Can’t get your little cousin to read a book or put down his DS?

Well, this chess set just might be the thing that makes him smarter while he is having fun. You can play as the Mario baddies with Bowser and Baby Bowser as king and gueen, Koopa shells as pawns and various other characters as the rest of the pieces. Alternatively you can be the heroes with Mario and Luigi as king and queen and coins as pawns.

I don’t know why Daisy and Peach are bishops instead of Mario’s queen; but at least Yoshi is the knight.

This set contains 32 hand painted figures, foldable game board and instructions all packed up in a metal collectors tin. It costs $39.99 at Think Geek.

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Here’s some surprising news: more women are flocking to social networking sites than men. The only site that attracts more male than female seems to be Digg.

According to Mark Brooks, an analyst in social networking and online dating, the main factor seems to be safety. Brooks says that social networking sites allow females, those looking to expand their social network, the chance to get to know people around them before ever getting the chance to date or interact with them on a more personal level. More »

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The PSP-Go debuted last week, and much to the Sony’s dismay, it received horrible reviews. I still get the feeling it won’t stop many from actually buying the slimmer portable device. On my way to the office the other day, I saw a teenage kid with the new PSP-GO, playing a game while crossing the streets of NYC.

Before we get into some of the reviews, one thing Sony has to factor in for sales, especially if they’re low, is that many teenagers, including some adults, do not have wireless capabilities at home. While they may have DSL and high speed internet service, wireless is not something they use or have ever really cared to pay for. I know many people, even my friends, who own desktop computers and never had the need for a wireless signal. While the idea for an all wireless device was great, Sony forgot about those who may want the device but can’t use the services because they don’t have wireless capabilities. For Sony’s sake, let’s hope this doesn’t stop people from buying the device.

So let’s get onto some of the reviews: More »

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Scientists at the University of Utah have found a way to use Wi-Fi signals to see through walls. The researchers used signal strength and radio wave measurements between nodes in wireless networks to calculate the position of people walking through the signals.

They set up a network with 34 devices around a living room and could detect movement within 3 feet of the walls. They can’t yet make images, but they are sure that with the help of GPS, they will be able to make a more accurate system with fewer nodes.

The scientists envision this system being used to find survivors and bodies in disaster sites since it could potentially be easily deployed. The only disadvantage is that this system could be used to spy and snoop.

So, sure you won’t be able to turn your laptop into X-ray glasses anytime soon; but this still would make an amazing security system for a house.

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If you like Samsung and Android, then look no further than the Samsung Behold II. The Behold II runs Android with Samsung’s own TouchWiz UI on top and will operate on T-Mobile’s 3G service.

This new handset is Samsung’s first Android phone to be released in the United States and it’s a great start. Samsung has made a phone that has some slick styling and packs quite a punch feature-wise. From the vibrant 3.2-inch AMOLED display to the 5 megapixel camera, A-GPS and Wi-Fi, this feature-set will definitely make this a hot seller.

There aren’t any details about price or availability, but I think we can safely expect this to be priced like most smartphones and arrive in a month or two. Read the whole press release here.

[via BGR]

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Looks like Palm is defying USB-IF and Apple with the release of the 1.2.1 update, which allows iTunes Syncing on the Pre again. This has been a long ongoing battle between Palm and Apple, one that was settled by the USB-IF, saying that if Palm were to continue syncing with iTunes, they’d be in direct violation of the USB-IF membership agreement. Looks like Palm doesn’t really care, so it’s on! More »

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Remember when Doc Oc flung cars with ease across the street in Spiderman 2, well now we may be able to do the same with the new Power Loader Exoskeleton being built in Kyoto, Japan. While you won’t be able to throw cars with it, you will be able to lift up to 220 pounds, which is still a lot of weight.

