No GPS? No problem for Google Maps

Using maps on a mobile phone or handheld without a GPS chip can by trying sometimes. For one, you need to find your own location in a map first before any manual navigation can take place. That's a problem Google seems to have solved with its latest version of Google Maps Mobile.

By pressing "0", the My Location feature on the application approximates your location on the map with a blinking blue dot. This is achieved by detecting how close you are to the cellular base stations around you. It's isn't spot-on precise, but it sure beats having to scour the vicinity for a road name to key into your device.

We tried this feature out on an HTC Touch
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Movie-on-demand with US Vudu

Wouldn't it be nice if there were a vast library of blockbusters and movie hits right at your finger tips? It sure beats the excruciating long wait for your DVD mail order which sure takes forever to reach the mailbox. Now American Vudu has this nifty box which is a gateway that puts you in access of appropriately 5,000 titles without being tied to a dreaded monthly subscription. All that's required is a TV and Internet broadband connection.

It also doubles as a personal library with storage capacity for 100 hours of rented and paid content. HD-ready out-of-the-box, the compact gadget is capable of delivering up to 1080p24 judder-free videos and 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound via HDMI 1.1 and dual digital audio outputs. We sure would like to get our hands on this baby, but it seems we are out of luck as it is strictly US-based only. Double damn.

Via: Uncrate | Photo credit: Vudu

Buy a notebook with its very own IT department

With laptop prices dropping faster than ever, there is a growing number of owners who have no idea how to keep their systems in tip-top shape. Sure, they have heard about the dangers of viruses, spyware, trojan horses, etc., and the more informed ones do practice safe surfing habits. But there are times when despite using protection accidents do happen.

So when our US counterparts reported on the launch of the US$279 Zonbu laptop, we got excited. Not because it's cheap, but that this notebook comes with its very own support staff. For US$15 a month, Zonbu will take charge of the 20 software applications, automatically update the machine, provide online storage, remote file access and file sharing, perform automated backups, as well as offer online tech support and hardware replacement in case of damage.

The downside: Besides the monthly subscription costs, the unit runs on Zonbu's proprietary OS. This means no Windows applications can be installed. This laptop and the Zonbu service are currently available only in the US, though we hope this concept will make its way to Asia. This will finally relieve an entire generation of techies from having to provide free PC support for clueless relatives.

Here comes every stalker's dream

And every celebrity/victim's nightmare. This little camera ring by designer David Münscher with its single-button interface may be a concept model for now. But given the way things are speeding along, with camera-phones packing 5-megapixel sensors, these spycam-like shooters aren't Mission Impossible. Anytime Canon wants to pick up on Munscher's blatantly branded idea, it should be a Snap to make happen. So smile, 'cause you never know when you'll be on candid camera.

Via Yanko Design

A USB drive to shame the entire Swiss Army

The most remarkable thing about this particular item is that it's the first silly USB flash drive dubbed a "luxury item" we've seen in more than a month--which, as these annoying keys go, is an eternity. Yet the "SwissMemory Prestige" is in a class by itself.

Where to begin? The cost, for one--ranging in the gold and diamond versions from US$3,200 to US$6,000 for 1GB of storage, which is hardly anything these days. Second, their designs don't exactly lend themselves to elegant wearable jewelry. And third, as Chip Chick rightly points out, this is undoubtedly the most impractical of items ever to bear a Swiss Army mark. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Other than that, we think they're just fine.

Via Crave CNET

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