MSI Wind Top AE2220 arrives in the US

Posted in MSI by Conner Flynn on November 18th, 2009

MSI Wind Top AE2220 arrives in the USMSI’s all-in-one Wind Top AE2220 just arrived in the States. We can only assume that it arrived with all the fanfare of the Beatles arrival so long ago. And why not? It has some nice specs, like a 21.5″ screen with 16:9 widescreen display, full HD 1080p resolution and high-fidelity 5.1-channel SRS Premium Sound.

Under the hood you’ll find NVIDIA ION graphics and the latest Intel Core 2 Duo/Pentium Dual Core processors, along with VGA and HDMI input ports. The Wind Top AE2220 all-in-one PC will start from $749.99 and go up from there.

OCZ unveils 3.5-inch Colossus SSDs

Posted in SSD by Shane McGlaun on November 18th, 2009

oczcolossus-sbThe typical SSD is a smaller design that is sized to fit into a notebook or netbook computer. OCZ has unveiled a new SSD that is a 3.5-inch device sized for desktops and aimed at consumers and enterprise users.

The Colossus SSD is available in up to 1TB capacity and has an internal RAID 0 configuration for speed. OCZ claims that the drive has a maximum read speed of 260MB/s and a maximum write of 260MB/s and a sustained write speed of 220MB/s.

NZXT launches Tempest Evo PC case

Posted in Computer Cases by Shane McGlaun on November 18th, 2009

nxzttempestevoFor many people the case they choose when building their computer is based more on price than anything else. Computer cases can cost hundreds of dollars for high-end parts made from aluminum with a fancy design. NZXT makes a line of cases that tend to be among the cheapest and offer good looks and performance.

The company has announced a new case called the Tempest Evo that is a mid-tower case designed to E-ATX standards allowing it to accept larger server motherboards. The machine has lots of fans with two in the top, two in front and one on the side and in the rear included.

Maingear Shift gets ATI HD5970 power

Posted in Computers by Shane McGlaun on November 18th, 2009

maingearshift-sbEarlier this month Maingear rolled out its Shift personal supercomputer and it was pretty impressive. With the ATI HD 5970, going live today it’s natural for us to see some new gaming desktops that offer the card inside and the Shift is one of those machines.

Maingear is offering the Shift with both single HD 5970 and dual HD 5970 configurations. The dual 5970 configuration promises 10 teraflops of visual compute power. That is a lot of graphics oomph and should make mincemeat of your favorite video game.

AMD officially unveils the ATI HD 5970 video card

Posted in AMD by Shane McGlaun on November 18th, 2009

atihd5970-sg1After weeks of leaked pictures, specs, and pricing AMD went official today with the new HD 5970 video card. The card is the dual GPU beast that we have been hearing about for weeks now and we finally have the full specs list.

The card has dual GPUs with 3200 total stream processing units, 160 total texture units, and a GDDR5 memory interface. The card has 2GB of RAM clocked at 1GHz and the core clock for the card is 725MHz. the total number of transistors inside the card is 4.3 billion.

Dell uses renewable bamboo in product packaging

Posted in Dell by Conner Flynn on November 18th, 2009

Dell uses renewable bamboo in product packagingCompanies are starting to get more into environmental packaging. The latest is Dell. Dell gets just a little greener by adding bamboo in its product packaging portfolio. And they are the first in the PC industry to do it.

It applies to all Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and Mini 10v netbooks shipped from today onward. Bamboo is used as product cushions cradling the Mini within an outer box that is made from 25% post-consumer materials. Starting early next year, Dell hopes to expand their use of bamboo packaging to a wider range of it’s products.

Real Google Phone to launch: GPhone is real

Posted in Google by Conner Flynn on November 18th, 2009

Real Google Phone to launch: GPhone is RealMost people have dismissed the once rumored phone as being the Google Android operating system, but word on the street is that Google has an actual piece of hardware is in the works. Apparently Google has an actual phone in the works.

And apparently the Google Phone will be even more exciting than the Motorola Droid, which is really saying something. Google won’t manufacture the handset, but will rely on a major mobile company while Google is in full control of design and specifications.

