Archive for February, 2008
Join With Toshiba dropping HD DVD, it’s all over but the shouting
It’s hard not to see the handwriting on the wall. Literally. But let’s recap. First, it was select studios announcing the dropping of HD DVD and focusing on the better selling Blu-ray line. Then, it was Best Buy announcing it would only sell Blu-ray. Then, Amazon announced a 50% off clearance on 150 HD DVD movies. Microsoft drops the price of their Xbox HD DVD add-on player to $129. But the real killer was when WalMart announced it would drop HD DVD effective in June. So what to do when the war is over? Toshiba finally raises the white flag.
Continue reading » With Toshiba dropping HD DVD, it’s all over but the shouting
EPOS Digital Pen and USB Drive
I’m not certain if there is a market for digital pens as yet, and I’m not certain why. When I was in high school and college, I would have given anything for something that could take my handwritten material and turn it into text.
I guess students these days are taking their laptops into class and typing the notes out. But what about mathematics classes, where diagrams and drawings are the necessity?
I had a chance to try out the Fly Fusion Pentop Computer, and while that had some nifty features, I also enjoyed the EPOS Digital Pen and USB Flash Drive. The Fly Fusion requires a special notepad to work, but the EPOS can use any paper.
All a user has to do is clip a special device onto a top of a piece of paper like a clipboard, and then use the special pen. Then the device attaches to the computer via USB and the user can download his or her drawings or writings.
Continue reading » EPOS Digital Pen and USB Drive
ClickFree HD700 Backup
If you have ever had the unfortunate pain of a deleted hard drive, then you know the importance of backing up all your information. Believe it or not, the average consumer does not have any backup protection on their computer. The sad case is that most consumers want to backup their hard drive, but many of them do not know how.
Consumers should be glad that there are now easy ways to back-up all their information. For example, the HD700 from ClickFree, a device that prides itself as being an automatic backup “for the rest of us”.
The HD700 is very simple to use and works by plugging into a computer’s USB port. It then automatically downloads software to back up a computer’s entire hard drive. Oddly enough, no CD-ROM is included, nor needed, because everything a user needs is all on the device itself.
Continue reading » ClickFree HD700 Backup
Dog Lamp is a hoot
Most dogs evoke the emotion of “Awww, isn’t he adorable?”, and this Dog Lamp is no exception. Other than being a great conversation starter, it also works great in lighting up your room.
No matter how hard you might try, and no matter which hole you stick the light bulb in, a normal dog just can’t seem to light your living room like a conventional lamp. Well, now the world can be proven wrong with the Dog Lamp!
Would you drop £74.99 for this pooch?
Product Page via RGS
Samsung to mass produce 64GB SATA II SSDs
Solid state drives are the future, although there are still some kinks to be worked out at this point in time. Samsung Electronics has mentioned that they will begin to mass produce 64GB solid state drives (SSDs) based on a new SATA II interface, featuring the highest performance rates in the industry that will definitely be a hit with those looking for a premium notebook. This new SSD features a read and write data rate of 100MB/s and 80MB/s respectively, and Samsung proudly claims that their SATA II SSD is up to 60% faster than SATA I drives. It will make an appearance in selected Dell and Alienware notebooks as an option within the next few weeks. Just make sure you have prepared a wad of cash in advance.
Danforth Diamond goes hi-tech with 3D view
Danforth Diamond is a well known name when it comes to diamond engagement rings, and the company has just announced the availability of a 3D view for their range of engagement rings, letting one browse through part of their catalogue for an enhanced buyer experience. According to Jill Renee, the president of Danforth Diamond, “We [Danforth Diamond wanted to make sure that our customers knew exactly what they were getting by shopping with us. Our 3D diamond engagement rings are the perfect way to see exactly what you want to buy to make sure you get the diamond engagement ring that’s perfect for her.” I wonder when will those Russian bride sites offer 3D views…
Onkyo APX-2 HD Audio Computer
Onkyo is one famous brand in Japan, and the APX-2 is the latest HD Audio computer to be released by the company. This time, it was launched in partnership with SOTEC, also from Japan. This entertainment-centric computer will come with the following specifications :-
- Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 1.66GHz processor
- 1GB RAM
- 500GB hard drive
- Digital Audio amplifier
- Onkyo PCI-200 audio card
Onkyo has gone to great lengths in order to reduce the amount of noise coming out from this, where its hard drive is stored in a “Super Floating HDD Unit” – of course, it could also have eliminated all noise by including an SSD, but that will certainly prohibit many people from buying one of this then. Onkyo has also bypassed the Volume Mixer function of Vista and installed the PDAP (Pure Direct Audio Path) to prevent HD Audio loss, an area where Vista is notoriously poor at.
Source: AkihabaraNews
Philips phone gives you 3 extra hours of talk from one AAA battery
If you’re anything like me, you use your cell phone far more than you use your landline. Honestly, the only time I really pick up my home phone is when I know I’m going to be on the line with a customer service rep that could take a while. Aside from that, everything goes through my mobile. Naturally, I can wear my battery down faster than I’d like. Philips knows that this is a problem for some people, and have created a phone that will use a single AAA battery to give you a little extra boost of power.
Continue reading » Philips phone gives you 3 extra hours of talk from one AAA battery
