Archive for December, 2009

90 Second Beer Chiller

Posted in Kitchen Gadgets by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2009

90 Second Beer ChillerSo you want a nice cold beer, but all you have is warm. Well, there’s no need to pop them in the fridge and wait forever for them to get cold. The solution? A simple box with some ice in it that rotates your beer,getting it ice cold quick. Just 90 seconds apparently.

Sure, it’s work, but isn’t a cold beer worth it? It will cost you $15. And don’t think that you can just stick your beer in a bucket of ice and get the same result. Obviously the magic here is in the rotating. This is beer science. Don’t question it.

3Dinlife X5 DV Player

Posted in Cameras by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2009

3Dinlife X5 DV PlayerThe 3Dinlife X5 Collection Version DV Player comes in 24K gold plate, with a laser etched signature and a VIP Gold Card. Wow, it must be so cool being in the rich spoiled brats club. It features an MPEG-4 recording twin lens 3D camera, with 3 megapixel JPG stills image capture.

There’s also a USB interface for downloading and a rechargeable battery that will deliver 2 hours of recording onto SD/MMC memory cards. Nothing on price, but you can bet it will be expensive.

Monocle BlackBerry 9700

Posted in BlackBerry by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2009

Monocle BlackBerry 9700Do you want to have a classier BlackBerry Bold 9700 that says you are a well off business dude? Well, if you have a spare £950 (or $1,500) no problem. This limited edition BlackBerry Bold 9700 is born of a partnership between Monocle and RIM.

There will only be 100 produced, so you and 99 others will be forever a part of an exclusive club. You get a custom leather strap, along with Monocle’s travel guides pre-loaded, some custom wallpapers, and a 16GB memory card. It ships on December 10th.

Fytone Vintage Mp3 Speaker and Transistor Radio

Posted in Radio by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2009

Fytone Vintage Mp3 Speaker and Transistor RadioIf Star Trek had come out in the 1940s this is what the communicator would look like. The Fytone Vintage Mp3 Speaker and Transistor Radio is great for anyone who wants their modern tech to have a vintage look.

This portable speaker is a throwback to the old transistor radio. It will support any Mp3 player with its 3.5mm cable and also receive AM/FM Channels with the antenna which doubles as a stand. It takes 3 AA batteries and will make a lasting impression on your grandparents.

RoadPilot announces RoadPilot Mobile

Posted in Mobile Phones by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2009

RoadPilot announces GPS PhonesDrivers who want to stay away from the long arm of the law as far as speeding goes can now download a camera locator application direct to their mobile phone from RoadPilot. RoadPilot Mobile will be available on an annual subscription basis, though the price is yet to be revealed.

To celebrate the launch, RoadPilot is offering RoadPilot Mobile with a no-strings-attached free trial until February 28th 2010. In addition to fixed cameras, it offers a real-time alert facility, which lets users notify other members of the RoadPilot Mobile user community if specific mobile speed camera sites are active.

Hulu to remain free

Posted in Comcast by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2009

Hulu to remain freeComcast has announced its buyout of NBC and there are some interesting details. Comcast now owns 51 percent of NBC-Universal compared to GE’s 49 percent and so will manage the entity. But what you really want to know is what is going to happen with HULU right?

When asked about TV Everywhere and Hulu, Comcast COO Steve Burke says that “NBC has been careful not to put too much cable content on the Internet. We think that’s a smart strategy… We think that going forward, you’re going to continue to have free broadcast stuff on Hulu, and cable stuff on TV Everywhere.”

Nexus One gets some hands on time

Posted in Android by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2009

Nexus Hands OnThe guys over at Engadget recently got some hands on time with Google’s Nexus One. So now we have some high quality pictures of the sexy device and some initial impressions.

Firstly the phone is sexy and it’s just a tad thinner than the iPhone. The Nexus One features Google’s Android 2.1, 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 3.7-inch 480 x 800 display, 512MB of ROM, 512MB of RAM and comes bundled with a 4GB microSD card. The phone is a T-Mobile device that includes a light sensor, proximity sensor, and accelerometer.

YouTube Offers a light version for slow computers

Posted in YouTube by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2009

Get ready for 1080p video on YouTubeOne of the problems with netbooks is that they even have trouble with YouTube. It’s not just netbooks either. Maybe you have a dinosaur of a computer that is slow and struggling. Does it take you an hour for a 5 minute video to load? Then this applies to you.

Feather is here to offer a fix. Feather is YouTube’s new lightweight version of the video streaming site. Made especially for slow computers. You can try it out now on Google’s TestTube collection of beta trials.

Friiboard gives the Wii Balance Board less balance

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2009

Friiboard gives the Wii Balance Board less balanceIf you like to skate on fake plastic skateboards and pretend you are skateboarding or snowboarding, the Friiboard should bring more realistic movement to the Wii Balance Board. What it does is give the balance board less balance and more “wobbability”.

The device just adds a convex surface to the bottom of the Balance Board. We don’t think it’s worth $45, but you might feel differently if you need to skateboard in front of the TV.

Micron unveils RealSSD C300 SSD with SATA 6Gb/s support

Posted in SSD by Shane McGlaun on December 3rd, 2009

micronrealssdc300-sgBack in August I mentioned the Micron C200 SSDs had tipped up with snazzy etched cases and good storage space. Micron has announced the next in its RealSSD line today called the C300 series.

The new series uses the SATA 6Gb/s interface making them some of the fastest SSDs ever. The new drives promise a read speed of up to 355MB/s and write speeds of up to 215MB/s. The drive scored 45,000 on the PC Mark Vantage HDD suite.

Boss JS-8 eBand audio player

Posted in amplifier by Shane McGlaun on December 3rd, 2009

bosseband-sbIf you are a guitarist that is lacking in the band mates department and looking for a way to practice by yourself, Boss has introduced a new gadget for you. The device is called the eBand JS-8 and is a music player specifically for the guitarist.

The device has built-in stereo speakers and offers playback of music, solos, riffs and other content that the guitarist can play along with. Music can be loaded onto the device from normal USB sticks and SD cards. Software is also included for importing CD tracks to the device.

Samson unveils Q2U Recording pack

Posted in Digital Audio by Shane McGlaun on December 3rd, 2009

samsonq2u-sgPodcasting and home recording are popular hobbies for many around the world. The hobbies are easier to get into today thanks to the low cost of home recording equipment. Samson has announced a new home recording kit today called the Q2U Recording Pack.

The pack is cheap at $89 and includes everything you need to record at home. The kit includes a Q2U mic that can connect to a PC via USB and a mixing panel via XLR. Both the USB and XLR cables are included.

JBL Creature III speakers for computers debut

Posted in Computer Components by Shane McGlaun on December 3rd, 2009

jblcreature3-sgSome folks like quirky things. These folks eschew the average and normal in favor of something that is different and cool. Personally, I just like things that are cool and the JBL Creature II speakers I used to own were certainly cool. JBL announced its new Creature III speakers today.

The new speakers share a close resemblance to the previous version and look like ghosts from Pac Man. JBL calls them Sci-Fi inspired. The speakers are a 2.1 system with a pair of satellites and a woofer. The sats are 3″ x 3″ x 2-3/4″ with a 40mm driver. The subwoofer is a 3-inch unit measuring 9″ x 9″ x 9″.

Sony PlayStation turns 15

Posted in Sony by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2009

Sony PlayStation turns 15This just makes you feel old. Can you believe it has been 15 years since the original PlayStation was launched? How many of us spent countless hours playing games on this thing? It was launched in Japan 15 years ago today and in the US and UK a year later.

Sony then launched the PS2 in 2000, and it remains the number one selling game console of all time. In 2001 Sony relaunched the original PlayStation as the PS One. Of course the PS3 came after that. Here’s to many more years of good gaming.

Yamaha YSP-5100 Digital Sound Projector

Posted in Yamaha by Conner Flynn on December 3rd, 2009

Yamaha YSP-5100 Digital Sound ProjectorYamaha has announced the new YSP-5100, which certainly is huge and ominous. It’s a digital sound projector for your home theater system that measures in at 1,200mm × 90mm × 212mm and weighs 11kg. The device is compatible with 50-inch HDTVs and video projectors.

It also supports 7.1 surround sound and plays nice with dts-HD, dts ES and Dolby TruHD/Digital Plus/Digital/ Digital EX/Pro Logic and Pro Logic?/x. Some other features include a 120W projector, five HDMI interfaces, an iPod port and an additional sub-woofer connection.