Archive for October, 2009

Motorola launches digi-frames with dual displays, Wi-Fi

Posted in Digital Photo Frames by Conner Flynn on October 28th, 2009

Motorola launches digi-frames with dual displays, Wi-FiMotorola is offering up some new digital photo frames, including dual display frames and a Wi-Fi model that lets you send images directly to the frame by email. The LS1000W has a 10.4-inch display, with 512 MB of built-in memory, an MP3 player and speakers, an alarm clock and calendar function. The £200 frame has Wi-Fi connectivity and content from the thousand FrameChannel online channels that can be viewed on the device including internet radio.

The £80 LS420 Duo on the other hand offers two 4.2-inch displays, one of which can be used to view calendar and clock info. The LS720D offers the same, but with larger 7-inch displays and MP3 playback, speakers and a remote control for £130.

Air Board lets humans ride UFOs

Posted in Personal Transport by Conner Flynn on October 28th, 2009

Air Board lets humans ride UFOsThe Segway is fine if you’re a mall cop or something, but what I really want is a UFO that hovers just above ground. That I can stand on and ride. The Air Board is just that thing. A $14,000 personal hovercraft that floats 8″ above the ground and reaches a maximum speed of 15 mph.

It will give you an hour or so on just 1.3 gallons of gas. Not bad. Not bad. But can it abduct smaller lifeforms? Like ants and insects maybe? I sure hope so. This thing steers by using levers and shifting your weight.

Not a good day to be TomTom and Garmin

Posted in GPS by Conner Flynn on October 28th, 2009

Not a good day to be TomTom and GarminLooks like both TomTom and Garmin might be having a bit of a bad day to put it mildly, thanks to the announcement of Google Maps Navigation. As the graph shows, things are not looking good. Nope. Not at all.

GPS makers can at least take some comfort in the fact that the new Google Maps Navigation is available on Android 2.0 at the moment, which requires you to have a specific phone to download the maps real time. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

Ghostwire augmented reality game coming to your DSi in 2010

Posted in Nintendo DSi by Conner Flynn on October 28th, 2009

Use your Nintendo DSi to hunt ghostsBack in May we told you about the augmented reality game for the DSi, Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal. The Ghostwire title had been previously unveiled, but Majesco has just signed on to publish it.

The game uses the DSi’s camera and microphone to allow you to hunt ghosts like those schmucks on TV. Once the ghost or ghosts are detected, it’s the player job to hunt down objects to make them rest in peace.

ECTACO unveils jetBook-Lite eBook reader

Posted in ebooks by Shane McGlaun on October 28th, 2009

jetbooklite-sgMost of the eBook readers on the market have a lot in common. They have the same types of screens and sell for very similar prices. The Barnes & Noble Nook has that color screen and the Kindle has 3G connectivity with both selling for $259. A new eReader from a company called ECTACO was announced today with a significantly lower price of $149.

The reader is called the jetBook-Lite and it sports a 5-inch screen and gets power from normal AA batteries rather than a rechargeable. The device can read the eReader DRM file format that Barnes & Noble uses in its online bookstore.

Samsung unveils new monitors for PC with TV tuners

Posted in Samsung by Shane McGlaun on October 28th, 2009

samsung933hd-sgI like it when my electronic gear can serve more than one purpose. My iPhone can act as a MP3 player and a MID in addition to making calls and I would like it if my normal monitor could do other tasks as well. Samsung has announced a pair of new LCDs called the 933HD and the 2333HD that work for your computer and work as normal TVs too.

The 933HD is a 19-inch unit selling for $249.99. The 2333HD is a 23-inch unit selling for $329.99. Both displays have integrated TV tuners, 10000:1 contrast ratio, and 5ms response times. Both of the screens also have stereo speakers.

Dell unveils new rugged XT2 XFR convertible tablet computer

Posted in Dell by Shane McGlaun on October 28th, 2009

dellxt2xfr-sgSome users need a computer for use on the go that is very rugged. Users who are outdoors a lot in rough environments like police, first responders, military, and field service reps can’t use any old computer without it having a short life span.

Dell has unveiled what it claims to the smallest 12.1-inch rugged convertible tablet PC with multi-touch technology. The machine is called the Latitude XT2 XFR and is 1.5-inches thick and designed to meet MIL-801G requirements. The convertible tablet has compression sealed and rugged I/O doors.

JVC unveils sub-$200 XV-BP11 Blu-ray player

Posted in JVC by Shane McGlaun on October 28th, 2009

jvcblurayplayer-sgBack when I bought my PS3, I paid lots of money for it in part because of the Blu-ray player. Today Blu-ray players have come down significantly in price and several models are available for under $200. JVC added a new device to that under $200 list today called the XV-BP11.

