Archive for November 1st, 2007
The USB Mini-Cool Aroma from gadget mavens Brando could not have been released at a more opportune time with winter just around the corner. Heck, it can even be used for those living in tropical countries as an air-conditioned room is the perfect recipe for dry mouths, hands and skin. This device generates cool and moisturizing steam via safe ultrasonic waves in order to relieve your dry skin, eyes, mouth and throat while making breathing a less laborious task. Just in case a scentless environment isn’t your cup of tea, you can always add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to further soothe the mood of your surroundings. The USB Mini-Cool Aroma retails for $39 a pop.
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Filed under: News
What? The mainstream media has a glowing review of a PS3 game? Yes, it’s true. Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank Future is garnering the attention of many traditionally non-gaming news sources, such as the prestigious NY Times. Once again, the illustrious Pixar comparison is made for Ratchet’s latest outing — the game is visually compared to the likes of pre-rendered Hollywood blockbusters, like Monsters Inc. and Toy Story.
This is important for Sony. The New York Times notes that this can be exactly what Sony needs to convince consumers about the true power of the PS3. “Ratchet, however, will surely become a showcase game for Sony because, given current technology, it seems unlikely that any game for either the 360 or the Wii will be able to match Ratchet’s overall visual quality.” Such praise from a mainstream news source will go a long way to alleviate Sony’s ailing public image.
“The biggest problem with Ratchet is that at times it is so lushly compelling that you find yourself just staring at the screen, as if it were a movie, rather than actually playing the game. And that, of course, is not a bad problem at all.”
[Thanks, Will!]
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Filed under: Computers
Apple fanboys get your iBlowhorns out, maybe even an iMarchingBand or two: PC World has put together its “Notable Notebooks of 2007″ roundup, and it’s declared Apple’s MacBook Pro the fastest Windows Vista notebook it tested this year.
Besting PCs from the likes of Alienware and Toshiba, the MacBook Pro didn’t win every category (there are certainly smaller, lighter, and more battery-friendly notebooks out there), but it won the race to the finish.
“The $2419 (plus the price of a copy of Windows Vista, of course) MacBook Pro’s PC WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 88 beats Gateway’s E-265M by a single point, but the MacBook’s score is far more impressive simply because Apple couldn’t care less whether you run Windows.” Of course, you’ll also need a copy of Leopard (which comes with Apple’s BootCamp software) for the full Windoze experience.
We have a feeling they’ll be talking about this victory for awhile.
From PC World
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Filed under: Computers, Advice
If you’re like us — busy as blogging beavers can be — then you might have totally forgotten that it’s Halloween this Wednesday, which means you’ve got to get a costume ready pronto, if only to keep those Halloween revelers off your back for not coming to the party (or work) prepared.
If you’re got a decent color printer, you’re in luck, because Microsoft has posted some nifty directions on printing and making your own mask-on-a-balsa-wood-stick, though we think the first line of the how-to is Halloween-SCARY:
“Imagine the perplexed looks of the neighborhood children when they come to the door and see you wearing a mask of your child’s face.”
(Totally off the wall, in a good way! You’re totally weird, Microsoft, and we love it!)
The site goes on to suggest possibly going as your pet or spouse — also kind of creepy/hilarious — but we think most people will probably go as something more traditional, like, say, R2-D2? If so, check out the various ‘Star Wars’ character templates, which you can print out and use as masks, on the Lego site.
Got any other ideas for printable masks? If so, share ‘em down below, ’cause I’m sure we’re not the only people still trying to figure out who or what to dress up as on Halloween night.
From Microsoft and Lego (via GeekSugar).
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Posted by: in Celebrity news
 DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/WIREIMAGE;ALESSIA PARADISI/ABACA
We can’t say enough how amazing Halle Berry looks pregnant — although we imagine we’ve got a few more oohs and ahs before she’s due. So, it’s no surprise that the hot momma-to-be is still wearing non-maternity wear, but only Halle could pull off a legendary Dolce & Gabbana corset dress in her second trimester! But we’ve seen this particular slinky number before, on the decidedly sveltve figure of Mandy Moore. While it’s not exactly fair to compare those who are and are not expecting a child, we still get a giggle out of seeing the two stars in the same dress. Tell us: Who wears her Dolce & Gabbana dress better? Do you like that Halle is wearing sexy clothes during her pregnancy?
