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Asda, a supermarket chain, is launching its new project which would sell a mobile phone for as low as 5. No, that figure isn’t missing any zeroes…

Weird as it may sound, you can pick up a phone at Asda for as low as 5 and you don’t even have to buy credits for it. You just purchase some when you need it, otherwise, you’re not required to do so. Available models are Nokia 1112 (which you see on the pic), Sagem My150x, Sagem My212x, and Sagem My220x. According to the spokesperson, the deal is perfect for those whose mobile phones were recently damaged, those who want an extra handset, or those who’re visiting the country. 50,000 of these handsets are set to be sold today in various Asda outlets nationwide. Of course, environmentalists don’t seem to be happy with the deal (and neither am I, come to think of it), as it promotes electronics to be disposable items. We already have enough junk in our landfills to allow thousands of handsets more. Moreover it could serve those whose intentions aren’t exactly so noble–as DailyMail commenter John C. from London says, “This is just what criminals have been waiting for, no one will be able to trace their calls.”

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Iomega has announced the new ScreenPlay HD Multimedia Drive, a portable external data storage device touting a 500GB storage capacity provided by a 3.5 inch 7200rpm NTSF formated hard drive.

The ScreenPlay HD Multimedia Drive comes with a remote control to help you navigate through your collection of digital content and has support for various media formats including MP3, AC3, WAV, WMA, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and JPEG. It also features both HDMI and component video outputs that you can use to display high-resolution digital photos and video on your display of choice. With these connections, you can choose your preferred video settings from either 480i, 480p, 720p or 1080i.

The ScreenPlay HD Multimedia Drive is currently available in the US and retails for $209.95, and is expected to ship internationally sometime in May for around $282.

Via [Far East Gizmos]

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I honestly can’t say that I miss the cassette tape one bit. Sure, I didn’t have a ton of time to really enjoy the format before CDs took over, but anything that you have to rewind isn’t very much fun. Some people still have fond memories of those little plastic cassettes, and want to show off their love. This Cassette mp3 player is perfect for such people.

All you need to do is pop in an SD card loaded with your favorite tracks, and you’re ready to go. It may seem like just a novel case for an otherwise boring MP3 player, however, it does have one trick hidden up its sleeve. If your car still has an old tape deck in the dash, just pop this little device in and it will play music just like any other tape.  $39.99 might be just a little expensive for something like this, but it’s still pretty cool.

Source: Dvice

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Sony Ericsson has announced their latest clamshell handset, the Z780. This phone, as we already had a good idea of what it was going to look like, thanks to those leaked images, is really just now having the specs confirmed. The Z780 will have HSDPA support and feature a 2.2-inch display with a 320 x 240 pixel resolution, 2-megapixel camera with 2.5x digital zoom, Bluetooth and 35MB of internal memory with a Memory Stick Micro card slot for additional storage.

Similar to the G502, the Z780 will also be web and email friendly, offering automatic email setup with the Access NetFront Browser. The Z780 also offers RSS support, has Exchange ActiveSync support and will have Google Maps for Mobile pre-installed.

The Z780 will be available in either Grand Onyx or Amethyst Silver and will be released in Q2 2008, no word yet on any pricing. Keep reading for another image of the Z780…

Read [Sony Ericsson]

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The Amazon Kindle, while having been released way back in November 2007 somehow feels like a brand new release. I guess when an item sells out within days and remains out-of-stock for about five months it is bound to seem like a new release when it comes back in stock again.

While the Kindle has already been reviewed many times around the Interwebs, I wanted to share my thoughts and feeling towards the Amazon Kindle. Mainly because I feel its overpriced and expensive at $399, but at the same time its (at least in my opinion) well worth the money.

The Kindle would be great for someone who travels often, because it would provide them an easy way to carry multiple books or purchase a new book should they finish, or decide they do not like the one they had thanks to the always connected book store, I do not fit into that category, but can still find the value, let me explain.

Aside the fact that I really enjoy reading, I wanted a Kindle so I would have easy access to purchase new books. I am looking at the Kindle and Amazon as compared to the iPod and the iTunes Store. With iTunes, I can instantly purchase some new music, and while this has caused me to spend more money than I wanted to from time to time, it comes down to convenience. See for me, I live a decent distance from a bookstore and rarely want to make the drive just to buy a book, so I rely on ordering most books, but coming back to the ipod and iTunes Store comparison, I want instant gratification. If I hear about a book or find one online that I want to read, I don’t always want to wait a few days for it to arrive, nor do I always have time to drive to the store, the Kindle solves that problem for me, which for me helps ease the pain of spending $399.

