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     Volume 5 Issue 125 | December 22, 2006 |


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Sci-tech

Nokia's music range
Three exciting music phones from Nokia, now available in Bangladesh, make it easier and affordable to enjoy your favorite tunes on the go. The Nokia 5300 XpressMusic, Nokia 5200 and Nokia 3250 XpressMusic are designed to bring users a first-rate music experience at a reasonable price. A lot of work has been done on the audio experience, the playback time and the usability of the music player to make these mobile phones a great value. The Nokia 5300 XpressMusic, can hold approximately 1500 music tracks (on a 2GB microSD card sold separately), offers dedicated music keys, and also has a 1.3 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom. The Nokia 5200, which comes in a slide design similar to that of the 5300 XpressMusic series, is a similar product but a little more budget-friendly and is targeted to the young and sociable consumers. Finally the Nokia 3250 XpressMusic, which refreshes the look of the popular Nokia 3250 series, now, has a unique 'twist' design. The Nokia 3250 XpressMusic can store up to 1500 tracks, comes equipped with a 2 megapixel camera with 4x zoom, FM radio and much more.

Japanese Toast-Coffee-Egg-Maker
Even miso-soup-and-rice-eating Japanese people crave an all-American breakfast every once in a while. This Japanese kitchen appliance lets you make toast, fried eggs, and coffee all in one go, without having to worry about micromanaging two stove top burners and a coffeemaker. It is lovingly called the "Wake Up Morning Set," and--in case you care--expends 1140W of energy when all three functions are in play. It's pretty simple to use. Just pop a slice of bread in the toaster and twist the timer to the desired burntness. Then put some ground coffee bean in the filter and switch that part on. To fry your egg, simply flick the other toaster switch, crack your egg, and the heat from the toaster will start to warm up the metal plate on top. The whole breakfast takes about 10 minutes tops to make.

The Digital Hourglass
Not quite as DIY-looking as the other digital hourglass, this Digital Timer combines computing technology with century old stylings to make for one dorky looking desk gadget. It has a 100 minute timer and a stopwatch, plus a digital readout in case the virtual sand nuggets are too confusing.
A price of $17.95 makes for a cheap gift for the boss you hate. Hell, give one to your kids as well.


Armband Keeps You from Baking in the Sun
We all know spending too much time in the sun is a bad thing, so the last thing we want is a gadget to nag us about it. Yet that's pretty much what the Suntimer does. When it senses you've gotten your fair share of UV rays, it sounds an alarm to tell you to head indoors. Maybe if it had some extra features we'd consider strapping one on, but we'll stick with the sunblock for now. And besides, we prefer our skin like we prefer our chicken. Extra cripsy.

Portable Plug and Play Solar Kit
Camping and outdoorsy folk may find this Portable Plug n Play Solar Power system useful for power on the go. The 20W solar panels, combined with a 12VCD car plug socket gives you enough power to juice smaller electronics, such as your iPod, or a stereo, or a cellphone charger. Not a bad idea to have if you're out camping and you really, really need to power your gadgetsbut be prepared to pay a hefty price of $566 for the portable convenience. Bright Light Solar also has home kits, which run from the thousands of dollars to the tens of thousands of dollars.

iPod with Hangman
The unfortunately named Hangman attaches to your iPod's universal dock connector on one end and a belt loop or anything else on the other. Plus, it helps manage that pesky wire, too, letting you unravel just the right amount, and then you can completely wrap it up around it when you're done. Hangman is available in white or gray for $20. This is not a bad idea for the latest scratch-resistant iPods, freeing them from those dog-ugly cases and tidying up that cable mess until someone invents an ultra-tiny Bluetooth earbud system that actually works.

 

Compiled by IMRAN H. KHAN

Source: Gizmodo Online

 

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