Archive for October, 2009

BlackBerry 9700 Onyx spotted

Posted in BlackBerry by Conner Flynn on October 4th, 2009

BlackBerry 9700 Onyx spottedIn case you were curious as to what the 3G capable BlackBerry 9700 looks like on a hardwood floor, here ya go. The device is rumored to have a November 11 launch date on T-Mobile, but that’s unconfirmed.

That’s about all we have right now. When we last checked in with this guy, it was before it’s heady days posing on hardwood and pouting at the photographer. Some of the rumored specs include: a new Trackpad, Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA, 480×360 resolution screen, OS 5.0, QWERTY keyboard, 3.2 megapixel AF camera and Bluetooth.

Google AdSense leaks Apple’s new iMac, Mac mini and Macbook?

Posted in Mac by Conner Flynn on October 4th, 2009

Google AdSense leaks Apple's new iMac, Mac mini and Macbook?It’s been rumored that Apple has been readying a refreshed iMac line with something more affordable. This weekend, Google AdSense further confirmed these suspicions as users in the Netherlands were treated to some ads for new iMacs, MacBooks, and Mac minis.

The ads point to a dead link at the Apple Store, and according to Google Translate they read: “Apple’s Newest MacBook. Thinner, lighter and faster! Free delivery. Order today,” “The Brand new iMac. Ultra Thin 20 & 24 inch models. From only €1099 (roughly $1,063). Apple Store,” and “Apple’s New Mac mini. Faster and more affordable than ever. From only € 499 ($723). Order immediately.”

PS3 Slim 250GB spotted

Posted in PS3 by Conner Flynn on October 4th, 2009

PS3 Slim 250GB spottedWell, we had previously heard that a 250GB version of the PS3 Slim would be showing up and now it looks like those rumors were right. Some pictures of a 250GB PS3 Slim have been spotted at retail.

The 250GB PS3 Slim is listed as “in stock” on Amazon.co.uk, but it’s not arriving until October 6th. But it is for sale at some retail store in Europe apparently right this instant.

Media Chef digital cookbook

Posted in Kitchen Gadgets by Conner Flynn on October 4th, 2009

Media Chef digital cookbookRemember how mom always had those hand written recipes on 3×5 cards? Well those days are gone. Now mom watches all of those fancy cooking shows on the food network. So it makes sense that Belling’s new Media Chef digital cookbook actually contains 48 cooking instructional videos from chef Brian Turner on its 8-inch screen.

You get an included remote control and the device can also function as a general media player, calendar and photo frame. It will retail for about £170 ($271 US). We don’t know when it will be available though.

Sega Dreamcast iPhone dock

Posted in DIY by Conner Flynn on October 3rd, 2009

http://www.iphonesavior.com/2009/10/sega-dreamcast-iphone-dock-is-out-of-control.htmlJay Hauf wanted a cool iPhone dock. What he had was his iPhone, a Sega Dreamcast controller and a dream. Ben Heck would be proud. Nice to see that the Dreamcast can still serve a purpose. Soon geeks everywhere will be following in his DIY footsteps as they recycle old console controllers.

What will the next iPhone dock be? A Gamecube controller? A dual-shock dock? We have no idea, but we salute you Jay. You went where no geek had gone before.

Alessi Laser Shot watch

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on October 3rd, 2009

Alessi Laser Shot watchWho needs old fashioned hands that go around a dial, when you can have lasers? That’s the thinking behind the latest concept watch from Alessi. Supposedly, the Laser Shot watch won’t burn your hand as it pew pew pews the time on your wrist using a laser beam.

So it’s totally safe. Unless you wake up one day to find the time permanently tattooed on your skin and glowing. In which case, it’s time to get a new watch. But hey, that’s the price you pay for having cool things.

Hands on with Rebit Backup solutions

Posted in Review by Darrin Olson on October 3rd, 2009

rebit backup driveWe’ve been hearing about Rebit and their backup solutions from as far back as October of 2007, and our time to try out one of these devices was far overdue. For this review we got a chance to review a portable backup solution from Rebit which boasts a “ridiculously simple backup” process, and they did not disappoint.

SETUP
Setting up the backup system was about as easy as it could be. We simply unpacked the small, slim portable drive and USB cable and plugged it in to our computer. After a couple of automatically prompted approvals in our Windows Vista system the thing just started doing its job of backing up all the files on the hard drive of our computer. The entire process from opening the box until it started working was under 3 minutes. The drive has a dual-headed USB cord so a separate power supply is not necessary if a single USB port does supply enough power, but in our case a single USB 2.0 connection was all it took to power the device and transfer data.

Verizon lands basic Nokia 2705 Shade handset

Posted in Verizon by Shane McGlaun on October 2nd, 2009

VERIZON WIRELESS NOKIA 2705 SHADEVerizon Wireless has announced several new handsets this week that are going to be exclusives for the carrier. Some of the handsets were higher end devices and others like the Nokia 2705 Shade are cheaper handsets for users who want nice features, but don’t want to spend a lot.

