June 15 2007 - The Day My Gadgets Went Bonkers

It started out as a normal day. I woke up and checked my Nokia E61i and as expected, it has downloaded a couple of emails from my office MS Exchange Server. I disconnected my Apple Airport Express from my home DSL modem, had coffee and headed on over to the office. Since its a Friday, I parked at the mall and stopped over at a Starbucks between the mall and my office. I ordered my second cup of coffee and attempted to connect to a local wifi access point at Starbucks and that's when it started...

When I opened up my Macbook, it took a long time before it detected the wifi access point I wanted to use. Once I got the logon screen of the wifi access provider (Globe WIZ), the page took a long time to load. After a few minutes I was up and surfing the web. A mug of coffee and stick of cigarette later, I decided it was time to head on over to my office. I fired up my Bluetooth wireless headset and connected it to my Nokia E61i so I can wirelessly listen to TWiT's 100th podcast episode. But when I played the podcast, no sound on the headset! So I did some troubleshooting. I re-paired my wireless headset and my phone and tested it again -- still not working. I restarted my phone and after a couple of minutes of waiting, I got to listen to the podcast.

When I arrived at the office, I connected my Apple Airport Express at my office DSL connection. When I opened up my MacBook, it can't detect my Airport Express! After fiddling with my MacBook for a couple of minutes, I decided to reset my Airport Express to factory default configuration. That did the trick -- my MacBook has resumed communicating with the Airport Express but there's a problem: our DSL modem has a "custom" IP configuration and I wasn't able to take note of that configuration!

Good thing everything got fixed later in the day but the successive failure of my gear made me think: was there some sort of a solar storm that may have caused this?

Blazin' Brassieres! (part deux)

Valentines day is a few weeks away and here's something for the ladies...



Enlighed.com's lighted bras!

But here's more! They also have lighted neckties,


lighted suits,



vests,



pants,


and other lighted apparels guaranteed *not* to make its users get some action on Valentines day.

Mahogany Charging Station

For the discriminating geek, here's something to help "top-up" the charge of your numerous gadget: The Mahogany Charging Station.

Designed to charge mp3 players, cellphones, PDAs and other small gadgets, this thing has its own surge protector to help maintain the "health" of your gadgets.

Optimus iPrime?

Takara has just released a transforming iPod dock that suspiciously looks like my favorite autobot Optimus Prime.

Available for pre-order for $144.99 (around Php 7,250) this is something I won't mind buying... if I have money to burn!

Bad Tech Ideas

Bad Idea #1: This may be ergonomic but I wouldn't be caught be caught dead using this computer table from HELL:



Bad Idea #2: It may be convenient but I won't sacrifice my files by using this keyholder.

Zoom Lens for Your Phone's Camera (?)

The purveyors of all things Geeky is at it again. Brando of Hong Kong has just released zoom lens for your cellphone cameras!

They have one for Sony Ericsson phones shown below which costs $19 (around Php950.00)


and a variant for Nokia at the same price.


Hopefully, this won't be too expensive once it hits the Philippine shores.

Singelringen: One Ring to Tell Them All

If you are single and looking, then the Singelringen may be for you.

The Singelringen not only advertises that you are single and available but it also comes with a web account where you can put all your details -- the address of which can be exchange with other single people on the "scene".

Costing $58.70 (around Php Php 3,000), the Singelringen will not only advertise that you are single but it will also shout out that you have enough disposable income to spend as well.

Tabletop "Fire-in-a-Jar"

If you are desperate to have that elusive "Christmas Spirit" then this little piece of gadgetry might help you a bit. Put a little fireplace on your table and imagine that you are in the U.S. having a white Christmas!
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Costing $549 (approximately Php 27,500), this is by no means an inexpensive way to get on with the Holiday Spirit.

Insanely Inexpensive Gear at the Microwarehouse Sale

Its that time of year again and Microwarehouse is having their inventory sale!

Among the items on sale are iPods (discounts of between 17% to 58%), Apple iBooks, Apple PowerBooks, Apple MacBooks, Apple Macbook Pros and Palm handhelds! There is also a plethora of iPod accessories at insanely low prices!

The sale will be on December 14 to 16. Better break your piggy banks and get ready to head on over to Microwarehouse this weekend!

GammaWatch: When You Don't Want to Become the Hulk

Afraid that all those background radiation is starting to affect you? Don't want to become a raging green giant when you start to get angry? Worry no more because the Gammawatch is here. Costing a mere $250 (around Php 12,500) this state of the art timepiece will inform you of the amount of Gamma radiation your body is being assaulted with. Now, the only problem is how to avoid those pesky radioactive radiation rays...

