I've seen a Memorex TravelDrive with a built-in LCD panel that tells you how much more space you have left. But how about one that physically expands like a balloon as data gets stored? The Flashbag is a USB drive with a built-in micro pump, so the size of the device changes as the memory stick begins to fill up.

When the device is completely ballooned up, you'll get an error message: " There is not enough free space." Whether it will blow up after that is still not certain. The neat thing is that the Flashbag will remain pumped up even when the drive is not being used or plugged into a USB port.

But WAIT... The designer is from Russia, perhaps even a distant cousin of the world-renowned Art Lebedev and his famous art gallery, which also means that you probably won't see this product out any time soon.

Thanks, PC Magazine editor and robot overlord Lance Ulanoff, for this story!

Do you love your robot enough to dress it up? iRobot is taking robot personalization to the next level, with a whole line of iRobot Skins for its popular Roomba robot vacuum and Scooba robot floor mop.

The company partnered with Skinit to product the self-adhesive, vinyl skins in a variety of styles, including dozens for Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association teams, and over 120 colleges. If you don't like the readymade skins, you can upload your own photos or designs and get custom skins. Each skin costs $29.95, and you'll pay $4.95 for shipping, no matter how many skins you order at once.

Application instructions on the Web site look a little involved, and I'm certain I'd be one of those people who accidentally lets the thin material fold over onto itself and become permanently stuck that way. Still, making something I already refer to as "she" more personal seems like a good idea to me.

 

 

I felt compelled to write about solar-powered radio products today. I'm not sure why. Maybe because it's such a nice day out, and we should all be outside instead of in our offices. Some of these products you may have already heard of...but I thought I'd roundup these energy-savers anyway in preparation for the start of summer. (Can you tell I'm anxious?)

Soltronix AM/FM Headset Solar Radio ($29.95)
It's not the hippest headphone you'd ever wear, but it beats buying new batteries. Just 1 hour of a charge in the sunlight, and you're good to go at the beach for 1-3 hours of listening pleasure. Even more, when fully charged, the headphones play for more than 20 hours inside and outside. Features an internal antenna, extended bass, and a NiMh AAA battery.

Solar Radio ($19.99)
I never thought I'd see gadgets on EddieBauer.com. Sure enough, here's one. This solar-powered portable radio clips onto a belt or bag. Comes with headphones. Available in Dark Red or Grass.

NexxTech AM/FM Solar Pocket Radio ($8.99-$9.99)
Or, if you don't want to don the Eddie Bauer brand, here's one from Circuit City. Comes in blue or yellow. Includes a belt clip and headphones. Sunlight charges internal battery up to 12 hours.

Solar Rechargeable Lantern SL-9000SW ($64.95)
I expect to do a lot of camping this summer, so obviously there won't be any outlets around to plug in a radio or some lights (remember, I'm scared of the dark!). This Lantern features AM/FM weather radio and a 9-Watt flourescent bulb that provides 7-12 hours of light from the built-in rechargeable battery. The coolest thing is that the 2.5 Watt solar panel unfolds on the back for handy solar charging and then folds close for nightime use. Comes with an handle and includes an 120V AC wall charger, 12V DC car lighter charger, and LED charge indicators.

Solar Armband Radio & Emergency LED ($17.99)
I also plan on doing a lot of running. Although I could use my iPod to exercise (and I do), sometimes I like to be old-fashioned and listen to the radio. Here's a solar-powered radio that attaches to your arm for convenience. Comes with headphones and a AC adapter.

The 2006 CTIA E-Tech Award winners are as follows:

Best in Show, as voted upon by CTIA WIRELESS 2006 attendees, went to Samsung for the Samsung T509 camera phone.

Category: Hardware - Mobile Accessory
1st place - Jabra for Jabra JX10
2nd place - Eastman Kodak Company/Kodak EasyShare Gallery for KODAK
            Picture Kiosk G4
3rd place - Advanced Wireless Solutions, LLC for Backup-Pal

Category: Hardware - Mobile Phone/Camera Phone
1st place - Motorola Inc. for Motorola SLVR L7
2nd place - Samsung for Samsung t709
3rd place - GreatCall, Inc. for JitterbugDial(TM)
Honorable Mention - Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications for the Sony
                    Ericsson W810 Walkman(R) Phone

Category: Hardware - Smartphone/PDA
1st place - Palm, Inc. for Palm(R) Treo 700w smartphone
2nd place - Samsung for Samsung i830
3rd place - Samsung for Samsung t719
Honorable Mention - Pharos Science & Applications, Inc. for Pharos
                    Traveler GPS 525

Category: Hardware - Wearable Wireless Device or Fashion Technology
1st place - Plantronics for Discovery 645 Bluetooth Headset
2nd place - LG Electronics MobileComm for LG Style-I
3rd place - Motorola Inc. for Motorola and Burton Audex(TM) Jacket
            Series

Category: Consumer Application - Healthcare/Public Safety/
          Transportation
1st place - Google for Google Local
2nd place - NAVIGON, Inc for Mobile Navigator 5.3 PNA Transonic 5000
3rd place - Telecommunications Systems (TCS) for Rand McNally
            StreetFinder Wireless

Category: Consumer Application - Messaging (SMS/MMS)
1st place - MobileLime for Mobile Wallet from MobileLime(R)
2nd place - OZ for OZ Mobile Email Solution
3rd place - 724 Solutions for 724 Solutions Thulean

Category: Consumer Application - Mobile Entertainment Application
1st place - Cognima for the SHOZU
2nd place - InfoSpace for the MEdiaNet 3.0
3rd place - Motricity/Action Engine/NellyMoser for Motricity's Fuel
            Client Platform - Content AP1
Honorable Mention - Motorola Inc. Connected Home Solutions for
                    Motorola iRadio(R)

Category: Enterprise Solutions - Convergence
1st place - Dell Inc. for Latitude D620/D820 Notebook Computers
2nd place - Lenovo for ThinkPad T60, X60, Z60 with integrated CDMA
            EvDO and GSM HSDPA 3G technology and service
3rd place - Tekelec for Fixed Mob

I was one of the judges for the hardware categories at the CTIA Emerging Technology Awards at the big cell-phone trade show last week, and I just finally found the list of who won. Here's how some of the awards shook out.

Best In Show (voted by show attendees through text messaging): Samsung T509 (at right). Yes, it's very thin. But the T509 seems to be largely a defensive move against the more innovative Motorola SLVR. It's not the thinnest phone in the world (even Samsung makes thinner phones), and the features are nothing ground-breaking. But heck, it's pretty. 

Mobile Phones, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place (voted by a panel of experts): Motorola SLVR L7, Samsung T709, and the JitterbugDial from GreatCall. I think the T709 slightly under-sold itself here -- as one of the first phones to really merge cellular and Wi-Fi calling, it could turn the entire industry on its ear.

Smartphones, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place: Palm Treo 700w, Samsung i830, Samsung T719. I was really promoting the T719, because its radical new approach to Blackberry felt even more important than Palm's attempts to make Windows Mobile easier to use or Samsung's merger of CDMA and GSM for worldwide roaming.

CTIA also gave awards for the best mobile accessories, best laptop with integrated WAN and a whole bunch of mobile services and software. To see who won those awards, look here.