Gadgets Blog News

Posted Feb 27th 2008 4:45PM by Darren MurphFiled under: Misc. gadgets Although Gibson’s self-tuning Robot Guitar is mighty snazzy, buying an entirely new instrument in order to ease your tuning woes isn’t exactly practical. Truth be told, the N-Tune won’t do the tuning for you, but it does make adjusting those flats and sharps a lot more interesting. Essentially, the chromatic tuner replaces the volume control on your electric axe and can be retrofitted in most every guitar / bass out there. Once installed, users simply pull the knob up to mute the volume and turn the tuner on simultaneously, and then you can check out the on-knob LEDs to gauge how accurately your strings are tuned. (Read the full post about ‘N-Tune adds a tuner to your guitar’s volume knob’…)

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Perhaps the European Commission feels that Microsoft’s song of interoperability is all talk. That’s why it did not hesitate to fine the software giant with a hefty 899 million Euros or $1.35 billion for failure to comply with its antitrust decision. Apparently, Microsoft had abused its dominant 95% market share in the EU market by using high prices to block software competition. There are also allegations that it tied its Windows Media Player and web browser Internet Explorer to Windows. In 2004, Microsoft had failed to comply with EU’s order to open up its key software to competitors. To date, this is the first and the biggest penalty for such violation. (Read the full post about ‘EU slaps Microsoft with $1.35 billion fine over antitrust case’…)

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Creative seems to be making an attempt to offer the best value on a portable media player, with a few recent price cuts they are now offering the 4GB Zen for just $99 and the 8GB Zen for $149. In the recent past we also saw the 32GB Zen drop to $299 and the 1GB Zen Stone going for as little as $30 bucks. Product [Creative] Via [Engadget] Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed → Tags: ipod, wireless, AAC, technology (Read the full post about ‘Creative drops Zen pricing, again’…)

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This week, Verizon is giving away one of these gorgeous pink blackberry Pearl 8130 smartphones to one of our email subscribers. If you’re not subscribed, sign up here. Read more about the pink Pearl. Take a peek at some of our past easy-on-the-eyes emails: Popgadget Drop: Giveaway - Belkin Rockstar ipod Hub Popgadget Drop: Giveaway - The Amazing Logitech Air Mouse Popgadget Drop: Zamzar file conversion now bigger and better Tags: DVD, Ogg, sat-nav, Gadget (Read the full post about ‘BlackBerry Pearl 8130 smartphone - giveaway exclusively for email subscribers’…)

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Posted Feb 27th 2008 11:25AM by Paul MillerFiled under: Features, Gaming Dare we say it, the tide is turning. With some hot numbers projected for 2008, the PS3 is seeing a lot of wins lately, most notably that little format-war scuffle you may have heard about. Now that we’ve (finally) got wind of a release date for the DualShock 3, and an SKU that includes MGS4 sweetening the deal, the still-pricey PS3 is looking mighty alluring. So, what’s your story, what’s it going to take? What’s it going to take to make you buy a PS3?I already own one, so I guess I’m ahead of the curve. Suckers.The Blu-ray win settled it, just trying to clear space on a few credit cards.I’m going to need a couple more rounds of price cuts. (Read the full post about ‘Poll: What’s it going to take to make you buy a PS3?’…)

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Posted Feb 27th 2008 12:20PM by Darren MurphFiled under: Storage Oh sure, we’ve seen Mickey-themed flash drives before, but for avid fans and collectors alike, there can never be too many, right? On the docket today is the T703 Mickey Flash Drive from A-DATA, which wouldn’t be comfortable at all in one’s pocket for any length of time. Nevertheless, the iconic drive can apparently double as a keychain, and since it’s really the ears that give Mr. Mouse away, the firm decided to let you insert your favorite image in place of his face. (Read the full post about ‘A-DATA’s latest flash drive puts your face under Mickey’s ears’…)

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Posted Feb 27th 2008 7:16AM by Richard LawlerFiled under: HDTV, Home Entertainment var While even the most steadfast red fans have accepted things are over for hd dvd, it appears Dreamworks Animation isn’t able to let the format war go. Even though Paramount seems to have found a way out from under its exclusivity deal, Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg told Reuters he still needs to hear from Toshiba what to do with the truckloads of money HD DVD gave them about its agreement before making any Blu-ray release plans. He seems (to be the only one) worried about the upcoming DVD release of Bee Movie and what will happen there. (Read the full post about ‘Dreamworks Animation isn’t ready to quit HD DVD yet’…)

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Posted Feb 27th 2008 10:56AM by Joshua TopolskyFiled under: LaptopsIt looks like MSI has some big plans for CeBIT, if the company’s latest news is any indication. The computer-maker is gearing up for two innovative new laptops, both of which are part of its ECOlution “green” line of systems. The first model will bizarrely feature a high concentration of anions — negatively charged ions which the company believes will “enhance the body’s condition, promote nervous stability and recovery from fatigue, and encourage circulation of halted blood.” The second, less magical entry from MSI comes in the form of the GX600-08 laptop, which utilizes a new battery design intended to extend life up to 20% by engaging a “Turbo Battery Mode” which automatically adjusts the system’s workload to conserve power. (Read the full post about ‘MSI intros “anion” laptop, power saving Turbo Battery Technology’…)

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Posted Feb 27th 2008 8:24AM by Joshua TopolskyFiled under: Desktops, Laptops var It’s a good thing Microsoft has tons and tons of money, because they keep finding themselves in a position where they’ve got to pay out — big time. Such is the case today, where the European Commission has fined the monolithic company $1.4 billion due to failure to comply with a 2004 ruling on monopolistic business practices. The Commission found that the folks in Redmond had been guilty of — gasp! — freezing out competition by not providing “vital information” to rival software companies. This isn’t the first time it’s had to pay, as the company already dropped $357 million on the case back in 2006. (Read the full post about ‘Microsoft slammed by European Commission with $1.4b fine’…)

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Posted Feb 26th 2008 11:11PM by Donald MelansonFiled under: Gaming This hack is neither cheap nor easy, but if for some reason you just have to pull off a feat of Guitar Hero virtuosity but lack the necessary skill, the folks at SYSTM have now provided details on how to automate the controller so you never miss a note. At the heart of the hack is a so-called “show control system,” which runs a hefty $210 but will let you program all the necessary strums and button presses with some seemingly not to difficult to use software. Of course, there’s also the little matter of cracking open the guitar and wiring everything up, but we’re guessing that won’t be much of a problem for anyone actually still considering the hack. (Read the full post about ‘Hack automates Guitar Hero, for times when a fake guitar isn’t fake enough’…)

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