Gadgetstronics

It is normal for us to want our computers running at an optimal level, and this time round here’s a tip for those who rock on to Windows Vista. Lifehacker was reporting that Windows Vista occupies a single CPU to boot itself by default, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re using a dual- or quad-core setup. In order to speed things up, you must enable multi-core booting by running msconfig from the Start Search box, click the “Boot” tab, check “Number of processors,” and change the drop-down box to fit your processor. We find this “optimization” suspicious, but we’re lucky enough not to run Vista : – Has anyone tried this method themselves, and what do you think of it? Is the performance boost (if any) a spectacular or negligible one?

Gas prices worldwide are out of control. In the U.S. prices recently peaked above $4/gallon. Relative to the rest of the world these prices are even considered wimpy in comparison. It’s no question that oil is on its way out as the major fuel commodity. It can only maintain its lasting power for so long. Eventually people are just going to get fed up with the prices, possibly even before the reserves run dry.

The Flo N’ Go Duramax is a portable 14 gallon gas can and fuel siphon which dispenses gas without any spillage or pesky flammable gas leaks. You can use the Flo N’ Go for much more than automobiles. Any gas powered gadget or vehicle can be filled or emptied with the Flo N’ Go Duramax’s siphoning system.

Made with a high-density polyethylene, the Flo N’ Go is both durable and rust-proof. Not to mention extremely unlikely to dent. With a flow rate of 2 gallons per minute you can fill up a 10 gallon gas tank in a matter of 5 minutes, which is pretty quick, even compared with gas stations.

While the Flo N’ Go isn’t made for shady purposes, we’re sure there are some frugal people out there who are already planning their great gas heist. Siphoning your neighbors gas tank has never been so easy. Just hope they use the same gas quality as you. Grab your own Flo N’ Go Duramax for $170.

Product Page via The Green Head

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Samsung has just announced a new contest, offering to give $20 to the first 1000 people who create a home movie and include a “Hollywood-style product placement” with the Instinct. The contest will officially begin on June 30 and all videos will have to be uploaded to YouTube to be entered. The winner of the contest, which is being called “Sell Out” will be given a $10,000 grand prize. Of, course they are not entirely clear on just what it will take to be the winner.

Read [InstinctThePhone]

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 24th 2008 at 5:09PM
Oh, brother. Let the onslaught begin. Now that games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero have proven to be huge money makers, not to mention how profitable those ridiculous shells for the Wiimote are, we’re betting that EA Games is just the next of many that will soon bundle peripherals with games. According to EA’s David McCarthy, his firm will be “using a peripheral strategy to some extent, even over the course of the next 12 months.” Thankfully, he did note that extras would only be bundled “if it really does enrich the experience of gameplay and doesn’t create a barrier to entry for consumers.” We can see it now: $80 sports titles that create all sorts of relationship problems with the partner who actually values a kempt living room.

[Via Joystiq, image courtesy of HouseOfNintendo]

Read - McCarthy speaks
Read - McCarthy elaborates

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

I believe that we have covered Mio GPS products before, such as the Moov 310 and the C720t. Mio’s latest GPS is more than just your average upgraded GPS with a new number.

No, Mio has developed a new GPS based on none other than Knight Rider. It seems like an obvious marketing plan to model a GPS after this show. After all, Knight Rider introduced us to K.I.T.T., the car that talks back, and GPS units have been talking to people for quite some time now.

In fact, when you boot up the Knight Rider GPS, you will hear it say: “Hello Michael, where do you want to go today?” Oddly enough, the company somehow got the voice of William Daniels, the original voice of K.I.T.T., to be on this GPS. In case you don’t know, Daniels was also a regular cast member on such shows like St. Elsewhere and Boy Meets World. I have no idea why he isn’t the voice of K.I.T.T. on the newer version of the series.

Speaking of the new version of the show, did you know that it is actually planned for a new season this fall? I know you can’t help but wonder why, and I feel the same way. However, if Knight Rider is your secret guilty pleasure, you should be able to purchase the Knight Rider GPS for about $270.

