Archive for the ‘Gadgets/Products’ Category

Nobody likes traffic cams, but most urban dwellers have come to accept them as an unfortunate part of city driving. Still, there are quite a few folks who'll want a second look at this new dashtop red light camera detector, made by everyone's favorite sea-level SkyMall, Hammacher Schlemmer. Yeah, it's a heaping mass of ugly, and it runs $199.95 (plus a $19.95 annual fee to access its ever-changing database of cameras), but if you're the sort of person who needs it, the device could pay for itself pretty quickly. A cheaper alternative would be NOT driving like a jerk, but, hey, it's your money. [Engadget via MP]

Some people clearly haven't gotten that memo about the global economic downturn -- for example, Oracle's Larry Ellison, who commissioned Kirkham Motorsports to create "the ultimate, cost is no object, [sic] roadster". We don't know how much Larry paid, but we're guessing Kirkham got a nice chunk of change. And now the company is hoping to generate more dough by publishing an "extremely" limited-edition book that documents the roadster's creation. The cost? $4,500. In exchange, buyers get a 12" x 12" tome with a real aluminum cover, and on the inside, paper that's genuine cover stock. (You know, like postcards are printed on? Classy.) We...

The concept of making payments by mobile phone is not a new one. For years, articles and ads have heralded a bright, shiny future wherein we'll all be able to purchase soft drinks, gas, and other things with a wave of our phones instead of that "other plastic" (i.e. the trusty credit card). Initially, much of this payment technology revolved around RFID-type chips, but the iPhone offers other possibilities. Mercedes-Benz appears to be the first automaker to take advantage of them.

The company's financial services arm, Mercedes-Benz Financial, recently published a free app for the iPhone that offers a number of interesting features,...