Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household

Telemarketers-turned-inventors from the United Kingdom have started shipping TrueCall (£99.99), a device that acts as an automated secretary on your land line, either forwarding trusted numbers to your phone or answering untrusted numbers with an automated message and shooing them away. When an unrecognized number dials in, TrueCall asks them who they are and then rings you asking whether or not you want to take it. Sure, it’s not the most fun way to automatically ditch unscrupulous callers, but we’d like to listen in on the conversation when a robocall reaches this baby — it’d be like one wall talking to another wall.

[Via Slashdot]

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

We’d swear this had to be some sort of spoof on the impeccable James Bond, but sadly enough, the whole thing is true. A secondhand Nikon Coolpix camera which sold on eBay for a mere £17 ($30) turned out to be a real bargain once its new 28-year old owner completed his first image dump. Along with decidedly decent snaps from his US vacation, he also found a number of “top secret” images, diagrams and sketches that have since been confirmed as MI6 material. We’re talking photos of rocket launchers, hand-drawn graphics of terrorist links and all sorts of other information not at all intended for civilian eyes. ‘Course, the whole thing could just be the act of one talented Photoshopper, but we highly doubt the agency would be so fortunate.

[Via Digg, image courtesy of WWII Airplane Model]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Not only is the British army hoping to make tanks and troops invisible to the naked eye, but it’ll soon be honing in on targets way before the mind would normally allow. In a $58.8 million deal, Thales UK has been selected to supply the troops with new Surveillance System and Range Finder (SSARF) technologies, which will reportedly “enable quick identification of enemy locations along with the ability to determine the best mortar or artillery firepower the situation on the ground requires.” Best of all, the handheld system will feature integrated GPS, thermal imaging and a five kilometer range, but unfortunately, it won’t be giving any Britons in the field an edge until 2009.

[Via MOD]

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Filed under: Gaming

That’s right folks, it’s the long awaited Dry British Guy (of Polystation 3 and POP Station fame) review of the Sport Vii (aka the Vii 2) — the video game console of your nightmares. When a product is as anticipated as this, you expect a little disappointment here or there, and the KenSingTon Vii 2 doesn’t fail to deliver… er, on failing that is. Watch in horror as you’re taken through the bizarre knock-off world that is the Sport Vii software suite, including a wide variety of games involving horribly mutated-looking rabbits. Watch the video after the break and get all the facts — our suggestion is that you hang on till the very end for an exciting twist.

Continue reading “Sport” Vii 2 gets a nice, dry video review

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Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation

We already knew that UK motorists caught driving while texting (or vice-versa) could face a penalty of two whole years in the slammer, but now it seems that merely talking while controlling a motor vehicle could land you in the exact same predicament. Reportedly, British drivers caught chatting on a handset or sending an SMS while on the road “could be jailed” under new guidelines that are expected to be published. In the most extreme cases, they could be tagged with “dangerous driving, which carries a two-year maximum sentence and an unlimited fine.” Currently, these folks simply get slapped with an “automatic fine and three points on their license under the lesser charge of careless driving.” But honestly, it’s not like prison would be so bad for cellphone addicts — after all, we hear some cells over there actually provide service.

[Image courtesy of MotorTrend]

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Filed under: Transportation

A number of UK roads are lookin’ a lot brighter now, and it’s all thanks to the SolarLite smart stud. Produced and marketed by Astucia, these active markers trump the traditional passive reflectors by storing up solar energy all day and then emitting light from dust ’til dawn in order to improve visibility from around 90-meters to 900-meters. The LED-based units reportedly extend driver reaction time from 3.2-seconds to over half a minute when cruising at 60mph, have an expected lifespan of eight to ten years and are said to have reduced night time accidents in certain areas by over 70-percent. Unfortunately, we’ve no idea when (or if) these things will show up on roads in other nations, but this would sure beat toggling one’s brights off and on to get a better look ahead while simultaneously infuriating oncoming motorists.

[Via Autoblog]

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