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Some products I am not meant to understand. I know that. Take the Polar Bear TV from Hannspree. In my book, it’s one of the complete losers of the CES Unveiled, the opening press reception for the Consumer Electronics Show. I can’t tell you how appalling it would be to play Modern Warfare 2 on a TV like this, with the polar bear looking back at you every time you squeezed the trigger of your machine gun in the video game.

But I’m not a 9-year-old kid who likes cute and cuddly things. This $299 television has a 17-inch screen and it can display 720p digital TV. It’s available this March for anybody who has a streak of silliness in them. And if this one doesn’t float your boat, you can also get an apple-shaped TV as well.

I’m sure the folks at Roku, the set-top box maker, think the next one is a loser too. The Popbox competes with Roku’s offering and delivers just about everything to your TV. It’s one of those boxes that can play just about any type of video or display different kinds of photos. And it organizes a lot of things on a TV screen that you would normally view on the web, from Netflix to Twitter.

You can use it to view apps such as Photobucket, Shoutcast, Revision3, Channels.com, Fun Spot Games and lots of other stuff. It will be available in March for $129 or $149 for a version with built-in Wi-Fi. You can use it for movies, music, games, social networking and news. Put this one in the winner camp, but I’m sure there are going to be a lot of other services just like it.

Inada has been coming to CES Unveiled for years with massage chairs that seem like they’re from science fiction. This year, they have the Doctor’s Choice by Inada chair, wihch the company says “fits the human form like a glove.” It’s designed to give you posture correction benefits. It wraps around you and gives you 800 square inches of massage coverage and customizes to 106 body types. Of course, the price tag is crazy at $5,799. But the company kindly points out that if you use it for more than 10,000 massages, which would cost about 58 cents per massage. Uh, I can’t say this one is a winner for that many people.

iGo showed up with a bunch of products that are aimed at saving energy. The iGo Power Smart Tower has eight outlets so that you can charge eight different devices at the same time. Since it has iGo Green Technology, it will charge a device until it is fully charged and then won’t consume any energy after that. It is available now at $79.99. Other products include the iGo Green Laptop Anywhere Charger ($129) and the iGo Power Smart Wall ($29.99). All of the devices are aimed at eliminating energy vampires that suck electricity even when they’re done charging. It’s a winner, but it competes with other rivals such as Green Plug.

PicoChip makes flexible wireless chips that can be the heart of a femtocell access point. These are cool devices that you put into your home or any weak spot for cellular reception. They essentially serve as small, self-configuring cellular basestations. They can give you perfect voice reception in a place where you normally don’t get good coverage, like indoors. It’s already being used by 17 customers such as Alcatel Lucent and Sagem who are selling the boxes. The chip maker, PicoChip, is venture-backed and is contemplating an initial public offering. Consider it a winner.

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Eco Factor: Multi-purpose device runs on solar energy.

Eton radios are known to be cool and ecofriendly. However, unlike previous models, the company’s latest Scorpion radio is different – it doesn’t rely on electricity from the wall socket neither does it trusts a hand crank, but it does in fact rely on the most abundant source of renewable energy: the sun.

(more…)

So, what is it about the number 100 today? To celebrate 90 years in the business, Rollei is bringing out the Flexline 100, a very minimalist digital camera that looks a bit smartphone-esque once you flip it over.

The backside slightly resembles a smartphone that’s been covered in that fantastic plastic with the leather wrinkles that was all over cameras in the Fifties and Sixties. And, despite the slightly twee Disney-esque icons, you’ve still got to admit it’s a bit of a looker – as long as you don’t go for either the blue or pink options. So that’ll be the black, Modom.

For all its simplistic design, the Rollei packs a bit of a punch. (Well, I say that, but we’re talking Lilliputian proportions here, not Brobdignagian). There’s a 10 megapixel CCD sensor, an internal 3x optical Apogon zoom and 21 programmes, including smile and face detection. Add anti-red eye touchy-uppy, a high-speed serial pictures function that gives you 30 pics per second, and all of this for just 200 euros ($287). It’s just a shame you can’t phone out on it.

