Gadgets Base

Posted Mar 6th 2008 12:45PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: cellphones
Apple wasn’t just loving on gamers and enterprise types with its app announcements today. Other hot softwares to get the iphone treatment include AIM, Epocrates and Touch FX. It probably wouldn’t be much of a stretch to call AIM the most requested app for the iPhone, and while we would’ve liked to see it included out of the box, it’s better late than never, right? Epocrates is a medical app, which sounds very very interesting for all five people out there planning on using it. Touch FX is quite a bit more fun, developed by Apple in a couple days and featuring realtime picture manipulation with multitouch.

Posted Mar 6th 2008 12:44PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: cellphones, Gaming
Stoked about the little SDK that was announced today? Apparently, so was Apple, as it’s already starting to announce the first games to go along with it. For starters, we’ve got Touch Fighter and Spore (!!!), the first of which was somehow thrown together in two weeks, the latter of which won’t be available until September. Also, users can expect Super Monkey Ball, which was hailed being a notch above your average “cellphone game.” For whatever it’s worth, EA also affirmed that more iphone titles were in the pipeline, and best of all, those elusive titles are already “in early stages of development.” Simmer on that for a second, we’ll keep updating as we get more in.

Posted Mar 6th 2008 3:10PM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: LaptopsAfter a stay that’s been anything but uneventful, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte has announced that he’ll be stepping down as CEO of the organization, and that he’s now searching for a successor, although he’ll be staying on as Chairman. That word comes from an interview Negroponte gave to BusinessWeek, where he admitted that “management, administration, and details are my weaknesses,” and even went so far as to say that the organization needs to be managed “more like Microsoft.” He also revealed that the search for a new CEO had actually begun last year, but had ratcheted up in recent weeks, during which time the organization was also reorganized into four operating units, including technology, deployment, market development and fund-raising, and administration. No word on any contenders for the top spot just yet, but Nick Neg described the ideal candidate as someone with a “leadership profile similar to that of Kofi Annan,” adding that he hopes to have the search concluded by April or May.

Posted Mar 6th 2008 8:16AM by Ryan Block
Filed under: DisplaysIt may (or may not) be wireless, but InFocus will apparently be one of the first companies to incorporate DisplayLink’s USB graphics directly into their future projectors. No other details, that’s all we’ve got for now, we’ll let you know when they’ve actually got gear to announce.

If you like playing cards then you’ll need to know how to shuffle cards well. This process is a beautiful show if you master shuffling or a boring routine if you don’t. In our days, when all the boring and routine work we are trying to give to machines, they can also do this task. This gadget will help you if you are too unskilled to shuffle beautifully or too lazy to shuffle at all or if you want to be sure that the shuffler doesn’t cheat.

Card Shuffler will be your ultimate helper during those long poker games. It will shuffle your card deck in seconds, just with a press of a button. You can shuffle up to two decks at a time; there are two slots for them at each side of the device. This method of shuffling is suspicious-free - no one will blame you for wrong or cheated shuffling, because the machine does all for you. When you are inviting friends for a bridge evening, they will be surely amazed by this interesting machine. This small shuffler will not take much space on the table, and will provide a great help for your card sessions. It is also can be used for card fortunetelling, if you practice such things - after a few seconds there will be a perfectly shuffled card deck which can tell you whether you will be successful at that new job interview or not… wait you got to shuffle the cards yourself in those cases.

This gadget is a good gift for a card player or gadget lover, because it simplifies the process of shuffling and makes the play more enjoyable. No need to learn how to shuffle perfectly, now all is done by a small device, which is powered by four AA batteries. This shuffler will cost you nearly 20 dollars.

Thanks to a leaked memo entitled “HD DVD - The End” that was posted on an internal Circuit City forum we have learned about the possibility of having your HD DVD player exchanged for a new Blu-ray player to include a playstation 3.

With that, you cannot expect to simply walk in and hand over your current HD DVD player and just walk out with a new Blu-ray player. There are a few small (and obvious) catches. Circuit City is basically granting an open ended return policy for HD DVD players, and you will have to pay any difference in price. Also noted in the memo is that if you no longer want the HD DVD player and also do not want to purchase a Blu-ray player you will be given a gift card refund for the amount the player originally cost. Similar to other software and media titles, they (once opened) are not able to qualify for a refund.

Sounds like a great way to stay current with your next-generation player. It does make you wonder why other big-box retailers do not have a similar policy in place, or just how soon they will start one up.

Continue reading to see the full memo that had been leaked…

Via [Gizmodo]

HD DVD - The End. Toshiba stated in a press release that they will stop manufacturing and selling HD DVD players. The marketplace has spoken in favor of Blu-ray. We are delighted that consumers now will be able to invest with confidence in next-generation video disc players and titles. Based on Toshiba’s announcement, we expect to phase out HD DVD players and movie titles in our stores and on our Web site in the near future. FAQs

Why will Circuit City continue to sell HD DVD players for the near future?

There are large numbers of hd dvd movie titles still in circulation and some customers will want to be able to view those titles.

Also, HD DVD players are very affordable and will continue to play and up-convert standard DVDs with improved quality. So, during the phase-out, some customers will want a DVD player equipped with upconvert technology (and the ability to play HD DVD titles).

