Tech Gadgets Reviews

Hope you kept the original box your Eee PC came in because it looks like a lot of of these systems are going to be finding their way to eBay soon. That’s right, there is some official news on the new versions of the Eee PC.

Laptop Mag’s blog has lots of good information on the 8.9-inch Eee PC 900 and the future of the notebook, all based on an interview with Asus CEO, Jerry Shen. The big news is that we will see an 8.9″ 1024×600 version of the Eee PC in the very near future. The projected release is April, but that is assuming there are no delays, like those we saw with the original date. This version will be available with Windows XP and 8GB of storage. Xandros versions will be available with 12GB of storage or even a a 20GB SSD.

If that was not enough news for Eee PC fans, Shen also said that the Eee PC will be going the Diamondville route in Q2, most likely in May. Regarding this Shen said, “From my view point, Diamondville is the better choice, because it uses the 45-namometer processor. And pricewise it is very competitive. In my planning I will continue to use Intel’s Diamondville. And for the VIA one I think from the power point of view, Diamondville is still better.”

Also on Asus’ to-do list are high-fashion versions with “New York City and London city style” so if you a don’t like the plain white/black you might be in luck. Accessories including web storage, TV tuners, Skype phones, and handwriting tools were also discussed which was expected given Asus’ intentions to push the Eee brand.

It’s a long interview so if you are interested in the Eee PC or low-cost notebooks give it a read. If you are tired of hearing about the Eee PC drop a comment. The low-cost laptop race is very interesting, but it’s generating tons of news and even more speculation.

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We’re going to go against the grain and not dump on Philips’ latest budget point-and-shoot, the "Retro Style" PT44434, now selling for $50. Its 3-megapixel resolution ought to be fine for snapshots, and it includes an SD card slot and LCD screen, far from a given at this price level.

Yes, we’re just as confused as snarkier brethren about what makes this "retro," but we wouldn’t hesitate to grab one as junior’s first camera or an "Oh crap, I forgot to bring the camera" vacation-saver.

Philips PT44434 Retro Inspired Ultra Slim digital camera Boasts ‘Generous’ 3MP Resolution [Technology, gadgets & Curiosity]

This new PMP by Teclast, is a pretty nice and comes loaded with many cool features and isn’t really too expensive. It was previously thought that it would measure about 15mm in thickness, which is pretty thick, but now it’s known to measure out at just 7.9mm. It comes with a circular rotation device and a button in the middle, similar to Apple’s iPods and other MP3 players.

Otherwise, it comes in two different colors, black and white, and it comes with PlayFX for sound enhancement. It features a 2.4-inch TFT QVGA LCD screen with a resolution of 320 x 240, and comes in three different models - 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB. The interesting part about the M25 is how many formats it can support, for audio it supports MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC, and AAC. For video, it can support AVI, RM, and RMVB. Furthermore, it supports a few languages including English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. It even comes with 30 FM customizable stations to boot.

No word, however, on pricing or availability at this time.

Via [PMP Today]

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Posted Mar 10th 2008 8:54AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Desktops, Household

We’ve seen antiquated Macs given new life as fish tanks and living room decorations, but the iWipe takes repurposing to an entirely different level. As you can clearly see in the image above, one particular engineering soul figured a spare Macintosh SE case would look a whole lot better in his bathroom than in the trash, so he whipped out a screwdriver, removed some internal brackets and gave the unit a fresh coat of paint. $15 and a few hours later, out popped his new toilet paper dispenser. Check out the read link for a bunch more pics — oh, and stop second guessing yourself, you’re totally building one of these next weekend.

The Eneloop Kairo is a rechargeable battery-powered hand-warmer that has two preset temperatures: 39 and 43 degrees Celsius. The battery lasts 5 and 7 hours – which is fairly good for a heating device. It takes three hours to charge the Kairo, then you can put it in your pocket (44×25x121mm) then you can go out there, knowing that you hands will be warm and ready to rumble on your PSP or DS console.

USB Desktop Bouncer

Do you need a bouncer to guard your desk when you are away to warn off any prying eyes? Well you can with your very own USB desktop bouncer.The USB bouncer has been designed and made to look just like a traditional bouncer with his black suit, bow tie and black sunglasses….

Posted Mar 10th 2008 11:30AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Storage

Although Buffalo managed to squeeze one whole terabyte of storage into its new LinkStation Mini, the firm is looking to give the bytes within its latest external drive a bit more breathing room. The 500GB MiniStation TurboUSB is a touch more capacious than the previous 320GB king, and as with other TurboUSB devices, it supposedly offers up “30-percent faster transfer rates than most USB hard drives.” Additionally, the firm throws in its own Shock Resistant technology along with its SecureLockWare in order to prevent “unauthorized access in the event the drive is lost or stolen.” Heck, you’ll even find Memeo’s AutoBackup right in the box, and as for the box itself, look for it to land later this month for a cool $329.

If you’re more into fashion than technology when it comes to gadgets, the Mini Lips Speaker is a must have item.

It can provide a “sound power” of 2W which is good enough for a mini speaker. Thanks to the USB interface and 3.5mm audio output, you can connect the speakers to a high number of devices - MP3 players (iPods, Creatives, etc), CD players, computers, gaming systems, and more.

The whole package includes a neck strap, and since the USB Mini Lips Speaker only weighs 29 grams, it can be the perfect combination.

Price? $14.

Product Page

via

Where would we be without Instant Messaging? It lets us stay in contact and chat with friends all over the world (especially delightful during work hours). But sometimes the urge to reach out a shoot someone is unbearable. And that’s where the USB MSN Missile Launcher comes in. Don’t be content with sharing images, jokes, and assorted links with your friends - it’s time to share missiles!

You’ll have your USB MSN Missile Launcher set up within minutes and that’s when the fun begins. For you see, as you chat you and your buddies can control each other’s launcher. And since each USB MSN Missile Launcher has an integrated webcam (which can be used as just a webcam if you haven’t any buddies), you’ll know exactly when you are aimed at your buddy’s head. Then fire away! The only downside is that your buddy can do the same to you! The upside is, you can always retaliate by turning your buddy’s USM MSN Missile Launcher to face the door of his office and peg his boss in the gut when he/she comes to lecture your buddy about using IM for non-work-related matters. Ah the joys of progress . . . and revenge.

Gimmie!

Suggested Price: $59.99

Posted Mar 10th 2008 6:53AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: cellphones, Gaming, Portable Audio, Portable Video

While Apple continues to market the iPhone as a 3-in-1 device — web, phone, and ipod — it’s clear that Jobs has a 4th market clearly in his sights. It’s no accident that EA and Sega were both selected to demonstrate their skills with the iPhone SDK during last week’s press event. Now Gameloft, the worldwide number one mobile game publisher in terms of revenues — has committed to developing games for the iphone. “Over 15 titles” are expected in 2008, in fact. Oh iPhone, is there anything you can’t do with your 3D processor, multi-touch display, and 3-axis accelerometer? Oh right, GPS, 3G data, corporate Exchange, A2DP Bluetooth audio, MMS, … you get the idea.

Update: John Carmac — co-founder of Id Software — just commented that, “We (Id) have put in our application like everybody else.” So yeah, it’ll play Doom… officially this time.