[Let’s Go Digital]

The CES Unveiled event rocked tonight with thousands of attendees flooding the aisles. Hundreds of vendors exhibited the wares they are showing off at the CES this year. Kevin and I hit the floor and looked at a lot of stuff. Here are the top gadgets that caught my eye at the show:

Spring Designs Alex e-book reader. The Alex is that dual-screen reader that runs Android and features a color touchscreen much larger than the one on the Nook. Spring Designs just signed a deal with Google to bring their scanned book library to the Alex.

Entourage eDGe. The eDGe is the dual screen reader that uses two big screens to provide additional capability than just e-book reading. This reader also runs Android which is fully accessible on the color touchscreen. The other screen is a typical e-Ink screen for reading books.

We saw some cool notebooks too but we are going to spend some private hands-on time tomorrow with them so I’m sure we’ll have pics and maybe some video to share. Be sure and follow our coverage for the entire week so you won’t miss anything new and exciting.

It was great to see our podcast co-host Matt Miller today, along with lots of old friends.

You can watch music videos on your laptop, watch an entire season of Lost on your desktop, even sports events are now online. The PC is taking over the TV in a big way, but for once the TV is going on the offensive and borrowing something from the computer. No, it’s not Twitter, that has been done before , now TV viewers will have the option to chat with their friends and family with Skype from the comfort of their couch. It’s teleconferencing for the living room, or at least that’s what Skype and the manufacturers are claiming.

“We’re bringing Skype into the living room, so that you can share family moments – celebrating a birthday, organising a holiday or just having a chat with friends on a Sunday evening – all on the big screen,” Skype’s Peter Parkes wrote. “Thanks to our TV manufacturing partners LG and Panasonic, we’ve been able to embed Skype in the latest generation of internet-connected widescreen HDTVs.”

The high-end TV sets from LG and Panasonic are hitting stores in a few months time, but will be unveiled at this week’s CES. These are pretty top of the range Internet-enabled HDTV devices. There is no word on the pricing, but the Skype functionality will require an additional video camera which will sell separately for about $100 to $200.

Still, Skype on the TV, did anyone really need … (read more)

The new Renault Megane Coupe Cabriolet will be presented at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show on March 2nd. The Renault Atelier in Paris will also feature the new Megane on March 5th. The new coupe-cabriolet will extend the Megane line-up, with the sports style coupe and open top cabriolet combined. The Megane Coupe-Cabriolet will feature a fold-away glass roof, although no further technical details, including engine options, are available.

Eco Factor: Device to convert tidal energy into renewable electricity.

SeaKinetics has developed a tethered tidal and marine current energy generator that can provide zero carbon emission renewable energy by converting tidal energy into renewable electricity. The patented device, dubbed the HydroWing, operates anchored, submerged at a variable depth and is capable of operating in depths up to 150m.

(more…)

Every parent knows the drill: giving a liquid prescription or over-the-counter medication to a child requires measuring out the exact amount. Doses can range from a fraction of a teaspoon to one or more tablespoons, but whatever the dose, it’s vital that the children receive the prescribed amount. But, do they? Not always, says the result of a study just published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Ideally, people dispensing liquid medications should be using measuring spoons meant for that purpose; they are available at most drug stores either in the stock or by asking the pharmacist. In reality, many people end up using kitchen measuring spoons, which may be generally ok for cooking, but not for something as precise as medications. Another practice is some people use bigger spoons so they don’t spill, and they eyeball the amount, figuring they can judge what a teaspoon of liquid looks like in a tablespoon, for example.

Of course, the problem isn’t confined to just children. There are medications for adults that come in liquid form and many seniors can no longer chew medications and they may be using liquid medications more frequently.

For this reason, researchers looked at the accuracy of liquid medication dosing among 195 college students using a liquid cough medicine. The students were asked to pour one teaspoon of the medication in a teaspoon. They were then asked to pour the same amount, 5 milliliters (mL), into larger spoons (15 mL and 45 mL), judging by eye when they had a teaspoon.

