Remote your mobile life

The iPod Radio remote was a dumb idea. Why have a remote that comes without a display? Remember the days of the portable cassette and CD player? We practically lived on the blue backlit screens of our in-line remotes. Remote connoisseurs pride themselves on being able to spot a Sony from the other end of a bus stop.

30GB worth of songs? No problem. No call to pull your iPod out from the snug corner it has made for itself in your bag. Just ask cousin remote for the song title that's playing. But do note, since the Pivot iTrans M50 is a fifth cousin twice removed, the only thing you can do with it is simple playback controls. No navigating through the iPod menu here. Available in July. Price unknown. More info here

Kenguru

Wheelchair users just got themselves a bigger set of wheels. What's dandy here is that it's an electric mini car built from scratch for the disabled, which is an unusual move. More unusual is the fact that it's developed by a Hungarian company, Rehab Ltd. The Kenguru makes having to hoist oneself into the driver's seat a thing of the past. Instead, the wheelchair-bound can now roll right in through a super large back door, directly into the driver's seat so to speak, since the seat has made way for a wheelchair area. The wheelchair then locks into place within reach of the controls, which are in turn centered round a joystick. Kenguru drivers, however, won't get to burn the tarmac a la The Fast and the Furious since this little auto is capable of revving up to only 40kmh, and needs a recharge every 60km.

See the Kenguru

Via The Cool Hunter

Price: Est. at US$12,500 or free with Hungary's healthcare if the individual qualifies
Availability: Only in Hungary
Device: Electric car for wheelchair users
Basic specs: N.A.

Crash and burn

When we say that a PC has crashed and burned, we almost never meant it literally. But, according to a report by The Inquirer, members at a Japanese conference experienced first-hand a notebook going ballistic.

It seems a Dell laptop had a slight identity crisis and thought it was a flashbang grenade. Fortunately, there was no sign of injury, other than that done to the manufacturer's reputation. According to Dell spokeswoman, Anne Camden, the notebook in question had been taken in for investigation.

Camden mentioned that the incident may not be a battery issue, and that "From here it's going to be a very methodical and meticulous process to figure out what happened". We are guessing that after this fireworks display, none of the Japanese conference members will ever consider using their notebooks on their laps again.

Palm Treo 650: Back in black

While Asia awaits the launch of the Treo 700 PDA-phones, Palm today unveiled the Black Tie Limited Edition Treo 650. Essentially a black-hued version of the current Treo 650, this newest handheld was apparently created specially to celebrate the company's 10th anniversary launch of the Pilot, according to a press statement released earlier.

The Black Tie Limited Edition Treo 650 is not the first color variation of the popular handheld in Singapore. The first, a Special Blue Edition, was introduced late last year. At S$1,010 (US$664.47), the new Treo 650 is priced at a slight premium above the previous color editions (S$968 (US$636.84)) and will come with a matching hard black case. It is immediately available in major retail outlets in the Republic.

Cyfus UAB

We almost mistook it for a flash disk, until we picked up the brochure. Taiwan company Cyfus' USB DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) is one of the smallest we've come across. At heart, this thumbdrive-sized device provides a high-fidelity avenue to connect your PC to your home stereo to listen to MP3s, lossless, Internet radio, etc. Think of it as a sound card with USB which happens to come in four perky colors to match your listening mood.

See various colors

Price: N.A.
Availability: Check out the Web site
Device: Amplifier
Basic specs: USB 2.0/1.1, 3.55mm stereo jack, 1.5 watts above, 79 x 26 x 20mm, 30g

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