Gadgets Control

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 18th 2008 at 12:17PMIf you’ve been putting off that purchase of Popcorn Hour’s evolutionary A-110 HD media streamer or all new B-110 motherboard, here’s a decent compilation of facts and opinions to help you make up your mind once and for all. The cats over at DigitalReviews took the time to not only detail, test out and report back on the newest duo from the company, but it also revisited the original (and heralded) A-100 in order to give a better comparison. Overall, critics did tend to prefer the A-110 over its predecessor, but the minor list of changes made it a hard sell for folks teetering on upgrading. (Read the full post about ‘Popcorn Hour’s A-110 HD media streamer / B-110 motherboard reviewed’…)

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How many mouse pads do more than provide a mere smooth and clean surface for you to glide your peripheral across effortlessly? The Zone ZUP8020 Multifunctional Mouse Pad does that and more, featuring the following :- Four port USB 2.0 hub Integrated stereo speakers Built-in microphone Built-in audio in and out ports Definitely not meant for gaming, but this $19.99 purchase would make for a decent office peripheral for the working class population. Tags: video, buyers guides, Ogg Vorbis, pvr (Read the full post about ‘Zone ZUP8020 Multifunctional Mouse Pad’…)

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Here’s a way to really rub it in your friends’ faces that you have an iPhone: A mod that makes the Apple logo glow, like the way it does on a MacBook.    Russian website gPda.ru’s mod involves replacing the aluminum apple with an illuminated one; you’ll be able to control the glow intensity with software on the iphone. Check out the video below to see the mod in action. (Read the full post about ‘Russians Mod iPhone to Make Apple Glow’…)

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by Chris Ziegler, posted Aug 18th 2008 at 12:59PM Remember the Touch Diamond? Yeah, well, cherish that memory, because it may be gone by the time you get done with our quick look at Samsung’s mighty Omnia. We’re not saying the Sammy entry blows away HTC’s — not by a long shot — but it’s a solid competitor that makes Windows Mobile looks shockingly passable for the year 2008. (Read the full post about ‘Samsung Omnia reviewed on Engadget Mobile’…)

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Photo [Brymo/Flickr] Come on, internet. Just bring us proper movie streaming already. If any more proof were needed that physical media needs to go, and soon, we bring you exhibit A: The Netflix Outage. The DVD-by-post service collapsed last week, leaving a morass of confusion in its wake. And the worst of it is that Netflix doesn’t appear to know what went wrong. Fully one third of Netflix customers are not being shipped DVDs. Those affected should have received an email offering credit, but confusingly, some people who did receive the mails have also been receiving deliveries. We’re sure it will get sorted out, but it shows that, even if the glitch is in the Netflix computer systems, shipping movies by post is and old-world way of doing things. (Read the full post about ‘Netflix Outage Shows Why Disks Deserve to Die’…)

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Palm’s newest Treo - the 850, also known as the Treo Pro, has been leaked across the entire Internet no thanks to an accidentally uploaded presentation that could not be pulled off before rabid Palm fans got hold of it. Well, this mistake has silver lining since it has been touted to be the best looking Palm ever by many people, and will be part of next year’s line up. Another interesting point to note is this will be a Windows Mobile-powered smartphone, so you can forget about the Nova operating system which has been in the works for far too long, IMHO. It will come in a black and white color scheme, featuring a 3.5mm headphone jack, a wireless button for quick Wi-Fi access, a microUSB connector, 3G connectivity, a 2.4″ 320 x 320 resolution touch screen display, a 400MHz processor and 100MB RAM. (Read the full post about ‘Palm Treo Pro leaked’…)

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We haven’t even seen an availability announcement for the first phone based on Google Android. But, there are already people comparing it to the Apple iPhone. The comparisons are inevitable. The various leaked photos and videos of prototype phones based on Android have an iPhone look to them with their large LCD screens, finger touch interfaces, and ability to detect orientation. But, can the so-called GPhone actually challenge the Apple iphone’s current mindshare? Silicon Alley Insider’s Dan Frommer doesn’t think so based on what’s known so far.

(Read the full post about ‘Google Android vs. Apple iPhone: Who wins?’…)

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Seems like just about everything is getting solar panels these days, such as umbrellas and handbags just to name a few. We could be looking at a future where even everyday clothing forms a source of recharging our daily gizmos. The problem is, wearing photovoltaic cells isn’t exactly - fashionable. Some researchers, however, may have a method to make them more discreet. Researchers from North Carolina State University have come up with a process to digitally print onto textiles; patterns that match the look of unusal components incoporated in to clothing - in this case, solar cells. The idea is that the printed fabric will blend in with the solar cells, making them stand out less like a solar power converting sore thumb. (Read the full post about ‘Digital Textile Printing could help hide solar cells in clothing’…)

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What happens when a computer and a guitar fall in love? Why, they result in the Computair (not necessarily nine months later though)! Check out the touch screen laptop that has been embedded straight into the belly of a guitar body, complete with working frets and the works. Forget about cheap air guitar imitations - this mod definitely takes the cake. I wonder whether such a device idea will actually be adopted by a major hardware manufacturer and roll an affordable model for the masses? Tags: toys, cable, dap, design (Read the full post about ‘Compuitar Just Too Cool’…)

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These retro cameras from Superheadz, called “Blackbird, Fly” are reminiscent of the twin lens reflex Rolleiflex cameras from the olden days, only these cameras take 35mm film rather than the traditional medium format film used in the originals. But, in honor of the originals, these new cameras produce square images (just smaller) so you retain that full retro feeling when you’re looking at the results. Trends in Japan tells us this camera will sell for under $100. Maybe they’ll be out in time for the holidays.

More on retro cameras:
LOMO retro cameras
Fisheye camera #Two

Tags: cellphone, consumer electronics, Hi-fi, hdtv

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