Electric Skateboard

Fancy an ultra-smooth ride with Ferrari acceleration and sex appeal? If your wallet can't afford the lifestyle of the rich and famous, the E-Glide 44 Magnum could be the hot wheels you're looking for. At US$400, three zeroes less than a top-end Ferrari, the E-Glide is one powerboard that'll take you places. It may look like an innocuous skateboard, but hidden beneath is a mini motor that'll rev up to 20mph in 4 seconds flat. A handheld remote keeps you in control of throttle and braking. Definitely a head-turner, particularly when you start cruising uphill on that board.

See in use

Price: US$439
Availability: Web site
Device: Electric skateboard
Basic specs: Max speed 20mph, max range 12-15 miles, 24 volt 400 watt motor power, motor-controlled regenerative braking, handheld cabled remote for control and throttle, 3-12 volt 7amp batteries good for up to 300 charges, charge time of 4-6 hrs, 44 inches in length

Megapixels no more

While we're all waiting for the upcoming annual Photo Marketing Association (PMA) convention end of February, columnist David Pogue from The New York Times wrote an insightful piece last week on the future of digital cameras. His take included liquid lenses, hydrogen-powered shooters, 4-inch OLED screens, GPS-equipped units and sophisticated face recognition software. Sounds darn exciting?

The man's waiting for February 2010.

In his article, Pogue addressed several questions which few had the answers to. How are we going to archive and manage the whole lot of digital photos which we take today, in 10 years' time? Can hard drives and compact discs last? And the most important question: The future of JPEG files.

One thing's for sure--digital imaging is the future, while the megapixel race, according to Chuck Westfall, director of Media for Canon's camera marketing group, "is pretty much over".

Pixel counting joins film in obsolete bin.

Wallet Flash

When it comes to USB flash drives, there's tiny, and then there's thin. If you fancy the latter, check out Israeli company Walletex's wallet-friendly USB flash, now in Singapore. As a bit of pedigree, the Wallet Flash has picked up kudos from both CES 2006 and Stuff UK magazine. What we like is that in spite of its fragile design, this is one tough cookie that can withstand spills and heat. The connector nub on the side plugs directly into any USB port, and is double-sided, meaning it'll work even if you flip the card over. Nifty alternative for those who don't like carrying their USB flash drives on keychains or lanyards.

See upclose | in use | thinness

Price: 128MB at S$59.90 (US$36.75); coming in Feb/Mar, 256MB (S$89.90), 512MB (S$119.90), 1GB (S$179.90)
Availability: Cool Asia Distribution, Singapore
Device: USB flash drive
Basic specs: 1.9mm thin, double-sided USB connector, waterproof, temperatur tolerant, USB 2.0

Make a movie with mobile phones

South African movie director Aryan Kaganof recently made what is possibly the first feature film shot entirely using cellular phones. Called SMS Sugar Man, this low-budget movie was filmed using eight Sony Ericsson W900i handsets on a budget of less than 1 million rand (US$164,000). Traditionally, most low-budget films cost about 6 million rand (US$984,000) to produce.

According to a news report, the film, which tells the tale of a pimp and two high-class prostitutes cruising around Johannesburg on Christmas eve, includes newcomers Deja Bernhardt and Leigh Graves as well as Kaganof in the lead roles. SMS Sugar Man took 11 days to shoot and will be distributed via mobile phone in 30 3-minute epsiodes over a month, in addition to cinema screenings.

Mouse with click frequency counter

From the folks who gave us the GhostRader and SushiDisks comes a mouse that counts. Which should immediately quell questions on why any sane techie would want to keep count of their mouse clicks. There's simply no good reason when it comes to SolidAlliance. Just for the, er, record, the Yamaraco counter mouse Agi (Akiyamaraco) calculates the clicks made on both the left and right buttons, up to six digits. Guess SolidAlliance figured anything more than that, and you really need to get a life.

Via Japan Today

See counter closeup

Price: 2,980 yen (US$25)
Availability: SolidAlliance
Device: Mouse
Basic specs: N.A.

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