iTRAVL Language Communicator - Handheld BabelFish

If you’ve always wanted to travel the world but have been worried about the ‘language barrier’ you’ll be happy to know it should no longer be an issue. Because in addition to making it obvious you’re a tourist the iTRAVL PDA will also serve as a personal translator. Just say one of 63,000 phrases and the device will instantly speak the translated version back to you in either English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

In addition the iTRAVL should replace any and all travel books one might normally carry since it includes the Fodor’s guide for 50 major destinations on 5 continents, the CIA World Factbook for 180 countries, audio guides to major museums around the world, a 1.6 million word audiovisual dictionary including various local terms, slang and useful expressions and it will even function as an audio player. (Presumably MP3s are supported.)

The iTRAVL is available from SkyMall for $499.95.

Dog-e-Tag For Four Legged Runaways

Dog-e-Tag For Four Legged Runaways

If your dog always seems to be on the lookout for some way to escape your backyard then this high-tech version of the dog tag might bring you a little peace of mind if they ever succeed. It attaches to the dog’s collar like any other tag but it uses a 4 line LCD display and is actually capable of storing up to 40 lines of text or 400 characters worth of information.

So not only can you include your address and other contact info but you can also provide important information about the dog’s health or medical conditions like whether they suffer from a dangerous allergy. You can even include things your dog enjoys which could help rescuers relieve the animal’s stress until they’re returned home. The tag itself weighs less than an ounce and because you never know where your dog might end up it’s also shockproof and waterproof.

The Dog-e-Tag comes in a variety of colors and is available now for about $30-$40.

Fujitsu LifeBook A6030 Touchpad

When it comes to looks the Fujitsu LifeBook A6030 won’t exactly stand out in a crowd but it actually has one unique feature I’ve never seen on a laptop before. Even though it’s not a tablet it still offers limited tablet functionality with a special touchpad that does double duty. It can of course be used like a regular touchpad by sliding your finger across it but hidden in the base of the laptop you’ll find a compact stylus that when used on the touchpad gives you tablet functionality. While the stylus can be used to move the cursor around it’s more designed to make tasks like jotting notes, capturing a signature or even photo manipulation a bit easier when you’re stuck on a laptop.

As someone who’s been using a Wacom tablet day in, day out for the past few years I’ve often wondered why something like this hasn’t already been tried. I realize the small size of the touchpad doesn’t provide anywhere near as much accuracy or precision as a large Wacom tablet does but that large size also means my tablet never accompanies me on the road. Having even a miniature Wacom tablet built into my laptop when I have to Photoshop on-the-go is still a better proposition to me than being stuck using a regular mouse.

The Fujitsu LifeBook A6030 starts at $1,299 and as cool as I think the multi-function touchpad is this is definitely one of those things I would have to try in person before buying.

XMI X-mini - Another Little Speaker

While most of the world is content to privately enjoy their MP3 players with a pair of headphones there are still those who think everyone else is interested in hearing their music. But while MP3 players are small enough to conveniently fit in your pocket it’s next to impossible to find a similarly sized speaker that doesn’t sound like crap. Of course according to their website that’s not the case with the X-mini which claims to be the world’s first speaker that strikes the “perfect balance of pocketsize portability with uncompromising sound quality.”

To pull this off it uses an accordion like vacuum chamber that’s supposed to mimic the resonance of a sub-woofer when expanded and a high-fidelity speaker for reproducing all the mids and highs. I do like the fact that it has a built-in rechargeable battery since there are many other non-powered portable speakers on the market that are just too quiet to be of any use.

But don’t go pulling out the credit card just yet unless it’s to book a flight because it seems the X-mini is only available in Singapore right now for about $32.

Lenovo to auction Olympic laptops for charity

In celebration of the "one-year-out mark for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games," Lenovo has just announced that it will be conducting a series of back-to-back, week-long auctions to gift high bidders with its svelte Olympic-themed machine. Beginning on February 8, 2008, a "Cloud of Promise" laptop will be available for bidding each week leading up to the Olympic Games, and a number of them will even be "autographed by athlete ambassadors." Reportedly, "100-percent" of the proceeds will be distributed through the Lenovo Hope Fund to select philanthropies, including Right to Play, and the auctions will take place at the currently unavailable www.lenovohopefundauctions.com website.

Buffalo adds Turbo USB to MiniStation / DriveStation external HDDs

Lately, it's been Buffalo's NAS Lineup getting all the attention, but today the firm is showing a little affection for its Ministation and Drivstation. The MiniStation, which is available in capacities of 80GB, 120GB, 160GB, and a quarter-terabyte join the more capacious DriveStation (arriving with 320GB, 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB of space) in offering up the newfangled Turbo USB feature. Reportedly, this amenity "increases performance speed up to 60-percent faster than other USB hard drives on the market today," and benefits Windows and OS X users alike. The MiniStation ranges from $99.99 to $219.99 and should be available by the end of the month, but the DriveStation won't make its debut until early September when it rings up between $129.99 and $499.99.

Nokia E61i A Complete Business Device

Nokia E61i A Complete Business Device.which is loaded with executive applications. looks like a calculator though but will surprise with amazing features.it has Cool Metal look compare to earlier e61 this device you can call A GEM and it has2.0 mega pixel Camera.Bundled with wifi,Bluetooth Blackberry Connectivity.

Processing is bit slow.apart from that nokia made its name with E series.

A complete phone for a Professional

Apple offers PCI Express RAID Card in Mac Pro

As if Cupertino didn't give you enough to chew on today, it looks like the Mac Pro received a small update as well. 'Course, it seems pretty minute until you check out the pricetag ($999, for those wondering), but nevertheless, users looking to maximize their machine can now opt for a PCI Express RAID card to come built right in. The card promises "up to 304MBps of sequential read performance in RAID 0" and supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 0+1, and Enhanced JBOD. Moreover, it sports 256MB of cache and an integrated 72-hour battery for protection, and while the machine ships with each hard drive individually configured in the Enhanced JBOD level, you can migrate the drives into a RAID setup of your choosing without reinstalling OS X by tapping into Apple's RAID Utility software.

NTT's HC-1000 puts you in control of home security

Here in America, we don't take our home security systems lightly, but for those in Japan, it appears that they haven't resorted to installing sensor-triggered weapons in their windows just yet. The HC-1000 camera can be controlled via the internet or a FOMA mobile, and allows users to take a peek at what's going on without actually being on the premises. The device sports a three-megapixel CMOS sensor, Ethernet port, 802.11a/b/g, 2x digital zoom, and a QVGA video mode to boot. Additionally, a "defense support" system can enable the piercing siren to let loose a wail, and the built-in microphone / speaker can even open up two-way communication between you and your home-wrecker (or faraway relative). The HC-1000 itself will run you a modest ¥29,400 ($247), but those looking to totally lock down their dwelling can spend up to ¥141,750 ($1,191) for an elaborate whole home system.