Gadgets Connect

Vudu first began showing up in Best Buy locations back in late-March and at the time it was just 24 locations, all of which were located in California. The limited availability was thought to be a testing period to make sure the devices would be able to sell as expected. Well, jump forward a little over a month and it looks like it must have been successful because Vudu and Best Buy have just announced a little more widespread availability, however it is still not nationwide. They have remained in California, but also expanded to Arizona and Illinois, all in all it looks like they are now available in almost 70 Best Buy locations. (Read the full post about ‘Vudu makes its way into more Best Buy locations’…)

Share This

by Donald Melanson, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 5:19PM It only launched a few weeks ago, but it looks like NVIDA could already be set to cut the price of its top-end GeForce GTX 280 graphics card — a move that would be prompted, as you might have guessed, by AMD’s cheaper but powerful Radeon HD 4800 series. According to HotHardware, that word comes from “multiple NVIDIA board partners,” who say that the card could be dropping to as low as $499 (the same as AMD’s competing card). One board partner reportedly added that the price “may be a little higher, or potentially even a little lower.” Obviously, all of that is still up in the air until we hear from NVIDIA itself but, as HotHardware points out, it could certainly pay off to hold out a couple of weeks if you’ve been considering taking the plunge on one of these. (Read the full post about ‘NVIDIA said to be dropping GeForce GTX 280 price in response to AMD’…)

Share This

Asus takes the more rugged route with the B51 notebook that was specially built to withstand harsh operating conditions as well as the rigors of constant travel. It features a lightweight yet strong magnesium alloy chassis that provides adequate protection for its innards, while holding out against shocks pretty well with rubber bumpers along the edges and a high strength protective film that shields the notebook from scratches. A sponge protection system helps keep the Asus B51’s hard drive safe, while a drainage path has integrated into its design so that the keyboard won’t kaput that easily whenever a clumsy colleague with a drink in hand drops by your desk. (Read the full post about ‘Asus B51 Rugged Notebook’…)

Share This

Nikon has just released a firmware upgrade for the D3, and here are a few of them improvements. Images captured with “Rotate tall”, in the playback menu, set to “On”, are not automatically rotated for display immediately after capture (image review) The “Choose image area” option has been separated into two options, “Choose image area (FX / DX / 5:4)” and “Choose image area (FX / DX)” A new “Shooting menu bank” option has been added “Recent settings” can now be displayed in place of “My Menu” The virtual horizon can now be displayed with shooting in LiveView mode The “Vignette control” setting can now be confimed in shooting information The “Vignette control” item in the shooting menu now supports all types of G- and D-type lenses, except DX and PC lenses Autofocus performance has been improved Auto White Balance performance has been improved An issue that, in some rare circumstances, caused the battery indicator to blink, regardless of actual battery charge, has been resolved Errors in the German help displays have been correctedThis is not a comprehensive list, you’ll need to check out the source article for the whole skinny. (Read the full post about ‘Nikon D3 Firmware Update’…)

Share This

Transcend has recently introduced a new digital photo frame into its line up, the T.photo720. This sleek-looking digital photo frame promises to display digital photos in high-resolution (800×480) format with its 7-inch widescreen TFT panel. It comes with a 2GB internal memory and supports both JPG and BMP image formats which can be displayed either one at a time, in a slideshow view or a thumbnail view. If the 2GB storage is not enough, the digital photo frame also comes with MobileCard slot for direct input of microSD and M2 cards. For its special feature, this digital photo frame is equipped with Automatic Orientation Sensor (AOS) that detects when a photo is horizontally or vertically rotated and automatically adjusts image placement on screen for optimal viewing. (Read the full post about ‘Trascend intro’s the T.photo720; a multi-function digital photo frame’…)

Share This

Even the manliest of men need to admit that they need food to survive. Preferably a nice juicy steak with a hot baked potato, but of course a slice of strawberry cheesecake would do. The point is that you can stock up on every tool in the catalog, but a nice pair of eating utensils is always an investment worth making. Of course, with this outburst of industrial design influence, everything is being mixed and mashed into one beautiful product of productivity. These eating utensils are made for not only eating, but for crouching down for some butt-crack revealing plumbing, or even fixing a loose spark plug on your vehicle. Each gadget features two sides. The fork, knife, and spoon side is perfect for chowing down on some grub. While the opposite site features a common tool for all of those handy man jobs you (wish you could) do. And even better, they even come shipped with a special tool set for keeping in storage. Well, at least that’s the idea. As of now, they seem just a result of one designers imagination. But we’ve seen kitschy-er items reach fruition. Hell, we might even give these gadgets a try if we ever have the opportunity to fix something without our families running to the phone for an emergency maintenance call. Apparently self-repair is scarier to them than the repair bill. Design Page via The Design Blog
Email to a friend Leave a comment Tags: equipment, Ogg, technology, tests (Read the full post about ‘Cutlery for the handy man’…)

Share This

The first time my dad used a mouse, he held it like a remote control, waving it futilely at the screen. The folks at Kensington may have witnessed this, for they’ve created the Slimblade Presenter Media Mouse, a mouse that actually can be used as a remote—to control PowerPoint presentations and iTunes playlists. A navigation pad on the flip side of the mouse allows the user to click through slides while pointing out important details with a laser pointer. For leisure time, a switch puts the remote in media mode, allowing it to operate basic functions in iTunes: play/pause, next/previous track and volume. The shape of the navigation pad resembles the scroll wheel of an ipod, but unfortunately it lacks that degree of functionality. (Read the full post about ‘Gadgetell Quick Review: Kensington Slimblade Presenter Media Mouse’…)

Share This

Linspire, the company that first made news because of a lawsuit Microsoft started over its Linux operating system named Lindows, has been acquired by a competitor. Earlier this week, Linspire announced that it had been acquired by Xandros, which offers OEM Linux solutions, Linux desktop and server products, and cross-platform Windows-Linux management tools. At this time Freespire, the open source project sponsored by Linspire, will survive post-acquisition.

It seems Xandros was very interested in acquiring Linspire’s CNR software distribution facility. Linspire’s model allows for one-click software delivery for updates and access to content and applications.

(Read the full post about ‘Linspire acquired by Xandros’…)

Share This

FROM APPLETELL - Apple has given Intel the cold shoulder and has decided to not use their chips in the next generation iphone 3G. MORE » Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed → Tags: gadgetry, AAC, cool gear, hdtv (Read the full post about ‘Apple to Intel: No iPhone for you.’…)

Share This

If you dislike the idea of just holding the Wii Wheel in your hands without any support, here’s the Wii Wheel Mount to save the day. It features a suction cup connected to the wheel which can then be attached to any flat surface, ensuring it doesn’t slip while you’re frantically trying to pip your opponent to first place. Good thing the Wii Wheel Mount is able to tilt 120-degrees from the top, allowing you to drive at your preferred style. It will retail for $28 - if only it came with a horn to annoy your family and friends. Tags: M4A, cable, cool gear, gear (Read the full post about ‘Wii Wheel Mount’…)

Share This