Zeo's Personal Sleep Coach makes money from your insomnia

We've seen a few devices that claim to cure insomnia with expensive lights and magnetic headgear, but if you're serious about getting some sleep you should definitely check out Zeo's Personal Sleep Coach. At night a SoftWave sensor-equipped headband collects data pertaining to your sleep habits (or lack of), which you can then parse on your PC (via SD card). It's like having a University sleep clinic right there in your flop house! And if that isn't enough, the device's SmartWake alarm clock can be set to get you out of bed at your "natural awakening point," decreasing the grogginess one feels when waking from Deep sleep. Order now for $399 and get free shipping. Sort of pricey, sure, but much more cost effective than that $1.5 million dollar floating bed -- which doesn't actually look that comfortable, at all. Video after the break.

[via engadget]

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Apple patent filing shows off activity monitor for skiers, bikers

Fans of more extreme sports will probably be stoked to hear that Apple just might be developing a device with them in mind. Apple Insider's discovered a recent patent filing that could possibly signal the development of a monitoring device (much like Nike+) which can detect, track, and display a visual and quantitative measure, for instance, of a skier's speed and air time. The device looks like it would contain one or more loft sensors (in one photo it is shown installed in a snowboard) and a microprocessor subsystem to determine loft time. There are of course, no guarantees that a product like this will ever see the light of day, but we sure hope so: runner favoritism must end. One more page of the filing after the break.

[via engadget]

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Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit gets its own specifications breakdown

Generally speaking, we don't much care about the nuts and bolts behind a thrill ride. If it thrills, it's a winner; if not, it's a failure. But the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is a horse of a different color, and being that it's described as the planet's most technologically advanced coaster, we figured it prudent to pass along the details that only true nerds could appreciate. For starters, each rider will have access to a touchpad in order to select their own ride soundtrack from a 30 song library. There's also a half dozen cameras in the ride vehicle alongside eight others along the track, all of which combine to assemble a take-home video of the experience if you'd like. Speaking of, check out the demo vid just past the break, and look for this to open to the public later this summer.

[via engadget]

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LeapFrog Scribble & Write, Chat & Count hands-on

LeapFrog's Text and Learn QWERTY BlackBerry-styled educational toy for the little ones left such an impression on us that we went back to check out its latest offerings. Two things caught our eye -- up first, the Scribble and Write, which is a Text and Learn-style device applied to writing skills. Designed for children about the age of three, it teaches basic letter-writing skills, making use of a roughly 3-inch LCD and attached "pen" to trace over the letters. This one is actually available now, and runs $21.99. The second item we checked out is called the Chat & Count -- and it looks incredibly similar to a candybar style mobile phone. The one we checked out was actually a prototype, and not the final product, but it's aimed at children starting at 18 months old, and teaches basic phone skills (believe us, the kids need those), numbers and counting. It's also got plenty of ringtones and custom noises built in, which start out super cute but would likely be... grating over time. The Chat & Count will be hitting shelves sometime around December of this year, and will run you $14.99. Both of these products join Leapfrog's Learning Path offerings (which also includes products like the Tag Junior we've previously seen).
[via engadget]

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Virgin Mobile USA launches prepaid Broadband2Go 3G service

Virgin Mobile's just announced a prepaid 3G service under the Broadband2Go moniker, which will offer customers a contract-free internet option. The Novatel MC760 USB dongle -- which will be available exclusively at Best Buy -- will run $150, with fixed data rates of $10 for 100MB, $20 for 250MB, $40 for 600MB and $60 for 1GB. The $10 bundles will expire ten days after purchase, while the rest of them will expire after 30 days. Virgin's Broadband2Go will operate on Sprint's network in conjunction with Novatel Wireless. It's a tiny bit pricey if you ask us, but then -- most things with no strings attached are, right? The new service will be available starting late June.

[via engadget]

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ASUS: "Our goal is to provide products that are better than Apple's"

ASUS might have launched the netbook era with the original Eee PC and followed up on that with wave after wave of successfully more innovative designs like the Seashell, but that's not enough for vice chairman Jonathan Tsang, who says the company's goal is "to provide products that are better than Apple's." No pulling punches here! According to Tsang, ASUS spends very little on marketing, instead preferring to spend the majority of its budget in engineering products so innovative consumers are forced to take notice. We don't know if that strategy will actually work -- especially since true competition with Apple would have to involve software, not just hardware -- but we will say that it's clear ASUS is doing everything it can to drive the industry forward, not just lying back and copying rivals like MSI and Acer. That's all thought-provoking enough, but there's more: Tsang also says ASUS has a motion-controlled game console that provides better tracking than the Wii sitting on the shelf because content deals are "complicated." Same with an ebook reader. "We don't have the chicken, so cannot have the egg." Well damn -- and we really like eggs, too. Hit the read link for the full interview.

[via engadget]

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Unearthed Circuits' Drone Machine could replace your Dalek band

If you like your music -- and we mean you really like your music -- with plenty of beeps and buzzes, the gang at Unearthed Circuits have a little something that'll be right up your proverbial alley (especially if your name is La Monte Young and that alley is in New York City, ca. 1963). The Drone Machine is a synth that allows you to control each of four oscillators via the joystick. It's got pitch knobs, photo-resistors, a strobe circuit, and a handful of effects, including: overdrive, fuzz, and a ring modulator. Ready to get your avante-noise band off the ground? You've been talking it up for years now. But first, check out the video of the thing in action after the break.

[via engadget]

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Remote Pet Feeder feeds your pet, encourages your animal voyeurism habit

The last time we saw a computerized internet-controlled pet feeder, it had been lovingly, creatively cobbled together by a child. Well, it seems the idea's really got legs, as they now seem to be available on a mass-scale, in a nearly identical (albeit slightly more polished) form. Yes, just like the one designed by a boy somewhere in the 8-years-old-range, the Remote Pet Feeder comes with a webcam, a slightly modded bulk kibble feeder / bowl combo, and a 24-hour programmable timer. It's available now for about $290.

[via engadget]

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DARPA's programmable matter initiative strives to make the ultimate Swiss Army knife

Remember Intel's shape shifting matter concepts? Well, those realty-bending cats at DARPA are looking to put their own spin on it with a Programmable Matter program of their own. As is their mantra, the long-term goals are pretty wild: researcher Dr. Mitchell R. Zakin is hopeful they can one day build a container that looks like a paint can and will form universal spare parts or tools such as hammers and wrenches based on the soldiers' needs, using a building material they call "mesomatter" that range anywhere from one hundred microns to a centimeter in size. Currently five months into the program's second phase, there's still another fifteen to go before they move on. By then, the group expect to be able to use the technology and assemble four or five different three-dimensional solids. Best be careful, if this falls in the wrong hands, we'll have more "leaked iPhone" images ever previously thought possible.

[via Wired]

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