Prolite X4868 Motion Sensing Monitor March 23, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
This 19-inch monitor features an integrated motion sensor that will detect when a person sits in front of the monitor and power it on. I always thought having the monitor in standby mode was sufficient. Any electrical warriors out there know if having the monitor off completely rather than standby mode makes a significant difference? This U.K. monitor will retail for around $300 and confuses us.
Motion sensing monitor [Red Ferret]
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PS3 Dev-Kit Running on XP? March 23, 2006
READ MORE Home Entertainment
The horror! Microsoft’s Major Nelson took this candid shot of the PS3 dev-kit running on XP. Somewhere, Tux is screaming. And screaming.
Apparently, the dev-kit was supposed to be Linux-only and was also supposed to come with a pet dolphin and make you see beautiful sunrises. However, this frightening development truly changes the entire game. After all, when was the last time Sony used a proprietary, closed-source software or hardware platform?
PS3 Running XP? Ponders Major Nelson [Kotaku]
The HD-DVD Tally: Toshiba, Hitachi, Acer, Who Else? March 23, 2006
READ MORE Laptops
Looks like Acer has tipped its hand and will be producing HD-DVD laptops this year, fast on Toshiba’s long tail. No details on the final implementation—and, most importantly, no details on if Acer will also support Blu-Ray—but we should get a few bets together on the winning format. I’m currently inching towards BR, but HD-DVD just sounds so unproprietary that it feels like it’s going to win. What say ye?
Acer to launch notebooks with built-in HD DVD [NewLaunches via MobileMag]
1080p: Dream the Impossible Dream March 23, 2006
READ MORE Games
In the grand scheme of things, the average gamer—and I don’t mean folks who are reading this right now—can’t tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. Thank God, because according to Microsoft’s Scott Henson, director of game technology, pure 1080p content is very, very hard to produce and any hardware manufacturer who is claiming to that their console or PC will produce it is a liar. A fat, huge liar.
Considering most current “HD” games are 720p at best, it’s no surprising that MS is harshing on the future gaming buzz. But do they have to call people names like that?
The interview also posits on the possibility of a Blu-Ray add-on, but little else.
Exclusive: MS on 1080p, BluRay, Expansion [Kikizo via TheInquirer]
Set Your Alarm on Vibrate March 23, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Turning away from the steady stream of annoying alarm clocks we’ve seen lately, the Lifemax Under Pillow Vibration Alarm Clock attempts to keep from bothering those around you by vibrating you awake rather than making obnoxious noises or requiring you to perform mundane tasks.
However, if you’ve ever been startled by your vibrating cellphone, you’ll know that this may have its own annoyances. It would be great for the hard of hearing, though. It’s £12.
Product page [via popgadget]
Bike Frame Uses Nanotube Technology, Light as Five Mobile Phones March 23, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Carbon Nanotube (CNT) technology is making lots of things possible that were never dreamed of before, for instance, this bike frame on the BMC SLC01 Pro Machine that weighs 2.1lb, or about as much as five mobile phones. How is it made? Said its makers: "Tiny tiny tiny (you can’t even see ‘em) tubes of carbon fiber (ie: nanotubes) are mixed into the resin which bonds the carbon sheets together, and work to add strength to the resin much like using wire-mesh in concrete does."
All this feather-light high technology comes at a steep price though, where the frame, fork and headset alone for this bike cost £2100.
PEZ-Clusive Test: BMC SLC01 [PezCycling News]
Dell’s $10K XPS 600 Gaming Rig March 23, 2006
READ MORE PC
Dell has begun to take orders for its XPS 600 Renegade, a gaming desktop that costs just under $10,000 (= £5760). The system trumpets several advanced technologies nary before seen in a consumer desktop. Graphics buffs will be pleased to know that a four nVidia 7900s power the system, delivering 2GB of on-board memory. Also of note is the presence of the world’s first dedicated physics accelerator, the AGEIA PhysX, in essence freeing up the CPU from having to perform physics engines’ complex calculations. The CPU itself, an Intel Pentium Extreme Edition Dual-Core, runs at an overclocked 4.26GHz. While the price tag may seem a little steep, keep in mind that the system comes with the Dell 3007WFP 30-in. flat panel monitor. Finally a use for all those big sacks of money that you undoubtedly have strewn about the house.
Dell Takes Orders on XPS 600 Renegade Gaming Desktop [Business Wire]
Virtual Parenting For The Nervous March 23, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets , Online , Software
Kids are great. Even better when they're someone else's. Virtual children are the best of all because when you get bored and leave them no one can arrest you. Meet Eccky, a game that allows two parents or nerds with nothing better to do, to create and interact with a little rugrat of their own without swapping any fluids whatsoever. The game is played via MSN Messenger and you get to spawn a cyberbrat that will grow up hating you too and never pay back the hundreds and thousands of pounds you wasted on them. Thankfully, you can raise this sprog all the way to 18 years old in just six days. Via Shiny Shiny
Gummi Lenses Expand Cameraphone Capabilities March 23, 2006
READ MORE Mobile phones
Take that camera phone to the next level with the Gummi Lens Full Selection Pack, a collection of six stick-on lens attachments, some of which could actually be useful. There’s a wide angle attachment that could come in handy in close quarters, and a macro lens lets you get in a really close. Mildly useful is the vignette attachment which has a clearly focused area in the middle surrounded by soft focus effects, and then things get silly with the stretch, kaleidoscope and starburst effects, probably good for some tipsy fun. The collection of lens attachments is £14.95.
