Gadgets Blog News

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 11:12AM Oh sweet mercy, what have we here? A sneak peek (on video) of the looming PlayStation Store revamp and a confirmation of DTS-HD Master Audio output in the next PS3 firmware update, that’s what. Over on the PlayStation Blog, we’re casually walked through the impending v2.30 update, and just as we had heard, Blu-ray fans can shout in unison as the inclusion of their favorite audio codec (as well as DTS-HD High Resolution Audio) is just days away. Word on the street has v2.30 headed down the pipes on April 15th, and if you’re eager to catch a glimpse of some more stills from the made-over PS Store, head on over to Joystiq. (Read the full post about ‘PS3 firmware v2.30 walkthrough: DTS-HD MA support / new PS Store included’…)

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Put together a couple of crystals, some LED lights of different colors, a bracelet, a watch, and a “crazy” designer. What do you get? Result: The Real Crystal LED Watch, designed by Illya Yakovlev. For now it is only a concept, but maybe we’ll get the chance to see a real version in the future. The LED lights display the time, and you can change two settings - luminosity and color. via Tags: gadgetry, tech, gadgets, high definition TV (Read the full post about ‘The Luxury Wristwatch with Crystals’…)

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The Sony Bravia E4000 series is Sony’s latest range of LCD HDTVs, with a unique “Picture Frame” design. As you can tell from the promotional shots below, the Sony E4000 series have been designed to look like a picture frame and display artwork or photos. These are fully functional, top spec HDTVs but they also feature Sony’s Picture Frame Mode, which lets you display still image to enjoy, from a selection of six pre-installed image, or your own from a USB stick. The Sony E4000’s look great, and can continue to look great while your not watching your favorite shows, by replacing the boring black rectangle with some beautiful photos. (Read the full post about ‘Sony Bravia E4000 | KDL-26E4000, KDL-32E4000, KDL-40E4000′…)

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by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 7:03AM 3D baby, that’s what we’ve wanted from home television for 50 years. Now it’s yours… if you live in Japan anyway. Introducing the world’s first 46-inch 3D stereoscopic television. Built by Hyundai, the 1,920 x 1,080 set is capable of grabbing BS11 3D broadcasts pumped by Nippon BS in Japan for the last few months. The ¥498,000 (about $4,857) LCD brings 2x HDMI and 3x composite inputs (to name a few) and apparently works fine for traditional 2D broadcasts. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wear what appear to be 3-foot wide, 3D glasses judging by the image provided above. (Read the full post about ‘World’s first 46-inch stereoscopic 3D TV from Hyundai on sale in Japan’…)

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by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 4:02AM Got a hundred bucks to burn? Lucky you, ’cause that Benjamin will now take the stock 15.4-inch 1,440 x 900 display of Dell’s XPS M1530 and squeeze in a full 1,920 x 1,200 pixel resolution. Toss in the optional $500 Blu-ray Disc drive and you’ve got yourself a sweet portable HD rig pumping Intel’s Penryn at the core. Another $50 and you’ve added a presumably brighter, LED backlit display but you’re now back to the original 1,440 x 900 resolution. (Read the full post about ‘Dell’s XPS M1530 finally gets HD and LED backlit displays, just not at the same time’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 9:08AM We can’t say we’d follow in this guy’s footsteps for any amount of money, but boy, does it make for fantastic drama. Shortly after the famed Zune Guy (you know, that cat with a trio of Zune-inspired tattoos?) decided to legally change his name to “Microsoft Zune,” the plan was put on hiatus after hearing that it cost a whopping $500 to get a name swap. After getting curious, investigating and discovering that he only needed $150 to have it done, he put the mission squarely back on the front burner. Unfortunately, there still stands a chance of the aforesaid name being denied, so he’s posted up a poll in order to let the general public give him a list of backups. (Read the full post about ‘Zune Guy’s name change endeavor is back on’…)

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This is nice small and neat. It’s a USB 2.0 Bluetooth dongle, ideal for your laptop or even your desktop if you need some BT connectivity (perhaps you have a BT headset for Skype). This little guy uses a Broadcom 2405 chipset, is Bluetooth 1.2/2.0 compliant, works on MS Vista, and has a range of about 10m. Gimme! (Read the full post about ‘Super Mini USB 2.0 Bluetooth Dongle’…)

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My mother taught me not to open my mouth if I don’t have anything good to say. Well, needless to say, with the Bullshit button, I don’t even have to open my mouth at all. The Bullshit button can rile up anyone with five snarky sentences: - (Beep) That was bullshit! - (Siren) Bullshit detected, take precautions! - (Siren) Bullshit level defcon 5! - Oh come on now, that ain’t even bullshit, that’s horseshit! - Warning, warning, bullshit alert! All you need to do is load the gadget up with two triple A batteries and you’re on your way for some nasty pranking session. There’s nothing complicated here–just push the button and let it take the place of your potty mouth. (Read the full post about ‘Bullshit Button’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Apr 9th 2008 at 5:38PMWe’ve known think tanks to come up with some fairly unbelievable determinations before, but the Machine Industry Memorial Foundation may not be too far off with its latest assessment. It’s suggesting that the jobs of 3.5 million people in Japan could be filled not with younger folks, but with mechanical creatures by 2025. Currently, Japan’s population is declining, and the proportion of those 65-years and up is continually swelling; analysts are asserting that the nation could save around ¥2.1 trillion ($21 billion) in elderly insurance payments by 2025 if it relies on robots (instead of humans) to monitor the health of the geriatric set. (Read the full post about ‘Think tank envisions robots filling jobs en masse in Japan’…)

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I argue that they really could have named the product something better than “Floral titi,” but the gadget itself looks quite good. Unfortunately, it’s only been released in the Korean market by GDIS. The Floral titi is a clip-type mp3 player coming in 1GB and 2GB varieties. The colours available are more varied than a rainbow’s: lavender, ice blue, aqua, mint, strawberry, carrot, sweet pink, mocha, and vanilla. The Floral titi weighs a mere 10 grams so it’s basically negligible when you pin it in your clothes–the only problem is that it might be TOO negligible, it becomes easy to lose. (Read the full post about ‘Floral Titi Clip-type MP3 Player’…)

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