Archive for September, 2009

Motorola CLIQ headed to T-Mobile next month, $200 on contract

Posted in Motorola by Conner Flynn on September 29th, 2009

Motorola CLIQ headed to T-Mobile next month, $200 on contractIf you’ve been waiting with baited breath for T-Mobile’s pre-order page for Motorola’s first Android device, we have some news for you. The carrier has just announced plans that the CLIQ will be $199.99 on a two-year contract.

To refresh your memory, the handset features a QWERTY keyboard and a full touch screen display, along with integration with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Gmail, and other email services.

Dell Latitude Z 600 16″ laptop announced

Posted in Dell by Conner Flynn on September 29th, 2009

Dell Latitude Z 600 16″ laptop announcedDell has released details on their latest flagship business laptop. Dubbed the Dell Latitude Z 600, it features a 16 inch screen with a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels and a backlit keyboard.

You have your choice of 2 processors; the Intel Core 2 Duo running at 1.4GHz or a 1.6GHz SU9600 processor. You can configure it with up to 4GB as well get dual SSD drives for storage. The Dell Z 600 also boasts an optional wireless charging stand for $200 as well as a wireless dock that houses a USB, DVI and other connections.

Perfume Bottle USB Card Reader

Posted in USB by Conner Flynn on September 29th, 2009

Perfume Bottle USB Card ReaderMy what an ugly perfume bottle you have on your desk. Bad enough that it’s so ugly, it’s not even a real perfume bottle. Under the lid is a USB plug. Beneath the bottle are ports for SDHC, micro SDHC, microSD/T-flash, Sony M2, Memory Stick and MS Duo.

After you are done using this hideous device, you can just sit it back on your desk so that all of your co-workers can see what horrible taste you have in gadgets.

Lighthouse SQ7 portable social media tablet

Posted in Tablet PC by Conner Flynn on September 29th, 2009

Lighthouse SQ7 portable social media tabletThe Lighthouse SQ7 is described as a Social Media tablet and so will run both Facebook and Twitter. Oddly, it relies mainly on its built-in voice recognition engine to get input from the user. The tablet boasts a 7″ touchscreen display at 800 x 480 resolution, Wi-Fi, and the Samsung ARM S3C6410 667MHz processor.

Oh and 128MB RAM and 1GB of internal memory, all powered by a 4,500 mAH rechargeable battery which will give you up to 5 hours of non-stop use. The Lighthouse SQ7 will ship on October 7th for $249.

Darth Vader Wii Sensor Bar holder

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on September 29th, 2009

Darth Vader Wii Sensor Bar holderJust when you think that you’ve seen it all with the Wii, some Wii accessories can still surprise you. The $50 Darth Vader Nintendo Wii Sensor Bar Holder is just what it sounds like. It holds your sensor bar and makes it look like a lightsaber. Sorta.

So while you are swinging that Wiimote, you can imagine Vader encouraging you to use the force and join the darkside. You of course will shout NEVERRRRR and all of your friends will get scared and leave. It’s not your fault Vader only speaks to you and that no one else can hear him.

New Microsoft Courier video shows tablet interface details

Posted in Microsoft by Conner Flynn on September 29th, 2009

New Microsoft Courier video shows tablet interface detailsMicrosoft’s Courier tablet took us all by surprise. Now an internal video has surfaced showing how Microsoft thinks we’ll use Courier, giving us an overview of the interface and more of Courier’s features. At the core of the Courier is the “infinite journal”, a journal/scrapbook that is endless, presumably bound only by storage. The journal can be published online, and it’s able to be downloaded in three formats: a Courier file, Powerpoint or PDF. There’s also a library where things like subscriptions, notebooks and apps, are stored.

It also shows some more traditional elements like a smart agenda, more defined folder system, universal search and multi-page web browsing. Nothing about viewing content, like watching movies, reading books etc. It looks like Courier is all about creating and writing with a pen, which is not what we are used to, especially when you think about the Apple tablet.

New Xbox 360 Elite holiday bundle and Wireless Controller Game Pack

Posted in Xbox 360 Elite by Conner Flynn on September 29th, 2009

New Xbox 360 Elite holiday bundle with Wireless Controller Game PackMicrosoft has announced a new Xbox 360 holiday bundle. For $299 you get an Elite, Lego Batman, and Pure. That’s a pretty good deal. On the other hand, if you already own a 360, you can get a new controller, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Lumines LIVE!, Bomberman LIVE! and Ms Pac-Man for $60.

