Author: Kat Hannaford

Orb’s first PC speakers come with a 15W Class T amplifier, so even if you’ve got them paired up to a crummy Dell your audio output won’t be too compromised.

There’s a couple of options for the speakers—choose the Mod1 which costs $299 for the two speakers and amp, or spend a bit more ($359 in total) if you’d rather an antique copper, bronze or polished steel to match your steampunk set-up. The next step up is the Mod2, which has two ball-shaped parts to each speaker for more bass. These cost $149 more if you want the standard black color, or $209 more if you want one of the fancy metallic shades.

My personal opinion is that the cheaper black option looks dead cheap and no better than your average Logitech pair, so it’d be worth springing $359 for the copper, bronze or steel models. [Orb via Slashgear]

Why’d Nokia give away Ovi Maps for free to other OS users? Unless they’re…planning an Android phone themselves? We’ve already heard whispers they’re to release just one Maemo device this year—and they can’t possibly survive on Symbian alone.

Greig Williams, who is Nokia’s general manager for the Alps and South East Europe, told the Austrian newspaper Die Presse that porting Ovi Maps to Android and Windows Mobile “will be the next step.”

It’d be crazy of them to release their free turn-by-turn navigation service on other operating systems, unless it was all some grand scheme to woo consumers back to Nokia, so I’m reading into Williams’s comments that Nokia’s working on devices running Android and Windows Mobile. There. I said it. Perhaps it’s not the end of Nokia after all. [Die Presse via Electricpig]

UPDATE: Our early morning hysteria has just been crushed. CRUSHED. Nokia told Engadget that Williams was misquoted by Die Presse and they’re in the process of taking the quote down. Way to ruin the fun, Nokia.

If you haven’t got nearly enough of the cameras coming out of the PMA show this week, you couldn’t go wrong with the 26x optical zoomer X90 from Pentax, which takes last year’s X70 and ups the zoom-factor.

It’s still got a 12.1-megapixel sensor, but going back to that zoom lens it now spans a 26mm wide angle to 676mm super telephoto. The LCD measures 2.7-inches and it shoots HD video (no word on specifics, yet) and has face detection, triple shake reduction, anti-shake, an electronic viewfinder, Eye-Fi compatibility and a HDMI interface with USB 2.0 port. Battery life has also been improved by 50 per cent over the X70. You’d be pretty steaming if you splashed the cash on last year’s model, though as the date of release hasn’t been mentioned by Pentax just yet, it could still be some way off.

CrunchGear’s found the pre-order page on Amazon, which puts it at $399.95, which seems like a very fair price to me. [Pentax via CrunchGear]

We all know Windows Phone 7 is due at the end of the year, but according to the Chinese version of Engadget, LG is preparing for a launch date as early as September, as late as November. It’s still a wide gap, but certainly a lot more hopeful than “early 2011.” [Engadget Chinese via Engadget]

After 18 months of Gmail Labs being in operation, Google’s killing off some unpopular features, but also promoting the oft-used ones to permanent functions. Say hello to the forgotten attachment detector, YouTube previews and custom label colors.

While the muzzle, fixed width font, email addict, location in signature and random signature functions have been buried by Google due to either a lack of interest or the feature made redundant by something better that’s waltzed on in, at least the good man won, with my trusty forgotten attachment detector graduating to a standard feature.

It detects phrases in your email, such as the word “attachment,” and before sending the email reminds you of the forgotten attachment. Definitely saves redface, especially when applying for a new job.

Search autocomplete and the go to label function will suggest words when searching in the Gmail box for a particular email. YouTube Previews is fairly self explanatory, opening a little preview which will avoid being Rickrolled for the umpteenth time.

Over 4,000 colors are now available for labels—handy if you have a green fetish—and the last graduating feature is vacation dates, which will turn on your out of office autoreply based on what dates you’re on holiday. [Gmail Blog]

The chocolate brown HTC Incredible has reappeared on the scene, this time in Verizon Wireless‘ inventory system. Is the Android phone close to announcement? It’s peculiar HTC hasn’t officially announced it yet, instead outing the Legend and Desire.

The Android 2.1 phone (with HTC Sense slicked on top) is rumored to run on a Snapdragon processor, with 256MB of RAM and a 3.5 – 3.7-inch WVGA display. If traces of the Incredible are appearing on Verizon’s system, then it’d make sense if it’s outed shortly—right, HTC? [Berry Scoop via Android Community]

Image Credit: Pocketnow

Realizing that tech nerds like space, the environment (well, in small doses—and only on a 1080p monitor) and everything else that Mother Nature supplies us with, National Geographic has teamed up with Gelaskins for some natty nature covers.

