Mick Webb

The Bedol Eco-Friendly Clock - just add water

By Mick Webb

21:07 July 20, 2009 PDT

Anything that flies the green flag is a welcome addition to the array of resource depleting devices in our homes. The Bedol Eco – Friendly Water Powered Clock is as environmentally sound as they come – literally just add water. Read More

The Eris spherical watch - planetary in name and nature

By Mick Webb

18:04 July 14, 2009 PDT

While time itself is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity in today’s hustle and bustle world, there is certainly no shortage of innovative timepieces to help us keep track of it. Inspired by the recently discovered dwarf planet Eris, this example does away with the conventional two dimensional approach to timekeeping, instead using a globe design featuring “floating” hands that glide around the “equator” of the watch. Read More

TrickleStar aims to stop the standby power drain

By Mick Webb

19:09 July 9, 2009 PDT

One of the greatest wastes of energy in the household is standby power and here to combat this, is the TrickleSaver. With the ability to sense when a TV or PC is off and shut down any connected peripherals like games consoles or printers, TrickleSaver is looking to make “vampire power” a thing of the past. Read More

Shipping container to solar powered restaurant in 90 seconds? Meet the Muvbox portable restaurant

By Mick Webb

05:29 July 7, 2009 PDT

We have already seen the humble shipping container take on many guises ranging from pop-up hotel rooms to relocatable homes. Here to “cater” for the entrepreneur on the move is the Müvbox portable restaurant. This compact and mobile unit uncovers a fully operational kitchen in around 90 seconds at the touch of a button, and brings an eco-friendly ethos to the table to boot. Read More

Mimo Mini 710 USB Monitor - extra screen space on the go

By Mick Webb

17:20 July 6, 2009 PDT

The pivoting Mimo Mini is a low maintenance solution for some extra screen space on the go, and offers convenience by not requiring a separate power outlet like traditional monitors. The 7” high resolution 800 x 480 pixel display can be used for any number of programs, from a users IM client, to spreadsheets, email or video. Adding to the functionality of the units, they can be used in either landscape or portrait mode. Read More

Energi To Go range promises portable power for almost any gadget

By Mick Webb

17:45 July 5, 2009 PDT

Energizer has teamed with XPAL Power for its new “Energi To Go” range and hardly a niche has been left uncatered for, with a portable iPhone shaped charger, solar powered units and even a USB powered charger that connects directly to DSLR batteries. Read More

Pop-up buttons the future of touchscreens?

By Mick Webb

19:47 June 23, 2009 PDT

“Eyes-free” mobile phone dialing may be a not-too-distant reality. Hot on the heels of Google recently announcing its experimental Android powered interface comes this prototype from Carnegie Mellon University featuring pop-out buttons on a touch-screen which allow you to tap away without keeping a close eye on the screen. Read More

The 128GB USB Flash drive arrives

By Mick Webb

23:49 June 18, 2009 PDT

USB Flash drive capacity has come a long way in a very short space of time. It was merely a couple of years ago that a 32GB memory stick was considered groundbreaking. Taking storage capability to dizzying heights is the new DataTraveler 200 series from Kingston Technology which features the world’s first 128GB capacity Flash drive. Read More

Sony announces eco-friendly mercury-free batteries

By Mick Webb

05:49 June 16, 2009 PDT

It’s no secret that mercury is a dirty word in environmental circles, and more of the big guns of electronics are starting to take note. Apple's MacBook Pro now features a mercury-free backlight display, and Fuji has released its eco-friendly EnviroMax batteries. This week Sony has strengthened its enviro-credibility by announcing a line of mercury-free alkaline button batteries. Read More

Bang & Olufsen announces the BeoVision 7-40 with Blu-ray

By Mick Webb

18:43 June 6, 2009 PDT

Bang & Olufsen has announced the release of the BeoVision 7-40 flat-screen LCD TV, incorporating a Blu-ray player and double-frame-rate technology. Read More

Eyes-Free dialing just a swipe of a finger away

By Mick Webb

21:47 June 3, 2009 PDT

Google engineers have shown an experimental “Eyes-Free” touch interface for Android powered mobile phones. Through tapping, sliding and releasing, the interface can be used to quickly enter a phone number without having to look at the screen, and it’s not only vision impaired users that are set to benefit from the technology. Read More

HP extends its Mini PC family

By Mick Webb

17:00 May 30, 2009 PDT

Those on the go who like to do it in style will be pleased to hear that HP has added three new models to its popular HP Mini companion PC range. The new editions offer a host of customizable designs and configurations, all in a small package that’s light on weight but heavy on features. Read More

Seiko Epson takes a big leap in OLED screen technology

By Mick Webb

02:32 May 28, 2009 PDT

Could the end be nigh for plasma and LCD screens? Seiko Epson has recently announced a further development in ink-jet technology, which does away with some of the problems still dogging the much-vaunted organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology. In particular, Seiko Epson has signaled it is moving toward a 37-inch HD OLED screen by creating a uniform deposit of organic material while removing the uneven layering of the ink-jet method. Read More

