Archive for May 6th, 2008Umm. I’m perfectly content with charging my iPod by plugging in the cable. I don’t need a dock to do that, Proporta. I don’t understand why you would even come out with one. Seriously.
May
06
2008
 
Hulk Smash Electronic Fists: 1-Minute Catfight and Review [Hulk]Posted by: admin in General Gadgets NewsClearly super-hero season is full on at this point, and the product is already in stores. Hasbro sent us two pairs of $20 Hulk Smash electronic action-sensitive talking fists. These are different from the old ones because a) they’re made by Hasbro, not Toy Biz b) are cloth, not foam and c) have one speaker, not two. We still have to wait a little over a month for the Hulk movie, though, provided Ed Norton doesn’t chain himself to the outgoing prints to keep the world from seeing it. (Yep, that slow-mo comes from the beloved Casio EX-F1.) [Video by Nick McGlynn Hasbro]
May
06
2008
Lightning Review: Nyko Kama Wireless Nunchuk [Wireless Nunchuck]Posted by: admin in General Gadgets News
The Price: $34.99 The Verdict: Works as advertised. We spent hours going through several games, including Mario Galaxy, and the Kama plays just as well as the standard Nunchuck. It’s convenient when you’re playing Wii Boxing to not have the cable inbetween your two hands, but when you’re playing Mario, it’s not all that noticeable either way. The downside to the Kama is having to charge yet another pair of AAs, plus the fact that you’re paying a $15 premium over the standard controller. The upside is you’re going entirely wireless, which looks and feels much superior. It’s also one or two millimeters wider than the standard Nunchuck, which is probably better for adults since the standard one is slightly too thin. Also, the trigger buttons are clear plastic.
Note: We did run into one instance when the Kama kept becoming “stuck” in one direction, always making Mario run off to the left or right. Re-sycning the two controllers didn’t help, nor did taking out the batteries and rebooting them. Only shoving in a regular wired Nunchuck or resetting the Wii itself seemed to mend the problem. It probably wasn’t a battery issue, since we replaced both batteries with newish ones. We only ran into this once in the entirety of our play time, however, so you shouldn’t encounter this often. [Nyko] Update: Nyko tells me that the issue might be because the unit was from an early production lot. They’re sending another one for me to test and see if I have the ability to reproduce the problem. The days of the 99-cent single could be over. Warner Music has teamed up with a company, Digonex, that collects and analyzes music sales data from a number of online music stores. Using the data, and applying some sort of Warner Music formula, Digonex then alters the price of the song to reflect things like […]
The days of the 99-cent single could be over. Warner Music has teamed up with a company, Digonex, that collects and analyzes music sales data from a number of on the web music stores. Using the data, and applying some sort of Warner Music formula, Digonex then alters the price of the song to reflect things like demand, amount of time it’s been available, and so on. In trials, songs have ranged from 33 cents, to 66 cents, to 99 cents. Album sales are similarly affected, ranging in price from $3.30 to $10. Apple’s Steve Jobs isn’t prone to appreciate the scheme, since he’s long be a proponent for across-the-board 99-cent singles. Don’t be too swift down Warner’s throat, however. Just because the record company wants variable pricing does it mean it’s going to automatically charge more for popular music. Wouldn’t it make as much sense, if not more, to lower the price of popular music so as to sell more? Anyway, this is all still experimental, with tests set to start this month. via Wired
Starting this June, the Touch Diamond will be available in Europe. The Asian and Middle Eastern markets will follow, with sales hitting North and South America in the second half of 2008. “Today we mark a new era in mobile-phone evolution, an era where beauty and size integrate with uncompromising innovation at broadband speeds,” said Peter Chou, HTC president and CEO. “The HTC Touch Diamond will make browsing the Web and using Web-enabled applications just as practical and easy to use as making calls.” Qualcomm chips grant the Touch Diamond to use High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) on Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) networks that allow data speeds up to 7.2 Mbits per second. The Touch Diamond has a 2.8 inch touch-screen that has a resolution of 640 pixels by 480 pixels. TouchFlo software can make images look 3D and turning the handset sidewise rotates the view accordingly. The Touch Diamond has a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto-focus that allows video calling. The battery life lasts up to four hours of speak time and the handset has 4G bytes of flash memory for storing music and video. This isn’t the first time HTC beat Apple to the punch. Last year HTC launched its first Touch handset almost a month ahead of Apple’s iPhone launch. Via Mobilecrunch TouchFLO 3D’s very cool pic contact feature keeps your favorite people a touch away for calling, texting, or e-mailing.
May
06
2008
Flip + Waterproof Casing = Rugged Cam You Won’t Fear Losing [Flip]Posted by: admin in General Gadgets News
You don’t give a shit if you lose or destroy it. Blam’s fingers turn into sprouts of butter while frolicking in the ocean, especially if they’re gripping expensive, ruggedized cameras that can otherwise withstand brutal acts of man and nature. Buttons are also hard to press. The Flip only has one you need, and with this cheap underwater housing, Blam could film dolphin sex with 10 Flips Matrix-style, or simply have a small army of semi-disposables ready to die for the price of a single higher end camera. (Cheap disposable cameras are different for you and me than for even budget Hollywood flicks, after all.) [Dethroner]
“Telecom Italia announced this day it has signed a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Italy later this year,” was all that the Italian group had to say on Tuesday. Vodafone plans to sell the iPhone in ten countries by the end of this year. “Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to buy the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network,” the British-based firm said in a statement without giving any more details. No one seems to be saying much about this break with the exclusive rights to sell the iPhone in a national market. It could simply have to do with Italian anti-trust laws, or might be a change in Apple’s sales strategy as regards the iPhone. As the iPhone enters new markets, we will learn if the Italian deal is an anomaly or a change in corporate strategy by Apple. Via Mobilecrunch
May
06
2008
Is It Right That the U.S. Government Spends More on the Digital TV SwitcPosted by: admin in General Gadgets News
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May
06
2008
HeartBeans Grinds Coffee In Rhythm to Your Caffeine-Powered Heartbeat [Design]Posted by: admin in General Gadgets News
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The Gadget: Nyko’s 
To be honest, I can’t state that I’m surprised to hear that the government has allocated $1.5 billion to inform 17 million citizens about the digital TV transition. After all, those 
I understand that there are many people out there who can’t face the day without a cup of coffee. Hell, I’m guzzling a black coffee down as I write this. However, I draw the line at having an emotional, “intimate” experience with my delicious bean-based beverage—the kind of experience that the HeartBeans grinder promises to deliver. According to the project page, HeartBeans utilizes a motor inside a mahogany shell that measures the pace of the user’s beating heart. By operating in sync with the heartbeat, it is intended to “induce an experience of intimacy with the process of making coffee” while producing a different flavor with each use.
