Archive for May, 2010

Razer offers up Abyssus Mirror Special Edition gaming mouse

Posted in Mouse by Shane McGlaun on May 5th, 2010

Think about gaming peripherals like keyboards and mice and the name Razer is sure to come to mind. Razer has been making some of the coolest gaming mice on the market for years now. The company has announced a new special edition gaming mouse called the Abyssus Mirror Special Edition.

The special edition has a glossy black shell, hence the Mirror edition moniker. Under the shiny skin it is a 3500dpi infrared sensor mouse with hardware toggles for sensitivity adjustment. The sensitivity can be set to 450, 1800, or 3500 dpi.

Samsung 3D Glasses compatible with other TVs when worn upside down

Posted in 3D by Conner Flynn on May 5th, 2010

The incompatibility of glasses from 3DTV manufacturers is another sign that 3DTV is just a passing phase. And I find it to be an annoying one personally. Now there’s word from Samsung that they should work with other TVs if worn upside down. Which really stinks because you already look ridiculous enough.

The trick was revealed during a demonstration of Samsung’s 3DTVs in the UK, with R&D chief Simon Lee using a Panasonic 3DTV to explain the compatibility. The trick will only work on sets that use Active Shutter glasses, and so far it has only been tested with Samsung and Panasonic’s sets.

AT&T unveils new TL86109 cordless landline phone

Posted in AT&T by Shane McGlaun on May 5th, 2010

By the time my kids have kids I bet the landline in the home will be a thing of the past. Many people out there have only a mobile phone now and that number is increasing every day. If you still have a landline and a mobile you can converge the two in your home or office with the new AT&T TL86109 cordless phone.

The phone has Bluetooth technology that lets you make and receive calls from your mobile using the cordless handset. You can pair multiple mobiles to the device and the phone can work with two landlines.

Zoom Q3 camcorder gets a price cut

Posted in Zoom by Shane McGlaun on May 5th, 2010

The Zoom Q3 camcorder landed here in the US back in October with a price tag of $249. The camera was most known for high quality sound recording capability.

The Q3 can record sound in stereo with 24-bit/48 kHz quality. The camera is mostly aimed at the YouTube fan wanting to upload video with quality audio as well. The camera has a video resolution of 640 x 480.

Adobe prototype Android tablet running Air and Flash

Posted in Tablet PC by Conner Flynn on May 5th, 2010

Not only did they demonstrate Flash running on phones like the Nexus One and Palm Pre at the Web 2.0 Expo, but Adobe also has a prototype Android tablet that, according to Zedomax, runs Flash and Air apps “flawlessly.” There aren’t any details on the tablet itself yet, but it seems that it does indeed run Air and Flash pretty nicely.

It runs Wired’s Air-based magazine app and plays YouTube videos without any problems. However, we would like to see it pushed a little harder. Hopefully we will learn more soon. You can check out a video below.

Scosche launches new line of headphones

Posted in Headphones by Shane McGlaun on May 5th, 2010

Scosche is big in the accessory market for the iPhone and iPad along with lots of other devices. The company makes all sorts of wares and we first caught wind of a new line of earphones back during CES.

That new line of headphones is now available from Scosche and includes the IDR655m, IDR355m, IDR355md, and IDR305m. All of the earphones have the tapLINE II Remote and Mic for controlling tracks and making phone calls.

Epson announces NX420 all in one printer

Posted in Epson by Shane McGlaun on May 5th, 2010

I expect pretty much all my computer gear and gadgets to be able to perform multiple functions today. I don’t have the room on my desk for a printer, copier and a scanner. That is why I went with an AIO printer long ago.

Epson has announced a new AIO printer called the Stylus NX420 that is the first to offer 802.11n connectivity for under $100. The printer carries a price of $99.99.

Ellen jokes about the iPhone…then apologizes

Posted in iPhone by Conner Flynn on May 4th, 2010

Apparently Apple doesn’t like satire when it’s about their company and their devices. Seems like they think it’s A-Okay to bully Ellen into apologizing for spoofing an iPhone commercial.

