60 gadgets in 60 minutes (Or, What I Learned at SLA)

ITI Bloggers June 6th, 2007

(L-R) Barbara Fullerton, Brian Neale, Holly Pinto

Even though it was one of the final sessions of the conference, the always gadgets session played to a standing room only crowd. (Suggestion to future conference planners: never schedule the gadgets session in anything less than a large auditorium!)

Below are the gadgets presented along with brief characteristics and prices of each. I was not able to note the URLs of most of them (some are quite long), but the complete presentation will be available shortly on the SLA Law Division website or llrx.com.

Don Hawkins
Columnist, Information Today

Canon Powershot S5 IS camera
8 megapixels, large screen that rotates, high-quality video
24 carat gold iPod (black or white front), $600-800
Palm Treo 755 organizer and phone
1.74×1.74” color touch screen, the most recent Palm OS (which supports 29,000 applications), integrated Google Maps, instant messaging, Web access, speakerphone, keyboard, 1.3 megapixel camera, and Bluetooth capability. $280 ($100 rebate currently available from Spring)
Golan i.Tech virtual keyboard
Uses Bluetooth technology to wirelessly connect a virtual keyboard to the user’s device and projects it on any flat surface. Sensors recognize keystrokes, and it emits the familiar sound of tapping the keys. $170
Palm Foleo
Transfers computer applications to a cell phone (why would anyone want to do this?). $499. Available soon.
Harmon-Kardon GPS-500.
Provides both navigation and entertainment on a 4 inch display. Includes a 5 hour battery and a built-in MP3 player. $400
Clocky the alarm clock
Only gives you one chance to get up after the alarm goes off, then runs away. If you snooze, it will jump off nightstand and run around looking for a place to hide. $50
Warming mousse pad that uses USB ports.
Made of wool and cotton. The temperature increases 10 degrees every 5 minutes. $22
Garmin Nuvi GPS with a widescreen display
Includes a JPEG picture viewer to review pictures, world travel clock, anti-theft capability. Not available yet, but expect to sell for about $420.
Space saving charging station that powers 4 devices at once. $149
Motorola Bluetooth headphones
Ultralight weight. Include an adapter for iPod and cell phone. $100
Cellular book reader with a rollable foldable display
Can access e-mail, RSS readers, and e-books; also can be loaded with music and podcasts in 4 gigabytes of storage. Battery life is an amazing 10 days.
Avail only in Italy at present
Panasonic 103 inch plasma TV
A monster display weighing 771 pounds and requiring a professional 3 hours to install
(What happened to plug & play?) $63,000
Apple iPhone
Scheduled to launch June 29, 2007.
Will sell for $500 (4 gB storage) or $600(8 gB) from AT&T/Cingular. Includes a 3-1/2” screen, virtual keyboard, 2 megapixel camera, iPod and stereo Bluetooth capability. Runs the Mac operating system.
Helio: The Ocean
A cell phone with two keypads, a 2.4 inch display, 200 mB of memory, 2 megapixel camera, GPS, and USB port. $295
LG Prada phone with camera, video player, mp3 music player, and an advanced touch interface that eliminates a conventional keypad. $780
aXbo sleep phase alarm clock
Monitors your sleep cycles and goes off when you have reached a light sleep phase, making it easier to get up. Can play a variety of sounds and monitor up to two people. Also operates as a normal alarm. $250
Grillin’ & Chillin’ iGrill
Starts a barbecue grill from any Internet connection using a PC’s USB port. Can cook a hamburger in 2 minutes. $100
Enoround from Enomatic Wine Systems
A16 bottle round wine kiosk able to serve two customers at once. Automatically self cleans after every serving. Stores wine in a controlled environment that prevents oxidation. Controls the volume of wine dispensed, preventing over-serving. (Wouldn’t it be great for a library??) No price yet.
Eye-Fi
A 1 Gb memory SD card with Wi-Fi capability, allowing users to upload photos to the Internet, a PC, etc. without needing cords. Prevents running out of memory in digital cameras. Not yet available.
Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 headphones with 85% noise cancellation. Available now, rated 9/10 by Wired. $140 at shopper.cnet.com
Slingbox PRO
Watch and control up to 3 video devices from anywhere in the world, allowing you to get shows from your home TV, DVR, etc. $250
Phone Labs Dock-N-Talk