The Blu-ray player has support for the AVCHD format used on many HD camcorders, including the JVC Everio line of camcorders. The JVC player supports BD-Rom, BD-R/RE, DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, Audio CD, CD-R/RW discs.

VIZIO 19 and 23 inch LED backlit HDTVs

Posted in HDTV by Conner Flynn on October 28th, 2009

VIZIO 19 and 23 inch LED backlit HDTVsVIZIO just introduced a few more LED backlit HDTVs to their lineup in the form of 19″ and 23″ models. The 23″ models will support full HD resolution, but keeps things thin. The interesting thing about these models is that both can double as extremely large picture frames. Assuming that you aren’t worried about your monthly power bill anyway.

These 19″ and 23″ models will retail for $349 and $399 when available. No word on when we can expect them.

Google Maps Navigation: Free turn-by-turn mobile app

Posted in Google by Conner Flynn on October 28th, 2009

Google Maps Navigation: Free turn-by-turn mobile appGoogle has unveiled Maps Navigation (beta), an upgraded version of the current Maps software that will be free and apparently available on all Android 2.0 devices. You get all of the usual Maps features, along with being able to search by the name of a business and it will even suggest the closest matches and traffic data.

There’s also turn-by-turn navigation with a female robotic voice and integration with satellite and street view. Street view will be able to show you what lane you need to be in when exiting the highway, for instance. It will also now search along the route when you’re looking for gas stations or fast food. Some addresses can be added to the Android home screen as icons too.

Motorola DROID official on Verizon: $199 November 6th

Posted in Motorola by Conner Flynn on October 28th, 2009

Motorola DROID official on Verizon: $199 November 6thThe Motorola DROID will hit Verizon on November 6th for $199 on contract. That’s after a $100 mail-in rebate. The DROID itself is the first of many Android phones coming to the carrier. There’s Android 2.0 of course, Visual Voicemail, a 3.7-inch display (854 x 480 resolution), 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, a bundled 16GB memory card and a beta version of Google Maps Navigation.

The DROID is the first phone to offer that last, which which will turn Google Maps into a turn-by-turn routing system. Some other features include a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3G, WiFi, voice-activated search and over-the-air Amazon MP3 downloads.

Kill the undead with the Zombie Shooting Gallery

Posted in Toys by Conner Flynn on October 27th, 2009

Kill the undead with the Zombie Shooting GalleryZombies are constantly in the news these days. Or they would be, if it wasn’t a conspiracy run by the media. Anyhow, with so many zombies on the loose, you have to practice and keep your aim sharp. After all, if you fail to get a headshot, you may get bitten and become one yourself.

Video games are good practice. So is this Zombie Shooting Gallery. Keep it in the office and unleash your fury on tons of undead while killing time as well. You have to kill the zombie that pops out or it eats a human hostage. The zombies will pop in and out faster as it continues.

HP Pavilion MS214 18.5 inch All-In-One PC

Posted in HP by Conner Flynn on October 27th, 2009

HP Pavilion MS214 18.5 inch All-In-One PCIf you’re in the market for a new all-in-one PC you certainly have options. But if you want one that’s affordable, you may want to check out HP’s latest Pavilion MS214.

This machine is priced at $585 and boasts an 18.5-inch widescreen LCD display, an AMD Athlon X2 3250e 1.5GHz Dual-core processor, an ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics card, 2GB RAM, a 320GB hard drive, built-in webcam, a DVD burner, a 6-in-1 card reader, WiFi and Windows 7 64-bit as an OS.

NEC releases smallest WiMAX Router with Wireless LAN

Posted in Routers by Conner Flynn on October 27th, 2009

NEC releases smallest WiMAX Router with Wireless LANNEC has announced a world’s first. They are boasting that the Aterm WM3300R is the world’s smallest WiMAX router with wireless LAN support. The device measures just 94mm x 67mm x 22mm and weights 145grams. This WiMAX router comes with embedded Wireless LAN (BG), offering Multi SSID functions and basic Wireless LAN Security protocols like WEP and WPA(TKIP/AES).

The WM3300R connects to your computer via the USB port and will be available in early November 2009 in Japan for 25,000 Yen or $272.

USB Tape Express

Posted in USB by Conner Flynn on October 27th, 2009

USB Tape ExpressMost of us have moved on to MP3s and digital music, but some of us may still have old audio tape collections, with awesome music on them. There are many rare tracks on audio tapes that have not yet made the digital jump.

That’s where the USB Tape Express comes in handy. Just hook the device up to your computer via USB, insert an old tape, then run the conversion process with the included software.