Gadgets Control

Posted Feb 5th 2008 4:59PM by Donald MelansonFiled under: Displays EPI’s Envision-branded monitors don’t exactly do a whole lot to distinguish themselves from the pack, but the company sure is cranking ‘em out these days, with it now adding two more reasonably-spec’d (and reasonably-priced) models to the lot. Those include the 19-inch Envision G917w1 and the 22-inch Envision G2219w1, the former of which boasts a 1440 x 900 resolution and a rather impressive 3,000:1 contrast ratio, while the later packs the usual 1680 x 1050 resolution and a slightly more common 1,000:1 contrast ratio. Otherwise, you can expect HDCP-capable DVI ports on each, along with a 5 ms response time and full compliance with Energy Star and ROHS standards. (Read the full post about ‘EPI announces 19- and 22-inch Envision-branded monitors’…)

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Swedish prosecutors have charged the founders of one of the most popular file-sharing torrent sites - Pirate Bay - with conspiracy to break copyright law. On the basis that Pirate Bay does not host the ‘illegal’ material, just offering links a la Google to material that already exists on the internet, it does seem like their reputation is going against them as there must be hundreds of sites and blogs across the internet that do the same thing, maybe not to the same level sure. (Read the full post about ‘Pirates from the Bay back in Court’…)

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Upgrade speed demons have found that among the possible side effects of leaping into the iPhone’s 1.1.3 firmware, you may end up taking a significant hit in battery life. The elite hack squad at iPhone Atlas has a bushel of suggestions for getting juice consumption back to normal. Force-quitting the Mail application every time you leave your inbox can be particularly helpful in curing battery drain, since the new firmware seems to be not all that smart in managing server calls when the application is idle. (Read the full post about ‘How to Boost Battery Life in Updated iPhones’…)

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Posted Feb 5th 2008 10:24AM by Joshua TopolskyFiled under: Laptops If you’ve been wishin’ and hopin’ for a new Dell laptop, you might want to hold off for a little bit. According to a speculative report over at CNET, the company is planning on upgrading laptop CPUs to Intel’s fancy new Penryn chips, though the PC-maker is remaining tight-lipped about just which models will get the spike, if any. (Read the full post about ‘Penryn CPUs coming to Dell laptops?’…)

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Admit it. You’re addicted to tiny tech gear. It’s minimalistic, it’s cool, and its helps you keep your life free of clutter. Big things require big furniture to accommodate them. They impose on your decor, they weigh down your laptop bag, and they waste more electricity, to boot. I’ve been shrinking my gadgets for ages. I replaced a tower PC with a Shuttle shoebox (which can accommodate a powerful Nvidia 8800 GTX video card with only about 3mm to spare). I swapped out a meaty Macbook Pro for a subnotebook (The Fujitsu T2010, a $1,500 amazement packed with crazy features like a Wacom Cintiq convertible tablet display). I finally disposed of a gigantic HP laser printer that was good for more than a decade, replacing it with Brother’s wee HL2070N. (Read the full post about ‘Small Things That Suck: Five Things You Have To Buy Big Or Not Bother’…)

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In a surprising move today, Apple has released updated versions of two products today: the iPhone and the iPod Touch (will review in my next post). The iPhone gets a new 16GB version, which more than doubles the previous model’s storage capabilities. From the Apple press release (edited for only the iPhone information): The revolutionary iPhone now comes in a new 16GB model for $499, joining the 8GB model for $399. “For some users, there’s never enough memory,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. (Read the full post about ‘Apple Upgrades iPhone to 16GB’…)

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Microsoft is being sued due to a Zune owner getting ear damage from the headphones of his Zune. Joel Geddis is claiming that his Zune headphones gave him both an electric shock and also sent a very loud noise through his earbuds. This has since caused blood and fluid leakage from his ear canal as well as a “temporary threshold shift, and incessant ringing and discomfort.” This incident happened when he first bought his Zune back in November 2006. In November of 2006, I received an electric shock through the earbuds of my Microsoft Zune. Simultaneously, the Zune emitted a very loud noise through the earbuds and the device began to reset. (Read the full post about ‘Zune owner suing Microsoft, claiming ear-damage from headphones’…)

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As most of us saw this morning, the Apple online store went down, and when that happens the rumors start flying. This time it went down for a very good reason, Apple has added a 16GB iPhone and also a 32GB iPod Touch. The 16GB iPhone will join the 8GB model and it will retail for $499, the 8GB model will remain at $399. The 32GB iPod Touch will also retail for $499, while the 16GB and the 8GB models will remain at $399 and $299 respectively. Both are available immediately. While there still is not any 3G capable iPhone, the larger storage options for these models should appeal to those that were holding off due to a lack of available storage. With these rumors being put to an end, what will come next? (Read the full post about ‘Apple adds 16GB iPhone, 32GB Touch, both at $499′…)

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Coleman’s new rechargeable blender is road trip-tastic. The 48 ounce polycarbonate pitcher has ice-crushing stainless steel blades and the two six volt batteries will blend up to 30 pitchers worth of drinks. Two chargers are packed into the base, a 120v model to charge up before you leave, and a 12v version for in-car mixing.Sure, camping is supposed to be about roughing it, living at one with nature and the like, but nature – like anything – is so much better with a margarita.Product page [Coleman via BBGadgets] Tags: TV, camera, mobile devices, cool gear (Read the full post about ‘Portable Blender For Cocktails On The Go’…)

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The beta of Firefox 3.0 first became available for testing back in late-November as Beta 1 with the option for those more adventurous users to go ahead and begin using and testing. Well the good news is that that Firefox 3.0 Beta has entered “code freeze.” This means that this version has been locked and according to Mike Beltzner, the Mozilla interface designer that testing on Beta 3 should begin Monday. After which the public release can be expected sometime around February 13. According to Firefox “at least 41 percent” of extensions are now working with Firefox 3.0. After the Beta 3 proves to be OK, we can expect to see a Beta 4 before the final release. (Read the full post about ‘Firefox 3.0 Beta 4 expected shortly’…)

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