Gadgets Base

Sony will be rolling out the PlayStation PlayTV service in the UK when September 10 comes about, and this news was confirmed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves at E3 last week. For those who are not in the know, the playstation PlayTV is a digital TV recorder that works well with both the PS3 and the portable PSP, enabling you to record whatever’s showing on TV while having your fun with games. Of course, with Internet connectivity via Wi-Fi on the PSP, you will also be able to watch live TV broadcasts on the PSP.

You will need to sacrifice a USB port on your PS3 though if you want to use the PlayTV service as the PlayTV tuner takes up one USB port. Of course, that is but a simple matter of throwing in a USB hub if you’re fast running out of ports, so no biggie here. The best part about the PlayTV service would be the ability to watch, pause and record free-to-air digital TV whenever you feel like watching TV instead of gaming. It records both standard and High Definition channels as long as the latter is available, and works somewhat like a personal video recorder as you watch a channel with the option to record another simultaneously. Thanks to the built-in program guide, you will be able to view listings and schedule recordings for the following week.

Folks who prefer to rock on with the more portable PSP will also be able to carry these features along with them wherever they go as long as they remain within the radius of a wireless Internet connection. The Remote Play function also lets you watch live TV, access previously recorded programs and organize your media library. The PlayTV tuner will retail for approximately £79.99 when it is available this September.

Source: BIOS

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LG has launched a new stylish portable hard drive in the Korean market. This 2.5-inch hard drive with a SATA II interface is called the LG XD1 and gives out a transfer speed of up to 480mbps with its USB 2.0 E-SATA port. The XD1 features a gradient texture design which is available in either red wine or black pearl colors. It will be available in 120GB, 160GB, 250GB and 320GB storage capacities.

Pricing and release date information for the LG XD1 are not yet available. LG has not yet announced as well whether this portable hard drive will be available internationally.

Via [I4U]

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by Darren Murph, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 6:43AM
AOC did a stellar job of knocking off some rust and catching our eyes with the downright stylish 2230Fm, and the inclusion of a self-sustaining media player was also worthy of a closer look. Thankfully, the kind folks over at Gear Diary managed to get ahold of one such unit and put it through the paces, and in the end, it seems as if more positives were noticed than negatives. As an LCD, it was viewed as top notch; visuals were crystal clear, colors were sharp and accurate and ghosting was non-existent. The built-in audio and slideshow players were lackluster at best, but the integrated video player did a phenomenal job of handling a myriad formats and making things look right at home on the 22-inch panel. Granted, we still wonder who will actually use said media player if this gets connected to your home computer anyway, but for those who’ve conjured up a plan, hit the read link for the full review before buying blind.

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

by Ryan Block, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 3:06AM
Not a ton’s changed with Creative’s ZEN X-Fi — which we all well know at this point — so for right now we’re just paying closer attention to its innards all broken out like a science fair project. Careful, the teardown link below contains graphic representations of disrobed consumer electronics.

[Thanks, Josh and Mindy]

Read - Zen X-Fi teardown
Read - Anything But ipod’s review
Read - Pocketables review

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 4:25AM
Look, that USB-powered fish tank was fine during your teenage years of irresponsibility, but it’s really about time you started acting your age. Of course, we’re not suggesting you actually work harder — just smarter, is all. The DIY Automatic Fish Feeder is an exceptionally cheap, easy and almost life-changing creation that will never, ever forget to keep your fishes well fed and well lit. By attaching a makeshift pill bottle dispenser to a timer, Baha Tanju was able to create an automatic feeder that barely requires any attention. We know fish have a way of forgetting everything they ever knew every three seconds or so, but they’ll love you three seconds at a time for never leaving ‘em hungry.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 7:57AM
If you’re an owner of the first generation iphone then one of the (many) annoyances you’ve discovered with your new curvy and slightly chubbier 3G sib is the fact that it won’t fit your existing dock — be it the dock bundled with the iPhone or with the Bluetooth headset. To make matters worse, Apple chose not to bundle a compatible dock with the iPhone 3G — you have to purchase that separately for $29… you know, assuming you can find it. Fortunately, that old dock can be made into a suitable charging base for your iPhone 3G with just a bit of simple Dremel action and elbow grease. Sounds like a bargain to us.

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Filed under: cellphones, Peripherals

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 7:06AM
There’s no OS to speak of, no optical drive, just 4GB of flash storage and 256MB of RAM, and you’re limited to a 400MHz Freescale 5121E processor with integrated graphics under the hood. But the CherryPal desktop PC — just revealed with a $249 price tag — is definitely worth making a fuss over. About the size of a plastic paperback sporting a pair of USB ports and VGA-out, the mini PC plugs directly into the CherryPal Cloud via 802.11b/g WiFi or 10/100 Ethernet for 50GB of free Internet storage, automatic system updates, and access to a number of webified apps (which also reside locally) including iTunes, OpenOffice, and a CherryPal-branded instant messenger and media client (though we figured iTunes would have taken care of the media playback). Of course, the lack of traditional specifications results in just a fraction of the power consumption used by that electron gobbler sitting on your desk. Not bad if your PC’s primary function is to playback audio, surf the web, and occasionally edit an Office document. Oh, and that name, CherryPal? It originates from an early tester who declared it, “sweeter than an Apple.” We’ll see when the first CherryPal desktop ships at the end of this month — order today.

[Via Crave]

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Filed under: Desktops

If you’re in the market for a serious business oriented smartphone that is also stylish and gives you some personal ‘toys’, then look no further than the 3G Sony Ericsson P1i. The P1i is a touchscreen smartphone with a slew of connectivity options like GSM and UMTS, Bluetooth, IR port, modem, and USB.

For productivity, you have on-the-go document editing, calendar and contacts application, task lists and notes, and even handwriting recognition among many others. The e-mail application supports syncing back to an Exchange and a standard POP3 e-mail client.

For your personal life, you’ve got a built-in photo and video camera, video viewing, a music player, RSS feeds, and numerous applications. The video camera also integrates with the phone for video calls on UMTS networks! With a talk-time of up to 10hrs on GSM, this is perfect for business folks who don’t always get back to their homes every night to recharge.

Gimme!

More info from the manufacturer

Price: $419.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Posted in Cameras and Photo, Phones, Portable

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 2:16AM
Although Western Digital seems to have the portable hard drive sector all wrapped up, LG’s looking to snag a bit of that market share by introducing a new line of stylish alternatives. Each member of the XD1 family possesses a 2.5-inch HDD with a SATA II interface and a USB 2.0 port, and just in case black isn’t your bag, you can expect a red wine colored version as well. For now, we’ll have to live without a price or release date, but you can look forward to units arriving in 120GB, 160GB, 250GB and 320GB sizes sometime in the future.

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Filed under: Storage

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 20th 2008 at 11:50PM
Gigabyte’s M912 has remained largely in the shadows since peeking its head out in early June, but now we’re finally getting a hint as to how much coin we’ll be forced to lay down in order to acquire one. Based on information from a Taiwanese poster over at UMPC Fever, the M912V, which arrives with Windows Vista, 1GB of RAM, WiFi and Bluetooth, should cost around $656. The WinXP-based M912X will reportedly check in at around $620, while the M912M arrives with a lower resolution display (1,024 x 600 versus 1,280 x 768 on the other two) and no Bluetooth for $556. Take all of this with a tablespoon of salt for now, but at least you’ve got a general frame of reference to work with as you plan out which netbook to squeeze into your gadget portfolio.

[Thanks, YpoCaramel]

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs