Archive for January, 2009

Create your own bike lane with LightLane

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on January 15th, 2009

Create your own bike lane with LightLaneIt’s dangerous out there for a bike rider. Do you have any idea how many idiots are out there driving vehicles? Having a bike lane on the street that you’re traveling helps a lot. With a bike lane, drivers are more aware of you and you have your own designated space, which should keep you safe. Unfortunately, bike lanes are not on every street. What do you do?

Make your own, that’s what. Always have a bike lane with you. The LightLane is a concept that uses frikkin lasers to project an illuminated bike lane all around you while you are pedaling away. It keeps you visible to cars, which keeps you alive to bike another day.

Motorola PEBL Rose Bloom for Valentine’s Day

Posted in Motorola by Conner Flynn on January 15th, 2009

Motorola PEBL Rose Bloom for Valentine’s DayIt really has to suck for you gals who are into technology. You deserve more than just pink gadgets. Because you are smarter then they give you credit for. You deserve high end specs and “pretty” that comes in a variety of colors with an elegant design. Sadly, this new Motorola basic phone fits the usual stereotype: pink with regular specs.

The design however is a little nicer then the usual offerings. It’s subtle and elegant. It still has pink, but it’s discreet with 3.5G. The Motorola PEBL Rose Bloom will be available in Korea from SK telecom. No word on price yet. We know that it features a touch sensitive external panel, a 2 MP camera, a 3.5 mm audio jack, Bluetooth and HSDPA.

Stealth Bomber Cycle: Flying on two wheels

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on January 15th, 2009

Stealth Bomber Cycle: Flying on two wheelsThis year marks the 20th anniversary of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. What better way to commemorate the anniversary than with a cycle by the crew at Orange County Choppers. As usual they took the basic look of the plane and made a cycle version. The bike even has some of the original titanium from the original B-2 aft deck and each wheel features scale models of B-2s in star formations.

It’s pretty awesome, for sure. But is it just me, or does it kinda look like a Dolphin? It almost looks toy-like. Very plastic looking. At any rate, it’s nice to know that our military has their priorities straight when it comes to spending our tax money. Hopefully this bike has some hidden firepower.

i.Sound tries to chill with Ice Speakers

Posted in Speakers by Nino Marchetti on January 15th, 2009

i.Sound Ice Speakers

Some interesting looking new portable speakers were on display from i.Sound last week at the Consumer Electronics Show. The Ice Speakers price around $40 and are available now.

The Ice Speakers are designed to work with any audio device which uses a 3.5mm audio jack. These speakers are housed in crystallized PC plastic and provide an interesting look alternative to traditional computer speakers. They also glow with blue LED lights when in use.

Eizo intros two new color-accurate FlexScan LCDs

Posted in LCD by Conner Flynn on January 15th, 2009

Eizo intros two new color-accurate FlexScan LCDsWhen not dabbling in outlandish remote controls, Eizo is known for its their specialized monitors. Their latest announcement is a pair of new FlexScan LCDs that supposedly cover 95% of the Adobe RGB color space as well as 92% of the NTSC color spectrum.

The FlexScan S2242W-H and FlexScan S2232W-E are both 22-inchers. The FlexScan S2242W-H features a full 1920×1200 resolution and the FlexScan S2232W-E is 1680×1050. Otherwise, the pair are pretty identical. Some other specs include: 1,200:1 contrast ratio, a 12ms black-to-white response time, VGA and HDCP-capable DVI ports (no HDMI), a pair of USB ports, and a pair of built-in 0.5W speakers.

Shadow Wireless PS3 controllers move around sticks

Posted in Controllers by Nino Marchetti on January 15th, 2009

dreamGear Shadow Wireless

One of the newer PlayStation 3 gaming accessories from dreamGear of late is an upgraded controller. It is called the Shadow Wireless and it prices around $40.

The dreamGear Shadow Wireless is said to be the first ever PS3 wireless controller featuring uniquely relocated analog sticks for enhanced accuracy and comfort. Regular controllers have these sticks side by side, said dreamGear, causing some in-gaming discomfort. The repositioned sticks are said “to feel more natural to the gamer’s hands.”

Seagate adds media player for portable hard drives

Posted in Media Players by Nino Marchetti on January 15th, 2009

Seagate FreeAgent Theater

Seagate recently introduced a new home media player designed to work with its FreeAgent Go portable hard drives. The new FreeAgent Theater HD media player will be available in March for around $130 standalone, or it can be paired with one of several Seagate FreeAgent Go drives for varying prices.

The FreeAgent Theater is designed to let one enjoy media content stored on the FreeAgent Go drive via a home entertainment system. The FreeAgent Theater media player supports MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 formats, and DIVX files with video resolutions for NTSC, PAL and HD up to 1080i. The audio formats supported include 5.1 channel surround sound, where available, and also plays the popular digital audio formats including: MP3, WMA, WAV and OGG.

