Suzuki’s Crosscage concept bike has finally entered production and will be able to tear down the streets without causing additional harm to the environment, thanks to its hydrogen powered engine. Co-developed with the British Intelligent Energy, it boasts a lightweight air-cooled fuel-cell system and a high-performance secondary battery to keep it going forward with unparalelled tenacity. There is no word on pricing details, technical specifications and availability but no prizes for guessing that this won’t come cheap.

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I’m the kind of guy that loves customizing his computer. No boring beige box and single monitor for me. I’ve got a nice window in the side of the case to show off my awesome hardware and liquid cooling system. The two wall-mounted LCDs help me stand out a bit too. However, one thing I haven’t really thought about is customizing my keyboard. Sure, I can program a few function keys to my liking, but nothing like this DX1 keyboard.

The DX1 is about as customizable as you can get. While it has only 25 keys, it’s not really meant for typing, but rather as a tool to aid you in whatever line of work (or play) you’re doing. Each key can be placed anywhere on the board, and moved on a whim. You’re welcome to assign shortcuts and macros to each key, however, you don’t need to worry about how it interacts with multiple programs as it will remember your preferences for each. This customizable keyboard will set you back more than most, at $139 it is a bit salty, but would be well worth it to some.

Source: UberReview

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It is always fun to report on gadgets that aren’t really gadgets per se, such as this Diary Shower Curtain. There are no electronic parts here, but I would have to say that this item is downright useful.

I suppose that this product really speaks for itself. As you can see, someone has gone and invented a shower curtain that you can write on. I guess you can write on any shower curtain if you have a waterproof pen, but this one is specifically sectioned off with the 12 months of the year for that purpose.

The curtain also has the days, so you can mark off anyone with the obligatory waterproof pen. This is perfect for that contemplative time that you spend in the shower. After all, I generally remember at least three things that I have to do while I’m soaping myself. It would be good to write them down before I forget them.

The only problem is then I might forget to write them down later in my organizer. I suppose that I’d have to get my organizer and enter the appointments off the curtain once my shower was over. Of course, I’m assuming that I will be looking at my writing from the outside of the shower, which will be backwards since I wrote my notes standing on the inside. (I know that’s a little confusing, but think about it, really.)

So, maybe someone can make an electronically digital version of this, and make it so I can transfer the files into my notebook. Now that would come in handy. Until then, this will have to do.

You can get this item now at firebox.com (UK version) for about £12.95.

Source

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LG have announced their new external Blu-ray rewriter and hd dvd-ROM drive, the LG BE06LU10. It has the ability to both read and write Blu-ray and also read HD DVD at 6x speed. The LG BE06LU10 offers a quick and easy way to add a permanent or portable HD drive to your computer.

Its great to see a drive which supports the reading of both HD formats, and also provides great storage options with being able to write / burn to Blu-ray discs at a speedy 6x. So with the LG BE06LU10 you will be able to play back and watch both blu-ray and HD-DVDs and also have the ability to burn blu-ray discs for a huge 50GB of storage, thats enough space for over 11,000 MP3s.

The external BE06LU10 uses a simple USB 2.0 connector and offers similar specifications as the recently launched (Internal) LG GGW-H20L.  The LG BE06LU10 is avaliable now for around £260. Check below for current prices.

LG BE06LU10 specifications:
Write

• BD-R(SL/DL): 6X/4X
• BD-RE(SL/DL): 2X
• DVD+R/R DL: 16X/4X
• DVD+RW/-RW: 8X/6X
• CD-R/RW: 40X/24X

Read

• BD-R/RO(SL): 6X
• BD-R/ROM(DL): 4.8X
• BD-RE(SL/DL): 2X
• HD DVD-ROM(SL/DL): 3X
• DVD-ROM(SL): 16X
• CD-ROM: 40X

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To date, there has been a number of Apple TV users who have reported that problems with their wireless connections have started to appear, related to 5GHz 802.11n networks only after the installation of the 2.0.1 update. It seems that the update installation has resulted in Apple TV finding difficulty staying hooked up to certain wireless connections, suffering from dropped connections after a while. So far quick fixes include switching to a 2.4GHz network or turning off the “Use wide channels” option of Apple’s Airport Extreme Base Station.

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CDs are old hat, and with DVDs being dirt cheap these days, it makes much more sense to copy all your favorite digital memories onto the DVD format - which is where the Digital Photo To DVD Converter comes in.

This is the compact recorder that effortlessly copies photographs from your digital cameras memory card directly onto a CD for playback on a DVD player without using a dedicated computer. Photographs are converted into MPEG format and immediately burned onto a CD (CD-RW or CD-R required) which can be placed in a DVD player for slide show viewing using your DVD players remote control. An album index enables easy photograph selection prior to full-screen viewing. The recorder can also burn photographs onto a CD in JPEG format, allowing you to view the CDs photographs on your computer. The recorder has both RCA and S-video inputs that allow you to connect it directly to your TV and view photographs either from a burnt CD or from an inserted memory card. It can be plugged directly into your computer for use as an external CD burner or memory card reader using its USB cable. The recorder can accept Compact Flash, Smart Media, Memory Stick, Secure Digital, Multi-Media Card, and Microdrive memory cards.

Hammacher is currently carrying the Digital Photo To DVD Converter for $199.95.

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Just yesterday, we mentioned that the Nokia N96 will have a Xenon flash. Unfortunately at the time is was based mostly on rumor, so what better way for us to be able to follow that up, with nothing less than a leaked picture of a Nokia N96 with a Xenon flash. While this is far from official confirmation, it certainly seems this rumor has been proven true.