I have had the Kindle for just a few days now, and while it feels a little strange not holding a “real” book, I cannot say that I miss it the feel. The Kindle is lightweight and very easy on they eyes, so far I have read for about 3 hours in two-sittings. It felt a little awkward at first and took some time to get used to the next and previous page buttons, but after an hour of so it had felt like I had been using it for a long time. Time will tell if I end up liking or disliking the Kindle in the long-term but as of now it’s a winner.

Product [Amazon Kindle]

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Samsung has announced four new desktop monitors bearing their “Touch of Color” product branding; the T190, T220, T240 and T260. All four monitors boast a maximum contrast ratio of 20,000:1 which gives out enhanced picture quality. Aside from high contrast ratio, these new desktop monitors were made to operate with the lowest energy cost as possible. In fact when putting them into standby mode, only 0.3-watts of power is consumed by the monitors. For its GTG response, both the T190 and T200 has 2ms GTG response while the T240 and T260 boasts of a 5ms response.

Other features of these monitors include; MagicColor intelligent color control, MagicBright Dynamic Contrast control, aspect ratio adjustment, multi-screen functionality and an HDMI connection on the T240 and T260. Both the T220 and T190 are now available and retail for $359 and $259 respectively, while the T240 and T260 will be available by end of July for $499 and $599 respectively.

Read [Business Wire] Product [Samsung]

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What’s this sudden renewed interest into the small office and home office printer market? After Canon announced its latest all-in-one-printer, here comes Kodak with a new all-in-one of its own. Dubbed the ESP 5, Kodak is promoting this printer as having the ability to print a 4×6 borderless photo in 30 seconds or if you are still into document printing, this printer can yield 30 pages per minute in black or 29 per minute in color. By industry standard, those printing speeds are definitely fast.

Aside from its fast printing speed, the ESP 5 printer also features a 3-inch color LCD display to let you view and crop your photos before printing them. The USB and memory card slot allows for printing photos even if the printer is not connected to a camera or PC. In addition, the ESP 5 also comes equipped with an intelligent paper sensor that automatically adjusts settings based on paper type, how cool is that? And yes, the ESP 5 printer also has a Bluetooth capability.

The Kodak ESP 5 retails for $169 and will start shipping on May 5. You can be the first to snag one of this printers if you pre-order online now through the Kodak site.

Product [Kodak] Read [Business Wire]

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by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 25th 2008 at 4:30AM
Japan’s oldest “modern” robot — the 10-foot, 6-inch GakuTenSoku — has been awakened in Japan. Gone are the inflatable rubber tubes of the original 1928 android build by biologist Makoto Nishimura. The bot now tilts its head, moves his eyes, smiles, and puffs out his cheeks thanks to a $200,000, computer-controlled, pneumatic-servo makeover. While nothing compared to his modern offspring, GakuTenSoku still manages to creep us the hell out. On display at the renovated Osaka Science Museum starting July 18th. Video after the break.

[Via Impress]

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It is a fact that airbags inside automobiles have helped save thousands of drivers and their passengers from serious injury or even death. But what about collisions that involve cars and pedestrians or even cars and motorcycles? Airbags inside the car may protect the driver, but not the poor souls outside the vehicle. One Swedish company, however, is hoping to change all that.

Autoliv Inc. is the creator of new airbag system to protect people outside the car from serious injuries during accidents. The system operates when a front side impact is detected and inflates an airbag that covers most of the car’s hood and some of the front windshield. This would of course lessen the impact of persons outside striking the car’s hood and possibly protect them from crashing through the front windshield of the car.

Estimates from the Dutch Cycling Federation say that perhaps 60 lives and over 1500 serious injuries could be prevented if an external airbag system like that created by Autoliv is used. With a useful airbag system like this, hopefully it will find its way into all new cars around the world in the near future.

Read more at InventorSpot.

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It’s that time of year again: Mother’s Day. Everyone knows the standard Mother’s Day Gifts: chocolate, dinner, and clothes, to name a few. But what do you get a geeky mom or what does a geek get a mom? Check out our 2008 Mother’s Day Guide to find out.

Open It!
Price: $11.99
Don’t you hate it when you have that difficult to open blister pack that your child’s toy is wrapped up tight in? Instead of reaching for a pair of scissors or a utility knife, give Open It! a try. The scissor-like device can open hard plastic clamshells, blister packs, a variety of toy packaging, and more. It also has a utility knife built onto it and a screwdriver, too. It’s a great tool, especially for the price.

ClickFree DVD Photo or Music Backup
Price: $14.99
If mom isn’t as geeky as you are, pick up this five-pack of DVDs that start backing up photos or music as soon as they’re inserted into the computer. It’s really just that easy–no complicated software to learn, just insert and start backing up. Backing up should always be this easy…

“Pocket Album” digital key chain photo viewer
Price: $39.95
What mom doesn’t want to take pictures of the kids with her? Well, how about if she could bring 74 photos on her keychain? Thanks to Digital Foci she can. The “Pocket Album” comes with software that runs on Mac or PC and instantly converts JPEGs and BMPs to Pocket Album viewing. It also features a 1.5″ color LCD screen and a rechargable battery that lasts nine hours. Mom will never leave home without the pictures again.

