SlashGear

It's tough standing out with your cellphone these days; handsets that were launched with promising exclusivity (yes, I'm looking at you, RAZR) were soon commercialised and found their way into the hands of just about anyone capable of scrawling an X onto a contract.  What costs several hundred dollars today is a freebie in a few weeks time, as manufacturers fall over themselves to ship out the latest "World's Thinnest!"  No, when you can't rely on your mobile to keep you hip, you need to look to peripherals to stand out from the crowd. Hulger have been making add-on retro-style handsets for cellphones for some time now, with a range of shapes and connectivity options.  Their latest is a wooden version of their PIP*PHONE design, crafted from grain-rich Ziricote (hence the name: Ziricote*PHONE) and coming complete with a pot of wax (helpfully labelled should you mistake it for a tiny amount of cold soup) to feed and maintain it.  Traditional looks don't mean traditional features, though; the Ziricote* connects via Bluetooth, and can be used with cellphones or VOIP software. It's priced at £2,000 ($3,850), coming in a matching wooden box, and Hulger will be selling it via their website. Hulger [via NOTCOT]

Perhaps Microsoft were saving money by releasing the Zune with support only for limited versions of their OS - they knew that enterprising software ferrets would dig out the best way to enable functionality of the DAP's music store and sync software for Vista and others by themselves.  Whatever their motivation, the mere fact that it's another day means we get another hack to run Zune no matter your PC's flavour.  Today it's the turn of Windows XP 64-bit edition. With a few tweaks to a copy of the Zune software already installed on a 32-bit machine, as well as some registry work, full functionality is enabled.  I wonder who'll be first to get Zune running on a Mac? Zune on Windows XP Pro 64 bit [Zune-Online]

If this video of the Internet Home Alliance Research Council's LaundryTime project is anything to go by, I predict an increase in highway accidents caused by people being contacted on their cellphones by their washing machines.  But inciting domestic-themed pile-ups is not the main motivation of linking your washer and dryer up to your home network; no, it's to streamline the laundry process and stop it taking over your life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ywqKfimiE More information can be found on the Continental Automated Buildings Association webpage. CABA [via Automated Home]

Remember that Micro Mosquito RC helicopter from September?  It used a coaxial rotor system of two contra-rotating blades to make flying it as easy as kidnapping a sedated seal on rollerskates.  How many of you thought "I wish they'd make one full size, so I can ride around in it"?  Obviously enough for the magic helicopter fairy to hear you and make your wish come true!   Controlled by a simple set of motorcycle-style handlebars with a throttle grip to control the 65HP engine and in turn vary altitude, the Air Scooter requires far less training than traditional helicopters demand.  The absence of pedal controls means that people without the use of their legs (or, like me, who have rubbish independent hand/leg management) can fly too.  The 5 gallon fuel tank permits two hours of flight, while the flotation pontoons mean you can land on water should you misgauge your flight-plan!  Make sure you check out the video of the Air Scooter in action, after the cut. Read The Full Story

One of the reasons I often see people giving in their feeble justifications for treating themselves to a new iPod (come on, admit it, you're just in lust) is that they can use it as an external hard-drive to transfer files.  Up until now Microsoft has prevented potential Zune owners from using that same excuse, as their DAP doesn't show up as a drag-and-drop drive.  Thankfully, where a manufacturer bows out, the hackers step in - hence we have this step by step guide to setting up your PC to use the Zune as an external drive that connects either by USB or WiFi. To do so you have to tweak some of the settings in your computer's registry, and as they're careful to point out modifying it incorrectly can lead to your PC playing the old doorstop game.  You should definitely back at least the registry up (and preferably the whole PC) before you try.  Unfortunately, for anyone wondering if they'll be able to bypass the DRM on music files using this method, the answer is no.  Still, it could be a useful addition to the Zune's repertoire. Zune Mass Storage Mod [Zune Scene; thanks to Nate for the tip]