Biohazard Alient Detector (and a watch too!)

Ever wonder if the obnoxious person beside you is an alien? Well wonder no more because the Biohazard is here!




Apart from detecting Extra Terrestrial DNA in the vicinity, the Biohazard also tells time! It is available at tokyoflash.com at the discounted price of $138.26 (approximately Php 7,000)

IncipioBud: Make the iPod Shuffle More Compact

When the 2nd Generation iPod Shuffle was introduced and released, a lot of people fell in love with its compact and slim design. However, not too many of them were crazy about the "dock" (or docklet) that comes with it since it adds bulk to the diminutive music player if its owner needs to bring it with them.

Enter IncipioBud, a smaller, more streamlined way to dock and charge the iPod Shuffle!


Costing a mere $5.99 (around Php 300), this little add-on makes the 2nd Gen iPod Shuffle more portable.

Strollometer: Spedometer for the Stroller

This might be a good way for new moms to get back in shape, use the Strollometer: a small gizmo that can be attached to *any* stroller and it will enable new moms (and dads too) to monitor the speed of their baby's stroller. Why they would want to monitor that is another question but knowing that snippet of information (speed of the stroller) may give nervous parents some sort of peace of mind.


Apart from the speed, the Strollometer also tracks the distance travelled, average daily distance travelled, and even the temperature (presumable of the surroundings, not the baby).

The Strollometer is available in Amazon for $39.95 (around Php 2,000).

Cyber Snipa Dog Tags: Me Wants One!

The Cyber Snipa Dog Tag is a multi-purpose tool/gear that can be worn as an... er... dog tag. It has emergency tools that can help the road warrior in a pinch. The tools included are: stainless steel screwdriver, pliers and even a can opener.




It also has a bright LED flashlight, a removeable 512 MB flashdisk with a memory status light.

Apart from its rather silly name, the Cyber Snipa Dog Tags may be a life-saver for a geek someday. It costs $ 59 Australian.

Melitta Smart Mill & Brew: Smarter than your average coffeemaker!

What's better than a coffee maker?
- a coffeemaker that grinds coffee beans right before brewing!

Whats better than a coffeemaker that grinds coffee beans right before brewing?
- a coffeemaker that grinds coffee beans right before brewing *and* tells you the weather!



Now I know what to write Santa Claus for Christmas...

Crayola MP3 Player: duh...

I'm still scratching my chin at this, Crayola -- THE makers of crayons -- has just released their "Crayola MP3 Player". This ovoid-shaped player has 256 Mb of internal storage (expandable via MMC or SD cards), blue backlit LCD capable of displayingID3 tags, dual-stereo headphone jacks and generally other features that are also present in no-name MP3 players from China.

For $49.99 (approximately Php 2,500), the only thing that distinguishes this player from those no-name (or choose-your-own-name) MP3 players around the flea markets is its expandable memory. All other "features" are standard.

But I'm sure kids would love to have one... I know mine would.

Tank Chair: Wheel Chairs that Kicks Major @ss

This post doesn't even require a commentary.

But I sure know someone who'd like to take one for a spin!


[via TankChair.com]

EMI 911 rCard: Portable Medical Information

This is a wallet-sized electronic device that stores and displays medical information about its owner.

Information is displayed on its built-in LCD screen and the contents can be scrolled using the up and down buttons. Information stored on the card includes:

• personal photo
• name & contact information
• family and doctor's contact information
• medical conditions
• medications and dosage
• critical allergies.

Its built-in battery can last up to 100 viewings or two hours of continuous use. The "shelf life" of the battery is up to 7 years (if not in use). Data on the card can be updated via USB connection.

The Amazing Hover Mouse

From simple to outrageous. Whatever happened to the KISS Principle (Keep It Simple Stupid)?



The Hover Mouse is supposed to levitate a few centimeters above the mousepad offering users with "frictionless" interaction with their computers and offers enhanced accuracy for gaming.



Its supposed to use a "patent pending" electromagnetic technology to levitate the mouse. I just have one question: With all the hoopla about the effects of electromagnetic radiation on cellphones, won't this cause any cellular damage to the hand if used for hours on end?

Mouse with Built-in Card Reader

This is the epitome of an innovation where industry bigwigs will simply slap their foreheads and exclaim "why didn't I think of that?"


A simple enough design, the USB Optical Mouse and SD Memory Card reader is a useful tool for computers that does not have a built-in SD Card reader. At $11 (approximately Php 550), this rather inexpensive piece of technology may not be cutting edge but it sure is useful.