Sega Toys makes indoor fireworks infinitely safer, to Elvis Costello’s dismay

Lovers of pyrotechnics everywhere have always struggled with the quandary: what to do on a rainy day? Well, firebugs, get a load of this: Sega Toys Japan has heard your prayers and answered ‘em in the form of the Uchiage Hanabi. This is essentially a projector that displays “fireworks” on the walls and ceilings, with realistic movement and sound. And if that weren’t enough, you can create your own fireworks and program your own shows. Now you can have Bastille Day, every day, in the privacy of your apartment! Out August 1, with a list price of $168. Video after the break.

[Via Japan Trend Shop]

Continue reading Sega Toys makes indoor fireworks infinitely safer, to Elvis Costello’s dismay

Filed under: Displays

Sega Toys makes indoor fireworks infinitely safer, to Elvis Costello’s dismay originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tiny, printable batteries promise to change the face of obnoxious greeting cards forever

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS in Chemnitz led by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Baumann have unveiled tiny, printable batteries that they hope to put into production for pennies apiece. The new battery prototype is primarily composed of a zinc anode and a manganese cathode that can be screen printed and covered with a non-printed template cover. Each mercury-free battery weighs less than one gram, and can individually produce about 1.5 volts of electricity. By placing several batteries side by side, however, up to 6 volts can be generated. The institute has already produced these little power houses in the lab, and hopes to see them into production by the end of the year. The batteries have a relatively short lifespan, making them suitable for applications such as powering greeting cards. All we can say is that this battery would have made the card we got two years ago that sang “Word Up” much, much awesomer.

[Via Physorg]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Tiny, printable batteries promise to change the face of obnoxious greeting cards forever originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Urination Is Where We Draw the Line on Home Beauty Products [Wellness]

You know what they say: Nothing takes the callouses off like fastening plastic bags filled with urine around your feet.

The Foot Pee! Pack, essentially two ziplock bags intended for your feet, supports an age-old philosophy that one’s pee can have benefits to their skin. Now I’m no expert, but I’ve been accidentally urinating on stuff for years now, and I can’t say that my crotch, toes, knees, backyard bushes or bathroom walls look any younger because of it. [Toyko Times via Tokyo Mango]

Also note the products tagline: “Easy & Surprise”

D-Link’s Xtreme N DIR-685 storage router hands-on and impressions

Somehow or another, D-Link managed to combine a NAS, digital photo frame, secondary display and 802.11n router into a single device, and when the Xtreme N DIR-685 Storage Router was announced way back at CES this year, we were certainly interested to see how such a conglomerate would go over. At long last, the do-it-all wireless router is finally making its way out to the public at large, and with an MSRP of $299.99 (sans any internal HDD space), it’s definitely one of the pricier routers out there. We’ve taken this strikingly unique device into our lairs for a few days of testing, and if you’re interested in seeing if this bad boy is worth the price of admission, you’ll need to follow us past the break.

Gallery: D-Link’s Xtreme N DIR-685 storage router hands-on

Continue reading D-Link’s Xtreme N DIR-685 storage router hands-on and impressions

Filed under: Displays, Storage, Networking

D-Link’s Xtreme N DIR-685 storage router hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TechSaver Test: RadioShack July 4 Sale

RadioShack is offering 17 products at a discounted rate for its July 4 Sale. Several of the products are on sale through the end of the month, too. Orders totaling $50 or more will receive free ground shipping (except desktops, laptops, and TVs).

RadioShack doesn’t have a huge stock of electronics as we all know, but from time to time it does offer great deals. To put the store to the challenge this week, I’m taking four sale items and comparing them to other retailers’ prices. Let’s see if RadioShack’s sale on the Magellan Maestro 4350 GPS, Casio Exilim EX-Z29 10.1MP Digital Camera, Plantronics Explorer 230 Bluetooth Headset, and Cyber Acoustics CA-3402 2.1-Channel Speaker System will have you running back for more.

Crapgadget: ‘Gee… thanks?’ edition

If you need a flash drive or USB hub there are many useful and, more to the point, tasteful options out there. But if you want to saddle a hapless co-worker or relative with a silly, embarrassing, or just plain crapulant gag gift suitable for the current technological moment? Look no further than the following assortment of crapgadgets. Your illustrious Engadget eds have hand-picked a wonderful assortment of devices tailor-made to evoke awkward responses at office birthday parties and the like. So, without further ado…

Read - No Green Thumb Required: USB Fever 4-Port Flower Pot Hub
Read - USB Airplane Hub with built-in fan
Read - Robot USB Drives would make a cute gift
Read - USB Artillery Hub
Read - USB Octopus Hub

View Poll

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

Crapgadget: ‘Gee… thanks?’ edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple patching nasty iPhone SMS vulnerability

Given the hype surrounding Apple’s iPhone, we’re actually surprised that we haven’t seen more holes to plug over the years. In fact, the last major iPhone exploit to take the world by storm happened right around this time two years ago, and now — thanks to OS X security expert Charlie Miller — we’re seeing yet another come to light. Over at the SyScan conference in Singapore, Mr. Miller disclosed a hole that would let attackers “run software code on the phone that is sent by SMS over a mobile operator’s network in order to monitor the location of the phone using GPS, turn on the phone’s microphone to eavesdrop on conversations, or make the phone join a distributed denial of service attack or a botnet.” Charlie’s planning to detail the vulnerability in full at the upcoming Black Hat conference, but Apple’s hoping to have it all patched up by the end of this month.

[Via HotHardware]

Filed under: Cellphones

Apple patching nasty iPhone SMS vulnerability originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tweetlog: Epson Perfection V300 Photo

Have a ton of old slides and prints in the closet? The Epson V300 (http://tinyurl.com/l3wcnj) can bring your family photos into the 21st century.

Please, Silence Your Cell Phones

The month of July is known for cookouts, family fun, and fireworks, but did you know that July is also National Cell Phone Courtesy Month? So be sure to silence those phones before you go any further, because I want our top three tips to observe this holiday to go uninterrupted.

1. I’ll put my phone on vibrate for you. Remember this handy little
function? Vibrate allows you to feel the calls without interrupting
everyone in the room with Beyonce’s hit song “Single Ladies”. This
function can best be put to use when at dinner with friends, in class
and at work, or on the bus. “On a Boat” may be your summer
theme song, but others may be in a different zone.

Two more, after the jump.

Archos 9 PCtablet: The New Netbook on the Block

Archos is throwing the keyboard out the window for its new netbook, the Archos 9 PCtablet. The 9-inch screen is touch sensitive, so all typing is done on onscreeen. The design allows this netbook to weigh under 2 pounds, and it’s only 0.63 inches thick.

It’s not just about what’s on the outside, though. The Archos 9 uses the new Intel Atom Z515 processor, boasts a 60GB or 120GB hard drive, has built-in Bluetooth, and features two antennas to receive DVBT TV with diversity reception. As a final bonus, this model comes standard with Microsoft Windows 7. 

Look for the PCtablet to ship this fall; no pricing information has been announced as yet.