Rain Drops

The RainDrops system allows people to adapt standard plastic bottles to an existing gutter system to collect rain water. The repurposing of these plastic bottles will also give value to many bottles that are otherwise headed for landfills. A large benefit to using plastic bottles as a water collection system is that it fits in nicely with the process called SODIS, which uses a combination of the suns UV rays and heat to remove pathogenic microorganisms that cause disease. This process is spreading across many developing countries due to its effectiveness and low cost. Extract from Yanko Design

 

Apricorn launches massive 1.5TB DVR Xpander

When you first get your DVR from the cable or satellite provider its 10 or 20 hours of recording time sounds like an eternity. Then you quickly realize that you can't get your full season of Oprah and The Price is Right without running out of room for necessities like Celebrity Rehab. Apricorn has announced a new DVR expander called (wait for it) the DVR Xpander that offers 1.5TB of storage space. With that much storage, you can record 843 hours of SD programs or 187.5 hours of HD programs. Surprisingly the price for the 1.5TB version isn't even that high at $239. Other capacities are available including 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB. All of the drives feature eSATA and USB interfaces and will work with a variety of DVR models including cable company boxes and Dish Network DVRs. Apricorn

 

Nielsen says 5.7% of U.S. homes still not ready for digital transition

Anyone who watches TV has to have seen the constant public service announcements and ads that are talking about the digital transition happening next month. Despite the tons of commercials, many homes in America who watch over-the-air broadcasts have yet to get a converter box. Nielsen reports that 6.5 million homes across the U.S. are still not ready for the transition. This is despite the fact that coupons for free or greatly reduced price converters have been available for a year or more. The digital transition is set to happen on February 17. However, there are reports that congress and the Obama camp may delay the transition until this summer to give the hoards of procrastinators time to get a converter. Nielsen

 

Vudu Releases An iPhone App

Here's another good news for iPhone lovers! Vudu has just released an iPhone app which enables you to browse, purchase and rent movies directly from your iPhone so by the time you get home you won't have to wait around. I love the idea! [Ubergizmo]

 

T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8900 arriving early: Video Unboxing

T-Mobile announced the BlackBerry Curve 8900 at the beginning of the month, and promised delivery in February.  Someone obviously hasn't told the carrier's warehouse staff that, though, as reports are coming in of premature arrivals well in advance of the predicted February 11th release date. One of those arrivals has been caught on camera, so if you're curious as to what comes in the box and how T-Mobile have packaged it, you'll want to see this video unboxing. Check out the T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8900 unboxing video after the cut Included accessories look to be pretty much par for the course, with RIM throwing in a data cable, travel charger, earbuds and a leather pouch.  One odd omission for a BlackBerry is the holster, which is strangely absent. The Curve 8900 then gets a little back-to-back snuggle time with the iPhone 3G; not too much, of course, just in case any IP accidentally gets rubbed off and RIM become the next targets in Apple's litigation roadshow.  Have you ordered the new T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8900?  Has it arrived yet?  Let us know how you're getting on in the comments. Click here to view the embedded video.

 

Pentax postponed the launch of DA Star 55mm F1.4 SDM to February

Pentax prime junkies will have to stick with consumer FA 50 just a little longer, Pentax Japan has postponed the long overdue professional build quality SMC PENTAX DA Star 55mm F1.4 SDM to next month (February 20, 2009), parts procurement delays were to blame. Pentax DA Star (★) series lenses are designed exclusively for the use with PENTAX digital SLR cameras with dust and water resistant features. The 55mm F1.4 employed Pentax's SDM AF mechanism, a supersonic ultra smooth and quiet autofocus system. Lens is constructed with a Super-low-dispersion optical element, rounded diaphragm blades and a newly developed Aero Bright Coating to deliver an outstanding edge-to-edge high quality images, with ability to produce a more circular aperture for smooth and beautiful bokeh at large apertures. The manufacturer has not officially announced the price for the DA Star 55mm prime but the street of Akihabara is forecasting 80,000 yen ($900). [via impress]

 

Pony Boots & Shoes

The first time I have seen this type of boots is on Victoria Beckham's feet in a newspaper. Pony boots and shoes… It's like walking on stilts… makes beautiful calf muscles. Extract from PunitiveShoes