Shopping: DVD -R/-RW 4X 2X 12X for $19 (AR)
If you are willing to deal with the rebate hassle, then this is a good deal. A DVD-R/RW writer for less than $20, it's pretty hard to find even remotely cheaper.
Friday, August 27
Shopping: 512MB SD card for $62.99
Prices for flash memory are getting ever cheaper, and this is the latest example.
News: DJammer prototype
From HP's website:
The HP DJammer portable appliance is the next generation of MP3 players. Building on top of current MP3 players, the HP DJammer has the following two additional functionalities: a personal DJ User Interface (UI), and a live digital session with one (or more) similar HP DJammer appliance enabling listeners to create music and digitally mix in real-time together (hence the term jamming).
Various DJ UI are implemented with buttons, wheels, knobs, similar to currently available MP3 players, and DJ digital turntables, or with sensors such as optical to analyze the finger movement on the device, or a 3D accelerometer to tie the way the device is shaken with the speed at which the music is played. A first product sketch is shown below.
Live digital jamming session is implemented using off-the-shelf wireless solutions, such as 802.11, and Bluetooth. IP technology is used for streaming (RTP / RTCP), and session management (SIP).
News: Panasonic's sleek looking Wireless Webcam
Known under the product name BLC30A, this webcam is wirelessly connected to the internet by Wifi. It supports speeds of 10Mbps (802.11B) or 54Mbps (802.11G). There's also a BLC10 Model that is not wireless (and probably less expensive). Both Cameras can tilt & pan and have a sensor to detect "human presence", whatever that means. The device it self is pretty small: 74mm x 98mm x 61mm.
Price: $280
Buy it here.
More info (PDF)
News: HP is entering the consumer electronics arena
Inspired by Gateway & Dell, and thinking that they can leverage their buying power in Taiwan and China, HP is wants to be in your living room. This fall, HP will begin to ship the following products:
The LC2640N (26", $2499) and LC3040N (30", $2999) (PC World is claiming that this unit is 40", but given the Model# LC30 and the price, I believe that 30" is more likely -thx Joe-) LCD TVs. They will both have the same specs, with a resolution of 1280x768 and support for DVI inputs.
PL4245N (42", $4999) HD-Plasma TV with native 1024x768 resolution and PE4240N (42", $2999) Plasma TV with a low resolution of 852x480. Both models are said to have a sleek design, and are rated for 50000 hours of use.
A home projector will also be featured. The EP9010 Projector will be a Projector/DVD/Speakers(2.1) that weighs 23 pounds. The lamp is rated for 4000 hours and the noise level is 34dbA. The advantage of the combo form factor, -HP claims-, is that you'll be able to move it and enjoy a movie in a different room without reconnecting a bunch of cables.
I'm not so sure about the moving part, it seems more like a justification after the facts to me :) Plus, the projector is quite ugly.
Price: Unknown
Thursday, August 26
Shopping: Hyundai ImageQuest L70S 17" TFT Flat Panel for $279.99
The L70S 17" has a max resolution of 1280x1024, a contrast ratio of 450:1 and is under a 3 years warranty parts & labor. it's on Outpost.com.
Price: $279.99
Tips: Treo600 / Use your Unlimited Nights&WE minutes to connect to the internet
My cellphone provider is Cingular, and I have to say that their data plans are plain too expensive. However, if you don't need to be connected all the time (exemple: for email-push), you should know that you can use the minutes of your plan to connect to the internet to: Check/send emails, do a google search, or sync with Avantgo. I have unlimited N&W minutes, so I want to take advantage of them to casualy go on the web.
You will need a dial-up access provided by an ISP. most DSL subscriptions comes with a dial-up one. In my case, I'm using SBC DSL. They have the dial-up numbers here.
Here's how to proceed:
1/ Go to the preferences
2/ click on the upper-right and select "Network"
3/ In "Service", enter the name of your connection, for example: "Dialup". Enter the username and password that you use to log in your dial-up connection. Enter the (local) phone number that your ISP gave you.
4/ Press "Connect". You should see a "connecting" screen, then a "signing on" screen.
5/ Voila! the two arrows above the reception bars show that you are connected.
If this does not work, make sure that Cingular enables CSD (Circuit Swithed Data) on your plan. It should come at no charge, but ask the representative to be sure.
