Destined to Reign

Inhuman babysitters aren't all that uncommon around the world, but a new creature recently placed in a Japanese department store is a godsend for shopaholics with rugrats in tow. Developed by Tmsuk, the 1.4-meter tall bot is employed at a Fukuoka retailer in order to keep watch over rambunctious youngsters that are dropped off by their overworked parents. Reportedly, said critter boasts an integrated projector and camera, a colorful yellow / white outfit and the ability to identify children by name based on a special tag that each kiddo wears while playing. Of course, the manufacturer isn't looking to just shove one or two of these into every store in Japan -- oh no, it's hoping to create similar robots that could one day "guide customers through the aisles of a store," fill their carts or whisper the joke of the day in a French accent into their ears.

You know something is really catching on when companies starts branding otherwise generic products as specially designed for said something, and it now looks like that's now true for the Eee PC, thanks to these two new clever bits of marketing from A-DATA. While you could of course use any USB flash drive of SDHC card with the laptop, A-DATA's apparently hoping that its new "special edition" flash cards and drives will sway over at least a couple of Eee PC users, and we don't doubt that they will. Apparently available only in 8GB versions, they each come in Eee PC-coordinating white, with the USB flash drive also boasting the extra bonus of a leather carrying strap. No word on pricing or availability just yet, unfortunately, but we wouldn't be surprised if they demand a bit of a premium over their non-Eee counterparts.

Western Digital has never been one to skimp on color choices for its portable hard drives, and it now busted out the crayons yet again for its new batch of My Passport Elite USB drives. Available in bronze, titanium, westminster blue and cherry red, the drives each boast a "soft-touch finish" to keep 'em from slipping out of your hands, and weigh in at a mere 5 ounces. You'll also get a built-in capacity gauge to let you know how much space you have left, as well as the usual back-up software and security measures. If that sounds like the drive you've been looking for, you can grab a 250GB model now for $170, or move on up to a 320GB drive for an even $200.

It's not often we see a cellphone that we're actually a little hesitant to pick up, but LG has managed to pull off that considerable feat with its new LG-SH240 slider, which boasts the rather unique characteristic of a keypad that purportedly feels like real human skin. If that hasn't swayed you away from it, you can also expect the phone to pack a 2 megapixel camera, 3G HSDPA connectivity, and built-in Bluetooth, among other decidedly non-creepy features. You apparently won't be able to pick one up 'round these parts anytime soon though, but those in Korea can grab one now for 400,000 won, or just about $400.

Another day, another round of PCs exquisitely built from woods farmed halfway across the globe. On the docket today, however, are a number of particularly drool-worthy rigs from Universal Roaming. The Ryou collection consists of a half dozen models constructed from Japanese Judas trees and accented with lacquer, silver / gold powders and other culturally-inspired designs. Each diminutive unit houses a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo T5500 CPU, up to 2GB of RAM, an 80GB HDD, dual-layer DVD burner, WiFi adapter, 3-in-1 multicard reader and Windows Vista, but there's no telling how much you'll be asked to lay down in exchange for such elegance.

NVIDIA's high-end GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics card has been pretty well received on its own, but it looks to be decidedly more of a mixed bag when it comes to a Quad SLI configuration, at least according to a pair of early reviews. Least impressed with the setup was PC Perspective, which described the system's performance as "uninspiring" and "frustrating more often than it was fun to play on." The site did see some potential in the system, however, saying that it's very possible that NVIDIA will be able to address many of the problems in upcoming driver releases. Slightly more positive about the config were the folks at HotHardware, who were pleased with the performance, and seem to have been more satisfied with the setup's ability to scale with various applications than PC Perspective was. On the downside, they did admit that the system didn't scale well for everything, and there is of course the little matter of price (about $1,200), which will likely be pretty hard for even the most die-hard performance junkie to justify.

Forget FPS and polygon crunching, we want one of these ASUS EAH3850 just for its sheer logic-defying properties. ASUS really took AMD's CrossFireX multi-GPU capabilities and ran with them, stuffing a ludicrous trio of GPUs onto a single "concept" card. Three RV670 cores power the setup, and it's kept cool by some heatpipes and a water block. If your box doesn't implode in incredulity, that means you can power four monitors with the three GPUs, or power a single monitor with all four at once for some seriously serious World of Warcraft, though we'll have to wait for benchmarks to see how well this setup actually runs.

