The Gadgets Page

This commercial is such a great example of what could be possible.

You have to watch it twice to fully enjoy it!

Via: adfreak: Useless, annoying dude finds his true calling

For a while, you were able to get a converted Smart Car in the states from Zap Cars, but they cost between $21,000 to $30,000 once they got to the dealers. Smart Cars will finally be officially in the USA in 2008 with prices ranging from $12,000 to $17,000 for a fully decked out convertible.

They are even taking reservations so you can be the first in your area to get a Smart Car:

• smart USA – open your mind to the car that challenges the status quo

I’m going to be honest here. I don’t recommend buying the Smart Car the first year it comes out. It always seems like the first generation has troubles, whether it’s cars, computers or iPhones. I’ll wait until they work out all the bugs in the second or third year, plus, I won’t NEED a car until then. My favorite so far is this red convertible for $17K:

If you’ve never seen a Smart Car in person, they are touring the states. See if your city is on the list here:

• smart USA on tour

I can’t remember when I first heard about the Smart Car and how they were everywhere in Europe, but I certainly remember with jealousy when both Canada and Mexico got Smart Cars before us. It looks like they are finally bringing the Smart Car ForTwo to the states!

Ever since I traded in the Beetle, I’ve missed having a small car just for me. It looks like the Smart Car will finally be here, just in time for me! Yippee!!

Via: Popgadget Personal Technology for Women: Smartfortwo car: a smart reservation for $99

If you are looking for a new blender, look no further than BlendTec. Their blenders have blended everything from unopened cans of Spam to marbles, so the ice for your smoothie won’t be a problem. Every geek on the Internet screamed in agony when they tested their blenders this time. I can assure you, the BlendTec blender has no problem blending the iPhone.

Ironically, you can buy this blended iPhone, a brand new BlendTec blender, a DVD of the first 50 episodes of Will It Blend? and a t-shirt on eBay:

• eBay: Apple iPhone and Blendtec Total Blender (Bidding Ends Jul-20-07 16:06:59 PDT)

Last time I checked, the bidding was up to $570.

The BlendTec Total Blender is a pricey kitchen appliance at $400, competing with the finest that MixMaster has to offer. Of course, when was the last time you saw a MixMaster blend golf balls into pulverized dust? I’ve found that my cheap blender has no trouble blending up smoothies and when it comes to fancy electronics, eBay disposes of them nicely for me.

The absolute best Will It Blend? was the 12 Glow Sticks they did a while back. Here it is for your enjoyment:

Via: Will it Blend: the iPhone smoothie – Engadget

Ryanne at Freevlog did an excellent job reviewing the Xacti E1 camera. Since Ryanne is a video-blogger, she gives the camera an exhaustive test. She takes it in the swimming pool. She takes it to the beach. She shows you footage that she has taken with it. Go to the review and watch the video showing how rugged the Xacti E1 is:

• Freevlog » Blog Archive » Testing, Testing: Sanyo Xacti Waterproof E1 Review

I LOVE that she showed the footage from the camera in all sorts of environments. Because it’s a waterproof camera, she showed it in the pool, of course, but she also went to the trouble of showing it in the house, and in really low light situations.

There are a few things that she didn’t mention. One is that the Xacti E1 will take SDHC cards, so you can film up to 80 minutes on a 8GB SDHC card. It has 5X zoom, which isn’t as good as some of the other Xacti cameras. You have to remember, though, that when you’re filming zoomed out, it’s very difficult to get footage above 5X unless you have incredibly steady hands.

It is also a 6 mega-pixel camera in addition to being a video camera. The Xacti E1 is too new, but as soon as people start getting them, the photos that people have taken and uploaded to Flickr will show up here:

• Flickr: Camera Finder: Sanyo

Unlike the Sanyo Xacti HD, it does NOT film in HD or in the 16:9 aspect ratio. If that is an issue for you, then you should wait until Sanyo comes out with an HD Xacti that has the same great performance in low light and sound quality.

On the whole, the Xacti E1 just jumped to the top of my wish list, even above the iPhone.

Update: Mike Moon saw Ryanne’s review of the Xacti E1. You’ll remember him as the guy who put his camera into a glass jar and took it into his swimming pool. You can hear his thoughts about the camera here:

• MOON ECHOES: Thoughts…from the Pool

I don’t recommending selling one of your children to get an Xacti E1, no matter how good it looks.

