Gearfuse

The Wiimote is much more of a versatile tool than I think even Microsoft could have imagined. People have hacked the Wiimote to create some zany and awesomely practical mods. But I think “lawnmower control” is a new one.

The Casmobot Lawnmower is navigated using nothing but a hacked Wiimote and the crafty engineering by several scientists at the University of Southern Denmark. The mower syncs with the Wiimote via Bluetooth, allowing the user to control the cutting edge, the direction of the mower and even allows you to set a autopilot mode, in which the mower only mows within a designated area.

(more…)

Thanko might not be known for their practicality, but I think they might be on to something for once. Their Micro Sports MP3 Player looks more like a Bluetooth headset. The device fits right into your ear with a built-in earbud. It’s that tiny.

Available in 2GB and 4GB flavors, the Micro Sports MP3 Player looks a little chintzy, but seems to be even tinier than Apple’s iPod Shuffle.

(more…)

Verizon users are grinning. There’s finally a new phone in the pipes that people will actually want to buy. It’s the Blackberry Tour and it costs as much as an iPhone 3GS and drops July 12th.

What’s that magic $199 price tag net you? The Tour of course can do 3G but it also has a nice 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus, a 480×360 display, Bluetooth and GPS. While the lack of WiFi is disappointing, it’s hardly surprising for a Verizon phone. Hell, consider yourselves lucky enough to have Bluetooth! Overall, looks like a decent phone for the business crowd.

Link

Having trouble losing weight? This little patch is about to change all that. It’s being produced by a company called PhiloMetron and here’s how it works: slap it on your arm and sensors will measure your energy and calorie intake. From there, the data is beamed to your phone via Bluetooth where you can measure how much you’ve eaten in a day. Afterwards, you can cry and commiserate over a box of Girl Scout Cookies. Enjoy.

Link

Anyone old enough to have owned an NES when it was the prime system knows how awesome the Power Glove could have been. Alas, it was just a controller bolted to a neat-looking glove. Now, 20 years later, Matt Mechtley has done the impossible and has officially made the Power Glove cool again.

Using an Arduino, a Bluetooth module and an accelerometer, Matt can now manipulate all kinds of data using the Power Glove. Hell, I can only imagine the possibilities when paired up with Pure Data. If you dare make your own, Matt has posted all the code and instructions you could possibly need.

Link [via]

So yesterday, Apple held one of its little private conferences where they go over some sick new product or service. This time, it was the iPhone 3.0 OS. So much stuff was covered that there’s no time for jokes. Let’s dive right into this shit:
(more…)

Next week, on March 17th, Apple will invite several journalists to California to show off a new version of the iPhone OS. It’s rumored to be the 3.0 update, which would bring MMS, copy-and-paste and an improved SDK. Of course, these are all rumors but it’d make sense. Apple is really behind in the game of picture messaging and the ability to copy-and-paste would turn the iPhone into a true Kindle killer.

But the big rumor is that Apple will enable Bluetooth tethering with the iPhone, allowing you to use it as a 3G dongle for your laptop. One can dream, right?

Link

My goodness! Palm has made a triumphant return to the industry by announcing a phone that will compete with Apple’s iPhone. It’s called the Pre and it features a 3.1-inch touchscreen, 8GB of onboard storage, a 3MP camera, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and an operating system that relies on web apps. In fact, Palm claims that developers who know HTML, CSS and JavaScript will be able to easily build apps for the Pre. I wonder how Apple is feeling right now. A bit concerned, I’d imagine.

Link

When a father makes a gadget for his unborn son, that’s true dedication. Corey Menscher designed and built the Kickbee for his pregnant wife. The baby kicks her stomach, a piezo sensor reads it and another module twitters the response for all to see. Can you guess what microcontroller is used to control all of this? Take a guess.

Yup. The Arduino. Specifically, an Arduino Mini with a Bluesmirf Bluetooth module. I’m no Twitter fan but this is badass.

Link [via]

Sony has finally gone on the record to say that the long-awaited Playstation Home service will launch tomorrow in open beta form. This means anyone with a Playstation 3 and a broadband Internet connection will be able to sign up for the service, flinging themselves into Sony’s online virtual world. Sony suggests using a Bluetooth headset to add to the experience so you can speak with other people. You’ll be given an apartment and can do all kinds of activities from bowling to movies to billiards to social networking and more.

I’m really excited about installing Home and giving it a try. I’ll be sure to write up a small review once I’ve had enough time to play with it. Hit the link below for the official Sony Playstation blog; it has all the info you’ll need.

Link