Author: ChipChick.com

We haven’t written about any exotic new mice in a while and Microsoft Hardware has answered the void for now. Three new mice are being introduced and include Microsoft’s BlueTrack Technology as well as colors appropriate for Spring. The Comfort Mouse 4500 is a wired mouse, and will be available in black as well as three fresh special-edition colors – Sea Blue, Poppy Red and Strawberry Pink for only $24.95.  The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 includes a tiny Nano transceiver offers an ambidextrous shape and rubber side grips for comfort in either hand. It will be available in April for $29.95 in two colors –  Lock Ness Gray and Dragon Fruit Pink. Lastly the Wireless Mouse 2000 is a full-size mouse with a snap-in transceiver, it too offers an ambidextrous shape with rubber side grips and will be available in March for $29.95. So not really all that exotic but certainly very budget friendly if you are in need of a new mouse.

Three Google executives were convicted in Italy today of privacy violations. This is a most controversial case to rock the tech world, especially since it involves the behemoth that is known as Google. The case stems from a YouTube video of an autistic boy being abused by several bullies and then uploaded to YouTube in Italy. The controversy stems from whether Google should have taken the video down immediately when it was aware of the type of footage that was uploaded. Eventually Google Italy did take the footage down, but not soon enough too many folks had already viewed the imagery and perceived it as offensive and horrific. However, with Google’s help the bullies abusing the boy in the video were identified and sentenced to juvenile court.  Google’s Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer David Drummond was convicted of privacy violations along with former CFO George Reyes, and Global Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer. Senior product marketing manager Arvind Desikan was acquitted.

Many argue that this case may set a new precedent of the type of internet freedom in Italy, while others argue that a limit can be placed on freedom when it comes to someones safety as well as rights. What is your opinion?

(Via The Observer)

We think that soon Lady Gaga is going to give Hello Kitty a run for her money in regards to how many different products and brands uses her likeness and image. Besides lending her design prowess to Monster and Polaroid, she seems to want to invade the iPhone accessory category as well. The Lady Gaga iPhone 3G/ 3Gs Cover is not a skin, but a full fledged plastic case that covers your device. It is also official merchandise being offered from her website. The case doesn’t have her likeness from her current Monster Ball tour, but her ‘The Fame” days. Still, this is a pretty cool case and most likely a find for any Little Monster fan. The Lady Gaga iPhone Case retails for $35.

Storm London has done it again and released a delicious new watch that you probably won’t be able to figure out what time it is on, but it would look oh, so good on your wrist. This futuristic watch is a special edition that features a multicolored LED display. Each color represents a unit of time: Blue equals 10 units, the left column represents the hours and months, and the right column represents the minutes and date. Like I said, this is arm candy because there is no way you’ll remember that. In fact it looks like a really cool video game on your wrist rather than a watch at all. The Storm Cosmo watch comes in silver, black, and white and retails for £159.99 (US $247).

Power A has just released the “Universal Remote Case”, designed specifically for the Apple iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 3G. The POWER A Universal Remote Case is both a protective case and universal remote that can control any IR device like televisions, DVD/Blu-ray players, and cameras. The case works in conjunction with a free app called POWER A Universal Remote and completes the full transformation of your iPhone into full fledged remote control that you can have with you at all times. At launch the Universal Remote Case will only be available at the Apple store but expect it to hit other retailers over the next few months. There will also be a version coming out for the iPod Touch as well. The Power A Universal Remote Case will retail for $59.99. So basically you just have replaced all your remotes with your iPhone – now just don’t lose that under the couch cushions.

I’m an avid traveler for business but I don’t necessarily want to check my bag everytime I carry-on more than 3fl oz of make-up or any type of liquid, especially when I need to run off when the plane lands. A new site called 3floz.com is a dedicated e-commerce site that sells name brand, high end beauty, grooming and personal care items that are all 3 fl oz or less. The site carries both men and women’s products in a variety of categories, including a brand list that includes Philip B, Go Smile, Ole Henriksen, Malin + Goetz, Air Repair, Archipelago Botanicals, Anthony for Men and more, including travel kits from Ahava, The Art of Shaving, Dr. Hauschka, Jonathan and Yes to Carrots. Online exclusives include Phyto Haircare, Baxter of California, and Blow. New brands are constantly being added, and plans for the future include the addition of baby products, cosmetics, travel-friendly beauty and grooming tools, and accessories. Items on 3floz.com range from $3-$110, but saving time on the baggage claim line – priceless.