On June 12th, 2008 there'll be no place to hide from the release of the gunmetal MGS4 PS3. Well no place except every single country other than japan where the ¥51,800 (about $520) limited edition console will exclusively launch. That wad of Yen nabs the limited edition 40GB console with a Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots software bundle and like-colored DualShock 3 controller.

OK, perhaps not so sneaky, there's a nice big BitTorrent logo right up front, but Myka seems to be quite the end-to-end solution for getting those torrents up on the big screen. The box hooks up to the internet via LAN or WiFi, includes a 80GB, 160GB or a 500GB drive for storage and runs a torrent client on Linux. Outputs include HDMI, composite, S-Video and SPDIF, and codec support is substantial. You can add storage via USB, and pull video off your computer if you're not in a downloading mood. Prices range from $299 to $459. Let's keep it legal out there, kids!

Oh great Korean gods of peculiar gadgetry what have you done? That's the Cellink T/M from Human C&C. The device functions as a mass storage device or microSD card reader when standing in a straight-up, USB stick mode. Give it a flip, swing and slide and you've got a USB charging solution for mobile devices while simultaneously blocking all the ports on your laptop. Mechanical art or overly engineered crap? Really, without any detail we can't decide.

Pushing pixels is great and all, but sometimes we've just got a hankering to see how far those dollars can stretch, and Averatec's 2575 laptop mostly satisfies those urges. For $1100 you get Vista Home Premium running on an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core chip, with 2GB of RAM, ATI RS690 integrated graphics, 250GB of HDD and a Super Multi DVD drive. The 12.1-inch screen runs at 1280 x 800, and sports a 1.3 megapixel webcam. There's even ExpressCard 34 / 54 and a 4-in-1 memory card reader, and the whole shebang weighs in at 3.9 pounds and 1.5-inch thick. It's available now.

Oh yeah, we've seen homegrown Xbox 360 joysticks that we would love to wrap our digits around, but ShaolinDrunkard's latest creation is almost too pretty to touch -- almost. The Xbox 360 Classic Led joystick sports the prototypical stick / button layout, but also includes that iconic green swirl and a smattering of lovely LEDs to really get the oohs and ahhs flowing. The handmade oak chassis isn't too shabby, either, and as much as we'd love to see these being offered up to those with more dollars than creative genius, we've all ideas this is a one-of-a-kind. Tap the read link for a few more pics.

Okay, so after watching this thing bust a move on video, we actually aren't as perplexed by it as we once were, but there's no denying that Sony's Rolly is quite the curious character. Nevertheless, the SEP-30BT (opposed to Japan's SEP-10BT) has hurtled itself into the open arms of the FCC, assuring Americans that the time has almost come. There's nothing too shocking within the 70 (!) page manual, but if you just can't wait for this critter to land at your doorstep, tap the read link below and eat your heart out.

One of our totally awesome tipsters got his hands on some more pics of Intel's forthcoming Netbook, or as they call it, the Eco PC. These shots are way clearer than the previous pictures we've spied, and showcase the TI-99-esque keyboard that has at least one member of the Engadget team pretty darn excited. Take a look after the break at a few more photos, and hit Min Thu's Flickr gallery for the whole tour.

Given the fact that most (all?) 3G USB modems won't even fit in the MacBook Air's ultra-cramped USB port, it's practically a foregone conclusion that some of that sex appeal is going to be forfeited when busting out a dongle to keep using your current wares. Enter the AirQueue, which is hailed as the first USB extender designed specifically to work with the MBA -- whatever that means. Truth be told, we can't figure out exactly what makes this any different than other extenders made for helping folks out in a squeeze, but at least it's only $6, right? Oh, and if you're aiming to make things extra unsightly, be sure and pick up the pictured $38 ExpressCard adapter -- your coffee shop style quotient will be tanked in no time.

Okay, raise your hands if the first thing you thought when you heard about IOGEAR's Germ Free Wireless Laser Mouse was "That probably uses an unregistered pesticide that warrants government involvement." Yeah, that's what we thought -- but it appears some freak concerned citizen had your best interests in mind, because the EPA just fined IOGEAR $208,000 based on a tip that the company's Germ Free keyboard and mice peripherals were violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. Apparently no one ever verified that the titanium dioxide and silver nanoparticle compound on the mice is actually effective at killing nasties, and even if it is, it's illegal to sell pesticides without Uncle Sam's blessing. IOGEAR's stopped claiming that the products kill germs and forked over the cash, but it's not clear if the products still have the coating on them. Either way, you should probably start washing your hands more, Mr. Filthy.

