Imagine being able to run a computer through thought. That's the future, and that's exactly what a paralyzed man did using implanted electrodes in his head. The new brain sensor does things like move a computer cursor and open email. Soon he'll be surfing Gearlog by simply thinking about it.

The device is called the Braingate sensor and involves a tiny silicon chip with 100 electrodes implanted into the part of the brain responsible for movement or Cerebellum. The activity of the cells are recorded and then sent to a computer for processing.

The technology goes even further by letting the mind control a prosthetic device. A great example of mind over matter.

Via Reuters

UPDATE: Dell recalls 4.1 million batteries. So ignore the last paragraph in this post.

When I first saw the video of a Dell laptop exploding, I thought it had to be a hoax. After all, who believes online videos anymore? There are certainly enough Dell-haters out there; it looked like a stunt. But evidently the problem is real enough that one analyst is warning that the story might hurt Dell's stock price if it catches on in the mainstream press. Umm, too late.

-> Gearlog Radio Dan gives us the scoop on the exploding Dell Laptop today.  Download the MP3 now: Up Close with Intel's Core 2 Duo A.K.A. Conroe, Why I Switched from Windows to Mac, and More!

The company has taken a beating on the blogs and has, according to the New York Times, responded by spending "more than $100 million" to improve its service and support. Talk about a useless statistic. How much were they spending before? How will service be improved? Are we talking more reps answering phones or just more PowerEdge servers collecting customer orders?

Dell has the laptop back in the factory now and has concluded it was probably a faulty lithium ion battery that caused the sudden blaze. It doesn't seem like this is a widespread problem, as far as I can tell. Maybe this is just a law of averages thing. If you make thousands of laptops, one is bound to explode. All a vendor can do is hope that no one has a camera phone nearby when it does.

And we're back!  Dan, Jen, Sascha and I sat down after the Fourth of July holiday to rant and rave about the latest in tech. Download now:

-> Download the MP3: Gearlog Radio: RFID Pay Pass vs. Credit Cards, X-Men Comic Super DVD, Tiny Digital Photo Frames, and more!

On this week's show:

• What's better: RFID Pay Pass or a titanium credit card?
• Marvel's X-Men Super DVD: 40 years of X-Men for $40!
• Tiny Digital Photo Frames: You can fit them in your pocket.

Hosts: Robyn Peterson and Sascha Segan

Panelists: Dan Costa, Jen DeLeo

Audio Engineer: Jim Louderback 

Subscribe Now:

-> Subscribe to the Gearlog Radio podcast in iTunes

-> Subscribe to the Gearlog Radio podcast via RSS

Black phones are sexy. Motorola found that out with the Black RAZR. So now that Nokia's stainless-steel 8801 luxury phone is gaining some traction in the US, they've decided to roll out a black version. The black 8801 (made of black oxidized stainless steel) weirdly feels lighter than the silver model, which is clearly some sort of weird psychological trick, because they're the same phone in different colors. The new non-color will be available on Nokia's Web site and in their flagship store in Chicago for the same price as the silvery model, which is right now $650 unlocked or $550 with T-Mobile service. The phone works on T-Mobile, Cingular and all other GSM carriers.

I was unimpressed with the 8801 when I first reviewed it, because I thought it was overpriced and underpowered. Nokia's rebuttal is that this is supposed to be a luxury fashion item for style-centric voice callers, not feature hounds. The high price is part of the cachet, and the limited feature set doesn't matter to folks who just want to talk, text and have their phone match their expensive Italian suit.

Oh, and yes, a black version of the European 8800 model has been available for a while, but that phone lacks the 850 Mhz band needed to get the best signal in the USA.

In the past, I've talked about various recycled circuitboard products, such as Circuitboard Clocks ($18), Circuitboard Money Clips ($10), and Circuitboard Mouse Pads ($14.95).

Now you can add to your Circuitboard collection (if you're geeky enough to start one) with the Circuitboard Desk Frame. It holds 4X6-inch photos and includes a rod to stand the frame up straight.

