JVC’s first camcorder to support Bluetooth is shipping now.  The GZ-HM550BUS allows you to connect your camcorder to your bluetooth enabled smartphone (and have it act as a remote control), or bluetooth headphones for wireless audio, or a bluetooth GPS for geotagging. 

• 10.6-megapixel backlit CMOS sensor
• 16x zoom
• 9-megapixel
• 32GB of internal storage
• SDHC card support
• 15FPS burst shooting

Lawn mowers continue to get my attention… must be nostalgia from the good old days.  I actually used to love mowing the lawn.  Sadly, now mowing the lawn has become more of a chore.  I guess all of the lawn mower posts have been an effort to get back the fun of lawn mowing.

The Lawn Mower Scooter certainly takes a stab at making lawn mowing fun again.  The scooter is designed by Vicky Petihovski and runs on an electric motor for both the wheels and the blades.  The grass cuttings are stored in the large compartment which has a clear window to tell when it is full.

Not sure where the batteries and motor fit in to this small form factor.  I guess that is why it is still in concept only stage.

“Want to surf at the beach, but there aren’t enough waves? Well, that’s what this concept Sea Scooter was designed for. Despite the unit being compact and lightweight, it’s supposedly powerful enough to propel the rider at a speed high enough to give you the impression of surfing. The propeller is guarded, so you won’t have to worry about injuring yourself (from the propeller, anyways) when you inevitably fall off the Sea Scooter. You shouldn’t have any trouble bringing it along with you to the beach either, thanks to its light composite materials, as well as retractable pivot handles. The Sea Scooter is the happy recipient of the Red Dot design awards, and we’re looking forward to seeing such a contraption in the stores.”

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I love the simplicity and cost effectiveness of reel style push powered mowers.  It just makes sense… you get a workout, use no fossil fuels, and don’t have to wake the neighbors.  One of the drawbacks is when you hit a thick patch of grass and have to attack it 3 times to make it through… too much working out for me.  The Fiskars Momentum Reel Mower solves the problem with their InertiaDrive Technology which stores energy with a type of flywheel.

• 2X More Cutting Power: Delivers twice the energy to power through small twigs, weeds, or dense grass that would jam other reel mowers.
• 30% Easier to Push: Advanced technologies reduce cutting system friction, provide optimal blade positioning and deliver extra cutting power to reduce push force by 30% in long grass.

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Don’t do enough shredding to justify an electronic paper shredder?  Get yourself a ghetto style paper shredder for around $10 here.  The paper shredding scissors work exactly as you would imagine… just like a scissor but multiple blades.  Video after the break.

One of my favorite appliances is the washing machine and dryer.  It didn’t use to be, in fact washing machines used to be downright boring.  But have you seen the new Samsung and LG washing machines?  They are works of art with tons of gadgetry and LCD screens, etc…

With that said, most conventional washing machines are quite wasteful.  After cleaning your clothes the water is dumped down the drain.  And as much as I don’t like the wastefulness… I am not sure I want to recycle dirty underwear water.  The Mr. Klein concept washer reuses the water and filters it before the next wash cycle.  Still just a concept… will let you know if it makes it to prime-time.

The “Stimulus Package” DLC map pack for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ought to be called a Rape Pack.  I’ll still buy it, but 5 levels for $15 is expensive.  when you buy a game you expect the levels to be something like $1 a level.  Not $3.  To add insult to injury most of the levels are recycled levels from the first Modern Warfare.

You can’t not get the download pack because if you play with friends and they have the pack and you don’t then you don’t get to play on those levels.

I miss the old days where publishers added content from time to time because it was good for re-invigorating the brand.  Not purely as a way to part the fan base from their hard earned dollar.  

Shame on Infinity Ward and Microsoft for making this part of their “Recession Proof” gaming campaign.

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PayPal just updated their iPhone and Touch application.  The PayPal 2.0 iPhone App now supports “bumping”… basically if you and a friend have iPhones, a PayPal account, and the PayPal app you can send money to each other buy bumping phones when nearby.  Seems like we are one step closer to replacing good old fashioned cash.  Bummer.

“Beyond that proximity feature, PayPal 2.0 also adds a means of splitting up a restaurant check or other group purchases and “billing” other PayPal users for the amounts due. Bill reminders, money withdrawals, and other features you’d expect from the online payment system are still in place, too.”

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“Need to carry a pocket knife but don’t want to look like you’re getting ready to field dress a wildebeest when you whip it out of your pocket? The Delegate Pocket Knife ($60) is a good choice. With black anodized aluminum bolsters, inlaid cocobolo wood scales, and a black oxide-coated stainless steel blade, the Delegate looks fittingly civilized, while the Fire Safe release mechanism and OutBurst opening assist makes sure the blade opens quickly when you need it and stays shut when you don’t.”

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If after watching this video you do not want to own one of these helicopters, I question your sanity.  This is simply amazing.  A small personal helicopter, the Dragonfly DF1, can fly with no engine.  Instead of an engine it uses small hydrogen peroxide rockets (no pollution) on the tips of the blades.  The small H2O2 rockets can keep the helicopter in the air for approximately 50 minutes and can travel at speeds up to 40 mph.