USB Hurricane Lamp with color changing flame

Posted in USB by Conner Flynn on November 18th, 2009

USB Hurricane Lamp with color changing flameThis USB Hurricane lamp allows you to feel like you are in a mine shaft as you type away on your laptop. Just plug it in and it will illuminate your workspace. The flame is color-changing, so you can easily set it to suit your mood.

You’ll be rocking a 4″ plastic hurricane lamp with 7 color changing lights my friend. Only $9.69. What more do you want? You already plug everything else in your USB port. Why not?

Tony Hawk Ride hits US shelves

Posted in Games by Conner Flynn on November 18th, 2009

Tony Hawk Ride hits US shelvesOriginally it was rumored for an October release date, but then that changed to November 17th and sure enough Tony Hawk Ride was all ready to go on November 17. It will cost you $120 and the game/peripheral combo let you do all of the simulated skateboarding you want on the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

European availability is December 4 with Amazon for $149. So go get your fake skateboard and park it next to your fake guitar and drum set.

Google updates Google Earth iPhone app

Posted in Google by Conner Flynn on November 17th, 2009

Google updates Google Earth iPhone appGoogle has updated it’s Google Earth iPhone app. The updates come about a year after the original Google Earth iPhone App was released. Google Earth 2.0 will play nice with the iPhone and iPod Touch, and the new version has a bunch of new features, like the ability to view maps that you create on your PC on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

That one should prove most convenient. Another feature is the updated icon selection, which makes it easier to use. When you touch an icon on the app it will glow, and if you touch more than one icon at once it will take you to a list of icons so you can select the right one.

Milky Way alarm clock

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on November 17th, 2009

Milky Way alarm clockThis is one of the more interesting alarm clock concepts we’ve seen lately. Designed by Henrik Amberla, the innovative design of the Milky Way serves two functions.

It functions as an alarm clock of course, but it’s also a nice piece of art. Want to activate the snooze function? Just turn the device. Setting the clock and the alarm is as easy as doing another turning motion. The Milky Way Alarm Clock is only a concept right now sadly.

SOUNZZZ lets you feel the music

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on November 17th, 2009

SOUNZZZ lets you feel the musicMusic is interesting not just for the way it sounds, but for what it is. We hear music through our ears, but really music is just vibrations in the air. Those vibrations allow the deaf to “feel” rather than hear the music. SOUNZZZ is designed to allow the hearing impaired to enjoy music just like we do.

The sound gets translated into stronger vibrations that are felt by holding the weird egg-shaped device. It will also play a light show along with the vibrations and even has a headphone jack for people who can hear who may want to use it while playing music.

Self-powered diaper monitor system detects pee-pee, maybe one day poo-poo

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on November 17th, 2009

Self-powered diaper monitor system detects pee-pee, maybe one day poo-pooIt’s not that hard for a parent to figure out if their toddler has peed their diaper, but when it comes to old folks, maybe it could be a big help. A research laboratory at Japan’s Ritsumeikan University has developed a monitoring system for wet diapers. It consists of a self-powered sensor/transmitter and a receiver and is designed to assist the staff in hospitals and nursing homes with diaper checks. The sensor kit needs to be placed inside the diaper and then it sends signals to the receiver.

The sensor and the wireless transmitter are powered by a built-in battery that generates electricity using a chemical reaction in the presence of urine. That’s when you know. You have pee-pee.

Free public Wi-Fi for one UK town

Posted in News by Conner Flynn on November 17th, 2009

Free public Wi-Fi for one UK townLooks like a major Wiltshire town is buzzing with excitement as they are about to become the first in the UK to be able to enjoy free public wireless internet access. Swindon Borough Council plans for all 186,000 citizens to soon be swaddled under a blanket “Wi-Fi mesh” by April 2010.

With no connection charge while line rentals are free. The service will be called Signal, but here’s the catch. You will have limited access unless you pay for 20Mb upgrades. The fee is said to be “significantly less” than current broadband suppliers.

Robotic lighting: Robolamps

Posted in Lamps by Conner Flynn on November 17th, 2009

Robotic lighting: RobolampsCheck out these Robolamps from Croatian artist Robert Matysiak. They are all kinds of awesome and I want one now. They’re made from plumbing supplies and green or yellow light bulbs, which is probably what gives them their unique look.

Sadly they aren’t available to the public just yet. That’s a real shame because geeks like me would clean them out. They’re robots. They’re lamps. Enough said.





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