Gadgets Base

Obviously, today is Belkin day, because I can’t stop covering Belkin products like n52te. However, the N1 Vision isn’t a gaming mouse, but one of the coolest wireless routers that I have ever seen.

Most other wireless routers usually contain nothing more than a few blinking lights for a display. I don’t know about you, but I still have no idea what all those lights really mean, other than it doesn’t work when a few are on or off. However, the N1 Vision has a display to show a computer’s network broadband speed, computer bandwidth usage, and the status of connected devices.

The N1 Vision is 802.11n draft 2.0 compatible, with a 3 x 3 radio design that provides excellent speeds and complete wireless coverage. It also has Easy Security Setup with support for WiFi Protected Setup and Multiple SSID.

Best of all, it comes with Plug-and-Play features that allow you to attach it to your computer without having to download any software off a CD. I also forgot to mention the 4 Gigabit ports for some serious expandability.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I could get a lot of use in my household, but this would be perfect for any home-based business. You should be able to get the N1 Vision at the Belkin website for about $179.99.

Source

Who would have ever thought that there would ever be a market for gaming mice? I guess no one ever thought World of Warcraft would ever take off the way it did. I never did like the controls on those MMORPG games, and it’s only natural someone made them simpler.

For example, Belkin, a company famous for tech accessories, has created the n52te, a gaming mouse with tagline of “Built for speed. Built to Dominate. Built to Destroy”. Dang! It sounds like the n52te is designed for MMORPGs, but it is also created for FPS or RTS games.

The n52te has 15 fully programmable keys that are completely customizable, so a gamer can do very quick things at the touch of a button. There is also a programmable 8-way thumb-pad with a removable joystick. The user can also easily toggle between 3 keymap states.

In short, this lets a gamer really get into the game. It appears that ergonomics were also in mind in this design. There is an adjustable soft-touch wrist pad for comfort, and nonslip rubber pads to grip in place.

All that, and it has that way cool cobalt blue backlighting, so you can play in the dark. Right now, I don’t have a release date for this product, but the price is about $69.99.

Source

Four new Fujitsu Lifebook notebook computers have recently received Novell YES Certification for SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) Linux distribution. The Lifebook models include the S6510, T2010, P1620 and the U810. Such certification is important because it only means one thing, that the laptops have passed very stringent tests and are compatible with SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop from Novell but ironically, these certified laptops are sold with pre-installed Windows system. 

Fujitsu’s senior director of mobile product marketing, Paul Moore happily exclaimed:

“Fujitsu customers have expressed interest in gaining support for the Linux operating system. With Novell YES certification for SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop on four popular LifeBook Series convertible tablet PCs and notebooks, Fujitsu provides these customers the opportunity to select the highly reliable and durable Fujitsu notebook that meets their business requirements.”

As one of the leading providers of communications and IT solutions, Fujitsu hopes to bring their products to more consumers, which seems to include Linux users. But really, what’s the point of this certification if the new Fujitsu computers are already pre-installed with Windows? But then again, at least people have more choices and certainly anything certified looks more real and reliable, right?

Via [LAPTOPiNG]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

When you think of an all-in-one PC, I would venture to guess that the first image that pops in your head would be that of an iMac. If not specifically Apple’s branded machine, then one similar, which featured all of the main components housed in the monitor. Since you’re always going to need a monitor, it seems like the perfect setup. All you need is a keyboard and mouse and you’re all set. Have you ever considered getting a computer that’s built into your keyboard?

I can see why someone would think to pack a PC inside the keyboard, as someday you may want to upgrade your monitor. You won’t be able to do that without getting an entirely new system. Unfortunately, the problem here is that you’re going to get a really bulky keyboard that may or may not be comfortable to type on. Personally, I change out keyboards much more often than I switch monitors, so I’ll just stick with the tried-and-true method.

If you’re in the market for a keyboard computer (and don’t feel like robbing the bottom half of a notebook) then this will set you back between $629 and $1099.

