Gadgets Base

How does one choose a USB hub for their desk when there are so many different ones out there? Since most of them will be the same on the inside, there are only a few things to consider. One is whether or not you want a powered hub or not. Once you’ve figure that out you just have to find one that looks cool, because lets be honest, that’s really all it comes down to. If you’re a Transformer fan, then there’s a good chance that you’ll like this All Spark 4-port USB hub.

I’d love to tell you about all of the exciting features of this wonderful gadget, however, as I’ve said before, there’s not much to a USB hub. The only useful things to know are that it does not require power, it will cost around $35 and won’t be available until August of this year.

Source: EverythingUSB

HKC has announced two new Pocket PCs, the W1000 and G1000. Both pocket PCs sport dual sim with an added hotkey for accessing stock market information. Business individuals who are always on the go would certainly find any one of these pocket PC’s useful for their needs.

Both W1000 and G1000 feature 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen with 6.5M color, 256MB ROM and 64MB RAM, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 for Pocket PC, support for SMS, MMS and EMS, and data storage can be supplemented by microSD cards.

The W1000 runs on 200MHz Qualcomm 6025 CPU while the G1000 runs on 200MHz Dragonfly CPU. One difference between the two pocket PC is that the W1000 works on GPRS, EDGE and CDMA, while the G1000 works only with GPRS and EDGE.

Don’t expect to find Wi-Fi or GPS capabilities in both either model though, as you won’t find any. But HKC has still managed to throw in a couple of nifty features to make the W1000 and G1000 pocket PC’s worthy of competing with the iPhone. These include; 2.0-megapixel built-in camera, integrated Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications, Bluetooth and an mp3 player.

The W1000 and G1000 are now available in the Chinese market. The fact that HKC is releasing two identical versions of the Pocket PC with very few minor differences seem to point to the possibility that one of the two models is being geared for an international release. Let’s hope so, as the iphone certainly needs a worthy if not lame competitor.

Product [HKC] Via [Unwired View]

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

If you’ve ever forgotten an anniversary or birthday of your wife, you’ve likely felt the fully wrath of a woman. Regardless of the gift you get her, you’re still likely to be in the doghouse after forgetting such an important date. But fear not, as modern technology has found a way to make sure you’ll never forget again.

The Remember Ring looks like an ordinary white gold wedding band which can be set with a specific date. 24 hours before the progammed date, the ring will heat up to 120 degrees for 10 seconds every hour on the hour for the entire day. This should be enough notice to run out and get a last-minute gift for your loved one.

These are currently only a concept item, however, they expect to sell it in both white and yellow gold for $760.

Source: GearFuse

Until iPods start shipping with wireless headsets, you have to deal with the usual tangle of headphones when you pull them out of your pocket, your purse, your gym bag, your laptop bag, and even from laying innocently on your desk. No more with the $9 Earbud Jack. Earbud Jack is a neat little plastic guy who stands in the right stance location and has the right-sized arms and hands for your ipod headphone cable, earbuds and jack. Get the name now?!

While it may take you just a tad bit longer to wrap up your headphones around Jack, consider this: you won’t have a tangle to deal with the next time you want to use them, you’ll prolong the life of your headset because you won’t be breaking the copper wires inside by tangling or folding too tightly, and you’ll also be indirectly donating to 2 charities currently - the American Hearing Research Foundation and the Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California.

The most important thing about Earbud Jack is learning to use him - all of about 2 minutes. My only gripe with Jack is that he’s mainly designed for iPod headphones and other similar earbud-type headsets. A pair of my weird over-the-ear Sony headphones didn’t quite go as well, but I found a way after some tinkering to get them onto Jack.

All in all, a neat little gadget. What If Widgets is the San Francisco-based company that promises to turn out more clever, practical products like Earbud Jack.

Posted in Audio/Video, Home Theater, Portable

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 11:33PM
When you’re playing Samurai Shodown on your virtual Neo Geo, you need more than that rinky-dink controller to immerse you in a world of arcade magic. When you need to reach for a controller than can match up to your memories, you need the Neo Geo Stick 2. That’s right, this fully Wii-compatible controller can send you hurtling back through time to a happier day when your only concerns were cruising in your IROC-Z, shredding to Winger, and making sure you had enough quarters in your pocket to play Fatal Fury. Ready to do the time warp? $59.90 gets you through the door.

