Gadgets Blog News

How does one choose a USB hub for their desk when there are so many different ones out there? Since most of them will be the same on the inside, there are only a few things to consider. One is whether or not you want a powered hub or not. Once you’ve figure that out you just have to find one that looks cool, because lets be honest, that’s really all it comes down to. If you’re a Transformer fan, then there’s a good chance that you’ll like this All Spark 4-port USB hub. I’d love to tell you about all of the exciting features of this wonderful gadget, however, as I’ve said before, there’s not much to a USB hub. (Read the full post about ‘A USB hub for Transformers fans’…)

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If you’ve ever forgotten an anniversary or birthday of your wife, you’ve likely felt the fully wrath of a woman. Regardless of the gift you get her, you’re still likely to be in the doghouse after forgetting such an important date. But fear not, as modern technology has found a way to make sure you’ll never forget again. The Remember Ring looks like an ordinary white gold wedding band which can be set with a specific date. 24 hours before the progammed date, the ring will heat up to 120 degrees for 10 seconds every hour on the hour for the entire day. This should be enough notice to run out and get a last-minute gift for your loved one. (Read the full post about ‘Remember Ring ensures you’ll never forget another anniversary’…)

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by Ariel Waldman, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 10:41PMAriel Waldman contributes Movie Gadget Friday, where she highlights the lovable and lame gadgets from the world of cinema.For last week’s installment of Movie Gadget Friday, we featured a two-part look at 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact, in honor of the late great Arthur C. Clarke. This week we fast forward a few more years to 2021 in the “cyberpunk” world of Johnny Mnemonic. The gadgets are as hilariously lame as the lines, which likely led this 1995 film to its mixed reviews, and Keanu to his later role as Neo. From fax machines to Zip Disk-like passports, we can only hope the future of technology doesn’t look this grim. (Read the full post about ‘Movie Gadget Friday: Johnny Mnemonic’…)

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Until iPods start shipping with wireless headsets, you have to deal with the usual tangle of headphones when you pull them out of your pocket, your purse, your gym bag, your laptop bag, and even from laying innocently on your desk. No more with the $9 Earbud Jack. Earbud Jack is a neat little plastic guy who stands in the right stance location and has the right-sized arms and hands for your ipod headphone cable, earbuds and jack. Get the name now?! While it may take you just a tad bit longer to wrap up your headphones around Jack, consider this: you won’t have a tangle to deal with the next time you want to use them, you’ll prolong the life of your headset because you won’t be breaking the copper wires inside by tangling or folding too tightly, and you’ll also be indirectly donating to 2 charities currently - the American Hearing Research Foundation and the Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California. (Read the full post about ‘Review: Earbud Jack tidies up iPod headphones’…)

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I’m sure you remember the recent move of Asus that shocked environmentalists and green peace movement supporters from around the world a few weeks ago. In case you don’t, I’m here to remind you. Actually, they unveiled plans for nature inspired laptops that are supposedly to be made out of bamboo. You read that right, bamboo laptops. Another laptop maker, Fujitsu, meanwhile has recently displayed its own version of an “organic” computer at the Salone Internazionale Del Mobile furniture exhibition in Milan. But they were kind enough to Asus in that they did not take the route of the bamboo for this new product. Fujitsu made their own from cedar. (Read the full post about ‘Fujitsu WoodShell laptops, inspired by nature’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 1:58PM Man, we know AMD’s had a bit of trouble meeting shipment (and chip performance) expectations lately, but it looks like things are really beginning to come apart at the seams. Merely four days after AMD trimmed its Q1 sales outlook and announced that it would be doing away with 10-percent of its workforce by Q3, the company’s CTO and senior vice president Phil Hester is voluntarily “stepping down.” According to Market Watch, the bigwig is doing so to “pursue other opportunities,” which is about as canned a reason as you can get. Still, the most intriguing part of the whole bit isn’t that Mr. Hester won’t be coming in to work on Monday, but that no replacement will be either. (Read the full post about ‘AMD’s CTO Phil Hester resigns, not being replaced?’…)

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It appears Cyberlink has finally heard the news that Blu-ray has won the HD format wars. In response, the company has announced that its latest movie playback software, PowerDVD Ultra, will now support Blu-ray, including the latest BD-Live Profile 2.0. BD-Live allows for additional downloadable content for Blu-ray discs, including interactive games, movie trailers, ringtones, and more. For $99.95, PowerDVD Ultra will not only play HD movies on your computer, but will also feature HD audio (Dolby Digital/TrueHD and DTS-HD), HDMI input support, and DivX, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 (H.264), WMV-HD, and AVCHD playback. Interestingly, Cyberlink didn’t stop there and decided to add a little social network feature by including Movie Remix and MoovieLive. (Read the full post about ‘CyberLink adds Blu-ray support to PowerDVD Ultra’…)

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by Joshua Topolsky, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 1:32PM Hey, remember that Gateway P-172X FX we got our hands on yesterday? Well, now the gaming powerhouse has gone official, and is joined by a smaller, slightly less sporty edition — the $999.99 M-6850FX. The 15.4-inch laptop features a Core 2 Duo T5550 CPU, an ATI Radeon HD 2600 graphics chipset, 3GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and a DVD-R / RW / DVD-RAM optical drive. Two other mid-level models are being introduced as well; the $849.99 M-1626, and $749.99 T-1628. The former comes equipped with a 15.4-inch display, an AMD Turion TL-60 CPU, ATI Radeon HD x1270 graphics, 4GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, 802.11g, and HDMI. (Read the full post about ‘Gateway intros a slew of laptops, refuses to make your decision any easier’…)

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Canon has announced the XL H1S and XL H1A shoulder mount camcorders designed for video professionals and documentary film makers. Boasting of a 20x HD video lens, both camcorders feature manual focus, zoom and iris adjustment rings. The XL H1S and XL H1A camcorders also feature various controls for customizing images, displays and operations to match the users individual needs. The camcorders use HDV tapes for recording and can deliver HD image quality. Additionally, both camcorders have interchangeable lens systems, the camcorders also connects robustly to external hardware using a durable six-pin IEEE 1394 terminal. Bearing the XL branding, the H1S and H1A come equipped with Canon’s XL lens mount that allows multiple lens mounting. (Read the full post about ‘Canon unveils two shoulder mount camcorders; the XL-H1S, XL-H1A’…)

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by Richard Lawler, posted Apr 11th 2008 at 1:07PM Bad day for DISH Network, first its satellite is gone for good and now comes word its appeal to overturn TiVo’s lawsuit has been denied. That should put an end to the legal push and pull between the companies, with TiVo firmly on top, DISH customers could have their DVRs pulled out from under them. (Read the full post about ‘TiVo’s win over DISH Network upheld by court of appeals: It’s over’…)

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