Well we absolutely went bananas last week over the Barbie Video Girl. So for those who just can’t wait to get their hands on it can pre-order it from Entertainment Earth. Not only is it available for pre-order, but we also unearthed an African American version which wasn’t mentioned to us at Toy Fair. We love the diversity! According to Entertainment Earth, they will both be available in April (Subject to change) and retail for $66.79. Personally, I can’t wait to run around with this and see if Barbie does see the world as a pink technicolor dreamcoat.

I think we all run into this dilemma when we massage ourselves – we just want to know the time when we are done with the massage. I’m kidding of course, but apparently Oregon Scientific thought that needing to know the time while you massage yourself is important, and with their new Mini Massager, not only will it soothe your aching muscles, but it also sports a built in digital clock. The Mini Massager also comes with 2 different attachments for spot-specific relief or a multi-head nodule for general massaging. In any case, it’s portable and perfect for a stressful business trip – too bad you can’t connect your MP3 player to it too. The Mini Massager retails for $19.99.

We have seen plenty of computer companions before, but we haven’t seen a Hello Kitty one. The Hello Kitty USB Companion is about 2 1/2 inches in height and will plug into your computer via USB. While you work, it will entertain you by responding at random and reacting to your voice or any type of sound in the area. The Hello Kitty Computer Companion retails for ¥ 3,650.00 (US $40).

There are many great Apps for the iPhone, but like with anything there can always be a bad apple in a bunch. And that’s what I think of the new SpeidiWeb for iPhone, a dedicated App tracking all the moronic escapades of Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt.  Gain access to never before scene photos and videos new and old. If you must have that latest crap song from Heidi you can purchase it directly from the SpeidiWeb. You will also be able to get notifications of their latest plastic surgery enhancements and whatever other douchery they get into. For $1.99 save your money and buy a cup of coffee instead –  in fact buy anything but this App!

Sonoro is well known for their trendy high quality audio products, so why not add to to the already popular Cubo line and introduce a new Cubo called ‘Cubo 2010‘ as well as an eDock. What’s difference from the original Cubo? Well there are new colors, iPod, iPod iTouch and iPhone docking and RF remote control. The new cubo 2010 high gloss lacquered finishes are in sonoro red, black, white and silver colours and fuchsia pink, jungle green and lemon yellow.  The natural wood finishes come in rich dark oak and environmentally-friendly bamboo. Cubo 2010 users can operate the device from another room and at a distance with a special RF remote control. The Sonoro eDock, an auxiliary docking station is compatible with all older gen and newer gen iPod models, including the iPod touch 3G iPhone 3GS. When paired with eDock, the Cubo 2010 package becomes an all-in-one complete audio solution retailing for 369€ (US $502) and the eDock for 69€ (US $94).

I am a hardcore picture taker. Paparazzo. Twit-Pic-er. What that means, is that whenever I’m out with my friends or family, I’m that girl that will stop a stranger on the street and make them take a picture. Maybe even two. Although a tad annoying at times, friends are (usually) happy when the pictures appear on Facebook for their enjoyment the next day. But when people aren’t as good about posting pictures as I am, I get irritated, wishing I could have that cute group shot we took over the weekend. Finally, Polaroid thought of a solution with the Polaroid PoGo. This printer syncs with any Bluetooth device to print pictures on-the-go. Yes! Once the PoGo is synced with your Bluetooth enabled cell phone, you can send pictures to the device and instantly print them out for your friends and family on adorable little 2 inch by 1 inch pre-cut glossy photo paper. That means you can take a picture in the beginning of dinner and print out 8 copies for all your friends by the time you’ve eaten your appetizer.

The Polaroid PoGo is a stylish and sleek 4 inch by 3 inch photo printer, available in pink or black for around $49.99. The PoGo is powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery that can be charged by plugging the device into the wall using the included charger. If you don’t want to wait for the device to charge, you can leave it plugged in and turn the power on. After you charge the PoGo, you’ll need to load the zinc photo paper into the printer. Each package of zinc photo paper is individually sealed and comes with 10 sheets of the specially designed photo paper for around $10.99 a pack. Once you open the wrapped package, you’ll be happy to know there’s a large blue card, instructing you which way to insert the paper into the printer. There will be no confusion over glossy side up or down. Remove the reminder blue card and insert the paper into the printer. Done! That was easy. Turn the PoGo on. Done! Also easy thanks to the large power button on the side. Now your printer is ready to sync with your cell phone.

