Gadgets Control

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 23rd 2008 at 6:21PM We can’t help but feel the blackberry Bold 9000’s much-anticipated launch ended up being just a tad bit anti-climactic. Maybe it’s a Canada thing, or maybe we’re just haters. Or maybe we hate Canada. While we mull that over, you might as well have a look at CrackBerry.com’s video unboxing of the new phone, complete with some comparison shots and, um, unboxing. Oh, there’s an iphone versus near the end, so don’t go anywhere! Video is after the break. (Read the full post about ‘BlackBerry Bold 9000 unboxed on video’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Aug 23rd 2008 at 12:41PM Oh sure, we’ve seen a limited number of hacks surface for the hotly selling (but still unsightly) Amazon Kindle, but we’ve yet to see a hardware mod of this magnitude. We’ve always heard that desperate times call for desperate measures, and evidently said mantra is very true. After having the display in his Kindle smashed around 8 months ago (thanks, kid sister…), blakebevin set out to perform an unprecedented surgery. With an unwanted Sony Reader LCD in hand and a badly broken Kindle on the operating table, he attempted to give the latter unit new life with a few pixels from a cross-town rival. We’ll warn you — this one’s not for the rookies in attendance, and even Mr. (Read the full post about ‘Amazon’s Kindle gets display transplant, Sony Reader acts as donor’…)

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Remember the new Archos Internet Media Tablets, the 5, 5g, and 7? Well, it looks like the 5 and 7 are already on sale at Archos retailer, Amazon. At this time, the 5g is not currently on sale. The 60GB Archos 5 is set to cost $349.99, the same model with 120GB capacity will cost $50 more priced at $399.99, and the 250GB Archos 5 will cost $449.99. Next, we have the Archos 7 and the base unit, the 160GB model will cost $449.99. One of the main differences between the Archos 7 and 5 is the screen size, the Archos 7 boasts a 7-inch TFT LCD screen, meanwhile the Archos 5 comes with a slightly smaller 4.8-inch display. Finally, the whopping 320GB model will cost $549.99. (Read the full post about ‘New Archos 5, 7 Internet Media Tablets now up for sale’…)

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FROM APPLETELL - BusinessWeek claims to have some information that points to Apple’s plans to build over 40 million iphone 3Gs during the next 12 months. MORE » Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed → Tags: video, gizmos, game, robots (Read the full post about ‘Apple is going to make how many iPhone 3Gs!?’…)

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FROM APPLETELL - BusinessWeek claims to have some information that points to Apple’s plans to build over 40 million iphone 3Gs during the next 12 months. MORE » Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed → Tags: electronic toys, cellphone, cameras, equipment (Read the full post about ‘Apple is going to make how many iPhone 3Gs!?’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Aug 23rd 2008 at 7:41AMHey, hackers! Now that we’ve got the attention of millions upon millions of incredibly talented individuals, here’s your next challenge. India’s Airtel — which is offering Apple’s iPhone 3G at a near-stratospheric price — has claimed that “even the most deadly hackers on the planet won’t be able to crack the codes that support the iphone’s Airtel applications with rival company SIMs.” Just so you know, it appears that Airtel worked with Apple to develop “operator-specific iPhone applications,” which is an interesting tidbit in and of itself. But let’s focus on the task at hand here, and that’s proving that making ridiculous claims about impenetrability always comes back to bite ya.[Image co (Read the full post about ‘India’s Airtel claims “deadliest hackers” still can’t crack its iPhone 3G’…)

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Microsoft has taken the opportunity to announce the SideWinder X6 keyboard at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, adding yet another member to the venerable SideWinder line of gaming peripherals from the software giant. It seems as though Microsoft Hardware laid low for quite some time, and the SideWinder name has not exactly lighted up the gaming world for some time already, so hopefully the X6’s debut will change all that. This is touted to be the most versatile gaming keyboard on the market thanks to the pioneering switchable key pad which can be attached to either the left or right side of the keyboard, catering for both left- and right-handers. (Read the full post about ‘Microsoft SideWinder X6 keyboard’…)

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With a refreshing change, the latest Asus netbook has just been unveiled and thankfully it does not carry the Eee PC branding, instead it is simply dubbed the Asus N10. Sporting what appears to be a more professional looking outer shell, the N10 features a 10.2-inch display with a 1024 x 768 resolution, fingerprint reader Bluetooth 2.0, built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam, built-in card reader and a possible 320GB hard drive. It has also been mentioned that the N10 will be running either Windows Vista or a Linux variant. As for ports and connectivity, the N10 is expected to include HDMI, VGA, three USB 2.0 ports, Express Card slot, headphone out, microphone in, Ethernet and Wi-Fi with an external on/off switch. (Read the full post about ‘Asus N10; non-Eee-branded professional looking netbook’…)

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Yamaha has finally taken up the task to ship it’s BODiBEAT device that threw up quite a storm when it was first unveiled. Just to recap, the BODiBEAT prides itself in being the first music player in the world that is able to select songs that match the pace of the user’s workout. This is made possible by synchronizing automatically one’s musical selections to the steps of the user’s walk or run. I wonder what happens when most of the songs are of the same beat, will the software tear its virtual hair out in frustration due to being unable to find a match? I would normally think that once a person’s workout pace drops, it is imperative to pick up that lost pace by increasing the speed of music and not the other way round, but I won’t argue with Yamaha on this point. BODiBEAT comes with BODiBEAT Station, software that automatically categorizes each downloaded song by beats per minute (bpm), and a small heart rate monitor that clips gently onto the user’s ear. Designed to maximize fitness activities such as running, walking and dancing, BODiBEAT also tracks the metrics of these workouts, including distance, time, pace and heart rate. BODiBEAT includes an armband and is ergonomically designed for ease-of-use and exceptional comfort during active pursuits. BODiBEAT features 512 megabytes of skip-free internal flash memory, and offers approximately 12 hours of playback when fully charged. BODiBEAT has four main operating modes: Free, Fitness, Training and Music. In Free mode, BODiBEAT automatically matches the music to the exercise pace, selecting songs that mirror the tempo of the user’s jogging or walking speed. Fitness modes include Walk Fitness and Jog Fitness, each of which works in conjunction with the heart rate monitor to select the most appropriate music for optimal aerobic exercise at the user’s fitness level. Like a personal trainer, Training mode tells users when to speed up and slow down for ideal results, and it does so while playing their favorite music. In Music mode, BODiBEAT functions as a standard portable audio player. The Yamaha BODiBEAT can be yours for $299.99. Expect to see these appear in gyms pretty soon. Press Release
Email to a friend Leave a comment Tags: players, home theater, pvp, mobile devices (Read the full post about ‘Yamaha beings to ship BODIBEAT’…)

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by Donald Melanson, posted Aug 22nd 2008 at 9:31PM ZPower has made a few promises before that haven’t exactly panned out, but that apparently hasn’t stopped it from making another bold claim at IDF this week, with it boasting that its newfangled Silver-Zinc battery will be rolled out in a “major notebook computer” sometime in 2009. According to ZPower, that battery will provide up to 40% more runtime than traditional lithium-ion batteries and, just as importantly, be far more “chemically stable” than its sometimes explosion-prone lithium-ion counterpart. ZPower also looks to be going the extra mile when it comes to recycling the batteries, with 95% of the battery itself apparently recyclable, and the company offering “financial discounts” to folks when they trade in their old Silver-Zinc batteries. (Read the full post about ‘ZPower promises to deliver Silver-Zinc laptop batteries in 2009′…)

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