Flashlight doubles as camcorder, night or day

This flashlight may cost US$1,500, but there's a potential for 15 minutes of fame every time you turn it on.

The MII Flashcam is both flashlight and video camera rolled into one matte-black aircraft-grade aluminum body. And there's nothing tacky about it: It features a high-resolution Sony system, a 1.5-inch color LCD, and 1GB of RAM while storing up to 60 minutes of your favorite takes and audio, according to Northland Security Products. The uber-light won a Cygnus Public Safety Group Innovation Award at the annual conference of International Association of Chiefs of Police in Boston this year.

It boasts a blinding 85,000-candlepower beam from its Hi-Flux LEDs. Too bright? Hit the button and switch to night-vision mode with 880-nanometer infrared illumination and patented Tiger Vision technology. Perfect for covertly recording a field-sobriety test, according to the company.

It's also water resistant and, at 2.2 pounds and 17 inches, you should have no problem cracking an intruder upside his parietal plate right after you videotape him going through the lingerie drawer.

Via Crave CNET

An espresso maker you might actually use

Let's have a show of hands of all the people who have an espresso maker (probably from their wedding registry) that's still sitting in its box or is stowed away in some unreachable cupboard. Machines that make espresso drinks are one of those kitchen gadgets that seem like a great idea but never seem to get used.

This is probably due to a variety of reasons: They're complicated to use; the espresso's cool by the time the milk is hot; or they just don't make good espresso.

But here's one I dare say I might actually use. It's Bialetti's Mukka Express, an all-in-one stovetop cappuccino and latte maker. You simply put water in the base, espresso grounds in the filter, and milk in the top carafe. Then put it on the stove over medium-high heat and voila! You've got two hot lattes ready for drinking.

Sounds simple enough. User reviews on Amazon.com say it is, but warn that if you don't heed the instructions to a letter, you'll have a big, milky mess on your hands. Maybe that's why Bialetti ships it with an instructional DVD.

If the metallic look isn't your thing, it also comes in a black-and-white cow print, or a pink and black version.

Via Crave CNET

Segway's Ferrari edition (that's right)

Despite a recent push by human chickens, the Segway still hasn't become the ubiquitous mode of personal transportation that some once envisioned. And somehow it seems that acquiring Ferrari's nameplate won't bring it that much closer to reality.

Yet the racing legend has done just that, which makes us wonder if there's anything it won't put its name on. But hey, more power to them if they can get people to pay US$12,000 for a "Segway PT i2 Ferrari Limited Edition", especially because there's apparently no performance advantage over the original (though it does have a leather handlebar, according to Sybarites).

We do, however, give the company some credit for endorsing at least something that's mobile--which is more than we can say for Bugatti's toaster.

Via Crave CNET

Drawn to life: The laptop tablet

Correction: The original version of this article misstated the 12WX's power requirements. The Wacom Cintiq 12WX requires an AC power source to operate.

Come December, in Asia, you'll be able to buy a new 12.1-inch tablet that displays in widescreen (16:10). It will be fanless, silent and won't burn your thighs. It doesn't come with a keyboard, but it does come with a spiffy 1,024-pressure pen. And you don't even need to spend money on future upgrading, since it doesn't need RAM or an operating system.
Read more »

Gun Barrel Camera

The next time an officer in blue pulls out his handpiece, say cheese. Because attached to the barrel of his pistol is a lipstick-sized camera that starts videotaping the moment the gun is pulled from his holster. It's all part of the US law enforcement's agenda to go high-tech in its crime-fighting, including ensuring that such gun barrel cameras will make it easier, legally, to prove who's in the right or wrong during a shootout. Does this tape in audio, too, we wonder.

Of course, there's no accounting for fudging it with tech "malfunctions". Nor would we be surprised if some of those clips mysteriously found their way onto YouTube. That aside, it's a sound enough deterrent (think before you shoot, literally and figuratively?) that sure beats the Thai's idea of shaming errant cops with Hello Kitty armbands!

Via CNN

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