When will HD DVD players and movie titles disappear from our stores and Web site?

That will happen in the near future, depending on sell-through rates while HD DVD products go on clearance. We have implemented the following price changes (make sure your floor is tagged correctly):

These are fully functioning “upconverting” HD/DVD players that are now competitively priced!

And, of course, don’t forget the HDMI cable!

What about my HD DVD Endcap?

We’re developing an alternate plan over the next couple of weeks. Please keep it up in the meantime.

Important: About Returns

Q; What about customers who may try to return an HD DVD player - even if they have owned it for several months?

A: We do not want to upset our valued customers. For this special circumstance, we are happy to offer an exchange for a Blu-ray player (customer plays any difference in purchase price) - even if it has been several months since the customer made their HD DVD player purchase. If the customer does not want a Blu-ray player, we can issue a gift card refund for their original purchase price. For products purchased in the last 30 days, handle as usual.

(Note: all open-box and defective Toshiba HD DVD players are Return-to-Vendor and must be sent back to Toshiba.)

As per policy, we will not accept refunds of opened HD DVD software.

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Ever dropped your keys into the toilet bowl accidentally during one of the clumsier moments in your life? Well, you’ll save yourself a whole lot of heartache with the Waterbuoy.

This clever little device contains a high-strength rubber balloon that can lift up to 1Kg and automatically inflates within seconds of hitting the water, causing the whole shebang to rise gently to the surface. And thanks to a high-intensity LED beacon that’s visible from over 250m at night, you can spot it bobbing about and retrieve your keys/valuables with ease.

Capable of holding up to 1kg of weight, the Waterbuoy can keep your belongings afloat for up to 24 hours before it starts to sleep with the fishes. The Waterbuoy retails for £14.95

Samsung and Electronic Arts have joined hands to create a couple of new 3D PDP (Plasma) TVs that can display 3D images using some software running on a PC and you wearing some special eyewear. No, probably not the 3D glasses that you throw away at the end of a movie!

The 2 models, a 42″ and a 50″ will sell for approximately US$1750 and US$2500 respectively.

Garmin today announced the next evolution of the nüvi 200 series, the entry-level favorites in Garmin’s popular nüvi line. The low-priced nüvi 2×5 models, a family of new products introduced at CeBIT, improve upon the features of their 200-series predecessors while providing the opportunity to add top-of-the-line features such as improved mapping and routing features, faster satellite acquisition, navigation by photos, FM traffic updates or dynamic content from MSN Direct.

As portable and powerful as ever, the nüvi 2×5 models are available in vibrant 4.3” or 3.5” screens with an all new shaded elevation mapping display. Using Garmin’s unique Web site — Garmin Connect Photos — users can choose from millions of geo-located photos provided by Google’s Panoramio photo sharing community and download them to the nüvi for a richer navigation experience using pictures as a guide.

The nüvi 2×5 series features a fast 333 Mhz Microprocessor which greatly enhances the map drawing and routing capability. In addition, satellite reception is even faster than before thanks to Garmin’s new HotFixTM feature which automatically calculates and stores critical satellite information and can use that information to quickly calculate a position without waiting for data collection from the satellites.

“The nüvi 2×5 products allow us to meet and exceed the basic needs of the budget-minded consumer while giving them further opportunity to expand,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “By making traffic and MSN Direct content accessible with our most basic nüvi models, the choice is truly in the buyer’s hands. Pick a price, and there’s your nüvi.”

The nüvi 255 and 255W will be available in versions that include comprehensive coverage of North America, Europe, Australia or New Zealand. The nüvi 255 and 255W models for North America, Australia or New Zealand announce street names in their voice prompts, advising you to “Turn right on Walnut Street” rather than just saying “Turn right in 500 feet.” The nüvi 205 and 205W will be available in versions that offer mapping choices such as the contiguous United States, Canada or regional sections of Europe.

In addition, each nüvi 2×5 comes standard with the popular “Where am I?” feature. At any time, with a single tap of the screen, drivers can display their exact latitude and longitude coordinates, the nearest address and intersection, and the closest hospitals, police stations and gas stations.

When used with an optional receiver, each nüvi 2×5 can display important updated information from Traffic Message Channel or MSN Direct. The enhanced dynamic content from the second generation of the MSN Direct network includes updated information about traffic conditions, fuel prices, weather reports, movie listings, headline news items, stock listings, local events and custom locations sent directly from Windows Live Local. After the introductory trial period with MSN Direct, owners can re-subscribe for $49.95 a year, or a one-time charge of $129.95.

For more information on MSN Direct services and coverage areas, visit http://garmin.msndirect.com.

For information about pricing and availability, go to www.garmin.com and www.garmin.blogs.com

Logitech surprised everyone at CeBIT and unveiled their very first wireless headset.

The Logitech ClearChat PC Wireless headset, if I might say so myself, looks good. It’s a 2.4 GHz wireless which allows you use it even if you’re 33 feet away from your computer. The earphones deliver uncompressed, high-quality audio sound, while the microphone uses noise-cancelling technology. All of this is made possible solely through its USB transmitter, with no other pairing or software requirements. The Logitech ClearChat PC Wireless headset will be sold for around 50 in US and Europe on May, 2008.

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