Silver isn’t only great for killing werewolves and vampires, they’re also good for killing germs. Seal Shield has released a new washable, anti-microbial keyboard that supposedly kills contaminants with its silver ions. Being dishwasher-safe, it is a snap disinfecting your keyboard with scalding hot water and soap if you’re so paranoid about catching the bug from sick colleagues who have used your keyboard before. The Silver Seal washable keyboard retails for $69.99 and is truly a purchase for the paranoid - I don’t think ordinary Tom, Dick and Harrys will be that fearful of catching a bug from the keyboard.

Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones

Share This

RFID clothing is far from revolutionary, but American Apparel is about to get everyone’s attention by placing tags on a smorgasbord of garments. The firm is setting out to implement RFID at the item-level, meaning that tags will eventually hit each article of clothing it produces. For starters, the advanced inventory system will be rolled out across each of its 17 metro New York locations, while plans are already in place to deploy the solution to another 120 North American outlets.

The idea is to track individual pieces as they’re “tagged at the company’s manufacturing facility in Los Angeles, received in its retail stores, stored in the stock rooms at the stores, and then placed onto the sales floor and ultimately sold at the point-of-sale.” Of course, we wouldn’t expect the tags to follow you home or anything — too bad we can’t say the same for the company’s skeezy CEO, Dov Charney.

[Image courtesy of The New York Times]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Share This

Check out the comic above - it is a hilarious but true take of the evolution of us homo sapiens and TV - apparently the thinner a TV gets (in addition to cell phones and other hi-tech stuff such as iPods), the fatter we become due to a sedentary lifestyle. Pretty funny, no?

Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones

Share This

Filed under: Computers

Those fancy nano-silver containing key fobs we showed you the other day are great for keeping out of contact with germ-covered door handles or faucets, but hardly useful for touch typing, which is unfortunate, because according to the marketing material released by Seal Shield, your keyboard contains up to 400 times more bacteria then a toilet seat.

Throw up a little in the back of you mouth just now? Then you’ll be interested in the company’s new Silver Seal washable, anti-microbial keyboard. Like the Handler, the Silver Seal contains silver ions that help kill contaminants. The keyboard is also dishwasher-safe, so disinfecting with scalding hot water and powerful soap is possible for the truly neurotic.

The Silver Seal will start shipping this spring for $69.99, which is expensive for a keyboard. However, you can’t put a price on the peace of mind that accompanies having one less place to worry about picking up the plague.

From USA Today

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Share This

The TouchBrowser from Makayama is a simple, full-page rendering Web browser for Windows Mobile users that surprise, surprise - offers the iPhone-like ability of moving around a Web page simply by dragging the tip of your finger. A simple touch of a button results in a switch between desktop and mobile page layouts, while an enlarged keypad allows you to type freely without a stylus. Some notable drawbacks would be missing tabs as well as Java functionality, but those are minor niggles that could be fixed in a future update (if any). Makayama’s TouchBrowser will retail for €11.95 when available. Will this help keep Windows Mobile users loyal, or will they drift towards the iPhone?

Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones

Share This

Filed under: Cell Phones

Verizon Wireless has been slow to catch up with the smartphone data access plans offered by competing carriers, with premium prices and some confusing options, but things are taking a real turn for the better.

The new “E-mail and Web for Smartphone” plan goes for a mere $30 a month when paired with a qualifying voice plan, and is available with the SMT5800, XV6800 and the MOTO Q9m, with other devices to hop on board in the coming months. Verizon’s press release is very careful to tout unlimited e-mail and Web browsing, not data, and we have a feeling Verizon will be clamping down pretty hard on anybody trying to tether with this plan.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Share This

LG’s Voyager looks set to make its way to other carriers in the US after seeing success with Verizon, which means Sprint and AT&T will be receiving a similar handset sometime later this year. So far more than 1.1 million Voyagers have been sold despite Verizon being the second largest carrier in the US. There is no word from LG whether the AT&T and Sprint versions of the Verizon will see any changes, but hopefully the AT&T model will see HSDPA-based 3G access while Sprint’s model will be able to receive a broadcast digital TV service. Will you choose the LG Voyager over the iPhone?

Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones

Share This

Filed under: eBay

Want access to the newest in military technology without having to deal with such annoyances as “boot camp” and “Iraq”? Just look online.

According to a report by the Government Accountability Office (who knew such a thing existed!?), sensitive and stolen U.S. military items are being sold on eBay and Craigslist. The federal investigators posed as buyers, and successfully purchased a dozen prohibited military items on the sites.

These items ranged from night vision goggles to two F-14 fighter jet components, to a wardrobe’s worth of army combat uniforms. Oddly enough, also available were body armor vests used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan — the same gear that the army initially struggled to actually get to the troops themselves.

The report notes that the items purchased could easily have been shipped overseas and “used directly against our troops and allies.”

Or, for the record, festered in some eBay addicted military fetishist’s asbestos-filled basement for the next half-century.

From CNN

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Share This

Sega’s Super Monkey Ball was one fun game when it was first released, and it has apparently been ported over to the iPhone. According to producer Ethan Einhorn, this port is a casual title that supports the “pick up and play” gaming culture which is so prevalent today (thanks in no small part to the Nintendo DS’ phenomenal success), and boasts an interface innovation that somewhat resembles that of the Wii along with comparable gaming performance like the PSP and DS Lite. Guess the iPhone ain’t too bad as a casual gaming platform, eh?

Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones

Share This

Filed under: Computers

It seems the disturbingly common incidents we’ve seen in the US relating to improper laser pointer usage and the resulting arrests of those doing the pointing aren’t exactly limited to the states. In Western Australia, such offenses have become so common that laser pointers have been classified as a “controlled weapon,” meaning improper use could result in a $4,000 AU (about $3,700 U.S.) fine or 12 months in prison.

This change in classification comes after a series of incidents there similar to what we’ve seen in the U.S., where people of questionable intelligence have been caught pointing portable lasers at police and rescue helicopters, among other aircraft. Laser pointers, if shone into the eyes, at best can temporarily disorient the pilot and, at worst, can result in permanent blindness. That’s no fun.

We’re no fans of arbitrary legislation against gadgets, but if that’s what it takes to keep idiots from pointing these at aircraft, then we’re on-board.

From the Herald Sun

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Share This