Gadgets Base

Toshiba has started shipping its new 14.1-inch Satellite M300 laptop. With a retail price starting at $949.99, users can choose between the M300-S4822 or the M300-S4826.

With the slew of new laptops recently launched by Toshiba, I’m beginning to believe that it is the company’s way of introducing its Fusion finish that is bonded directly into the chassis of the laptops. Like the previous models recently released by Toshiba, the Satellite M300 also features the Sleep-and-Charge USB ports and the LED-illuminated “Feather Touch” multimedia command keys.

In addition, the Satellite M300 series laptops also feature Harman Kardon speakers and makes use of Dolby Sound Room technology, built-in webcam with facial recognition software, and DVD/Super Multi drive. The Satellite M300 laptop series features two models, the M300-S4822 is packed with 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 3GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive, while the M300-S4826 features 2.10GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 3GB of RAM and 250GB hard drive.

The Satellite M300-S4822 and M300-S4826 are available now and retail for $949.99 and $1049.99 respectively.

Read [Business Wire]

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AgfaPhoto has announced its newest camcorder product, the tiny DV5000Z. Measuring only 4.7 inches x 2.75 inches and weighing only about 0.44-pounds, the DV 5000Z is loaded with big features despite its small size.

The DV5000Z record videos in 16:9 format with a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. The camcorder supports MPEG-4 recording with H.264 compression. It can record up to 4 hours and 20 minutes of high-definition video on an 8GB SDHC memory card. The DV5000Z also features other goodies such as 16-bit stereo sound, 3x optical zoom and 2.5-inch rotating LCD, built-in video lamp that serves as a flash, and a carry pouch. For live voice-over, the DV5000Z is compatible with external mic as well.

The Agfa DV-5000Z will be available by end of April in Russia for around $393. No word yet on a possible U.S. release though.

Via [I4U]

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Nikon has announced its new Coolpix P80 high-performance compact camera that brings together a 10.1 megapixel CCD image sensor that is accompanied by other improvements such as Nikon’s very own innovative EXPEED digital image processing concept and an 18x optical Zoom-NIKKOR lens designed with the compact and comfortable styling of the Nikon Coolpix brand. Packing such a wallop where megapixels are concerned, the Nikon P80 is tipped to capture fine detail complete with the creative freedom to crop and edit. Its 18x Zoom-NIKKOR lens covers focal lengths from 27-486mm (35mm format equivalent), while Optical Vibration Reduction ensures steady shots are always taken no matter how much you zoom into the subject while standing in the cold with less clothes on than you wish you had.

Some of the modes offered by the P80 include Programmed Auto [P], Shutter-priority Auto [S], Aperture-priority Auto [A] and Manual [M], empowering users with the ability to tap into the creativity of D-SLR functions while maintaining the simplicity of Coolpix functionality. The all-new Sport Continuous Mode comes in handy if you love capturing images of people or animals in motion, capable of shooting up to 30 consecutive images at four, six or even 13 frames per second.

The new Nikon Coolpix P80 will come packaged with Nikon’s very own Coolpix Software Suite for organizing, editing and sharing photos. It also boasts PictBridge compatibility and reads both SD and SDHC memory cards just fine. The P80 ought to be in the market by now in the US, retailing for $399.95 per bundle. Guess if you’re in the market for a mid-range camera that is able to do its job extremely well, then the Coolpix P80 sounds like a pretty good place to start. Now, let the online world be flooded with reviews – any Nikon representatives read this blog?

Press Release

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 2:42PMWell, it looks like that recently released BIOS update may not have been the cure-all solution that many Alienware M15x users were hoping for, with at least some of ‘em now reporting that the update did nothing to fix the so-called “downclocking” problems that many were experiencing. Adding further confusion to the situation is that many users, as evidenced by the discussion on the Notebook Review forums, initially seemed to think that the update had fixed the downclocking problem, only to discover that it had reappeared a week or so later. For its part, Alienware is apparently aware of the ongoing problems and one rep from the company has even chimed with offers of help in on the forums, although there’s no indication as to when the problem might be fixed once and for all.

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Filed under: Laptops

When I was a child, I always wanted to become an astronaut. Thanks to the tech advancements today, I can go to space even without the training.

US company XCOR developed what I like to call as the two-seater sports car to outer space–the Lynx. The Lynx will run on liquid kerosene and oxygen and will be capable of making several flights a day. It will be about the size of a private jet plane, and will travel at twice the speed of like. Meant as an affordable trip to space for scholars, scientists, and casual people, Lynx warrants a fee of 50,000 for every flight. Too bad families can’t enjoy the experience together what with the Lynx being a two-seater vehicle, but at least you get to ride at the front like a co-pilot. The Lynx, which can travel 37 miles above the earth, will officially launch on 2010.

