Photo: shane o mac/Flickr

Starting today, the Apple Store online is offering several new deals on refurbished Macs, and the price difference is good enough that it could force off your mind even the nastiest image of their previous life. Refurbished items are usually those that are returned for any number of reasons (hmm . . .), are tested by the manufacturer, and work like new, but often have an aesthetic dink or two.

Among the deals are the newest aluminum iMac 24" PC for $1,900 (17% of regular price), and a $1,450 MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (almost 30% off), both with 24-hour free shipping and the Leopard OS. Check out the rest of the deals on their refurbished item page right here.

While checking out the other refurbished gear available, we also found some good deals on the 8GB and 16GB Apple Touch and the Apple TV. The Touch players go for $230 and $330 respectively (at $70-off the regular price) and the TV is at $200, $30 less than regular, and $100 less than it was only a couple of months ago. 

In the interest of full coverage, other top computer manufacturers also offer refurbished gear in slow-trafficked areas of their websites (Sony’s is right here). They don’t make it really easy to find them, but once you do, there are nice savings to be found if you can handle the possibility of getting a bad apple here or there.

There are some forums on the Web that keep an eye on all refurbished gear information, such as logging the manufacturers that do the worst job in shipping the old-new gear to your house. If you’re ready to start Livin’ La Vida Refurbish-ada, the first obvious tip would be to know that manufacturers that offer free insurance for these refurbs are the best bets, and the second is that larger items (like TVs) are the ones that have the biggest potential for disaster, mainly because of the shipping costs.

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Luxury camera maker Leica has confirmed that it has no immediate plans to offer a rangefinder digicam with a full-frame image sensor, either as a new product or an upgrade to the current flagship M8. This is no doubt a disappointment to cash-enrinched camera weenies dreaming of high-end SLR image quality without the bulk or complexity of a high-end SLR.

Leica issues statement on M8 future [Amateur Photographer]

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This looks like something we might see in a movie about futuristic space travel (like the film Sunshine), but is actually a real present-day subterranean farm underneath a bank building in Tokyo. The project, with the cool sci-fi sounding name “Pasona O2,” covers an area of 1,000 square meters (about 10,764 square feet). Created as a facility for teaching urban kids about agriculture, the farm grows rice as well as tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, and other fruits and vegetables. If I worked above ground in that building, I’d be tempted to take my lunch breaks below ground - to get fresh air.

Take a look at some of the other beautiful photos at pruned. Also via Japundit, by way of Tokyo Mango.

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I’m already bi-lingual, but in truth, one of my dreams is to become a polyglot. Until my dream comes true though, I’ll make sure to bring this device if I ever visit another country.

The Voyager 3 Digital Speaking Language Translator is a portable translator which is programmed with the Oxford dictionary is twenty different languages. It can also translate and speak over 40,000 words as well as 46,000 phrases. Of course, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so this baby is also equipped with an FM radio, calendar, calculator, and even, eight games. For 125, I say, not bad. Now if only it can translate alien language, I’d be a happy camper.

via

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The Bike Cuffs that you see here are no ordinary cuffs or lock that helps being a theft deterrent - they’re harder to crack than a complicated Sudoku puzzle.

The heavy-duty cuffs attach around the fork and disc rotor so would-be thieves can’t make off with your bike unless they’re armed with some kind of Fort Knox-busting wonder weapon. This nifty arrangement means you won’t have to faff around taking off your wheel for full lockdown. You don’t even need to use the keys to secure your bike, just click the cuffs using the integrated buttons. Of course no locking system is completely impenetrable but Bike Cuffs are highly-rated by crime prevention bods. Police-approved security assessors, Sold Secure, have awarded Bike Cuffs their highly coveted Silver Rating (Gold’s for humungous locks only), a judgment that should reduce your insurance costs.

Perfect for those who use the bicycle as their primary means of transport. The Bike Cuffs will go a long way in providing you with peace of mind for £79.95. I just hope frustrated thieves won’t end up slashing your bike tires though.

