iPhone 3GS on the way! June 14, 2009, 1:06 AM by ROB Posted in IPHONE, GADGETS, MOBILE | 171 views
And I want one. Bad. Here's a quick summary of the changes in the new hardware design (if you've been living under a rock lately), prioritized in my concept of importance:
—Improved (3 MP) camera with autofocus and video capability
—More memory (RAM)
—Better processor
—More storage
—Better battery life
Why do I want one? Because I have no life, really. Granted, I really hope the new hardware is jailbreakable.
Speaking of jailbreaking, QuickPWN is giving away an iPhone 3GS on their site. Click through for more info and how to enter.
If your desk looks anything like mine, real estate is practically non-existent. I typically have to brush aside a half dozen empty soda cans to fit my keyboard on it, let alone my mouse. Enter the Weramouse: a wireless, hand-held pointing device that mates a Wii Nunchuck with a trackball mouse.
The Weramouse features dual right-click buttons (to accommodate both right- and left-hand users), a trackball, a scroll wheel, and a trigger-style left-click button. After a quick charge with the included mini-USB charging cable, I connected the wireless dongle to my computer and started using the device.
You're going to love the Weramouse if you can satisfy two conditions. First, you don't have no flat surface readily available. Second, you need a mouse for something other than day-to-day use. For me, it was my home theater setup; I could control my media with my media remote, but switching applications (like switching between BeyondTV and, say, an NES emulator) required far more movement than I'm typically willing to expend. I tried other wireless mice, but they were all too cumbersome for using from the couch without a book or lap desk. Using the Weramouse, I could lay back, relax, and still manage my HTPC.
I wouldn't use the Weramouse for all-day use; if you use a computer as much as I do, the trackball would probably give you a nasty case of "oh-crap-my-thumb-hurts-itis."
It's great for applications like a home theatre PC and light gaming (check out the branded Poker Mouse).
Today, we’ll be taking a look at MSI’s new all-in-one desktop computer, the MSI Wind Top.
The AE1900 comes in two flavors. The first option ships with Windows XP and features a single-core Intel Atom 230 1.6 GHz processor, 1 GB of onboard SDRAM, and a 160 GB hard drive. The second option gets an upgrade to an Atom 330 1.6 GHz dual core processor, 2 GB of RAM, and a 250 GB hard drive running Windows Vista Home Basic.
The most prominent feature of the AE 1900 is the 18.5-inch 16:9 touch screen display. The touch screen itself is incredibly responsive and, while it lacks multi touch capability, it is still very pleasant to use.
The device doesn’t feature much in the way of touch-enabled software outside of an app launcher, but third-party add-ons such as BumpTop can give users a fresh tactile experience. The device does include some alternative input software applications—an on-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition app—but they aren’t practical for extended keyboarding. I didn’t notice any tablet PC features in the XP operating system our review unit shipped with and, as a veteran of tablet PCs (I’m writing this review on a Lenovo Thinkpad x60 Tablet), I greatly miss those features in the Wind Top system. Our source tells us they'll be developing a Windows 7 model in the future and I'm sure that product will blow me away.
That being said, the Wind Top is absolutely beautiful. It comes in two colors—black and white—and features a clear bezel around its edge. This is a machine I'd be proud to display in high-traffic areas of my home.
Included with both Wind Top models is a DVD Super Multi Rewriter, integrated 1.3 MP webcam with microphone, 4X multi card reader, and integrated 802.11b/g/n wireless and gigabit LAN. The device consumes just 65 watts of power (about the same as an average incandescent light bulb) thanks to its nettop internals and runs exceptionally quietly.
This product would be great for casual computer users—you’re not going to run Crysis on this PC—and students who are looking for a desktop for schoolwork and entertainment. Starting at $529, I could see the Wind Top being an attractive alternative to higher-end 20-inch LCD TVs for dorm or apartment use. With TV-on-demand websites like Hulu, I’ve pretty much eliminated broadcast television from my viewing habits.
The Wind Top’s DVD playback works just fine with no noticeable lag. Menus are easily navigated using touch, eliminating the need for a remote. Other entertainment options include a couple of mediocre (but surprisingly addictive) head-tracking webcam games.
The Wind Top may be slightly underpowered, but when all is said and done, the AE1900 represents a value you won’t find in any other all-in-one PC.
I've been pretty much living in a hole for the past week due to exams (thanks, Wake Forest), so I've got a bunch of reviews waiting to be published. Sucks for me, but it's great news for you! I'll be posting a series of reviews throughout the week covering some awesome gadgets and some cool software. I'll update this post with links, so bookmark it and check back throughout the week.
What do you do when the fridge runs out of room for beer? If you're like my housemates and you have a Whirlpool Polara Refrigerated Range, you just pop it in the oven.
The Polara range not only cooks your food, but it's programmable to keep your food cool until a specified time at which it pre-heats, cooks your turkey, roast, "special" brownies, what have you and keeps them warm until you get home. Have we ever actually used that feature? Of course not. It's pretty to look at though, and fun to brag about.
Honestly. How many college kids do you know that can tell their friends that they chill beer in the oven?
We've been posting a lot lately and we want to make it easy for you to find what you're looking for. Today, we've launched the GadgetGrounds Site Search. GG's Site Search integrates with Google so you can find the content you want via a familiar interface. Go ahead! Try it!
In case you didn't know, you're not the only one who likes your shiny new iPhone—thieves love it, too.