The Circuitboard 4" x 6" Desk Frame sells for $12.99 on ThinkGeek.com.

If this doesn't suit your geekiness, then try these:

Circuitboard Coasters ($19.99)
Circuitboard Luggage Tags (Set of 3, $12.97)
Circuitboard Bookends ($19.95)
Circuitboard Bookmarks (Set of 3, $7.95)
Circuitboard Keychain ($3)
Circuitboard Clipboard ($13.99)

Walking down 7th Avenue in New York City today, I passed by one of those shady electronics stores -- you know, the ones with the two-year-old gadgets and improbable signs in the windows? The ones where you wonder how they stay in business, and you pity the poor suckers who get snookered into shopping there?

This place had a terrific display of 3-4 Ghz Intel Pentium laptops in the front window, including this gem, an Averatec 3715, advertised as running a 4-Ghz Intel Pentium Extreme Edition processor. The problem is:

1) Intel doesn't make a 4-Ghz Pentium EE processor.

2) Even if they did, it would actually cause a thin-and-light laptop to spontaneously combust.

3) This laptop has an AMD Sempron 3000+ processor, as the factory label in the lower right corner explains.

The lesson, of course, is that the only person who should be visiting these kinds of stores is Eliot Spitzer and his crew of G-Men. Though I was tempted by the Toshiba Libretto subnotebook with the 3 Ghz Pentium D processor they were advertising. I might be able to cook breakfast on top of that.

Product Review: Royal PF110 Digital Picture Keychain ($49.99)

Overall: Among the three ultraportable photo frames (PF140, PF141, PF110), I think I like the Royal PF110 Digital Picture Keychain the best. It fits on your keychain, is extremely easy to use, the screen is bright, and the slideshow mode loads each image faster.

Features: 1.1" LCD screen, USB 1.1, auto shut-off after two minutes, keychain.

Package includes: Keychain unit, chain, charger, USB cable, and software.

How It Works: Install software. Then make sure the device is connected via USB before you begin the Photo Viewer application. All buttons are located on the right of the unit. The top button deletes the current photo; middle button operates next photo/delete all; bottom button operates power and slideshow. When I transferred photos to the PF110, it supported up to 56 photos.

Likes: Bright screen. Loads each image in slideshow mode faster than the PF140 and PF141. Good picture quality for something so small (better than PF140). Easiest to use out of all the models. Fits on your keychain. Ultraportable. Photo Viewer software easier to use than PhotoFrame 1.4.

Gripes: Makes loud noise when you turn the device on/off.

HP is introducing another set of notebooks to complement the Zen-like Pavilion dv2000 and the Presario V3000. By Zen-like, I'm referring to the new imprints found on the piano black and gray finishes of the dv2000 and all the way up to the new dv9000. If you look close enough, you'll see "wave" patterns all over the lid and inside of the notebooks. To some extent, it's almost hypnotic.

Today, HP launches the HP Pavilion dv6000, dv9000, and a Compaq Presario V6000, extending the Zen experience. The new models will have larger screens-- 15.4 and 17 inches to be exact. They will also have some HP notables, such as QuickPlay 2.1, dual microphone arrays and an integrated webcam. Sorry folks, you can only find these options on the dv6000 and dv9000. It looks like the Presario V6000 got the short end of the multimedia stick, but it does come at a lower price. All three models will come with options for a Lightscribe DVD burner, a Express Card only slot, a 5-in-card reader and extended battery options.

Now the confusing part: HP is launching these notebooks with AMD processors only, specifically the Turion 64 X2 and Sempron processors, which is a little weird since the Intel Core Duos perform better accross the board. It looks like HP is trying to win consumers over with low prices, but if you look at my review of the HP Compaq nx6325 with a Turion 64 X2, performance isn't bleeding edge and processor options are limited. So what's left? 64-bit processing baby!