700MHz Dell Refurb OptiPlex Celeron for $47.91 October 31, 2006

Read more Deals

Need a cheap file server, Linux machine, or emailing machine? How about a refurbished 700MHz Celeron for $47.91. It's really bare-bones, with only 128MB of RAM, a 10GB hard drive, Windows 2000 (not installed), onboard Video and Audio, two PCI slots, one AGP slot, and four USB slots. Not bad for $47 though. – Jason Chen

Product Page [HCDI Trading]

Monster Tries to Screw PS3 Owners with Overpriced Cables October 31, 2006

Read more Consoles

Word from our homies at Kotaku is that Monster is already prepping a line of GameLink cables for the PS3. According to Noel Lee, the head monster, it is crucial to properly connect your PS3 with high-end cables for the best PS3 experience possible. These cables are expected to run between $30 and $100.

And with Best Buy goons always trying to upsale Monster Cables with your purchases, expect to shell out the extra money just to get the salesman to shut up and allow you to take home your PS3. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Kotaku]

Top 5 Early Bird Luxo-Gift List October 31, 2006

Read more Gadgets

As soon as Halloween is done, it's a sprint until Christmas. Never mind all that talk about Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that launches the holiday shopping season. If you're planning to buy a luxo-sport gift for that special someone this year, you'll want to avoid that herd of sheep, and get your shopping done early.

That's why we've put together this quick list for the smartest shoppers of all: The Top 5 Early Bird Luxo-Gift List, with gifts priced from $1300 down to $200 listed in descending order. Start now. Avoid those maddening crowds, the relentless pressure, and avoid that sinking feeling when you hear that clock ticking, counting down the minutes until Zero Hour.

After the jump, pick out one of the top 5 luxo-gifts you can get right now, and get it all done ahead of time.

Razer Tarantula Keyboard Reviewed (Verdict: Gives Your Gaming Some Bite) October 31, 2006

Read more Games

The first keyboard from high-end gaming moue extraordinaer, Razer, is about to ship, finally. The Razer Tarantula was first announced at CES 2005, yes almost a year ago, and it again made a debut at E3 back in May with promises of an August release. A few months past the expected release and many refinements, the Tarantula is ready to hit the shelves.

Overall, Razer did a nice job with the Tarantula. If their goal was to develop a keyboard for the hardcore gamer- not your average keyboard with some lighting and a few extra buttons, but actually a keyboard just for gaming- then I would call the product a success. The Tarantula is packed with functions and when the drivers are used properly (this may take a lot of time and effort) the keyboard can help your gaming performance.

Razer Tarantula Gaming Keyboard Review [XYZ Computing]

Hooray for the Future—First Wireless USB Hub Ships October 31, 2006

Read more Wireless

Y-E Data has shipped the first Ultra Wideband USB hub in Japan. The hub uses the Wisair chipset ahs has a small USB dongle that that connects to your computer and wirelessly communicates with a four-port USB hub. Now we just have to wait to see how long a device like this takes to get through the FCC's pound-me-in-the-ass certification process. Come on, FCC goons. I know you wants wireless USB just as much as us. – Travis Hudson

First UWB Hub Ships in Japan [Everything USB]

DVR Sales Down The Pooper by 49%: TiVo Hit Hard? October 31, 2006

Read more DVRs

Yesterday, we wrote about how TiVo is fairing after launching their Series 3 DVR. Since then, we've had some astounding numbers come in that show US DVRs sales are down 49% for January through August, as compared to last year. Since TiVo is number one in this space, they might be taking the brunt of this hit. Seems like a sound jump to reason that most of you are renting your DVRs from your cable or satellite providers.

By the way, I still <3 TiVo, so it pains me to write this. We always hurt the ones we love! –Brian Lam and Brian L. Clark

(Thanks for the data and kisses, NPD group)

Halloween Costume Greatest Hits: Dead Pixel October 31, 2006

Read more Gadgets

This is one of the easiest and most innovative costumes I have seen today. The geekiness inside all of us absolutely despise dead pixels and this costume shares our hatred. I still don't understand the link between dead pixels and diskettes, though. And good luck explaining what you are to almost everyone you see out tonight.

