Gadgets Blog News

With the AppleTV “take 2” still not available, Vudu seems to be willing to put up a strong fight to remain in the market. It was just last week that Vudu lowered their price by 25% and have now added more HD content. A new update, that will bring the software to version 1.2 will add about 80 more movies and also adds an on-screen broadband instant-HD indicator. The movies are priced starting at $4 each, which is comparable to the AppleTV pricing. The indicator will help the instant start movies by giving users an alert as to whether or not their current broadband speed will be able to handle the movie without any delays in watching. (Read the full post about ‘Vudu software update offers users more HD content’…)

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Posted Feb 2nd 2008 1:14PM by Ryan BlockFiled under: Home Entertainment Remember that Skype plugin being written to run natively on the Apple TV? It’s out today, and get it while the gettin’s good because we aren’t expecting any of these hacks to continue working after the take 2 update gets pushed out in the near future. Let us know how it is, would you?Tags: high definition TV, digital, wireless, buyers guides (Read the full post about ‘Skype plugin for Apple TV released’…)

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In Japan, where having central heating means breaking bank every month, something like this is of the essence. But the Japanese won’t take the mundane-looking, run-of-the-mill heaters — definitely not! This digital space heater doesn’t only save your life during frigid winters, it can pretend it’s a real fireplace too. Complete with a screen which shows off burning embers, this heater with a monitor measures 79.5 × 23.5 with a depth of 62 cm. Weighing 14.3 kg, and made of ABS resin, aluminium, and glass; this digital space heater goes for £121. Check out the product page (Japanese). (Read the full post about ‘Digital Space Heater Thinks It’s a Real Fireplace’…)

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Posted Feb 2nd 2008 2:28AM by Darren MurphFiled under: Transportation, WirelessMerely hours after hearing that a contactless payment trial was going live on San Francisco’s BART, along comes word that a test of a slightly different nature was also underway on the very same public transportation system. Reportedly, a recent Wi-Fi Rail installation on a select stretch of track proved that WiFi could be delivered to passengers at around 15Mbps — up and down — and if things go smoothly, the firm hopes to get its technology onto all sorts of rail systems across the globe. (Read the full post about ‘WiFi trial comes to San Francisco’s BART trains’…)

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Dementia due to Alzheimer’s Disease is a terrible thing to witness on a loved one. Scientists from the University of Sunderland in the U.K. claim they have the answer to the problem. The answer comes in form of a hat which is to be worn for ten minutes everyday. Creators claim that the hat bathes the brain in infrared light which, in turn, stimulates growth of brain cells. This new technology, if successful, could not only slow down rate of dementia but even, to a certain extent, reverse it. Critics express their doubts at the hat’s efficacy and underlying mechanism. According to the Health Blog in WSJ, however, there is a possibility that that this might just be true, although studies on infrared have only focused on strokes before. (Read the full post about ‘An Infrared Hat: Hope for Alzheimer Patients?’…)

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Posted Feb 2nd 2008 12:51PM by Ryan BlockFiled under: Portable Audio, Portable VideoAccording to Zune user Joel Geddis, way back in 2006 his first gen player spontaneously reset and blasted an ear-shattering noise through the earbuds, resulting in permanent “fluid leakage from [his] ear canal, impaired hearing, and incessant ringing and discomfort.” Sound like the stuff of a lawsuit? That’d be correct. Like many others, Joel is beating the war drum in an attempt to raise some awareness of his pending product liability and personal injury suit against Toshiba (who made the first Zune’s hardware) and Microsoft. (Read the full post about ‘Zune user files suit against Microsoft over alleged ear damage’…)

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Hulu has plans to stream what some consider the best part of the Super Bowl, the commercials. They will be available on the Hulu website and also the Hulu Blog immediately after the game ends. For anyone who currently has gotten an invitation they can watch the commercials through the regular Hulu site. For those still waiting for your invite, you can watch the commercials on their blog. A nice way to enjoy the commercials without having to record the whole game on your DVR and fast-forward though the game. Read [Wired] Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! (Read the full post about ‘Hulu will stream Super Bowl commercials following the game’…)

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It has been a while since we first heard about states requiring eBay sellers to get an auctioneers license. In this case Pennsylvania was one of them and it seems they were very serious, they are in fact now suing a woman who decided to sell on eBay. Mary Jo Pletz originally decided to use eBay as a way to earn an income and also be able to stay home with her daughter who had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Mary Jo cooperated and immediately closed shop when she was notified in December 2006 that was she was doing was illegal. She went back to an out-of-the house job that required her daughter to go to day care. The state however is not backing down on the prosecution. (Read the full post about ‘State of Pennsylvania sues woman for selling on eBay without a license’…)

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Microsoft sure has had a busy day today, what with announcing they have made an offer to buy out Yahoo, and now they have cut down the price of the 8GB Zune. Previously, it was $199, so this 20 dollars price cut is rather nice. If you want to buy the Zune, head over to Amazon and you can purchase one for the new price of $179.99 or less for the pink model. Via [Engadget] Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed → Tags: DVD, CD, Gadget, mobile phone (Read the full post about ‘8GB Zune receives price cut, now just $179′…)

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Posted Feb 1st 2008 11:54PM by Ariel WaldmanFiled under: Features, Misc. GadgetsAriel Waldman contributes Movie Gadget Friday, where she highlights the lovable and lame gadgets from the world of cinema. The last installation of Movie Gadget Friday revisited the Final Cut of the sci-fi noir classic Blade Runner. This week shifts from the future of LA to an adventure in the 8th dimension. Achieving cult status over the years since its 1984 release, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension captures our love of silly 80s sci-fi, popped collars, and geeky gadgets. Appearances by sci-fi regulars such as Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Goldblum, John Lithgow, and Dan Hedaya are in no shortage throughout. (Read the full post about ‘Movie Gadget Friday: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai’…)

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