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Even though Verizon Wireless has announced its intention to acquire Alltel for US$28 billion that’s not slowing Alltel down from continuing with plans to upgrade its network. Alltel announced yesterday that it plans to move forward with upgrades to EVDO Revision A technology. The upgrades will give subscribers the ability to upload files five to ten times faster than before.

The initial rollout will include 18 markets including Charlotte, New Orleans, Phoenix and Tampa. In addition to planned upgrades the company also announced plans to expand its current EVDO network. The current Alltel network covers 76% of potential customers. By the end of 2008, Alltel hopes that its network will cover 82%.

Verizon Wireless must be in full support of the upgrades and EVDO network expansion. After all, Verizon Wireless’ network is based on the exact same technology. That means that any upgrades or expansion of Alltel’s network only makes it that much more valuable when Verizon Wireless completes its acquisition of the company.

Read more from the Alltel press release.

Brian’s Opinion

This just emphasizes the fact that Verizon Wireless’ decision to purchase Alltel was a very good one. Verizon Wireless is going to have a very impressive network footprint in addition to one of the largest subscriber bases in the United States once this deal is done. Of course, I fully expect Verizon Wireless to be forced to give up some of its assets before regulatory authorities finally approve the Alltel acquisition.

Alltel’s rise in the last few years has been very impressive. I’m sure that’s one of the other reasons Verizon Wireless decided to acquire them. Alltel offered Verizon Wireless some serious competition in a number of markets. One sure fire way to beat a competitior is to acquire them.

I’m anxious to see what the new Verizon Wireless will look like once this acquisition of Alltel is complete. I’m sure many Alltel customers are anxious as well. After all, current Alltel subscribers are fearful that some of the very features which made them choose Alltel over Verizon Wireless will disappear. Only time will tell if that is what really happens. The good news is that Verizon Wireless will be motivated to do what it takes to retain Alltel subscribers.

We told you about Mio’s upcoming Knight Rider GPS (see Mio Knight Rider photos) but the synthetic voice of Kitt (William Daniels) being the star of the show, there’s nothing like a good video (with audio!) to get a better idea. The GPS will ship with a database of hundreds of pre-recorded names so that you don’t have to rename yourself into “Michael”. A subsequent update will add even more names (300 or so). It will cost $269 and will be on the shelves on August 8.

Some dogs love nothing better than to crunch on an empty water bottle — must be that lovely sound — so Fat Cat designed WaterBottle Crunchers toys. Consider it a great way to recycle and make Fido happy at the same time. Made of durable canvas, it’s made to stand up to chewy pups.

Even though my doxies haven’t tested it yet, Casey, the publicist, has a pit bull who’s been tearing away at it for over a week, so that’s good enough for me.

The set (an amusing catepillar and snake) will put you back $21.95 at Bamboo/ Fat Cat. The toys can be filled with empty water bottles up to 20 oz. in size.

Looks like Koreans have come up with their very own kiddy notebook - the Lukid from Daewoo Lucoms. This mobile computer is meant for low-cost educational use, based on the Intel Classmate PC. It will feature the following specifications :-

• Intel Celeron 900MHz processor
• 9″ LCD display
• 512MB RAM
• 30GB hard drive
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• SD memory card slot

This Windows XP-powered notebook will retail for approximately $500. Hmm, no optical drive? Well, at least you can carry it around like a briefcase thanks to the built-in handles on the chassis.

American Airlines is looking forward to June 25th - the day where they will begin testing in-flight Wi-Fi technology. This technology is tipped to debut on a return flight between New York City’s JFK and Los Angeles’ LAX. Once deemed to be successful, it will be activated across a fair number of American Airlines aircraft. Currently, around 15 Boeing 767-200 planes are already equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, but they are just waiting for the all clear before activating the respective routers. American Airlines are rumored to use AirCell technology which is marketed under the “Gogo” moniker. It will cost approximately $10 for short flights and $3 more than that for extended trips to use this new service.