Got a tech, or otherwise awesome Halloween costume, e-mail us some pictures at our tips address and your costume could get featured in your very own post (as long as the costume is cool enough)! – Travis Hudson

Dead Pixel [happydesigns]

Leno and GM Roll Out EcoJet Supercar October 31, 2006

Read more Gadgets

SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) is underway in Las Vegas, and our esteemed compatriots at Jalopnik are there, where they saw Jay Leno rolling out the EcoJet, the latest supercar concept that he and GM VP of Global Design Ed Welburn (pictured with Leno above) sketched out on a napkin. Just in time for Halloween, it's a bio-diesel monster with 650hp under the hood, powered by a Honeywell LT101 turbine engine fueled by refined vegetable oil or even animal fat.

The car resembles a Corvette, using a modified Corvette Z06 aluminum frame underneath, and it has other GM styling cues such as the nose, which looks like a Cadillac STS. The similarity ends there, though, because this is a mid-engine behemoth, looking more like an aircraft than a car. What a spectacular design and engineering feat! We're hoping the GM Design Studio and its attendant suits will decide put something like this on the road sometime soon. Could the 2008 Corvette steal an idea or two from this? – Charlie White

The EcoJet: Jay Leno's New GM-Outsourced Supercar [Jalopnik]

iRobot Sentinel Technology: Control Multiple Robots From a Single Table PC October 31, 2006

Read more Robots

The folks at iRobot stopped developing Jetsons-inspired robot vacuum cleaners for a second to crank out the Sentinel, a technology that allows users to control several different robots simultaneously from a Tablet PC. The technology is being aimed at our fighting men and first responders so they can more safely and efficiently haul ass. The Army threw iRobot some cash to develop the Sentinel, so it's only a matter of time before the technology is deployed in any one of our well-managed theaters of operation.

iRobot, from vacuum cleaners to house-to-house combat robots. A name you can trust. – Nicholas Deleon

More Information [iRobot via CrunchGear]

Asus Goes Valentine on Halloween October 31, 2006

Read more Laptops

Looks like the boys at Asus got their holidays mixed up. Today they let loose a new hot pink version of their leather-clad S6F. The limited edition laptop made its splash alongside the new W6, which is essentially an S6F with a bigger 13-inch screen and a Core 2 Duo processor (the original S6F had an 11-inch screen and Core Duo CPU). We're still fans of the S6F so the new CPU and larger screen are gonna put this ultraportable even higher on our wish list. Click on for a look at the W6.

How To: Save a Wet Cellphone October 31, 2006

Read more Gadgets

I seem to be obsessed with wet gadgets lately. Today, Cory at Boing Boing writes about the stickers inside of phones that turn red when dunked, alerting the Verizon goons to your jack-assery. That reminds me of this tip on how to save a cellphone once its drenched in Champagne and rubbed vigorously while still in your pocket. Oh, Vegas...Anyhow:

Remove the Battery. Use a towel to remove as much of the water as possible. [Then] set it on the back of your computer monitor or TV screen over the heat vents. This is usually the perfect amount of heat to fix your phone. The convection action of the heat vents will help carry away the moisture in your phone. Leave the phone on the heat for at least 2-3 days.