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No, that’s not a swimming pool accessory, though I’d probably use it as a floater anyway.

This enormous inflated device is actually an iPod dock called the iBig Box. But it’s not just any ipod dock–it’s the world’s largest iPod dock, as you can see on the picture (no, it’s no Photoshopped). It’s equipped with a couple of speakers, fabric controls, and of course, the dock itself. It’s not just iPod you can stick in the dock, other audio devices could be used as well. iBig Box costs 30, which isn’t so bad, considering it can double as your bed.

via

Remember how Dick Tracy used his watch as a communicator? Considering the last incarnation of Dick Tracy came out in 1990, I’m not surprised if you don’t. Let’s try this one: Remember when Michael Knight used his watch to talk to KITT? I’m sure anyone eighteen years of age or younger has no idea what I’m talking about.

Well, here’s a wrist communicator that anyone from any generation can understand: the Van Der Led WM2 Watchphone. I have only three words to say about this: “Yeah, baby, yeah!”

After all, science fiction writers have envisioned communication devices on our watches for years. Isn’t it about time that someone made it into reality by putting a cellular phone on a watch?

This Van Der Led WM2 watchphone is a quad band GSM, and it has some very interesting features including a 1.3 inch 260K TFT touchscreen, an FM tuner, 1 GB worth of storage, stereo Bluetooth, and USB data transmission. It has a stand-by time of 240 hours, and a talk time of up to 300 hours. I was surprised to hear that it even has a 1.3 Megapixel camera.

The Van Der Led WM2 watchphone costs about $475, but will not be available until next week on the Van Der Led site.

Source

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 3:46PM
This one’s been available for a tick, but ivyskin’s brilliant new iphone case is just too marvelous to ignore. The Xylo Touch-Thru (T2) claims to be the first case to put a hard shell atop the iPhone’s touch panel which can remain in place as you check your email, respond to a SMS or dial up the local pizza joint. By utilizing Surface Xylo Wave technology, ultrasonic waves are able to permeate through to the display without interference, allowing users to simultaneously keep their precious panel protected ’round the clock while not inhibiting their ability to touch and feel. Not a bad investment for $34.99, eh?

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Filed under: Peripherals

The Eee PC is a great little notebook, but with something this small and inexpensive, it’s bound to have its drawbacks. One in particular that had not been addressed until now was the fact that there were no TV tuner cards compatible with it. Thankfully Asus has been hard at work on a solution.

Asus has updated the Linux drivers for the My Cinema U3100 Mini DVB-T and DMB-TH products, which, as you would no doubt imagine, are USB tuners.

Preliminary tests have shown that playback worked fine on all but H.264 software decoding. So don’t expect HDTV playback on your Eee PC just yet. Also, the recording function isn’t operational either. That’s not really a big deal, since there’s really not much room to store video anyway.

Source: EverythingUSB

Teac has just rolled out its 1:11 USB Flash Drive Duplicators and 1:11 SD Card Duplicators under the Teac Flash Duplication systems umbrella. These devices will be able to copy, compare and even erase up to 11 USB flash drives or SD memory cards simultaneously, which saves you a whole lot of trouble should you be in a hurry to make duplicates for everyone in the department. The functions themselves are selectable from the duplicator controller that is accompanied by an LCD display, making it a snap to control.

According to Les Luzar, TEAC’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, “More and more USB flash drives are used to distribute content or product infomation at presentations, to customers, internally within the organization or for photos, data, files and music. Now, with TEAC’s new line of USB flash drive duplicators, copying and distributing the data is as easy as 1-2-3.”

Guess what was the old way of doing this? Previously, the only solution for flash duplication has been to purchase expensive and more complicated industrial duplication systems. These systems are painfully slow compared to what Teac is offering, as the company has successfully streamlined the process by launching both duplication systems. The main aim of Teac in doing so is to make the entire flash duplication process fast, inexpensive and easy. Since the price of flash-based memory has fallen dramatically over the years in direct opposition to the growing capacity of such media, its popularity has soared sky high, making this one of the better investments to make. No idea on how much it costs though, but it shouldn’t be too cheap since this is an industrial solution. Perfect for companies who are in the business of selling USB flash drives as well as SD memory cards containing pre-loaded information within such as maps and songs.

Press Release