Vista getting 60% code rewrite?

Vista getting 60% code rewrite?: "Filed under: Desktops, Laptops We're not sure how much we trust the 'Microsoft insider' that apparently spoke to Australia's Smarthome News, but the site claims that the source told them that up to 60% of the oft-delayed Windows Vista's code will have to be rewritten over the next several months. Additionally, the company has apparently pulled developers from the Xbox team in order to meet an internal deadline to launch the operating system at next year's CES in early January. Smarthome also claims that Microsoft will also offer Media Center as an 'optional package' with Vista, though we suspect that this isn't a new development, but rather refers to the Vista Home Premium version of the program, which will include Media Center and other goodies. We certainly hope that Smarthome's source is wrong about the 60% rewrite; although Microsoft has reorganized its Vista team, bringing in Steven Sinofsky from the Office group, rewriting that much code would take a lot longer than the nine months between now and CES (unless they're talking about CES 2009, that is). Then again, the company could always hire narf and blanka; they seem to work pretty quickly, and certainly know their way around Windows.

Spy Mouse: You’ve Been Warned

Spy Mouse: You’ve Been Warned: "If you don't actually want this product, you should at least know about it: a mouse with a microphone and transmitter hidden inside. The CP-1 from surveillance productmonger Endoacustica starts feeding audio back to the mother ship as soon as it's connected to USB port. If some IT guy comes around telling you he's going to give you a brand new mouse just because he likes you, well, you've been warned. But then, on the product's site, it tells you 'exterior look may change without warning.' Great, so now any mouse is suspect. Big Brother is listening.

Threshold's new Home Server Model 1 is meant to make home networking easy

Threshold's new Home Server Model 1 is meant to make home networking easy: "Filed under: Wireless, Networking We didn't really know that home networking needed fixing, with all the easy to set up devices like plug-n-play security cameras and media extenders that are popping up lately, but Threshold's new Home Server hopes to bring even greater ease to your home network. The device, in its Model 1 iteration, has an Ethernet hub, USB 2.0, and 802.11b/g connections. The box also contains a web server, email server, WINS server, and NAS server to keep everything humming on the computer end. To add a device to your network like a video camera, you scan it across the magnetic 'Blue Spot' on the top of the Home Server, which then does all the configuration needed to let you manage the device. The Home Server will go for $300 and should be available in October along with proprietary modules like a motion detector, door/window sensor, and light/appliance control.[Thanks, Brian]

Biometric Wall Vault

Biometric Wall Vault: "The day and age of an old combination-dial style vault hidden behind crappy paintings is over with the advent of this biometric vault. This vault is protected by 140-gauge bullet-proof stainless steel and a biometric fingerprint scanning. The biometric sensor can store up to six different fingerprint scans. It also includes a secret compartment within the actual vault for even more security. It runs $479, a small price to pay for security and safe-of-mind.

Card Beeper Makes You Jack-Proof

Card Beeper Makes You Jack-Proof: "Card Beeper is a credit card case that cries out in anguish when there is no card inside. Every 20 seconds, you'll hear a beep if you've forgotten to get your card back from a merchant, or if you been jacked by a pickpocket. There's a money clip on the back, too, so your cash is safe as well. At $26, this anti-theft (and anti-forget) device could pay for itself with just one incident.

Motorola S7 Bluetooth Headset

Motorola S7 Bluetooth Headset: "The Motorola S7 Bluetooth headset has apparently been approved by the FCC. Don't fret, this is not another pair of Oakley Thumps, but the trick here is that the headset can be attached to your own eyewear, and a mullet is optional. Pricing and availability weren't available, but details are said to be forthcoming.

Optical Smoke Alarm

Optical Smoke Alarm: " If Soaron from Captain Power could lay an egg, we imagine it would look much like this optical smoke alarm by Danish designer Jacob Jensen, the man responsible for the look of Bang & Olufsen's classic products (19 of his designs are in the MoMa collection). Don't let our snarking about its looks fool you, this is a serious piece of equipment: the microprocessor inside does a daily sensitivity check to avoid false alarms. The ominous red button actually serves the greater good, by allowing you to reduce sensitivity for ten minutes to avoid setting off the alarm for times like when you have smoke coming from a cold fire place.

Scientists synthesize plastic suitable for printing electronics

Scientists synthesize plastic suitable for printing electronics: "Filed under: Displays A team composed of academic and corporate scientists from the US and UK have succeeded in creating a conductive plastic that could soon lead to the cheap printable electronics that we're often promised but have yet to see. Researchers from Merck, PARC, and Stanfords University and Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory were able to tweak the structure of a regular organic polymer to create a so-called 'semi-conducting polythiopene,' which improves upon standard silicon in that it can be laid down using simple inkjet printing techniques while at the same time producing less waste. Although the new material will never replace silicon as the choice for hardcore computing applications, the fact that this team has already created transistors with the new technology may mean that the promised land of ubiquitous, disposable e-paper is closer than we think

Ventura Launches Automatic Digital Watch

Ventura Launches Automatic Digital Watch: "This is really nothing new—Seiko and Citizen have had versions of this movement for years. However, it's a very cool design. The Ventura V-Tech Sigma MGS is 'automatic' digital with all sorts of fancy, Swiss tomfoolery in it. First, you have a scratch resistant case and crystal and then you have Ventura's EasySkroll knob, which allows you to set the time, date, and other functions with one scroll wheel. You power the watch through the natural movement of your arm and there is a small rotor near the face which is connected to a micro-generator and battery. The resulting amalgam of fanciness and high-tech will cost you about $1,750 and should be available in the U.S. soon.

Tempus Fugit: Floating Clock and Shuttle

Tempus Fugit: Floating Clock and Shuttle: "We've seen floating globes held aloft by magnets, but we couldn't resist the Floating Clock from Think Geek, which you place in the sweet spot between the top and bottom magnets and it hangs there as if by magic. It doesn't just sit still, either—it even has a mechanism inside that allows it to auto-rotate. If you get tired of that, you can add on an optional shuttle model that hovers there as if it were weightless, just like it does in space. And looky there—why, it’s a miniature astronaut waving hello (or calling for help?) from high atop the upper magnet. All this magic doesn't come cheap, though: The clock and base runs $89.99, the optional shuttle is $24.99.

ButterWizard

ButterWizard: " If you've ever thought your life was perfect only to have the illusion cruelly shattered by your inability to spread butter straight from the fridge onto your breakfast toast, you can now live the dream for real with the ButterWizard temperature controlled butter dish. Keep it on the recharging station plugged into the wall in the kitchen or bring it to the table and have it run on internal batteries—the latter option allows the ButterWizard to keep your butter at the temperature of your choice for up to two hours. The result: perfectly spreadable butter year-round, regardless of the actual weather. Aren't you glad you live in the future? The ButterWizard is £34.95 in the UK, not currently available in the US but maybe if we're lucky it'll hit the late night infomercial circuit here soon.