How to Save a Wet Cell Phone [WikiHow via Consumerist]

Download Free Old Time Horror Radio Shows in MP3 October 31, 2006

Read more Digital Audio

If you are still looking for the perfect background music for your Halloween party tonight, or just looking for some music to creep out the trick-or-treaters This may have the perfect solution. The Monster Club has a huge library of oldie horror radio shows available for download in MP3 format. Forget those Halloween noise CDs—just play a couple of these bad boys and show those damned kids what horror was really like, before the Internet. Wait, the world still existed without the Internet? That is a pretty horrific idea itself. – Travis Hudson

Downloads Here [Via Retro Thing]

Virgin Gives Birth to One-Eyed Monster October 31, 2006

Read more Mobile phones

The verdict is still out on Virgin Mobile's new Cyclops phone (the red and white is too Santa Claus for us), but the one-eyed monster will have a few, albeit modest, features. In addition to its 1-megapixel cam, it'll have a new feature called TXT Tones ($1.50/each), which lets you pair incoming text messages with a distinct ringtone. It'll also have Mobile Audio Messaging, a way of sending recorded voice messages as instant messages (sounds a little silly to us, why not just type your message or leave a voicemail). Pricing hasn't been set on the latter, though chances are you can expect a nice gouging from the one-eyed monster. The Cyclops will be out Thursday for $100 bucks. – Louis Ramirez

Virgin Mobile Intros Kyocera Cyclops [via Electronista]

Tricked Out Scion Features First Portable HD Radio October 31, 2006

Read more Digital Audio

We haven't seen that many tricked out Scions before, but this one here is essentially a living room on wheels. In addition to the usual car tech like a Bluetooth hands-free calling kit and GPS navigation, it has the first ever portable HD Radio receiver (shown far right), the HD Jump. (HD Radio ups the clarity of FM stations to near CD quality sound in addition to displaying artist/music info). The car also has a wireless charger for your gadgets, a Boston Acoustics Audio system, and an entertainment center based on Nintendo's Game Boy Advance (we woulda preferred a built-in 360). The car is being shown at SEMA (Speciality Equipment Market Association) in Las Vegas. More pics of the car after the jump.

37-inch Refurb'd Vizio HDTV, $677 Shipped October 31, 2006

Read more Deals

Geeks.com has this off-brand Vizio L37HDTV-R 37-inch HDTV for $675 with $2 shipping. It is a widescreen HDTV in 16:9 with a native resolution of 1366 x 768 and an 8 ms response time. It has a pretty mediocre brightness level of 500 cd/m2 and 600:1 contrast ratio. It does have a plethora of inputs including multiple component and composite along with a single HDMI port. It is refurbished, though. And in the case of HDTVs that could mean something as small as blemishes on the exterior all the way up to 3 dead pixels.

To receive the $2 shipping (which is a hell of a deal in itself) just enter the Secret Saving Code FLATRATE during checkout. This shipping code expires today, and shipping is normally at least $40 on this HDTV. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Dealhack]

Stripy Speakers Rotate, Glow October 31, 2006

Read more Digital Audio

The Stripy Speakers are most easily described as twisty, glowing speakers. They consist of two, 4.5 watt speakers housed in a polished aluminum housing. Also included is a another aluminum housing that contains the glowing button. The button will glow different colors depending on what is being controlled—for example, blue for bass control, green for treble, purple for volume, etc. The speakers are capable of rotating up to 180 degrees so your music can be directed anywhere in the room. The Stripy Speakers are available for $95. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via newlaunches]

Sanyo Eneloopy, the Dog-Gone Battery Tester October 31, 2006

Read more Gadgets

Here's Eneloopy, a little doggie into which you insert one of Sanyo's Eneloop rechargeable batteries, and when you press the button on his chest, his nose lights up if there's still any charge left.

Sanyo introduced its Eneloop batteries about a year ago, with their chief attribute being they arrive to you fully charged. Unlike other rechargeable batteries, they only lose a small percentage of their charge over time.

What, do you stick the battery up the little doggie's ass? Please, say it ain't so. A couple of pics illustrate how it works, after the jump.

Microsoft Packaging for Vista and Office 2007 Revealed October 31, 2006

Read more Software

Microsoft, planning to lure you into using Windows Vista and Office 2007 for the rest of your life, today reveals the packaging for the upcoming products, going with a rounded design reminiscent of a 1950s toaster. Let's let the Microsoftians damn us with their faint prose:

Designed to be user-friendly, the new packaging is a small, hard, plastic container that's designed to protect the software inside for life-long use. It provides a convenient and attractive place for you to permanently store both discs and documentation. The new design will provide the strength, dimensional stability and impact resistance required when packaging software today. Our plan is to extend this packaging style to other Microsoft products after the launch of Windows Vista and 2007 Office system.

