DS Lite gets solar power

One of the main reasons why I still pick my DS Lite over the PSP is the long battery life, where the former clearly trounces the latter despite me having to sacrifice gorgeous graphics in my portable gaming titles. Despite that, how about keeping the DS Lite juiced up at all times without you having to search for a nearby power outlet? That is possible although you will need a steady hand and have a love for all things DIY with this solar-powered DS Lite. Instructables has a step-by-step guide on concocting your own version, although bear in mind the device’s screen is not too big a fan of being played outdoors as the colors will look washed out.

Source: Technabob

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Xerox EverFlat Paper

Xerox surprises the world with its latest innovation, the EverFlat Paper. What do you mean by EverFlat - isn’t paper flat all the time? Not so if you have a thick paperback, where the pages arc up toward the spine. The EverFlat Paper lets the book lay completely flat even when open.

Xerox EverFlat Paper allows the pages in an open book to lay completely flat, rather than bowing or arcing up toward the spine. Flat pages make it easier to view an image across two pages. The paper has an 80 lb. cover weight that provides a thicker, premium feel over traditional paper. It can be used for photo books as well as computer / technical manuals, desk calendars, textbooks, cookbooks and music books.

Just when you thought Xerox had run out of innovative ideas, here’s one that might just revive the idea of reading this thing called books in kids. Those little critters are way too comfortable with their QWERTY keyboards and LCD displays IMHO.

Press Release

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Solar-powered camels to the rescue

Health workers who need to reach villages in rural areas while carrying vaccinations often find it a great challenge, because these vaccines need to remain refrigerated or else they would end up spoilt. Necessity being the mother of all invention, along with a little bit of human ingenuity has led a team of designers, health workers and development experts to come up with a mobile refrigerated health clinic that relies on solar energy and camels. The supplies are loaded onto camels, and health staff will be able to travel by bicycle and foot between camel camps and communities without worrying about the precious cargo spoiling, thanks to a solar panel located on top of the camel’s hump which will help keep the contents refrigerated. I wonder if they can slip in a can of beer or two on the way?

Source: Treehugger

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iRobot Negotiator

More affordable for local police and fire departments, the iRobot Corp. has introduced a small robot for these professionals to use in specific circumstances.  The iRobot Negotiator is designed with the ability to climb stairs and detect chemicals according to specifications given.  The PackBot 510 has been used, but as an unmanned ground robot, it is larger and more complex than the iRobot version.

These robots offer life-saving alternatives for cities to use and with iRobot making them lighter, less complex, and easier to afford, I have a feeling they will be used more.  Local agencies will be able to look into using these and iRobot Corp. is making these available by the end of 2008.  The company is known for their behavior-based robots that incorporate navigation, mobility, manipulation, and artifical intelligence.

I have seen a few of these robots at work (the home gutter cleaner is my favorite) and they do a fine job.  Visit the main site for more information.

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Super expensive movie seats

If you think that your resident cinema has what it takes to be the best cinema in the world, think again - unless you’re a resident in Tokyo, Japan. The Shinjuku Piccadilly cinema complex offers the world’s largest LCD monitor at time of its installation, measuring a monstrous 108″ across diagonally. Private screening rooms are available for rent, of course, and each seat inside will cost you a whopping $278. Of course, if you happen to be a millionaire and would like to rent one for the entire year, you can always choose to fork out $278,200. That means you have got to watch 3 shows a day inside if you’re to get your money’s worth.

Source: Gearfuse

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Solar Backpack

Constant traveling would mean lugging around not only your clothes and toiletries, but a heavy laptop (for most people anyways) as well as a plethora of chargers and adapters for the amount of gizmos you own. The Solar Backpack you see here aims to solve those woes by offering a convenient method of keeping your devices juiced without having to hunt high and low for a nearby power outlet. No idea on how efficient the solar panel is (it does look pretty small to me), but I do know the Solar Backpack comes with a variety of tips and connectors that cater to various devices. The output current stands at 200mA to 350mA, and it can withstand temperatures of up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. You can now go green with the $48 Solar Backpack.

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Small Projector in Sight

TI has presented the Optima Pico Handheld Projector as a great gadget that’s coming next year.  I look forward to the usefulness of this being integrated into our mobile phones later on so that even with our smaller displays that make our phones sleek and easy to carry, we can still utilize features like this to display photos, presentations, or information to a group.

Created to be used as a stand-alone projector, too, the Pico is planned to be used with the iPod, Playstation Portable and smaller laptops.  They are designing this projector with a clear and bright display the size of a standard piece of paper.  A good way to share those quick movies you took while out with friends, photos of your loved ones, or just to play your favorite video you just downloaded to your phone.

Currently battery powered with only a 2 hour use, I hope they work on expanding this so that you won’t be stuck recharging or replacing each week, or day.  The display is based on DLP technology which currently gives a high contrast display, which is needed for something like this.  Weighs only 4 oz. so it’s light and easy to carry.  They expect the price to be under $300 so this will truly be something many will contemplate for business and personal use.

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Important Business, Or Not?

Sometimes at Techie Diva the items that we review include useful software that we find.  I’m not saying that you’d actually USE this, because you are probably the “hard at work” type that would never need such a program, but the Fake Progress Bar by Digital Volcano might be just what you’re after.  It’s Monday, after all, and maybe you have some other things to take care of before you start your busy day, but you know your boss won’t understand.

Install this small program on your computer, click the shortcut and…well, look busy!  Digital Volcano has come up with a great looking fake bar that will make it seem like you’re installing that new software package or maybe opening up an important zipped file.  The bars constantly move and update, giving text that’s pretty important looking like “linking data” and “updating”.

The only person that might worry is your IT department if they walk by–unless you ARE the IT department! The site also features other software, like a beta version of TextCrawler 1.1, that is a find/replace tool, and a forum to discuss their offerings.  Also, a Notepad Poker game, maybe?

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Mini wind turbine for home use

Philippe Starck is a famous name when it comes to design, and the man himself has decided to come up with something green - a mini turbine that was specially designed for folks to generate their own wind power. This mini turbine relies on clear polycarbonate, which makes it look rather bland at first glance, but if you think about it on a deeper level, transparency is good since you won’t be introducing more materials into the world for decomposition later on when you’re done with the wind turbine. The design is said to offer anywhere from 20% to 60% of the power needs for an average home, so if you’re running a whole LAN party at your home most of the time, you can expect that figure to drop even to the low teens. It will be available in a couple of months’ time, retailing for approximately $600.

Source: Luxist

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Sega Hasbro A.M.P. Robot

Sega Hasbro has a new robot for all and sundry to admire - the A.M.P., also known as Automated Music Personality. This cool robot is not only able to groove (as best as it can anyways) to your tunes, but is also able to muster a voice and sing along to your song as well. There is an outlet on the back where you can dock your iPod or another compatible MP3 player to get things rockin’. Standing 73cm tall, this A.M.P. is dark black in color and has LEDs on its head which flash red in color. The A.M.P. idea is not new as it has been done by the Miuro and Rolly from Sony before, but this one takes on a somewhat humanoid form factor. This will be one expensive Christmas present for 2008 though, as the A.M.P. robot will hit the US this November for $745.

Source: Gizmodiva

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