Archive for March, 2010

Sceptre unveils chrome HDTV that looks really cool

Posted in Home Theater by Shane McGlaun on March 10th, 2010

Sceptre has been making computer displays and other gear for a while now. The company has TVs in colors that you don’t often see from other makers. The latest offering from Sceptre is a 24-inch HDTV that is covered in shiny chrome.

The set has a 24-inch screen and supports full 1080p resolution. The screen can be used with a PC too supporting resolutions up to 1920 x 1080. Contrast is 4000:1 and the screen has a brightness rating of 300 cd/m2 and a panel response time of 2ms.

Casttoo makes your broken arm fun

Posted in Accessories by Shane McGlaun on March 10th, 2010

I have never broken a bone, but in high school, one of the cheerleaders fell off a pyramid during a routine and broke her arm. The next day she had a new cast with a maroon cover over it to keep things neat.

If you have a cast and want something cool to cover the white cast. A company called Casttoo has some really cool covers for your cast that feature what look like cartoon images of broken bones with covers for different sizes and types of casts for your arm or leg.

HP gives MediaSmart Home server uses TiVo HD DVR control

Posted in HP by Shane McGlaun on March 10th, 2010

There really isn’t any way you could pry my DirecTV DVR from my hands, short of offering me a DirecTV DVR with more storage space and WiFi. I am not even remotely interested in TiVo and its associated monthly fees and hardware costs.

If you are a TiVo HD DVR user who happens to have a HP MediaSmart Home server, you can grab new software that gives you full control over your DVR. The software is called the HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo and lets you do some nifty things like transfer your shows to and from the DVR to the server.

Windows Phone 7 game screenshots

Posted in Windows by Conner Flynn on March 10th, 2010

Microsoft has shown off some screenshots of 3D games on the new Windows Phone 7 platform, and from the looks of them, the games look pretty awesome. The new Windows Phone 7 handsets feature NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset, which can produce good quality 3D graphics.

With games looking this good, the iPhone may have some serious competition. Game developers are sure paying attention to the Windows Phone 7 platform now if they weren’t before.

Dell outs four new Vostro laptops

Posted in Dell by Conner Flynn on March 10th, 2010

Dell has updated its Vostro laptop line up with four new models which include: the Dell Vostro 3300, 3400, 3500, and 3700. All models have an aluminum case with three color choices available. The Dell Vostro 3300, Vostro 3400, and 3500 feature a 13.3-inch, 14-inch, and 15.6-inch LED backlit display. They pack an Intel Core i3/i5 processor with up to 8GB DDR3 memory, a 500GB hard drive, 512MB nVidia Geforce 310M graphics, a DVD burner, a 2.0MP webcam, fingerprint reader and Windows 7.

The Vostro 3700 has a 17.3-inch display, Intel’s Core i7 quad-core processor and 1GB nVidia Geforce GT330M graphics.

Happy Hour Watch will open beer bottles

Posted in Watches by Conner Flynn on March 10th, 2010

Some watches help you look good, others help you to just keep an eye on the time. The Happy Hour watch will help you get drinking after a hard day at the office, making every hour a potential happy hour. Aside from telling the time, the most useful feature this watch has is its bottle-opening buckle.

The watch face has only one hour marker, 5-O’clock. It will cost you $49.95. That’s an expensive bottle opener, but what the hell. As long as you have access to a nice cold beer, it’s all good.

T3 Multi-Touch Table

Posted in Furniture by Conner Flynn on March 10th, 2010

The coffee table isn’t what it used to be. Take Digital Touch’s T3-B table, a coffee table sized unit with a built-in 26-inch LCD and Wi-Fi. It will let you browse and interact with all kinds of things your old coffee table couldn’t.

The table also features an orientation switch to view your content from any side of the table. If that isn’t enough, the table can also be hooked up with an optional receipt printer, credit card reader and TV tuner. Perfect for a hotel environment or restaurant.

Steampunk sequencer generates audio from Legos

Posted in lego by Conner Flynn on March 10th, 2010

Musician Yoshi Akai is an unorthodox musician. He dreams up ways to turn color into sound, and other unusual ways of producing music. Like this Lego Sequencer MR II, which uses three-dimensional Lego structures to emulate a three-channel, eight-step sequencer.