Announcing New Packaging [Windows Vista Blog, via Neowin]

Limited Edition Zunes Coming To Fancy West Coast Clothing Stores October 31, 2006

Read more Portable Media

Pictures of special, limited edition Microsoft Zunes have surfaced and the good news is that if you like overpriced West Coast fashion, you're in for a treat. Apparently, Microsoft struck a deal with West Coast-based boutique clothing stores Union, UNDFTD and Stüssy that provides them with tricked out Zunes that'll be sold at (online) auction from UNDFTD's Web site. What do you get for your hard-earned coin? Well, Virginia, you get the fancified Zune, Shure E5c headphones, JBL On Tour portable speakers and a Zero Halliburton case. Yes, that Halliburton.

Only two special Zunes are being made available to each store, so get that wallet ready. Oh, and just in case you're wondering, I've been informed that the proceeds for the auction goes straight to the store's coffers, so don't think you're helping out Dust Bowl victims or anything. Check out more pics of this hot jawn after the jump.

Slingplayer For Mac OS X Officially Released: Start Your Slingin' October 31, 2006

Read more DVRs

After months of empty promises and false starts, Sling Media has finally publicly released a Mac OS X version of its SlingPlayer software. Now, users of Apple's candy-coated operating system can enjoy running Slingbox, slinging, if you will, their media from point A to point B.

The SlingPlayer software appears to be a Universal Binary, meaning that it'll run natively on both the new Intel-based Macs and the older PowerPC-based systems. You'll need to be running Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or later to get in the hot public beta action and you'll need the appropriate home network setup in order to fully enjoy the benefits of Slingbox.

Good, now Mac users can get in on that hot "place shifting" action. It's about damn time. – Nicholas Deleon

Download Link [Sling Media]

How to Make a Candy Cannon October 31, 2006

Read more Gadgets

Do you dread Halloween each year? Do you recoil just thinking about how boogar-faced kids from around the neighborhood trample your flowers in an attempt to deprive—no, rob—you of your precious candy? Teach those little bastards a lesson with the candy cannon.

In five moderately simple steps, you can go from gingerly depositing Tootsie Rolls in their sacks to furiously shooting Baby Ruths in their faces. Just don't let their parents see you. Or the police. – Jason Chen

Candy Cannon [Instructables via MakeZine (Candy Cannon Interview)]

Fry Eggs On Your Xbox 360 October 31, 2006

Read more Consoles , Gadgets , Games , Home Entertainment , Portable Media

Technology gets hot, it’s a fact. How hot? Well you probably wouldn’t want your face strapped to a console of any description but in this video, you’d have to say that the Xbox 360 displays some features not found in the official promotional material. Flaming Sambuca and fried eggs, anyone?

I’m not sure if this proves anything since the heat sink is meant to get really hot. Still, it’ll be fun to see what the PS3 can cook next month – maybe a whole cow – since it will consume twice the power of a 360 to fire it up.-Martin Lynch

news games technology xbox ps3

Budget 47in HDTV From Evesham October 31, 2006

Read more Gadgets , Home Entertainment , TV

Does size matter when it comes to LCD TVs? If it’s an exercise in willy-waving-on-a-budget you’re after, then you might be interested in the latest big HDTV from Evesham Technology.

The PC outfit continues its assault on the living room market with the launch of this 47in LCD HDTV priced at an attractive £1,899. So what do you get for your cash?

It’s full HD-compliant with 1080p support (1920 x 1080 pixels), and comes with both an analogue and a digital TV tuner for nabbing all those Freeview channels. There’s a display response time of 8ms which is average these days but on the connectivity front, things could be a little bit more generous since there’s only one HDMI interface.
Not so handy if you want to hook this up to your set-top box, HD DVD/Blu-Ray, HDMI-equipped PC player or forthcoming PS3.