Seriously Apple, I’m starting to think you go out of your way to create bad PR and a Gestapo-like image. Ellen isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but she shouldn’t have to apologize for a simple spoof. When Hitler gets wind of this one he won’t be happy. Bet you can’t get him to apologize.

Samsung Monte Iron Man Edition

Posted in Samsung by Conner Flynn on May 4th, 2010

Samsung Mobile fans who also happen to be comic book fans will love this news. This new special edition of the Samsung Monte has an Iron Man theme and features like a 3 inch capacitive touchscreen, 3.2 mp camera, FM, GPS, Wi-fi and Bluetooth.

You’ll also get some heavy Iron Man content in the SD card that comes along with it. This special edition became available on May 1st so you can get one now. It’s not just for Stark Industries employees.

Maximilian Busser’s Frog watch

Posted in Watches by Conner Flynn on May 4th, 2010

Imagine if you will, a frog that became assimilated by the Borg. This awesome design from watchmaker Maximilian Busser is kinda like that. It’s been designed by Horological Machine Number 3 and Busser and is called simply the Frog.

The shape and style is designed to “bring a child’s sense of awe and sense of playfulness” to all those who look at it. The two large, bulging domes indicate hours and minutes. Those domes are made of sapphire crystal so no scratches.

Internet Explorer falls below 60% of the browser market for the first time

Posted in Browsers by Conner Flynn on May 4th, 2010

Well, it had to happen sooner or later, what with all of the browsers available. For the first time ever Microsoft’s Internet Explorer accounts for less than 60% of the browser market. At one point it dominated with 95% of the market in 2003. NetApplications, who published the figure, has IE at 59.9%, Firefox with 24.5% and Google’s Chrome with a 6.7% share (up from 1.7% last year). Safari wasn’t listed.

Gartner analyst Jeffrey Mann, said, “There are more viable alternatives now. Google has been advertising and there are more people using Macs and Apple’s Safari. There is just a great awareness that there are alternatives,” And it might just be that MS is losing loyal users as well.

World’s first remote heart operation using a robotic arm

Posted in Robots by Conner Flynn on May 4th, 2010

I’m not sure that I would want to be the patient here, but a cardiologist has completed the world’s first remote heart operation at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, UK. The procedure was done using the Remote Catheter Manipulation System, which was built by New Jersey’s Catheter Robotics.

One of the many challenges faced by surgeons with operations like these is the prolonged exposure to the X-Rays used to monitor the patient, but using this method, the operation can be performed over the Internet from anywhere in the world.

First hotel to offer iPads in rooms for $3,000 a night

Posted in iPad by Conner Flynn on May 4th, 2010

The Brits are still waiting for the iPad, so they may want to consider booking a night at the Berkeley hotel in London, which is offering an iPad for guests staying in their suites. The catch? The cost is £2,000 a night.

The Berkeley is an exclusive hotel in Knightsbridge, and they brag that as “the official UK launch of the iPad [is] still not upon us, you can be sure that our guests will be amongst the first to experience the delights of this new innovation.”

Bosch Rotary Hammer drills walls and vacuums up the dust

Posted in Tools by Conner Flynn on May 4th, 2010

No, this isn’t the new ghostbusting gun from the latest Ghostbusters movie. This $356 Bosch 11221DVS Rotary Hammer can drill and suck dust at the same time, which should help you live longer since you won’t be sucking up all that dust.

It does this using a dedicated fan and extendable collar around the drill hole, dust is collected and stored in an easy-to empty, high capacity cloth bag. If you do happen to catch Slimer himself, that’s just a bonus.

iPad in a kitchen cabinet

Posted in DIY by Conner Flynn on May 4th, 2010

The iPad is a pretty versatile piece of tech. It’s also very portable. That is, if you don’t put it in your kitchen cabinet. Then portability goes out the window. Still, the iPad as the centerpiece of your kitchen makes sense. TUAW reader Alan Daly built his directly into the side of a kitchen cabinet, and we can only imagine all of the recipes he’s cooking up.

His screen displays a virtual aquarium when not in use, and don’t worry, it’s above the point of food splattering all over it. Basically, you just cut a hole and add a pair of wooden strips for support. We aren’t sure how he keeps it charged.