Bond’s Tool Chest

Bond’s Tool Chest

Posted by Scott Roche


One thing that has stuck in the collective pop-culture subconscious concerning Britain’s greatest secret agent is the seemingly ever present Bond gadget. And while they are in fact not present in every movie, it’s worth looking at what he used to get the job done besides his charm, rapier wit, and dry martini.


The Walther PPK: While not a gadget per se, this is the tool that I most associate with Bond. He carries it from Dr. No to Goldeneye and only trades it in because it is a bit outdated. It’s an excellent pistol, being both very reliable and easy to conceal. This gun will be returned to Bond’s hand in the newest Bond flick Casino Royale. As a nod to the book, this may very be the only gadget of any sort that he carries.


The Watch: In several movies Q gives James a timepiece. In fact John Cleese’s version of Q indicates that he’s been given twenty, and there’s always more to it than meets the eye. My favorite wasn’t actually given to him by Q at all and it’s the only Bond gadget in the film. It’s the one that Moneypenny gives him in Live and Let Die and contains a very powerful mini-magnet and a buzzsaw. Many a day I’ve had that that would come in handy let me tell you. Other watches have included teletypes, mini televisions, and garrotes.


The Cigarette and Lighter: Drinking to excess, casual sex, and an abundance of smoking all speak to the era that the Bond films came from. Only in these movies would you see a spy using these innocuous items as weapons. You Only Live Twice gives him a cancer stick that shoots a mini-rocket. A car cigarette lighter has a built-in radio in Live and Let Die. Scaramanga’s titular golden gun breaks down into a lighter and cigarette case as does a micro-film reader in The Spy Who Loved Me.


The Mini-Camera: A spy couldn’t very well do his job without something to take pictures of maps, secret hideouts, and the really hot women he sleeps with. He is issued one in From Russia With Love where it also has a built in reel-to-reel tape recorder. He also has one in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Moonraker. The more modern Bonds use camera phones (Die Another Day).


"Cutting Edge" Stuff: There are a few instances were Bond and Q Branch used things that at the time seemed ultra-cool or amazing and are now commonplace. In From Russia with Love he has both a pager and a car phone. He uses a personal watercraft in The Spy Who Loved Me long before jet skis were widely known. Police and other forensic experts use software similar to the Identigraph seen in For Your Eyes Only to replace the police sketch artist in facial reconstruction. The one that hasn’t come to pass yet that seems realistic enough to come true just about any day now is the mini-rebreather from Thunderball.

Finally, we come to the Hall of Shame, reserved for the lamest Bond gadgets most of which we only saw in the Q Branch vignettes being demonstrated by lab assistants. The worst gadget on the list has to be the radioactive pocket lint from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. It would be used to track someone surreptitiously. Pocket lint. Wow. And while the last is certainly effectual, it does date the film with a horrible pun. Yes I’m referring to the ghetto blaster, a personal stereo/rocket launcher.

“Wait”, you say, “what about the cars? Chicks dig the cars.” Well fearless reader, that’s another can of worms and we’ll no doubt take a look at those as we lead up to the premier of Casino Royale.

Installing Ipod In Your Custom Car

Installing Ipod In Your Custom Car

Posted by Jo

Automobile technology today allows any car owner to enjoy all the convenient life has to offer. Even if you are driving and on travel, you can watch movies or TV and listen to your favorite music inside your car as long as you have that needed gadget and equipment installed in your custom car. Ipod is the very in thing today when it comes to having your thousands of favorite music in your hand and in your car. To enjoy your Ipod, you must have a car stereo installed in your car, well, almost all car have this. Ipod can be charge as well in the car while it is playing.

The best place to mount up an Ipod is at the center console of the car which will hold the Ipod that is connected to the car stereo and will hide all the circuits and wiring under. The most important thing in an Ipod car mount is it should hold your Ipod securely in place. This gadget is somewhat sensitive and if there is constant movement that may rattle it, Ipod might be damaged. The holder as well is the one charging the Ipod. There are handy kits that can be bought on auto shops that have all the materials needed to mount up the Ipod in a car, so installing an Ipod car mount is just easy especially to an expert auto repair man, it would just take 15 minutes or more. There is also a universal mount that can be use to any gadget such cell phone, MP3 and the likes.

Gadgets in James Bond - Casino Royale Movie

Posted byRants

James Bond Gadget. Have you seen James Bond - Casino Royale movie? Have you seen the gadgets in this movie? Let’s check it out.