Still, it is very cheap and has a very useful, three year home-swap warranty. -Martin Lynch

[More]

news technology TV HDTV home

Top 10 Scary Video Games October 31, 2006

Read more Consoles , Gadgets , Games , Home Entertainment , Laptops , Online , PC , Software

Halloween – the only day in the year when its OK to scare the crap out of yourself and others. Apart from the scary midgets that will call to your door looking for sweets, there are other ways to give yourself a DIY pants-filler.

While movies are good, they don’t pack have the fright factor of a good Over 18 horror game. The Suffering, in 5.1 surround with the lights out, still freaks me out. Check out this Top 10 compilation above. Obviously, the makers chose their own faves and may have missed some of your own.

Let us at Gizmodo know what games tightened your sphincter in recent years.-Martin Lynch

news games technology gaming video halloween

Ghost Mouse October 31, 2006

Read more Peripherals

Just in time for Halloween—2007, that is—this Ghost Mouse from Pat Says Now is shaped like a mouse and has two ghosty buttons for you to click on. It's also got a scroll wheel, but face it, you're not buying this mouse for the features.

But really, what kind of person would buy this mouse? Kids? Teachers? Goths? Shut-ins? We've no idea. At least it's white, so any ectoplasm you manage to get on the mouse will be hidden from detection. And hopefully, thanks to the 800dpi laser, there are no problems with ghosting. Har har! – Jason Chen

Product Page [Fabstuff via uber gizmo]

Why the PS3 Needs Lots of Power October 31, 2006

Read more Consoles

A bit of investigative reporting on why the PS3 needs 380 watts of power to fire up.–Brian Lam

PS3 Twice as Power-Hungry as XBox 360 [Giz]

Casio Calms Quivering Hands with New Exilims October 31, 2006

Read more Digital cameras

We've always been fans of Casio's Exilim cameras (they're great cams for our Luddite family members) and now it seems Casio is updating the family with a 7-megapixel Exilim EX-Z7 and a 6-megapixel EX-Z6. Both cams are gonna be fitted with a 2.5-inch LCD and 3x optical zoom and if you have quaky hands like us, both shooters will also have anti-shake image stabilization built-in. Pricing hasn't been set yet, but we're already biased toward the EX-Z7. Take a look at the unborn EX-Z6 after the jump.

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Coleco's Sonic Handheld Plays Sega Games October 31, 2006

Read more Consoles

Coleco owners have a certain fondness for the ColecoVision console of the 80s, despite the fact that it eventually went under. That makes us fairly intrigued when we see that Target is accepting pre-orders for a Coleco Sonic Handheld, a small PSP-like device that plays Sega games. SEGA!

All the games are built in, so there's no need for swapping carts in and out. That also means that what you get is what you get. Forever. Take a look after the jump to see the full list of Sega games.

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Silver PlayStation 2 Officially Announced October 31, 2006

Read more Consoles

Despite the PS3 and Wii consoles being oh-so-close to launching for our greedy little faces, there are actually pretty decent PS2 games due out in the next year. That's why Sony's announcing the release of a limited edition Silver PS2, which will retail for around £80 and come with one DualShock controller.

If your PS2 is about to break, or if you really want to torment your kid who wanted a PS3 but was a spoiled little brat this year, grab one of these and play through Final Fantasy XII, God of War 2, and whatever else is coming this season. Oh, and maybe you can save up these PS2 controllers for use on your PS3. – Jason Chen

Silver PS2 Announced [Kotaku]

Audioengine A5 Reviewed (Verdict: Diamond in the Rough) October 31, 2006

Read more Digital Audio , Home Entertainment

At first glance I was skeptical about the Audioengine A5 bookshelf-style speaker system. But once I received my unit and opened up the box I knew something was a bit different. First and foremost, the individual components were wrapped is cloth bags in the box rather than not wrapped at all or in traditional plastic zip bags. They have to be something special to be wrapped in cloth!