The new Elite pack is expected to ship to retailers today, but for the controller bundle you’ll have to wait until November. The holiday is looking good so far.

LG officially unveils BL20 Chocolate handset

Posted in LG by Conner Flynn on September 28th, 2009

LG officially unveils BL20 Chocolate handsetLG has officially announced the upcoming release of its new Chocolate series handset, the BL20. Some specs include a 5-megapixel camera, 2.4-inch display, and a touchbutton interface. The BL20 will ship to Europe first in October for the equivalent of $394 without a contract.

Some other features include an LED flash and autofocus for the camera, with internal memory at 130MB, expandable with an 8GB microSD memory card. It supports Quad-band GSM voice networks and two-band 3G data networks.

Hammacher Schlemmer unveils programmable gaming robot

Posted in Robots by Shane McGlaun on September 28th, 2009

gamingrobotHammacher Schlemmer is well known for having a catalog chocked full of cool gadgets and gear. The catch is that the prices in the catalog are often very high. The company has unveiled a new device called the Programmable Gaming Robot that reminds me a bit of the Rovio from Wowee.

The robot has two wheels and comes with accessories allowing it to play seven different games that are included. The games are interactive environments that are composed of a base station, energy port, special effects hub, and three gaming pads.

New Zealand law makes satnav phones illegal then takes it back

Posted in Mobile Phones by Shane McGlaun on September 28th, 2009

newzealandMany states here in America have hands free laws in effect that only allow the user to their phone with a Bluetooth device. We can still use our phones for navigation and as a music player though. In New Zealand, a new law at first made using the phone as a satnav device illegal.

The new law is called the Road User Amendment Rule 2009 and it reads in part, “You can use a mobile phone held in a cradle while driving, but only to make, receive or terminate a phone call. You cannot use them in any other way, such as reading a GPS map, reading email, or consulting an electronic diary.”

VTech DS6321-3 home phone merges cellular contacts with landline

Posted in VTech by Shane McGlaun on September 28th, 2009

vtechds6321-3-sbI haven’t used a home phone line in years other than for DSL. I make and receive all the calls I get on my mobile phone. If you still use your landline for placing and receiving calls and you want to get the contacts list from your mobile onto the home phone VTech has the product for you.

VTech has announced the first home phone called the DS6321-3 that sells for $99.95. The handset can connect to your mobile phone via Bluetooth and download the contacts and phone numbers from your mobile to the landline.

TomTom unveils XL 340S Live GPS unit with connected services

Posted in TomTom by Shane McGlaun on September 28th, 2009

tomtom-xl-340GPS units have evolved from devices that were mostly of help on long road trips to items that commuters can use on the route that they drive each day as a way to get out of traffic. TomTom announced a new GPS device today with connected services via AT&T.

The device is called the TomTom XL 340S Live and has AT&T 3G connectivity built-in. The AT&T connectivity allows the GPS unit to perform local search for gas stations, restaurants and more. Connectivity also allows the GPS device to get real-time traffic info.

China Unicom set to launch iPhone in October

Posted in Apple by Shane McGlaun on September 28th, 2009

iphone3g-sbChina Unicom and Apple signed a deal a month or so back, that resulted in the iPhone 3G getting ready to head over to China with the 700 million mobile subscribers in the country. What we didn’t know is when the phone was coming and how much it would cost.

China Unicom announced today that it would be selling the iPhone at a standalone price of 5,000 yuan or about $732.50. Most people will opt to choose a subsidized package that will bring the cost of the phone down significantly.

Philips SA075 HD PMP

Posted in Philips by Conner Flynn on September 28th, 2009

Philips SA075 HD PMPJoining the ranks of all of those other recently announced HD PMPs, is the Philips SA075. There isn’t much information about this guy right now, but rumor has it that it will come with an 800×480 touchscreen, and feature HDMI output.

It will support HD video playback, but we don’t know the exact definitions,720p or 1080p. That’s about all we know at the moment sadly, but we’ll keep on eye out on this one for you.

Apple iPhone apps hit 2 billion downloads

Posted in Apple by Conner Flynn on September 28th, 2009

Apple iPhone apps hit 2 billion downloadsApple has announced yet another milestone along with all of the other milestones it has hit. In the iPhone and iPod Touch App store, they have now reached 2 billion iPhone apps downloaded.

This news comes only five months after Apple announced that their app store had reached the 1 Billion mark. One wonders how many fart and booby apps that accounts for.