Palm Pre may initially be a Best Buy Exclusive

Posted in Palm by Conner Flynn on January 15th, 2009

Palm Pre may initially be a Best Buy ExclusiveAccording to WebOS Arena, the Palm Pre will be exclusive to Best Buy Mobile and Sprint stores for it’s first 60 days, citing a “credible source”. That isn’t a stretch as Sprint has previously given Best Buy such privileges, like in the case of the Samsung Instinct.

There was also a short time where Best Buy was also the only place outside of an Apple Store where you could purchase an iPhone. So, whether they have a “credible” source or not, it’s a good bet. Not a stretch at all. Still, it isn’t confirmed, so take it with the usual grain of salt.

Barack Obama branded cellphone hits Kenya

Posted in Mobile Phones by Conner Flynn on January 15th, 2009

Barack Obama-branded cellphone hits KenyaA Kenyan cellphone company has released a Barack Obama-branded cellphone. The red and blue cellphone is covered with fun phrases like “Yes We Can” all over it. The company, Mi Phone, is calling it the Mi-Obama. It’ll cost around $30 there. You may or may not know, Obama’s father was born in Kenya.

Needless to say they are a hot seller. The product in it’s first week of availability has already sold over 1000 units in Nairobi alone. The Director of Mi-Fone says, “The coming of the new President of the USA is an auspicious moment for all Kenyans and the people of Africa. It is our pleasure to be able to launch the Mi-Obama phone as a memento that will always stay within the user’s hearts and minds”.

Philips intros ultra widescreen Cinema 21:9 LCD TV

Posted in Philips by Conner Flynn on January 15th, 2009

Philips intros ultra widescreen Cinema 21:9 LCD TVThe Cinema 21:9 is claiming to be the planet’s first cinema-proportioned LCD TV, so this should be the ultimate LCD to watch movies on. The 56 inch diagonal will also feature Ambilight technology around the borders. I know what you’re thinking. This isn’t real. Some of you will claim photoshop. We were skeptical too, but it turns out that it’s the real deal.

According to Philips, the panel will be shipping this Spring in Germany, Belgium, the UK and France. Their full site will launch on January 29th. Sadly, there are no pricing details and no US release date as of yet.

MECO command center does it all

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on January 15th, 2009


Pearing Core Systems’ MEdiaCOre or MECO system is a digital command center/ convergence device that is basically a compact, hand-crafted cabinet for your living room. The unit runs off of a full-featured PC powered by Windows Media Center. It uses the Internet and your home’s audio, video and other automation to manage your digital life all from one place.

You can watch Internet movies and television, stream Internet radio, listen to MP3s and check out your digital photos and video. The device also helps to eliminate all of your media clutter, because MECO has two cable boxes, a wireless router, Blu-Ray and DVD-RW/CD-RW drives built right into the system, with room to integrate your own components, like iPods and game consoles.

Nokia N79 Active mobile phone launched

Posted in Nokia by Shane McGlaun on January 15th, 2009

Nokia N79Everyone has a cell phone today, which is why people were so excited when phones gained the ability to take pictures and play music. That meant the majority of us had cameras on us at all times and music players wherever we went.

Nokia has announced a new mobile phone called the N79 Active that adds a new feature that fitness fans will love. The device features a Polar Bluetooth WearLink heart rate belt. The belt sends heart rate data directly to the N79.

IDC numbers show PC growth slows significantly in Q4 2008

Posted in IDC by Shane McGlaun on January 15th, 2009

IDC LogoResearch firm IDC has reported its numbers for the computer industry worldwide for Q4 2008. With the global economy down, the results of the numbers will not be a surprise to many consumers. Along with the numbers, the company also lists the top Pc makers globally and in America.

IDC reports that the global PC market shipments were down 0.4% on for the last quarter of 2008 compared to the previous year. Shipments were down by 2.5% compared to Q3 of 2008. It’s very odd to see shipments decline in Q4 when holiday shopping typically sees Q4 as one of the busiest of the year.

Acer introduces new business laptops

Posted in Acer by Shane McGlaun on January 15th, 2009

Acer TravelMate 6593I am surprised that days after CES 2009 ended Acer is announcing new notebooks. Perhaps the computer firm feared that launching a couple machines that lack any really compelling features during the show would have meant they went unnoticed.

The two new machines are the TravelMate 6593 and the TravelMate 6493. Both of the notebooks can be used with the new Acer ezDock II or II+ for easy docking in the office or at home. Both machines share the same 1280 x 800 resolution as well.

Buffalo unveils tiny 802.11n dongle

Posted in Buffalo by Shane McGlaun on January 15th, 2009

Buffalo USB Wi-Fi DongleLet’s face it guys, there are some things that we like to stick out a lot. There are some things we don’t want to stick out a lot, like our guts and the USB dongles we plug into our computers.

Buffalo has introduced the tiniest 802.11n Wi-Fi dongle that I have ever seen. The little thing is set to launch in early February and measures 16mm W x 33mm H x 8mm D. Those dimensions include the USB connector as well, which appears to take up about half of that height measurement.