Omega Seamaster 2006 Limited Edition

This watch wore by James Bond almost everytime. Also when he was playing poker with his enemy.

This limited edition has a unique pattern on the dial along with the 007 logo.

Price : $99

Sony Ericsson K800

Used by James Bond when he was driving his Ford car.A 3.2 megapixel digital camera with all the functionality and connectivity you’d expect in a top 3G phone.
Price : $399

Sony Ericsson M600

This gadget brought by Eva Green when she had dinner with James Bond.Securely access email and intranets. Edit documents comfortably, respond instantly. Print to a compatible printer, install the applications you need. All in one with this Sony Ericsson M600.
Price : $ 355

Sony Vaio TX or UX

Used by James Bond when he was on the yacht in the end of the movie.VAIO TX Series VGN-TXN25N/B Notebook Computer with 1.33GHz Intel Core Solo Processor U1500 CPU, 1GB (2×512MB) RAM, 80GB 4200RPM Hard Drive, SuperMulti DVD Burner, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 Graphics, 11.1″ Widescreen Display, Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, Sprint Mobile Broadband, Windows Vista Business Edition, 2.84LB.
Price : $1,989.95

Aston Martin DB9

This car manufactured by Aston Martin Lagonda Limited and producted since 2003. With 5.9 L V12 engine, this car use 6 speed automatic and manual transmission. Aston Martin DB9 was designed by Ian Callum and Henrik Fisker.

Is there anything else to be listed here?

Philips unveils the Cliniscape medical tablet PC

Philips unveils the Cliniscape medical tablet PC

Posted by Nilay Patel

Although the tablet form factor hasn't exactly taken the consumer market by storm, they're ideal for specialized applications like medicine, and Philips' Cliniscape "Mobile Clinical Assistant" is the latest device to target the hospitals. Designed by Intel's Digital Health Group, the Cliniscape features a 10.4-inch touch screen, a custom installation of Vista Business running on a Core Solo processor with 1GB of RAM, a 60GB disk, 802.11n, RFID and Bluetooth radios, barcode scanner, a 2 megapixel camera, 3.5-hour battery and a single USB port, all contained in a sealed "medical-grade" enclosure that can be wiped clean with disinfectant and withstand a 1 meter drop. When docked in the "grab-and-go" base station, the Cliniscape can be used as a desktop machine with three additional USB ports and an Ethernet jack. Philips says software vendors are working to optimize their patient-care apps for the MCA platform, and that the Cliniscape should be on sale in Spring 2008.

Gadgets all over the web~ do they make sense?

USB panic button


Press the button! If your watching something at work/home what doenst belong there!

My comments: Handy, very handy





“Now the computer savvy among us can relive the fun of having your very own personal mini-oven with the PC Ez-Bake oven! It fits in a 5 1/4″ drive bay and plugs right into your power supply with the included Molex connector. Also included is “PC Ez-Cook”, the open-source oven controller software with hundreds of easy and creative recipes for your PC Ez-Bake oven, and even a fuzzy-logic cooking control system to precisely measure the doneness of your cake, cookie, or cheese souffle.”

My comment: A must have!




“The only watch that’s also a weapon- it shoots BBs, dried peas, popcorn kernels, lentils and more up to 8 feet accross the room! This stainless steel watch will be the envy of the classroom or the meeting room. Use it to “wake-up” those sleepy headed co-workers and classmates. When they look around to see who’s been pelting them with spitballs, you’ll just be casually checking the time.”

My comment: Good for defending against ants




Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be the bad guy in the movies? Well, this chair takes you almost there. Oversize lounger chair on a swivel base. Leather, chrome, steel, and aluminium.

My comment: Usefull if playing Command And Conquer




Designed to accurately resemble an actual cell phone but, emits a powerful 800K volts with the press of a button. Easy to operate and equipped with a safety swith to prevent accidental firing. It’s a shame this doesn’t work also as an actual cell phone. Hopefully someone at Nokia reads this blog.

My comment: When some cops bother you..




Cutting a straight line has never been easier. Just aim the pin-point laser and follow the line. The scissor blades are stainless steel and cut very clean with a micro serrated edge.

My comment: Wow, amazing isnt it?




Are you fed up with bringing bananas to work or school only to find them bruised and squashed? Banana Guard allows you to safely transport and storage individual bananas letting you enjoy perfect bananas anytime, anywhere.