On your cell phone, turn the Bluetooth sync on. Doing this obviously depends on the type of cell phone you have, but hopefully the process won’t be that difficult once you’re in the settings on your phone. Ok, Bluetooth is on. Your Bluetooth device should pick up a signal from the PoGo printer, which you will know because it calls out the Bluetooth device as “Polaroid.” Click on Polaroid, type in the passcode provided in the packaging, and press sync. Hopefully your Bluetooth cell phone will have no problem finding the PoGo. If your phone won’t sync with the PoGo, the package comes with a toll free help line number as well as detailed instructions.

Once you’re sync’d with the Polaroid PoGo, you’re ready to print. Go into your phone’s photo gallery, click on “Share via Bluetooth” and send the photo to the PoGo print. Presto! About 30 seconds later, the photo will print on the zinc photo paper. An adorable 2 inch by 1 inch picture. One thing I really liked about the printer is that it uses zinc technology so the picture comes out completely dry and smudgeproof. What’s great about the printer is that you don’t always need to print directly from your cell phone. If you’d like to print from your digital camera you can connect the camera via USB and print equally adorable 1 inch by 2 inch pictures from your camera. Or print from your computer! The possibilities are endless. Picture quality obviously depends on your camera’s resolution, which for cell phones oftentimes isn’t very good. This is a completely different story if you’re printing from your camera or computer.

The Pros:
-Detailed instructions including scenario instructions if things don’t work right away. Also a big card separate from the instruction manual that calls out the toll free number.
-Zinc ink makes for smudge free pictures that are instantly dry
-Easy to follow instructions and help is available if necessary

The Cons:
-From the time you click print to the time the picture actually prints takes anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute
-No way to print multiple copies of a picture at once

Overall the PoGo printer is an awesome way to print your pictures on-the-go. I love that you’re able to send pictures directly from your phone to the printer with Bluetooth, rather than sending pictures to your computer and then printing them out. The adorable 1×2 inch printouts are great party favors for your friends to remember a great night out.

When a new cellphone comes out, we are all concerned about whether it will give the iPhone a run for its money or not. But instead of worrying about if your next phone has multi-touch or if it can multitask, we all seem to have neglected to consider how high the Specific Absorption Rate, AKA SAR values are on these wonderful new devices. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently undertook a 10-month research review to understand the risks, and what they found was a bit disturbing due to the fact that they concluded that these phones do emit radiation, and that the existing research on cell phone radiation is still very muddled. Fortunately, they put together a radiation chart, charting about 1000 cellphones which incorporates the newest, best, and lowest cellphones and their SAR values. Their research reveals that many of the hottest smartphones on the market today are in the top 10 list for highest SAR values – and that includes the Motorola Droid, iPhone 3G S, BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Nexus One, to name a few.

Newest cellphones and radiation levels:

Tech Expert Rank *	Phone Model		Service carrier(s)	Radiation
# 1		Motorola Droid	Verizon Wireless	1.50 W/kg
# 2		Apple iPhone 3G S	AT&T	1.19 W/kg
# 3		HTC Nexus One by Google	T-Mobile	1.39 W/kg
# 4		Blackberry Bold 9700	AT&T, T-Mobile	1.55 W/kg
# 5		Samsung Instinct HD (SPH-M850)	Sprint	1.16 W/kg
# 6		Motorola CLIQ with MOTOBLUR	T-Mobile	1.10 W/kg
# 7		Motorola Brute i680	Sprint	0.86 W/kg
# 8		Pantech Impact	AT&T	0.92 W/kg
# 9		LG Chocolate Touch (VX8575)	Verizon Wireless	1.46 W/kg
# 10		Samsung Mythic (SGH-A897)	AT&T	1.08 W/kg

To read more about EWG’s study, and to see the list of cell phones for 2010 with the lowest SAR Values, visit http://www.ewg.org/cellphone-radiation

Did you ever wonder what happened to those lost and broken LEGO bricks you had as a child? Well they became jewelry of course! This particular one available on Perpetual Kid is not only recycled, but also sports a genuine Swarovski Crystal and a 18″ silver plated chain. It is available in pink, blue, white, black, and red for $14.99. But if this Lego necklace isn’t glamorous enough for you, Refashioned is another company that makes jewelry from recycled toys, included discarded LEGO bricks for instance. So if you are interested in a more intricate LEGO necklace or maybe just a bracelet, Refashioned sells this brick jewelry at wholesale directly from their website.

