2005 is drawing to a close and, unless something truly exciting happens, this will probably be our last post of the year. When we return next week, we’ll kick off 2006 with coverage of all the new stuff coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. Until then, enjoy our review of the best (and worst) gadgets of 2005.
Dec
30
True audiophiles know that when it comes to serious fidelity, there’s no beating the triode tube. And now Hammacher Schlemmer is releasing its own triode-based speakers just for the iPod. Nevermind that anyone serious enough about music to need a set of these $4,000 speakers might do well to play their tunes from something better than an iPod. The pricey speakers will begin shipping on January 20.
[Via Gadget Review]
We’ve got nothing against in-car GPS; it’s helped us out of many a confusing freeway interchange over the years. But there’s something seriously wrong with the idea of adding DMB video and movie playback to a navigation system. All the same, FineDrive has done just that with the M700D DMB GPS system. When you’re not busy trying to figure out how to get where you’re going, you can smash into roadside signs and other exciting objects as you watch your favorite shows from the driver’s seat. Presumably this device’s DMB feature is only intended for use by passengers, but mark our words: It’s only a matter of time before someone dies (or, more likely, kills someone else) while using one of these things.
[Via Akihabara]
Dec
29
(actually, this is the second time I’ve posted with that title… I guess I get in trouble a lot.) Firemen have good reasons to keep their trucks clean.Firemen don’t sit around all day doing nothing. I know this. I was…
Dec
29
We live in a neighborhood where all the firehouses are run by volunteers. I don’t know how we’d get by without them… they do brave work, with little credit. One thing you’ll notice is how clean the trucks are. “Why…
Police in Blue Springs, Missouri, suspect that a 24-year-old woman who swallowed a cell phone during an argument with her boyfriend may not have done so intentionally. Initial reports of the incident said that she had swalled the phone on purpose to keep her boyfriend from using it, but police now believe her gentleman suiter may have forced the handset down her throat. Frankly, we’re strangely relieved by the thought that the injury may not have been self-inflicted. (Malice is somehow easier to accept than sheer stupidity.) But in either case, this is a good argument for the development of even smaller handsets.
[Via AP]
Dec
29
As much as we love what Vespa has done with its newer scooter lines, they just don’t hold a candle to the feel of an old-school scoot. To recapture the spirit of its youth, Vespa is returning to its roots with the new PX150 Serie America, which has just begun hitting select dealerships in the U.S. With the look and feel of the ’60s scooters that made the company an international icon, the PX150 looks to be a fitting ode to the classic scooters of yesteryear, right down to its manual four-speed transmission. We can only hope it runs better than its forebearers. Only 500 of these bikes have been produced, so if you’re interested, act fast.
Dec
28
Pity George Orwell. His classic never got a decent cover. You can always tell the jacket designer is in trouble when the cover uses irrelevant type design to get the project over with. But wait. Orwell sells at least…
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