Charger Bracelet: When games are your life

If you give an item like this any kind of consideration at all, it's probably a sign that you're spending more time playing games than with your loved ones. Actually, it may mean that you don't have any loved ones at all, or won't for very long.

Thanko's Charger Bracelet is designed for addicts who just can't put down their handhelds when the batteries run dry, supposedly providing another 4.5 hours for a PSP and 28 hours for a DS Lite with a recharger strapped to the wrist, according to Engadget. On the other hand, given the fashion statement that this will make, there'll be plenty of time for those games every Saturday night.

Via Crave CNET

Jaywalking with a twist

This bizarre invention seeks to solve the dilemma of the environmentally conscious walker surrounded by a world of drivers.

The Portable Zebra Crossing is a roll-up version of the pedestrian crosswalk. You lay it down across the street when you find a convenient crossing point instead of bowing to the "tyranny" of the regular system that requires "inconvenient diversions and wasted time," according to the International Chindogu Society.

While we often commit would never endorse jaywalking in a city, it might be a safer alternative to this option.

Jalopnik, who noticed this at the 2007 Tokyo auto show, points out that you'd still have to brave the traffic while laying down your claim. Though that's apparently not a problem for the lady in this photo, who seems to be traveling with her own crosswalk servant.



Via Crave CNET

Living up to the Ultimate name

i-mate is not the most famous of brands when we talk about handhelds, but the Dubai-based company created quite a buzz a few months back when it introduced the Ultimate series of PDA-phones. Such an audacious-sounding name needs to be backed up, and i-mate did have impressive specs for its announced 8150 and 6150 devices.

Fast forward to today and we have yet to see the PDA-phones in the market. And we all know that a few months in this industry is a lifetime--specs and features that were cutting-edge become old really fast. Thankfully, i-mate seems to have an answer. It has introduced two more in the series with feature lists that still manage to wow. These are the 9502 and 8502 PDA-phones, both with QWERTY keyboards.

The form factor of these two devices may not be for everyone, but power users must certainly give it a second look. Besides more common features like HSDPA, Wi-Fi and GPS, these two also come with HSUPA for fast uploads over the cellular network. Like the 8150 before them, they also come with a video-out connector for doing presentations, too.

Let's just hope we don't have to wait too long for the devices to hit the market. Read on for more information about the new Ultimates, and decide for yourself if they live up to the title.

The smokeless electronic cigarette

We don't know about the "endless hours of enjoyment and smoking pleasure", but this little battery-powered gadget reminds us of the NicStic which is touted as a smoke-free alternative for the tobacco worshipper. Even if it's just lots of smoke and no fire, the good thing is this prevents noxious breath, stained teeth and pollution since you basically exhale smokeless vapor (do we hear gasps from the smokers corner?). Unfortunately, this does nothing to cut nicotine addiction since it now gives you carte blanche to puff away in smoke-free zones and packs flavored nicotine cartridges, with one cartridge apparently equal to two decks of ciggies!

Via Coolest Gadgets

Price: US$64.95 per kit, cartridges at US$10 per 5-pack
Availability: At Crown7 Web site
Specs: Battery recharger, two Lithium batteries, two replacement filters, pocket holder, case

Is this the iPod touch?

It's an MP3 player with a large touch-screen display and familiar colorful icons. It looks similar to the Apple iPhone and even has "touch" in its name. But it's not an iPod touch. According to German publication Welt Online, this music player is called the Loomax li touch.

Possibly one of the best iPod touch lookalikes we've seen thus far, the li touch has only 2GB of storage, but it also comes with FM radio and USB 2.0 connectivity, among other features written in German in an ad we couldn't decipher. Better yet, it's selling for less than S$300 (US$204).

Apple can't be too happy about this and, true enough, this player has caught the Cupertino company's attention. According to Engadget, an Apple spokesperson has commented that the company will examine this case closely. But seriously, we doubt it can do much to stop the endless attack of clones, from iPod nano to iPhone copycats. Instead, just take it that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Via Engadget
Picture credit: Welt Online

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