It's a good thing, then, that either technology these days doesn't want to be stolen or thieves are just too dumb to do it right. Two weeks ago, the New York Post reported that Sayaka Fukuda, 29, had her purse—iPhone included—stolen in a robbery. After she reported the incident to police and returning home, Fukuda checked her email to find an email in her outbox that she didn't send. She opened the attachment in the sent file to find—go figure—a self-portrait of the thief that stole her phone.
Fukuda submitted the photo to authorities who promptly sifted through mugshots to find Daquan Mathis, 18. Score 1 for technology, 0 for clueless crooks.
Then there's this article from Gizmodo that reports on case of a 16-year-old thief whose cell phone just happened to call 911 when he was bragging to his friends about his haul... Smooth.
Police triangulated the cell phone, dispatched an officer, and picked up the kid with stolen car stereo still in hand.
Know of any other stories? Drop us a comment and let us know.
After I unboxed the DocuPen RC805 from Planon System Solutions, one thing instantly popped into my head: "This is some serious James Bond material right here!" Imagine a full-color (24-bit) scanner that's just under nine inches long and weighs only two ounces. The DocuPen scans an entire page in just a few seconds (around five to ten, in our tests) without the need for a PC. Once you're back in at your computer, the DocuPen software makes it easy to pull the images off of the device and convert them to various formats (TIFF and PDF, in my tests).
There are a few kinks, however. First, scanning from books is a little tough; the DocuPen has to be pretty much flat in order to scan properly. The device operates on rollers which track down the page. If you're scanning on a soft or uneven surface and the rollers lose contact with the page, the rollers stop turning and the device assumes you've reached the end of the page you were scanning. This is little more than a learning curve, though, and it is easy to pick up some finesse on how to guide the pen down the page.
The second kink is the software—it doesn't seem to be compatible with the 64-bit version of Vista. Luckily, my primary use for the DocuPen is with the Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet I'm testing as a part of my Project Paperless endeavor. The software installs fine on the Tablet (running Windows 7). Still, the software feels "old." It takes me back to the config programs of old webcams, TWAIN scanners and such under Windows 95/98. Functionality could be improved as well; the software is currently a "suite" with several dis-integrated applications that could benefit from being re-written and unified.
The looks of the pen itself more than make up for the aesthetics of the software, though. The DocuPen is a shiny bundle of really cool (and surprisingly usable) technology. Its form factor and portability are HUGE selling points—it travels well in my backpack, laptop bag, or even my pocket and seems durable enough to not break in transit. Might I also mention that the device comes with a leather case for additional protection.
Solar Power comes to iPhone January 27, 2009, 5:53 PM by KEVIN Posted in MOBILE, REVIEWS, GADGETS | 118 views
One of the biggest disadvantages of using the iPhone is its relatively short battery life. Currently, millions of people use the iPhone as their main cell phone, but only few have backup batteries ready. Most people would not carry a heavy or dangling battery charger with them when they go out.
Recently, a company called Solar Arcadia has introduced the Solar iPhone Leather Flip, a solar-powered battery charger that doubles as an iPhone case and protector. The battery charger, which carries a price tag of $45.90, gathers energy directly from sunlight and has an on/off switch to activate the charging circuit only when you need it. I personally find the Solar Arcadia to be very convenient for people that do not bring many things with them when they go out—the Solar Arcadia stays on the iPhone for battery charging at all times. Since the charger runs purely on solar energy, no additional batteries or wall charging is ever required. I also find the battery meter in the Solar Arcadia that shows how much energy remains in the charger to be very convenient.
However, there are a few drawbacks to this device. The case and battery itself is bulky—it can fit in some pockets, but not for people who wears tight jeans or pants. The charger itself does not store too much battery and a full charge of the device just won't charge the iPhone to its capacity. The battery life of the Solar Arcadia will also drain over a short period of time. Good thing, then, that the device can be replenished by solar energy.
Overall, the product is very convenient and I recommend it to people who needs to charge their iPhone batteries often but yet does not want to bring an extra battery charger set with them when they go out. The bulkiness and the appearance of the item is a huge drawback, but at least they serve as a good protector if you tend to drop the iPhone often!
For even more juice (at a heftier price tag), check out our review of the mophie Juice Pack.
American Innovative has sent us the most comprehensive alarm clock we've tried to date: their Neverlate Executive 7-Day Alarm Clock. The Neverlate comes equipped with three banks of seven alarm settings—21 alarms total—to accomodate even the most complicated sleep schedules.
For a student, this is a lifesaver. I personally have classes only on Tuesdays and Thursday—and I can't remember my name if you don't remind me, let alone to remember to set an alarm—so it's nice to have an alarm pre-set for each day of the week.
You may argue, "but my cell phone can already do that," and you'd be 100% correct (I presume). The Neverlate, however, also sports a USB charging jack (for your iPhone, perchance), a 1/8" stereo AUX input, and an optimized speaker system for blasting your Green Day music files from your music player. The clock also hosts a wide variety of customization options, including an adjustable display brightness, configuring pre-set radio stations, and setting snooze duration.
Using the device can be a bit tricky at first—its features are a bit much for the average alarm clock consumer. The alarm selection, for instance, is controlled by a knob on the top—it's not too bad once you get used to it, but there's definitely a bit of a learning curve.
Overall, the Neverlate Executive is a decent buy and certainly at the top of its class.
American Innovative is currently out of stock, but the device retails for $59.95.
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