A News.com report on the hottest electronic devices.

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 with spit and put it into the machine for a reading. Results come in the form of numbers alongside little stick-figure icons that convey varying levels of disquiet. Ease and portability are the big draws here: The meter--which sells for 19,800 yen ($164)--weighs around a quarter of a pound.

Of course, the gadget would be truly remarkable if it could automatically fire up the incense and summon a masseuse when your reading goes through the roof.

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.

Credit: Dr.Moz

In addition to all sorts of searchable baby skills material, "The GoodFather" includes an interactive baby name book with approximately 15,000 names and naming tips. Dads who need help creating baby announcements can use a point-and-click menu to guide them through the baby card maker, which produces double-fold and certificate-style cards.

The CD-ROM, which is available for around $35 at baby boutiques, specialty gift shops and on the Dr.Moz Web site--is Windows- and Mac-friendly.

And fellas, remember what Don Corleone said to Johnny Fontane: "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."

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.

Credit: Marks & Spencer

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 50 pence (around $34). Three darts come with a cylindrical base and included software. Ready, aim, fire--but please, be careful not to take anyone's eye out.

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.

On the other hand, relentless competition means most companies have a difficulty in turning a profit.

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.

Credit: ThermoWorks

ThermoWorks RT-301 Low Cost
Pocket thermometer

"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 University of California, Berkeley in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion on thermometers since I can never figure out if the internal temperature of my Smoked Beer Can Turkey is ever right.

Chu recommends a thermometer with the word "engineer" written all over it:

The ThermoWorks RT-301 Low Cost Pocket thermometer for $14

Oh, yea. This thing has a digital instant-read that uses a thermistor (a resistor whose resistance changes with temperature).

This thing reads internal food temperature in less than 4 seconds. It measures even thin portions like burgers. There is a rotating probe that safely folds into the side for safe storage or carrying in a pocket.

The 4.5-inch long probe reaches into large roasts or deep containers and comes with a recently re-designed super-fast tip.

Chu said he selected the name "Cooking For Engineers" on a whim. He said has no idea if it means "To cook for the purposes of providing engineers with food" or "To instruct engineers in the science and art of cooking".

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 subscribers and releasing these products on time," said Brad Akyuz, a senior analyst with research group Current Analysis. "The 7100 from Cingular is nearly a year old and people have been looking for the 8700 with Intel inside, so RIM needs those devices."

However, the 7100 series comprised 20 percent of RIM total shipments, according to Gartner analyst Todd Kort's assessments. At last check, Kort said RIM shipped 188,000 of its 7100t (as in supported by T-Mobile) in its fiscal second quarter. Compare that to the more than 862,000 traditional PDA-style units that RIM claims it shipped in the same time period and the shipping slip up will hurt RIM but not kill Q3, Kort said.

Kort's take on RIM's upcoming Q3 report: RIM can make it up in server revenue.

"They do have a substantial server business and just released BlackBerry Enterprise Server version 4.1, so they could make their revenues up in that area," Kort said.

RIM's other financial secret may lie in its ability to lock in customers to its servers, Kort added, because the latest version allows them to consolidate hardware.

"That will in effect lock in their customers even more because it should lower the cost of ownership of a BlackBerry system." Kort said.

RIM has been promoting itself to ship close to 4 million handheld devices by the end of the year but their subscriber number could hit 4.3 million by the end of the year.

The only other area where RIM might be able to save face in the financial community would be through its BlackBerry Connect software licensing, which makes up about 30 percent of its overall business, according to RIM.

"Going forward, you might see an increase in the software part of the business, but that won't happen in one quarter," Akyuz said.

Lay-offs are not out of the question but unlikely given reports that RIM is hiring about 50 people a week to help support non-U.S. ambitions.

The other potential stumbling block could be an injunction forcing RIM to stop shipping product to U.S. customers until it repairs relations with Virginia-based NTP. A federal judge is expected to issue his opinion this week.

"There is concern by some clients but we've told them to proceed as usual and not panic," Kort said. "We tell them it is prudent to consider the alternatives, but the other ones out there are not that good right now."

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...

Credit: BuddhaPad

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 Make-a-Wish Foundation, a genuinely admirable organization that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

The pads, designed by i&D Media Group, are available for purchase on the BuddhaPad site. Incense and wind chimes not included.

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) and is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. Just plug and play, and it comes in six colors. Just don't lose it.

4) SanDisk Cruzer Titanium ($45-70)--This USB flash drive is about the size of a pack of gum and has a biometric fingerprint reader. It's sold in 512MB and 1GB capacities.

5) "the iGuy" from Speck Products. The rubberized character first seen on CNET's blogs helps keep your iPod safe.

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, ATI graphics card and a 160GB Seagate hard drive.

The 15.4-inch laptop is powered by an AMD Turion 64 ML-30 chip and 80 GB hard drive.

Cisnet, a division of ZT Group, is making the desktop and laptop PCs and is one of 200 licensees that the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing works with.

Despite its grease-monkey stereotype, Nascar says an estimated 30 million of its 75 million fans are considered hard-core PC users, spending up to nine hours a week consuming related media, much of it online.

And the money flows like crude oil. Nascar is the second highest-rated sport on television and has the most corporate involvement of any major sport. Overall, Nascar fans purchased $2.1 billion in Nascar-licensed merchandise in 2004.

December 2005 archive

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