Gadgets Base

Free software isn’t always synonymous with free love, but perhaps this is a touching, albeit, humorous way to make such a connection. Single women in search of great love, a true tech geek from Boston is in search of a particular sweetie, and what better place to issue a call out to such women than Craigslist?

Our software guru writes, “My 23-year-old child, the Free Software Movement, occupies most of my life, leaving no room for more children, but I still have room to love a sweetheart if she doesn’t need to spend time with me every day”

The deal:

He’s a single atheist white man, 54, reputedly intelligent, with unusual interests in politics, science, music and dance.

If you:

Have varied interests, are curious about the world, comfortable expressing your likes and dislikes and value joy, truth, beauty and justice more than “success”– we’ve potentially located your match.

Visit Craigslist here for the details, and please if you know who this treasure of a man is (well-known speaker), let us know.

Anyone who has devoted 23 years to open source software deserves to find true love!

The latest company attempting to cash in on the ultra-mobile craze, CybertronPC is now offering what appears to be a very similar version of the 2G Eee PC, except with a higher price tag.

The CM900 features most of the same specs, but to be fair they do have a few very small changes. Notably it offers the Intel Celeron M Processor 353 (900MHz, 512KB L2 Cache, FSB 400MHz), Mobile Intel 910GML Express Chipset, 512MB DDR2-400 memory, 2GB solid-state disk and 7-inch WVGA (800×480) TFT LCD display. Sadly the CM900 really just offers you the option to pay $50 more, instead of the $299.99 that you would pay for the 2G Eee PC, this retails for $349.99.

Think of it as the more expensive cousin of the Eee PC.

Read [CybertronPC] Via [Engadget]

Posted Jan 28th 2008 11:34AM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets We’ve already seen nanoparticles put to use to help diagnose cancer (in mice), and it now looks like researchers have found another, potentially bigger use for ‘em — namely, to blast those cancer cells away altogether. That’s apparently possible by mixing two so-called nanothermite composites that act as a fuel and an oxidizer, which in turn generate combustion waves that can hit velocities ranging from 1,500 to 2,300 meters per second (or somewhere in the neighborhood of Mach 3). Being on the nano-scale, however, the researchers say the explosives can be used safely within the human body and, indeed, they say they have 99% success rate in tests on animal tissue. If all goes as planned (a relatively big “if”), the researchers say the technology could be ready for use in two to five years.

[Via Futurismic]

Kingston Technology is renowned for their flash memory products, and the company forges onward by expanding its line of USB flash drives by introducing the DataTraveler HyperX (also known as the DT HyperX) and the DataTraveler 110 (DT110) models. Both of them aim to leave the competition in the dust, designed for ultra-fast read/write speeds without breaking the bank. Both the DT HyperX and DT110 drives come in varying capacities, maxing out at 8GB.

According to Joe Teng, Flash memory product manager, Kingston, “Taking its cue from our HyperX line of industry-setting high-speed memory modules for gamers, enthusiasts and overclockers, the DataTraveler HyperX offers exceptionally fast read and write speeds, whereas the DT110 provides an economic way to transfer and transport data whenever and wherever you travel.”

The DT HyperX boasts a theoretical data transfer rate of 30MB/sec. read and 20MB/sec. write, and was specially designed to run on any Windows Platform but would probably fulfill its potential on Vista-based systems since it has already been enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost. As for the DataTraveler 110 , this targets the more budget conscious markets (can you say students and average office workers?) without sacrificing on performance. The DT110 also does away with the risk of you losing the cap, since it employs a capless, retractable USB connector for ease-of-use and safe housing.

Features and specifications of the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX USB Drive include :-

The DTHX/2GB 2GB HyperX, DTHX/4GB 4GB HyperX, and DTHX/8GB 8GB HyperX will retail for $74, $131 and $266 respectively.

Press Release

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Posted Jan 28th 2008 10:35AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Portable Audio
You know what your mother always used to say about things that seem too good to be true, but the deafening amount of hype and hyperbole being thrown about in reference to the “game changing” Qtrax with “25 million tracks” is quite distracting enough to take note of. According to the Qtrax website, the P2P client — Windows only, a Mac version is slated for March 18th — will be available at midnight EST, but while Qtrax is confident of its supposed deals with the majors, a few of those labels claim to be short of an actual deal with Qtrax. The business model is simple enough: DRM’d tracks count the number of times they’re played and then report back to the mother ship — which will divvy up revenue based on ad sales. It sounds like there’s PlaysForSure under the hood, and Qtrax claims it’ll have an iPod-friendly version ready before too long, but there’s a disturbing lack of detail on the official site. There is $30 million of VC funding behind the venture, so they clearly expect some results, but $30 million and high hopes certainly is no guarantee of label support of a crazy — and perhaps entirely overdue — scheme like this. We’ll be certainly watching for what happens at midnight.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - Qtrax
Read - Times Online (It’s a go)
Read - NEWS.com.au (Labels back away)
Read - ZDNet UK (Rupert Goodwins weighs in)

