The folks at CNET were surprised to discover that using some Dell laptops can result in electric shocks that “vary in strength from a gentle tingle to a sudden jolt.” They also noticed that the shocks occur when connecting peripherals to the laptops. It appears that the offending devices have been isolated to versions that feature a brushed-aluminum finish —namely the XPS M1330 and XPS M1530. Furthermore, they believe the shocks are the result of a power adapter that isn’t grounded properly because its 2-prong connector lacks a third pin.
Interestingly enough, Dell’s knowledge base acknowledges the problem in an entry entitled “A Tingling Sensation May Be Noticed When Touching Metal Components of Dell Devices Equipped with Two-Prong AC Adapters.” However, the entry also states that “the voltage (tingling sensation) does NOT present any risk of injury to the user.” Whether that is true or not, getting constant electric shocks […]

Original post by Sean Fallon

Japanese footwear company Onitsuka Tiger is getting a major promotional boost thanks to this 1 meter long illuminated shoe developed by the folks at Freedom of Creation. The work is intended to “communicate Onitsuka Tiger’s Japanese roots” in the form of a highly detailed city-shoe. It has everything from billboards to buildings —and if you will notice, the Onitsuka Tiger stripes represent streets and highways and a Godzilla-like monster looms over the city.galleryPost(\’shoecity\’, 6, \’\');

Freedom of Creation has also developed smaller versions of the shoe to be placed in Onitsuka Tiger stores worldwide. They have even gone so far as to develop USB stick and key ring versions to spread the product awareness even further. Now that’s what I call marketing! [Freedom of Creation via Dezeen via DVICE]

Original post by Sean Fallon

Unlike many of the flash drive designs these days, the Domino concept by Marcos Breder adds adds a little extra fun and functionality into the mix. Each domino can be split into two separate drives, with the white dots indicating the remaining storage capacity. The problem is that playing an actual game of dominoes with these drives would be damn near impossible (so gambling is out) —and putting enough of them together to form a proper toppling pattern would require countless drives. Not that it matters all that much given the fact that this product doesn’t actually exist. [Yanko Design via Oh Gizmo]

Original post by Sean Fallon

Sound & Vision has word that Pioneer is going to stop making plasma sets that only size up to the lowly 42-inch mark. Specifically, the intel comes from one of Pioneer’s dealer district sales managers, but Pioneer’s total non-denial—that everything is still being considered—indicates there might be a bite of truth to this. Speculation is the 42-incher space will be filled by LCD, ’specially since Sharp now owns a decent-sized chunk of Pioneer. Besides, it makes good business sense: If you got the coin to toss at one of their Kuro plasma sets, would you even glance at anything under 50 inches? [Sound & Vision]

Original post by matt buchanan

CNBC’s Jim Goldman thought he was engaging in a little harmless name-dropping to Steve Jobs when he mentioned that he and Microsoft’s Robbie Bach spoke last week at CES, but Steve Jobs took it another way. When Goldman repeated Bach’s statement about how the version 2 Zune was now a worthy alternative to the iPod, Jobs replied, “Was he inebriated? Do you even know anyone who owns a Zune?” Ouch. People excuse Apple’s jabs toward Microsoft because they’re underdogs in the OS market, but it just seems mean when they do the same in the iPod-dominated portable media player market. [CNBC via Mac Daily News]

Original post by Jason Chen

The latest in relaxation technology comes to us from British company Hoverit in the form of a handmade acrylic lounger that can hover in mid air. As you might have guessed, the gravity defying aspects of the chair derive from repelling magnetic forces in both the bed and base. Hoverit also suggests that the magnetic forces can “help back, muscular problems and headaches” in addition to delivering a relaxing sensation akin to floating on air. More after the break.galleryPost(\’hoverit\’, 3, \’\');
The CAD designed chair pictured here is the first in what will become a series of magnetized floating chairs. Unfortunately, pricing information has not been made available —but think expensive thoughts. That having been said, the least they could do is throw in a cushion. Floating chair or not, the word “comfort” doesn’t readily come to mind when I look at this thing. [Product Page via Trendhunter]

Original post by Sean Fallon

You’re probably familiar with Greenpeace’s complaints about Apple’s “greenness” in its computers, but you would think that the latest environmentally minded decisions in the MacBook Air would have been enough to satiate the eco-group. Nope. Here’s what they said about the new Air.
“Apple is getting greener, but not green enough,” said Rick Hind, the legislative director of Greenpeace’s toxics campaign. “The Macbook Air has less toxic PVC plastic and less toxic BFRs, but it could have zero and that would make Apple an eco-leader,” he added.
and
“Apple sometimes gets really defensive,” Hind admits. “They say: Why are you picking on us—especially when we have such a small market share compared to the rest of the industry?”
The reason, according to Hind, is simple. Apple is seen as a tech leader, especially when it comes to innovation. Even though companies like Dell and HP are much larger and ship many more computers, Greenpeace […]

Original post by Jason Chen

newVideoPlayer(”undeadiphone.flv”, 475, 286,”"); For all those unlocked iPhones out there that were bricked after attempting firmware upgrades, we have some great news. It appears that Apple’s new 1.1.3 iPhone firmware rewrites either most or all of the phone’s firmware, allowing for bricked iPhones to be brought back to life. If this sounds too good to be true, watch the video above. We tested it on our own dead iPhone that was originally unlocked with AnySIM and later bricked by an attempted upgrade. This phone had just been gathering dust in one of Brian Lam’s many gadget drawers, so we were surprised when we finally had success with bringing it back to life. Getting the iPhone working again wasn’t as easy as we expected, and at times it didn’t seem like the firmware upgrade had worked, so here’s what happened.

To upgrade, we put the phone in recovery mode, then connected […]

Original post by Christopher Mascari

Looking to add a unique personal touch to your living space? I see plenty of sports fans decking out a room with team colors and accessories—so why can’t Apple fanboys do the same? First off you need to add a little flair to that boring old couch with the OS X dock pillow set pictured above. Unfortunately, the design is one-of-a-kind, so you had better find someone who is handy with a sewing machine. No problem, right? Now all you need is some storage. Fortunately, the perfect solution is available after the break.
Now that you have a stylish set of geeky ass-cushions, you need to hook yourself up with these Prove shelves from Creosa. With a little work, you can make them look just like Leopard stacks.[Omni Mouth via Apartment Therapy and Creosa via Freshome]

Original post by Sean Fallon

The yoga-stretch-exercise add-on for the Wii finally gets a launch “frame” for the US: Q2 2008. Excuse us while we queue up stories about Wii Fits breaking under the massive weight of American fatties. Maybe that’s what took Nintendo so long to localize it for the NA audience—trying to find enough structural engineers. [Kotaku]

Original post by Jason Chen