Gadgets

If you prefer your tech of the future infused with a touch of the past, you might like this retro Skype handset from Japanese company Digital Cowboy. The Digital Cowboy Net Cowboy (DC-NCTEL1) lets you make voice over Internet protocol calls while looking like you belong back in an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.

The phone has a USB interface and is compatible with Windows 2000 and XP. It measures about 10 inches by 5 inches by 5 inches and weighs just over a pound and a half. Our friends over at Akiba Live are a bit disappointed that the gadget … Read more

The release of Strata's new iBikeMount has led to some online debate about safety issues related to wearing headphones while biking.

Strata System's mount for the iPod Nano costs $30, and is aimed at keeping the music player "safely in plain site and within reach," instead of having to dig it out of a pocket, armband or from a hanging lanyard, according to the company.

The iBikeMount site includes a section about listening responsibly, but some wonder if there is ever a time when it's safe to bike with headphones on.

One reader of The Unofficial Apple Weblog … Read more

With all the iPod cases on the market, it's getting harder and harder to create a case that's truly unique. Zofunk Products out of Seattle differentiated itself by creating a sleek little case called Winks.

Warning: This case is not for the paranoid! The Winks cases sport an oval design, making it look like the iPod click button is an eyeball staring back at you. Maybe it really is watching you...

The Winks cases are designed only for Nanos, but there is a another line of cases, called Zen, for the iPod video. The Winks come in three … Read more

And more from Dremel, that ever-popular company among the PC modding and precision-tool enthusiast sets.

The daily grind may have just gotten a little bit easier with the new Dremel Work Station. The three-in-one unit combines a drill press, a stationary tool holder and a flex shaft tool holder for those wanting to tackle projects like wood carving, polishing and drilling with more ease and flexibility.

The drill press allows a hobbyist to precisely control drilling depths of up to 2 inches. An articulating head on the press allows users to drill perpendicular and angled holes in 15-degree increments up … Read more

Case-Mate has created three funky new gadgets for Apple Computer's MacBook Pro and PowerBook--an industrial combination handle and heat sink, a transparent stand and a laptop sleeve.

Handle-It is a handle that screws into the existing holes in an Apple MacBook Pro or PowerBook. The handle is made of aircraft aluminum, stainless steel Allen screws and a Napa leather casing. When not in use as a handle, it rotates underneath the laptop for use as a passive heat sink with fins.

The Silhouette is a transparent polycarbonate laptop stand. The three-piece construction of the stand compresses into a 1.… Read more

So much for the youth market. A flurry of start-ups and established companies in consumer electronics have begun to target middle-aged people. Kids know how to work this stuff, so why bother.

Smilebox, founded by MSN alumni Andrew Wright, lets consumers create multimedia presentations out of their photos. Users upload photos, add some prepackaged art with a few clicks and some music, and there you have it. Instead of being posted to a web site, the finished product is sent in an email. Consumers can get different levels of service, depending on how much you pay.

"This is not … Read more

Just when you think it's safe to go back on the Web in search of cool new gadgets, you discover that April Fools' lasts longer than a day in some circles. I confess that I was excited to see a USB Desktop Tanning Center advertised on ThinkGeek on Monday. The device, a sunlamp that hooks on to your PC, purports to consist of two base units, attached to either side of your monitor, that bathe you in ultraviolet light as you toil away.

Yes, yes, the health perils of sun exposure aside, I had visions of emerging from a … Read more

Knock three times on the ceiling--or in this case, the keypad. Israeli company E-lock has developed a device that can open locks with a quick series of discrete mechanical knocks. Just press the gadget to the outside of the door or lock, enter a personal security code and voila, you're in. The idea here is greater security: Since there are no keyholes or contact points, locks can't be picked or tampered with.

Each KnocKey can be programmed to open up to 100 different locks using varying encrypted codes, according to the company. A mounted KnocKey can be attached … Read more

The change to daylight-savings time over the weekend and the loss of an hour's sleep is painful enough, especially for Indiana residents reacquainting themselves with the ritual early Sunday morning. But some Treo 700w users might have also forced themselves to get up extra early on Monday for appointments that didn't adjust on their calendars.

Palm has detected an issue that is unique to users of the Treo 700w, Palm's first handheld to use Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system. Smart phones that were set to network time over the weekend automatically adjusted their internal clocks, but … Read more