Coffee Break

The Fiio E5 portable headphone amplifier is probably the world’s smallest headphone amplifier that is designed to improve not only the volume, but also the sound quality of almost any digital audio player such as a MP3 or MP4 Player, Mobile Phone, Laptop, or just about any other portable music device. It is an upgraded model of the Fiio E3 Headphone Amplifier which is already very popular around the world because of it’s great results and very affordable price. And the best of all is that the new E5 not only retains all the features of the E3, but also manages to improve on all the drawbacks that the previous model had. So if you want to use a higher quality headphones with your portable music device than the ones you got it with you probably have to check out the Fiio E5 and the benefits that this portable and inexpensive device can provide in order to boost the volume and improve the bass performance…

The Fiio E5 portable headphones amplifier comes in a very small case that has a clip on it’s back so you can easily... [ Read the rest of the story ]

by [CNET CES 2008]
It's the rare product that excites CNET editors across all categories. The Bug Labs platform, which has been the subject of several conversations around the CNET booth, is one such rarity.

Described as "the Lego of gadgets" by Webware's Rafe Needleman, the Bug Labs platform starts with a minicomputer, the Bug Base, onto which you can snap multiple modules, such as a digital camera or an LCD screen. You can then program your own software to run your custom gadget or download software others have written from the Bug Labs site. Need a GPS-enabled digital camera that will automatically upload your images to Flickr? With the Bug Labs platform, you can build one.

Aside from being eager to tinker with the product, we're thrilled to see such an innovative approach to consumer electronics. The Bug Platform is totally open source, highly configurable, and designed to go wherever consumers' imaginations take them. Plus, the company has a unique "early adopter" pricing scheme, in which the price is lower during the first 60 days; this is a great way to encourage people to start developing software to share.

For more information, check out Tom Merritt's video from the CNET Stage.

you'll see some of the most creatively designed alarm clocks, you'll want some of those so badly to make sure you wont miss work or class

Bomba Alarm Clock:
Relax, it not explode… “Bomba” is just a name for this strange alarm clock…







source [LINK]



Boynq Wake-Up iPod Alarm Dock: Almost Stylish!

There's hardly anything more boring that iPod docks, I know, but this "Wake Up" alarm clock model from Boynq approaches (but does not quite exceed) awesome. The off-kilter design is cute and quirky without going over the top. (Although I don't know why it needs the grey swooping support bars; the whole thing should be sharp-edged.)

The best part, though, is the remote: when your iPod is docked, it can control music playback and function as a snooze button, but when you take your iPod with you for the day, the remote slides into the same slot, never leaving you with a garish hole in the middle of your speaker system.

The Wake Up also includes syncing over USB and video out. (I'm not sure if it supports video out on the new iPods that have that crappy, unnecessary lock-out from Apple.) It's on sale in Europe already at around $185, but I don't know if it'll be released in North America anytime soon. It's also available in Black.
source [LINK]

Sonic Geranid:

Unlike nearly all Raw Feed content, this is neither new nor particularly technology-oriented -- but I couldn't resist. UK gadget web sites are selling a GRENADE ALARM from Paladone called the Sonic Alarm. You use it to wake up other people, such as your lazy kids, hung-over roommate or late-sleeping friend. Just pull the pin, shout "fire in the hole!," lob it into their room, then close the door. The hideous noise -- what the packaging characterizes as "three pitches of skull-shattering sound" -- forces victims to crawl around in search of the offending device so they can shut it off, thereby wrecking their slumber irreversibly.
source [LINK]

Wake n’ Bacon Alarm:

A frozen strip of bacon is placed in Wake n’ Bacon the night before. Because there is a 10 minute cooking time, the clock is set to go off 10 minutes before the desired waking time. Once the alarm goes off, the clock it sends a signal to a small speaker to generate the alarm sound. We hacked the clock so that the signal is re-routed by a microchip that in responds by sending a signal to a relay that throws the switch to power two halogen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen lamps that slow-cook the bacon in about 10 minutes.
source [LINK]

Carpet Alarm Clock, wake up, step on it!

We’ve seen a couple of alarm clocks that make use of different fierce methods, simply for one purpose i.e to get you lazy butt out of the bed. Such as the clocky, the flying alarm clock, which thier aim is to force you out of bed and be fully awake. Here is another alarm clock, which more or less makes use of similar concept to wake you up. It’s a carpet alarm clock. It needs you to step on it in order to turn it off. The idea is you need to leave this carpet alarm clock several steps away from your bed. So, you have to get out of bed to take several steps to reach it for turning it off. By that time, you’ll be fully awake. It’s got a digital display, which is bright enough even though you leave pretty far away from your bed.
source [Link]


Clocky Alarm Clock



This alarm clock runs and hides when you don’t wake up!! Clocky works like just another normal alarm clock, but if you hit the snooze button it jumps right off the night stand and cruises around your bedroom finding a place to hide. It can actually jump 3 feet! One it stops running, the alarm goes off and continues to blare till you get out of bed, find the alarm clock and shut it off.

source [Link]

USB Blender Alarm Clock

This blender-shaped clock could wake you up by its odd noise. I could wake up by the neighbors using their blender, so i can't imagine how noisy is having this thing next to your bed in the morning.
source [Link]


