Remember that pre-Matrix Keanu Reeves movie Johnny Mnemonic, the one that showed us that the Internet of the future is accessed via virtual reality and is some weird origami interface. I believe this film was supposed to take place in 1995, and that vision never came to pass.

This could be the case for the Ori Ori Mochi Mochi, a mobile device designed by Antenna design. It is predicted to be the iPhone of 2014, and it is a device that relies on folding at certain angles. For example, a rectangle is a cell phone, and all folded out for a map.

Memo to me: Follow up on this story in 2014. Perhaps I'll be writing that follow-up on an Ori Ori Mochi Mochi.

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One of the things I'm personally confused about with this HDTV transition is how we're going to hook up all those old devices that only speak composite. You know, things like my VCR, my Wii, my Nokia phones with TV out, and who knows what else.

Maybe HDTVs have several built-in composite ports on the back. At least the one I got a an up-close and personal look at had all kinds of ports on the back, though I can't recall if any were composite or if they were just component ports. Even if you can get them connected, how are they going to look, really? Probably like crap.

So I ask the readers, what about all the old analog devices? Does a new HDTV really mean I've got to buy a whole bunch of other things? Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy and a waste of money?

Crossposted from The Digital TV Weblog

I tried out Nyko's version of their Wireless Nunchuck for the Nintendo Wii, and it required the user to wind the cord around an apparatus that connected to the Nunchuck.

The more improved version, the Kama, works very well for games such as Super Mario Galaxy, as well as Wii Boxing. The Kama is completely wireless, so now you don't have to worry about wound up or getting tangled up in the cord anymore.

The Kama requires 2 AA batteries, and has some really cool transparent buttons. You can purchase it on the Nyko site for about $34.99.

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GPS devices are beginning to look very alike these days, and it is difficult to tell them apart these days. The Moov series from Mio plans to stand out from the crowd. According to Coolest Gadgets, the Mio Moov series is designed to be a "marriage of dependable hardware as well as a fresh user interface".

This model of the Moov has a 4.3 inch touchscreen interface, and 3.5 million POI (Points of Interest). Text-to-Speech Navigation helps the driver get to any one of these locations and more, and the contraption works right out of the box.

You should be able to get the Moov 300 for about $299.95.

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I'm not much of an Opera-buff, but I do like the DigiFi's Opera wireless headphones.

I'm not certain whether you can tell from this photo, but the Opera is designed to go around the back of your head. You can then plug the wireless transmitter into your iPod, and you will hear excellent wireless sound. The Opera uses Kleer technology, a wireless transmission technology that has higher specs than Bluetooth.

If wireless sound is important to you, then you should be able to purchase the Opera for about $98.

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If you've ever tried to distribute VoIP throughout your home and you have a lot of old phones, chances are you've run into problems with either the phones not ringing or ring improperly. This is because the typical landline supports a Ringer Equivalency Number (REN) of 5. The typical analog telephone adapter a REN of 3 or less. 1 REN corresponds to a single Western Electric telephone. Today's telephones are typically .2 REN or less.

The solution to this problem is the Ring Voltage Booster II, which boosts the available REN to 7.5. It also will boost ring voltage as low as 30VAC RMS up to 90VAC RMS. That should support 7 of those old phones and a couple of new ones, too!

Via Michigan Telephone, Crossposted from The VoIP Weblog

Yamaha has recently presented a design exhibition in Milan entitled "Key for You". (Get it, like piano keys? Yeah, I didn't think that worked either.) They also have a similar slogan when they discuss the "bond between people and instruments", but I think that "bond" they're talking about is more like James Bond.

After all, if James Bond was a musician, Q would give him this particular device that is a keyboard and a notebook. I can imagine that this would be perfect for songwriters. The songwriter can play out the notes, and write the notes and words on the pads.

As far as I know, these product has not hit the market yet, so I don't know when they will be available, and for what price.

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