Gadgets Control

About two years ago, GPS-based navigation devices such as those from Garmin and TomTom seemed to be on top of most geeks’ wish list. Not for much longer. The days of portable navigation devices (PNDs) as these systems are known are numbered as mobile handset based alternatives gain popularity, says research firm iSuppli. Last year, PNDs accounted for about half of all navigation device shipments, with automotive in-dash systems, smart phones and mobile handsets comprising the rest. However, in two years, PND’s share of shipments will decline to 35% and then to 23% in 2013, says iSuppli. "PNDs have flourished in an environment with little competition during the last four years," said Richard Robinson, principal analyst at iSuppli in a statement. (Read the full post about ‘PND Shipment Growth Decelerates, What’s the Future for Garmin?’…)

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After waiting for the oft-delayed device, Slingbox fans can finally be happy again.  The Slingbox PRO–HD has begun shipping.  The PRO-HD is the first Slingbox to offer broadcast of digital signals.  Previous devices converted HD video to SD standards before sending them out to your laptop or whatever device it was being viewed on.  The Slingbox PRO-HD will broadcast up to 1080i.  While it isn’t 1080p, it’s still better than SDTV, and unless you own a very large laptop, 720p is probably fine anyway. (Read the full post about ‘Slingbox PRO-HD starts shipping’…)

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Above, you see two of McDonald’s Finest. On the right is a Big Mac, freshly made in 2008. On the left, a rather more vintage specimen, embalmed at the factory with the usual edible preservatives to keep it juicy and tender right up until you gobble it down. But nobody ate it, and it still looks as fresh as it did the day it was made, twelve years ago. In 1996, the iPod was but an itch in Steve Jobs’ loin. When the first of the iconic white bricks rolled off the line, this burger was already five years old. If it was human, it would have started school already. At my current ipod burn rate of one every two years, this mummified pattie would outlast six of them, and it’s still going strong. (Read the full post about ‘Big Mac Lasts Longer than Six iPods’…)

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When I saw there was a website called How To Clean Stuff, my first thought was wow, how boring. And I am certainly not going to write about it as news on a women’s tech site: it’s not 1953. But then I took a look, and it’s actually a pretty great idea. Goodness knows, I’ve spent enough time looking for recommendations for the best ways to get grit out of keyboards and grime off of LCD screens; I’m sure I can’t be the only one. Visit the site for the low-down on how to keep everything from an aquarium to a Wii Fit balance board sparkling fresh. And for every cleaning tip submitted to the site, its owners will donate 25 cents to the Clean Water Fund. Via Geeksugar. (Read the full post about ‘New site How to Clean Stuff sounds boring but isn’t’…)

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When I saw there was a website called How To Clean Stuff, my first thought was wow, how boring. And I am certainly not going to write about it as news on a women’s tech site: it’s not 1953. But then I took a look, and it’s actually a pretty great idea. Goodness knows, I’ve spent enough time looking for recommendations for the best ways to get grit out of keyboards and grime off of LCD screens; I’m sure I can’t be the only one. Visit the site for the low-down on how to keep everything from an aquarium to a Wii Fit balance board sparkling fresh. And for every cleaning tip submitted to the site, its owners will donate 25 cents to the Clean Water Fund. Via Geeksugar. (Read the full post about ‘New site How to Clean Stuff sounds boring but isn’t’…)

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Hong Kong, the place where you can buy anything (or have someone make a copy of anything) now has unlocked iPhones for sale. As you can see from the screenshot, these are official, direct from the Apple Store itself. They’re not cheap: Those prices translate to $700 for the 8GB and $800 for the 16GB, but as the blurb says, you can slip in any SIM card you like:   iphone 3G purchased at the Apple Online Store can be activated with any wireless carrier. Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 to complete activation. That means you could seriously reduce ongoing costs, perhaps forgetting voice altogether and using the iPhone as a data-only internet tablet. (Read the full post about ‘Unlocked iPhone 3G Available in Hong Kong’…)

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My husband litters the house with used toothpicks, and while this clever gadget won’t help with that, I love that its function is disguised. The little “weight lifter” in Menu’s toothpick dispenser holds up a clean toothpick in his outstretched arms every time you lift and drop the black cover. Maybe if I put a garbage pail right beside it…. Tags: pvr, tests, speaker, cellphone (Read the full post about ‘Toothpick Man dispenses toothpicks one at a time’…)

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Panasonic a donné un prix à son APN Lumix G1 Micro Four Thirds qui est à un niveau similaire à un reflex numérique entrée de gamme, et selon l’éxécutif de la firme, Yasunori Takase, l’APN avec objectif 14-45mm coûtera près de 800$ quand il arrivera aux US. On ne sait pas combien coûtera l’objectif 45-200mm en option. Je suppose qu’avec la convergence, le Lumix G1 va gommer la ligne entre un camescope et un APN reflex, s’asseyant confortablement entre le Nikon D90 et the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

Tags: speaker, mobile phone, amps, consumer electronics

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FROM APPLETELL - Apple’s recent policy on iphone applications has gone from their normal cult-like level of secrecy to downright draconian… MORE » Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed → Tags: home cinema, gizmos, AAC, ipod (Read the full post about ‘Macworld: Why iPhone App Process is Terrible’…)

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The continuously growing netbook market welcomes a new member, this time it is LG Electronics which just announced the Xnote Mini netbook.  Although Aving USA tagged the new LG machine as a mini-notebook, we’re still inclined to believe that the Xnote Mini should be called a netbook instead, if we are to judge it by the few specs and details available about the netbook. Actually, the Xnote Mini’s Intel Atom processor gave away the fact that it is really a netbook.  We all know, of course, that most netbooks in the market are powered by the processor.  Adding to the Atom processor is the Xnote Mini’s 10-inch display, which is also becoming the standard display size of today’s generation of netbooks. (Read the full post about ‘The Xnote Mini: LG joins the netbook party’…)

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