My comment: Best gadget ever




“Did you ever tep out of the shower and start to dry off, then wonder is that part of the towel, the part you were just drying your butt with? Or worse yet, is that the part your room-mate was drying his butt with? We have the solution, its the Butt Face Towel, it is soft & fluffy, funny and practical!”

My comment: Dont turn sides






Check out these transparent products. I’m not sure if anyone would really want one of these into his/hers home but they are cool though.

My comment: You dont need to open you refrigirator every time



Losing your ability to walk must be terrible but fortunately there are some masterminds who have devoted their lives to invent gadgets to ease the everyday life of these misfortunated. Tank Chair is a Custom off-road wheelchair that can go anywhere outdoors. Conquers Streams, Mud, Snow, Sand, and Gravel, allowing you to get back to nature, and can also climb up and down stairs.

My comment: I want one!




This door lock with a biometric reader can be used as a stand-alone or a networked operation, perfect for home or office. An authorized person has their physical characteristic scanned and turned into a numerical algorithm which is then entered into a database. The authorized person must subsequently provide that same physical characteristic- for example, their hand, to be read and recognized by the biometric reader before access is granted.

My comment: Why not?



Canova is definitely something new in the laptop market. It has a dual display, dual touch-sensitive screens, an electronic pen, sketch pad and much more. This jewel is made of stainless steel, carbon fibre, ABS and aluminium which sure make it look stylish. It’s perfect for reading online books and newspapers, editing images and videos and of course to enhance your social status.

My comment: Isnt that the...DS?




This is a cool concept for all you christians out there. Saint B is a cross shaped MP3-player with an OLED-display and a chrome-plated steel body frame.

My comment: If bored in church..



This is the coolest sofa-bed ever and a sure way to bring a smile on your friends faces when it’s time to go to sleep. This sofa-bed transforms into a bunk bed. Doc XL furnishes the day area and with a simple movement transforms into a practical ready made bunk bed with integrated supporting ladder and protection guard. There are several designs available.

My comment: Mom can i have one of these?




The Land Walker is a wearable robot suit which is created by Masaaki Nagumo. This thing stands 3.4m high and weighs 907kg. It’s operated by four pedals and it can walk forward, backward or sideways at 1.5 kph. Available now in Japan, priced at a decent $313.

My comment: The empire shall rise again!

This just in: TVs are history

This just in: TVs are history

Since the average U.S. household watches eight or more hours of television a day, it's unbelievable to think that soon it will all be gone. At least if your TV has rabbit ears.

At midnight on Feb. 17, 2009, U.S broadcasters will stop sending analog signals to those old-fashioned sets, and the entire nation will go digital. Trouble is, most Americans don't seem to realize that airwaves will go silent -- and 70 million U.S. TV sets still rely on old-fashioned antennas to get a signal. The change comes as a result of legislation passed in 1996 allowing broadcasters to use the airwaves for newfangled digital signals. Some fear the elderly or non-English-speaking viewers, last to hear of the switch, will get left in the dark.

The horror. What will happen to the ad industry if 50 or 60 million homes lose TV signals in one night? Will citizens rebel? Civil war? No worries. Cable marketing execs say the last bill consumers stop paying when times get tough is usually the cable TV bill -- because we're all addicted. The lines may be long at Costco on Feb. 18, but by the next day, we'll all be back with flat panels -- ready to work our eight-hour shift.

Posted by Ben Kunz

The madness of Barbarella

The madness of Barbarella



Friday night, time for collaborative filtering! Game theorist and Ajax programmer Rob Brown, a guy with perhaps the worst web site and yet most brilliant essay on the madness of crowds we've ever seen, notes it's been a full year since Netflix offered 1 million bucks to anyone smart enough to improve its movie recommendations. The target is a 10% increase in personalization; 12 months later, the world's greatest minds are only at 8.5%.

Brown tried to solve the problem by plotting each film and viewer as points in space, tied to a suburban metaphor.

The idea is that I needed to put each movie, and each user, into a "neighborhood," which roughly equates to "genre." There is a science fiction neighborhood, a comedy neighborhood, a horror neighborhood, and so on. But the neighborhoods have blurry boundaries, just as real neighborhoods typically do. "Alien" would be somewhere between the science fiction and horror neighborhoods, while "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" would be somewhere between the science fiction and comedy neighborhoods. Each user would live in a neighborhood, closest to the type of movies they prefer, and furthest from those they dislike.