Each differently colored plastic brick produces a different sound and complex combinations (including tremolo and overdrive) are possible when the blocks are stacked. It works using resistors in every block, with parallel networks of resistors formed as the bricks pile up, equalling lower resistance, which means a higher frequency sound is generated.

Sony Japan’s 3DTV dates and pricing

Posted in 3D by Conner Flynn on March 9th, 2010

3D continues to hit Japan in a big way. The 3DTV from Sony has now made it to Japan beating both Panasonic and Samsung. The edge-lit LED LX900 comes with the IR emitter built-in and two pairs of RealD active shutter glasses. The glasses are also available separately.

There’s even a face tracking feature that lets you know if you’re sitting too close. Gee, thanks. Are you my TV or my mom? Also, if you leave the room the TV dims out and goes off, which is nice.

Wireless docking station turns your laptop into a desktop

Posted in Netbook by Conner Flynn on March 9th, 2010

This device will help you get rid of even more wires. The Warpia Easy Dock universal docking station from Source R&D will cost you $150, and lets you use your desktop keyboard, mouse and LCD display with your Mac or PC laptop, with no wires.

There are some drawbacks. Like just a 1,400 x 1,050 resolution, not quite up to the full resolutions most LCD displays are capable of these days. Still this is pretty convenient and lets you work however you like.

Verizon’s rugged Casio Brigade C741 already available?

Posted in Verizon by Conner Flynn on March 9th, 2010

Having been approved by the FCC in August last year and having first appeared in photos in November, the Casio Brigade C741 appears to be already available in various Verizon retail stores, despite the fact that Verizon didn’t announce it yet.

Some users have already managed to buy the Casio Brigade C741, and it looks like the phone can also be ordered via TeleSales. Apparently the Brigade C741 will be going for $249 after a $50 mail-in rebate, and will come with the customary contract. It should start to be sold nationwide on March 14th.

Seven45 intros first six-string guitar controller

Posted in Musical Instruments by Conner Flynn on March 9th, 2010

Seven45 Studios has unveiled this awesome looking SixString guitar controller for the Power Gig: Rise of the SixString title. It’s a real electric guitar that plugs into an amp and everything. Golly gee, you faux rockers sure have come a long way from rocking that plastic guitar hero guitar.

The game and guitar will be sold together. More experienced players will be able to benefit from chording, since this is much more challenging and requires specific finger placement on the strings. The game will be available on the Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms.

Samsung’s Pink Beat R1 Media Player gets a price and date

Posted in Portable Meda Players by Conner Flynn on March 9th, 2010

Samsung has now priced their Beat R1 portable media player. It comes in two capacities, 8GB and 16GB, for $149.99 and $179.99. The device measures just 8.9mm thin and weighs 50 grams, allowing the R1 to be smaller than a credit card with a 2.6? LCD touchscreen display.

Some other features include an integrated FM radio and recorder, Bluetooth and it will last for up to 50 hours for audio playback or 4 hours for video. here’s also DivX support for video files, as well as Samsung’s Digital Natural Sound Engine (DNSe) 3.0 sound enhancement technology.

Samsung E6 e-reader hitting Barnes and Noble this spring for $299

Posted in ebooks by Conner Flynn on March 9th, 2010

We still don’t have a formal launch date for Samsung’s e-reader line that it launched at CES, but it will be sometime “this spring”. We do have some news about the six-inch E6 at the moment.

Samsung says the E6 will be $299 at launch. No news about the 10-inch E10 or the E61. Just that they “may be coming soon,”. The question is do you prefer the E6 over the Nook?

Sony signs up six major studios for HD movies on PlayStation Network

Posted in PS3 by Conner Flynn on March 9th, 2010

PS3 users have some good news today. Sony has just announced that it has signed all six major studios to deliver HD movies on the PlayStation Network. Sony is the first company to make this happen. We’re talking 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. and obviously, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

There are initiallly 19 HD movies available to buy or rent. Stuff like “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Star Trek,” “District 9,” “Inglourious Basterds,” and “The Wizard of Oz,”. They are only available in the US right now, but Sony plans to unleash them in the U.K., France, Germany, and Spain soon.