Downside: you cannot receive calls while connected. This will consume the minutes of your plan the same way that it would if you were talking. If you're using all the minutes of your plan, don't blame me for the bill ;)
News: Treo Ace photos !
At last we have photos of a real, live Treo Ace. Hi-res screen, new Keyboard layout (bigger keys), removable battery, Push-to-talk, bigger speaker, bluetooth...and more
More photos: here and here
Put a plastic on your keyboard... 1,2,3 ... Drool!
Read the whole thread.
Price: Unknown.
News: Siemens phones could cause hearing damage
From designtechnica.com:
"Because of the software error, if a telephone call is automatically cut off because the battery has run down, the disconnection melody could possibly start to play loudly. In extreme cases, this volume could lead to hearing damage."
Affected phones: "C65, CX65, M65, S65, SL65 as well as all provider variations such as the CV65, CT65, CXV65 and CXT65."
The site also mentions what siemens recommends to avoid problems.
Good hearing: Priceless
News: Mitsubishi claims that you'll get more Vitamin C by using their fridge
The manufacturer claims that this little lamp located in the vegetables compartment will help your vegetables produce up to 10% more Vitamin "C". If you read japanese, they also have slides with scientific proof, apparently... So, make your vegetables happy by not letting them rot in the dark, they'll pay you back in vitamin "C". It's probably the most expensive (and geekiest) way of getting vitamin "C" that I know of...
Price: Unknown
News: Camera with a really BIG LCD screen
I thought that my Casio Exilim EX-Z3 had a big (2.5") screen, but I would love to use this Oregon Scientific camera that has a 3.5" LCD screen. Wow!
It's a small camera, at 109 x 70 x 27mm. It has 16MB on internal memory and accepts SD cards.
Price: $350-$400
News: Nokia 9300 communicator
from Phonemag.com:
The 9300 is speculated to not feature integration of WLAN, camera and possibly have less memory than the 9500. It does have a small keyboard for ease of writing e-mails and surfing the Internet.
The trend is definitely to put keyboards on devices meant for text communication. I think that Nokia does not have a winner here, many mainstream phones, like the motorola A630 will feature a keyboard for basic SMS+email, while the high-end models with have wifi, camera and other things that the Nokia 9300 is lacking. Oh, and there's also the price issue, the Nokia 9300 i s apparently selling for $860...
Wednesday, August 25
News: Samsung DuoCam VP-D6050i
This device is a fusion between a camcorder and a 5 Megapixels camera. While this is a cool gizmo to look at, I'm not sure that I would like to carry something that's 540grams! I used to have a camcorder/camera, and belive me, it's not that convenient to have both in the same device. That's my personal preference anyways.
Price: Unknown
shopping: 512MB USB 1.1 Flash Drive for $65
The size makes it interresting, but It's really a pity to use a slower USB standard for such a drive. Other than that, it is recognized as a Universal Mass Storage device, and no drivers are needed on ME/2000/XP or Mac OS9 and X.
It's up to you to decide if you can bear slow writes.
Price: $65
News: 100Mb/sec internet access
In Sweden, broadband companies are increasing the speed of their offerings to offset the price fall. Right now, the only way they have to keep margins from falling is to entice customers to upgrade their subscription to a faster internet access. For us, in the United States, it's just science fiction, at this point.
"Bredbandsbolaget (http://www.bredband.com/se/index.jsp) also offers 100-megabit-per-second service for 595 Swedish crowns ($79.49) a month in select neighborhoods where the telecom wiring is state-of-the-art. More than 1,500 households have signed up for the service, the company said. "
[Read on yahoo]
Price: $80/mo
Thanks to Joe for the tip!
News: Beer bootles made of Aluminium
The Pittsburgh Brewing Company is announcing new bottles made of aluminium. Alcoa will be the provider of the material.
From their website:
"Piccirilli notes the company has always been on the cutting edge of its industry, and the new aluminum bottles continue that proud history. “We are proud to once again be introducing an innovation in the beer industry. These new aluminum bottles not only make an attractive and unique package, they provide a way to keep our beer fresher and colder, longer. “"
If I see any, I'll give it a try, just because Aluminium-anything is cool :)
News: USB weight sensor
If you thought that the USB-powered electric toothbrush was weird, look at this one: a USB Weight sensor! I wonder if good software comes with it?