Nice mathematical construct, but we see one glaring, major problem. Consumers are not single points on a map. They are schizophrenics with different mind modalities, leaping from mental neighborhood to neighborhood. Even us. Tonight, we're in drama mode. Tomorrow, we may long for Barbarella. And Sunday, we're hosting a kid party and want a Disney fix to keep the tots at bay. How does any software sort through the madness of crowds in our own head?

This problem is obvious for anyone who's signed up for Netflix. The video rental site gives you a little test, to help set up the personalization, and asks you to rank different movie categories from 1 to 5 stars. When we got to "children's films," we paused. High School musical was personally horrible. But our kids were glued to it, and we had a nice family evening ... so we both love it and hate it. How many stars is that? 3?

The honest fix for sites like Netflix and Amazon would be a "customer modality" dial. It would look like a big radio knob, and you could crank it to your mode of the moment. Father. Lover. Family guy. Documentary-adventurer. Go ahead, collaborative filter us all you want. Sometimes we just need a big red button for Barbarella.

Posted by Ben Kunz

Go Go Go SPEED RACER as he reads the Wachowski's script!!!

Nordling screams Go Go Go SPEED RACER as he reads the Wachowski's script!!!

There's a pretty insidious trend going on right now at a lot of Hollywood studios. Now that TRANSFORMERS rocked the box office, there's plans for a THUNDERCATS movie, a VOLTRON movie, HE-MAN... they're pretty much mining Saturday morning at this point. Never mind that practically none of those cartoons are any damn good. Please, look into your hearts and realize this, fellow geeks and nerds. Eventually, the Underroos no longer fit, and then it's time to move on to Fruit of the Looms. It's not nostalgia you're feeling. Nostalgia, taken in small doses, is a good thing. It reminds us of good moments in our lives and helps to make us understand what we truly value on our lives.

What's happening here is something I like to call nerdstalgia, a constant living in the past that stunts your growth as a person. Living through your childhood TV shows and films is no sort of life. You can appreciate their value as art (if they have any) but you can't grow if you're constantly bombarding yourself with it instead of moving on to something better. I fully realize I'm guilty of much of what I'm talking about here. And it's exploited by the studios to no end. If you buy a ticket to ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, just play that segment of the trailer where Alvin eats a turd and put it on repeat and gain some sort of perspective.

I guess this is where I tell you that the script of the Wachowski Brothers' SPEED RACER is indicative of what I just described, but you'd be wrong. Simply put, for the most part, SPEED RACER kicks unholy ass. In this draft I've read, there's some mistakes that cut the flow of the action sequences, and it's too long, but what they got right, they got spectacularly right.

Some background here - as a kid, I adored SPEED RACER. I watched it voraciously after school. Speed, Racer X, Spridel, Chim-Chim, the Mach-5... it was all good. I especially loved how everyone-talked-like-this-giving-tons-of-exposition-without-taking-a-breath-for-minutes-at-a-time. I thought it was a pretty violent cartoon for children's fare - explosions everywhere, gunfights, carfights, fistfights, and a crazy-ass monkey. But as I grew older, I stopped watching. You're supposed to do that when you get older, by the way.

However, when I read this early draft, it took me right back. The enigmatic Racer X? Check. Spridel and Chim-Chim hiding in the trunk? Check. The Mach-5 jumping over cars to avoid certain death? Check. Trixie spotting the race from her pink helicopter? Check. Those insane car races with everything and the kitchen sink thrown in? Check. This film, as described by the script, comes straight out of the television show. This isn't some "re-imagining." It's not dark for the sake of being dark. It's the cartoon, in live-action, very much oriented towards family audiences. No long pieces of dialogue dripping with quantum philosophy here. For a 160+ page script (too long, but I'll get to that in a bit) it's mostly very tight.

It begins with young Speed Racer in school, which holds no real interest for him (on the Scantron test he's taking he doesn't even bother to try to answer the questions, instead coloring GO REX GO! into the dots on the test sheet) - only cars, racing, and especially his older brother Rex. Rex runs the cross-country rally circuit, a series of races that are known for their brutality and the cheating that seems to occur. Cars shoot grappling guns, blades pop from the wheels, and everyone does their best to see that their opponents don't even finish the race, much less win. But Rex is a natural, and his brother thinks the world of him. Rex even lets his brother steer around the track a few times, all the while teaching him how to listen to the car, to race like a professional. But Rex and Pops have a falling out, and soon afterwards he dies in a terrible crash. Nonetheless, Speed is resolved to become a race driver like his brother, racing Rex's ghost around the track, trying to beat his record. He grows up to be a successful racer in his own right, driving his Mach-5 to victory.

