http://www.xyrox.net Life in the 21. century Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:19:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Seems like Nintendo’s Wiimote controller has been in the works way longer than most people would believe. Ryan of CyberNet News found a patent from 1993 on Google Patent Search, which describes a device looking strikingly similar to the ingenious remote controller. The patent even mentions the device to be ... http://www.xyrox.net/2006/12/21/nintendo-wii-remote-patented-years-ago/ I’m usually not into fluffy, furry gadgets, but the fur skins from Lapstyle look pretty decent. My favorite so far is the Mad Cow design: I just wonder if the cooling will work as intented with a cover like this, but it is sure a way to get noticed in the ... http://www.xyrox.net/2006/12/13/fur-for-your-notebook/ Japanese company Buffalo has created a mouse with scrolling controlls similar to that of an iPod: The mouse looks quite cool as well, although I am not sure that the flat shape is all that great for a device you want to rest your hand on. I wonder if this is ... http://www.xyrox.net/2006/12/12/mouse-with-ipod-style-scrolling-controlls/ Remember the legendary scene from Star Trek III where Scotty takes up the mouse of a desk top PC and talks into it »Hello Computer«? Well, with this invention by Sony and expected advance in voice recognition, a scene like that might soon appear rather normal. This mouse doubles as ... http://www.xyrox.net/2006/01/08/mouse-phone/ Some guy or girl tries to explain, why nobody needs an iPod. Instead of continuing to question your values, I’m going to flat out say it - you don’t need an iPod. They are a waste of your (parents’) money. You don’t need one, and you should be ashamed of ... http://www.xyrox.net/2005/12/22/why-the-ipod-sucks/ The PSP-OSS project got some good blog coverage recently. While I don’t think Sony’s UI is all that bad, the screenshots that have been published on the projects blog look very promising. I guess this shall will be a must have for every customization fan. The project is scheduled for ... http://www.xyrox.net/2005/12/21/psp-open-source-shell/ Here is another fascinating USB gadget: Akihabaranews has some pictures of a pair of USB powered heated slippers to prevent cold feet. And their even is a pair of USB gloves too. Unfortunately, there is not much information on these, not even a vendor link. My girlfriend might just love ... http://www.xyrox.net/2005/12/17/one-for-the-ladies/ Still got a bunch of vinyls around and now idea how to put those to your iPod? Maybe this gadget could be to your rescue then. It is a real turntable with a USB output, allowing to directly record to a hard disk. It features 33 1/3 and 45 RPM, ... http://www.xyrox.net/2005/12/16/usb-turntable/ Creative is about to release a mobile video player that just seems to target the iPod Video market niche, with a design very closely resembling Apple’s players. The device is said to hit the stores in Japan from mid December. Here are some specs: 30GB storage, 3.7″ screen with a 320×240 ... http://www.xyrox.net/2005/12/07/zen-vision-creative-attacks-the-video-market/ Llama.com has a feature on an XBox 360 Mod, that also involves some serious case modding. I consider this a very well done mod, as it looks a lot cooler than the original device. Aparently they also managed to bring the fan voltage up to 12V, resulting in better airflow ... http://www.xyrox.net/2005/12/06/casemod-for-xbox-360/