Most of the time, we buy electronic devices and corresponding accessories without a thought for anyone other than our own. Well, here's a chance to buy something and help other people at the same time. If you happen to like pink, check out the pink versions of these OtterBox cases, the iPhone Defender and the iPod Nano 3rd Gen Defender. For every purchase of these OtterBox products, 10 percent will go to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. The organization is currently researching a cure for breast cancer, provides assistance to the underprivileged as well as access to treatment for the afflicted, and increases awareness about the disease. So, even if you don't like/despise/have an aversion against pink, do check it out anyway.
You see the gadget on the left? You're supposed to put that on your head and let those spindly legs/arms do the trick. The tips of those mechanical limbs are equipped with vibrators which, according to the product specs at least, could relieve stress, migraines, and headaches. You can even rearrange the legs so you could, er, massage other parts of your body.
The octopus-inspired massager could be connected via USB, just in case you're in need of some head massaging while in front of your computer. But--because no party is ever complete without one of Doc Ock's minions around--the manufacturer is touting the device as a party trick; you just need to pop in two AA batteries and you're good to go. Frankly though, I'd rather wear this Robocop-ish head spa massager on my head--but then again, that's just me.
When WowWee sent us its latest desktop companion, Chatterbots, I expected a lot from the robot manufacturer. Unfortunately, after just one minute, this $50 USB toy left me completely and tragically bored out of my mind.
Chatterbots are available in dog/cat, fairy godfather, and devil/angel models, and when connected to your computer via USB, are supposed to entertain you with "its unpredictable stream of jokes, dialog, and comments about your virtual life," according to the company. On top of that, it says random things while you're typing. Lame! Not to mention, the integrated speaker is located on the bottom of the Chatterbot, which makes it very difficult to hear what it's saying in the first place. (Which turned out to be a good thing, considering it's so annoying.)
Korreannovation PR guy and semi-official spokesmodel Jeff Newelt manages to simultaneously use the Pet Pavilion and the Soundwalk, to the tune of "Who Let the Dogs Out?"
It's one thing to blog about a bunch of weird Korean gadgety goodness by reading press releases. It's another thing entirely to actually get a chance to play with some of the weirdness. Ahead of next week's Koreannovation, taking place on May 14 and 15th at the Penn Plaza Pavilion in New York City (free and open to the public), we got a chance to play around with a few of the cooler gadgets.
After the jump, pictures and hands-on videos with the Pet Pavilion and the SoundWalk speaker system. We took a look at the Blooming Bidet as well, but fortunately for all involved, we opted not to take any videos.
Sandwiched between four millimeters of foam padding in its zippered carrying case, the Razer Destructor Precision Gaming Surface (or, you know, mouse pad) would likely survive being thrown out of an airplane. That's not the way most of us travel to LAN parties, so I'm not sure why Razer went to such ridiculous lengths to protect its newest mousing surface. Sure, it's rather expensive at $39.99, and it's semi-rigid backing means you'd probably want something to keep it from bending or getting scratched if you just jammed it into a backpack. But the case Razer includes with the mouse pad is just all kinds of wrong. It's about the size and bulk of a large laptop sleeve. And it doesn't even have a handle. That wouldn't be such an issue, but the mouse pad is so large that the extra size added by the case makes the whole thing so big, it won't fit in many medium-sized bags.
Thankfully, the Destructor pad itself is definitely well thought out. Like just about everything else Razer sells, the Destructor was "co-designed, tested and validated" by professional gamers. And the company touts its "Fractal" textured surface, which they claim offers 25-37% better tracing with gaming-grade optical and laser mice. Sure, that's a whole lot of marketing babble, but the fact is the Razer Destructor is a fine piece of mouse pad.
Just because you have a Webcam doesn't mean you have to settle for grainy images at low resolutions. The Hercules Dualpix Chat and Show Webcam, the newest addition to Hercules' lineup of Webcams, proves that there's life after low-quality devices and that it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Say goodbye to your grainy MySpace and blog profile photos, and say hello to a USB camera with a 1.3 megapixel lens capable of taking interpolated photos of up to 1280 x 1024 pixel resolutions in single-shot, self-timed, and burst photo modes. The DualPix Chat and Show is one of the first Webcams to behave and include features that most people would associate with point-and-shoot digital cameras.
Speaking of watching TV on your iPhone, Orb Networks claims to have "the world's first way to stream live TV to the iPhone and iPod Touch." The company designed OrbLive, an app created to work with jailbroken iPhones and iPod Touches.
Users install Orb's streaming app on a PC with a TV tuner and OrbLive on their iPhone or iPod Touch. Set the PC the live TV, and you can stream the content direct to your Wi-Fi enable Apple device. Okay, so it's not the most high-tech of solutions, but at least Orb can happy claim "first," right?
Said Orb's CEO, Joe Costello, "Although the iPhone provides users with a great way to experience the Web, it offers a ridiculously sub-par streaming video experience. When all the carriers' free phones can stream lots of things that my iPhone can't, something's seriously wrong. OrbLive finally brings the iPhone's streaming video experience up to par with other mobile phones."
While Verizon and AT&T do battle over mobile TV, and Apple continues to give NBC the cold shoulder, the peacock has taken matters into its own hands by making full episodes of The Office and 30 Rock available for streaming on an iPhone and iPod Touch near you. The comedies will be available as QuickTime files, viewable without those pesky obligatory ads.
According to Gizmodo, however, the files are massive and need to be re-downloaded, should you exit out of Safari, so you're advised to stick to Wi-Fi for these. That is, until that much talked about speed bump up comes through...
Warmer weather means it's time to pack up for vacations, and the one thing us tech-savvy vacationers need is something to pass the time on the way to our destination. I think I have found a gadget to do just that: the Philips DCP951 docking entertainment system.
Good news, movie buffs--now that the dust has settled on the high-def DVD format wars, the first wave of Blu-Ray Criterion Collection discs are finally coming. And in a surprising--if welcome--move, the higher-def versions of the discs won't cost anymore than their standard-definition counterparts.
According to Gizmodo, the following 13 titles are set to be issued first:
The Third Man, Bottle Rocket, Chungking Express, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Last Emperor, El Norte, The 400 Blows, Gimme Shelter, The Complete Monterey Pop, Contempt, Walkabout, For All Mankind, The Wages of Fear
Don't let the pic confuse you--you haven't wandered into a gardening blog within the last 5 seconds. In spite of the realistic looks, the three elements at the image above are actually loudspeakers by Niles Audio. Part of Niles Audio's GeoRealistic weatherproof rock loudspeaker line, they are as follows: the Niles RS6Si series (at the front), the PB6Si planter loudspeaker (back, left), and the PS6Si planter loudspeaker (back, right). All three were designed to withstand the harshest of weathers, making them perfect for those inclined to spend idle time in their lawns.
If you're wondering whether you can actually use the planter box loudspeakers to house live plants, the answer would be yes. The rock-like RS6Si, on the other hand, comes in numerous colors and textures germane to rocks. It features an injection molded TCC 6-inch woofer and two one-inch Tetron tweeters, and is designed to have three modes to choose from: monaural, traditional two-speaker stereo input, and single speaker stereo input. The PB6Si and PS6Si planter box loudspeakers, however, feature a 6.5-inch dual voice coil woofer and a couple of 1-inch fluid-cooled Tetron tweeters. Personally, I'd really like to see a garden gnome loudspeaker, but I guess these have to do for now. All three models are now available through Niles Audio's authorized dealers.
This is one sick-looking puppy. The USB Smart Dog Hub is a 4-port USB hub that literally loses its rectangular-shaped head. Detach its head from the hub, and you've got a portable radio with auto scan 88Mhz to 108MHz. And if you're a good dog owner, you'll return the head so that you can use it as a computer speaker.
The Apple iPhone continues its attempt to take over the world one step at a time by rolling out in more than a dozen Latin American countries, beginning later this year. The company inked a deal with Carlos Slim's America Movil SAB, the top mobile service provider in Latin America, which operates in 16 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico.
"We're excited to be working with America Movil to bring the iPhone to Latin America later this year, and we can't wait to get this revolutionary phone in the hands of even more people around the world," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris told the Associated Press.
Specific details of the plan, including carrier exclusivity, have yet to be announced. Apple recently signed a deal with a second carrier in Italy, raising some questions about the company's commitment to one carrier per country.
The Web abounds with gadget blogs. What makes this one different? Our posters are PC Magazine analysts and editors; we encounter an enormous amount of new products and announcements every day, and we know what you want to know about. Because Gearlog is the gadget blog written by geeks, for geeks.
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You see the 
When WowWee sent us its latest desktop companion, 
Sandwiched between four millimeters of foam padding in its zippered carrying case, the 
Just because you have a Webcam doesn't mean you have to settle for grainy images at low resolutions. The 