The Racer family remains fiercely independent, taking no corporate sponsorship. Then, one day, a Harrier jet lands on the Racer lawn(the world the Wachowskis have created here makes it seem perfectly routine that airplanes land on people's lawns), and out steps E. P. Arnold Remington, owner of Remington Industries. He makes Speed an offer to race for his team, doing his best to impress Speed and the Racer family (Pops, Mom, Sparky, Trixie, Spridel and Chim-Chim are all here). After careful thought, Speed turns him down, and Remington coolly informs him that everything he knew about racing is a lie - it's all rigged for company profits. If Speed doesn't join up, he'll be eliminated and his family humiliated.

Disgusted, Speed considers quitting racing altogether, but then Racer X shows up on his doorstep. He's something called a Chief Inspector Detector, and he wants to make sure the races are on the up-and-up, without corporate interference. Racer X asks Speed to race in the Casa Cristo 5000, known to drivers as the Crucible, and the very same race that killed Speed's brother Rex. Another driver has been contracted to lose the race to help decrease the stock value of a company that Remington wants to take over. If that driver wins, Remington won't be able to buy it off. There's something oddly familiar about Racer X, and so Speed decides to take him up on it, with the hopes of gaining the almighty invite to the World Grand Prix. Because when the odds are against him, and there's dangerous work to do, you bet your life Speed Racer will see it through!

The world the Wachowskis have created here is obsessed with racing and speed, with vintage cars filling the landscape, and the races themselves are huge, physics-defying spectacles of rubber, steel, and smoke. It's very cartoony and colorful, and I look forward to seeing it on the big screen. The script is also very earnest. The love for the cartoon really shines through here - it's obvious the Wachowskis love SPEED RACER and treat it with great respect, taking it seriously and at the same time keeping the inherent camp and goofy comedy of the show. I knew they nailed the show when we got our first Spridel/Chim-Chim trunk scene. Racer X is also expertly handled. Anyone who has seen the show knows Racer X's secret, but the Wachowskis toss a change-up pitch and call into question that whole aspect of the Racer X/Speed relationship, and it's well done. They have made a genuine family film here - there's hardly any cusswords in it - and at the same time they don't play down the excitement, the cartoon violence, and the explosions that made the show such fun. There's a line or two that's a little questionable for young audiences, but I guess if Michael Bay can fit a whole masturbation gag into TRANSFORMERS, the Wachowskis can get away with it here. I hope they take it out, though, myself - it doesn't work and it takes away from the family-friendly atmosphere they have going.

Where the Wachowskis have issues is all the exposition. This was an issue in the MATRIX films and it's an issue here, even going so far as to cut into a race sequence with plot exposition flashbacks that totally mess with the tempo of the action. Also, much of the action doesn't happen in the script until the first rally race, almost at the midpoint. The script is entirely too long, however. This is a movie that needs to be a packed two hours, not two and a half. A lot of the front end needs to be edited down, but they still need to keep the characterization, which is very well done. The Racer family dynamic is terrific, done with real emotion and love. You truly care for the Racer family and want to see the best for them. The villains are appropriately hissable, but it's the races where the Wachowskis really shine. The Wachowskis have never had a problem writing great action setpieces. They just need to be careful not to undermine the action with too much exposition. And, at the same time, it's important plot information and needs to be there. I'm confident they will iron out the kinks, because these are really minor issues. Much of the script works like gangbusters.

So... here's a case where real nostalgia has created something truly enjoyable, and I hope that it translates well to the big screen. All signs point to a blast of a movie. It feels like they're making a live-action family film that parents wouldn't be embarrassed to watch with their kids, and with crap like BRATZ and DADDY DAY CAMP clogging the cinemas right now, that's saying something.

The Nordling

Nano, Shuffle, iTunes and a little something called iTV were all unveiled

Steve Jobs and Apple made several announcements Tuesday regarding the iPod family of products. Changes, upgrades and improvements to the iPod, Nano, Shuffle, iTunes and a little something called iTV were all unveiled. Now, some of these announcements were pretty major, some were minor and, for those in the hardcore Apple community, there was definitely a letdown. Let’s break it down, piece by piece.

iPod – The popular 5G iPod has been upgraded to version 5.5. While this is not a major upgrade (e.g. version 6G), there were significant enough changes to move it along half a generation. The first change, and possibly most important to many customers, is the $50 price drop. The 30 GB model is now down to $250 with the new 80 GB model coming in at $350. Yes, you read that right, 80 GB. Who on earth can fill up 80 GB?! We’ll get to that later.