Looks like the Nokia N96 excites as it features a generous 2.8-inch QVGA display, impressive stereo speakers, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, and the much awaited Xenon flash, similar to what Nokia N82 currently has.  Now, I’m pretty much convinced that N96 will be worth the wait. So Nokia, when can we finally get our hands on your new baby?

Via [Just Another mobile phone Blog]

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A new web 2.0 service dubbed Tagcow has sprung out of nowhere a couple of days ago. Tagcow, so far has managed to create quite a stir and although Tagcow maybe a cool and useful application, some are questioning the new service, emphasizing on the accuracy of tagging, its usefulness and the never ending question on privacy statements.

In brief, Tagcow is a photo tagging service that automatically assigns descriptive tags to photos that users upload into Tagcow. The service identifies the objects in a given photo, and then assigns generic descriptive tags based on photos subject.

At first glance, it would seem a great tool, a work of magic even. For how can an automated system identify the objects in a given photo to come up with identifier tags for those objects? Some questions that came out were who does the tagging, human or some automatic algorithms? And based on the current flow of tag request that come into Tagcow, it would seem that humans maybe tagging the photos after all. The influx of request caused the site to disable the tagging feature for the moment. The human taggers probably could not cope up with the influx of request. 

But whether Tagcow used automatic taggers or human taggers is not the point of all this, but on the accuracy of tagging photos. From the owner’s point of view, would they rely on others to tag your photos their photos? Isn’t it more useful and efficient if photo owners are the one who’s going to assign descriptive tags into their photos?

Despite of these questions, Tagcow in itself is a pretty cool and useful service. Some minor tweaking on its TOS and privacy statements must be done first.  Plus a more detailed explanation of how Tagcow “really” works would be a welcome addition in understanding the service clearly.

Read [Tagcow] Via [Thomas Hawk’s Digital Connection] Via [TechCrunch]

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If you were an early Windows Vista adopter, you might have had a rough time with Microsoft’s newest operating system last year. Crashes? System hangs? BSODs? Shockingly, Microsoft isn’t at fault for your less than perfect experience. Ars Technica has reported that a 158-page bundle of email correspondence (PDF) regarding the ongoing “Vista Capable” lawsuit has been made public. The data reveals that NVIDIA accounted for 28.8% of Windows Vista crashes last year. In total, 1,663,748 system crashes had been reported to Microsoft in 2007 and NVIDIA was the problem in 479,000 of those cases. In comparison, Microsoft was responsible for 19.9%, ATI took 9.3%, and Intel with 8.8%.

Microsoft was quick to release a statement:

“Microsoft takes exhaustive steps in testing hardware compatibility internally, as well as by working directly with our partners, to address compatibility long before customers experience an issue,” the software maker said. “However, testing can only be conducted under so many different circumstances, particularly with such an exceptionally complex code that graphic drivers have. Understanding this, Microsoft has set up a system to help quickly identify the problems, work to fix them and, if warranted, potentially push them through to customers via Windows Update. NVIDIA has taken similar steps, and since launching Windows Vista, Microsoft has seen great progress in addressing potential issues by NVIDIA.”

I find it quite in good faith for Microsoft to retain itself from blasting NVIDIA for possibly being the root of Vista’s public impression of being unstable. But who is really to blame here? NVIDIA or Microsoft? I place fault equally between the two companies: NVIDIA for releasing drivers that lacked proper testing and Microsoft for their failure to provide adequate support to its third party vendors. While the data is an eye opener, it is important to note a few points:

1. Companies are pretty much guaranteed to suffer issues whenever they launch a new product, particularly software. NVIDIA is no exception and their eager venture to make drivers for Microsoft’s newest operating system was impossible to be bug free early on.
2. Before the ATI fanboys rave in, NVIDIA owns a larger portion of the graphics card market than ATI. So, it shouldn’t come to a surprise that NVIDIA has caused the most problems.
3. The information released is a year old. NVIDIA, as well as the other vendors, have since made significant improvements to their drivers. In fact, NVIDIA has responded to the news by creating a website that allow users to easily report any driver issues they come across.

The information came into light after a federal judge gave the green light for a class action suit to continue against Microsoft, which was filed in April 2007. The lawsuit argued that the software giant misled consumers with its “Windows Vista Capable” promotion program. In 2006, the program placed “Vista Capable” stickers along with a “Premium Ready” phrase on various retail computers that gave the impression to consumers that the machines were capable of running Vista, including the top-of-the-line version of the OS. However, that proved not to be the case, as consumers began complaining that their Vista-capable machines could not run more than Vista Basic—a clear misuse of the company’s use of the “Premium Ready” notation. The early emails that were submitted as evidence revealed that Microsoft caved in to Intel by lowering Vista’s graphics requirements, making it easier for computers integrated with Intel’s weak graphics chip to get the Vista Capable sticker.

Read [Ars Technica]

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I guess these have been around for quite a while now since the Spiderman 3 movie has long ended its run at the cinemas, but they’re still cool enough to warrant a mention here.

Two realistic Spiderman masks with an intercom duplex system that allows you to talk and listen to your partner at the same time. Features: flexible microphone arm and adjustable intercom mask strap. Requires 2-9V batteries (not included).

They won’t come cheap though, and since you’ll need at least a couple of these, the £34.99 price tag could be rather prohibitive.

Product Page via GeekAlerts

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