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No, Inkel is no typo as it is a Korean-based company that rolls out a wide range of consumer electronic goods such as TVs and audio systems. What they have on offer today is the MU-D Multimedia Dictionary that merges both a portable media player and DMB TV tuner functionalities together, throwing in an electronic dictionary as well. Features include a 4.3″ LCD display at 480 x 272 resolution, 4GB of internal memory and a microSDHC memory card slot. The MU-D is powered by Windows CE 5.0. There is no word on pricing, but we do know that this will be a Korea-only exclusive.

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If you’re the type of computer geek who wants ultimate control over customizing your laptop, or if you’re a graphic design junkie who can’t stand the boring options of colors out there for your portable machine.

Sony have introduces the new VAIO Graphic Splash Notebooks that they’re calling their “Expression Collection”. From the website:

What is VAIO Graphic Splash?
VAIO Graphic Splash is a unique line of limited edition notebooks that break convention and let you express yourself in a whole new way. Using a process called dye-sublimation, stunning colors and eye-catching patterns are infused into a notebook’s exterior with brilliant results. And the possibilities are endless.

The Expression Collection
Express yourself. Take customization to new heights with this dazzling new addition to VAIO’s Graphic Splash family. Introducing The Expression Collection, a truly original offering with an exciting palette of vibrant colors and interesting patterns. Select the combination that fits you best, and take your pick among four keyboard fonts that add a subtle touch of elegance to a commonly-overlooked aspect of the computer.

Created by you.
Experience personalization, inside and out. When you choose a customizable VAIO Graphic Splash notebook, you decide what goes in the computer as well as what goes on it. Select the hard drive, processor and memory that’s right for you, and enclose it all in a bold and sophisticated shell. With three colors, three patterns and four keyboard fonts to choose from, The Expression Collection is always poised to make a statement.

I wish there were a few other options for custom font on the keyboard - Bradly Hand, really? Why not just add Comic Sans and make me want to punch clowns? Was there nothing else you could use?

Regardless of the poor font choices, you can pick one up starting at around $1,300.

[Sony via Techie Diva]

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Posted Feb 29th 2008 8:48AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
iriver unveiled a whole bunch of hotness at this year’s CES, so you’ll have to pick your next player from them wisely… lest you end up buying the whole lot. That said, we’re not sure the E100 would be our first choice, but it’s certainly no slouch in the looks or specs departments, and it’s hitting the market well before most of those fancier players. There’s a 2.4-inch QVGA display, built-in stereo speakers and a microSD slot to supplement the included memory. Audio codec support includes FLAC, MP3, WMA, ASF and OGG, while you can manage MPEG-4, WMV9 and XVID for video. There’s also a mic, FM radio and line-in for acquiring audio. The E100 is available now, with prices starting at €79.00 ($119 US) for a 2GB player, and ramping on up to €129.00 ($194 US) for the 8GB.

[Via Generation MP3]

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Posted Feb 29th 2008 9:33AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: cellphonesWe remember when there was actually a glimmer of hope that the quarreling between these two may end — man, was that a long time ago. Anyways, the International Trade Commission has reportedly upheld a judge’s ruling made back in December which affirmed that Nokia did not violate Qualcomm patents. As expected, the latter firm expressed its utmost disappointment in the decision, and is already considering yet another appeal process. Then again, we may actually be a little sad if it didn’t.

[Via PhoneScoop]

»read more from "ITC upholds ruling, reiterates that Nokia didn’t violate Qualcomm patents"

One thing that sets iPod owners apart from generic brand buyers is that they are prepared to pay for smart design and good engineering. So why do so many ipod accessory makers ship ugly tat, deluding themselves that it will sell to a self-selected, tasteful audience?

Exhibit A: The Eos. A pretty neat product, the Eos is a a wireless speaker system for the iPod. You dock your mp3 player in the base station and from there tunes are beamed around the house via a proprietary GigaWave wireless network. The base station and one extra stereo speaker cost $250 and further units can be added for $130 a pop. There is a remote control, and an innovative power plug: the speakers hang from the power socket but the plug detaches for tabletop use.

The trouble is, it is as ugly as sin. from the bottom of its plastic bubble base to the tip of its blue glowing antenna. Best of all, though, is the “How it Works” video on the site, which strongly resembles “The Science Bit” from shampoo commercials. WiFi interference is characterized as red blocks, bouncing off the super-powered GigaWave signals. The link below will take you straight there.

Product page [Eos]

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