Jump for the full review of the speakers, and to find out how you can get a pair of these bad boys for yourself (for free).

continue reading »

Premium Wii to Ship with DVD Playback? October 31, 2006

Read more Consoles

We're eagerly waiting for the day the Wii hits store shelves, but till then, we have to satisfy our craving with news like this. The UK's EDGE magazine has lifted the curtain on Nintendo's plans to release a premium Wii with DVD movie playback. The Premium Wii will only be available in Japan and it won't be of the Blu-ray or HD DVD variety, but having the ability to play regular DVDs on the Wii is an add-on we wouldn't mind having. – Louis Ramirez

Nintendo Wiis on European DVD Hopes [via T3]

Energy Cocoon Tub: Room for One More? October 31, 2006

Read more Gadgets , Home Entertainment

Install an entire spa in your bathroom with this Energy Cocoon Tub, giving you an invigorating combination of soothing bubbles, billowing steam and an infrared sauna all in one unit the size of a regular whirlpool tub. It contains three multi-colored lamps for a bit of that soothing chromatherapy, and of course, it has those Jacuzzi-like waterjets, too. Then when you're done, you can rinse off with its hand shower.

Yep, it's got it all. Close yourself up in this baby with just your head sticking out, and emerge a while later feeling good as new. Looks like some good clean fun. – Charlie White

Product Page [NeoQi, via Born Rich]

AlphaCool LCD Tattle Tales on Your PC October 31, 2006

Read more Gadgets , PC , Peripherals

Like the annoying little sibling we once were (sorry, sis) the Alphacool LCD squeals on its bigger sibling (in this case your PC) telling you everything it's doing. The Alphacool hooks up via USB and displays CPU load, system temperature, memory use, or anything else you want it to. You can even have it display your incoming e-mail or RSS feeds while you use your main LCD to watch a flick or play games. The Alphacool only has a 240 x 128 resolution and the display is in lovely blue-screen-of-death blue, but we still think it's a cool feature to have if you have the £150 squid to splurge on it. – Louis Ramirez

Alphacool LCD [via Everything USB]

Stupid iPod Cooling Hack October 31, 2006

Read more Digital Audio , Online , Portable Media

Trolling MacOSXHints, I found this idiotic hack to cool off an iPod during a mega-sync session.

I have a 20 GB iPod that's on its last legs. Whenever it syncs a lot of songs [it gets] super-hot. So I borrowed an idea from overclockers...took a cold pack that was in the fridge, wrapped it in a towel to absorb condensation..worked like a charm.

Cooling an overheating iPod [MacOSXHints]

Volkswagen Circa 2054: Big Wheel Keep On Turnin' October 31, 2006

Read more Gadgets

Venezuelan designer Carlos Agell looks ahead to 2054, designing a completely transmogrified VW Beetle with a shape-shifting liquid metal body. It's hard to tell exactly how this works, but it looks like a big wheel with doors shaped like a VW logo. The designer/futurist specified a laser gyrostabilization system to keep the thing upright and to avoid accidents.

Perhaps by 2054 humans won't even need to physically travel from one place to another, but if they do, this looks like a worthy conveyance. By then, dangerous activities such as driving will probably be all done by computers that are thousands of times smarter than us, anyway. After all, doesn't Ray Kurzweil tell us the Singularity is due by 2045? This coolness may be nearly a decade late. – Charlie White

50 More Years: Volkswagen Beetle 2054 [Jalopnik]

Sony Ups Micro Vault Series to 8 GB October 31, 2006

Read more Storage

Sony has announced their latest USB flash drive, the Sony Microvault Midi. With the addition of the Midi (which has nothing to do with awesome MIDI music) Sony has increased the storage capacity up to 8 GB. Also included is the Expander2 compression software supposedly capable of storing up to three times more data. The flash drives will be available next month. – Travis Hudson

Sony Announces 8GB Micro Vault 'Midi' [BIOS]

Xbox Live Update Brings 1080p to the 360 this Week October 31, 2006

Read more Consoles , Online

This Halloween (that's Tuesday for you anti-Halloweenies) will see the Fall update for the Xbox 360. This update will have the addition of 1080p support for both games and video content. Also in the update is support for WMV streaming from a Windows PC running WMP 11 or Windows Media Connect, which is a nice addition—anyone know of a DivX to WMV converter?