[Via technabob]

• Read
• Permalink
• Email this
• 34 Comments

Filed under: Gaming

I’m sure you remember the recent move of Asus that shocked environmentalists and green peace movement supporters from around the world a few weeks ago. In case you don’t, I’m here to remind you. Actually, they unveiled plans for nature inspired laptops that are supposedly to be made out of bamboo. You read that right, bamboo laptops.

Another laptop maker, Fujitsu, meanwhile has recently displayed its own version of an “organic” computer at the Salone Internazionale Del Mobile furniture exhibition in Milan. But they were kind enough to Asus in that they did not take the route of the bamboo for this new product. Fujitsu made their own from cedar.

There are no details on specs, or if this will ever be available on the world market yet, but judging from the legacy of both wooden materials, I think bamboo takes the cake in this bout. But don’t worry Fujitsu, I’m sure you can prove to us how worthy you are somehow. Just make sure you’ll do it before Asus finishes trimming their bamboo plants though.

Via [Crave]

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

A while back, we showed you the Asus M70, a laptop with the ability to store up to 1 terabyte of data. Well, Asus has finally launched the M70 multimedia notebook.

The notebook features a 17-inch LCD display, which supports up to 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA) resolution. Compounding this a ATI HD video card, which helps you view HD movies via the Blu-ray drive. Dolby Home Theater-powered audio is heard through the built-in Altec Lansing Speakers. When the touchpad is not being used as a default touchpad, it becomes a media button dock and has controls for volume, play, pause, stop, forward, back and more. A deft tap of your finger returns you to the normal touchpad functions of the special rectangular square.

The M70 also has two clever security technologies. First is the regular fingerprint scanner, which does just that; scans your fingerprints. However, the more innovative of the two is software that scans the face of the user, with the built in 1.3 megapixel webcam, to affirm identity. Nifty.

Via [PC Launches]

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

Remember we told you about the Samsung T339 being added to T-mobile’s low end line up? Well, some more juicy information has been leaked from the FCC and it looks like the SGH-T339 will be HotSpot@Home capable.

While this particular phone having Wi-Fi is not really a big deal by itself, the fact that it could be used as a HotSpot@Home phone is really good news. But the bad news is, there is still no official word yet on the full specs, pricing or the official launch date. Looks like Samsung and T-Mobile are going to make us wait. The Samsung SGH-T339 is rumored to feature a clamshell design, microSD slot, music and video player, plus built-in Wi-Fi.

Via [phoneArena]

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

by Richard Lawler, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 1:07PM
Bad day for DISH Network, first its satellite is gone for good and now comes word its appeal to overturn TiVo’s lawsuit has been denied. That should put an end to the legal push and pull between the companies, with TiVo firmly on top, DISH customers could have their DVRs pulled out from under them. Win in hand, TiVo has a lot more leverage against other providers to put its service on their boxes, (which might not be the worst thing if you’ve used some cable DVRs) and leaves the company looking a lot more lively.

[Thanks Zatz Not Funny & Thomas Hawk]

• Read
• Permalink
• Email this
• 57 Comments

Filed under: Home Entertainment

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 11:19AM
Olympus’ Mju 1030 SW compact digital camera got a little lost in the jumble of cameras that the company released earlier this year, but the folks at Photography Blog have now given the compact shooter its due with a full review. As you might expect, the 10-megapixel camera’s main selling point (its toughness) earned it the highest marks, with its metal case proving to be decidedly studier than the competition — not to mention shockproof and waterproof, although the site apparently didn’t test those features too strenuously. It was a bit of a different story when it came to actually taking pictures, however, with the Mju turning in only “acceptable” results, and only then after some basic tweaking. The fact that you have to pay a fairly hefty premium for all that sturdiness ($399) doesn’t help things either, but if you’re the type that goes through cameras like nobody’s business, it may not be the worst option to consider.

• Read
• Permalink
• Email this
• 16 Comments

Filed under: Digital Cameras