Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Finally here’s something that actually does what it advertises. Ubanana’s uCan - a waterproof MP3 player that you can actually wear in up to 10 feet deep water. But the best thing about this uber-cool looking gadget is the fact that all the essential parts that you normally get from a normal MP3 player are actually integrated within the gadget itself. Yes folks, that means no dangling wires that connect the earphones to the body of the MP3 player, its all integrated into the player itself.

The uCan has 1GB of memory which can store around 250 MP3 or 500 WMA files and gives out up to 15 hours of battery life. But we wouldn’t advise you to go diving into the open sea and stay under water for 15 hours just to enjoy using the uCan MP3 player, your supply of oxygen might not last that long. You can snag the uCan for $150 once it hits the stores sometime in July 2008.

Product [Ubanana] Via [Switched]

The world of computer/network security and encryption owes a lot to Bruce Schneier. Not only was he a pioneer in designing some of the early algorithms for protecting data, he has also helped to shine a light on the arcane world of cryptography for a mainstream audience through his writings, media appearances and overall advocacy, which has included Congressional testimony.

So anyone who travels with a laptop would do well to heed the advice he offers in an op-ed piece in the Guardian. Schneier writes about a recent federal court ruling that allows customs agents to search all electronic devices, including laptops, when traveling to the U.S. Other countries like the UK are already doing this, so Schneier offers up some tips for locking off sections of your hard drive through extra encryption. (Encrypting the entire hard drive won’t work, he says, because you’re likely to be asked to type in your password during the search.) There are also reminders to delete, wipe out history trails and use other, easier approaches to protecting privacy.

Schneier acknowledges all this will take a lot more work than business travelers might be used to, but with more advanced devices and technologies for scanning data on hard drives on the way, he believes it will be worth it.

Read [Guardian]

It’s his last time to host a Microsoft CEO Summit as company chairman before answering philanthropy’s call, so Bill Gates decided to use the opportunity for one more demonstration of Microsoft Research prowess. Gates allowed the high-profile executives attending the annual meeting of high-dollar minds to see Microsoft’s Touch Wall, which threatens the existence of whiteboards and Magic Markers in all those sterile conference rooms around the world.

So far it’s been a good year for touch-screen technology, big and small; besides the iPhone and all its competitors, there’s the touch technology on display during coverage of primary elections on CNN. Microsoft’s offering is basically its Surface computer mounted vertically and expanded out to a 50-inch screen. Gates showed off interactivity with documents, Tablet-style writing and easy access to applications like PowerPoint, and promised that the technology would not be all that expensive. Still, after the showing this week in Redmond for the business elite, you can expect corner offices in corporate headquarters across America to be the first places for the Touch Wall to show up.

Read [Seattle Times]

Forget the cash, forget the credit cards, you can even forget the family pictures – mobile phones are now more important to people than their wallets. A recent survey found that more than 38% of workers would choose their mobile phones over other essentials – including their wallets, keys, laptops or digital music players if they had to leave the house for 24 hours and could take only one item.

The survey was sponsored by Nortel Networks Corp, market research firm IDC conducted the survey and found that more than 38% people chose their mobile phones first, while less than 30% picked their wallets as their essential of choice.

Nortel, who is North America’s biggest telephone gear maker was trying to determine how many workers can be defined as “hyperconnected,” or people who use at least seven devices for work and personal access, and at least nine applications like e-mail, chat or social networking sites. The answer was 16%, and that number, at least according to the survey, can be expected to rise up to 40% in the next five years.

Read [Reuters]

We’ve been seeing announcements on several e-book readers coming into the market lately. Either the Amazon Kindle has generated a lot of interest from consumers wanting something more, or consumers are really into reading e-books. Now here comes another e-book reader from a company called Astak - the Mentor. Astak is feeling generous as they decided to come up with not just one but three e-book models offering a choice of either a 5-inch, 6-inch or 9.7-inch display.

Astak says that the larger the size of the e-book reader, the more features it would have. True enough since the 9.7-inch would come with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as a 1200 x 825 pixel resolution. The other features of the 9.7-inch model are also carried by the other two smaller models. These features include a 128MB of RAM, SD card slot, read up to 8000 pages per battery charge, e-inked screen and support for MP3 playback.