Ever since we got the Smart Keys on the Prius, I have been irritated at the fact that I have to actually take my keys out of my purse to unlock the house. This lock from Kwikset has an answer for me.

• Kwikset Fingerscanning House Lock

Instead of pulling your keys out of your pockets, you can just swipe your finger to open the deadbolt. If you watch the videos on their site, you can see how it works in detail. I had a few questions about power and the lock is powered by four AA batteries. When the batteries go dead, you don’t have to input all the fingerprints again. There is some difficulty with scans for children because they tend to swipe incorrectly, but it can read children’s fingerprints as well as adults.

Their website doesn’t tell you how much it costs, but you can get the set at Amazon for about $270. You can install it yourself. There is a backup key just in case the biometrics don’t work. It really looks like a great system. Unfortunately, my paranoia makes me worried that thieves would cut off my hand just to get into my house. Maybe the Powerbolt 1000 keycode house lock from Kwikset is a better idea. It’s $150 cheaper, but then I have to remember a number. Either way, I wouldn’t need to fumble around in my purse for my keys anymore. I would have never been tempted by this if I hadn’t been spoiled by the Smart Key on the Prius. It’s something I didn’t even want on my car and now it’s something I can’t live without.

Via: Shiny Shiny: Kwikset Smartscan lets you forget your keys and still sleep in your own bed

You probably have an excellent camera in your cellphone right now. Here is a link to a website that shows you how to take up-close shots (macro) with your cameraphone using an inexpensive magnifying lens.

• DOCFILES: Macro Shots With the Dopod 838 Part 2

I am continually amazed at the amazing shots I can get off my old Treo 650. If you have been leaving your camera on your phone alone, go ahead and try it!

Via: iPhone camera as microscope – The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Here is a collection of ideas of what the world would look like if Apple made everything.

• Apple-mania, i gadget impossibili della mela – Galleria – Repubblica.it

The watch in the collection is chunky and NOT what I’m looking for. It must be impossible to make a good watch because Apple hasn’t done it. I wish Apple would design watches. They could be simple digital watches with no fancy features like MP3 players or video. I just want an well-designed watch that is useful AND beautiful.

There are only a couple companies that will achieve this: Nike, Kenneth Cole or Apple. Get on the stick, Apple! I’m waiting for my iWatch!

Via: If Apple made…everything – The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Ted Rheingold has done a really good job of explaining why paying the extra 30 cents for iTunes Plus is worth it.

• Spidey Senses -> Tingling :: Ted Rheingold’s Web Journal » Blog Archive » DRM-Free Music: Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is

He was where I was as far as buying music:

For the last two years I have gone back to buying CDs as they almost never have DRM controls on them and then I could burn it to my computer, Molly’s computer and then we could move it around to our music players, or play in the CD player in the car or house. This has been much more convenient then buying online and only being able to listen to it on devices approved by the seller or having to rip it and reinstall it over the purchased copy. I hated how iTunes would know I had bought DRM songs, but not allow me to re-download them after my harddrive crashed. Other sites offered DRM-free downloads, but had obscure libraries to chose from.

Now that there is iTunes Plus, I was able to buy that copy of Dark Side of the Moon. I can play it on my iPod and computer, of course, but now I can also play it on my car’s MP3 player without going through the rig-a-ma-roll of burning a “real” CD. I can just copy the tracks over and they play just fine.

Thanks, Steve Jobs, for pressuring the record companies to open up their music to me. I don’t think I would have ever purchased anything from you if you hadn’t. I had three iTunes gift cards that I refused to use until iTunes Plus came out.

If you have a totally hot wife waiting for you to come home, you better call her if you’re going to be late.

Via: TV commercial for a mobile phone from 1989. (thx,

It has finally been verified. The Nike+ does NOT work on the iPhone. Yet another reason for me to wait for second gen.

• Will iPhone work with Nike+? – iPod – iPhone – iTunes Forums at iLounge

The only sticking points for me were the lack of USB modem capabilities and the Nike+. Both of these issues could be corrected with software, but as of right now, it’s still better (and cheaper) for me to hold out.

Shucks…