Source: GearFuse

LG has released its new Flatron LX206WU, a new 20-inch LCD that eliminates the need for a new and good graphics card to have it up and running. The Flatron LX206WU LCD connects to a PC or laptop via its USB port. It offers a 5000:1 contrast resolution, a 1680 x 1050 native resolution and a 2ms response time. The LX206WU also has adjustable tilt and an analog/digital terminal support.

Making it even sweeter is that the Flatron LX206WU has two spare USB ports on its side which could be used to interconnect up to six of these LCD’s to be used on a single PC. So that answers your need to blog, to watch Beyonce’s latest video, skim through Google news headlines, and other things that you could possible do with three spare LCD connected to your rig. Now, who would want (or really need) to connect siz 20-inch LCD’s on their working rig anyway? I mean, I could dig tech geeks who use dual monitors on their machines as it has been quite the norm today. But six LCD’s attached onto my PC or laptop is definitely way out of my league.

The LG Flatron LX206WU is now available in the Korean electronics market and retails for 390,000 Won (around $388).

Read [LG Korea] Via [SlashGear]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

I’ll make no secret that I don’t love eBay anymore.  There was a time I did, but since then I’ve been burned by unsavory folks, shoddy product descriptions and a protection that really never seemed to protect me.  The problem is I am still that cheap guy not wanting to pay retail for anything; only now I can disguise it as being green: I don’t want to add another product into the waste stream.

So what to do?  Well, my new pal Chris Whittome of trade2save aims to change that.  His vision is a used - or pre-owned if you like - marketplace where you can decide if you want one “like new” or “very good” or can settle for just “good”.  The Trade2save team will buy up your unwanted items, classify it, and put a price tag on it that will be attractive.

I wasn’t able to get a good read on Chris’s age, British accents throw my carnival guesstimator off, and thought it rude to ask; but he holds his dream of reducing waste tightly, much like I recall my desire to be a fighter pilot out of high school, settling for tech blogger later down the line.. His blog cites, as did he in my interview, many statistics of how we are polluting the planet with our electronic toxins all while lusting after whatever drops out of Cupertino.  And it is in the shareholders interest to keep us wanting the latest and greatest.  So who is looking out of us?  For the planet?

In short, trade2save.com website/boutique of pre-owned electronics.

Gadgetell: Tell me about yourself

CW: My background is in advertising, having worked as a copywriter in the UK.  During my career there, I was part of the move to encourage consumers to keep buying.  Over last decade amount of products increased and manufactures are getting rich off it.  They’ve (the manufacturers) created a throw away society that we live in today.  The result of this increased production levels is we are creating a e-waste crisis.  Electronics can be greener by 10-30% but isn’t. And the market is not providing the incentive to become more green, as we keep gobbling up the latest iPhone.  We even queue up to do so.. 

Gadgetell: What is trade2save?

CW: To fully appreciate Trade2save consider pre-owned cars.  Years ago, you could only buy new cars.  Today, when you consider purchasing a car, you carefully weight the option of buying used.  There are whole segments of the population that have never owned a new car, they are content purchasing a slightly used one and consider it to have a higher value. 

Auction sites have done well but, people get stung.  No warranty, not confident in condition of product.  Rather than being a portal, you are buying from trade2save.  We’ll have products in 3 different conditions; at 3 different prices; all with a one year warranty…

Gadgetell: So trade2save tests the equipment and offers a warranty?

CW: Yes, that is what makes our service unique.  Not only do we test the products so they arrive working, but we stand behind them.  We figure this will extend the product cycle four to five times.  Longer product cycles means less waste in the landfill.  While this may not help Mr. Bush’s economic stimulus package, we believe the economy will benefit in the long run from being green.  People will find other places to spend their money.

Gadgetell: I get the sense, if your program is copied, cutting you out; you’ll still consider your efforts a success.  Am I right?

CW: Absolutely.  The driving idea behind trade2save is this: People need to become custodians of products not consumers.  This is a major change in our thinking and one that needs to happen.