Not just available for the various iPods and iPhones, they’ve also got some Kindle 2, Kindle DX and Nook covers plus skins for 13-inch MacBooks and 13.3 – 14.1-inch laptops. My favorite is the slightly naff Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A space ones, but the wild green sea turtle is also pretty special too. Especially if you’re a 14 year old girl—though don’t let my gender stereotyping put any 46-year old bikers off getting a sea lion case for their Nook. [Gelaskins via Unplggd]

When Microsoft introduced its BlueTrack mice technology in late 2008, they promised laser precision on any surface—whether that be carpet, wood or the belly of a dog. Now you can grab three new models for under thirty bucks.

The three models—the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500, Wireless Mouse 2000 and Comfort Mouse 4500—all have the same BlueTrack tech, but differ in size and transceivers. The Mobile Mouse 3500 has a nano-transceiver and rubber grips on the side for extra support when surfing, whereas the 2000 model is larger, with a snap-in transceiver. As the name suggests, the Comfort Mouse 4500 is probably the most cushioned of the lot, but actually has one (if you ask me) hindrance—a wire. It’s the first BlueTrack mouse with a wire though, so obviously they agree with me.

While the 2000 model comes in just plain ol’ black and will be available in March, the 3500 is in the mysterious “lock ness gray” and tantalizing “dragon fruit pink,” and won’t be seen until April, with the March-bound 4500 aimed at the kids in “sea blue,” “poppy red” and “strawberry pink.” [Microsoft]

What you’re looking at is not only the winner of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council photo competition, it’s also the moment when humans became fearful of the mighty weightlifting ant race.

As your eyes have clocked from the words “500mg” written on the weight, it’s lifting approximately 100 times its own body weight. Also visible in the photo (apart from the ant’s cruel fate flashing before its eyes, as it envisions a future taking on human civilization, only to be crushed with a single lazy spray of Rentokil) is the tiny little wet pads on each foot that helps lift heavy weights. I could do with some of those for the gym. [PopSci]

Train stations in the UK sometimes broadcast mosquito noises that are so high-pitched they can only be heard by those under 25 years of age, but Japan’s taken it one step too far with this age prediction gadget.

Designed to be used on blind dates to determine their age, the Age Prediction Machine plays a buzzing mosquito sound, which will tell the user whether they’re actually a teenager, in their early 20s, 30s or—heaven forbid!—over 40, depending on how well they can hear it. If they start slapping imaginary mosquitoes away on the 40-year old setting (which should be the loudest), then you know you’ve been set up with a goose of a blind date. [Plusd itmedia via Newlaunches]

The annual Geneva Motor Show has had an early entry ahead of next week, with Honda’s battery-powered 3R-C concept trike looking very fast and ever so protective of the dry head inside.

The minimal, space-age three-wheeler has a low electric drivetrain to improve stability, and high sides for greater safety. Added to that, the lockable boot at the front will protect the millions of dollars worth of jewels you’ve just stolen in the high-speed jewelery heist (I’m just elaborating on the fantasy of owning one).

It’ll probably never come to fruition, like a lot of Honda’s great concepts, but this DIY Honda Innova motorcycle is scarily close. Well, if you squint your eyes and look at it upside down, anyway. [Electricpig and Jalopnik]

Some shocking news reaches us via the Google blog today—apparently three Google employees have been convicted in an Italian court over a video uploaded to Google Video back in 2006. Scarily, they had nothing to do with it.

Writing on the blog, Google’s VP and Deputy General Counsel Matt Sucherman described that some Italian schoolkids uploaded a video four years ago of them bullying an autistic peer. After being notified by Italian police, Google took the video down and aided them with details of the kid who uploaded it. So far, par for the course—you could say Google acted quickly and responsibly in the situation.

But unfortunately the story doesn’t end there, as instead of being sent a bottle of Tuscan wine, four Google employees were slapped with charges “for failure to comply with the Italian privacy code” and criminal defamation. Pretty absurd, right?

To make matters worse, three of the four employees have just been convicted in a Milan court on the first charge, despite not having anything to do with uploading or removing it. Sucherman confirms on the blog that “they did not appear in it, film it, upload it or review it. None of them know the people involved or were even aware of the video’s existence until after it was removed.”

Google plans to appeal and defend the three men (one of which actually left the company in 2008), but is wary about the future of internet freedom.

