Gadgetstronics

FROM APPLETELL - Does the comfort of ergonomically designed game pads make you long for the days of horrible, crippling hand cramps? Legacy Consumer Electronics is here to put you back in pain.
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by Samuel Axon, posted Nov 15th 2008 at 5:42AM
Listings for Intel’s new Core i7 processors popped up on NewEgg for a couple hours yesterday before getting pulled back into the pre-launch ether — a cruel tease to desktop PC hardware aficionados counting down the nanoseconds till that red letter day, November 17th. We knew it wouldn’t last, but we’re glad of the error, ’cause now we’ve seen pricing info which should reflect what we’ll be paying next week. The 2.66GHz 920 was listed at $319.99, the 2.93GHz 940 at $599.99, and the 3.2GHz Extreme 965 at $1,069. Benchmarks have shown even the 920 besting top-of-the-line Core 2 Quads, so the entry point is alluring, but if you’re a True Gearhead we expect you’ll embezzle a grand to afford the Extreme chip.

[Thanks, Staff]

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Filed under: Desktops

FROM GAMERTELL - A possible Best Buy Black Friday 2008 ad has surfaced on the internet.  However, the ad quality is poor and there is a chance it could be a hoax.
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by Darren Murph, posted Nov 15th 2008 at 4:11PM var You know good and well you were instantly jealous of the multi-finger gesture support announced for those minty fresh new Mac laptops, and if you’re finally ready to ditch that envy you’ve been harboring and just get even, have a look. Without even resorting to gangsterism, users of pre-October 2008 Apple laptops can get the four-finger Exposé and Application Switching working — all’s that required is the install disc from a unibody MacBook, a little tweak of the registry and a pinch of patience. We can’t say for sure how far back this hack will go (we’re guessing your PowerBook G3 is out of luck), but we do know that it works just fine with a January ‘08 macbook air. Give it a go if you’re a risk taker, but don’t blame us if your atoms start to melt.

[Via MacRumors]

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Filed under: Laptops

by Laura June, posted Nov 15th 2008 at 9:55AM
Remember just a few days back when the HTC MAX 4G AKA the world’s very first GSM / WiMAX handset was announced? Well, some pretty sweet footage of the device — which boasts 8GB of flash memory, GPS, WiFi, triband EDGE and WIMAX support — has surfaced, and we have to say it doesn’t look too shabby. The video’s in Russian — because you can only get the phone on Scartel’s Yota network in… you guessed it, Russia, but from the sounds of it, the demonstrator is stoked. Check it out after the break.

[Via wmpoweruser]

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Filed under: Handhelds

by Laura June, posted Nov 15th 2008 at 1:38AM
Kmart’s unloaded some fresh deals upon us today, proving that no matter how completely weak the economy is, come Black Friday (which now encompasses the entire month of November) we’ll probably buy up whatever’s on sale. They have a few legitimate bargains, certainly, peppered in amongst the tripe, including a 2GB Element mp3 player for $22.99, a 19-inch Sony Bravia M Series LCD HDTV for $374.99, and a GE A835 digital camera for $79.99, all for your consumin’ pleasure. The sale starts Sunday, and runs through the actual Black Friday, or until the economy collapses and we move to a bottle-cap-based currency, whichever happens first. Simply not enough bargains for you? Hit the read link for the full rundown.

[Via I4U News]

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets

by Laura June, posted Nov 15th 2008 at 3:31AM
DARPA’s been running a blood pharming program for quite awhile now, but it’s gotten a real kick start this week with the announcement of a partnership with Cleveland-based biotech company Arteriocyte. Arteriocyte, it seems, has developed a Nanofiber Based System, or NANEX, a technology that enables the production of red blood cells without a donor. The two companies hope research will eventually lead to an “in theatre” blood-making machine for the military. So, if there’s no donor, where do the progenitor cells come from? Well, that’s a little hazy at this point, though Arteriocyte developed the NANEX using “blood of the umbilical cord” (stem cells), but we don’t know what will fuel the final product. Personally, we hope they can squeak out a way to do it using the less controversial “blood of the dragon.”

[Via CNet]

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets

by Ross Rubin, posted Nov 14th 2008 at 9:03PMEach week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Often, a shotgun is used at the beginning of a dash, but not so in the world of connected GPS devices, where Telenav launched its Shotgun portable navigation device days after Dash decided to exit the hardware business with its pioneering Dash Express.

Unlike Dash, Telenav was no newcomer to the guided navigation space, being a leading provider of turn-by-turn navigation services to cell phones. Its customers include Sprint and AT&T, and consumers can subscribe to the service directly through Telenav — even if their carrier doesn’t support it — as long as their smartphone does. The product is free to download, but carriers charge a subscription fee for unlimited use, or offer it on a per-diem price. Because it is designed for an inherently wireless device, Telenav software includes features such as traffic notification, which is a premium feature in portable navigation devices.

