Gadgets

Measuring stress with spit

Having a stressful day at the office? Japanese medical equipment maker Nipro has come up with a new handheld device that instantly lets you know just how frazzled you are. Not that you need anyone to tell you that, but a little confirmation couldn't hurt. All you have to do is spit.

The Cocoro Meter measures the level of amylase, a digestive enzyme found in pancreatic juice and saliva that increases when people are under mental or physical duress. To find out what your amylase has to say about the strain of that ever-approaching deadline, you moisten a chip … Read more

Daddy tips from Don Corleone

If you're a new or expecting dad who happens to be a Godfather fanatic, consider yourself fortunate.

Sonoma, Calif.-based gadget maker Dr.Moz has come out with an offer it thinks you can't refuse--"The GoodFather," a CD-ROM for dads of infants 0-12 months that comes in the form of a Godfather parody. Now you can learn to swaddle baby and cope with sleep deprivation while simultaneously reliving the famed mobster epic.

In addition to all sorts of searchable baby skills material, "The GoodFather" includes an interactive baby name book with approximately 15,… Read more

Harass co-workers with USB missiles

With these USB-powered air darts, you can shoot to annoy. Just hook the contraption up to your PC and control the darts' aim and firing mechanism with your mouse.

We came upon this high-tech version of the paper airplane on digg, and with the holidays coming up, felt it deserved a mention. Digg readers had some pretty funny observations on the gadget, including, "Be careful if you toggle your left and right mouse buttons. You just might kill yourself."

The Web site for British retail giant Marks & Spencer sells a set of the darts for 19 pounds … Read more

A different kind of pleasure from your MP3 player

We would be remiss in our commitment to cover the latest industry buzz if we didn't at least mention the existence of this new accessory for MP3 players.

The iBuzz is advertised as a sex toy that vibrates in time to your music. It's made in the U.K. by Love Labs, and is only available in Europe. Apparently, it's not the first of its kind--and the Audi-Oh is even available to us repressed Americans.

Toshiba No. 1 in consumer electronics hard drives

Toshiba, which makes hard drives with platters as small as 0.85 inches across, sold more hard drives into the consumer electronics industry than anyone else in the third quarter, according to a study from IDC.

According to IDC, Toshiba had a global market share of 27.5 percent for all hard drives shipped into the market, and a 43.9 percent share when excluding the 3.5-inch drive category. The 3.5-inch drive, fairly large by contemporary standards, goes into gadgets like digital video recorders.

The achievement is something of a double-edged sword. On one hand, consumer electronics represents one of the strong growth markets for hard drives. … Read more

Thanksgiving cooking for engineers

Why take off your engineer hat when you don a kitchen apron this Thanksgiving?

A Web site titled "Cooking for Engineers" explains many of the finer technical questions about convection ovens and other culinary techniques.

"Have an analytical mind? Like to cook? This is the site to read!," the site promises.

Michael Chu, who currently works as a hardware application engineer for a major semiconductor manufacturer (we suspect it's Intel), came up with the idea for the site. Chu's credentials are impressive. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the College of Engineering at … Read more

RIM numbers may not add up: analysts

Research In Motion says it'll have fewer subscribers but revenue should be in line with estimates? Analysts are scratching their heads.

On Wednesday, RIM lowered its forecast for new subscribers for the third time this year. Third-quarter numbers have been cut back by 8 percent for the rest of the year. The company blamed the revision on two new BlackBerry models that failed to ship on time.

With expected revenue in the range of $540 to $570 million, how will the BlackBerry maker make up the difference?

"Honestly, I do not see them meeting their objectives without adding … Read more

A mouse pad with good karma?

BuddhaPad claims to be the world's only mouse pad that absorbs your energy and transforms it into good fortune. Just rub the belly of the Buddha adorning the 8.5-inch circular pad, the Web site promises, and you'll be blessed with infinite happiness, prosperity and good luck.

Sigh. If only true enlightenment was as easily attainable as a $10.95 (plus shipping and handling) mouse pad...

Then again, there may actually be some good karma connected to owning a BuddhaPad. That's because, according to press materials, 10 percent of the proceeds from Buddhapads sold go to the … Read more

Cheap holiday gadgets under $100

Think you have to spend thousands of dollars to get really cool tech products this year?

Brian Cooley, CNET editor-at-large, offered up his "top 5" budget gifts to ABC in Chicago this morning.

1) iHome I5 iPod Clock Radio ($95-$99)-- Fall asleep and wake up to music you've loaded into your iPod.

2) Aiptek 4500 ($99)--It's a pocket camcorder/camera/MP3 player. One of its cousins has a very interesting story to tell.

3) Mobiblu DAH-1500i ($99 - $129)--This MP3 player is just a 1- inch cube (the size of four sugar cubes) … Read more

Nascar PC takes checkered flag

Gentlemen, start your PCs. New PCs and laptops sanctioned by Nascar are on the market and revving to go.

Available in October at CompUSA and now online at Target.com, the bundle comes with a Nascar-branded keyboard, mouse and speakers; a Nascar-themed Windows Media Player and screensaver; and free offers and discounts for several Nascar partner services. The desktop computer also includes free lifetime 24/7 telephone technical support.

After rebates, the desktop retails for $549.99, the monitor for $249.99 and the laptop sells for $899.99.

The desktop comes outfitted with an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ processors, … Read more