Ziszor personal shredder
Price: $39.95
If you’re worried about your identity being stolen, $39.95 is a small price to pay. The Ziszor isn’t an identity protection service, instead it’s a personal shredder. It can shred a variety of paper sizes but most importantly, it’s compact and easy to use. We reviewed it recently and liked it so much that we’re recommending it for this guide.

Apple iPod family
Price: from $49
This year there’s an Apple for everyone. If you just want music and no video there’s the iPod shuffle. If you want a small form factor, music and video, there’s the nano. If you want your entire music library there’s the classic. And if you want a great looking screen and enough room to store some movies and music, there’s the ipod touch.

Sansa Clip
Price: from $31
If your mom doesn’t want an Apple product or you prefer that she use something that doesn’t require iTunes, check out the Clip. This little beauty can clip to your clothing and comes in a bunch of colors. It features FM radio with a recorder, microphone, and ships in either 1GB, 2GB or 4GB built-in. The best thing is that they managed to include an LCD on the front. In my opinion it’s what the Shuffle should have been.

EXERGEN Temporal Artery Thermometer
Price: $49.95
If you need to take a temperature, don’t bother with putting something under the tongue or the ear. Do it the geeky way–through the Temporal Artery. With a push and a slide you’ll have your child’s temperature displayed to you in seconds. I swear by this device in my own house–it’s fast, easy and super accurate.

Anycom Solar powered Bluetooth hands free Car kit
Price: from $63.99
If you have a Bluetooth-compatible phone and drive a lot, this car kit is just what you’ve been looking for. While there are plenty of Bluetooth hands-free kits on the market, this one features a solar panel which guarantees that it’s almost always charged and ready to go. If it’s not, you can plug it into your cigarette lighter with the included cable.

Lightning Strike Personal Protection System
Price: $79.99
What family member doesn’t want to see mom as safe as possible? The folks at Brite Strike know safety first hand, being that police officers started the company. This Mother’s Day they’re offering a complete protection system which comes with a 60 lumens flashlight that operates in high, low, and even strobe mode. In addition, your mom will feel safe because the kit also includes a Personal Alarm that emits 100 decibels of sound. If that doesn’t scare someone away, or at least alert others around you, I don’t know what will. Side story: my wife had something like this a while back and left it in the glove compartment. I pulled the pin–that was a mistake I won’t make again.

Navigon 2100 GPS
Price: from $139
These days just about every company is making a GPS. Most feature the same functions but Navigon has caught our eye as being particularly “geeky”. The device offers a unique 3D Reality View, Zagats ratings, real-time traffic, and more. It’s a nice piece of kit, especially for the price.

SmartShopper
Price: $150
Mom’s shop. Well, Dad’s do too, but this is a Mother’s Day guide. The SmartShopper techs up your shopping experience before you even leave the house by allowing you to speak what you want to buy into the device. Then before you go shopping you click Print and you’ve got your list. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Parrot Photo Viewer 7-inch
Price: from $163.99
Digital photo frames are nothing new, but Parrot’s has a geeky twist. Instead of loading up your memory card, simply send the photos from your phone or PC via Bluetooth. The frame will automatically adjust the photo for display. The kicker is that you can display over 500 photos on its 7-inch screen.

Canon PowerShot S5 IS
Price: from $294
What mom doesn’t want to take pictures of her kids? There’s a ton of point-and-shoots out there and for the really geeky mom there’s the DSLR, but what about in between? Canon’s PowerShot S5 IS hits that sweet spot by offering an 8 Megapixel camera with 12x optical zoom lens with image stabilization. It also offers the usual features including Red-Eye correction, and a 2.5-inch LCD. This camera really can’t take a bad picture. I bought it for my wife (a mom of two) and we can’t get enough of it.

Dell XPS One
Price: from $1299
If you are looking to buy a computer as a gift don’t go the traditional route with a big beige box and a tangle of cables. Today’s all-in-one computer systems bundle the case, display, and speakers into one unit that not only looks great but takes up a lot less space. These systems, like the Gateway One, Dell XPS One, and Apple iMac, are full-fledged systems that don’t require any significant sacrifices to move a number components into one slick system. It’s definitely a great alternative to a notebook that will never leave your desktop. It’s a toss up between the Dell, Apple, and Gateway, but if you want a Windows system, the Dell is a nice option, though the iMac is still the king of the all-in-ones.