When the researchers looked at how much the students poured, they found that they underestimated most often in the 15-mL spoon (average 4.58 mL) and overestimated in the 45-mL spoon (5.58 mL). This was despite their confidence that they had accurately poured the dosage.

This means if the students were taking the medication with the smaller spoon, they were undermedicating and if they were using the larger spoon, they were overmedicating. Both can have significant effects, depending on the medications.

The moral of the story? Always use the correct measuring spoon or medication cup to take or give liquid medication.

~~~

Images: MorgueFile.com

Post from: Blisstree

When Is a Teaspoon Not a Teaspoon?

We picked up a set of these silicone baking liners a while back and finally had a chance to put them to use over the holidays. We whipped up a big batch of red velvet cupcakes (more on THOSE tomorrow!) and eagerly awaited our rewards. The cupcakes were excellent, but the liners? Not so much. Have you used these before?

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Ford’s plan is working. This is how Ken Czubay, Ford vice president for US Marketing Sales and Service sums up the sales results posted today by the American manufacturer. With a 33 percent increase in sales in December and the first full-year market share gain since 1995, we have to agree: Ford’s plan IS WORKING.

Ford’s plan is working, Czubaysaid. Customer consideration continues to grow for our high-quality, fuel-efficient vehicles. In 2010, we will introduce an even higher nu… (read more)

Speed radar technology has become pretty much ubiquitous for traffic law enforcement around the world, but there are times when you and I would quite like to know how fast something is travelling too. PocketRadar is a hand-held personal speed measurement device about the size of a mobile phone that can get you a speed reading on a car half a mile away (or a baseball 120 feet away) in less than a second from being fully shut down. It’s initially targeted at sports fans and athletes, but the company has flagged the possibility of a law enforcement version as well…

Tags: Law Enforcement,
Pocket,
Racetrack,
Radar,
Speed,
Sports

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Roy Hibbert’s(notes) game log says that he’s like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.

• If there’s one thing you can usually count on from Roy Hibbert, it’s inconsistency. He took it to Dwight Howard(notes) on Tuesday to the tune of a career-high 26 points, eight boards, four blocks, and three assists in 35 minutes, while Howard delivered an uneven line (11 points, 2-of-6 FG, 7-of-12 FT, 15 boards, 0 assists, 5 turnovers, 1 steal, 2 blocks) and fouled out in 28 minutes. While Hibbert has reached the 20-point plateau five times in the past 15 games, he’s only reached double-figures in scoring two additional times during the same stretch. In those same 15 games, he’s blocked six shots in a game twice, while blocking zero shots four times.

Two things you can’t deny: the Pacers desperately need his production and he’s got some ability. His season per-game rank is 127th, so he’s been worth carrying in standard leagues through the ups-and-downs (per-game averages include 10.9 points, 49% FG, 5.9 boards, and 1.7 blocks). His current ownership level of 55 percent will (and should) spike a bit after Tuesday’s performance – a hypothetical scenario where he shows gradual improvements as the season progresses shouldn’t be thought of as impossible. Over the past five games, he’s averaged 19.4 points, 7.4 boards, 3.6 assists, 2 turnovers, and 2 blocks in 29 minutes.

• The Pacers got it done with defense against the Magic, who shot just 43 percent and had 12 assists versus 19 turnovers. That made up for another poor offensive night for Mike Dunleavy (4-of-13 FG, 1-of-5 3PT) and Earl Watson(notes) (6 points, 4 assists). Luther Head(notes) scored 18 points in 31 minutes (averaging 21.8 over the past four games), while Brandon Rush(notes) was strong as a reserve (33 minutes, 12 points, 2 threes, 7 boards, 4 steals). It may be a coincidence, but the team is now 2-1 in three games since deactivating T.J. Ford(notes).

• Maybe it would have been a better idea for Vince Carter(notes) to sit out
Tuesday’s game and let his ankle sprain heal. He went 2-for-15 in his
