Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

In today’s edition of How Your Office is Slowly Killing You, a study emerging from Queensland University of Technology suggests that laser printers can emit clouds of ultra-fine particles that compare to “cigarette smoke and motor vehicle emissions.” Reportedly, 13 out of 40 models tested were deemed “high emitters” of particles from the toner, and while office photocopiers failed to produce similar results, concentrations of microscopic particles near laser printers were found to be “five times higher than outdoor levels often produced by traffic” in a given investigation. Currently, no efforts have been made to actually study the chemistry of the emissions, but considering that such fine objects could easily sink “to the very lowest reaches of the lungs,” we’d say that’s reason enough to request an airtight office a few floors underground.

[Image courtesy of Gripguard]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Announcements, Gaming, Home Entertainment

We’ve given away any number of Xbox 360s on Engadget in the past, but never one with the level of awesome turned up to 11 (or, in this case, 300). Today we’re giving away one of just 20 super rare Xbox 360 Elite consoles printed with blood designs from 300 — but rarer still since it’s friggin’ signed by Frank Miller. The details of what the winner takes:

• 300-Edition Xbox 360 Elite (120GB drive, wireless controller, etc.)
• Console is signed by 300 creator and comic legend Frank Miller, as well as Zack Snyder, director of the eponymous film
• 300 combo DVD / HD DVD (which is, incidentally, out today) to go right along with it.

Look, we’ll admit it, we really don’t want to give this thing away — so make sure you follow the contest guidelines, ok?

The rules (yeah, there are always rules):

• Leave a comment below — tell us your fave scene from the movie. (It’s ok if you haven’t seen it, but where the hell have you been?)
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok?
• If you enter more than once, only activate one comment — otherwise we’ll send Leonidas after you.
• Contest is open to anyone worldwide!
• Entries can be submitted until 11:59pm EDT on Sunday, August 12th.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Original post by Ryan Block

Filed under: Gaming, Transportation, Wireless

Looking to collect a little acceleration / braking data on the cheap? Even if you’re just scouting alternative uses for that oh-so-handy Wiimote, a recent project from klee just may suit your fancy. A proud owner of a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta managed to rig up a Wiimote-based tracking system that gathered information on g-forces, acceleration, turning, and overall speed, and thanks to a little Excel computation, the results are neatly graphed once the outing concludes. Of course, you may need a little help in the script writing department, by judging by the looks of things, most everything you need is awaiting you in the read link — you know, except your own Wiimote and a Vee-Dub.

[Thanks, Matt]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Last night we sat down for dinner with a company that, with the use of open source hardware, intends to invert the top down consumer electronics market as we know it — a lofty goal, no doubt. But when Bug Labs (based in New York) introduces their modular gadget kits later this year, end users (read: tech enthusiasts) will be able buy interchangeable electronics components with a common interface capable of mixing, matching, and building custom devices (without having to lift a soldering iron). Sounds kind of out there, but here’s the model:

• Users snag a small Linux-based micro-PC with USB, WiFi, Bluetooth, and plenty of special ports for attaching these functionality modules.
• Users can develop Java apps and load custom software onto the base device to take advantage of expansion modules for any usage scenarios they can dream up.
• Users expand each portable’s capabilities by adding modules, such as a small or large screen, QWERTY keyboard, GPS, camera, speaker, etc.; the user can add whatever is necessary to build the gadget that fits their purpose. (Sorry, no cell radio modules at launch.)
• Each component is accessible and web addressable, meaning users can write and load software to / from their own or other users’ components, as well as share their functionality or data (i.e. user A can use an app to remotely share his / her GPS locator or digital camera with user B).
• Of course, all these hardware component schematics, interface protocols, etc. will be made available online if you want to build your own Bug-based gear.
• Bug Labs might also allow users to submit novel and relatively marketable configurations for mass manufacturing, and serve as a storefront for budding gadget designers using the Bug platform.

Will a DIY open source hardware hacker’s kit ever be enough to enable Joe Blow to develop the next RAZR or iPod? Probably not to start; effective portable electronics requires a very vertical design process, but if CE development is ever going to be democratized the way software development was over 30 years ago, then clear and open source components and systems is the kind of approach that could be capable of doing it.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Original post by Ryan Block

Filed under: Handsets, GSM

Sure, we’ve seen more elegant marriages of mobile phones and watches before, but this CECT device isn’t a half bad attempt. Unfortunately, details are all but scant right now, but this reportedly GSM-enabled device allows you to take and initiate calls via Bluetooth or the built-in microphone / speaker combo, and it also packs a built-in media player and a few games to ensure that your geek factor is unfathomably high. No word just yet on pricing or where to find this thing, but do click on for a few more shots.

[Via Slashphone]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming

And so we’ve come full circle. After accurately predicting that $100 PS3 price drop a few weeks back, Circuit City is back in the rumor game with a flyer that seems to confirm the $50 price cut for the Xbox 360, and even tosses in some info on price breaks for the Elite and Core systems. According to the flyer, on August 12th the 360 Premium will dip to $350, and include a copy of Rockstar’s “Table Tennis,” while the Elite will raid your wallet for $450 — a $30 reduction — and include zero free games. Finally, the Xbox 360 Core will get $20 lopped off, and sell for $280, which might be the end of the road for the stripped down console once stock runs out.

[Thanks, Sam]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, GSM, EDGE

Although the SGH-F110 was initially believed to be a sure bet, things have since turned, as the German site Area Mobile has updated its article by removing the bulk of the text at Samsung‘s request. Nevertheless, this could also mean that Sammy just wants the thing kept under wraps a bit longer, so here’s what we know so far. The black slider will reportedly boast quad-band GSM and EDGE connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0, a two-megapixel camera, microSD expansion slot, two-inch LCD, and a host of exercise-centric features such as a pedometer, heart rate monitor, distance / calorie burning calculator, and possibly a “voice coach” to keep you going just one more lap. Unsurprisingly, there’s no details on price nor availability, and we’re still not sure if the pictured design will stick if this thing does emerge, but there’s no time like the summer to bust out a fitness phone, eh?

[Via Pocket-Lint]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc

The FCC has just approved rules on the highly-sought after, Google-attracting 700MHz wireless frequency band auction which will take place sometime next year. The agency has decided that one-third of the soon-to-be-empty band will be available to consumers under FCC chairman Kevin Martin’s “open access” plan, which forces the winning bidder to keep the band accessible to any wireless device or application regardless of the maker, opening up options heretofore unseen on established networks. The 700MHz range — which is being vacated by television broadcasters going digital — is desirable because of its ability to travel long distances and easily penetrate walls, and Martin feels it could provide a “third pipe” to US homes, circumventing the established stranglehold cable and telephone companies have on bandwidth. A total of 60 megahertz will be auctioned off, with twenty-two of them “open,” and another 10 set aside for a “national public safety” network. The auctioning off of the frequency is expected to raise as much as $15 billion for the federal treasury.

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky