Gadgets Base

Posted Jan 22nd 2008 2:16PM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Cellphones
Apparently, the news we got (and saw on the company’s website) yesterday concerning AT&T’s offer of a SIM-only service plan was off the mark… or so says AT&T. According to the telco’s reps, a SIM card can be had sans-contract, saying that its attitude towards the service hasn’t changed and that pre-paid, post-paid, or any other millions of varieties of arrangements can be made to tap into its sweet service. So move along folks, nothing here to see.

Posted Jan 22nd 2008 2:39PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment
It’s been a tick since we’ve seen any “Big” news come out of InFocus, but now that the CES rush is over, it’s taking the time to push out a pair of new DLP projectors. Up first is the Learn Big IN2100 EP series, which was crafted with educators and rambunctious youngsters in mind. It features BrilliantColor processing technology, 2,500 lumens, a lamp life of 2,500 hours and a three-year product warranty. As for the Work Big IN2100 lineup, you’ll find most of the same features already mentioned, but this one does tout an all new remote control system and an “advanced InFocus User Interface” that other units apparently lack. The entire family will be available next month in SVGA ($599), XGA ($749) or WXGA ($999) flavors, but we don’t reckon you’ll be missing out on much should you forget to mark it down.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Posted Jan 22nd 2008 4:52PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Misc. GadgetsWell, the holidays were pretty happy down Cupertino way this year — Apple just posted its Q108 financials and they’re impressive. Spurred by sales of 2.3 million iPhones, 22 million iPods, and 2.3 million Macs, Steve and the boys raked in $9.6 billion in total revenue, which translates to $1.58 billion in pure, glorious profit. That represents Apple’s latest best quarter ever, with a 35 percent jump in revenue year-over-year — a $2.5 billion increase from last December. The $1.76 profit per share also beat consensus analyst estimates of $1.63 a share, and, as Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster pointed out in his notes, Mac sales have increased 43 percent since last year. All in all, quite a quarter for a fruit company — we’ll let you know what else we find out during the conference call later today.

UK buyers of services can rejoice with the opening of SetYourRate.com, a new online services marketplace with services up for sale from professional services like accountancy to fun leisure activities such as pole dancing lessons. Personally, I’d pay for a pole dancing watching activity!

Because service sellers can remain anonymous, registrants can use the site to attract moonlighting opportunities while others use it to market services in the hope of building a client-base to ‘go it alone’ with their own business. Many students advertise their skills to help fund their studies – an attractive and potentially lucrative alternative to pulling pints at the Students’ Union (just not as fun).

First you could outsource to India, then China but now people can outsource to the UK! Too bad of that darn language barrier…

Posted Jan 22nd 2008 9:01AM by Chris Ziegler
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Just admit it: even if you don’t have Verizon service, even if you have absolutely no interest in Windows Mobile devices whatsoever, you’re just a little bit curious to know what a snow white HTC Touch looks like. We suppose we blew that surprise with the picture here… but whatever, just click on over to Engadget Mobile to see s’more shots, alright?

Now here’s another R/C flying toy to keep you occupied. It would be a great purchase to consider especially when you want to prepare for spring when it is fun to go out and frolic in a park once again.

Ultra eerie, ridiculously clever and frighteningly entertaining, the rechargeable iFly Vamp is unlike other motorised flying thingies because it is an ornithopter. Which, as everyone with access to Google knows, means it flaps its wings in order to flit about the skies. It really is a sight to behold. And at only 12″x10″ Vamp is the smallest R/C ornithopter in the world.

Pick up the iFly Vamp for £29.95 - it will begin to ship in February, but Firebox is accepting pre-orders today.

<!– ch_client = “gadgets”; ch_type = “rpu”; ch_noprice = “1″; ch_width = 468; ch_height = 90; ch_color_title = “#B40505″; ch_non_contextual = 1; ch_nosearch = 1; ch_default_category = “89″; ch_font_title = “Arial”; ch_font_text = “Arial”; ch_sid = “Coolest Gadgets RPU”; ch_alternate_css_url = “http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/rpu2.css”; ch_target = “_blank”; var ch_queries = new Array( ” iFly Vamp flits around” ); var ch_selected=Math.floor((Math.random()*ch_queries.length)); if ( ch_selected

Posted Jan 22nd 2008 10:02AM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Home Entertainment
The Sierra Club — a group dedicated to environmentalism and preservation — has proposed that a tax be levied against kids who choose video games or computers rather than venturing out-of-doors. The tax, also being referred to as “No Child Left Inside,” would ostensibly encourage kids to get up off of their fat, lazy back-ends and hit the trails, mountains, and waterways of our nation’s parks and other natural treasures… by further taxing video games and TVs. Recent studies have shown links to obesity, lowered academic scores, and the rise of attention-deficit disorder in America’s kids to increased time spent indoors, though we suspect the problem lies with bad parenting rather than an entire industry of game-makers and electronics companies. Would adding a one-percent sales tax on our gear (and penalizing children who have plenty of good reasons to stay inside) increase kids’ desire to head outdoors instead of “finishing the fight?” We’ve got our doubts.

[Thanks, wasp2151]

Read - A Tax to Remember
Read - Sierra Club proposes ‘couch potato’ tax

Motorola introduced two new handsets at the recent CES in Las Vegas. The W230 and W270 are GSM handsets with music capabilities and expandable memories, supporting microSD cards of up to 2GB. They also offer a simplified interface for texting. Both devices also offer a digital music player and FM radio with recording features and an integrated Radio Data System that displays the artist and title of the song playing.

In addition to the music capabilities, the devices also offer great phone features such as Motorola’s Crystal Talk technology, which reduces background noise, and up to nine hours of talk time. The W230 comes in a slim candybar style with two interchangeable faceplates while the W270 is a slick clamshell. They are slated to be available in Q1 of this year.

Read [Motorola]

Magellan looks to be rolling out their new Maestro GPS very soon, and it seems to come with a bunch of notable features.

The main screen interface is a little different type of an interface than you may be used to in the Magellan GPS units as it is now the OneTouch user interface. Screen size is 4.3-inches, Titan GPS chipset, a 2200mAh Li-Ion battery that can last up to 4 hours, SD expansion, Bluetooth, and a built-in FM Tuner. Additionally, it comes with Live Traffic info, historic traffic data for about 750,000 of roads in the 48 continental states, and gives information on the average speed per every hour of the day and of the week. Lastly, it comes with voice prompts and controls, 3D landmarks, and comes with integrated AAA information.

No word on exact availability, but expect pricing to be around $500.

Via [NaviGadget]

Posted Jan 22nd 2008 5:54AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Laptops, Storage
That does it. Seagate’s 250GB Momentus 5400.4 laptop drive is now shipping. Spec-wise, it’s on par with Hitachi, Samsung, Western Digital, and Fujitsu and makes 9.5-mm high, 2.5-inch, 250GB disks spinning at 5,400RPM near ubiquitous. Seagate’s explanation for coming so late to the party? Easy, now is simply the right time. Whatever, just throw your keys in the bowl and kiss your husband goodnight, we can sort out the details later.

[Via TGDaily]