The key features of the phone are that it has Xpress-on covers for color customization, it is VZ Navigator capable and has a large display on one of the smallest devices Verizon offers. The phone can also store up to 1000 contacts.

Verizon Wireless adds Gateway netbook to line

Posted in Gateway,Verizon by Shane McGlaun on October 2nd, 2009

verizongatewayIn many parts of the world, subsidized notebooks and netbooks have been common for a long time. Here in the U.S. subsidized notebooks have really only started to be offered over the last year. Verizon Wireless has announced the latest addition to its notebook line, the Gateway LT2016u.

The device is set to go on sale with Verizon on October 4 for $149.99 after a $100 mail in rebate. The netbook has a 10.1-inch LED backlit screen and a 6-cell battery for power. The CPU is an Intel Atom N270 and it has 1GB of RAM and 160GB of storage.

Thrustmaster shows off Wii gaming accessories

Posted in Controllers by Shane McGlaun on October 2nd, 2009

thrustmasterwiifitThe Nintendo Wii proved for the first time that a video game console doesn’t always make players fat and lazy. With the introduction of Wii Fit and the motion required to play Wii sports many gamers found that playing video games could be a work out. Thrustmaster has announced new accessories for the Wii, including some for Wii Fit users.

The Elite Fitness Pack+ NW features a pair of weights for your wrists or ankles, a riser for the balance board to make it a step aerobic platform, a pedometer, a workout mat, and a carry bag. The kit will also be offered with only the riser, mat, and pedometer for $29.99.

Sony offers pink gear to support breast cancer research

Posted in Sony by Shane McGlaun on October 2nd, 2009

sonypinkvaiow-sgIt’s Breast Cancer Awareness month and to support the search for a cure to breast cancer many companies in the consumer electronic market are offering donations of part of the proceeds from some of the items they sell. The money donated will help support cancer research.

As you might expect most of the electronic devices that are part of the breast cancer awareness push from companies are pink. Sony announced a couple pink products today including the Pink W Series netbook bundle and the Rose Reader Pocket Edition.

Botropolis: This week in robots

Posted in Robots by Conner Flynn on October 2nd, 2009

Botropolis: This week in robotsThe weekend is upon us once again. Friday is definitely a day for celebrating. Celebrating the fact that you weren’t injured, maimed or killed by one of humanity’s mechanical creations. Congratulations, you made it through the week in one piece. But how many more weeks do we have? No one knows. I only know that Blue Oyster Cult was right. Don’t fear the Reaper. Fear the robots. Here’s some of what we covered this week over at Botropolis.

OmniZero.9: He transforms, gives humans rides.

DARPA: Remote-controlled cyborg beetles.

Use your head: Robot controlled by thought.

Philips Brilliance 225P1ES LCD monitor

Posted in monitors by Conner Flynn on October 2nd, 2009

Philips Brilliance 225P1ES LCD monitorPhilips has introduced its latest addition to its LCD monitor line with the Brilliance 225P1ES. This 22 inch widescreen monitor includes the PowerSensor feature which detects when the user is not in front of the screen and lowers the contrast and brightness until the user returns.

According to Philips, while in power-savings mode, the LCD’s consumption will drop by 70%. Some other features include a native resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels, a 5ms response time, 250 cd/m2 brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio, built-in two 1.5W speakers, plus D-Sub, DVI and USB connectors.

Asus Eee Box EB1501

Posted in ASUS by Conner Flynn on October 2nd, 2009

Asus Eee Box EB1501Asus’ latest Eee Box EB1501 has just been announced and is ready to join the many other Eee Boxes that they always announce. But it’s not just the same-old nettop with similar specifications. They made sure that the EB1501 would stand out from the rest.

For one thing, the EB1501 includes a slot-loading DVD burner. We don’t know if it will be shipped with the drive built-in or if it comes with an external USB disc drive. The EB1501 is powered by a Dual Core Atom 330 processor, an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card and runs the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.

Dell’s Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition arrives for $329

Posted in Dell by Conner Flynn on October 2nd, 2009

Dell Inspiron Mini NickelodeonWell my slime loving, Spongebob watching, cartoon addicted friends, Dell’s Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition is now up for order starting at $329. As far as specs, it’s mostly a typical Mini, sporting a 10.1-inch (1,024 x 600 resolution) display, Windows XP Home, and 1GB of DDR2 RAM.

You also get a GMA950 graphics set, WiFi of course, 3-cell battery, 1.3 megapixel webcam and a 1.6GHz Atom processor. The big bonus for Nikelodeon fans is bound to be the slimed lid and palm rest. Come on, those are the features that matter right?