Livescribe Smartpen records handwriting and audio concurrently

If you ever had to do transcribing work, you'd probably understand how tedious it is to replay a recorded audio clip several times to catch what is being said. So as a journalist, I really like the idea of Livescribe's Pulse Smartpen.

It records audio via the built-in microphone while I scribble on special interactive paper. But what gives this Smartpen brains is its ability to synchronize every doodle on Dot Paper with the audio that was recorded at that point of time. Dot Paper is a "digitized" media with microdots that enables the infrared camera on the Smartpen to track every stroke on the page. So if there's a certain quote I want, I simply need to make a note on the page and playback the only that part of the audio clip. Plus, the desktop software lets me search for words within my handwritten notes or share them online.
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Simplify your remote control

It used to be that remote controls let you turn on/off the TV, change channels and volume. These days, many of them are monstrosities with too many buttons, many of which you would never use. Here's a mod that will make your remote control simple again. Instead of having all the buttons exposed, a cunningly cut piece of paper will expose only the essential buttons and cover those you don't use. This could come in extremely handy if you have a member of the family who gets confused easily--hide those he or she doesn't need so they never ask you about which buttons to press again.

Via Boing Boing

RuckJack: From jacket to backpack

Talk about an identity crisis. Though there's something about the RuckJack's dual personality that can't help but appeal to the geek in us with its 2-in-1 ability to morph into a jacket or backpack. And it's all simply done with just one zip and two clips. Fortunately, too, this doesn't follow the path of many hybrid offerings that end up being a Jack of all trades, master of none. The RuckJack not only looks tough enough to brave the elements with its lightweight, all-weather material, it comes in a multitude of stylish colors. Of course, if you're using it as a backpack, you might want to have another jacket on hand just in case. The RuckJack rolls out this month in the UK but will be available online, though there's no word yet on whether it will ship your purchase to Asia.

Via Boing Boing

Sony offers up Web camcorder with 5X zoom

One of a duo of direct-to-Web HD mini camcorders marking Sony's debut in the market, the MHS-CM1, is modeled more after the traditional cheap designs from Panasonic and Samsung than the new tech toy-type Flip MinoHDs of the world.

The horizontal design does allow for a 5X zoom lens and largish 2.5-inch LCD. However, I found the CM1 oddly uncomfortable to hold. It records 1080p MPEG-4 video to Memory Stick Duos at 1,440 x 1,080 resolution, and shoots stills at a comparatively high resolution. Also like many competitors, the software it ships with, Picture Motion Browser Portable, doesn't support Macs.

You can get one of these brightly colored shooters now for US$200.

Via CNET Crave

Superman gets sold

Looking at that picture on the right, I'm reminded of the days when buying a comic book and keeping it in pristine condition was the most important thing in my life. Didn't matter which comic, either; all of them were treated with the same reverence. Ah, the good old days when I actually thought my comics would be worth something.

It's those first appearances you had to get in on. The most important first appearance took place in 1938 in "Action Comics" No. 1. That was the first appearance of Superman. Today someone will attempt to capitalize on that.

According to Reuters, starting today and ending March 13, a copy of Action Comics No. 1 will be auctioned off, and before all is said and done, experts expect bidding to reach extremely high amounts.

The comic, valued at US$126,000, was bought by an unidentified seller in 1950 when he was nine years old after begging his father for 35 cents. Good for him that parents in the 1950s and 1960s who threw out their kid's comics had no idea of their future value. If they had, there would be a lot more of these around and the value would not be so high. So, thank you parents, for your ignorance.

Stephan Fishler, founder of New York's Metropolis Collectibles, will manage the auction of the comic at www.comicconnect.com

Via Crave CNET

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