Thinksound is a company that began with the sole intention of offering incredible sounding headphones with the smallest eco-footprint possible. Their recently launched Thunder line certainly sounds incredible, and judging by the packaging and components, it certainly seems to be designed with the greenest intentions. Thunder in-ear 10mm ear buds are made of real wooden housing and feature passive noise isolation. Music is natural sounding and the bass is great.

 

What’s in the box:
The packaging is very minimalistic. Constructed from recycled materials, this small package includes the headphones, warranty information, and a cotton carrying pouch (sewn from renewable sources), which contains a cord clip and 3 different sized silicone eartips. The eartips come in XS, S, M, and L sizes.

Design:
Wooden housing is a real classy touch on earbuds. It comes in Black Chocolate and Silver Cherry finishes [Black Chocolate pictured]. The wood housing serves its function by providing more resonance than buds in a similar price range. The cable is appropriately sized at 50 inches, and is PVC-free. It feels a bit thicker than regular headphone cables, and is also “tangle resistant”. While tangling is always likely to occur with any cable, it does seem to be easier to straighten out then many other headphone cables out there. The gold-plated straight plug is well reinforced with a thick casing. The silicone eartips are black with the Black Chocolate model, and a white with Silver Cherry finish. They are also quite comfortable.

Performance and Audio/music quality:
Finding the right eartip fit is important. The difference between a good seal and the perfect seal was quite large. With the perfect seal, music sounded very natural on the Thunder. As previously mentioned, the wood offers more resonance than you would notice from metal or plastic earbuds. If you don’t think you have the ear for resonance, you would very likely  be able to hear the difference when listening to a song with acoustic guitar (try Eric Clapton’s acoustic version of ‘Layla’). The bass is deep and the highs and mids are at the right level. The passive noise cancellation will mask out a lot of background noise and ambient sound, including most chatter.

Conclusion:
Thinksound Thunder retails for $74.99, but can be found for $44.99 online (Amazon). For just under $45 these earbuds are well worth the audio quality they provide, not to mention the small part you’d be playing in maintaining environmentally friendly. From audio quality alone they are a close competitor to many of the $100 earbuds we listen to. These eco-friendly earbuds will stay comfortable sitting in your ears for hours. They also come with a six month limited warrantee.

The Good: Great bass, great resonance, looks good, feels good, and great price!
The Bad: They may expose sub-par MP3 bitrates like 128kbps.

If you ever wanted to control your own Millennium Falcon you’ll be able to in the fall. Hasbro has announced the availability of an indoor flying remote control Millennium Falcon. When we saw it in action we were pretty impressed.  It is 11 inches long and 8 inches wide, the largest flying Star Wars R/C to date and is highly detailed, easy to fly and includes a charging controller and vehicle battery for up to five minutes of flying time. When we saw it in action were where extremely impressed on how high it got and how quickly it took off. Expect the STAR WARS R/C Millennium Falcon to retail for $49.99 and be available in the Available: Fall 2010. I’m sure plenty of adults will want this more than the kids.

At PMA today, HP released a whole bunch of new digital cameras, but our favorite is the HP V1020h digital camcorder that records in 720p HD. Featuring a slim design, and a direct USB Connector, this little camcorder is a total Flip competitor. There is no more information about its specs, except that from the product photos we can tell that it has a 2X digital zoom and its memory can be expanded via SD cards. The HP V1020h digital camcorder will retail for a pretty sweet $109 price tag when it becomes available this summer.

The gadget skin market has been crowded for some time now, but what made GelaSkins so successful is the combination of its quality skins and artist exclusive designs. Now Smirk About has started doing the same thing, they’re offering up skins of the MacBook Pro, iPhone, DS Lite, and other popular gadgets. These skins feature artworks from select, artists and they certainly are offering a nice selection of beautiful skins. Is there room for another skin company like this on the market though? Time will tell.

Not content with just regular paint jobs anymore, Computer Choppers wants to bling out your iPhone 3G-S in gold and diamonds. Their Limited Edition 24kt Gold & Diamonds iPhone 3G-S covers the iPhone in real 24KT gold, and the Apple logo gets studded with diamonds. There is no word on pricing yet,  but you can expect such a renovation to cost a pretty penny.