Gadgetell: Tell us about the guts of the system.

CW: It works like this, you fill out the questionnaire for the product you wish to sell to us.  You’ll receive credits for the sale to use in the store.  You’ll find a product you want and apply your credits. Customers get more for trading in (store credit) than if you sell for cash.  The incentive is to trade goods for a new product.  We are hear to insure what is being traded is legit.

Gadgetell: How sensitive will your pricing be?  If Apple drops a new iPhone this summer, how quickly can I pick the “old model” up on the cheap?

CW: Our price system is designed to be very sensitive.  It has to be.  We’ll be paying top dollar and making a very thin margin on hot items like the iPhone.  We have to, as we must have the goods in the store for our plan to work.  No one will come if we don’t have the very latest, and that means paying very close to retail to get them in the store.

Gadgetell: When will the site be up?

CW: We are targeting the end of June for release.

I am really excited for Chris.  I believe he is on to something here, something that still allows us to get our gadget fix but helps remove some of the guilt about doing so.  And as I am sure you do, I have a just a few gadgets around here that I could do without.  I’d even be willing to trade them for an iphone, GPS or…whatever is on Gadgetell’s homepage tomorrow.

Company site: [trade2save]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

Mobile Choice UK reviews the Samsung Armani and writes, “There are enough camera features to keep you occupied, with a rapid 15-shot burst mode and white balance options to improve picture quality. We found the camera struggled somewhat with moving images and produced slightly blurred results. However, with a built-in flash and video capture at 30fps, the camera is more than capable.”

Read more about the Samsung Armani.

Posted Mar 25th 2008 1:10PM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Desktops, Gaming NVIDIA’s high-end GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics card has been pretty well received on its own, but it looks to be decidedly more of a mixed bag when it comes to a Quad SLI configuration, at least according to a pair of early reviews. Least impressed with the setup was PC Perspective, which described the system’s performance as “uninspiring” and “frustrating more often than it was fun to play on.” The site did see some potential in the system, however, saying that it’s very possible that NVIDIA will be able to address many of the problems in upcoming driver releases. Slightly more positive about the config were the folks at HotHardware, who were pleased with the performance, and seem to have been more satisfied with the setup’s ability to scale with various applications than PC Perspective was. On the downside, they did admit that the system didn’t scale well for everything, and there is of course the little matter of price (about $1,200), which will likely be pretty hard for even the most die-hard performance junkie to justify.

Read - PC Perspective
Read - HotHardware

For you Wii fans that felt left out in the cold because Rock Band didn’t come your way, then your prayers have been answered. June 22 is the magic date you’ll need to save $170 for. Harmonix (owned by MTV Networks) announced yesterday that you’ll get your wishes and you’ll even get 5 songs that will be exclusive to the Nintendo Wii version.

BTW, in case you didn’t know already, Rock Band rocks!

As an IT consultant, I’ve been through many different incarnations of Windows, and after a long and somewhat painful process, Microsoft finally rolled out a version of Windows that was in many ways pretty good (and this from a sys admin who has spent many an hour using choice epithets to describe Microsoft and their products). Sure, Microsoft still has us installing tons of security patches monthly and protecting every last inch of the OS, but at least we’ve got a pretty stable operating system.

Vista’s launch was not met with a lot of applause, and corporate environments in particular don’t have any desire to upgrade from XP or even 2000 in some cases. But the sad and inevitable news is that XP will be phased out. Microsoft of course is a business that is out to make a profit. You can’t do that if no one is buying your latest product. So here are the important dates in the remaining lifetime of XP that you need know.

• June 30, 2008: PC makers stop selling boxes with Windows XP installed.
• Jan 31, 2009: Microsoft stops selling XP.
• Apr 14, 2009: Live and warranty support ends.
• Apr 8, 2014: All support (including security patches) ends.

Better stockpile your copies of XP now. You may also be interested in signing one of the many “Save Windows XP petitions” online.