Author Archives: andy

Splitterbot does just what a standard audio splitter does, but cuter

by andy
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Splitterbot does just what a standard audio splitter does, but cuter

I feel just a little shame posting this Splitterbot guy just after some important leakage, but the fact is that anything with a little robot face on it has to be worth a look, even if it’s more expensive and barely more functional than a standard audio splitter. Yes, indeed, the Splitterbot is a friendly little white guy (I mean he’s made from white plastic) who sits on your keychain waiting for your need to share a banging tune with one of your mates. At this point, his head conveniently comes off (completely, mind you, not just tilting back like our R2-D2 trash can) so you can plug him into Read more »

Would you pay $1m for Top10.com domain name?

by andy
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Would you pay $1m for Top10.com domain name?

I’m not one for playing the domain name game: any time I’ve even dabbled I’ve got it wrong, the chances of finding a few names worth a lot are pretty slim, and I don’t have the time or inclination to work with a lot of small names making a few bucks here and there. Oh, if only I had owned Top10.com, which a British company has just bought for around $1m. Yes, that’s one million dollars. Granted, it’s a pretty nifty name, and because the company who now owns it specialises in technology comparison websites, makes a lot of sense to own. Potentially small change as well, given that the Read more »

L'Oreal marketing: MP3 better than Vinyl? Huh?

by andy
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L’Oreal recently ran a TV ad campaign in the UK for its new hair care product “INOA”, suggesting that its funkily-named coloration product is altogether better than any existing system. Maybe it is, but to a music-appreciating tech geek, the comparisons fall a little flat. Take a look: (Hopefully that video is still there, though for some reasons advertisers don’t always like the exposure that free YouTube marketing gives them) OK, so “first there was the road map. Now there is the GPS”. Let’s skip for a moment the horrible phrase “the GPS” because that’s not the focus of this rant. Now… “First there was vinyl. Now there is the Read more »

OV'L: Wall clock tells time with circles and dashes

by andy
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OV'L: Wall clock tells time with circles and dashes

Regular readers will know what a fan I am of alternative clocks and watches. Any way of spicing up the chore of time-telling has to be a good thing. I didn’t come up with this idea when I created five concept watch designs, but I wish I had. Called OV’L, this wall clock displays both the date and time on a series of concentric circles. The inner four circles display year, month, day and weekday, while the outer circles display hours, minutes and seconds. I’m not entirely clear whether this clock really exists or not. Designer Stefan Vasilev is into graphic and logo design, so this could just be a Read more »

Three iPhones, One Girl: Irreplaceable

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Using multiple iPhones to create music isn’t new, but this video demonstrates one of the easier-on-the-eye/ear versions. Forget the possibility that a Beyonce track may not count as geek music (far too mainstream, right?) or that you don’t have to be an uber-geek in order to set this up… …kudos to this girl for (a) having or obtaining three iPhones and (b) setting up apps to produce a pretty seamless performance. Oh, and (c) for having a very nice voice. Read more »

Five concept watch designs that make you calculate the time

by andy
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Five concept watch designs that make you calculate the time

Inspired by the likes of Tokyo Flash watches, I started thinking about some concept watch designs that would force the wearer to work the old grey matter in order to work out what time it was. Some offer more precision that others, and some are easier to read, but all are definitely not your average analog or digital watch. 1. Fraction Clock Granted, this is a simple digital watch so it’s not hard to see what time it is. However, what this watch will do is to chime once in each one hour period — not necessarily on the hour but based on the associated fraction for that hour. The Read more »

Sony and CBS unveil 3D consumer research centre

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Sony and CBS unveil 3D consumer research centre

As consumers get their heads around all things high definition, the next big thing is 3D TV. We already know that a number of consumer electronics companies and broadcasters are pushing full steam ahead with plans to launch hardware and programming in 3D, and now Sony and CBS have partnered to open up a 3D Consumer Research Centre. Located in the CBS Television City research facility at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, it’s designed to be “a dedicated resource devoted to studying 3D in all its forms”. That’s according to Sony Electronics’ executive VP and CMO, Mike Fasulo. Created in two zones, one section will focus Read more »

Careless laptop users emitting Wi-Fi and alerting thieves

by andy
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Careless laptop users emitting Wi-Fi and alerting thieves

One of the latest warning issued by a security specialist is that of turning off your Wi-Fi connection before hibernating your notebook PC. According to Credant Technologies, some users are unwittingly advertising the location of their laptop to anyone with a cheap off-the-shelf handheld wireless signal detector. Apparently one of the global hotspots for this kind of theft is Jamaica, but the crime could easily be committed anywhere else. Something I wasn’t aware of (and is rather worrying in its own right) is that some notebook PCs can stay awake for up to 30 minutes even after the lid is shut. Quite why this is necessary (unless it’s deliberately set Read more »

Logitech launches laptop speaker bar: Z205

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Logitech launches laptop speaker bar: Z205

Remember the times before laptops came with webcams as standard and you had to clip one on to the top of the screen? Well, it seems Logitech has applied this approach to the latest set of portable speakers. The Z205 is a speaker ‘bar’ that attaches to the top of your notebook’s screen and delivers a much more powerful sound than you’d expect from the internal speakers, while you don’t have to worry about standalone speakers disappearing while you’re on the move. The picture shows the speaker centrally located, which is probably the optimal position. However, if you have a laptop with a built-in webcam you may well have to Read more »

Sony shows off advanced digital voice recorders

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Sony shows off advanced digital voice recorders

Dictaphones: that’s what they used to be called. Today, though, those silly little cassette tapes and fiddly controls have all but gone and we’ve turned digital. In fact, after years of wanting a digital recorder, I now use my iPhone. However, there are still some nice features on these new recorders from Sony that would make me look twice at getting one. Obviously they’re digital. That means you can store a huge amount of audio on the solid state disk, with no fear of quality degradation. It’s all nicely indexed, so no fast forwarding and rewinding (unless you liked listening to high-pitched squeaking as you tried to find your place). Read more »