PlayStation 2 launches in Brazil 9 years late, for $462

Posted in PS2 by Conner Flynn on November 21st, 2009

PlayStation 2 launches in Brazil 9 years late, for $462 Let us be the first to welcome Brazil into the year 2000. The world’s gamers have been enjoying Sony’s PlayStation 2 since that year, but it is just now arriving in Brazil. Sure it’s been available to Brazilians by unofficial means, but not in any legit way.

If you live in Brazil, you can now enjoy last-generation’s game console champion for just 799 BRL, which translates to roughly $461 in US coin. We don’t see this flying off of Brazilian shelves. Do you?

Pantech Impact hits AT&T network

Posted in AT&T by Shane McGlaun on November 20th, 2009

pantechimpact-sbPantech and AT&T have announced that the cool Pantech Impact feature phone has hit the AT&T wireless network. The handset is available in blue and pink colors and has a new form factor for the AT&T line.

The device has a touchpad for the number pad that has haptic feedback technology with vibration when the buttons are pressed. The phone also has a pair of LCD screens with one on the outside for dialing and one on the inside for videos and web surfing.

Imation SSD Upgrade Kit makes your old drive useful again

Posted in SSD by Shane McGlaun on November 20th, 2009

imationssdupgradeThe price of SSDs keeps coming down and as they get cheaper, they are getting more and more attractive to me. I would like to put one in my work computer to speed things up. The things that I worry about when upgrading a HDD is getting data off the old drive and onto the new one and then what to do with the old HDD after the SSD update is complete.

Imation has unveiled a new SSD Upgrade Kit today that includes an external enclosure for your old drive so you can use it as an external storage device after the upgrade. The enclosure requires no power supply, which means it can be powered by USB.

Imation unveils Pro WX, world’s first wireless USB external HDD

Posted in Storage by Shane McGlaun on November 20th, 2009

imationprowxThe economy and slow adoption haven’t been kind to many companies in the wireless USB market. These facts have forced many of the largest out of the market altogether. Long after we first heard of wireless USB, we are finally getting the first HDD to use the tech called the Imation Pro WX.

The drive uses wireless USB connectivity with a 30-foot range. The computer the drive connects to has to use an included dongle for connectivity. Imation claims the wireless connectivity is good for data transfer speeds up to 15MB/sec.

Asus unveils full specs for Eee 1201N netbook

Posted in ASUS by Shane McGlaun on November 20th, 2009

eee1201n-lg-apcAsus announced yesterday that it would be adding NVIDA Ion graphics to several of its Eee computers in different lines. One of the machines getting the Ion power was the Eee 1201N netbook. Today Asus has unveiled the full specs for the 1201N and it should be a great little netbook.

In addition to the Ion lovin’ on the graphics front, the machine gets an Intel Atom 330 dual-core processor. The machine uses the new style chicklet keyboard, which is full size in this case. The machine gets a 12.1-inch LCD with a resolution of 1366 x 768.

Second Generation Pogoplug lets you share multiple USB drives over the Internet

Posted in USB by Conner Flynn on November 20th, 2009

Second Generation Pogoplug lets you share multiple USB drives over the InternetLike it’s predecessor, the new Pogoplug allows for USB drive sharing over the Internet. It’ll cost you $129, has no service fees, takes up to four USB drives, and has Twitter and Facebook integration. It will sync your content with a Mac or PC and let you share and watch movies, listen to music, or view photos directly through the Pogoplug website and on an iPhone.

It also has a drag-and-drop interface and sharing over social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. The only downside is that you are relying on the company staying in business in order to be able to share data.

USB Alien with Illuminated Tongue

Posted in USB by Conner Flynn on November 20th, 2009

USB Alien with Illuminated TongueCheck out this awesome USB Alien figure. Since it plugs into your USB port, it must have some storage right? At least 2GB. Nope. Apparently all it does is stick its illuminated tongue out.

The head or limbs don’t even move. Why they wouldn’t give it storage, we have no idea. It’s supposed to be scary, but it’s actually pretty cute. Unless you are a pint sized Ripley, in which case this thing is pretty easy to kill.

Samsung Omnia II launching December 2 for $200

Posted in Samsung by Conner Flynn on November 20th, 2009

Samsung Omnia II launching December 2 for $200Looks like we can finally say that Verizon’s version of the Samsung Omnia II is almost here. It will be launching on all fronts, telesales, online, and in-store, on December 2 for $199.99 on contract after a $100 mail-in rebate.

