Gadgets Blog News

by Donald Melanson, posted Jul 23rd 2008 at 12:47PMSony and Microsoft may have sorted things out with Anascape (otherwise known as the self-proclaimed ruler of all analog sticks) before things got too out of hand, but Nintendo has been busy fighting it out with the company in court, which resulted in them being ordered to dish out a hefty $21 million earlier this year — a ruling that Nintendo naturally appealed. The big N is now facing another setback, however, as a US District Judge has rejected Nintendo’s request for a new trial, which could potentially result in a ban on sales of Wii Classic Controllers, WaveBirds, and GameCube controllers (not to mention GameCube systems). (Read the full post about ‘Nintendo loses another round in controller patent lawsuit’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jul 23rd 2008 at 10:52AM
We weren’t terribly impressed with Nintendo’s recently unveiled MotionPlus add-on, but we’re even more disappointed by this. Reportedly, scads of third-party developers revealed at E3 that the Big N’s latest Wiimote accessory was just as much a surprise to them as it was to any of us. In other words, Nintendo didn’t bother giving its external devs any advance notice in order to get the ball rolling on compatible titles, or so it seems. (Read the full post about ‘Nintendo failed to notify third-party devs of MotionPlus prior to E3′…)

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We’ve seen Han Solo in suspended animation indefinitely no thanks to his carbonite prison, but surely there are more deserving people of such punishment? What about Mr. George Lucas himself, for unleashing the abomination known as Jar-Jar Binks upon the galaxy, and torturing us through three prequels that are nothing but a special effects extravaganza without really fleshing out the characters’ pasts? Well if you have always wished that, that particular wish has come true today. This carbonite George Lucas was specially sculpted for Star Wars celebrations that are being held in Japan at the moment. No idea on how much it will cost though, nor where can you get one. Source: New Launches
(Read the full post about ‘George Lucas frozen in carbonite’…)

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We’ve seen Han Solo in suspended animation indefinitely no thanks to his carbonite prison, but surely there are more deserving people of such punishment? What about Mr. George Lucas himself, for unleashing the abomination known as Jar-Jar Binks upon the galaxy, and torturing us through three prequels that are nothing but a special effects extravaganza without really fleshing out the characters’ pasts? Well if you have always wished that, that particular wish has come true today. This carbonite George Lucas was specially sculpted for Star Wars celebrations that are being held in Japan at the moment. No idea on how much it will cost though, nor where can you get one. Source: New Launches
(Read the full post about ‘George Lucas frozen in carbonite’…)

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What happens when you chance upon a tree stump? Well, I’m pretty sure that’s a weird question to ask as most of us will just walk by without giving it much further thought. Somebody else went the extra mile, however, coming with a brilliant idea to make use of old tree stumps. Instead of removing it (and hence taking up a whole lot of time and incurring costs for the local municipal council), you can always use a chainsaw to turn it into a refreshing cooler. Carve yourself a hole in the middle, place a heavy duty garbage bag, fill it up with ice and throw in your favorite cans of lager and you’re good to go. (Read the full post about ‘Interesting use of a tree stump’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jul 22nd 2008 at 10:42PM Nah, it’s no Mag-Lite, but the Tri-Solar LED Flashlight should handle most minor lighting needs. The unit can operate with one LED on, three LEDs on or all three LEDs flashing (you know, in case you realize the car you just hopped in is now making a b-line for the Bates Motel). Because a single solar panel can only catch so much sunlight, this one has a trifecta of cells that fold out and generate juice for the bulbs. Not too bad for $32, particularly when you realize that it doubles as a weapon.[Thanks, Joe]Read PermalinkEmail this37 CommentsFiled under: Misc. (Read the full post about ‘Tri-Solar LED Flashlight: because three panels are better than one’…)

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Remember before the computer keyboard became a permanent fixture in your home? Those days, we actually did this thing known as handwriting, churning out character after character of uneven consistency, subject to the quality of our writing instrument and the surface it is written on. With the Zpen, you will be able to digitize just about every stroke you make for posterity on your computer. Clip the receiver to the top of any piece of paper or notepad and it will record every single stroke the Zpen makes, even if you’re just doodling aimlessly. All you need do is plug the device into your USB drive and it effortlessly transfers your scrawl to your PC. (Read the full post about ‘Zpen goes back to writing days’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jul 23rd 2008 at 9:26AM For those who spend just as much time getting lost in the forest as they do on the highways, Garmin’s nüvi 500 holds quite a bit of promise. Combining four modes covering cycling, boating (optional), driving and walking, this waterproof navigator has nearly every walk of life covered. GPS Magazine recently got to spend some time with the Q3-bound unit, and not surprisingly, it came away very impressed. On the roads, this device performed just as admirably as any other Garmin unit. When traveling off the beaten path, things were just as great. (Read the full post about ‘Garmin’s waterproof nuvi 500 navigator gets reviewed’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jul 23rd 2008 at 4:35AM SIM2’s DOMINO line — okay, SIM2’s entire line — isn’t known for being the cheapest bunch. The new DOMINO D60, however, is actually affordable by said company’s standards, checking in at just 4,995 US dollars. This 1080p beamer is based on Texas Instruments’ DarkChip3 0.95-inch DMD chipset and includes a single-chip DLP projection system, BrilliantColor, three different preset modes (Cinema, Dynamic, and Standard) and three user-customizable memories. (Read the full post about ‘SIM2 delivers $5,000 1080p DOMINO D60 DLP projector’…)

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Canon will soon be releasing two new AVCHD camcorders, the iVIS HF11 and iVIS HG21. Touting 3.31-megapixel CCD sensors, both cameras allow video recording in 5 different modes; MXP at 24Mbps, FXP at 17Mbps, XP+ at 12Mbps, SP at 7Mbps and LP at 5Mpbs. In addition, both cameras also come with a 2.7-inch LCD screen, SDHC media card support, DIGIC DV II technology, 12x optical zoom lens and a 1920×1080 full HD resolution. What sets these two camcorders apart is the the inclusion of a 120GB HDD in the HG21, while only 32GB of built-in flash memory is loaded in the HF11. The HF11 is a follow-up to the Canon HF10 camcorder released earlier this year. (Read the full post about ‘Canon unveils the iVIS HF11, HG21 AVCHD camcorders’…)

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