24 minutes and was a -14 in the 97-90 loss to the Pacers.

• The Kirk Hinrich(notes)/John Salmons role swap has been a mixed bag for fantasy purposes. Hinrich’s shot was off Tuesday (4-of-13) but the couting stats were good (35 minutes, 12 points, 2 threes, 7 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal), while Salmons had a nice overall line (30 minutes, 19 points, 3 threes, 7 boards, 3 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 steal). That’s been the story for Hinrich in general in six games since the switch, while Salmons has sacrificed an overall line for a spike in his shooting percentage.

Hinrich: 34 minutes, 10.8 pts (38% FG), 1.8 3pt, 4.3 reb, 5.7 ast, 1.2 to, 1.3 stl
Salmons: 26 minutes, 12.3 pts (48% FG), 1.8 3pt, 2.3 reb, 2 ast, 1 to, 0.7 stl, 0.2 blk

Salmons isn’t likely to top 30 minutes often as a reserve, with Derrick Rose(notes) and Luol Deng(notes) locked in at the one and three. It’s not an ideal situation, but he’s still going to be useful for fantasy and a Hinrich trade isn’t out of the question as the trade deadline approaches. Of course, a trade would have to not net a starting shooting guard for Salmons to be positively affected.

• I’m fine with Boris Diaw(notes) only scoring five points when he supports it with four boards, six assists, two steals, and five blocks, but Tuesday’s performance has quite clearly been the exception since Stephen Jackson(notes) arrived. Diaw had a recent six-game stretch where he didn’t record a steal or block, he failed to score in 38 minutes on Sunday, and hasn’t reached double-figures since December 11 (13 games).

• Meanwhile, Raymond Felton(notes) continues to be an absolute fantasy monster, and Tuesday’s stellar line (17 points, 2 threes, 4 boards, 6 assists, 4 turnovers, 2 steals) was par for the recent course. He’s posted a top-20 impact over his past 20 games, averaging 14.8 points on 54-percent shooting, 1 three, 86-percent foul shooting, 3.4 boards, 5.3 assists, 2.1 turnovers, and 2.2 steals in 35 minutes. Clearly S-Jax is creating turnover situations on defense and better looks for Felton, a career 41-percent shooter (32% 3PT).

• Gilbert Arenas(notes) won the battle of the NBA headline generators Tuesday, scoring 19 points and dishing a season-high 14 assists in the 104-97 win over Allen Iverson(notes) and the 76ers. Iverson went 2-for-6 from the floor (4 points) and had seven turnovers in 34 minutes. Not much new to report on the Arenas suspension-or-not front other than that he pretended to shoot his teammates during pregame festivities Tuesday and said David "Stern is mean" after the game. 

• As for other notable Wizards, Mike Miller(notes) wasn’t quite ready to return Tuesday and Brendan Haywood(notes) missed the game because of is thought to be a stomach flu. He should recover fairly quickly. Andray Blatche(notes) made his second consecutive start (38 points, 12 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 5 turnovers, 1 steal, 2 blocks) but will likely give way to Miller in the starting five in fairly short order.

• Samuel Dalembert(notes) took full advantage of Hawood’s absence, but was not in an active roster spot in rougly half of Yahoo! leagues for his 20-point, 20-rebound performance Tuesday. He entered the contest having averaged 5.2 points and 7.3 boards in 19 minutes over his previous nine games. As you might expect, Elton Brand(notes) (24 minutes, 9 points, 1 board, 1 block) and Marreese Speights(notes) (12 minutes, 5 points, 5 boards) were largely spectators as Eddie Jordan deferred to the hot hand. Speights has been consistently marginalized of late, averaging just 16 minutes over the past seven games (7.1 points, 2.7 boards). 

• Milwaukee’s bench did the heavy lifting in the 98-76 win over the Nets, as the starters averaged 21 minutes and scored 45 total points. Carlos Delfino(notes) showed his first signs of life in a few weeks, scoring 17 points and adding five boards, three assists, and three steals in 37 minutes. Luke Ridnour(notes) reached double figures for the fifth consecutive game (24 minutes, 11 points, 1 three, 5 assists, 2 steals).

• Yi Jianlian(notes) was the lone bright spot for the Nets, making seven of 12 shots (58%) while his teammates combined to make 18 of 54 (33%). In six games since returning from injury, Yi has averaged 20.5 points on 49-percent shooting, 0.8 threes, 7.2 free throws, 6.3 boards, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 37 minutes. He’s also totaled just one assist (10 turnovers) in the six games, something of a trend for the Nets in general.

