Electronic Toy World

What has now become an iconic image of Web 2.0’s inconsistency, and more specifically, the micro-blogging service Twitter’s lack of up time, the Twitter Fail Whale caused a stir among the tech community when it made its first appearance in May 2008.

Not only is the Fail Whale Twitter’s way of letting users know that the service is experiencing some issues, but it’s slowly introducing itself into pop culture. The now famous illustration by Yiying Lu has made its way into the sculpture form of media with this kinetic Fail Whale sculpture.

Titled “Lifting Up A Dreamer”, the kinetic sculpture was made by Flickr user Hil. The kinetic title basically means that the sculpture incorporates movement. The Fail Whale sculpture bobs up and down, adding both dimension and movement to the original 2D image.

While the Fail Whale might not be an image of happiness and hope, it does say something about the reliance we should allow for our online services. If a company can be down so often that their disclaimer illustration can become more iconic than the actual service itself, what does this say about the future of start-up internet services?

Flickr via MAKE

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MobileBurn reviews the HTC Touch Cruise and writes, “Despite its business image, the HTC Touch Cruise features a whole host of multimedia applications, such as a 3.0MP auto-focus camera, a video camera, a media player, and some games. I wasn’t expecting much from the Touch Cruise’s camera, as it seemed like a sideline feature of the device, and was missing any sort of flash function. However, my expectations were unsubstantiated and the camera performed surprisingly well. Activating the camera is as simple as pressing the shutter button on the right side of the device. Within the camera menu there are options for video recording, panoramic photos and a multi-shot function, among others. Oddly, there was no macro mode, but this didn’t cause a problem for the camera, which still managed surprisingly crisp and detailed close-ups. Also not included was a night mode, but again, the camera did surprisingly well, adjusting itself automatically to suit. However, should the camera not perform as desired, a few small tweaks that can be made, such as white balance and brightness.”

Read more about the HTC Touch Cruise.

by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 1:28PM
As you’re no doubt all too well aware, there’s certainly no shortage of netbook options out there these days, but the number of convertible netbooks is considerably more limited — a situation that little known Aware Electronics now looks set to somewhat rectify. It’s apparently now set to jump into the game with this 7-inch number, which packs an Aday5G 800MHz X86 processor (all bets are off on that one), 4GB of NAND Flash, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth (with optional 3G and GPS), an integrated webcam, dual USB ports, an SD card slot, and the LINOS Linux distribution for an OS. Nothing particularly standout there, but Aware is promising that this one’ll sell for $300 when it launches in two months, which certainly evens things out — assuming that you can actually get one for that price.

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

by Nilay Patel, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 11:20AM
It looks like MSI’s taking another page from ASUS’s Eee playbook — the Wind netbook is getting a desktop sibling. MSI was actually showing off the Atom-based minitower at Computex last month, and while final specs and pricing aren’t official, it sounds like the machine will include Windows XP, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB drive, DVD drive, and WiFi for somewhere between $200 and $300 when it goes on sale sometime in September — but you’ll have to be in Europe or Asia to snag one, as MSI says they won’t make it to the US. That’s a shame, as the power-sipping machine is pretty intriguing: the 1.6GHz system at Computex was able to play back 720p video using just 30 watts of power — compared to 242 watts for a normal PC. (MSI says the Wind desktop isn’t quite capable of 1080p playback yet, but it hinted that future versions will get there.) Hopefully MSI will have a change of heart between now and September.

Read - Hands-on with the MSI Wind desktop
Read - Infoworld article with estimated specs and pricing

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Filed under: Desktops

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 10:24AM
You’ve seen it toyed with, you’ve seen it unboxed and you’ve read the review. Now, the moment of truth has arrived. iriver’s Lplayer is officially on sale here in the USA, with the 4GB models going for $109.99 and the 8GB editions demanding $159.99. You’ll also have to choose between white, pink and black, but don’t sweat the details, okay?