It sports a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED display, 8GB of internal storage plus microSD expansion, 5 megapixel cam, and WinMo 6.5 Professional. If you can resist the allure of Motorola’s Droid, this is a good one. The TouchWiz 2.0 UI looks nice.

BlackBerry Pearl 9100 revealed

Posted in BlackBerry by Conner Flynn on November 20th, 2009

BlackBerry Pearl 9100 revealedMany of you have been waiting for RIM to release an updated version of the candybar-styled BlackBerry Pearl 8100 Series Smartphone. Well, the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 is finally getting a successor in the 9100. One that has done away with the pearl for a now-standard touchpad. The SureType keyboard and the dimensions look about the same.

This new Pearl (Codenamed Striker) also features a newly-designed battery. We should have more specs and info soon. Until then you can drool over the image and save your dough.

Dell outs Studio 17 laptop with multitouch display

Posted in Dell by Conner Flynn on November 20th, 2009

Dell outs Studio 17 laptop with multitouch displayDell is adding multitouch to several products lately, in some cases quietly doing so. The latest is an updated version of the Studio 17 laptop, now available with a 1,600 x 900 display with full multitouch.

Aside from that the usual options are available, like your choice of Pentium Dual Core or Core 2 Duo processors, up to 8GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, integrated Intel or ATI graphics and an optional Blu-ray drive.

DVD2Blu lets you trade in DVDs for Blu-Rays

Posted in Blu-ray by Conner Flynn on November 20th, 2009

DVD2Blu lets you trade in DVDs for Blu-RaysWarner has a new trade-in plan that hopes to convert you to the ways of Blu-Ray (Especially if you just got a Blu-Ray player and have a ton of DVDs, they want you too.) Just send in your old DVDs, $7.95 to $9.95 per movie plus $4.95 for s&h and HD versions will arrive in about 4 to 5 weeks.

You’ll have to decide if it’s worth it or not by consulting the 55 movies on the approved list that you own, but we suspect that most of you will just want to keep the ones you have on the shelf and wait for better deals.

Flip video cameras to get Wi-Fi?

Posted in Camcorders by Conner Flynn on November 19th, 2009

Flip video cameras to get Wi-Fi?Flip cameras are all the rage and have been for the last year or two. And rumor has it that they have a new feature in the works. Your old buddy Wi-Fi.

It’s just a rumor, but it makes sense to have Wi-Fi on a convenient camera like the Flip so you can upload videos to YouTube or elsewhere. Plus you would probably be able to watch other videos on it as well. At any rate, they had better add new features if they want to compete. So we think this one is very likely to be true.

Google’s Chrome OS revealed

Posted in Google by Conner Flynn on November 19th, 2009

Google's Chrome OS revealedWe now have more details about the Google Chrome OS, which is a stripped-down Linux that should boot very quickly and launch a browser (Chrome). Everything that you do is web-based. Apparently users will have to buy a Chrome OS machine if they want it. Chrome will run on Intel and ARM processors.

According to Google it’s secure because the data is stored on a remote server, however if someone gets your password, well they have access to everything. They do say that Apps are more secure, because they have access to nothing, just like web apps on other OS.

Mercedes gives car owners more control via the iPhone

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on November 19th, 2009

Mercedes gives car owners more control via the iPhoneWhen Mercedes says they want you to get personal with your car, they mean it. Recently Mercedes-Benz USA and Hughes Telematics, Inc. launched mbrace, which brings an unprecedented level of connectivity to Mercedes-Benz drivers and allows them to customize their in-vehicle experiences.

The system allows drivers to connect with their vehicles via an iPhone or BlackBerry, and remotely lock or unlock their vehicles, locate them in crowded parking lots or city streets through a map and much more.

XO2 folding electric scooters

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on November 19th, 2009

XO2 folding electric scootersWith more electric vehicles than ever hitting the streets, we’re going to see more electric scooters. The XO2 electric scooter has some interesting features, but the most interesting is that you can fold it up, making it easy to bring indoors for charging.

It’s still pretty big when folded, but it beats getting your ride stolen because you had to leave it outside. We’re talking 60km/h for the XO2 50 Urban and 105km/h for the XO2 125 Urban. The scooter will charge up to about 80% within just a few hours, and give you about 50-70km.





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