Barry John Williams' Blog

It's a shame this 'GPS Letter Logger' was only posted on Engadget yesterday, perhaps someone should send this to Alistair Darling anyway. Sounds like just the thing he could've been doing with...

Hindsight - who'd be without it?

Labels: gadgets, humour, politics

Earlier this month I placed an order for the new Nintendo Wii Remote Jackets, 4 days ago I received an email stating they would arrive within the next 10 days. Well yesterday I received them. Two rubber covers and an instruction leaflet informing me how to fit the jacket were in the jiffy bag.

Amusingly on the front cover of the leaflet, it does warn me not to deliberately knock the Wii remote against the TV, furniture or other objects and also warning me the jacket will not eliminate potential damage completely - I was hoping it was gonna be like the Hazard Suit in Metroid...



The jacket itself is quite nice, not too flimsy or thick. The material is soft and not too sticky either and it's ribbed around the edges for extra grip. The air cushion at the end isn't too bulky but looks like it ought to do the job!



The whole thing looks quite nice when it's on the remote. It covers over the power button at the top of the remote (the only button covered by the remote), but it doesn't seem to affect operation. The IR window at the top of the remote is uncovered and recessed by the air cushion so it should be quite safe! It's also slightly curved around the sides so in addition to the grippiness of the rubber and ribs, it should be quite difficult for this to slide out of sweaty hands - useful for a Rayman Raving Rabbids championship!!

There is a dust cover built into the jacket to protect the Nunchuck connector which is a good idea and it is easy to remove the cover to plug the Nunchuck in.

In the hand it feels like a tennis racket handle which is quite convenient as I like Wii Tennis!! Overall very neat and both remotes will be covered by this today!

Not sure how it will operate with the new Wii Guitar Hero III controller, I suspect I may have to remove the cover for the remote to fit in. Similarly with other remote accessories you'll probably have to remove the cover!

I think it's well thought out - and if I saw this in the shops or on eBay, I'd probably have bought one.

Labels: gadgets, nintendo, review, wii

Just read on Engadget that US Wii owners are being offered a free rubber cover for their Wii Remotes. These are sticky to stop sweaty palm sliders and cushioned at the front to soften impact on TV screens, etc.

After a bit of hunting, I found this service is available to UK Wii owners too and you can order more than one. They'll be including them with all future Wiis and Remotes.

Just placed my order for two.

Nintendo UK Wii Remote Jacket Request

Labels: gadgets, wii

The linked article has a great video demonstrating a "not so ordinary" train-set operating on superconductive magnetic levitation!

I want one of these! One wonders how long it would take to make these things more practical for lifesize everyday use... Imagine closer to room temperature superconductors and filling up on liquid coolant at the fuel station! Of course you'd need something to propel you too...

Link to watch video

Labels: coolstuff, gadgets, video

The same year that brought you Blade Runner also brought us this $20000 (Twenty Thousand dollar) exercise cycle which "amalgamates a superior, industrial quality LaserDisc player with a video disc, a 45" rear screen video projector, and the Lifecycle electronic bicycle/aerobic trainer." Wow!!!

This "surrogate travelling" monstrosity gives you a whole 2 hours of tours, meaning it was probably possible to fly to these places and actually cycle this tours for less than the cost of this device!

Wow!

Original article found on BoingBoing

Labels: coolstuff, gadgets, historical, humour

In January of this year I bought a Treo 680 from Expansys on contract from Vodafone, the problem that I didn't realise is that Vodafone won't insure my mobile because it's not from them and they couldn't do a 'like for like' exchange. This meant looking for a 3rd party insurance company...

Most of the ones available are for purchase with a new phone, for example Carphone Warehouse, Argos, etc. I found one quite quickly on the internet, but (to me) it seemed like a bit of a nobody and wasn't sure whether it was a rip off or not.

Left with no choice, I went ahead and purchased the insurance from a company called Insurance4mobiles but with a number of different domain names on the internet. The website claims it is underwritten by AXA and when I called the number I actually got through to someone. The monthly price is £7.99 for my Treo 680 and you pay the first three months up front.

Well, you can't really review an insurance company without a claim, so by luck (or not so) I had to make one recently.

I managed to accidentally crack the screen on my Treo and this is covered by the insurance policy's accidental coverage. I called the company and told them I'd like to make a claim and they wanted proof of purchase of my phone, this was going to be slightly difficult as I'd purchased it from Expansys using Paypal. I forwarded on the paypal receipt and it wasn't accepted; after explaining the situation they would accept a photocopy of the label on the side of the box including the make and model of the phone along with the IMEI number. I compromised by offering a photograph of the phone displaying this information - I sent the photo via email and they were happy with it, claim approved and it would be a £25 excess fee.

They sent me an addressed package for the phone and claim form to sign which arrived the following day. After posting it, a few days later an absolutely brand new boxed and unopened Treo 680 arrived through the post!

After my initial reservations, they've demonstrated they are good - and a lot easier than some insurance companies I've claimed through (T-Mobile).

If you have an uninsured phone or laptop, have a look. They ensure a wide range of mobiles and have a couple of different insurance products.

http://www.insurance4mobiles.co.uk/

Labels: gadgets, insurance, review

Discovered this link on the net which I found quite interesting! It's a robot with four axis of movement and programmed to respond to the rhythm of music in a human way.

They have two videos on the site and they are spookily amusing to watch! The robot really does dance to the music and quite well too...

Found it originally on BoingBoing
Direct link to the article

Labels: coolstuff, gadgets, humour

Received an email from forbidden planet with what I think is probably the coolest thing they've ever sold. A life sized replica of the T-800 endoskeleton bust complete with electronic eyes and removable CPU chip. This can be yours for only £349.99. I don't think I'll be coughing up for one of these, but if I'd a spare £350 lying about I would!

To quote the article:

To celebrate the 15th Anniversary of this modern classic film, Sideshow Collectibles and Stan Winston Studios have partnered to create the T-800 Endoskeleton Life-Size Bust. For the first time ever, the Endoskeleton skull has been reproduced with complete authenticity to the film by the same artists that created the Endoskeleton for the film. The Endoskeleton Life-Size Bust features electronic function eyes, and a removable CPU microchip. The T-800 Endoskeleton Life-Size Bust is the perfect centerpiece for your T2 collection - don't miss your opportunity to order!

Link to Pre-order the Terminator 2 Bust

Labels: gadgets