Yes, you can build your own personal video recorder (PVR) and here’s a step-by-step do-it-yourself article that shows you how it can done without breaking the bank.

Sal Cangeloso took a small form-factor Mini-ITX case and even though it had just a one-gigahertz processor with 512MB of RAM on its motherboard, was able to turn in into a PVR by upgrading it with a 250GB hard drive, beefing up the power supply to 120 Watts and installing the Ubuntu 5.10 distribution of Linux. The key to the system is the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 350 using MythTV PVR software. Cangeloso was able to plug his digital cable right into it, and it even has a remote.

He set it up with super quiet fans and says the thing runs very well. Downloading scheduling information from the Web, he ends up with a tiny, quiet, cheap PVR that he built himself. Neat.

Mini-ITX Part III [XYZ Computing]

From Gizmodo

If space is as a premium, take a look at designer Naomi Dean’s compact wardrobe, which has a two-piece split design that telescopes into itself, saving lots of space. Pull on the handle in front and there’s a drawer in the bottom, shelf space in the middle and also behind the door, and a telescoping rack on which to hang your clothes on top.

Not only is it efficient, it’s put together with fine craftsmanship. There’s good reason why Dean’s design was the hit of the Milan Furniture Fair 2005 and the Birmingham Furniture Show.

The Compact Wardrobe [The Cool Hunter]

From Gizmodo

The Jobo Giga Vu Pro:evolution is a portable media player created specifically for professional photographers, with specialized capabilities that will be appreciated by those who create high-end images in the field and need a portable yet trustworthy proofing tool.

Bring images in via CF card, and this player is able to review them using a histogram, can detect dust and blown highlights, and has a crosshair readout for RGB values. With an optional CF wireless card, it can function as an FTP server that connects with WiFi-enabled cameras. Its 3.7-inch 640×480 LCD doesn’t sound like it has a tremendous amount of resolution, but down at the 3.7-inch level, that’s some pretty sharp-looking video. Pricing starts at $500 for 40 gigs, up to $900 for the 120GB model.

Jobo Giga Vu PRO:evolution [DAP Preview]

From Gizmodo

Alcatel’s new OT-C850 Music Phone has a 1.3 megapixel camera, a 65K color 176×220 screen, plays MP3s (256 MB of memory onboard, plus a MicroSD slot) and EDGE, blah blah blah. Let’s be honest now: the most interesting thing about this phone that it looks like it was designed by Knight Industries.

Alcatel mobile music phone, looks like a space invader [MobileMentalism.com]

From Gizmodo

 

Remember LaCie’s new portable hard drives that we told you about in January? The Skwarim drives designed by Karim Rashid are already out, in pink and blue.

If you wanted one of the Neil Poulton-designed LaCie Rugged All-Terrain drives (seen above), they’re now available to pre-order for April. $169.99 to $359.99, depending on which configuration you choose.

LaCie Rugged All-Terrain Hard Drive 120GB [LaCie, via productdose.com]

From Gizmodo

If you’ve been waiting for a chance to use the power of silver to sterilize your laundry in cold water (and we know you have), Samsung has your number. The company will be bringing its SilverCare washer to the US this month, at a price of about $1,399. The washer uses silver ions to sterilize laundry, and Samsung claims that it kills 99.9% of bacteria on clothing. Once this catches on, we suspect Samsung will spring an even more upscale version on us, which will use gold or platinum to wipe out the other 0.1% of bacteria, and impart a metallic sheen to our clothes in the process.

More info

From Engadget

 

We didn’t really know that home networking needed fixing, with all the easy to set up devices like plug-n-play security cameras and media extenders that are popping up lately, but Threshold’s new Home Server hopes to bring even greater ease to your home network. The device, in its Model 1 iteration, has an Ethernet hub, USB 2.0, and 802.11b/g connections. The box also contains a web server, email server, WINS server, and NAS server to keep everything humming on the computer end. To add a device to your network like a video camera, you scan it across the magnetic “Blue Spot” on the top of the Home Server, which then does all the configuration needed to let you manage the device. The Home Server will go for $300 and should be available in October along with proprietary modules like a motion detector, door/window sensor, and light/appliance control.

More info

From Engadget