Price: Unknown.
News: Hamster-Powered Night Light
The guys from Otherpower.com give ample details on how to build a Hamster-based energy source. I wonder if this would work with Squirrels as well, because there a bunch of them around my place...
News: Apple Desk
For all the Apple-Lovers who already own a G5+powerBook+iPod: There's one thing missing in the collection: the Apple Table.
News: LinkTheater II from Buffalo
There are more and more DVD players coming out with PC-like features every week. The "LinkTheater II" plays every major audio/video format from MPEG1/2/4 to VM9. It has a USB 2.0 connection and can be plugged to an external HDD, for exemple. Price: Around $300
Tuesday, August 24
News: Make your iPod Glow...
Or at least the wheel of the iPod. It seems to be something that you can just "stick" on the iPod wheel. It's going to look white in normal ligthing condition, but it will glow when the lights are off. The site claims that it will help you find you iPod in dark conditions, such as the "bottom of a large bag" or "in the car". Well... regardless I think it's pretty amusing.
Price: $9
Buy it here
News: Samsung SCH-A790 Review
Verizon will be the first U.S operator to sell this phone. The particularity of the SCH-A790 is that it can switch between GSM and CDMA networks. This is very cool, especially if you travel a lot. Europe is mostly GSM, while there's a lot of CDMA networks in Asia. This sleek looking phone is also equipped with a very good screen. Battery life on the other hand seems to be an issue: only 2 hours of talking, according to the review.
Price: $350
Release date (without contract): September
Shopping: DELL 20" 2001FP LCD monitor for $719, free shipping
Online offer on DELL.com. 20% off coupon code: 7KQRRQJDWN974M
1600x1200 native resolution.
16ms response time.
Shopping: Pre-order HALO 2 for Xbox
The sequel of the Xbox mega hit "Halo" can be pre-ordered here. It's one of the most anticipated Xbox game ever.
[read the review of the first HALO]
News: 2GB Memory Stick
Following the normal evolution of flash storage media, Sony is going to introduce a 2GB memory stick. The bulk of the memory sticks are used in digital cameras and such, but the new capacity could enable other devices such as Camcorders or Video Players/Recorders.
Price: Unknown, but ouch!
Release Date: November 2004
News: Howard Forum's has a review of the Motorola MPX220
It's everything the MPX 200 should have been. The MPX 220 is a quad-band world phone driven by the new Windows Smartphone 2003 SE Operating System. The processing power comes from the Texas Instrument (TI) OMAP 1611 "dual core" processor. Apparently it might be possible to use a WIFI (SD) card. That would be real nice, because the web browser has been improved to a point that it is usable now :)
Check out the author's first impressions and look at the pictures here.
News: Sony PSP technicals details revealed
From ExtremeTech:
In a presentation at the Hot Chips conference here Tuesday, designer Masanobu Okabe described further details of the PSP chipset, which the company concealed with the non-specific title: "A 90-nm embedded DRAM single-chip LSI with a 3D graphics H.264 codec engine and a reconfigurable processor".
[Read the whole article on ExtremeTech]
Shopping: NEC ND-2510A Dual Layer +/- DVD Writer (SILVER) for $79
On newegg.com:
Write Speed: 2.4X Double Layer DVD+R9, 8X DVD+R, 4X DVD+RW, 8X DVD-R, 4X DVD-RW, 32X CD-R, 16X CD-RWRead Speed: 40X CD-ROM, 12X DVD-ROMInterface: ATAPI / E-IDEBuffer: 2MBOS Support: Windows XP/ 2000/ Me/ 98SE
It has a silver front panel, so that's perfect for this aluminium case that you have... ;)
News: The Pentax OptioX
"Pentax has today announced its first swivel lens compact in the shape of the stylish Optio X which echoes Nikon's early design of the 900 series. The right hand side rotates 180 degrees upwards and 90 degrees downwards. Manfactured from aluminium alloy and resin coating, the Optio X boasts five megapixels and is the slimmest camera in the range at 18mm."
Avail: October 04.
News: Computer Worm turns on your webcam
From the inquirer.net:
"According to Sophos a virus called Rbot-GR, which has been seen in the wild but not done much yet, switches on your webcam. Media friendly Sophos spokesman Graham Cluley said that the virus allows the writer to peek into the lives of victims and is pretty creepy.
