Who needs a smart pen anyway?

Well, when I was a little kid the school supplies were the ultimate statement when it came to how cool we were and, why not, who rich our parents were. You had to have the right notebooks, the right writing tools, the right backpack (we called it satchel, to be more precise), if you wanted to be cool. Even if it sounds crazy, it was the thing to do, a must, if you prefer, for the kid to become popular. It didn’t matter that the child’s intelligence wasn’t a great help and that the behavior was deplorable, all that mattered was that he had expensive school supplies.

And you must remember those pens that were able to change from one color to another, usually red, green, blue and black. And you most probably know that the kid who owned such a thing was the coolest ever.

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To somehow remember us of those times, the Japan-based stationary designer Metaphys came up with a smart pen that is able to show that old one how things are these days, so it incorporates an ink pen, a mechanical pencil and an eraser. The Locus 3WAY pen can be yours for about $55, which is a little bit too much, if you think about it.

However, the designer thinks that the clip is what stands out from the crowd: “Writing items are personal objects, which reflect the personality of the owner. Most pens have only subtle differences in writing function. Metaphys has therefore focused on how the pen’s clip is displayed outwardly on a chest pocket. The stroke-like clip has become an icon representative of Metaphys writing instruments”.

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Caught on hidden camera?

If you were never caught on hidden camera, doing things you wouldn’t like your mother to see, maybe you shouldn’t take for granted the fact that no one had the interest to see what you’re doing in your intimacy, ‘cause you might be surprised to know that a tissue box could easily turn into your worst nightmare.

You don’t believe me? Well, you will when I tell you the whole story. The Tissue Box Hidden Camera DVR is undoubtedly the last place you would look for a hidden camera! Let’s face it! I wouldn’t suspect that a camera was hidden in a tissue box in a million years! It’s crazy, it’s very difficult to believe, but, you know what? That’s the point with hidden cameras!

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Although there are no giveaways wires, there are no pinholes in the tissue box, the camera is still able to capture videos at a high resolution of up to D1 (720 x 480 pixels) and at 30 frames per second. If you really want to catch someone on hidden camera, then this gadget gives you the chance to do it, as it is able to record not only during the day, but also during the night. In addition, you can set it to start recording at a certain time.

The Tissue Box Hidden Camera DVR comes with a microSD card slot for external memory of no more than 16GB and it can be used in the following situations: as a nanny camera, by those who want to protect their home or office, by private investigators or by skeptical parents who want to keep an eye on their kids.

The package includes the main unit, a remote control, a 2 Li-polymer battery (which can be recharged after six hours), a battery charger, a power supply, an SD card with a capacity of 2GB, an SD card reader and the user manual. You can purchase this gadget for $599.95 from BrickHouse Security. Maybe a little bit expensive, but you must be willing to make a compromise if you want your kids, for example, to be caught on hidden camera when doing all sorts of things, except their tasks.

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$1,000 color e-book reader

The Fujitsu FLEPia color e-book reader was announced a couple of years ago and this is why you probably don’t remember it right now. It’s been a long time since you’ve heard about it for the first time, but it might be worth the waiting, because the device is able not only to stand out of the crowd, but also to defeat the competition.

You had to wait, it’s true, but the FLEPia is available in Japan, adding some color to your life. Therefore, the color e-book reader comes equipped with an 8 inches XGA touchscreen with 260K colors and a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, a microSD card slot for expandable memory (of no more than 4GB) and a battery that is able to provide up to 40 hours of uninterrupted use.

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The FLEPia can display all sorts of file formats, from TXT, PDF, Word, Excel or PowerPoint, to HTML or XMDF e-book formats. If you’re interested, you can pre-order your own e-book reader right away. All you need to do is to go to the official website of Fujitsu. It’s just that you’ll have to be a little bit patient, as the device is expected to start shipping in a month and a half (on April 20th). Ah! I almost forgot to tell you the price. $1,000. Expensive, alright!

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Dell laptop computers reinvented

Dell has just announced the release of a new line of laptops, which will be known under the name of Adamo. If you’re curious about the Adamo brand, let me tell you that it will be developed by Dell in the following years, and this is the first product to ever be launched with the Adamo name on it. The company says it’s the “world’s thinnest laptop”, which is understandable, as it measures no more than 0.65 inches, compared to the Envy, which is 0.7 inches thin.

It’s just that the Adamo laptop weighs a little bit too much, approximately 4 pounds, while the Air has only 3 pounds in weight and the Envy 3.4 pounds.

As far as the specifications are concerned, the list includes: Intel Core 2 Duo processors with Intel Centrino technology, a DDR3 system memory, 13.4 inch, 16:9 high definition screen, draft-wireless N, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, 2 USB ports, 1 USB/eSATA combo port, Display Port, RJ-45 port, high-performance SSD standard (solid state drives), mobile broadband (which is optional) and the Windows Vista Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit.

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If you’re already interested by Adamo, which is expected to revolutionize the Dell laptop computers, you’ll be given “a unique color matched collection of Adamo by Dell branded peripherals and accessories including, in the U.S. an exclusive line of bags from TUMI”. You’ll be able to choose from an external storage with 250GB or an external hard drive of 500GB, external DVD+/-RW or Blue-ray disc drive, 8GB USB drive, connectors and cables that come with DisplayPort to HDMI, DVI and VGA and Adamo Premium Service which is for the U.S. only.

The name is inspired by the Latin word, which means “to fall in love” and it will be a fashion and style statement for the customers out there. The laptop will be available in Onyx and Pearl colors, retailing at a price of $1999. It will start shipping worldwide on March 26th, 2009. You’ll be able to find it online, if you want to purchase it, in 24 countries, such as: ANZ, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Honk Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia/Singapore, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, U.K. and U.S.

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Electronic paper for the Japanese market

You can see the effects of the technological development almost everywhere. And a relevant proof is undoubtedly the electronic paper, which many of you know as e-paper. There were many attempts so far in this area, and we’ve also had the chance to witness the apparition of e-book readers that invaded the market in the past couple of years. You must have heard about the Amazon Kindle 2, which created sensation when being released.

Brother Industries Ltd. decided to join the party and announced the release of the so-called “Brother Document Viewer SV-100B”, which is nothing but an information terminal that comes with an electronic paper module. The device is expected to become available in Japan, on the first day of June, 2009.

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The company is very happy to emphasize the fact that the product will “allow users to carry around information equivalent to 10,000 sheets of A4-size documents”. If you think that Brother wants to aim this product at every human being, then you’re definitely wrong! The device is expected to be a great help for “field maintenance services and by home-visit nurses, layers and tax accountants, who carry a large amount of documents”.

Now, let’s talk about the SV-100B’s list of features. Measuring 15.5 millimeters in thickness and weighing approximately 600 grams, the device comes with a memory of 2Gb (coming from a microSD card), a 9.7 inch electronic paper module equipped with a resolution of 1,200×825 pixels, a black and white display, and a battery that is able to provide up to 83 hours of operation, corresponding to approximately 5,000 pages displayed at intervals of one minute.

As this electronic paper device is targeted mainly at corporate users, the SV-100B will come with a hefty price. ¥139,800. Or approximately $1,423.

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