The 5-inch and 6-inch models are set to hit the streets sometime in June for an estimated retail price of less than $200. The 9.7-inch would come later in October at an estimated retail price of around $350.

Product [Astak] Via [Engadget]

Here is how to take the ubiquitous car remote and bring new ideas to it.  Add in a screen with Kindle-like E Ink and you’ve got a notice you are low on gas, maybe your tires are low, or your oil life is nearly depleted.  This is just one of the cool things ultra low power E Ink can bring.

This specific device by Delphi, allows users to locate their vehicle in a sea of look-a-likes; turn on the car, adjust the climate in the car, and more.  Interesting and fun, who doesn’t love that?  Delphi says in volume, E Ink device can be made economically. 

The flexible shape of the E-Ink screen means this kind of innovation is coming to more and more devices like microwaves, refrigerators and remotes.  Where else would you love to have a simple screen for data?

Read [BusinessWire] via [dvice]

Does the keypad lock on your phone annoy you? Well, you just might think different after you hear this. A soldier in Afghanistan accidentally called his parents while he was in the middle of a heated battle. The result was a terrifying voicemail that included the son yelling about needing more ammo and his gun having problems-and cutting off just as another soldier yelled “INCOMING!” His parents were understandably shaken but managed to get a hold of their embarrassed son, who assured them he was okay. Thank goodness there was a happy ending, but am I the only one wondering which provider offers battlefield coverage? Talk about great cell coverage! We also have to mention the thanks that should go out to the soldier, hopefully his next call will be a little less stressful for those at home. Keep reading to listen to the chilling call…

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Not enough time in the day to get everything done? Now it may be possible to squeeze in a fitness walk while working on that new proposal. Well, not exactly, but you can keep moving while working. TrekDesk can help you loose weight, relieve your stress and give you more time with love ones. Seriously, now you can walk, sit or bounce on your treadmill while working on your laptop, reading a manuscript or clearing out your in box.

TrekDesk fits on most treadmills and adjusts to fit the user. In case you need to slow your pace just lift the clear panel for access to your treadmill controls. If you are sweating the assembly - don’t. No tools are required. That goes for the TrekDesk Chair as well. The TrekDesk team thought of just about everything. You know that if something is not handy you won’t use it so the chair swings out of the way when not in use and the desk can say in place when not in use.

I am all for saving time and I think the TrekDesk is a great idea – but I want to send out one warning. Unless you truly multitask well don’t try this. An unplanned distraction could trip you up.

Product [TrekDesk] Via [Oh Gizmo!]

In a rather bizarre effort to protect sensitive company data, T-Mobile has announced that its Sarnia, Ontario call center employees will no longer be allowed to use pens, pencils, or note pads in the open. If they must used them, they are required to keep them in their locked desks between uses. Taking the new policy even further, they’ve also required that all photos and papers on cubicle walls be laminated so they can not be used to write on.

While it’s easy to understand a company wanting to protect its data, this new policy is just a bit ridiculous. If the company is that paranoid it’s a good thing the employees don’t have access to any kind of small, easily concealable electronic device that can easily accept data and transfer it quickly over the net or any way to discreetly copy data directly from their computers, Wouldn’t that be awful? I’m sure T-Mobile execs are sleeping well tonight with that knowledge.

Read [The Consumerist]

Kenko’s new digital photo frame might seem like your regular digital photo frame at first, but the KDF-07 holds a secret that could change the way you look at gadgets of its kind...forever. Or not, but still the Kenko KDF-07 offers a cool little trick hidden (quite literally) up its sleeve. Actually, it holds a control pad on a secret panel that can be found behind its silver frame, black matte, and wood grain finishes. It will instantly blow up your photos to 7-inches wide and play them in a slideshow - with your permission, of course. I’d like to say that its current price, $160, is a bit too much, but then I remember, $500 digital photo frames. At which point I’ll say, “Yikes! Kenko’s KDF-07 is actually a bargain!”

Via [Crave]