With so many USB gadgets available to help you utilize the SKYPE software, you know that someone has to go a step further with their design abilities.  It has happened with the Buffalo BKBU-SKJ109/SV Keyboard.  This has the usual lovely 12 function keys that we love so much, with an additional 13 hot keys, volume control for your headphones (isn’t that what this is trying to replace?) and a tethered phone for your SKYPE calls.

You can utilize the standard 109 keys to your advantage and type up a quick note to the company to let them know that you’d like a wireless model (go Bluetooth!) or you can settle for this and enjoy a few calls there by your desk for only a small fee.  Looks like a decent keyboard, at least.  I’m unsure about the function this would add to your gadget-loving life though.  I suppose $65 can be worth looking a little different?

Technorati Tags: Buffalo BKBU-SKJ109/SV Keyboard,Skype phone,USB skype,gadget review

Popularity: 32% [?]

Forget the press junkets and independent films, when celebs head to the Sundance Film Festival they do it to attend the private parties or gift suites like the popular Wii Lounge. Gaming site 1UP caught a glimpse of Tara Reid playing a game on the Wii that requires her to do some type of sword fighting, and Variety has proof that Josh Hartnet, William H. Macy, Richard Jenkins stopped by the Wii Lounge, perhaps hoping to score a Wii? Ah, it feels good to know even celebs have a hard time getting a Wii.

Wondering what other celebs stopped by the Wii Lounge looking to get physical?

Brittany Murphy gets Wii Fit in sexy boots. 

Lauren Graham and Matthew Perry stopped by too.

Check out some pics over at Wire Image. Looks like Adrian Grenier, Sara Jessica Parker, Dennis Quaid, Misha Barton, and Mena Suvari all stopped by too.

Popularity: 72% [?]

It’s too late or too early for ghost stories, but sometimes you just can’t ignore them, especially when there’s photographic proof. The Daily Mail is one wacky publication I visit when I need a good laugh, so when I found this article accompanied by a snapshot taken with a mobile phone that appears to have captured a ghostly face of a child, I just didn’t know what to think. Could this be a hoax? Dirt? Pixelized illusion? I always get a kick of those people who claim to have captured “Orbs” in their photographs, but this picture clearly shows a real face with eyes, a nose, and a mouth. It almost looks like a little Einstein. The picture was captured by 17-year-old Matthew Summers on his mobile phone as he was getting ready to go out with his female entourage. A little girl on the right is clearly upset about something. Could it have been the ghost child? Who really knows, but one Ciaran O’Keefee, a  parapsychologist on Living TV’s Most Haunted, thinks he has an explanation. He  says, and I quote:

“As human beings we’re very good at finding a pattern in randomness and related to that we’re good at finding faces in randomness. The term for this is pareidolia. First it was ink blots, then things like clouds in the sky and now mobile phone pictures. There is no ghost in this picture, just the coincidental effect of pixelation and darkness and light which combine together.”

What do you think? Could this be a ghost?

Popularity: 53% [?]

Bono launched the (PRODUCT) RED campaign on Oprah in October of 2006. This year, the megastar joined Bill Gates and Michael Dell as they launched a new line of Dell products to benefit the (PRODUCT) RED campaign. Curiously, all these RED products are being launched just in time for February’s red madness, which usually celebrates Valentine’s day. If you’re planning to get your sweetie a RED Dell to celebrate your love, check out your options:

• XPS M1530 and M1330 notebooks (starting price is $1,149) loaded with a (PRODUCT) RED themed Windows Vista Ultimate edition. A $50 donation goes to the Global fund. 
• XPS One  (starting at $1,599)machine loaded with a (PRODUCT) RED themed Windows Vista Ultimate
  edition. A $80 donation goes to the Global fund.
• 948 All-in-One Printer ($149). A $5 donation goes to the Global Fund.

I love the (PRODUCT) RED themed Windows Vista Ultimate edition. That thing looks HOT! Although, I’m not sure how I’d feel about seeing RED all the time.

Popularity: 44% [?]

Delight.com the place for all things chic is featuring the beautiful Persida Lapsac bag by Nanda Home tote bag. This bag is for girls who hate laptop bags that look like laptop bags. This stylish oversized bag has a padded zipper front that can hold your Macbook, and as the site says, this bag is perfect when you’re traveling. Now you don’t have to carry a bag for your notebook, and another for your magazines and snacks. The cotton tote features a very feminine pink lace pattern in the front, is roomy enough to hold all the stuff you need on a daily basis.

Popularity: 47% [?]

 Our batteries should last longer and Panasonic has decided to prove this point by  making a longer lasting AA battery called EVOLTA.  Panasonic entered the EVOLTA battery into the Guinness Book of World Records and claim the longest lasting AA battery cell category.

They were recognized as such based on data obtained from discharge tests that were conducted on these EVOLTA batteries by Panasonic.  A change in the battery structure and other materials has made this an innovation we all could benefit from, considering all our lovely gadgets and gizmos happen to need power to keep them going.

Panasonic announces that the alkaline batteries will be good for both low and high current drain applications.  This could really up the ante for other companies to improve their products.  Will the batteries cost more?  Only about $5.40 for a 4-pack, not much more than competitors.  You’ll see this battery available later this year in the US.

Technorati Tags: panasonic,evolta,batteries,guinness

Source: tmcnet.com

Popularity: 62% [?]