Product page [via Shiny Shiny]
Dell 2407WFP Ships in Japan March 23, 2006
READ MORE Peripherals
All signs point toward impending availability of Dell’s 2407WFP 24-inch LCD, since the company shipped the unit in Japan this week. The big 1920x1200 display has a 1000:1 contrast ratio like its predecessor but speeds up its response time to 6 ms and adds HDCP. It also has a nice, thin bezel and swank-looking base, too. Should run about £750.
This opens up some possibilities here at home, though, where you can now pick up Dell’s 24-inch 2405FPW LCD, the older model with similar specs, for £460 at Dell’s website. It was £580 before. We’re staring at one right now, and we’re here to tell you, this monitor is going to be hard to beat, especially at that price.
Word on the street also has it that Dell will release a 27-inch flat panel with specs that are similar to its enormous 30-inch unit, at prices that will be much lower than the £1265 tariff for that 30-inch monster.
Dell 2407WFP released in Japan [über gizmo]
The Top 20 Tools Of All Time March 23, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Obviously, when I first read this headline I instantly started compiling my own list of top tools. Ian Paisley, Vanessa Feltz, Tinky Winky….until I realised they meant real, actual “make-things-with” kinda tools. In an article in Forbes, they list what they believe are the 20 most important tools of all time. How disappointed I was to find out this had nothing to with low-blow personal attacks on famous/infamous people. Today we call many things gadgets but since these things actually managed to change history and advance mankind, they’ve been promoted to tools. The nose hair clippers might not be making the grade then. Not a single mention of the corkscrew, the bow or those little peppermint flavoured flossing sticks either. Still, it’s a fun read and you get to vote for what ever you think is important today. Via Forbes and Gizmag.
Intel to Ship Quad-Core Processor in January March 23, 2006
READ MORE PC
Intel revealed its latest roadmaps for processor releases, and the big news is a quad-core desktop chip the company calls Kentsfield which should be available in January. Hey, that’s the same month Microsoft is saying Vista will ship. The company plans for the processor to be used on desktops and as a Viiv chip.
Meanwhile, Intel quietly launched a 3.73GHz dual core Pentium processor, which the company says will ship in the second quarter of this year. Christened the Pentium Extreme Edition 965 (pictured at right), it will replace the 955, the current top-of-the-line Extreme Edition chip which runs at 3.46 GHz.
Intel Kentsfield quad core slated for Q1 2007 [The Inquirer]
Intel launches 3.73GHz Extreme dual-core Pentium [Reg Hardware]
Tinpod Limited-Edition iPod Cases March 23, 2006
READ MORE Portable Media
In the vast sea of iPod cases on the market, these limited-edition cases from Tinpod are unique and worth a look. They’re designed to accommodate 3G, 4G and 5G iPods, with ports on the bottom so you can keep the case closed and your iPod safely protected from the elements. These first three designs are available at two for £17, with more on the way. Now all we need are cases like these for the nano.
Hasselblad to Build Camera with Built-In Tilt/Shift? March 23, 2006
READ MORE Digital cameras
Our favorite world-traipsing photographer Matthias B. sends us his latest news from the world of high-end photography:
"it looks like hasselblad, which makes these high-end cameras for masochists, fetishists, and pro photographers who don’t know better is discontinuing its panoramic camera due to new EU regulations - wether or not they’re keeping it in japan and the rest of the world was ambiguous, but it sounds like they’re not. they’re also saying that they’ll announce a new, high-end, tilt/shift system at the photokina (told you it was interesting…)
t/s allows you to control perspective and plane of focus in camera, basically allowing you to make images with a shallower depth of field at small apertures, a deeper one at wide apertures, and to straighten building while you’re at it, or to throw it completely out of whack and put on the “art” filter (it seems like one photographer in every country does this for the art market, which systematically ooohs and aaaahs as it rediscovers the amazing miracles of the “world looks like a model” effect that comes with it, i’ll link to a couple of examples to refresh your memory).
They’re also apparently speccing sensors now, and looking for someone to build it for them. they will likely be extremely expensive, and take good-quality pictures, but feature a mechanical human interface design that makes you feel like you’re in a dungeon with Mistress Gustava, master of the leaky 120 back."
Not that we could afford any Hasselblad at all, but adding in tilt/shift seems like a strange choice.
