Gadgets Base

Posted Feb 28th 2008 3:55PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Home Entertainment
There are a ton of DVRs with media server / streamer features out there, but the new Media Giant from Conceptronic manages to distinguish itself by being one of the more flexible units we’ve seen, at least on paper. The 1TB DVR features UPnP setup with DLNA support, a built-in analog tuner, a Twonky server, component, composite and firewire inputs, HDMI and component out, digital audio out, an optional PowerLine networking adapter, and a laundry list of supported codecs, including DivX, XviD, WMV9, SVCD and VOB. Not a bad little box — but we won’t know about pricing or availability until it gets officially official at CeBit next week.

Posted Feb 28th 2008 12:06PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: cellphones
Hold the presses: Apple may be releasing a new iPhone this year… with 3G! Crazy, we know. The latest iteration of this rumor comes to us courtesy of UBS analysts, who say Infineon will likely be building chips for the phone — they’re powering the current iPhone, so no real surprise there. UBS is also betting on a mid-year 3G iphone launch, and thinks that EDGE production will ramp down early so Apple gets a chance to clean out inventories. We’ve got a good feeling about this one, guys.

[Thanks, Tim G.]

Posted Feb 28th 2008 6:41PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Storage
Don’t worry, you’re not losing it — yet, anyway. Corsair has indeed already launched a 16GB (and 32GB, for that matter) Voyager flash drive, but its forthcoming Voyager GT promises access speeds “up to four times faster” than standard USB 2.0 drives. Furthermore, this one comes housed in a water and shock resistant all-rubber casing, and could be entirely more appealing if that keyring slot were expanded to open bottles. Nevertheless, Corsair’s hoping that you’ll find enough to love to drop $169.99 after it debuts at CeBIT in just a few days.

Posted Feb 28th 2008 4:28PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Peripherals
Turns out HP has been selling its Deskjet series of printers for 20 years now, with 240 million customers around the world and untold billions spent on overpriced ink cartridges. The HP Deskjet continues to outsell all other inkjet printers on the market, and HP shows no sign of slowing down — or letting up on those profit margins.

Posted Feb 28th 2008 11:16AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Robots
While robot / human relations seem to be fairly solid at the moment, it looks like the fight has long since been on between canines and their robotic counterparts. Some researchers at Saint Louis University compared Sony’s AIBO with a mutt named Sparky at three different nursing homes, to see how residents would respond. Maybe Sparky just isn’t that affable, but the researchers found that AIBO and his living breathing competition were both equally successful in alleviating loneliness. AIBO also has the added advantage of, erm, cleanliness, and is easier for senior citizens to take care of, so it looks like Sparky is pretty much out of a job. Get used to it, buddy, it’s called outsourcing.

[Via Tech Digest]

Posted Feb 28th 2008 10:29AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays
Polaroid film may be gone, but for some of us with fond memories of the format — for no discernible reason, Polaroids were slow, blurry and expensive — this digital picture frame concept seems a fitting tribute. There’s a dry erase portion on the bottom, and the frame can stand on its own or be pinned to a cork board for added realism. “Standard” mode emulates a regular digital frame, while “Classic” mode slowly fades the picture into view. Yeah, maybe a little too cute for its own good, but maybe we like it that way.

[Via Gadget Lab]

It was a sad childhood moment for me when Mom figured out that the reason I got carsick on trips was that I passed those long hours in the back seat with my nose in a book. She loved books, but she was also fed up with cleaning vomit off the seat, the carpet–and me. So the rule when the car was moving: no reading. I played the license-plate game for endless boring hours and tried not to spend precious gas-station moments in the bathroom instead of with a book.

It wasn’t until decades later, after some serious barfing in a glass-bottomed boat, that I learned the secret cure for motion sickness from a tour guide. It’s simple and completely free. Lift your eyes to the horizon. Focusing on something close can bring on motion sickness. Stare into the distance and it usually disappears.

The makers of the ReliefBand say their wristwatch-like device helps with motion sickness (and also morning sickness if you can’t tough it out until week 12). But the main target is chronic severe nausea like nausea from chemo. It’s nerves in your wrist, they say, that are responsible for throwing up.

Posted Feb 28th 2008 7:31AM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: cellphonesPhew, we were starting to worry we’d get through the week without someone suing Apple. This time it’s a patent lawsuit by a Massachusetts man named Romek Figa, who claims to have patented a caller ID system infringed by the iphone. Figa’s patent, which was granted in 1990 and references two-line LCD screens and external caller ID equipment, describes a way to associate incoming numbers with stored contact names, and he’s looking to halt sales of the iPhone and have Apple pony up some hefty damages and license his patent, which the company has thus far declined to do. We wonder why. We also wonder why Figa hasn’t sued Nokia, Microsoft, HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson, since, you know, all those companies make phones with caller ID as well, but maybe that’s coming next — he could probably end up simply owning Moto’s flailing phone division, if his lawyers play their cards right.

Update: According to statements by Figa’s attorneys this morning, Moto, Nokia, and Samsung have already licensed the patent, but Apple “refused to take a license on the terms offered.” Interesting — but they also said Figa sent his demand letter directly to Steve Jobs, which seems like the least efficient way possible of handling this deal.

[Via AppleInsider]

Disclaimer: Nilay is a lawyer, but he’s not your lawyer, and none of this is legal advice or analysis.

Xyber Technologies is one company that aims to cater for hardcore gamers as well as those who invest in high-end PCs due to media work by releasing a silent cooling solution for computers. To date, conventional wisdom places the fan as the cooling mechanism of choice, but as we all know too well, fan-based systems tend to get corrupted as time goes by no thanks to their eternal enemy - dust. As for liquid cooling systems, there is always the danger of evaporation and the nightmare of many a PC enthusiasts - seeping might occur without you noticing it. Xyber Technologies will bypass both routes, offering an alternative that they claim is much quieter, more efficient, and more stable.

Their new MK Series of computers feature aluminum tubing filled with inert gas that evaporates whenever heated, sending the gas to the cooler end of the tube which will then condense and return to repeat the cycle. This cooling system design proudly declares 19% greater cooling efficiency and 80% less energy consumption when compared to different computers of the same caliber which require 1000 Watts, while the MK Series takes a huge chunk off your monthly electricity bill by operating on a custom 110 Watt supply. Since there are less moving parts used, the chances of it breaking down is lowered even more. There is also less need for maintenance, and it can be stored in normally taboo places such as cabinets and drawers, thanks to its minimal ventilation requirements. Best advantage of having such a stable, efficient cooling system? Processors will be able to reach their highest potential possible as intended by the manufacturer.

The completely silent operation is set to be a big hit, especially folks who are into gaming or use their high end rig as a HTPC. There are four systems available from Xyber Technologies – the MKI desktop PC for the home or office, the MKII desktop for communal business environments, the MKIII desktop for high end gaming, and the MKIII Home Theater System, with 5.1 surround sound.

Source: Gizmag

Toshiba may have officially killed off hd dvd and we have seen just about everyone else make their announcement to switch to Blu-ray, but one is remaining. Dreamworks, who is currently is under contract with Toshiba to exclusively support HD DVD have stated they “have an obligation to see this through.” With a new title, the Bee Movie set to be released next month, it may have to hit the stores on just regular old DVD. In the meantime Dreamworks is waiting to hear back from Toshiba on just what they should do.

Dreamworks expects to have this resolved by the 2008 holiday season, hopefully for their sake this will be resolved sooner. It seems like by Toshiba killing off the format that almost would cancel out their deal with Dreamworks, but it is refreshing to see a company, in this case Dreamworks actually honor the agreement to the end.

Read [Reuters]

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