Everything you ever wanted to watch … on one super-sized DVD

By Mick Webb

17:26 May 22, 2009 PDT

Until recently, the idea of holding your entire collection of movies on a single super-sized DVD was the stuff of science fiction. According to Australian researchers at Melbourne's Swinburne University of Technology, advances in their study of nanoparticles have raised the possibility of storing vast amounts of data on the one disc in the not-too-distant future. Read More

Garmin's new Oregon 550 and Oregon 550t GPS for in-car or outdoors

By Mick Webb

19:03 May 19, 2009 PDT

Garmin's latest handheld GPS offering for explorers who like to hit the open road - as well as veer completely off it on foot - crams a 3-axis compass, 850MB of on-board memory and a 3.2 megapixel, 4X optical zoom digital camera into a 6.8 oz., water and weatherproof package with a 3-inch touchscreen interface. Read More

Archos 2 gives iPod Shuffle a run for its money

By Mick Webb

19:21 May 11, 2009 PDT

When it comes to ultra-compact portable music players, for many the choice

"du jour" has been the ubiquitous iPod Shuffle. Apple’s minute MP3 players have consistently offered an attractive price point and ever diminishing size with each generation of Shuffle, which has allowed the pocket player to claim the lion’s share of the market. Here to give them a run for their money is the Archos 2 portable music player, which packs a punch with size, specs and price. Read More

Seagate Replica promises simple PC backup

By Mick Webb

19:33 April 30, 2009 PDT

It is no secret that we are increasingly dependent on digital information as hard drives replace cupboards full of photo albums, racks of CD’s and boxes of files. But with this convenience comes a danger - one which an estimated one third of consumers ignore by failing to back up their files according to research cited by Seagate in releasing its new continuous backup solution - Replica. Read More

Bellperre adds extra-bling to custom made mobile phone collection

By Mick Webb

18:00 April 26, 2009 PDT

The words “global economic downturn” are not are part of luxury phone maker Bellperre’s vocabulary, as evidenced by the release of its new high-end Nero Gold series. The Netherlands based company offers handcrafted tailor made handsets using “0% plastic”, and has now added even more precious metals and gemstones to the available mix. Read More

SFC Portable Fuel Cell lightens the soldier's load

By Mick Webb

17:58 April 21, 2009 PDT

Soldiers operating in remote locations face a considerable heavy equipment burden, a significant proportion of which can be attributed to the need for a portable power supply. Fuel cells are seen as a key solution to this problem and the JENNY system, which has just been commercially released for defense applications by German mobile power application company SFC Smart Fuel Cell, promises to reduce weight by around 80% compared with lithium-ion batteries. Read More

The Zacuto Gunstock Shooter series takes DSLR filmmaking to the next level

By Mick Webb

17:11 April 18, 2009 PDT

Any budding filmmakers looking to emulate Hollywood style 35mm motion pictures using their own Digital SLR cameras should take a look at the recently released Zacuto Gunstock Shooter series. A combination of industry standard features and compact design is set to see independent filmmaking taken to the next level. Read More

Meccaniche Veloci teams with Brembo to create world's first carbon fiber wristwatch

By Mick Webb

16:24 April 16, 2009 PDT

For many years now the Formula 1 industry has championed the use of carbon fiber as a superior material for creating a competitive edge. With the current buzz surrounding the Moto GP and the Ducati carbon-framed Desmosedici GP9, it seems only timely that two other Italian companies should unveil the world's first carbon fiber encased wristwatch, the Quattro Valvole CCM. Read More

FON shares the love with the new La Fonero 2 router

By Mick Webb

21:19 April 12, 2009 PDT

FON, the world’s largest Wifi community, continue their ethos of give and take with the release of the La Fonera 2 router. The self-confessed “hippie-love-in” style products work as such – a user purchases the router and once connected to the internet, gives away a small part of their bandwidth via a second public facing connection. This network can be accessed for free by other FON owners. In return for this show of generosity the user can then access other FON hotspots anywhere in the world. This latest addition also boasts Bit Torrent and Network Storage capabilities. Read More

Genius' $50 noise-cancelling GHP-04NC headphones

By Mick Webb

05:45 April 2, 2009 PDT

As recently reported here at Gizmag, when it comes to headphone quality a growing number of consumers seem to be sacrificing sound for style. Fortunately there are companies out there still looking to cater for aural afficianados and the latest effort from Genius - the GHP-04NC Noise Cancelling headphones - have the added bonus of costing half as much as the company's offering from 18 months ago. Read More

USB cup warmer a hot little number

By Mick Webb

20:48 March 29, 2009 PDT

The humble USB device has come a long way in a short time and over the years we have seen the technology used to power a growing array of peripherals from weather stations to personal aroma diffusers, now a device that will heat things up around the office - literally - the USB cup warmer. Read More

Standby for the energy saving technology of 100% Off

By Mick Webb

16:18 March 25, 2009 PDT

Here’s a thought – the amount of time a domestic appliance like a television spends on standby over the course of a year actually costs more than the time it spends in use. To counteract this remarkable waste of money and energy comes a device called “100% Off” – a very switched on idea. Read More