Gadget News Today » Cellphones

Hand Solo: Cable Stretchers for Single-Handed Bike Repair

admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:50:19 +0000

The Park Tool Cable Stretcher is a uni-tasker, but its single job appears to be so helpful that we’ll let it through. The stretcher is a one handed (once set up) device with which to fit and adjust gear and…

The Park Tool Cable Stretcher is a uni-tasker, but its single job appears to be so helpful that we’ll let it through.

The stretcher is a one handed (once set up) device with which to fit and adjust gear and brake cables on your bike. Fixie users, who have neither of these heathen features on their pristine machines, can stop reading now.

If you are anything like me, you tend to grab any tool at hand to do a job, even if it is the wrong one. I once ruined a neighbor’s needle-nosed pliers when tightening spokes to re-true a wheel, for example, and snapped an electrical screwdriver putting up shelves. And of course, kitchen shears are the ideal tool for stripping electrical cables.

So my usual MO when fixing brakes and gears is to use a pair of pliers and somehow try to tighten the nut or screw one-handed. The Cable Stretcher instead locks on to the end of the cable while providing a handy lever to pull the cable away from the fixing. Ingenious, and I’m surprised I have never seen one before.

These things have clearly been around for a while but, as the summer fast approaches, I thought it would be worth pointing out as the fair-weather cyclists get back on the road. Steel with chrome plate and padded handles, $40.

Incidentally, this reminds me of an upcoming project: I’m going to find an old beater racing bike and fix it up into a fixie — complete with top tube pad and playing card in the spokes (kidding on the last two). Any advice would be appreciated. I’ll make a full start to the project when I find the frame, and post pictures here.

Nokia’s profits drop 90% in Q1 2009

admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:50:07 +0000

So, there’s good news and bad news here, and we’re opting to go against tradition by dishing out the positive first. Nokia just pushed out its Q1 2009 results, and while many firms have been struggling to stay afloat, at least it managed to turn a profit of €122 million ($160 million). That said, it’s still looking at a staggering 90 percent drop in profits compared to its first quarter of 2008, where it raked in a mind-boggling €1.222 billion ($1.6 billion). Not surprisingly, sales were also down 27 percent to €9.28 billion ($12.2 billion) from €12.7 billion ($16.7 billion). Of course, Nokia’s far from being alone in having to showcase less-than-beautiful Q1 numbers, but in reality, the damage could’ve been much worse; in fact, shares of the company’s stock inched up by 8 percent following the reveal, as many had feared an even more significant decline. All in all, Nokia’s still holding strong to a 37 percent market share worldwide, and if CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo has anything to do with it (hint: he does), things should be on the up and up here soon.

Kyocera teases with a combo of concepts

admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:50:09 +0000

Beginning at CTIA09, Kyocera has been showing off mockups of concepts they’ve got lurking around the labs. While the hard plastic mockups they’ve shown previously didn’t do much for us, they’ve since moved on to 3D renders – and boy, are they pretty. We’re going to go ahead and ignore the fact that the technologies [...]

First up is the EOS, essentially a big foldable OLED screen. But its got a couple of tricks up its sleeve: when partially unfolded, the back surface functions as a QWERTY keyboard. As you continue to fold/unfold it, kinetic generators within the device recharge it. Sound crazy? Sure! But that’s what concepts are for.

(Slightly) less abstract is the NXT. Take an iPhone, and pack 4 detachable OLED displays into the body. For good measure, toss a solar panel on the back. As long as you don’t go losing your screens, it could mean for some awesome on-the-go accelerator based gaming.

Want to see more? Core77’s got a couple more shots. [Via OLED-Info]

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NYC cabbies could have cellphone use blocked while driving… but probably not

admin — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:50:08 +0000

The Taxi and Limousine Commission of New York City (also known as the TLC) is considering some changes to the way that taxis and their drivers will operate in the future as part of its “Taxicab Passenger Enhancement Program.” Among the wild ideas being floated is one that would “block” anyone in the front seat from using a cellphone — most notably, of course — the driver. Driving while using a handset is already illegal in New York, but this measure would apparently kill the ability to use a hands-free device as well. The TLC is trying to have an open discussion with New Yorkers on its website about other possible ways to make taxi rides more… enjoyable “in the future.” We’re betting this one will never happen but hey — you never know. Our suggestion? Stop acting like we asked you to cart us to the gates of hell when we tell you we need to go to Brooklyn.

Full details on Asus’ P835 smartphone

admin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:50:06 +0000

Last we saw of this thing, it was also being called the Galaxy 7, but all of the specs were already in place. Well, Asus has finally granted the P835’s wish and made it a real boy. Wait, no — they’ve just made an official announcement. We knew all this stuff months ago, but it’s good [...]

We knew all this stuff months ago, but it’s good to check in: last-minute tweaks to the UI or, say, built-in storage can have a serious effect on price and availability. It looks like nothing has been changed this time, but if you don’t believe us, feel free to compare this Russian review with the official spec sheet or the phone’s page.

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