Since the iPod dock market is just getting bigger and bigger, it stands to reason that iPod docks have to be more interesting with better features. Hence the introduction of the iTube, one of the grooviest iPod docks out on the market today.

As you can see, the iTube looks like something that Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader would fight each other with. It is actually a glass tube filled with water and lit with colored bulbs. Many gadget sites call it “a 21st-century version of the Lava Lamp”, and I can’t help but agree.

However, the Lava Lamps of that psychedelic bygone era were never iPod speakers capable of 360-degree acoustic sound. The user also never had the option of controlling the light patterns and bubbles.

These light pattern and bubble settings can be controlled via remote control. According to a YouTube clip, one setting is labeled “Candy”, and another “Tylenol”. I am assuming that Tylenol is the setting for a headache. There is another one called “Viagra”, and I suppose I don’t have to explain the occasion for that. The iTube also has an aromatherapy function for a more holistic experience.

You should be able to get it at the Aquallusion site for about $249.00.

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Posted Jan 28th 2008 11:55AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Hey, it’s not Microsoft’s fault that 2011 sounds like the realm of jet pack VR massage cars, but it’s certainly a long ways away any way you slice it. Contrary to previous rumors of Microsoft planning a Windows 7 release sometime in 2009, Microsoft has apparently gotten in touch with WinVistaClub and set the record straight: Windows 7 is in “planning stages,” and development will take approximately three years. Microsoft wouldn’t comment on that supposed leak we spotted last week, and of course denied any implications that development was being accelerated to make up for Vista shortcomings. We can’t help but wonder how different the OS landscape will look three years from now, with Linux rapidly reaching feature and usability parity, while Apple plugs away at OS X and cloud computing lands everywhere, but we’re sure Vista SP1 won’t be the last bid Microsoft makes at this generation.

[Via The Inquirer]

Posted Jan 28th 2008 9:48AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio
iPod surround bars are nothing new, but iLive’s hoping to catch a few eyes that normally gloss over these type things by blessing its iT188B with an oh-so-attractive $99 price tag. This iteration sports “dual built-in subwoofers,” an AM / FM radio, obligatory iPod dock and an on board clock to boot. It also comes bundled with a remote control and an auxiliary input to complement the twin video inputs, video output and subwoofer out for connecting an external thumper. As you’d expect, this one’s built for use underneath a flat-panel HDTV, but it shouldn’t have any problems perched up on a countertop, either. You already know how badly this one’s gonna hurt your wallet, but at least you’ve got until April to save up.

Posted Jan 28th 2008 8:50AM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: GamingAccording to Ars Technica, Sony has some big plans for a PlayStation 3 refresh, starting with a phase-out of the 80GB model. According to an “inside source” — which Ars claims has been consistently right on video game-related predictions — the console-maker’s new plot is starting to take shape, holding fast to a two-SKU approach on packages, upping the hard drive capacity on systems, and including the Dual Shock 3 controller. The new bundles will take the high / low road, with the source stating that the 40GB model will remain on shelves, while the 80GB, Spider-Man 3-inclusive system will disappear, only to be replaced with a 120GB or 160GB configuration. Of course, right now these are just words on a screen, though in light of Best Buy’s recent stock changes, there certainly is an air of movement over at Sony.

Posted Jan 28th 2008 3:03AM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Laptops
Sure, it looks like the Eee, it sports the same CPU as the Eee, heck, it even appears to use the Eee’s OS — but it’s actually the CM900! What does that mean? Well for starters, you’ll pay more money for less computer ($349.99 for a 2GB system, the same price for a 4GB ASUS)… but of course you’ll have that CybertronPC name to fall back on. Honestly, we’d say this was a rebrand if it weren’t for the minor differences in specs, and who knows — maybe it is. If not, however, this is the knock-offingest knock-off we’ve seen in a good long while. Far be it from us to condemn the CybertronPC gang for trying to get in while the gettin’s good, but maybe next time these guys could at least give us a fair shake on the storage / price breakdown?

[Thanks, Brian]