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Filed under: Launches, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL)
The Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Gphone is expected to be unveiled in about two weeks, according to The Wall Street Journal. The phone will be available the middle of next year.
Actually, the term should be “Gphones.” The manufacturers will probably be South Korea’s LG Electronics and Taiwan’s HTC Corp., and the first U.S. carrier will likely be Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT)’s also-ran, T-Mobile.
The new handset will have standard Google Gmail, Maps, search features, and YouTube. Its applications and operating systems will be “open” so other developers can build new features for the phones.
But who cares? Will the phone sell because it is based on Google technology? Branding worked for Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)’s iPhone, but it rode the popularity of another device, the iPod. Google is up against plenty of other multimedia phones with maps, e-mail, video features and GPS.
The fact that the applications allow outside developers to add features to the phone only works if the features are different from those already available on competing systems. That may be hard to do. The cellphone software industry already has a robust set of applications.
Google is hoping that an open architecture will draw both developers and customers. The developers may come, but the new phone will have to be much different than other products in the market to get any reasonable number of sales.
Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.
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Filed under: News
Engadget is reporting that the new 40GB PS3 - which is on sale right now in Europe and Australia and which will be released in early November in America and Japan - is built quite differently from its 60GB and 80GB brethren. It seems Sony has done a bit of cleaning up of the internals of the machine by utilising a new motherboard and smaller components. Even the Cell itself has had a bit of a spruce up and the chips inside the 40GB SKUs are of the 65nm variety.
This means that the 40GB PS3 runs quieter, cooler and at a lower power consumption than its big brothers. For audio-visual-philes this can only be a good thing when the PS3 is being used as a media hub. We’ve never had a problem with our PS3s making noise, but we’re always happy to see technology get improved.
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Asus has just unveiled the HR-0205T Optical Disc Drive that caters to the hardcore entertainment fan, featuring high definition movie playback, multi-functionality and quiet operations. The Asus HR-0205T Optical Disc Drive operates at a mere 23.7dB for DVD playback while HD DVD playback stands at 21.1dB - significantly lower than leading competing models. It supports 2.4X HD DVD ROM/2.4X HD DVD ROM(DL)/2.4X HD DVD-R Read, 5X DVD±R/ 5X DVD+RW/ 5X DVD-RW/ 5X DVD±R (DL), 15X CD-R/ 15X CD-RW; and 15X DVD-ROM/ 15X CD-ROM Read formats, enabling the user to support virtually any type of disc media. In additon, the HR-0205T can use a PATA-SATA adaptor for high-speed and stable read capabilities. No word on pricing though.
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eMDT will be launching its 3D head mounted display known as 3D Cube in Korea sometime during Q1 2008, but it will be on display at CES 2008 in Las Vegas. This headset boasts VGA resolution at 640 x 480 pixels and will feature 3D Stereo SoC, making it compatible with a wide range of devices from iPods to cellphones, portable media players, and DVD players among others. It also comes with enhanced compatibility of 3D video content, supporting both ‘Side by side’ and ‘Field Sequence’. A chip was used instead of a board in order to save space and maintain portability. No word on pricing yet, but it is best you have a packet of Panadol nearby just in case you can’t take too much 3D action in one go.
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There are certain segments of Mac users who are reporting a number of problems concerning their wireless connections after upgrading to Leopard - and one of the biggest problems faced so far is the steady degradation of their wireless link. The transmit rate starts up at 54 (assuming you’re using the 54g standard), and once you start downloading or experience LAN traffic, the transmit rate will drop slowly and surely to the point where your browser can’t even load a single page. To date, Apple has not posted a support document addressing this problem, neither is there a fix in sight. Are there any Leopard users out there who have experienced this?
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