• Charlie Villanueva(notes) played significantly more minutes than Jonas Jerebko(notes) for the second consecutive night, scoring 17 points (4 threes) and grabbing nine boards in 28 minutes against the Mavs. If Charlie V can get and stay healthy, he’s going to produce fantasy numbers, and this game is certainly a good sign.The same can’t be said for the Pistons in general, as they’ve now dropped 10 games in a row.

• Drew Gooden(notes) had 10 points and a season-high 18 boards in 33 minutes, his second consecutive start in place of the injured Erick Dampier(notes). Damp has been sidelined by left knee inflammation, although the injury is not considered serious.

• It’s hard to find a more fantasy-friendly box score than the one that resulted from Denver’s 123-122 win over the Warriors. Andris Biedrins’(notes) fantasy owners might disagree, but they need to keep in mind that it’s an uphill battle coming back from his type of injury (osteitis pubis). A bit more patience in the present should be rewarded over the long term.

• This just in: Ty Lawson(notes) can play. Over his past six starts, he’s averaged 18.5 points on 58-percent shooting, 1 three, 6.8 assists, 1.8 turnovers, and 1.3 steals. Chauncey Billups(notes) is currently questionable for Friday (as is Carmelo Anthony(notes)). Lawson sprained his left ankle Tuesday and is day-to-day. Chris Andersen(notes) (ankle) is likely out for a few more games.

• O.J. Mayo(notes) put the fallout from his stint at USC behind him Tuesday, going for 27 points and four threes in the 109-105 win over the Blazers. His scoring has been trending upward, and he’s averaged 20.1 points and 1.9 threes over the past month.

• Andre Miller(notes) has been logging heavy minutes since Steve Blake(notes) went down with pneumonia, and the production has followed suit. He went for another double-double Tuesday (16 points, 10 boards, 4 assists, 4 turnovers) and has averaged 20.3 points, 6 boards, 8.7 assists, 4 turnovers, and 1.3 steals in 39 minutes over the past three games. Martell Webster(notes) has been filling it up from long range in Blake’s absence – he made five of 11 threes Tuesday (21 points) and has averaged 22.3 points on 56-percent shooting, 4.7 threes, 6.7 boards, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 42 minutes over the past three games.

• LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) jumped back into the fray after two games off to deal with an ankle injury, playing 41 minutes Tuesday (11 points, 7 boards, 1 block).

• Juwan Howard(notes) has at least been useful since Joel Przybilla(notes) was lost to injury. Over the past eight games, he’s averaged 10.4 points on 59-percent shooting, 7 boards, and 1.1 steals-plus-blocks. The specifics regarding the Blazers’ plans around the trade deadline (trade Andre Miller? acquire a center?) remain a mystery, however. 

• The Kings got big games from Tyreke Evans(notes) (27 points, 11 boards, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block), Omir Casspi (24 points, 3 threes, 7 boards), and Jason Thompson(notes) (14 points, 10 boards, 2 steals, 2 blocks) but fell just short against the Suns (113-109).

• Francisco Garcia(notes) practiced for the first time since breaking his
wrist Monday, although he’s still not slated to return to game action
until late January at the earliest.
Things won’t be huge bench minutes available at the 2/3 for the Kings and the damage was to his
shooting wrist, so I’m not overly-confident that he’s going to make a
substantial impact this season, but his status is absolutely worth
monitoring.

• Jason Richardson(notes) scored 20 points (2 threes) and added nine boards in 33 minutes against the Kings. He’s been losing playing time and scoring opportunities to the Suns’ deep bench in recent weeks, but he’s also been dealing with a hand injury that has limited his effectiveness. I have faith in his showing a bit more consistency once he gets back to 100 percent.