“It attacks the very principles of freedom on which the Internet is built. Common sense dictates that only the person who films and uploads a video to a hosting platform could take the steps necessary to protect the privacy and obtain the consent of the people they are filming. European Union law was drafted specifically to give hosting providers a safe harbor from liability so long as they remove illegal content once they are notified of its existence. The belief, rightly in our opinion, was that a notice and take down regime of this kind would help creativity flourish and support free speech while protecting personal privacy. If that principle is swept aside and sites like Blogger, YouTube and indeed every social network and any community bulletin board, are held responsible for vetting every single piece of content that is uploaded to them – every piece of text, every photo, every file, every video – then the Web as we know it will cease to exist, and many of the economic, social, political and technological benefits it brings could disappear.”

I very much hope this can be sorted out, for Google and the three men’s sake, but also for the future of internet creativity and freedom. [Google Blog]

We’ve seen more exciting leaked roadmaps, but it’s rather comical that LG’s leak came about by accidentally sharing a Google Document. A 3D TV, 3D Blu-ray player and TV webcam for 720p Skype chat are all due to launch soon.

That 3D TV is actually just a different version of the LH9500 series, named the LX9500, and will be available mid-May. After learning that, it’ll certainly make the TVs announced at CES that are due in March – April a lot less attractive. The BD580 3D Blu-ray player will be on sale in the middle of April, just a few weeks earlier in May the webcam peripheral allowing for 720p Skype chatting on your TV will become available too.

Meanwhile, the LEX8 and LEX9 LED-backlit TVs that measure just 0.27-inches in depth will be on sale in June, with models ranging from 47 – 72-inches. [CNET via Electronista via CrunchGear]

Playing doctor and nurse used to be so affordable as a kid. Nowadays, you need to fork out $69.99 for an iPhone app, and $279.99 for a stethoscope. Still, you can’t put a price on saving lives, right?

Not that you’ll be saving too many lives with just a stethoscope and an app that displays the heartbeat in its arty, wiggly form. But you can record the sound of a heartbeat, and even email it to your doctor if you’re particularly worried. I think the scope (pardon the pun) of such an app is pretty limited, but those with serious medical conditions who need to get their heart rate checked constantly might find some use in it. [ThinkLabs via MedGadget via CrunchGear]

Tackling many green issues, Philips has lent its name to the Sustainable City Lights concept project, with the opening and closing lamps harnessing energy from the sun and wind to glow LED-bright in the evenings. Beautiful. [Yanko Design]

It may be a case of semantics, but Digitimes is reporting that Acer—who we already know are desperate to be the first manufacturer with a Chrome OS netbook—will be launching “devices running Google’s Chrome OS in the middle of 2010.” So far, we’ve been hearing the end of the year for releases, but if there’s any chance to grab hold of a mid-2010 Chrome OS whisper, we’ll take it.

They also apparently want to ship one million units in the first year, which may sound like big numbers but actually, after shipping nine million in 2009, it doesn’t sound too aspirational. [Digitimes]

Joking they were not, when Google vowed to take down China. Ok, that’s not exactly what they said—but after refusing to launch two Android phones there mid-January, they’ve now pulled out of a developers event in Beijing.

Following developer events at TED and MWC (plus the upcoming GDC), they were scheduled to tour around Asia, visiting Hong Kong, Taiwan and Beijing with armfuls of Nexus Ones to give away. Really driving the point home, they’ve pulled out ahead of the event next week. Not launching Android phones from Motorola and Samsung is one thing, but no Nexus Ones? This could be the end of China’s censorship, for once and for all. [Reuters]

This inflatable sleeping coat would be perfect for the millions of homeless people in the world—though as it’s but a concept, the wearable sleeping bag won’t be warming anyone up anytime soon, sadly. [Reddot via LikeCool]

With eight days left in the auction, the actual EMS VCS3 synthesizer used by John Baker at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to create the Doctor Who theme is already up to $6,000. There are some deep-pocketed Whovians out there.

It’s being sold on eBay after John Baker’s estate sold it on after his death in 1997, and is apparently in very good condition, not having been used since the late ’70s. Will the winning bidder use it to create YouTube montages of his/her favorite Doctor Who clips with a spooky synth soundtrack? Compose mixed tapes to be sent to David Tennant? Or simply have their bank send statement after statement of unpaid credit card bills? [eBay via Retro To Go]

Small flat-dwellers are accustomed to having one object perform two functions (my coffee table also stores bed linen, for example), but I’ve never seen a lamp become a garden.

While you can’t grow a crop of tomatoes in Marko Vuckovi‘s Grass Lamp, the grass will flourish under the lamp’s light and remind you the grass is always green—in a country house. [Yanko Design]