The actual size and shape of the 5.5 iPod has not changed. The screen, however, is 60% brighter and the battery life is much improved. This thing should run for up to 3.5 hours for video playback and 20 hours for audio. In addition, they have upgraded the earbuds on all the iPod models.

The final changes to the 5G are not limited to the new models. Once you upgrade iTunes (again, we’ll get to that later), a firmware upgrade can and should be performed on the current 5G iPod. This upgrade includes a brightness setting, text-based searching, gapless playback, and the ability to play games. Yep, that’s right, for $4.99 a pop you can purchase games like Bejeweled, Cubis 2, Mahjong, Mini Golf, Pac Man, Tetris, Texas Hold 'Em, Vortex, and Zuma. Hell yeah! Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde got nothing on me, baby!

Got all that? The iPod 5.5 is cheaper, brighter, longer-lasting, and you can now bust a nut on the river.

Nano – The Nano has moved up to version 2G. That’s second generation, not 2 GB. What has Apple done to move this product up a whole generation? Honestly, not much. Yes, the casing is now aluminum, like the mini before it, and yes, it now comes in colors. Outside that, I don’t see a whole generation gap between the old and the new.

Let’s break it down. The new 2G Nano comes in 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB models. All versions are reportedly smaller, if you can imagine that, and have batteries that last for up to 24 hours of playback. The 2GB only comes in aluminum color and costs $149. The 4 GB comes in green, blue, and some awful reddish-pink color and will set you back $199. Thankfully, the $249 8 GB comes in black. Getting away from those hideous colors is worth the $50 difference.

And that’s it folks. The only other changes are the addition of text-based searching and gapless playback, mentioned above. Kinda ho-hum for a generation leap.

Shuffle – I’m quite excited about the changes to the Shuffle. Now, I do not own a Shuffle myself, but I can tell you for sure that I will soon.

You’re probably saying to yourself, “Self, how much could Apple possibly change the Shuffle? It’s a tiny white stick with no screen that plays songs randomly or ‘Shuffle’d.’” Well, when Apple shrinks the Shuffle down to about 1/3 the size of the original and adds a clip built in, what more could you ask for? How does a $79 price tag for 1GB sound? Are you kidding me? This thing is 1.6 inches long and weighs about half an ounce. Hang on while I order one… all right, it should be arriving in October.

iTunes – Time to upgrade iTunes again. This time, we’ll be moving to version 7.0. Moving from version 6.x to 7 constitutes a major upgrade. So what’s all changed to consider this a major upgrade? Quite a bit.

For starters, the layout has changed. The “source” column (the column on the left side of the window) is much cleaner. I like the way they have organized it by grouping similar items together in a category. Another change is the addition of multiple media viewing options. In the upper right, you can choose between the traditional view, showing items in a list sorted by artist including album art, or, the coolest of the three, in the “cover flow” view. It’s quite hard to explain the last view. I compare it to shuffling through your CDs as they sit on the shelf. Very cool.

The gapless playback featured in the iPods comes from the new version of iTunes and allows for seamless playback of certain songs. For example, now you can play your favorite concert album without all of those annoying gaps between each song and, finally, the last four tracks on Abbey Road will play continuously. Once upgraded, iTunes will go through your library and update any songs necessary.

In addition to updating songs for gapless playback, iTunes will automatically search your library for missing album art and add those covers for free.

There is also a neat new screen that offers an overview of your iPod. It includes name, version, capacity, and all the settings for syncing that used to be found under the preferences menu.

If you’re still wondering how you’re going to fill that new 80GB iPod you’re about to purchase, look no further. iTunes now includes a new iTunes Movie Store. With more than 70 movies available today, and many more to come, you should not have any problem filling up all that hard drive space. Movies are going to run you $14.99 for new releases, $12.99 for pre-orders, and $9.99 if you can wait a week after it’s released to download it. The iTunes movies can only be viewed on your iPod or in iTunes. You will not be able to burn them to DVD or share them. Also, they will be in 640x480 resolution, which is near DVD quality but not quite. I think Apple is headed in the right direction here but only being able to get 640x480 resolution when HD-DVD is on the horizon and only being able to watch them in iTunes and your iPod are both drawbacks. Which leads me to the last announcement of the day:

iTV – Apple “pre-announced” a wireless set-top box for video streaming. Codenamed iTV, the concept here is that you can connect your current TV, be it traditional or HDTV, to this box and you will then be able to access everything in your iPod or in iTunes wirelessly. With component video, HDMI, optical audio and RCA-style stereo audio ports, you should be able to connect this to any TV. The iTV also has an Ethernet port, 802.11 wireless connectivity, and a power cable.