Check out some images of the dashboard updates, also over at Kotaku, here. And yes, you are reading correctly—our own Jason "HTC Lover" Chen is filling in at Kotaku for a couple days. Everyone give him some shit (his contact info is over on the left) for betraying us. – Travis Hudson

Fall 360 Dashboard Date and Details Hit [Kotaku]

ATI X1650 Challenges Nvidia 7600 to After-School Fight October 31, 2006

Read more Games , PC , Peripherals

The boys in red are at it again sicking their new Radeon X1650 XT card on Nvidia's GeForce 7600 GT. Both cards are mid range graphics cards capable of getting you through all of today's games (though not always at the highest settings) and the X1650 XT is ATI's somewhat tardy reply to the dominating 7600 GT. The X1650 XT comes with 256MB of DDR3 memory, HDCP support, and is CrossFire-ready, ditching ATI's dongle approach for a less obtrusive bridge connection. AnandTech was at the playground as both cards duked it out and had this to report. . .

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iPod Shuffle v2.0 Finally Shipping October 31, 2006

Read more Digital Audio , Portable Media

Remember that super-small iPod Shuffle v2.0 from the Showtime event well over a month ago? The good news is that this player is finally shipping. Way too long after it was announced, in my opinion. Nevertheless, it is still a nifty little MP3 player, and it is made by Apple, so we can't hate on it for too long. Go pick it up from an Apple Store or order it online—just in time for the holidays. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Apple]
iPod Shuffle v.2 to hit shelves any day now [MobileMag]

PQI Creates World's First Click-Style Retractable USB Flash Drive October 31, 2006

Read more Storage

The PQI U350 is a flash drive that has the world's first retractable USB connector. Wait, no, that can't be right because SanDisk has been doing it for years. Oh, it is the world's first click-style retractable USB connector flash drive. Damn, PQI, you guys really wanted to earn a world's first title.

The drive is available in capacities from 512 MB up to 4 GB. The USB connection works like a traditional click-pen. Push the end in to click the connector out, push it again to click it in—kind of neat, yet pointless. No word on pricing or available. – Travis Hudson

PQI Releases World's First Flash Drive with Retractable USB Connector [OhGizmo!]

PS3 Twice as Power-Hungry as XBox 360 October 31, 2006

Read more Consoles

Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3, due on US shores on November 17, sucks up 380 watts of power, a far cry from the PS2 which sips a mere 45 watts. That means the PS3 uses more than twice the 160 watts consumed by the Xbox 360. The PS3's 380 watts will cost you around £40 a year to run if you play it two hours a day.

This appears to bode well for the Nintendo Wii, which, according to Kou Shiota, a key member of the console's design team, will have outstanding power efficiency: "With a smaller chip and minimised power consumption, Wii can be left on 24 hours a day." Note that Shiota didn't indicate the exact wattage used by the Wii. And, Nintendo's Wiiconnect24 service requires the Wii to be left running 24 hours a day, so that might cancel out that power advantage. Either way, you gotta pay to ride the train. – Charlie White

Sony Playstation 3 further details [Newlaunches]

Futuba Robot Hooked on Speed October 31, 2006

Read more Robots

Although they may freak us out from time to time, we're generally not afraid of robots. But show us a bot that moves faster than we can think and we may change our minds (even if he's only 10-inches tall). The Futuba has 11 high-torque motors that make it look like he's on speed. It can kick, punch, and lift itself up if it falls over. It comes with 15 pre-programmed moves (you can also use your PC or the bundled motion editor to program your own) and reminds us of our gymnastic robot (in its own rigid way). Video after the jump.

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