Although the virus has not been particularly successful at reproducing, it is possible that it could become a standard feature of future viruses, Cluley said."
News: Honda Develops Hybrid Scooter Prototype
From the press release:
"To make the most efficient use of energy, the hybrid system charges the battery during deceleration and whenever possible and utilizes this power when higher output is required. In addition, the scooter enters idle stop mode, when the scooter is stopped, and whenever power is not needed, during deceleration. These advanced features allow the hybrid scooter to achieve 1.6 times the fuel economy of the Dio Z4 (when riding on flat ground at 30 km/h) and to produce 37% less carbon dioxide."
Price: Unknown
News: mini Hard Drives invasion continues. now in GPS
They can be found in Music players, Camcorders, Digital Cameras, Mass Storage devices... now those tiny 2/4GB hard drive are going into GPS receivers as well. Cornice, who manufacture drives has landed a contract to provide drive for the "StreetPilot" 2620 and 2660 from Garmin. 2GB is enough to hold detailed maps for the U.S and Europe.
News: Voice Over IP (VOIP) going into your next router
I have not received my Lingo box yet, it should arrive on wednesday. Lingo is a VOIP service that lets you use a regular phone to call another regular phone, using your broadband connection. It works by plugging your phone to a box that is going to convert the analog phone conversation to TCP/IP packets that will transit on the internet.
Apparently, major manufacturers are putting this conversion capability directly in their upcoming routers. It will be one less box on your desk ;)
Price: $100-$200
Release Date: Dec 2004
News: Ultimate Wine bottle storage
According to the manufacturer, this gizmo can keep your wine at a perfect temperature and humidity. It also offers UV protection and prevents the bottle from being shaken. The 1 bottle version is the sleekiest one, but there are 6 and a 12 bottles versions.
Price: Unknown
Avail : in Japan.
Monday, August 23
News: Wear your gizmos in comfort
I'm wearing my gadgets on my belt, that's why my friend Joe D. calls me "Batman". After years of mocking I found a solution: the BlackCoat-T.
From the manufacturer:
"This Patent Pending t-shirt contains 2 specially designed compartments that are all interconnected by a single passageway. A zipper opening is strategically positioned in the center of the passageway providing easy storage and removal, even when worn under a button-down shirt. Most of today’s cell phones, music players, PDAs and small digital cameras fit easily through the zipper opening and into or out of the passageway. By feeling the item through the passageway, one is able to quickly store or retrieve their mobile necessity, even in the most stressful situations."
I especially like the "even in the most stressful situations". Now, Joe will mock me for that weird read zipper line on my T-shirt, but he won't call me "BatMan" anymore!
Price: $35
News: Control your home with Windows Media Center Edition
With previous products from Home Automation Inc, you could control your home from the web. In September, you will be able to do so from your TV as well. H.A.I will be shipping a plug-in to Windows Media Center Edition (MCE) that will let you change the lighting, temperature and security settings of your (already-equipped) home.
... And what happens if windows is frozen? ;)
Price: Unknown.
News: Transparent Aluminium
"Scientists in the US have developed a novel technique to make bulk quantities of glass from alumina for the first time. Anatoly Rosenflanz and colleagues at 3M in Minnesota used a "flame-spray" technique to alloy alumina (aluminium oxide) with rare-earth metal oxides to produce strong glass with good optical properties."
Wow! I can already see the applications: more transparent gizmos :-)
yes, this is a metal...
News: The "Moo Cow Moo" PC Case
Someone had the crazy idea of making a PC Case in the shape of a Cow, using a mini-ITX motherboard.
In case you don't know what the mini-itx format is, I'll explain shortly: The PC motherboards have physical formats that are standardized AT (old), ATX and mini-ATX. Most of todays shipping PCs have ATX boards & cases. Via Technologies has created the "Mini ITX" and the "Nano ITX" format. Those two formats are really tiny, ranging from 120mm to 170mm square! This allows original case designs and mods.
Learn everything about mini&nano ITX here.
Apricorn EZ Bus Mini 20GB
Portable hard drives are convenient. "USB powered" drives are really cool. I just hate having to carry the power bar, along with an external drive. Apricorn has a mini hard drive that does not require an external source of electricity. the 500ma of the USB port is enough. You will have to trade performance for portability as this little gizmo is not really a Ferrari.
