Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

In today’s edition of How Your Office is Slowly Killing You, a study emerging from Queensland University of Technology suggests that laser printers can emit clouds of ultra-fine particles that compare to “cigarette smoke and motor vehicle emissions.” Reportedly, 13 out of 40 models tested were deemed “high emitters” of particles from the toner, and while office photocopiers failed to produce similar results, concentrations of microscopic particles near laser printers were found to be “five times higher than outdoor levels often produced by traffic” in a given investigation. Currently, no efforts have been made to actually study the chemistry of the emissions, but considering that such fine objects could easily sink “to the very lowest reaches of the lungs,” we’d say that’s reason enough to request an airtight office a few floors underground.

[Image courtesy of Gripguard]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Wireless

The FCC has just approved rules on the highly-sought after, Google-attracting 700MHz wireless frequency band auction which will take place sometime next year. The agency has decided that one-third of the soon-to-be-empty band will be available to consumers under FCC chairman Kevin Martin’s “open access” plan, which forces the winning bidder to keep the band accessible to any wireless device or application regardless of the maker, opening up options heretofore unseen on established networks. The 700MHz range — which is being vacated by television broadcasters going digital — is desirable because of its ability to travel long distances and easily penetrate walls, and Martin feels it could provide a “third pipe” to US homes, circumventing the established stranglehold cable and telephone companies have on bandwidth. A total of 60 megahertz will be auctioned off, with twenty-two of them “open,” and another 10 set aside for a “national public safety” network. The auctioning off of the frequency is expected to raise as much as $15 billion for the federal treasury.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio

A standalone music download service which Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo hinted at in June is looking to be making its way out into the world sometime this August, according to a recent Fortune article. The mobile phone kingpin appears to be positioning itself as a direct competitor for Apple and iTunes before the iPhone makes its way into European markets sometime later this year. Sources rumor that the “worldwide” service will allow users to download and transfer songs to non-Nokia hardware, but will employ some form of DRM, and Nokia will be offering over a million songs at the outset — a pittance when compared to Apple’s five million and counting. Supposedly, news of the launch will be delivered on August 29th in London during a live music event at the Ministry of Sound. The company has sent out invitations to a mysterious “Go Play” event, which asks invitees to “Come and witness the next stage of the evolution of the internet and mobility,” which we’re pretty sure is code for “the president is announcing the biggest uphill battle ever.”

Read — Can Nokia beat iPhone at its own tunes?
Read — Nokia “Go Play” invite hints heavily towards music download service

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

Just days after we Americans got a taste of BlackBerry with a hint GPS, now those in Germany can look forward to the same delicacy. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 will be picked up by Vodafone and sport built-in “GPS navigation and advanced multimedia functionality.” Furthermore, the smartphone will include Vodafone Navigator software, a two-megapixel camera, microSD expansion slot, 320 x 240 resolution display, quad-band GSM support, Bluetooth 2.0, USB connectivity, and a media player to boot. Notably, the first 5,000 individuals to mosey on in and pick one up will reportedly be blessed with a 1GB microSD card gratis, and better yet, it will include the current 100 top chart songs pre-installed as MP3s (hooray!). So head on down to your local Vodafone outlet with €99.90 ($136), and be sure to navigate your return trip through all sorts of back roads.

[Via The Boy Genius Report]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Announcements, Features, Gaming, Home Entertainment

We’ve given away any number of Xbox 360s on Engadget in the past, but never one with the level of awesome turned up to 11 (or, in this case, 300). Today we’re giving away one of just 20 super rare Xbox 360 Elite consoles printed with blood designs from 300 — but rarer still since it’s friggin’ signed by Frank Miller. The details of what the winner takes:

• 300-Edition Xbox 360 Elite (120GB drive, wireless controller, etc.)
• Console is signed by 300 creator and comic legend Frank Miller, as well as Zack Snyder, director of the eponymous film
• 300 combo DVD / HD DVD (which is, incidentally, out today) to go right along with it.

Look, we’ll admit it, we really don’t want to give this thing away — so make sure you follow the contest guidelines, ok?

The rules (yeah, there are always rules):

• Leave a comment below — tell us your fave scene from the movie. (It’s ok if you haven’t seen it, but where the hell have you been?)
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok?
• If you enter more than once, only activate one comment — otherwise we’ll send Leonidas after you.
• Contest is open to anyone worldwide!
• Entries can be submitted until 11:59pm EDT on Sunday, August 12th.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!