The idea certainly is good. These days, the best speakers in the house are typically attached to the TV. Hook up the iTV and you can now listen to your whole music library, watch movies downloaded from iTunes, or access anything else on the iPod.

The iTV is not set for release until Q1 2007, which gives you plenty of time to decide between the ease and low price of iTunes movie downloads and the new HD-DVDs coming out soon.

All in all , a pretty big day for Apple. There were some exciting announcements (2G Shuffle, iTunes 7 and perhaps iTV), a ho-hum announcement of the 5.5 iPod, a slight letdown for the 2G Nano, and perhaps the biggest letdown of all, no news of an iPod Movie version. All the recent talk around the Apple community centered on a rumored widescreen iPod where perhaps the entire face of the 80 GB iPod would be the screen, with a “virtual” click wheel.

Another letdown is that Apple still doesn’t have an “iPhone.” There have been so many advances in the mobile phone arena that many consumers are now able to carry one device that satisfies their phone, music, video, and photography needs. While iTunes is still the industry leader in legal music download services, the newest, and fast becoming the biggest, competitor is legal downloads to phones.

Don’t let the lack of an “iPod Movie” or “iPhone” get you down though. Just go get your 5G iPod, download the new iTunes 7, and get that thing ready for some competitive miniature golf, gapless playback, and text-based searching. Well, right after you go out and purchase the new Shuffle of course. Outside that, I’m going to wait a few months for the “iPhone” or “iPod Movie” to come out.

The cell phone stun gun

The cell phone stun gun's have a unique design that gives you a tactical advantage. Cell phones are carried by almost everyone in all parts of the world these days so to the naked eye of the attacker, they wont even notice that you have a powerful self defense weapon in your hand. The cell phone stun gun uses 180,00 volts of teeth shattering stopping power in which you can use to defend yourself from potential danger and attackers.

This stun gun also has a safety switch to prevent accidental discharge, and like its larger counterpart, the flashlight stun gun, also comes equipped with an ear shattering 130dB alarm. The cell phone stun gun comes in Navy Blue, or Pearl Silver. This is a truly unique self defense item and is not available in stores. If you were looking for a discreet non lethal weapon, then you have found what you were looking for.

SPECIFICATIONS - DIMENSION:6" x 2" x 1" (L x W x H) - NET WEIGHT:5.3 OUNCES WITHOUT BATTERY - POWER SUPPLY: 9V DC ALKALINE BATTERY

Simpsons gadgets galore!

Homer and the family hit the silver screen this weekend. To celebrate, we’ve rounded up all the best Simpsons gadgets worthy of your doh!

HomerSapien
Splash out on this themed version of WowWee’s robosapien and watch a (strangely muscular) Homer of your very own wander the house, mutter catch phrases and dance at your command. It’s one of the most advanced robots around, and although its voice is a bit off the mark, definitely looks the part.

Simpsons doughnut maker
Mmmm. Doughnuts. Slap this baby down on your worktop and you’ll be making sweet treats in minutes. Six ‘nuts will cook in under 10 minutes, and the whole thing can be wiped clean after you’ve had your fill!

Bottle opener / Pizza cutter
Talking gadgets are great, but even better when they aid your quest for beer and pizza! Grab these two kitchen essentials for an extremely reasonable £15 and add some mirth to your munch.

Magic 8-ball
Let the Simpsons make your decisions! Yes, it’s exactly the same as every other 8-ball out there, but at least you can say “Homer made me do it” next time you’re collared in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Backwards Simpson clock
Tell the time just like Homer – Backwards! This mind-bending time keepers’s guaranteed to confuse, at least at first glance, but then that’s the point. Check it out, it’s only a tenner!

