Filed under: iPod Family, iTunes, iPhone

I’ve long been a fan of Remote Buddy, which originally started as an Apple remote utility. Over time, however, it’s developed considerably and some time back added support for controlling your Mac with the iPhone / iPod touch via a built-in web server. Version 1.10 takes this to the next level and offers iTunes streaming to your iPhone or iPod touch via wifi (among the changes).

While there have been several ways to accomplish remote playback on the iPhone, Remote Buddy works particularly well with playlists and albums. In addition, the new version improves support for controlling playback to multiple Airport Expresses.

Remote Buddy is €19.99 (~$31) and a demo is available.

[via iPhone Atlas]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Yamaha’s got a thing for making dreams into reality, and we must say, we’re crossing our fingers and hoping to all that’s good and merciful in this world that the above pictured device goes commercial. Little is actually known about the keyboard / notepad hybrid aside from the fact that it was showcased at the Milano Salone trade fair in Italy, and for what it’s worth, Yamaha christened the device “key for journey.” Look, there’s even slots in the leather-bound lid so the keys have room to breathe when it’s all closed up. Ah well, a boy can dream, can’t he?

[Via kanYe West Blog]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We first heard about this laser-guided wheelchair way back in 2006 but didn’t really have much more than promises from the team behind it about exactly what they had in store. As New Scientist reports, however, it seems that the folks from Lehigh University and Freedom Sciences are still hard at work at it, and they’re finally showing off some of their progress. The wheelchair is apparently still not entirely automated though, with it needing to be driven to the rear of the vehicle by remote control, after which the on-board LIDAR system kicks in and loads it onto the lift all by itself. Not surprisingly, the estimated price for the eventual commercial version has also gone up since we last heard from the team, with it now set to demand $30,000 (as opposed to $15,000 to $20,000) when it goes on sale later this year, assuming it gets the necessary FDA approval. Until then, you can head on over after the break to check it out in action.

Continue reading Researchers show off laser-guided wheelchair that docks with vehicles

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Sure, there’s plenty of hackery going on with interactive whiteboards these days, but that doesn’t mean plain old marker-based boards have been left out of the fun completely, as evidenced by this latest contraption devised by Sprite_tm. As you can see in the video after the break, he’s managed to rig up a slightly precarious system that’ll write out any message you send it over the web, and with surprising legibility no less. To do that, Sprite salvaged some parts from an old scanner and printer, along with an ever useful microcontroller, an x/y stepper system, and some rather clever touches like an electromagnet to keep the marker on the board. He even bravely opened up the board to the public, although that unsurprisingly doesn’t appear to have lasted very long. If you want to give one a shot yourself, however, you can find most of the details you’ll need and the necessary source code by hitting up the read link below.

[Via Slash Gear]

Continue reading Remote-controlled whiteboard hack is as practical as it is pretty

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Cops doing computer forensic work already have a ton of tools to choose from, but Microsoft is doing its part to help out as well — the company just revealed that it’s been distributing a special thumb drive to cops in 15 countries to help them identify and extract information from suspects’ computers. The drive, called COFEE for Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor, is in use by more than 2,000 officers, including some in the States, and Microsoft is giving it away for free, saying that its doing it not for profit but to “help make ensure the Internet stays safe.” COFEE contains more than 150 commands that can be used to collect information, decrypt passwords, and poke through network activity, which helps alleviate the problem of having to remove and transport a suspect’s computer for evidence purposes — officers can just plug in the drive. There’s no word on when Microsoft will start widely distributing the drives, but we’d assume it’ll be soon.

[Thanks, Yoshi]

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Filed under: Accessories, iPod Family

This is fun. iPod Building Block speakers from Perpetual Kid snap into your iPod’s connector port and resemble a certain brand of construction blocks that we all know.

Available in five colors, the tiny speakers pull power from your iPod (they won’t work with iPhones, unfortunately) and look cool doing it. Our only complaint is that there isn’t a model designed to sit flush on an old-school iPod nano. Don’t expect theatre-quality sound, of course, but they should spark some conversation. They’re $24.95US each and shipping now.

They’re certainly unique, but they don’t quite crack our list of top five weird iPod accessories

1. The nano thong. It’s what you think it is.
2. iBuzz. As far as we know, the first iPod-powered sex toy.
3. Combo iPod dock/toilet paper dispenser. Because someone’s never heard of magazines.
4. iPod boxer shorts. At that point, just turn on the radio.
5. The KNG iPod DJ dock. I can’t explain it in words; You have to look.

[Via Engadget]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We’ve seen plenty of attempts to mimic spiders in robot-form, but that’s not the only bit of inspiration arising from our eight-legged friends, with a number of other researchers also doing their best to artificially replicate the way a spider spins silk. Now, according to the BBC, it seems that a team from the Technical University of Munich has made some significant progress on that front, which could one day lead to a new means of manufacturing strong but lightweight materials. Specifically, the team created a “device” consisting of three channels etched into a piece of glass, which allows for different combinations protein and salts to be mixed together and extruded as a fiber. They are quick to point out, however, that the resulting fiber is not of “particularly high quality,” and that while it’s a step forward, the whole idea is still “a very big puzzle and there are many pieces missing.”

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Sending electrical shocks into the brain via a “brain pacemaker” has already led to dramatic breakthroughs like the revival of a man trapped in a vegetative state for six years, but new research may mean that the technique is soon a common treatment for disorders like depression and OCD. Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic, Mass General, Harvard Medical School and Brown Medical School implanted the Medtronics brain pacemaker into 17 people suffering from depression and tracked them for a year, finding significant improvements in mood as well as social and occupational functioning, while 26 patients suffering from OCD were followed for three years and also showed “marked improvement.” Findings will be presented to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons this week in Chicago, and clinical trials are scheduled for later this year — in other news, sales of “The Terminal Man” to neurosurgeons recently skyrocketed for unknown reasons.

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Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets

Those tried-and-true hands definitely get the job done, but glancing over to find out what time of the day it is should be an adventure. Singaporean Hans Tan has crafted quite the atypical timepiece with his Idea of a Clock (revision 2), which utilizes a LED bulletin board to spell out the time in text rather than using symbols, numbers or long sticks. Best of all, those interested in making the act of watching time go by somewhat enjoyable can order one from the artist himself, but considering the limited edition nature of the piece, we wouldn’t waste too much time waffling over pulling the trigger.

[Via technabob]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

See that scary man? That there is Archer Quinn, self-proclaimed savior of mankind. He’s prepping a free energy device that he plans to unveil on June 20th of this year, on which date he predicts “the oil reign and those who governed by their money and crushed the people by the taxes and control of the most basic of needs shall be put down for all time.” Yeah, pretty wild stuff. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s decided to nickname his gravity-based device the “Sword of God.” His prior experience involves some sort of “thermal accelerator” (pictured) and a myriad of other inventions, so he doesn’t seem to think breaking Newton’s laws should be much of a problem. Guess it won’t take long to find out. This should be a fun one.

[Thanks Chris; via FE Truth]

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