Gadgetstronics

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 23rd 2008 at 11:13AM
Ah, so ASUS’ totally familiar looking Eee Stick wasn’t just some one-off prototype. Today, said controller has just surfaced in the depths of the FCC, complete with internal / external photographs, a user’s manual and a few reports certifying that no one grew a third leg during testing. Apparently the GMC-1 package will include a pair of joysticks (one with a D-pad, one with an analog stick), a USB dongle and the obligatory Quick Start guide and Support CD. Heck, these critters even come with bundled wrist straps, eliminating any lingering doubt that the inspiration for these didn’t come from The Big N. Still, we can’t help but be slightly excited about the possibilities here, but whether or not they actually prove useful remains to be seen.

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

The LG Secret offers a 5.0 mega-pixel camera as well as the following features:

* carbon fiber structure
* tempered glass LCD
* neon Touch Navigation buttons
* 120 fps video recording and playback
*l photo and video editing features
* Movie Maker software
* Touch
* FM radio
* a Google Package
* motion games enabled by accelerometer sensor
* Bluetooth auto-sync
* Auto Rotating Display
* Auto Luminance Control
* Voice Clarity technology

Via MobileBurn.

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jun 23rd 2008 at 11:58AM
There’s a lot of hoopla today over a Wall Street Journal piece stating that Google’s first Android device has been pushed back to late 2008 for release — yet the article fails to mention that this is right inline with what Google has been saying for quite awhile now. Admittedly, the fresh-faced mobile competitor probably is finding itself somewhat mired in carrier demands, which doesn’t seem unexpected given the broad swath of partners it’s collaborating with and the open source nature of the project, but as phone release schedules go, it hasn’t veered off the path much. The breakdown is something like this: from what we’ve been told, you can expect an Android-powered handset before the new year (i.e., HTC’s Dream driven by Google’s OS), followed by a crop of higher profile phones showing up in early 2009 (as previously stated by companies like LG and Samsung). So… feel free to switch off the alarms anytime you like.

[Via GigaOM]

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Filed under: cellphones

by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 23rd 2008 at 12:29PM
As you may recall, Mickey DeLorenzo rose to some degree of internet stardom a little over a year ago by dropping a whopping nine pounds using Wii Sports as his sole exercise routine and, after packing on a few pounds, he decided to give it another go using Nintendo’s latest weight-shedding wonder: Wii Fit. Unlike a certain other would-be success story, DeLorenzo actually managed to complete his experiment, and the results are fairly impressive. After 45 days, he managed to shed a full 15 pounds, or about 2.56 pounds a week, and he dropped his body fat % from 20.8% to 18.4%. Of course, DeLorenzo admits that doing anything involving movement an extra 60 minutes a day will result in some weight loss, but he seems pretty sold on the benefits of Wii Fit, saying that it made it “especially easy” to work the training into his daily life.

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Filed under: Gaming

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 23rd 2008 at 3:01PM
We’ll start this by suggesting you take everything from here on out with a healthy dose of salt, but given that Sony has a history of updating its VAIO laptop line in one fell swoop, there’s enough credibility here to pass it along. With everyone that hopes to remain relevant in the laptop sector going to Montevina as soon as feasibly possible, it’s no shock to hear that Sony’s VAIO FW, Z, SR and BZ series units will be making the same leap this summer. Currently, there aren’t a whole lot of specifications floating about, but we do know the VGN-FW line will sport an atypical 16.4-inch display while both the VGN-Z and VGN-SR lines check in as subnotes. For a wee bit more on the supposedly forthcoming crew, surf southwest to the read link.

[Via Laptoping]

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Filed under: Laptops

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jun 23rd 2008 at 10:24AM
It’s been almost exactly a year since we heard any chatter over Apple’s adoption of the supposedly rock solid 128-bit ZFS file system, but it appears to be heading into the next version of the company’s OS… at least for servers. According to the promo page for Snow Leopard for OS X servers, the redundant, error correcting, dynamic volume expanding format will be available when the new system drops, though there’s no mention of whether it will make its way onto the standard version of the software. With data handling that’s this tight, our only question is why wouldn’t it make the cut?

[Thanks, Mark]

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Filed under: Desktops

Palm announced this afternoon that the Centro will be able to add Google Maps with My Location as early as tomorrow.  The maker also announced an unlocked version of the Centro in white with grey

Another phone with Google Maps for location and driving directions.  Iv’e said it before, but anyone else feel like something else is coming?  Google has to have given this some thought?  Don’t get me wrong, Google Maps is fun but navigation is missing.  Enough of my blather.

My Location on the Centro will allow users to find themselves with fewer keystrokes and less effort.  The My Location is in addition to all the great things Google Maps brings: traffic, aerial shots and driving directions.  Ok, I can’t take it.  Just driving directions?  Come on Google.  You know where we are.  You’ve got the directions.  How much harder is it to put this together???  Ok, I am over it now.  This is a cool addition for the plethora of Centro users out there (the phone is really cute).  You can download as of tomorrow from here.

The unlocked phone is $229 and retains the same dimensions.  You can find it for sale online here.

Press release [Palm]

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And I thought that Dunhill does just ciggies and fashion, but they have just come together with British hi-fi specialist Meridian to deliver the AD88 home entertainment system. This holds some form of artistic value as it is completely hand made, finished in polished wood and hand lacquer. Features include :-

• CD and a DVD player
• Built-in DAB/FM/AM radio
• ipod dock
• Three amplifiers for 80w of power
• Two front speakers and rear subwoofer

There is no word on pricing for the Alfred Dunhill Meridian AD88 home entertainment system, but it seems to offer a bark that is worse than its bite.

Trailer Battlestations : Pacific
by todoxbox360

Eidos has released a teaser trailer for their upcoming game Battlestations: Pacific, which still has an undetermined release date for Xbox 360 and PC platforms.

The trailer appears to be comprised wholly of game cinematics rather than gameplay footage, but looks very promising in terms of the feel and tone of the game. Narrating the trailer in un-subtitled Japanese was a nice touch. Sadly my Japanese is still too basic to translate any of it.

More details on the game can be found at the Eidos website.

I’m sure there are many people none too pleased with the price point of the new 8 GB 3G iphone when it comes out July 11th. The phone is expected to be offered for only US$199 while the 16 GB version will be offered for US$299. Naturally, new iPhone owners are going to be thrilled with the new price point. The folks who are going to be upset are those who paid significantly more for the original iPhone when it came out, but the message seems to be that you shouldn’t be blaming Apple for that.

According to a CNet report, one financial analyst believes that AT&T plans on paying Apple US$325 for every 3G iPhone sold. One important thing that the report points out is that not everyone is going to enjoy the US$199 price point for the new 3G iPhone. That price point is only available for current iPhone owners and new AT&T customers. If you are an AT&T subscriber and are looking to switch from another smartphone to a 3G iPhone you may pay a little more if you’ve only been with AT&T a short time.

Of course, AT&T is not giving away the farm for free. To get some of their money back they are bumping up monthly data fees by US$10 a month. That once again prooves there is no such thing as a free lunch. It also means you may end paying the same amount or more for the newer iPhone in the long run.

Read more from the CNet article