Those lucky Europeans always get the cool fashion phones first, don’t they? Shiny Shiny says Nokia’s Crystal Prism handset should be available next month in Europe just in time for Valentine’s Day.  The sexy purple delight features laser-etched, diamond-cut designs all over its thin body, and is complete with a purple jem in the center. As for the important stuff, like specs, the phone features things like a two megapixel digicam, 3G (impressive), Bluetooth, 1GB of internal storage, and a two-inch screen. Designer Frédérique Daubal created this beautiful handset, along with fancy wallpapers. Another cool feature is the phone’s keypad lightshow, which can changes colors and pulsate to get you in a clubbing mood? Anyway, the phone will cost Europeans a hefty 280 pounds.

Popularity: 37% [?]

This week has been a really tough one for many of us. As many of you have heard, the world has lost a very talented young man this week, and his tragic death has been devastating to many. It’s really hard to concentrate on anything else, really. And if you’re still feeling like I am, you’re probably devouring every bit of Heath Ledger news in an attempt to make some sense of it all. I obviously never knew him, but like many of you, I was very sad when I found out he was gone. I couldn’t stop thinking about his daughter who will never really know him, or how his parents must’ve felt being so far away from him at the time of his passing. I usually don’t do this, but I honestly felt like paying a small tribute to him in some way. I guess it’s my way of commencing the healing process or an attempt to keep him alive in my thoughts. I really didn’t know how to do this, except by listing articles that pay homage or talk about the charming Australian guy we never really knew. If you have other articles to share, I encourage you to share them with us in the comments section below. Rest in Peace, Heath.

• Heath Ledger immortalised by internet fans (Telegraph)
• I-Reporters  recall meeting kind, handsome Heath Ledger (CNN)
• James talks Heath Ledger’s 5 Best performances (MLive)
• Heath Ledger’s Family Pours Out Grief (People)
• Heath Ledger In Retrospect: ‘10 Things’ You Didn’t Know About The Actor (MTV)
• Heath Ledger: A Career in Pictures (Capital Radio)
• Fan site Heath Heathens

Here’s a letter from his family:

“How do we describe our sudden and tragic loss? … You were the most amazing individual “old soul” in a young man’s body.You so loved us, as we dearly loved you. As a close knit and very private family unit we have observed you so determined yet quietly travelling in your self-styled path in life, nothing would get in your way … no mountain too tall, no river too wide.You dreamed your dreams and lived them with passion and intelligent commitment. We have been privileged to accompany you on a ride through life that has simply been amazing and through it all, we have loved each other beyond imagination.Your true legacy lives on in beautiful little Matilda, who will always remain in the greatest of care. Our hearts are broken.”

I’ll update the list as we go.

Popularity: 51% [?]

A timely report came out today about experts addressing what they now call “technology overload.” I say timely, because it’s close to Valentine’s Day and you know, technology always gets blamed for making “WoW widows” out of some, or Crackberry addicts out of others. It’s your typical “you might be an tech addict if you…” article that is careful not to label everyone as a “addict” per se, but instead resorts to language that suggests you might be too plugged in. John O’Neill, Director of Addiction Services at the Menninger Clinic in Houston, TX, says those who spend unhealthy amounts of time checking email, surfing the web, or texting on their phone  are at risk of ruining their relationships with others. This obsessive behavior is now labeled as an addiction by psychologists, much like alcoholism, and drug abuse, because it’s socially damaging to the person. Socially damaging indeed. One of the tell-tale signs of tech overload includes resorting to email or texting to avoid face-to-face interaction with others. But what else is an indication that you might be an addict:

• Spending more time tending to email or surfing the Web than with friends or family
•  Inability to be without a cell phone, or computer for too long
• Paying more attention to gadgets than your surroundings (accidents happen this way) 

What’s funny is that no one can really say when technology overload becomes an addiction or if it’s the same thing. I see these articles all the time, but are they talking about extreme cases like when parents neglect their kids to play video games or are they talking about the average Joe who happens to have a demanding job that requires him to check his Blackberry every minute.

I guess what upsets me is that these type of articles tend to be vague, and make us worry about nothing. 

I can honestly say I’ve done all of the above, not because I’m addicted, but because it’s convenient. I mean, who hasn’t called or texted someone in the next room, because it was easier to do than getting off your chair.  Do I spend too much time online? Sure, but that’s part of my job. Have I listened to my iPod while I’m out running oblivious to my surroundings (ok, not safe but it happens)? Who hasn’t. I think it’s time the good Doctors came up with some concrete evidence or at least narrow their addiction labeling  down just a little bit more.   

It all kinda makes me wonder what they said in the past about people’s obsession with records/CDs, television, or phone use. Should people who recognize that technology is now a huge part of our lives be labeled as tech addicts? What do you think?

Popularity: 40% [?]

I suppose if I had to choose between pink gadgets or red ones, I’d choose red anytime. Red is a beautiful color, and Sony made a great choice by releasing the Red Collection just in time for Valentine’s Day. The bundle includes a gorgeous VAIO CR Notebook in Sangria red, a matching case and mouse, and a Dooney & Burke keychain with three dangling hearts. The Sony VAIO CR notebook packs an Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor, Windows Vista, a 200GB hard drive, a built-in webcam, and a CD/DVD burner. It all will be available for pre-sale on January 24 for $999 over at SonyStyle.com. Just one more thing to add to your Valentine’s Day gift list.

Popularity: 45% [?]