USB Tranquility Ball

Stressed? Well, there's now a solution which comes via USB (but of course) for the desktop masses. This USB-powered orb cycles through seven hues to achieve some sort of color therapy that supposedly lowers your blood pressure. And if it doesn't work, well, you can always hurl it at that co-worker who's pissing you off, which believe you us is far more satisfying for relieving all that tension. Ooomm...

Click for bigger image here

Via Ubergizmo

Price: US$9.99
Availability: Found retailing at Kleargear
Device: USB accessory
Specs: N.A.

Sony launches FZ series in Asia

Descended from the FE series, the new VAIO FZ sports the same slim chassis as its predecessor. But is a refreshed chipset the only differentiating factor?

A cursory inspection will probably reveal that the Santa Rosa-based portable sports an HDMI connector for streaming high-definition video to an external display. However, one would have to look closely at the specification sheet to realize that the FZ series may be one of the first portables to incorporate an SDHC-compatible slot. The SD card format has a 2GB restriction, thus the newer SDHC standard was announced which allow capacities to exceed the previous limit. Unfortunately, SDHC is not backward-compatible. Hence, though you may use an SD card in the SDHC reader, you cannot read SDHC in older devices.

The FZ series comes in three flavors with different processor clock speeds justifying the respective prices. The VAIO VGN-FZ15G costs S$2,499 (US$1,756.40) and has a Core 2 Duo 1.8GHZ processor. The VGN-FZ17G goes for a 2GHz chip at an additional S$500 (US$351.42) premium, while the top-of-the-line 2.2GHz VGN-FZ18G model retails at S$4,699 (US$3,302.64). The latter is priced so much higher because it incorporates a Blu-ray optical drive under the hood. All models come with a 15.4-inch display with an Nvidia GeForce 8400M GT graphics processor driving them. The 15.4-inch FZ notebook may be rather light for its category. Unfortunately, the tradeoff is that it has only an ExpressCard/34 slot, while other similarly sized models use the larger ExpressCard/54 interface.

O2 Zinc joins the WM6 league

Without fanfare, O2 has released a Windows Mobile 6 (WM6) upgrade for its Zinc PDA-phone. This handheld is one of the company's latest, and is its only 3G device with a QWERTY keyboard.

Users can download a file from the O2 Web site, or go to one of its services centers with their Zinc to perform the upgrade. Either way, all data will be erased from the handheld, so a backup should be done before the process.

The update is available in both English and Chinese. It adds capabilities like the ability to view and edit HTML emails as well as a storage card encryption feature. This upgrade from Windows Mobile 5.0 (WM5) to WM6 is free. Future Zinc handhelds to be shipped will come with the updated OS installed.

The Atom Life was the first handheld from O2 to receive the WM6 treatment. Meanwhile, its latest model, the Flame, still runs WM5 and O2 says that it is "currently working closely with Microsoft in order to roll out the Xda Flame upgrading program soon". That means that it is in the pipeline, which is good news for current Flame users even though no specific time frame for release was given.

USB Air-Conditioned Shirt

Our venerable Mobile Ojisan (mobile uncle) blogged about the kucho-fuku "airconditioned jacket" as early as January 2006. Not surprisingly, there's now a USB version out. What's more surprising is that it's taken so long. Still, given the stultifying heat and humidity of the tropics mid-year, anything that cools us down is heaven-sent, even if it's the height of uncool donning a bulky jacket that packs two 10cm fans on the left and right rear, plus a USB port and cable that tethers you to your PC. Just remember to unplug before you step away from your desk.

Click for bigger image here

Via New Launches

Price: US$159
Availability: Found retailing here
Device: USB accessory
Specs: Size XL 126/45, fans 1.2W, 325g, material 80 percent polyester, 20 percent cotton

Wall-climbing robot sucks it up

Just how desperate is that housewife next door? If those down-looking satellites just don't do it for you any more, here's another way to keep an eye on your neighbor.

The Vortex Regenerative Air Movement Mobile Robot Platform (VRAMMRP) uses a patented "tornado in a cup" sucking technology to stick to walls and ceilings, then uses six wheels to position itself on the window ledge or other strategic location. Remote controlled by joy stick, the unit can send video and audio via secure Bluetooth. This equipment should be included in any self-respecting paparazzi's toolkit.

Via CNET Crave

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