Plus, it's expensive, with a price tag of $165-$200.
[Complete review here]
News: Sanyo is releasing a new line of "Xacti" camcorders
This gizmo is known in the U.S as the Fisher FVDC1. It's a very cool camcorder that can record in Mpeg4 format directly on a SD (Secure Digital) memory card (why can't they make one with a 4GB quarter-sized drive?). No tape needed. The main advantage of using one of those is that you don't have to re-watch everything you have filmed to capture it on your hard drive.
Traditional MiniDV camcorder : film=>capture=>Compress=>Watch
Mpeg2/4 camcorder : film=>Watch
So, what's new? Well, the color scheme and the CCD sensor resolution that went from 3 to 4 Megapixels. The "old" one can be found on Amazon for $800.
Price: $800 - $900
Release date: Unknown
News: External Gigabit Ethernet/USB drive, NAS for the masses
IO-Data has a very cool External hard drive. This little gizmo can be connected by Gigabit Ethernet or USB2.0 (USB1.1 also works, but it's just horribly slow). It also features RAID-like capabilities like disk mirroring or spanning. The heat generated by the disk drive is exiting by the top of the case.
A Firewire version is also available, and it has a USB plug on the front that allows you to automatically "dump" the data that's on your flash drive, for example.
Price & Release date (U.S): Unknown.
Sunday, August 22
News: Unlimited calls within the U.S & Western Europe for $20/mo
Yes, this is true, and it's going to beat the #$%^ out of Vonage. Lingo is proposing a VOIP (Voice Over IP) service that allows one to place UNLIMITED calls within the U.S and Western Europe (check their website for the actual list of countried). You will need a broadband connection. Lingo will give you a box that's going to connect a regular phone to your broadband internet connection. My friend Denis says that there's sometimes a bit of echo when calling to Europe, but overall, it's good.
Even better, for an additional fee, you can have a local phone number located in a foreign country! Now, for friends abroad can call you for the price of a local call. I'm ordering mine now!
News: Siemens CX70, Push to Talk
I like the design of the Siemens phones. They are light and do just what you expect from a modern phone. My friend Alexei S. showed me how the UI was cool and well thought. I have not owned one yet, but if there is one cool Siemens Gizmo that I'll try, it's the CX70 and it's push to talk feature.
"Push to talk" is really like a talkie walkie. I like the idea of being able to quickly ask something and get an instant answer, with having to dial & respond. It is said that the feature is using "IP Multimedia Subsystem" (IMS), the technology platform for many future multimedia services.
[Full Specs]
[Manufacturer's Site]
News: Archos Gmini400
The flood of portable video/multimedia continues (who's buying that?) and the Archos Gmini400 is the latest evolution of the trend. It does everything from music to video, but also portable hard drive and game console. From the photos that I've seen on the manufacturer's website, it also makes people happy ;)
Price: ?
Release date: Rumored to be September.
News: Sony Ericsson S700i
You can pre-order The Sony Ericsson S700i in select places. This gizmo is a tri-band world phone, that weighs 137g. It has a lofty 320x240 resolution (like a pocket PC).
From the manufacturer:
"A 1.3 megapixel digital camera and smart swivel-action mobile phone in one stylish device. In horizontal mode, you have the perfect camera. Vertically held, it has the look, feel and satisfaction of a mini organiser, phone, gaming and messaging device. Open the S700i and the keypad is there where you need it. Connect with Bluetooth™. Store more with Memory Stick Duo™. "
Price: $699.99
Release date: Q3 2004
News: Blackberry and your Mac can be friends
PocketMac.net has released a software that enables iSync to work with Blackberry devices. One can now sync with Adress book, iCal and so on. Now, my wife has no excuse for not being organized with her Apple G5 :)
Price: $29.95
Shopping: Seagate 160GB, 8MB, 7200RPM for 59.99 (AR)
In addition of being speedy, this drive is also silent, thanks to the fluid dynamics bearings. Outpost has it for $59.99, if you're ready to do the rebate thing.
Shopping: Lexar 512MB USB 2.0 flash drive for 49.99 (no rebates)
This flash drive is rugged and also features a password protection (256bits AES). Good deal, I think.
