GadgetReview

No one likes mowing the lawn, but what if I told you could sit back on the porch, sip a cold glass of mom’s home made lemonade all the while trimming the greens?  Yeah, I bet you’d be sold.

So it ain’t as simple as cruising down to your local Sears but if you’ve got a penchant for modding things, know what an Arduino is and have a small work shop then you’re probably set…and a little bit of extra spending cash.  Video after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: R/C Controlled Lawnmower (video)

Over the summer I saw a bunch of cool expensive looking RC jets and helicopters.  This one dude was even flying his RC helicopter upside down and doing all these cool stunts.

The “not a toy” SkyShutter Helicam RC Helicopter will allow you to capture some seriously sick aerial footage and is quite the technological marvel.  Two people are required to control this thing properly, as one person flies the copter and the other controls the camera.  The electric powered helicopter weighs 30lbs and is capable of carrying up to 6lbs of camera gear from SLR’s to decent HD cams.

Once the camera is affixed to the helicopter it can tilted and panned to produce some truly professional shots you’d often associate with real helicopter footage.  Just don’t ask for this for Christmas as it costs $9,000.

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It’s as if we need further proof that the iPhone can do just about anything.

Using the same platform used in the 2007 Darpa Urban Challenge (an autonomous vehicle system) the Spirit of Berlin team built an iPhone app that allows a minivan to be controlled right from Apple’s smartphone over WiFi.  A forward facing camera transmits real time video to the phone’s screen and a set of buttons control the gas, break and steering wheel, which is tied into the phone’s accelerometer.

While I wouldn’t hurdle myself into shotgun for the proverbial ghost ride, I’d love to give this thing a whirl.

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I certainly loved me some Super Mario Kart on the Nintendo 64.  It provided endless hours of entertainment and was one of those games that you could just pick up and play.  From the screen to the desktop comes the Mario Kart Micro Desktop Racers.  Just like the game they include a turbo charge button and the banana peel and tortoise shell obstacles.  You can have the sweet taste of Nintendo nostalgia for just $24 (£14.95 UK) each.

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The Vista SP2 update release candidate will be available to the public next week. And here I thought SP2 was actually…Windows 7? Go figure. Anyways, any update at all to the clunky, ill-received Vista should be an improvement. 

According to rumors, the official Vista SP2 should be available this April or May, heck, let’s extend it to June. This is Microsoft, after all.

Details of the SP2 update:

• SP2 contains Blue tooth 2.1 feature pack supporting the most recent specification for Blue tooth technology
• Ability to record data on Blu-Ray media,
• Adds Windows Connect Now (WCN) Wi-Fi Configuration to Windows Vista SP2,
• exFAT file system now supports UTC timestamps, which enables correct file synchronization across time zones.
• SP2 provides support for new form factors, such as ICCD/CCID. new form factor support –example USB form factor as opposed to PCMCIA).
• Support for the new VIA 64-bit CPU
• Security
• SP2 includes all previously released security updates, and builds on the proven security benefits of Windows Vista
• Secure Development Lifecycle process updates, where we identify the root cause of each security bulletin and improve our internal tools to eliminate code patterns that could lead to future vulnerabilities
• Reliability
• SP2 addresses previously released reliability updates, as well as addressing crashes, caused by Microsoft code, discovered since the launch of SP1
• Performance
• Resume performance when Wi-Fi connection is no longer available after resume from sleep
• Inclusion of Windows Search 4 for improved indexing performance, improved relevancy in search, broader indexing scenario inclusion, as well as new Group Policy integration for Windows Search,
• Improvements to the RSS feeds sidebar gadget to improve update performance and responsiveness
• Application Compatibility
• It is our goal that applications that run on the Windows Vista Operating System today and are written using public APIs will continue to work as designed on Windows Vista SP2.
• Previously released Application Compatibility updates are included in Windows Vista SP2.
• Spysweeper and ZoneAlarm now working with POP3 email accounts
• Administration and Support Improvements
• Customers installing .net framework 3.5 service pack 1 will notice shorter download and installation times with Vista service pack 2 or Windows 2008 service pack 2 already installed,
• Service Pack Clean up tool (Compcln.exe): This tool helps restore the hard disk space by permanently deleting the previous versions of the files (RTM & SP1) that are being serviced by Service Pack 2.
• Single installer for both Vista & Server 2008
• Ability to detect an incompatible driver and block service pack installation or warn users of any loss of functionality
• Better error handling and providing more descriptive error messages where possible
• Better manageability through logging in system event log
• Componentization for Serviceability of the installer
• Some Specific Fixes/Additions Include:
• Inclusion of Hyper-V
• Event logging support in SPC
• DNS Server now listens over ISATAP address
• Fixes DRM issues from WMP upgrades
• Windows Vista Feature Pack for Wireless
• Reduction of resources required for sidebar gadgets
• Improved power settings for WS08

[Gizmodo]

Image from Vista Revisited.

What’s better than an RC car?  An RC car that defies gravity.  Sounds crazy, I know, but it ain’t no joke. This little RC vehicle uses a internal vacuum to adhere itself to the wall and in turn doubles, or perhaps triples your play room.  As with any tiny RC vehicle, you’ll get just a few minutes of run time – 8 to be exact – but it takes just 15 to charge it.

Available here for $30

You gotta love toys you can just pick up and play with. The instructions – what instructions! The R/C Alien Microfly UFO is no more then a balance weight, box cutter knifed Styrofoam and propeller. So, ya, my initial reaction was far from impressed. Worse yet, I had to stuff 6 AA batteries into the remote, which doubles as a charger. Sorry, no rechargeable batteries included. With apprehension, and an almost virtual guarantee that my review of the R/C Alien Microfly UFO would be negative, I set in for lift off.

First attempt: smacked the ceiling and spun out of control. Second attempt: I eased in on the throttle and lift off, albeit for a few seconds. Soon I realized this little RC flyer would take some mastery, something I might just enjoy. Hand eye coordination? Yes please. Come my 5th attempt I was hovering the little neon green flyer like a pro. 75% on the throttle seemed about suitable for my 8 foot ceilings. …Continue reading: Gadget Review: R/C Alien Microfly UFO

Here’s a unique toy for the kids.  It’s the Interactive Toy VAMP Indoor/Outdoor RC Flying Bat for $40 + Shipping or $45 when your cart reaches that threshold.

Features:

• Easy to control RC flying toy
• Flies for up to 10 minutes on one charge
• Wing really flap and glowing LEDs let you keep track of it at night

Buy it: Interactive Toy VAMP Indoor/Outdoor RC Flying Bat – $45