Roll it out for the USB Roll-Up Drum Kit

Frankly, it's far more satisfying to whack a full-sized drum kit than a sliver of soft plastic that claims to reproduce the real thing. However, coming from Hong Kong e-tailer Brando, nothing is sacred in the tech space. So (drum roll, please), get ready for a rollout of the USB Roll-Up Drum Kit (US$42).

We're assuming that sensitivity on this is almost nil since it resembles a mouse mat far more than a working instrument. However, if you're aspiring to be a drummer on a budget, this could be a (temporary) solution. Otherwise, if all you really want is to feel like a rock superstar, we'd suggest getting the far more elegant and fun-filled Guitar Hero III game for the PC or any of the game consoles.

Via Gadgets Club

Samsung's got Soul

New Samsung mobile phones usually have pretty boring names that go something like SGH-xxxx. So the newest one is pretty refreshing with a single-word name, Soul. According to the company, it's supposed to be an abbreviation of "The Spirit of Ultra" and was so named to honor the completion of the Ultra Edition. That series of mobile phones was when Samsung started to make its phones really slim, going as thin as 5.9mm at one point.

Though positioned as a mobile phone for the fashion-conscious, this Soul has quite a number of features. One of them is its directional pad that has a screen. This allows the button markers to change according to whichever function you happen to be using. For example, when playing music, it shows music control, but when in the camera application, icons like zoom and brightness will appear. Other less flashy features include HSDPA connectivity, FM radio and a 5-megapixel camera with face detection and image stabilizer.

In true Ultra Edition style, this slider is slim at just 12.9mm. It will be first launched in Europe in April, and reach Asia Pacific some time in Q2. Pricing has yet to be announced.

»  Mobile World Congress 2008 show report

One step closer to the Matrix

I don't know about you, but the scene in the Matrix film which showed rows and rows of humans being used as batteries brought a flutter to my heart. After all, imagine the possibilities. No more chargers. Bon voyage, batteries. If we need to charge our mobile phones, eat a chocolate bar. Playing games on a power-sucking gaming portable? Grab a buffet and have an ice cream, especially if the play goes into overtime.

Obesity is the new fit, while anorexics will be blasted back to the Stone Age. And the first important step in this direction? The invention of a chip powered by the heat of your body. Granted that, for now, its use is limited to military and medical applications. But we certainly look forward to the day when our bosses say: "Hey, go eat a champagne buffet on company account. We need you to power the server farm later."

Via Wired.com

Connect-A-Desk is a workaholic's dream

And here we thought the Hip Office concept was a joke. Now we have the Connect-A-Desk, a real product that's also ripe for an SNL parody.

Like the Hip Office, it straps to a computer to your body, but around the neck instead of the waist. It's kind of a laptop version of the keytar, with a dork factor that rivals the Light Head Magnifier.

The site claims that it's "ergonomically designed" but, depending on the weight of the computer, we can't imagine using this for any length of time before needing a trip to the chiropractor.

Our take? It's yet another devious tactic by management to chain us to our work.

Via Crave CNET

An affordable Bravia projector at a home cinema near you

First, we have the flagship Sony VPL-VW200 and midrange VW60 Black Pearl. And now there is an upcoming entry-level VW40 to complete the entire series of Bravia home theater projectors. So what are installed for this US$2,999.99 (yes, it's not a typo) SXRD-based light cannon? How about a respectable 15,000:1 dynamic contrast, vertical/horizontal lens shift function and dual HDMI terminals? Oh, did we mention 24P TrueCinema for smooth native 24 frames-per-second video playback, too?

As usual, there's probably a catch somewhere. But no matter how hard we scrutinized the specs sheet, there weren't any obvious omissions or subpar figures for us to pound on (just joking). Nonetheless, a missing official brightness rating did arouse our suspicions. Doing a little detective work, it's pretty obvious that this will be around or lower than 1,000 ANSI lumens going by its 200W lamp. Why? That's because the VW60 is rated 1,200 lumens for a 220W-equivalent. We are still awaiting pricing and availability from Sony for the Asia markets.

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