Awesome Gadgets

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has a DIY for making your own Fraction Adding Machine out of a Rice Krispies Box, glue and tape. It’s based on an actual 1952 calculator.

Toyota is testing personal transport robots a-la Segway at local airports and resorts. They’ll come in three versions with increasing levels of freedom, from “practical” to “hands-free sporty.”

FujiFilm’s FinePix Z200fd camera finally comes to the US this September. While 10 megapixels is impressive, its “Couple Timer” can detect faces and their proximity to each other. Eww, cooties.

Robo-Garage’s Murasaki prototype robot is no slouch at storytelling; “she” actually uses an MP3 player. The ‘bot rolls on two wheels and articulates her head and arms with an eight-axis system.

Phone Arena has reviewed iPhone competitor Samsung Omnia, which features vibrating feedback, 5 MP camera, and bluetooth stereo. It falls flat, however, with a wimpy 240×400 screen.

Exterminate a whole new generation of SIL-LY HU-MONS with the Dalek Voice Changer Helmet, available at ThinkGeek. Includes authentic Dr. Who sounds and lights; runs on 3 AA batteries.

We love two-fers, and LG’s BD-300 does exactly that: it not only plays Blu-ray discs, but also streams Netflix movies. Available in Fall, Gizmodo reports that the price should be “well under $500.”

Sanyo’s Xacti line of compact HD cameras gets an upgrade with the HD800. Though seemingly a small step up from the HD700 on paper (from 7 MP to 8 MP), Akihabara News reports big noise reductions.

Maximize your nerd appeal with the Tibida LED watch: the first two modes are fairly simple, while the final binary mode which gets geek-ah-rific. Available in red, blue, black, or orange.

Motorola’s MOTO U9 is a slick clamshell phone (T-Mobile & AT&T customers) with an eye-catching external OLED display. Also nice: MP3-friendly buttons, quad-band GSM, and stereo bluetooth.

Hot on the heels of Dell’s Studio Hybrid, Shuttle’s SLK4800 ($300) steps up from the value K4500 ($200) with the addition of an optical drive and dual VGA/DVI outputs. Standard: Linux; Vista +$180.

Samsung’s flagship Series 9 LCD HDTVs feature “art inspired” Touch of Color accents; ToC is hit-or-miss for most folks. Available: 46″ and 55″ models; LED backlighting; 120Hz technology.

Now available: the latest iteration of T-Mobile’s chat-friendly Sidekick. The 2008 version gives you more features (2.0 MP camera, higher resolution screen) for less ($150 w/contract, smaller size).

The possibilities are endless: a fake shark fin, beginner’s swim class at the local YMCA … all jokes aside, Sea-Doo’s Seascooters are ideal for divers with a max depth of 50m and speed of 3.3 mph.

Nvidia’s GeForce 9500 targets the sub-$100 video card market and competes with ATI’s Radeon HD 3850. Not for serious gamers, but it’s a good mainstream card with low power use and noise.

Netgear’s Wireless-N Upgrade Kit features an access point that plugs into your existing 802.11g/b router or gateway. Also included: a Wireless-N USB adapter which is 802.11g backwards compatible.

Dell’s new Studio Hybrid is 80% smaller and draws 70% less power than standard desktops. Available in six colors and bamboo, it features an HDMI port, 8-in-1 media card reader and optional Blu-ray.

The world’s first 16.4″ laptop, Sony’s FW Series gets a bigger screen in a 15.4″ footprint. Other specs: 6.4 lbs, 1600×900, MacBook-style keys, and optional Blu-ray RW drive.

HTC’s Touch Diamond is a GSM phone with a 2.8″ touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel camera and clickwheel. Its most unique feature: a glossy, faceted back which is also a bit of a fingerprint magnet.