The Bomb Alarm Clock

You will definitely not want to wake up with a bomb going off next to your bed. This alarm clock starts a countdown exactly 3 minutes before the set alarm time. Get up quickly and disconnect the wire corresponding to the blinking lights, or Boooom!! The sound will be loud enough to wake up everyone in your house.
source [Link]

#10. Belkin N1 Vision Wi-Fi Route:

Though the new "N" wi-fi standard, which carries data signals faster and farther than its predecessor "G," isn't expected to be officially ratified until next year, it's far enough along that you can buy certified N products with confidence that they will work with your computers and other hardware. Belkin's audaciously designed N1 Vision router stands vertical and reports on network activity in your house so you can see if your kid is downloading video games when he should be doing his homework. It is designed to configure itself the first time you connect it to your cable modem or DSL, and computers still using older "G" adapters will still be able to connect.

#9. Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive:

Who knew file storage could be so chic? The 160 GB eGo has enough room to hold up to 640,000 digital photos, 2,900 hours of music or 240 hours of video (depending, of course, on the compression rate). A new dual-interface version works over USB or FireWire and comes with both types of cords. If you accidentally knock the eGo off your desk, the shock-absorbing case will protect the important documents and precious media stored inside.

#8. FlyTech Dragonfly

WowWee's flying insect soars, dive-bombs, hovers and glides using authentic flapping-wing action, which makes it the first commercially available toy ornithopter. It's lightweight (about 1 oz.) yet sturdy, and sports a 16-in. wingspan. The two-channel radio remote lets you control wing speed and tail rotor speed and doubles as a charging base (a 20-min. recharge gives you about 6 min. of flying time). The kids will love it — if you can bear to let them have it for a while.

#7. Toshiba Portégé R500-S5004

This ultra thin-and-light notebook is a dream machine for road warriors. It runs on an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and offers 2 GB of RAM, an integrated DVD burner and graphics card and built-in wireless capability (both wi-fi and Bluetooth). The 12.1-in. widescreen LED-backlit display is super slim and displays in high-definition (1280 x 820 pixels). With the S5004 model you get a solid-state hard drive, which means no fragile spinning parts, so the machine is less likely to suffer damage if dropped or bumped. Total weight: 2.4 lbs.

#6. Samsung P2

The slim and sexy P2 sounds terrific and plays a variety of music file formats: MP3, WMA and songs from subscription services like Rhapsody and Yahoo Music. The pretty 3-in. screen has touch controls for viewing photos and watching videos, which are displayed at a DVD-quality rate of 30 frames per second. The device also works with BlueTooth headsets and speakers, and soon you will be able to receive forwarded calls from a BlueTooth cell phone. (You'll have to download what's called a firmware upgrade from the Samsung website, but don't worry, it's not as difficult as it sounds.) Comes with 4 GB of memory for $200, or 8 GB for $250.


#5. Sony Handycam HDR-CX7

The CX7 records rich high-definition footage straight to a flash memory card (Sony's Memory Stick PRO Duo), so it feels light and compact in your palm, and the 2.7-in. LCD screen features touch controls for set up and playback. Should you get the shakes while shooting, the CX7 has the ability to stabilize the image (using optics, which is more effective than a digital correction) and smooth out the action. A built-in HDMI port lets you connect the camera to an HDTV and watch your home movies in all their high-def glory.


#4. Palm Centro

Do you secretly covet your friend's smart phone while dismissing it as way overpriced? The new Palm Centro provides an opportunity to get all the essential smart-phone features without breaking the bank. This light and bright device supports Web surfing, emailing, instant messaging and text messaging, and sports a 1.3-megapixel camera and a touch screen that works best with a stylus. A mobile version of Google Maps comes preloaded. The qwerty keypad is seriously small, but the bubble-like tactile design of the individual keys makes them easier targets.

#3. Netgear SPH200W Wi-Fi Skype Phone

This cordless wi-fi phone comes with Skype software already built in, so you can log in to an existing account and start making cheap Internet calls immediately. If you've never used Skype before, do not fear: It takes a few moments to create a new account and you can do it right from the phone's keypad. (The first 10 minutes are free; after that, you'll want to visit Skype.com from your computer to sign up for a service plan with a credit card.) The phone will also work at most public hotspots (including T-Mobile's) so if you have lots of friends overseas, you may not want to leave home without it.


#2. Nikon Coolpix S51c

Have you ever maxed out your digital camera's memory card midway through a vacation? The 8-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S51c point-and-shoot is tricked out with built-in wireless capability, so you can email your images or beam them directly from the camera to your Flickr account or to Nikon's own online photo bank. It's also got a 3x zoom and a roomy 3-in. LCD screen — and it comes in black.


#1. Apple iPhone

The iPhone changed the way we think about how mobile media devices should look, feel and perform. The design is exceptional inside and out: It's got a slick glass-and-stainless steel case and an elegant touch screen loaded with eye candy. It's an iPod and a 2-megapixel camera. Images and video clips display vertically or horizontally — they reorient themselves depending on how you hold the thing. When the phone detects a wireless network within range — your own home wi-fi set up or somebody else's — it lets you tap once to connect, and then proceed with your Web surfing, Google mapping, emailing and other activities that can otherwise be painfully slow over AT&T's cellular network — the only one, unfortunately, that carries iPhone calls.