[Thanks, Jenn]

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 10:43AM
We heard that Lenovo was shuffling its lineup a bit earlier this month, and sure enough, that IdeaCentre brand is getting its 15 minutes today courtesy of a fresh press release. Hailed as the outfit’s “global entry into the consumer desktop market outside of China,” the IdeaCentre K210 comes with a variety of hardware choices including Intel’s Core 2 Quad processors, up to 3GB of DDR2 RAM, a GMA X3100 integrated graphics set (or a 512MB ATI Radeon 2600 XT), optional Blu-ray drive, gigabit Ethernet, a 16-in-1 multicard reader and an anti-microbial keyboard that comically stands out more than it was likely intended to. Nevertheless, the tower also includes VeriFace facial recognition technology that enables users to log in by simply gazing into the webcam; if it performs anywhere nearly as poorly as it did on our U110 review unit, however, we’d recommend switching the feature off and logging in as usual. Units are available now from a variety of e-tailers starting at $379 (after mail-in rebate).

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Filed under: Desktops

We had some very cool entries for last weeks “Coolest Gadget of the week” and three products really stood out between the voters (thanks guys).
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The overall winner with 29% of the votes was the exceedingly cool VTS Camera Car,

What makes this an amazing remote control car is that by wearing a headset while controlling your car, you can actually see from the perspective of the cockpit. To make the experience even more realistic, when you turn your head left, right up or down, the image responds accordingly, meaning there’s now no excuse for you to not do a shoulder check in your tiny car.

Read the full post over on Gaj-It.com.
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In second place with 22% of the votes was the laziest of gadgets, the Grevalia Stir Mug.

You need to put all your ingredients in, add water, push a button and presto! your beverage is gently stirred while you can just go on working.

Congrats to Jen from S2999 for taking the runners up spot.
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Finally in third place with 19% of the votes we have the digital camera swim mask.

Some clever people have come up with the ultimate accessory for snorkelers – the world’s first digital camera swim mask.

Well done to Jo and Decide what to buy.
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Thanks to everybody who voted and commented. The $50 Amazon voucher goes to random commentator Zelig, we’ll be in touch to sort your prize out.

Want to hear about future contests first? Subscribe to our daily digest via email or RSS.

If you’re a fellow gadget blogger and would like to be included in next weeks contest please check out how to enter CGOTW.

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by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 2:27PM
Our favorite Terminator (and Governor of California) Arnold Schwarzenegger has just helped Tesla Motors make an announcement that’s probably sending chills through traditional automaker’s boardrooms. The company has just introduced a fully-electric, five passenger sports sedan dubbed the Model S, which will be selling for $60,000, and will manage 225 miles on a full charge. The carmaker says it will produce the vehicles in a brand new manufacturing plant it’s opening in Northern California. We’re on the ground at the announcement right now — no pictures or release date have surfaced yet, but you’ll know more as soon as we do.

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Filed under: Transportation

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 10:04AM
Ever since Motorola was tossing the Tetra name around in 2005, the brand has catered to those operating in less-than-beautiful conditions. The T-Pad smartphone is no exception to the rule, boasting a shock-proof (MIL-STD-810F) casing, IP65 waterproof rating and a keypad that resists dust, debris and any other manner of matter. Specs wise, you’ll find a 640 x 480 resolution display, Intel’s Xscale 400MHz CPU, Windows CE.Net 4.2, Bluetooth, 64MB of SDRAM, USB connectivity and optional WiFi / GPS. Unfortunately, this little bugger is reportedly stickered at £1,300 ($2,592), so unless your employer is picking up the tab for you to have a mobile while wrestling polar bears at the North Pole, we’d probably recommend a cheaper alternative.

[Via CNET, thanks Yogesh]

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Filed under: cellphones, Handhelds

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 9:39AM
For the smattering of Canadians wealthy enough to pick up an iphone 3G from Rogers Wireless without worrying over the lack of an unlimited data plan, we’ve stumbled across what appears to be internal verbiage detailing the in-store activation process. Quite frankly, there doesn’t seem to be any real surprises here, but it is somewhat interesting that retail locations will be required to download and use a special version of iTunes with an “Activation Only Mode,” which will enable employees to unbrick the mobiles before customers leave. In any case, feel free to hit the read link if you’re anxious to know exactly what the sure-to-be-hair-raising experience will be like come July 11th.

[Via GearDiary, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: cellphones