Keeping with the Tangent tradition, the Quattro Mk 2 looks an awful lot like most every other tabletop radio the outfit cranks out. Nevertheless, this particular iteration pays no mind to DAB and focuses its attention on providing access to a smorgasbord of internet radio stations. Aside from featuring both integrated WiFi and an Ethernet port, you'll also get WPA2 security support, FM tuning capabilities, a backlit LCD, a headphone jack and a auxiliary port for connecting DAPs / PMPs. Word on the street has the walnut and black models selling now for £179.95 ($362), while the glossy red and white versions demand an extra £20 ($40).

No sense in forcing someone to stick with the tried and true MP3 / WMA regimen when formats such as OGG, APE, FLAC and AAC are out there, right? Apparently, the folks at Teclast are nodding their heads in agreement, as the firm's latest PMP handles all of the aforementioned files alongside WAV, AVI, RM and RMVB. Additionally, the 7.9-millimeter thick PlayFX-compatible unit features a 2.4-inch QVGA (320 x 240) resolution display, 2GB / 4GB / 8GB of capacity, a built-in FM tuner / recorder and a text viewer. No word on price or availability, but considering the dearth of integrated WiFi.

CeBIT and Powerline seem to have a thing for one another, and sure enough, this year we're seeing yet another firm storm onto the scene in an attempt to advance the flagging technology. London-based En-Twyn set up shop in Germany to showcase its En-Compass, which doesn't require any special wall cutouts and differs from most other Powerline systems by packing its electronics on the backside. In other words, you won't have any unsightly adapters protruding from the front. Beyond that, everything else works as expected -- Ethernet signals travel over your existing home wiring setup -- but unfortunately, the product is still stuck in prototype stage at the moment.

Apparently MSI is gearing up to release its own Eee competitor, tentatively called the Wind PC. There's not a lot known about the system (which was shown at CeBIT), though it's slated to feature an 8- or 10-inch, 1024 x 768 display, utilize Intel's Atom CPU, will make 2.5-inch hard drive and SSD options available for storage, and will come with 1GB of RAM standard. The mini-laptops are set to range in price from £299 to £699 depending on configuration, feature 1GHz or 1.6GHz CPUs, and should first be available with a Linux build installed -- though the company claims a Windows version will be made as well. Based on photos we've seen, the laptops will come in a variety of colors, though it appears that these are still in prototype territory, so anything could change.

Samsung promised it was coming in March, and here she blows. The Spinpoint M6 is the first standard-height 500GB 2.5-incher available, at a lean 9.5mm, meaning you can cram it into most existing laptops unlike the 2.5-inch 500 giggers from Fujitsu and Hitachi. Samsung's using some Perpendicular Magnetic Recording tech to cram everything in, stuffing three 167GB platters into the 5400rpm drive. The M6 goes for $299 and is shipping now. If DVD burning is more your pace, Samsung also just announced an "industry fastest" 22X DVD burner, the SH-S223. The SATA drive can stamp a 4.7GB disc in 12 minutes, and does dual-layer discs at a respectable 16X. No word on price yet for that one.

I would like to tell you my experience traveling in Asia. It's such a pleasant place to travel, with lots of different races and culture all living in the same country. Where you can find so much about a place, and of course i can tell you that the food in Asia is superb. It's really a haven for Asian's. The really do enjoy eating all the time. I was in KL, spending a few days there, i really thank God that i manage to book a hotel that a friend recommended me. I was in the Petronas Philharmonic Hall enjoying myself in a musical.


It's really awesome, as they have the state of the art hall, it's a must to go. As specially like a family trip, it's all worth while to take your children there, to get the exposure of a live musical event. After that i travel down south to Singapore.


Singapore it's one of city, that i really like to be there for a holiday. I can spend the whole day in Sentosa Island , it's a nice place to be, i am amazed at the underwater world. It's also a place for shopping, there is just so much stuff i could buy there, that i end up adding another luggage to my travelling. You can easily find a hotel in Singapore easily as accommodation is easily done just by clicking.

After that i shoot up north, While it's is known as Amazing Thailand. The night life there is great, you must get yourself a massage, nothing can compare to their own traditional thai massage.

Night life there is great, where you can get all sort of accessories. From the top to the bottom, you can find a lot of inexpensive that you can put on to match up on your daily wear. Hotels there are great and affordable.