Simpsons Operation
No, it’s not the most high-tech game going, but for a hearty dose of Simpson-based family fun it’s definitely worth sticking on your shopping list. Packed full of hilarious phrases, you’re sure to have a ball operating on Homer’s Bowler's Thumb, Foot in Mouth, Rubber Neck or Trick Knee. It’s enough to bring out the Dr Hibbert in you.

Homer-themed Xbox
These are rarer than an unopened bottle of Duff in the Simpson household, but if you can get hold of one of Microsoft’s specially painted Xbox 360s you’ll have earned the right to call yourself a true Simpsons megafan. Inside you’ll find all the usual Xbox gubbins, so no Elite-esque HDMI or bumper hard disk, but then what price individuality, eh?

Inflatable Sofa
Hardly the classiest addition to a lounge, but this blow-up sofa’s got to be one of the comfiest. Veg out, Homer-style, before deflating your comfy chair to stash it out of sight!

Shower Radio
Wash out, tune in! This Homer-shaped shower buddy will pump out AM or FM tunes to accompany your daily scrub down. The perfect way to start a Simpson-themed day!

Talking Ice Bucket
The ideal place to keep your Duff (or any other brand of beer for that matter) cool, this seven-inch ice bucket treats your tastebuds as well as your ears – spitting out a classic Homer-ism each time you lift the lid!

Homer Phone
Phone home! Or should that be phone Homer? Formed to look like everyone’s favourite layabout, this fun-phone’ll let you dial up a pizza, call in sick for work or even prank the local bar Bart-style.

Homer Door Bell
Herald the arrival of your visitors with a holler from Homer! This wireless door chime will let you know mates have arrived in the most comical way – with a classic Simpsons quote! It’s technology put to its finest, and funniest use!

Pinball machine
For the serious (and seriously loaded) Simpson fan, their very own pinball machine is a must. Slap the paddles and batter your way to retro victory, all accompanied by Springfield-themed lights, sounds and animation!

Aston Martin in Bond COOLest Car!!!

Aston Martin in Bond COOLest Car!!!

The MI:6 agent has cooled others' heels yet again!! The Aston Martin with a James Bond label was voted as the coolest car in a survey conducted by Coolbrands. The automobile major beat other heavy weight brands like Apple's iPod, Google's YouTube...... Most of the top twenty were internet, games majors. Yet the car company surpassed all of them, probably because of the James Bond label and the success of Casino Royale. Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Gez said, "Our exciting, design-led programme of new models and unparalleled attention to detail has made a major impact in the world of international culture." . Well, to be very frank, OO7's label is enough to promote a brand to the topmost position....


Here's some from CNN

(CNN) -- James Bond's favorite car -- the Aston Martin -- has topped a list of the coolest brands in the UK thanks to its long-running association with the legendary super-spy.

Pierce Brosnan, the former James Bond actor, poses with the spy's classic Aston Martin.

The classic marque, which was bought by a British-based consortium from U.S. auto giant Ford earlier this year, featured prominently in last year's Daniel Craig-starring "Casino Royale," considered a return to form for the long-running franchise.

The Superbrands organization, which compiled the poll, said the film's success had rekindled Britons' love affair with Bond and showed "a deeply ingrained association with the man and the car."

Apple's iPod music player was second on the list, ahead of video Web site YouTube, hi-fi manufacturer Bang & Olufsen and search engine Google.

TOP 20 'COOL BRANDS'

1. Aston Martin
2. iPod
3. YouTube
4. Bang and Olufsen
5. Google
6. Playstation
7. Apple
8. Agent Provocateur
9. Nintendo
10. Virgin Atlantic
11. Ferrari
12. Ducati
13. eBay
14. Rolex
15. Tate Modern
16. Prada
17. Lamborghini
18. Green & Black's
19. iTunes
20. Amazon

Technology dominated the rest of the list with Apple, Playstation and Nintendo and Web brands iTunes and Amazon all included in the top 20.

Italian motoring trio Ferrari, Lamborghini and motorcycle maker Ducati were also included along with fashion label Prada, underwear firm Agent Provocateur, watchmaker Rolex and Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic airline.

Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the CoolBrands Council, said the list reflected changing needs, wants and interests.

"You could argue that it's split into two pretty clearly defined categories -- on the one hand, things can become cool by virtue of their necessity or prevalence in your life, like Google, or Amazon.

"On the other, the things you really want, but may know you'll never get -- like a Rolex; or a Ferrari -- are considered just as cool.

"There seems to be a real divergence between aspiration and practicality but both are deemed cool -- which goes to show how the needs and desires of consumers are developing."