Gadgets Control

Time Warner Cable (TWC) believes that just 5% of its Internet connection subscribers account for 50% of its network capacity through heavy download usage. That may be a key reason as to why the ISP has decided to start trialling new subscription charges for customers based on data usage.

In the second quarter of this year, it is expected TWC will start a trial in Beaumont, Texas, where new customers will sign up to a tiered service. Rather than giving users unlimited downloads at a set download speed, these new tiers would charge based on data download limits.

(Read the full post about ‘Time Warner Cable to experiment with Internet access charges’…)

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It appears that Lenovo have themselves a new ultralight X300 series Thinkpad—and outside of the price and release date, we have all of the specs that you need to know. At a glance, some of the major features include: a 13.3-inch LED backlit 1440X900 screen, an ultralight 2.5 pound form factor, and Intel Merom Santa Rosa Dual Core CPU (2.0 Ghz / 880 Mhz ), a 64 GB SSD, up to 4GB of DDR2 PC2-5300 memory, and 4 hours of battery life. Hit the gallery for the full details. (Read the full post about ‘Ultralight Lenovo X300 Series Thinkpad Leaked [Laptops]’…)

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After the recent bad news regarding Intel for the OLPC project it is good to see that they have set up offices in the US and are looking to expand through state governments and get the XO laptop into the hands of the poorest kids in the US.

The XO laptop costs $188 which is almost double the initial target of $100, and with $10,000 spent per annum on each primary school child in the US compared to $20 in Bangladesh it is likely that the project is looking to boost sales of the XO in the US to help support the sales in the poorer nations, but as the poorest kids in the US benefit at the same time it seems like a win-win situation to me.

(Read the full post about ‘OLPC headed to US classrooms’…)

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PocketPCItalia reports that Toshiba is going to launch a Portégé G-Series that is not a Smartphone: the G450. The phone is designed to be a minimalist phone with a basic (unpractical?) dial pad and a small OLED display. However, it has 160MB of memory and it is also capable of connecting at HSDPA (3.5G) speeds. To do what? Simply to be used as a USB 3G modem for laptops. $290, in Europe only at the moment. Other models include the G910 that we already covered (G900 at the FCC here). Tags: dap, gear, technology, speakers (Read the full post about ‘Toshiba Portégé G update’…)

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Curious about how Intel managed to develop a new chip for Apple’s MacBook Air? Normally a new design costs around one bazillion dollars, but it turns out that the teeny pencil-length chipset isn’t completely new after all. The smaller chip profile is set to go mainstream later this year, as the Penryn mobile chipset. But the actual bits on the board are older tech, very similar to what is currently running under the name Core2Duo in other Mac portables. So the MacBook Air’s revolutionary architecture is more evolutionary, a kind of bridge between old and new. The full study was carried out Anandtech, and has all the science-bits you might need, including a response from Intel. (Read the full post about ‘The Real Story Behind the Tiny MacBook Air Chip’…)

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Walter Mossberg has tested the Asus Eee PC, the small low cost computer that is the darling of some Linux lovers and assorted digital elves with EXP576. And while he says that it is a “valiant effort,” he clearly doesn’t like it for many reasons (and even puts the MacBook Air in his comments): On the positive side • Has a very small footprint and fits anywhere. • Comes with all the software you need for images, music, office applications, mail and web access. • Very simple interface, with the Linux operating system. • Wireless. • Price: $300 to $500 depending on the configuration. (Read the full post about ‘Mossberg Doesn’t Like the Asus Eee PC and We Can’t Blame Him [Laptops]’…)

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Posted Jan 18th 2008 11:05AM by Erik HansonWe can’t count the number of times we’ve gotten to work and remembered we forgot to schedule that night’s American Idol football game to record on DirecTV, and wished we could do it using just our cell phone. Well, the satellite provider is adding the capability to do just that: with the DVR Scheduler (previously known as Remote Booking), you can log onto the mobile site at m.directv.com, and bounce a record signal from DirecTV’s satellite down to your DVR in minutes. The soft launch has HR20-700 DVR models going live right about now, with more models and an official rollout scheduled for February. Even the venerable TiVo HR10-250 is scheduled to get this feature, and it’s sure to be a bi (Read the full post about ‘DirecTV rolls out remote recording’…)

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Posted Jan 18th 2008 6:41AM by Ryan BlockFiled under: Cellphones, Handhelds $140 can’t get you too far in the gadget world these days, but if you’re in the market for a totally crap-ass knockoff of Nokia’s slim and slender N800 tablet, look no further than this “dual-band PMP cellphone,” all hooked up with a QVGA display, dual cameras, Bluetooth, 128MB memory, and enough snazz to blow away the real thing. We’re being so sincere right now.[Via PMP Today]Tags: design, games, plasma, Hi-fi (Read the full post about ‘Keepin’ it real fake, part CVI: N800 gets Chinafied’…)

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This showerhead is like no other showerhead we have featured before! This luxurious and maximum-flow showerhead happens to be environmentally friendly! Instead of conserving water while you’re taking a shower, Evolve’s ShowerStart™ technology saves the hot water that’s wasted before you actually get in. The result - save time, hot water, energy and money without giving up a single thing. Taking your shower never felt so good and now you don’t have to worry about that pesky shrinkage problem. Evolve’s integrated ShowerStart technology has something called Trickle Mode that prevents expensive hot water from unnecessarily running down the drain before you actually get in the shower. (Read the full post about ‘Water Lily Eco-Friendly Rain Showerhead’…)

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Forget all those trips to the kitchen or treks to the cafeteria no you can reheat coffee right at your desk; or nuke some soup for you brown bag lunch or pop some ‘corn in the entertainment room. Takes up less than a cubic foot. Plug it in anyplace that’s handy, work or home office; home gym; family room; nursery; wet bar; dorm room; work bench; pool house… anywhere! This little gadget will run you $129.95 which is a bit pricey for a microwave that wont even fit a frozen dinner in it, but thats the price you have to pay for convenience. (Read the full post about ‘Iwavecube Personal Microwave’…)

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