The dual armed amplification robot uses 18 electromagnetic motors and also has force feed (Force Feed is something that gives us feedback as a type of force during an interaction with something). Unfortunately, the Power Loader Exoskeleton is still in its developmental stage and won’t be in the market until 2015. Check out the video of the Power Loader in use while you wait (after the break). More »

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With President Obama’s plan intact, electric cars are going to be taking over the road someday but what’s holding back car manufacturers from pounding out tons of electric vehicles are the battery life and charge times. IBM is looking to change this by kicking off a new program, the Battery 500 Project, in their Alamaden Laboratory in San Jose, California.

IBM is bringing together 40 of the world’s best engineers and scientists to begin immediate work on Lithium Air Batteries with a 500 mile range, giving a car 200 more miles than the average gasoline fueled car. More »

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Everything has gone green these days and nothing has been more “Green” than the tech industry but are these products really green or are they ploy to get a sale? Consumer electronics are one of the hardest things to make Eco-friendly, mainly because there are few advancements in Eco-friendly parts. Thus, resulting in gadgets with tons of mercury, Arsenic, and BFRs. Here are 5 lies that companies tell the consumer to make a sale. More »

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Sony announced that they have been developing a new technology that uses magnetic resonance to transfer up to 60 watts of energy over a distance of over 1.5 feet. It uses one device that is able to transfer energy to another over the air. They use specific resonant frequencies so that there isn’t accidental leakage into other devices. This allows the system to maintain an efficiency of around 80%

Unlike some other wireless transmission technologies, metal objects caught in the middle don’t heat up. They have also developed a passive extender unit that can extend the range by almost 3 feet. 60 watts isn’t much though; but egardless, I hope they release something like this soon because I am getting sick of all the cable clutter under my desk.

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From Girlybubble: Awhile back, I remember stumbling upon StuffOnMyCat.com and seriously dying from the hilarity of it. It’s unfortunate that the new Mimobot Hello Kitty flash drives have no place on that site — because then it’d be about stuff IN my cat. StuffInMyCat.com? Doesn’t sound very appropriate. More »

The price of Nokia’s entry into the netbook market has been revealed at its exclusive retailer, Best Buy. Based on a screenshot of Best Buy’s internal inventory management system, the Booklet 3G is going to tip the scale at $599.

That is a lot of dough for what in reality is a regular netbook with a fancy metal enclosure and a Nokia badge on it. I’m thinking this price is a result of Best Buy’s usual humongous markup; and hopefully once the Booklet 3G is available elsewhere, the price will be substantially lower.

[via Slashgear]

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Newegg is having contest for college students with a grand prize of $5,000. It must be in celebration of their planned IPO. All you have to do enter is record a video about what you would do with the money you save by shopping at Newegg. The other 19 prizes for people who don’t get the grand prize aren’t too bad either. They’re giving out some camcorders, Windows 7, an Xbox, a home theater system and other giftcards.

Apparently schools in New York, Florida and Rhode Island are not included though. Which means I won’t be able to enter. So, if you are in any of the other 47 states, go on and try to win your $5000 shopping spree.

[via CrunchGear]

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Solar powered gadgets are the future of tech and these Solar blinds from Braun only further that idea. Solar gadgets are useless if you lounge around the house all day, they need the power of the sun. So, the solar blinds are a very logical answer when it comes to going green and saving the planet.

The Some Shine Solar Energy Storage System works exactly like regular blinds except it collects sunshine all day and stores it in its base. The indicator allows you to check exactly how much solar energy it has collected and whether it can charge your gadgets or not. At night, after the base is full, simply connect your gadgets via USB for a green, Earth friendly charge.

(Via Dvice)

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G-Shock Mini’s are shrunken, cuter versions of classic G-Shock that are aimed towards women. Until this year, these little watches were only available in Asia and Europe. Now, with the launch of the new website, they are available in the US.

A quick look at the “Where to Buy” section of the site reveals that it is only available at Bloomingdales for now. That will probably change as the holiday season nears.

They come in “more feminine” colorways like pink, white, black and green.

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