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Gadgets
Filed under: Handsets, Vertu, GSM, EDGE, UMTS
Logitech Squeezebox Boom hits the stageFiled under: Home Entertainment
Continue reading Logitech Squeezebox Boom hits the stage
Permalink | Email this | Comments SanDisk Extreme III SDHC cards hit 30MB/sFiled under: Storage
SanDisk's pushed both Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo and regular SD cards to 30MB/s transfer rates before, and now it's SDHC's turn with the new Extreme III series. Yep, it's a really fast memory card for DSLRs, and it'll cost you: 4GB will be $65, 8GB $110 and 16GB will set you back whopping $180 when these hit in October. BlackBerry Storm 9530 for Verizon gets boxedFiled under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Verizon Wireless, Vodafone, Rogers Wireless, GSM, EDGE, EV-DO, HSDPA, UMTS, CDMA
Creative X-Fi Go! mobile sound card set to appear at IFAFiled under: Misc. Gadgets
Creative isn't showing off too much new stuff at IFA this week, but we should be hearing about the X-Fi Go! mobile sound card, which looks to be an update on the old Soundblaster Play!. The tiny USB 2.0 stick packs in quite of bit of audio-tweaking magic, with Crystallizer, CMSS-3D, EAX Advanced HD and OpenAL support, as well as 1GB of flash storage preloaded with Alchemy, WaveStudio, and other apps. Available now in Singapore for S$79 ($56), we'd guess it'll be similarly priced when it hits Stateside.
City-In-a-Pyramid Could House a Million Dubaians, Power Itself [Dubai]
A particularly optimistic design firm in Dubai called Timelinks has proposed designs for the Ziggurat, a complete city to be layered inside of a massive pyramid that could serve as home for a million people at a time. Timelinks is currently seeking patents for a variety of technologies that would make such a building possible, including a three axis public transportation system that would run residents up, through and across the pyramid. They've also claimed that with a hybrid wind, solar and steam power the Ziggurat would be able to meet its own power needs, and that there would be enough room to allow for some minor agriculture in designated "green spaces."
Before you just write this off as another wacky internet design concept, consider the absurdly ostentatious structures that Dubai has already built, and the fact that unlike the hyperluxurious ego-boosters currently under construction, the Ziggurat might be a viable housing solution for people who don't have a natural resource-infused trust fund. [World Archictecture Review via Inhabitat via Dvice]
Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, T-Mobile, GSM, EDGE
TouchKit Brings Surface-Like Multitouch to the Nerdy Masses [Multitouch]Touchkit, a open source (software and hardware) multitouch kit designed by NOR_/D, has been announced at a $1580 price point, or roughly 1/8th the cost of Microsoft's Surface table. That's not to say that the TouchKit is equivalent or even necessarily a competitor to Microsoft's offering, but it is theoretically capable of many of the same flashy tricks. The system must be hooked up to a separate computer, and also requires an external projector. As you can see in the video, there's not exactly a whole lot it can do out of the box, but the open source platform can be tweaked by anyone with a little knowledge of C . Check out the gallery of the hardware and potential installations are their site. [Gizmag]
JVC's NX-BD3 system enters the Blu-ray HTIB arenaFiled under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
Tatung Prototype The Nicest VOIP Phone I've Seen Yet [VoIP]
The difference between what I would like to look at and what I would like to use makes for a a gap wider than the Grand Canyon, in this case. One button, no tactile feedback and no screen make this VOIP phone prototype little more than an electronic lollipop. But my desire to lick one increases with every glance. [e-Nova via Yanko and BBG]
A Message From Russia: Turtles Are Reluctantly USB Compatible [Russian Turtles]
In what is apparently an advertisement for a Russian mobile internet provider, a creative young HSDPA fan experiments with his modem in ways some might frown upon. The ad doesn't follow the viral convention of surprising viewers with an unlikely result following from normal circumstances, because the setup - a violent turtle rape - is weirder than the outcome. The ad raises some serious questions: was this guy just dealing with a captured Georgian spy turtle in accordance with the Russian Uniform Code of Military Justice? Does the Geneva Convention cover terrapins? Did he get any reception? Is the turtle USB 2.0 compatible, or just 1.1? Most importantly, having finally broached the taboo subject of turtle penetration, whither viral advertising? [English Russia]
Review Addendum: Using Amazon Kindle on Vacation [Kindle Review]
Although Wilson tested the Kindle in bed, on the toilet, I had the chance to use it on vacation and found myself reading a great deal more than I usually do. Unlike regular books, which cause me to fall asleep pretty readily after less than 50 pages, I'd finish about 300 pages in a stretch, with no eyestrain in dark rooms or in the sun. I suppose it felt a lot more like reading on a computer or handheld. Bezos set out to build something better to read than a book, and by vacationing standards, I think he's easily met that goal on his first try. That's my quirky experience, at least, being the type of person who hates stockpiling physical media of any sort. Of course, I found lots of other things I liked and disliked about specific to using a Kindle on vacation.
-Although I carried a dozen books with me with zero back strain or bag overflow
-Can't share a kindle with your travel partner; Unlike a regular book, you can't just hand it over
-If you're flying abroad, downloading books = impossible after take off.
-If you're waiting for your plane, you can do some great book shopping, at usually very aggressive discounts, while boarding.
-I happened to be on a beach and my hands got really really dry from all the salt and sun. Turning pages usually is as pleasant as nails on a chalkboard, but not so with the kindle.
-One handed reading, is easier on my side since I can turn pages with a click.
-Font sizes are relatively big and so the rating of page life is drastically less effective; a page in a book could be 2 pages on the kindle. Bring your charger.
-kindle does not soak up water on a wet bathing suit.
-Kindle reading in the pool on a float is freaking scary.
As I said, I read a great deal more than I usually do on this trip and faster. How much of that was me being on vacation versus me being on the Kindle? To be honest, I haven't read very much since I've come back home. I blame the computer and internet's endless bounty of shorts, but my experience using the Kindle on vacation stands — if you're going to go on vacation a few times a year and plan on reading on the flight and during the downtime, you can probably consider the Kindle a wise thing to own. Maybe once the new ones come out, the old ones will be on sale for a song. [Photo from NYDiscovery]
Eyes-on with LG's NB41 Blu-ray NASFiled under: Storage
3-Channel Black Steath R/C Chopper For $30 [R/c]
The guys at Think Geek are bringing R/C junkies one of the cheapest 3-channel mini choppers on the market with the new "Black Stealth." Unlike dinky 2-channel versions, the Black Stealth can handle forward flight with ease—or so they claim. In fact, Think Geek goes so far as to say that it is the easiest to fly small copter they have ever used. I would be kind of skeptical with a price tag of only $30, but the video below does a good job of showing off its capabilities.
[Think Geek via DVICE]