Universal cell phone docking station and charger permitting seamless switching between a home landline and cell phone. Allows effective management of unused cell minutes. Transfers Caller ID data between both phones; also has a Bluetooth option. $150 from PhoneLabs.
USB missile launcher
Use your mouse to shoot 3-4 foam missiles across a room. $40
Walkman style brain scanner
Keep tabs on mental activity during course of daily lives using real time brain activity data which can be sent to a computer for analysis.
Not available yet
Sansa Connect
A simple wireless Wi-Fi music player that can download songs to a PC.
Supports MP3 and WMA. Allows browsing of pictures on Flickr, but does not allow recording or sharing songs. $250 plus subscription to service
General Dynamics’ GoBook MR-1
A rugged Wi-Fi enabled laptop with advanced features for outdoor use. Only available to the military.
Hamster-powered paper shredder
The ultimate in green power! Helps exercise your hamster. Not available yet.
Tornado retractable 4-foot file transfer cable so you can easily move everything from one PC to another.
Uses USB 2.0 (600% faster than USB drive). Software auto loads on both PCs when the cable is plugged in. Operates on Windows98 through Vista. Great for backups. $60
Tooth Tunes
A toothbrush bristles with a chip in the handle so that when the bristles touch your teeth, music plays for up to 2 minutes. Great for getting children to brush their teeth. Provides a choice of a wide selection of songs. $10
TV remote control gun
Sounds a realistic gunshot when you change channels. No need for a gun license. $49
Freshly baked USB drives
Food look-alikes on USB drives. Price to be determined. See www.valvolo.com/freshlybakedusb.asp
Rubber Man Webcam
Webcam in the shape of a man with a rotatable head and body that can be adjusted to any angle. Works with Skype. $19
Nintendo gameboy platform shoes that make you taller and more noticeable. Not available yet.
RIM Blackberry curve (BlackBerry 8300)
Smallest and lightest phone with a QWERTY keyboard. Includes a trackball navigator, spellchecker, 2 megapixel camera, 64mb memory, and Bluetooth stereo wireless. Allows assignment of photos to contacts. $200 from AT&T
Laptop stand
Light, compact, fits any laptop. Slip-proof, adjusts to six typing angles, improves ergonomics. Includes a lazy susan so the laptop can be swiveled around. $60
Hands free cellphone kit
Frees hands for other tasks, (like driving!). $4
PaperIQ digital pen for BlackBerry
Frees you from the keyboard. Handwriting is converted to text that you can send from a BlackBerry. Digital copies of text are saved as PDF on a secure website. Requires special paper and subscription to a recognition and storage service. $300
Digital microscope
Displays high quality microscope images on a PC through a USB connection. Magnified up to 200x. Can also display snapshots and time-lapse movies. $179
Electrolaser plasma
A laser-induced plasma channel that can conduct electricity. If you break the laser beam, you will get an electric shock (and possibly still live). For government use only.
Iliad e-book reader
Not just an e-book; allows reading and writing as on paper. Notes and annotations can be transferred to a PC. Has an 8.1 inch screen, 64 mB RAM, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet functionality. $700
Google voice local search
Free directory assistance (411) search that delivers local business information over the phone. Available now; call (877)-GOOG-411 or (800)-GOOG-411.
Jawbone
A Bluetooth headset with excellent sound quality. Uses DARPA noise shield technology. Ergonomic and lightweight; includes ear loop and ear bud. $100
Smart eyewear
Checks blood sugar levels by glancing in a mirror and observing colors that change as sugar levels change. Currently under development at the University of Pittsburgh.
Mad Dog Speakers
Project tunes thru speakers that look like snarling mean dogs. $20
Keep warm items. $20 ea from www.vavolo.com

Coming in the Future (Or, What I Will Learn at SLA Next Year)

Luke’s Binoculars
Range 1,000 – 10,000 meters, 120 degree field of view
LP iPod docking washing machine
Comes with an MP player and docking station so you can play tunes as you wash.
D.A.V.E. technology
10-20 gB wireless storage for music and videos that is the size of a cell phone. Uses open source technology. Aimed at cell phone manufacturers. Under development by Seagate.