• There weren’t a lot of pretty numbers in the Lakers’ 88-79 win over the Rockets, but a few nice lines can be found in the rough. The highlights were Lamar Odom(notes) nearly notching for a triple-double (17 points, 19 boards, 9 assists), Andrew Bynum(notes) having a big game in Pau Gasol’s(notes) absence (24 points, 8 boards, 2 steal, 1 block), and Carl Landry(notes) delivering his usual level of production (31 minutes, 19 points, 6 boards, 1 steal, 1 block). Gasol is almost certainly out Wednesday, as well.

• Celtics updates: Paul Pierce(notes) (knee) was a participant in most of Tuesday’s practice and, barring a setback, should be in the lineup Wednesday. Rajon Rondo(notes) (hamstring) is "merely possible" for the game. Kevin Garnett(notes) (knee) remains out.

• Jermaine O’Neal(notes) missed Monday’s game with nagging groin and hip flexor issues that have been bothering him the last couple of weeks.
He was undergoing treatments Tuesday with the hope that he’d be back in
the lineup Wednesday, but his status won’t be known until closer to
game time.

• Deron Williams(notes) will be a game-time decision Wednesday
after suffering a bruised and sprained right wrist on Monday night.
X-rays were negative but he missed Tuesday’s practice and was scheduled
to undergo an MRI. Look for updates Wednesday – Ronnie Price(notes) would
likely get the start if Deron can’t go.

• Jose Calderon(notes) practiced Tuesday and will return to the Raptors’ active roster Wednesday as a reserve.
Jay Triano said he’ll stick with Jarrett Jack(notes) as the starter for now
and monitor Calderon to "see where he’s at" before considering any
changes to the current starting five. Jack averaged just over 25
minutes in his 22 games as a reserve, a pretty good estimate for
Calderon’s initial role.

• Rafer Alston(notes) has been bought out by the Nets and will sign with the Heat,
where it is assumed he will take over as the starter (at least
eventually). Although he won’t be able to sign until Thursday (after he
clears waivers), we could get a clearer picture of the Heat’s plans at
point guard before that, as Carlos Arroyo’s(notes) contract will become
guaranteed for the remainder of the season if he is not released by 5pm
Wednesday. Alston certainly deserves immediate deep-league
consideration, but standard leaguers should take note that he’s a
career 38-percent shooter and is down to 34 percent so far this season.
He should provide some threes, assists, and steals with steady minutes
for the Heat, but efficiency has never been a strong point for the
33-year-old.

• Marc Spears is reporting that the Clippers are targeting January 20 for the season debut of Blake Griffin(notes).

—

Photos via Getty Images

Oh sweet, sweet SDL. How did we ever live without you? The webOS ports are coming thick and fast now, with these last two days bringing us three tasty new gaming treats for the Palm Pre. From Eric Gaudet – creator of the Virtual Keyboard – comes SuperTux, a side-scrolling 2D platformer that bears more than a passing resemblance to Super Mario Bros. It features the epnonymous penguin on a quest to save his girlfriend. You get your choice of accelerometer or keyboard controls, and the gesture area serves as your jump button.

From wIRC co-creator Ryan Hope comes TetriCrisis, an open-source clone of the classic block-dropping puzzler that made millions of nine-year-old boys hurl their Gameboys out their bedroom windows when the Fates flat-out refused to give up the straight block they needed to beat their brother’s high score… but I digress. It uses keyboard controls and makes somewhat of a mockery of EA’s charging $6.99 for the same in the App Catalog. Both of the above can now be found in Preware.

And the big ‘un? It’s after the break, along with a video of SuperTux for the PC.

Acura, the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Honda, has just revealed sales figures for December and year end for the North American market. According to the reports, the TL performance luxury sedan led December sales with 3,167 units sold, closely followed by the TSX sports sedan, with sales of 2,926, up 17.9 percent.

Strong sales of light trucks helped Acura achieve December sales of 10,575 units, a decrease of 8.1 percent based on the daily selling rate. Acura year… (read more)

Thirty months ago, iLive’s streeetchy iPod dock/surround sound bar looked like this. Well, now it looks like this. They’ve moved the dock to the left, which looks aight. Not sure about the other 32 products, though. *cough* Thanko. *cough*