In addition to physical advantages such as the large screen, the Shotgun has at least one important advantage over Telenav’s cell phone services. Since its maps are local, the device continues to route even when you drive outside of cellular coverage areas. But there’s at least one holdover from its cellular heritage that Telenav needs to shed on the Shotgun — an unceasing, bright blue LED signaling wireless connectivity, which is hugely distracting to the driver, especially at night. Perhaps a bundled strip of black duct tape will do in the meantime.

Despite the LED, based on the design of the hardware alone, the Shotgun would have been deemed a Dash Express-killer if the economy hadn’t already beaten it to the murder scene. The Shotgun has a relatively slim profile in contrast to the Frankenstein-like flat head that crowns the Dash Express. Dash’s user experience was very strong, and while the Shotgun’s may not be quite as simple and is certainly not as extensible as Dash’s, it is comparable to the generally good quality of user interface we see from Garmin and TomTom. It also avoids many of the frustrations of data entry precision in unconnected PNDs since, like the Dash, it can search for landmarks that may not be in its local point-of-interest database.

Dash won the hearts of early adopters with the ability to send custom RSS feeds to the unit. You’ll see none of that esoteric functionality on the Shotgun, which has also eschewed WiFi for downloading large system software and map updates. Telenav says it has developed a way to do this efficiently without Wi-Fi, but is mum on how. On the other hand, the Shotgun’s native “moving maps” mode mimics the “bird’s eye” perspective more similar to the way most consumers use their GPS devices. Dash, in contrast, provided a flat 2D map so that you could see traffic trouble spots brewing on upcoming and surrounding roads. The Shotgun relies more on a proactive alert approach. The 2D maps are not missed per se, but it was nice to have an option of multiple routes on the Dash before venturing forth, even if they sometime involved minor detours.

At $299, the Shotgun hardware still commands a premium over rapidly falling PND prices and will have to face the same aversion to subscriptions in the PND market that surely hurt Dash. Also, while traffic is an easy feature to include in a PND, it is enormously challenging to do well given the near real-time notification required and intelligence to gauge the efficiency of alternative routes to be as effective as possible.

While traffic no doubt holds the most potential value for subscription services and could elevate PNDs from something used only occasionally to an everyday navigational tool, there are significant barriers to justifying the expense. It is probably of most use to regular commuters. It must be able to notify you early enough so that you can avoid he most crowded route. And it may be limited in how much time it can save you even if it delivers the optimal route when all main routes are congested, particularly on shorter trips.

This is why, for the near-term, it’s going to be difficult to get consumers to pay in excess of $10 per month for such service and Navigon has seen its fortunes rise by promoting basic free traffic delivered via radio signals to its PNDs. However, for those who want the added convenience and flexibility of two-way communications in the wake of the Dash Express’s demise, the Shotgun is a well-designed, effective and handy companion to have on the road. If backseat drivers are pestering you to pull over and ask for directions, there’s no quicker path to passenger peacemaking than bellowing that one more request will result in your using your Shotgun.

Ross Rubin is director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.

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Filed under: GPS

Digital photo frames are dime a dozen, but some of them do come with added functionality such as Wi-Fi connectivity these days. The iGala wireless digital photo frame is one such device, allowing you to not only display your favorite digital memories across its 8″ touchscreen display in 800 x 600 resolution, you will also be able to use it to read your latest Gmail, check out the most recent news, traffic and weather information, while remaining connected to Flickr directly for easy album management thanks to the touchscreen display. Would you be willing to part with $239 for this, or do you think the Wi-Fi connectivity is pretty much redundant since most cell phones these days are already able to access your online photo albums and Gmail?

Source: Engadget

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One of the things Apple has on Microsoft (among many) is that they have a fully functional online store available in many countries around the world.  Not until recently, Microsoft only had online stores set up in countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and Korea.  However, they unveiled a website for the United States, which sells many Microsoft products such as Office 2007, games, Xbox 360 components, and Zune products. 

Microsoft essentially has two ways of getting the products you requested to you.  The first way is the traditional shipment delivery method.  Basically, after you order something, it will be shipped to your within however much time it specifies.  The other way, which is more modern, to get what you purchased to you is via download. 

Microsoft calls this ESD or Electronic Software Distribution.  The advantage to this is that as soon as you purchase something (for example purposes let’s say you purchase something from the Microsoft Office suite) you will be able to download it right away and then proceed to install.  One of the drawbacks to this is that since it doesn’t come on a physical CD, it could potentially be stuck on the computer you downloaded from.  Microsoft offers a simple solution to this, you can always re-download said product as long as there is mainstream support for it.  Mainstream support for products varies, but it is safe to say they typically last for 5 years after it is available. 

It’s about time Microsoft made a site for the United States, let’s hope they are successful in selling their products.  If you purchase something from their online store, let us know how it goes in the comments.

Online Store [Microsoft] Read [Trevin Chow]

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