Wide of the marque [BJP-Online]
BBC Confirms World Cup HDTV Kick-Off March 23, 2006
READ MORE TV
Sporting-type people, listen up. The BBC has confirmed – even though it had earlier promised – that it will broadcast both Wimbledon and the World Cup in high-definition (HD). A one-year trial of its HD service will begin in mid-May. To receive the super high-res iimages of men and women in shorts you will need a HDTV, relevant set-top box and a HD service via satellite or cable company. For those of you less interested in sport, the Beeb will also be transmitting HD versions of popular TV programmes like Galapagos, Hotel Babylon and Planet Earth. The first World Cup game is on June 9. All we need now is for Sky and the cable companies to get off their collective asses and start providing the HD set-top boxes and services. Tick tock. Via BBC.
Self-Stirring Cup March 23, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Mariah Carey is so lazy she has an assistant to put a straw in her mouth so she can drink during press conferences, so it’s a good bet she’s probably lazy enough to have her assistant stir her coffee for her. We can’t tell you how to make enough money to be able to afford such a lifestyle, but for $22 you can buy this cup that stirs its contents by itself at the press of a button. Quality of life is relative, man. It’s all relative.
Whirl Wind Cup [gadget.brando.com.hk, via Uber-Review]
LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Pre-Order Starts April 1 March 23, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
You fans of LEGO MINDSTORMS had better mark your calendars for April 1, as that’s the date the LEGO Shop and retailers like Amazon, Target, Fry’s and Wal-Mart will start taking pre-orders for the new MINDSTORMS NXT. Pre-ordering is the only way you can be sure to get a box of the highly-anticipated NXT, even at $249.99.
LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT [LEGO Shop, via nxtbot.com Blog]
iPod Phone All But Confirmed? March 23, 2006
READ MORE Portable Media
Australian tech news site Smarthouse talked to an unnamed executive at Taiwanese cellphone company BenQ recently, who says Apple representatives have been working on manufacturing deals in Taiwan for an iPod phone over the past few months:
“An iPod phone is definitely coming. BenQ will not be making it as we are in competition with Apple however several of our suppliers have been approached to manufacture parts. Among manufacturers in Taiwan it is common knowledge. The issue for many is the availabilty of parts if the phone takes off” said the BenQ executive.
We’ve been talking about iPod phones for years now, but it seems like they might actually genuinely be in our near future. If you’re looking to buy a swanky new phone in the next year or so, cross your fingers and start saving your change.
iPod Phone Confirmed [Smarthouse]
Dualit Digital Radio March 23, 2006
READ MORE Digital Audio
British company Dualit are famous for making gorgeously-styled appliances, most notably their Vario line of toasters, and their new DAB digital radio is no exception to tradition. Pricey at £200 and only for use in the UK, its retro chrome good looks make that Sony radio we cooed over just the other day look like a chump.
Swiss Business Tool March 23, 2006
READ MORE Gadgets
Honestly, the Swiss army knife went out with boy scouts. With growing up comes different responsibilities. For example: people trade in whittling wood with stapling memos and TPS reports. This Swiss Business Tool will provide you all of the tools you’ll ever need. It includes a flat-clinch stapler, hole punch, staple remover, scissors, optical gauge and it even sticks to its original roots with a nail file.
Swiss Business Tool [uncrate]
Dell Buys Alienware March 23, 2006
READ MORE PC
Dell’s Gretchen Miller has just confirmed to Gizmodo (and, to be fair, a room full of journalists) that the PC giant is indeed buying Alienware. Alienware will be operating as a separate entity from Dell—at least for now—and Dell will retain their XPS line of gaming hardware.
Alienware’s CEO Nelson Gonzalez has written a surprisingly human-sounding letter about the acquisition:
"Given all that, why then agree to an acquisition by Dell? Wouldn’t an acquisition by a larger, more established PC company like Dell violate the core brand tenets of Alienware, not to mention alienate (no pun intended) the core fanatical customer base we have built up such a huge following with? The simple answer is no. We believe that this acquisition will offer our customers the best of both worlds — an Alienware that takes advantage of the world-class business practices and operational efficiencies that have made Dell one of the most respected companies in the world, while preserving the DNA of the Alienware brand and product strategy portfolio."
Also, I got a fistful of bills with Washingtonheads on them.
With Alienware buy, Dell will sell AMD-based computers [News.com]
Nokia’s Vanjoki Expects Total Domination March 23, 2006
READ MORE Mobile phones
Anssi Vanjoki, head of Nokia’s multimedia division, recently did an interview with the Financial Times in which he expressed the belief that the ubiquity of multimedia cellphones would soon sound a death knell for music device and camcorder manufacturers, much as they have helped herald the end of the photo industry as we know it.
Nokia made 100 million cameraphones last year and have been the world’s largest manufacturer of cameras for a while now. They made 40 million music handsets in 2005 and aim to double the number in 2006; Apple has sold 42 million iPods total, 32 million of those last year. If the much-rumored iPhone does finally surface this year, it’ll be interesting to see the giant of multimedia phones battle it out on the same field as the giant of music players.
Nokia sees end for makers of MP3 players, video cams [Reuters, via AllAboutSymbian]
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