Pollen Robots will monitor the pollen levels in air

Madan:

For those who are allergic to pollens or suffers with hay fever, Tokyo-based weather forecasting company Weathernews, Inc. has some good news. Now, it will install about 200 ball-shaped robots nationwide to monitor the pollen present in the air. The Pollen Robots weighs 1 kilogram and measure 30 1 ft. Through the included monitoring unit inside a spherical styrofoam shell, it can indicate level of Japanese cedar and cypress pollen in the air through the pair of eyes. The eyes indicate the corresponding levels in white, blue, green, red and purple colors. First to volunteer are two hundred hay fever sufferers around the country who will also send minute-by-minute reports over the Internet to Weathernews headquarters in Tokyo. Based on the levels, company can decide its pollen map for the season.

Via: PinkTenTacle

Atomic presents revolutionary D2 Doubledeck Skis

Madan:

Austrian ski manufacturer has compiled D2 Doubledeck technology in an innovative Ski design and set to revolutionize the universality of skies. The design that looks blazing houses two skis, superimposed on one another and united in the high-tech product. The Skie model is advantageous as it is capable of automatic adjustments according to the skier’s skiing style and snow condition. Atomic D2 combines an excellent balance of stiffness and turning radius, which are the most important parameter of skiing. Soft bottom of lower ski provides constant contact with the snow, while the upper ski is responsible for handling and adjusting according to the skier alike in airplane seats. Atomic has provided it in two versions, Vario Flex and Vario Cut, for 2008-2009 seasons.

Via: GetoutDoors

KNFB, Nokia N82 to change the world of visually disabled

Madan:

New Knfb Mobile, which supports Nokia N82 smartphone, may transform the world of visually disabled. Nokia, filed a patent to deliver first of its kind mobile that incorporates a character recognition software and conjures high quality text-to-speech capability. Not only that, but it will be the fastest device to do that. It can read most printed documents like letters, memos, book-pages, address labels, package information, and instructions and simultaneously displays each sentence visually and highlights each word as it reads. Besides storage capability of thousands of pages on a flash memory, it supports external flash memory cards, and can receive and transfer text files to a computers or Braille note takers. The enhanced N82 also includes a 5-megapixel autofocus camera. According to Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind:

The knfbREADER Mobile will allow the blind unprecedented access to the printed word, affording a level of flexibility and capability never before available. No other device in the history of technology has provided such portability and quick access to print materials. The NFB promotes equal opportunity for the blind, and this Reader will make blind people dramatically more independent. The result will be better performance at work, at school, at home, and everywhere else we go. This Reader will substantially improve the quality of life for the growing number of blind people and people who are losing vision, including seniors.

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Second Thumbnail Summary of the Week

A Positive Review of the Nyko Wireless Nunchuk	New Concept Stereo Allows You to ?Sleep with Bamboo?	IOGear announces Wireless USB CardBus Adapter	Keep close tabs on your teen driver with the Intellitrac X1
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Spot-On Lighted Screwdriver	Brilliance made beautiful with Nikon Coolpix S520	MacBook Air to get add-ons	AMD targets gamers with new card
Lego Celebrates its 50th Anniversary	Optimal Office Mouse Reads Your Stress Levels	New Raspberry Clocky For Your Sweetheart	Phantom Mouse may save your job one day
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A Positive Review of the Nyko Wireless Nunchuk

Normally, I avoid reporting on products that get too much coverage, unless I have something different to say about it. Such is the case with the Nyko Wireless Nunchuk, a product that other gadget blogs are really bashing unnecessarily.

I had a chance to try out the Nyko Wireless Nunchuk at CES 2008, and I absolutely adored it. A lot of gadget blogs are asking whether the product is really necessary, but I say: “Of course it is! This is the new millennium, and everything is going to be wireless by the time we reach the end of this millennium.”

Clearly, the negative reviewers have not played some of the Wii games that I play. For example, there are moves on the Dancing with the Stars video game that require moving the Wiimote and Nunchuk in a locomotion dance. The wire really gets in the way of the dancing, and so removing the wire makes it a lot easier. Also, I have a dog and a newborn baby who have this annoying habit of grabbing onto the connector wire while I’m trying to play. Now the doggy and baby won’t have anything to grab. Thank you, Nyko!

Another complaint is that the price is too high, but I think that $19.99 is a small price to pay for something wireless. I have seen wireless products that do less useful things at a higher price.

So, in your face, other gadget blogs! The Nyko Wireless Nunchuk is a cool product, and deserves some respect. If you’ve got the Wii, get the Nyko Wireless Nunchuk and give it the love it needs.