controls and lead paint on baby toys.

Moral of the story? Avoid cheap products from China at all costs, no matter how substantial your savings.

Mouse Computer will release its new UMPC LuvBook U100, actually the MSI Wind NoteBook U100, next month in Japan.

Our UMPC features a 10.2″ LCD screen in WSVGA resolution (1024×600), 1GB of RAM, 80GB of SATA HDD, an Intel ATOM N270 CPU (1.60GHz), an Intel 945GMS+ICH7M chipset, Wifi b/g, 1.3Mpix webcamera, and Bluetooth 2.0.

This version will cost around 350€.

Designed for the elderly, the Fit Phone “comes with a central movable scroll with which one can move up and down the menu, reduce or increase the size of the number pad and dial the speed dial images by tapping on the specific image.” Click here for first picture in gallery.

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LG is targeting this 5.1 audio system at those of us who enjoy a tipple at any time of the day, and fancy having products name after champagne and red wine.

The HT762TZR has 5.1 channels - but the main appeal, admittedly, is the champagne glass-shaped speakers and red wine colour. Quite Similar to previous audio systems such as the HT953TVP, it has a total power of 700W, plus throws in an integrated DVD player which upscales to 1080p, with an HDMI port.

WowWee’s new FlyTech Bladestar is a crazy looking flying machine which lifts itself using a helicopter-like spinning rotor, hovering through your living room with ease.

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We finally have the details of the TV to be powered with ‘freakin lasers,’ and Dr. Evil is nowhere to be found. Or is he controlling Mitsu through a ghost subsidiary of the Evil Corporation? (Picture an impossibly arched eyebrow).

According to the latest statement straight from Mitsubishi’s Japan headquarters, the new LaserVue TV will be available in monster sizes only, 65″ and 73,” and is supposed to come out in the first part of the third quarter later this year. That translates to the first couple of weeks of September, if you’re fixing your planner at home, or even if you’re alone.

Laser TVs have been anticipated for quite a long time, even as far back as the 1960s. But the cost and the semiconductor processing needed to power quality, consumer grade light engines was too prohibitive (check out the field of optoelectronics for more information). Only until recently, when companies like Novalux started showing their new semiconductor laser tech, did we think we’d see any significant improvements or an actual product.

The Mitsubishi LaserVue will include several interesting breakthroughs that could build it a nice niche (until the expected high prices fall, down the road).

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Here’s yet another compact digital camera, the FinePix Z200fd. It features a 10Mpix censor with a 2.7” LCD, 52MB internal memory, SD, SDHC, and card support, 5x optical zoom, and an ISO range from 64 to 1600, and the very interesting Love Timer an equivalent of the Smile shutter but this time, closer you are from your loved one, better it is !

Our Z200fd is available in four colors: Pink, Silver, Black, and a combination of Black & Red. 92×55.7×20mm at 134g.

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Last year ASUS released a motherboard, the P5E3, with an embedded compact Linux distro it called Express Gate. Basically a fast-boot alternative that, in just five seconds, bypassed Windows and gave you a web-browser, media player and other apps, it was developed by a company called DeviceVM (under the name Splashtop). ASUS were obviously pleased with how the mini-OS performed, as they’ve now decided to add Express Gate to all of their motherboards.

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Yes folks. The next version of the 3G Apple iPhone will be released during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2008.
The conference runs between June 9 and June 13th 2008.

What can you expect in the new model?

Size: Slightly thinner 2.5 mm less
Appearance: Minor improvements, less plastic
Interface: No significant changes although there are rumors of an accelerometer change
Models and Pricing: 8GB priced at $399, 16MB priced at $499
3G: This of course means faster data rates. Possibly with a price premium over today’s EDGE network.

Until June, we wait with bated breath.

It’s not Phucked Up but it’s a good way to waste more money!

Created with lonely people in mind, Drew Burrows’ INBED is an “infrared-sensitive” light projected virtual girlfriend. A sexy brunette, she’s got about three tricks up her sleeve—and she does all of them from a supine position.

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MWg is a new Singapore based company created by ex O2 management people. It aims to mainly attack the Asian market, but also has its eyes on the rest of the world. Not only will they release some new devices, but also bring back some great client services and devices closer to what customers would dream of buying. This may sound like a sales speech, but the MWg team we met yesterday was truly motivated and honest… Well, the future will tells us.

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Among the many ways to detect the strength and location of Wi-Fi hotspots around you, there are things that work off your USB port, applications, even t-shirts. But this takes the cake - Wi-Fi sneakers. They’re nice looking shoes and they’ll tell you if there’s an available network in your current vicinity. And think how handy it is that they’re a sneaker. If you discover a hotspot but the signal strength is a bit on the weak side, you can use those sneakers to run a few blocks over to see if it boosts up a bit.

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Fujitsu in collaboration with video game and simulator developer Ongakukan has developed the world’s first train simulation system using full high-definition video. Through its technical collaboration with video game and simulator developer Ongakukan, Fujitsu was able to develop variable-speed playback technology for high-definition video shot on actual train lines, the first use of this technology in a train simulator. The result is an unprecedented level of realism in train operation simulation, with accurate responses to the trainee-operator’s input and high image quality even with variable-speed playback. This gives trainees a better approximation of the operational environment to help improve their skill levels.

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This phone is generating all the rage in the past few days on the web; we now have a few more clear images on how it looks. The snapshots show a 5.0-megapixel camera and confirm that the keypad touts a two-character-per-button layout similar to the P1. The finish looks far more sophisticated than these images could convey, can’t wait to grab hold of one soon.