Even accessory-laden Apple users have a dearth of options when it comes to offboard battery chargers, which is why we’re sure Mac-toting road warriors will be taking a close look at FastMac’s new TruePower U-Charge. Basically, it’s a $70 laptop battery charger — not a power adapter — with a variety of tips and connections for Mac batteries both modern (MacBook / MacBook Pro) and dating all the way back to the G3-era (like Pismo / WallStreet PowerBooks). FastMac is also apparently working on rounding out the collection with higher voltage connectors for machines like the original iBooks and TiBook, if you happen to holding out in a bunker with one of those suckers, browsing Engadget on Internet Explorer for Mac 5.0.
A couple months after leaking unofficially, Sony Ericsson’s G702 (aka Bei Bei) is getting the official FCC leak. Besides being all touchscreen-y (supports stylus or your digits), it’s also got a nubby scroll wheel for navigating its UIQ 3.3 interface with widgets for stuff like weather and YouTube. Integrated GPS with Google Maps, HSDPA 3G, built-in RSS and full HTML browsing with Flash Lite 3 courtesy of Opera 9.5 and a 3.2MP camera make this a pretty well-rounded candybar. No word on a date, but an FCC appearance indicates soonishness. [FCC via se-ense via Slashphone]
The Optio W60 is the most waterproof Pentax cam yet. A step up from the W30, it’s a 10MP point-and-shoot that will survive at depths up to 13 feet for two hours, good enough for the pool, beach and most non-competitive snorkeling. It also handles freezing temps (14°F) and is certified dustproof against dirt, sand and dust. The Optio features 5x optical zoom, 28mm wide-angle shooting, and HD video recording. It comes in silver and blue and will be out in July for $330. Maybe this summer I’ll test it against the Olympus 1030SW and others in a Bathtub Battlemodo. Additional picture after the jump. [Pentax]
Sure, it’s been done before, but that doesn’t make the idea of a robotic arm controlled by a Wiimote any less exciting, especially when the arm is actually responsive. That feat is aided considerably by the fact that this latest setup was developed by an engineer from National Instruments, who made use of some of the company’s LabVIEW hardware and a specially-designed Bluetooth adapter to control the arm at the flick of a wrist (or using the Wiimote’s buttons). Check it out in action in the video after the break — don’t worry, no one gets hurt.
While it doesn’t exactly boast all that many robot-like characteristics, this grasshopper-inspired bot from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology is apparently enough of one to lay claim to the robot high-jump record, which it was able to capture handily by jumping 27 times its own height. That was done with the aid of a motor originally designed to power the vibration unit of a pager which, in this case, winds up two metal springs that eventually release and spring the 5-centimeter tall bot into the air. What’s more, while it doesn’t have any means of directing itself or even landing on its feet just yet, the researchers behind the bot eventually hope to add some solar panels, sensors, and a microprocessor to it, which they say could one day allow swarms of ‘em to explore disaster areas, or even hop their way around the surface of other planets. Head on past the break for a video of it doing its thing.
Even accessory-laden Apple users have a dearth of options when it comes to offboard battery chargers, which is why we’re sure Mac-toting road warriors will be taking a close look at FastMac’s new TruePower U-Charge. Basically, it’s a $70 laptop battery charger — not a power adapter — with a variety of tips and connections for Mac batteries both modern (MacBook / MacBook Pro) and dating all the way back to the G3-era (like Pismo / WallStreet PowerBooks). FastMac is also apparently working on rounding out the collection with higher voltage connectors for machines like the original iBooks and TiBook, if you happen to holding out in a bunker with one of those suckers, browsing Engadget on Internet Explorer for Mac 5.0.
At first glance I thought that this homemade wheel mount was absolutely ridiculous—and with good reason. However, the fact that I recently played Mario Kart with my novice girlfriend leads me to believe that their could be a place for a mount like this. Using only a couple of 36-inch bungie cords and a plastic crate you can build what is essentially a traning wheel for the game that helps beginners settle down with the wiimote and master the basic steering movements. Just don’t let any of your gamer friends catch you using it. A video of the steering wheel mount “in action” is available after the break.
We’re a little sick of the Asus Eee metric too, but it sure makes for a succinct headline. The Bestlink Alpha 400 is a 7-inch Linux PC with a 400Mhz processor, scant 128MB of RAM and 1-2GB of internal flash storage. It’s nothing impressive, but it only runs $250…through probably not much else, if you know what I mean. But order 100 or more and the price drops to $180 per unit. Pretty neat, since $18,000 could easily buy you just one computer in more advanced configurations. [Desktop Linux]
See, it’s not all dour news in the wireless industry — oft-overlooked carrier Alltel just announced that it added over 1M gross wireless customers in the first quarter, and that it’s committed to LTE in the next three to five years. The LTE news isn’t particularly surprising, since Alltel’s got roaming agreements to maintain and both Verizon and AT&T are committed to LTE, but the company did specifically say that it was picking LTE over WiMAX. (Oh, and if you’re keeping score, that pretty much puts the final, final nail in the coffin for Qualcomm’s UMB — good thing it’s got those LTE-compatible chipsets in the works.) Alltel’s actually growing pretty fast — this is the second quarter in a row it’s added over 1M gross customers, probably due to those sparkling call-quality survey results — but we still have our doubts when the company claims it’s “America’s Largest Network.” Should be interesting to see how this all shakes out as 4G gets built out, no?
Read - Alltel Q1 results [Warning: PDF link] Read - Alltel commits to LTE
The 3G iPhone and the BlackBerry Bold are two of the most buzzed-about phones due out this year. And while we don’t have any shots of the new iPhone, it’s a safe assumption that it won’t look all that much different than the current model. With that in mind, the folks from The iPhone Blog have taken a bunch of comparison shots and some video of the Bold and the iPhone together, showing us just how the two compare. Hey, I didn’t realize the BlackBerry had a keyboard and the iPhone didn’t! You learn something new every day. Hit the jump for the unsurprisingly-biased yet in-depth video and follow the source link at the bottom for the large gallery.
A couple months after 
The Optio W60 is the most waterproof Pentax cam yet. A step up from the 
At first glance I thought that this homemade wheel mount was absolutely ridiculous—and with good reason. However, the fact that I recently played Mario Kart with my novice girlfriend leads me to believe that their could be a place for a mount like this. Using only a couple of 36-inch bungie cords and a plastic crate you can build what is essentially a traning wheel for the game that helps beginners settle down with the wiimote and master the basic steering movements. Just don’t let any of your gamer friends catch you using it. A video of the steering wheel mount “in action” is available after the break.
We’re a little sick of the Asus Eee metric too, but it sure makes for a succinct headline. The Bestlink Alpha 400 is a 7-inch Linux PC with a 400Mhz processor, scant 128MB of RAM and 1-2GB of internal flash storage. It’s nothing impressive, but it only runs $250…through probably not much else, if you know what I mean. But order 100 or more and the price drops to $180 per unit. Pretty neat, since $18,000 could easily buy you just one computer in more advanced configurations. [
The 3G iPhone and the BlackBerry Bold are two of the most buzzed-about phones due out this year. And while we don’t have any shots of the new iPhone, it’s a safe assumption that it won’t look all that much different than the current model. With that in mind, the folks from The iPhone Blog have taken a bunch of comparison shots and some video of the Bold and the iPhone together, showing us 
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