Gadgets Connect

There are definitely people interested in developing third-party applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. That’s a safe thing to state considering the beta iphone Software Development Kit (SDK) has been downloaded by more than 100,000 developers. Apple initially announced the desire to release an SDK for the iPhone back in October. The hope was the SDK would be available in February, but the release date got pushed back to this month and was announced at a special event. Apple developed the SDK to help combat the large movement by some groups and individuals to offer applications for the iPhone and iPod touch even if that meant using hacking and homebrew apps to do so. (Read the full post about ‘Apple’s SDK downloads top 100k’…)

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Posted Mar 12th 2008 4:01PM by Nilay PatelFiled under: Laptops Acer’s never had an international press conference in New York before, but there’s a first time for everything, and the company used the occasion to launch the second generation Gemstone laptops. Coming in a special blue (”Gemstone Blue,” how wild), the new 16- and 18.4-inch machines feature 16:9 1080p screens, 1.5GHz Penryn processors, 512MB NVIDIA 9650m GS graphics, and those Blu-ray drives we heard about. The graphics chip is at the center of Acer’s new CineReal system, which offloads BD playback to the GPU and provides Dolby headphone output (and real 5.1 sound on the bigger model). (Read the full post about ‘Acer unveils the second-gen Gemstone’…)

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Microsoft Corp cut the prices of its Xbox 360 video game console in Europe by up to 28 percent on Monday to try to spur sales in a key battleground in the fast-growing industry. This is the second price cut for the Xbox in Europe in less than a year. Last August, Microsoft shaved 7 percent off the euro price of its low-end model and 13 percent off the main Premium model. The 80-euro decrease results in cuts of 18 percent to 28 percent across the three Xbox 360 models, bringing the cheapest Arcade version to 200 euros ($307) and the high-end Elite to 370 euros ($568). (Read the full post about ‘Microsoft Xbox 360 is cheaper by 80-euro in Europe from today!’…)

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Posted Mar 12th 2008 1:43PM by Nilay PatelFiled under: Misc. gadgets Sure, electronic voting has had its fair share of troubles, but there’s not denying that it’s the wave of the future — and we’re always intrigued by plans like the one being floated in Poland right now that would allow citizens to vote online from their homes, since that seems like a great way to increase participation. (Read the full post about ‘Former Polish prime minister opposes online voting, says Internet users are all watching porn’…)

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With the right kit and a little know-how, it is possible to hack into a pacemaker and take control. According to US researchers from the Medical Device Security Center, this is feasible because many pacemakers contain a radio designed to allow reprogramming of the heart-control devices.

The radio’s signal is unencrypted, allowing a malicious attacker to turn off the pacemaker completely or deliver a shock to the heart which would cause ventricular fibrillation and thereby a cardiac arrest. The kit required is specialist and expensive, and an attacker would need to be in close physical proximity to the victim, but the possibility is very real.

The researchers didn’t test on a live pacemaker wearer.

(Read the full post about ‘Scientists Demonstrate Deadly WiFi Pacemaker Hack’…)

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OverviewCanon, world’s leading manufacturer of digital cameras and printers has come up with the new PIXMA MX7600 Printer. This all-in-one high-performance printer comes with a 5-color ink system and can produce photos quickly with 4800 x 1200 color dpi resolution. Get the copies of photos just like the originals using PIXMA MX7600 Printer. So, bring in the printing revolution called PIXMA MX7600 Printer. Features Automatic document feeder (ADF). Automatic duplex printing. 5-color ink system Quick printing of 4800 x 1200 color dpi resolution photos. Allows printing from memory cards, camera phones and digital cameras. Built in Ethernet port for efficient network printing. (Read the full post about ‘Canon PIXMA MX7600 Printer’…)

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The Tent Ceiling Fan And Light from Coleman helps outdoor buffs suffer less whenever they rough it out in the wilderness, under the protection of a tent. Try camping out in a country located along the equator and you’ll know just how hot, stuffy and humid it can get. I would highly recommend the Tent Ceiling Fan and Light for all campers no matter where you are - after all, getting enough rest during the night is vital if one were to continue with the journey the next day. The Tent Ceiling Fan And Light retails for $26 a pop. Tags: electronic toys, games, TV, CD (Read the full post about ‘Tent Ceiling Fan And Light’…)

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The Kwikset Smartkey system was specially designed to keep your home more secure even when you’re away on a long holiday, requiring a special adaptor that teaches the Smartkey lock to use a new key. Perfect for those who want to keep on changing keys as they please, or even revert to an old school key if you like. The only drawback for one who changes the key to be used would be remembering just what key you have last “programmed”. No longer do you need to change the entire lock system once your key gets lost – just use a brand new key with the Kwikset and you’re good to go. (Read the full post about ‘Kwikset Smartkey System’…)

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The Zoombak GPS receiver is small - so small, it equals to the size of a Zippo lighter while integrating a GPS receiver and cellular radio within. It is capable of reporting back on its location when queried, and the Zoombak will be available in two variations - one for use in vehicles while the other is meant for dog owners to keep track of their four-legged friends. Both products will be identical in nature, but the only difference would be the included accessories where the pets version comes with a collar attachment. Unfortunately, the Zoombak is not waterproof so it would be prudent to be more careful during those wet days. The Zoombak Car Tracker and Dog Tracker will retail for $249 and $199, respectively. (Read the full post about ‘Zoombak GPS Receiver’…)

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In order to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Sprint customers can pick up the LG Rumor that comes in a shade of green, bringing the following features to the palm of your hand :- Integrated mp3 player microSD memory card slot (up to 4GB) GPS navigation Sprint Family Locator 1.3 megapixel cameraBest to talk on this while downing a pint of Guinness. Tags: gprs, gizmos, CD, dap (Read the full post about ‘LG Rumor Now In Green’…)

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