Tech Gadgets Reviews

Posted Mar 19th 2008 12:41PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

The title pretty much says it all here, folks. Just a few months after SlySoft revealed a beta of its AnyDVD HD software which obliterated BD+, v6.4.0.0 has finally arrived and proudly possesses the ability to “remove BD+ protection from Blu-ray Discs.” Among the other changes is an option to enable / disable BD+ removal, a fix for seeing a black display with some BD discs and other minor DVD-related tweaks. Brimming with excitement? Hit up the read link below — your next download awaits.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Posted Mar 19th 2008 3:47PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Laptops

Just a week after we laid hands on a pair of new multimedia powerhouses from Acer, along comes ASUS to keep things interesting. Announced today, the 15.4-inch M50 packs quite the punch, with options for Intel’s latest smattering of Penryn processors, an optional Blu-ray drive and an available ATI Mobile Radeon HD3650 with 1GB of VRAM. The unit also comes with your choice of WXGA, WXGA+ or WSXGA+ panels, any Vista flavor you like, WiFi, up to 4GB of RAM, HDMI and a built-in hybrid TV tuner. Also included is a dual-function trackpad, which enables users to flip through tracks or playlists and adjust the volume of the Altec Lansing speakers when not mousing about. Regrettably, ASUS has yet to dole out any accompanying pricing information, but we doubt this bundle of joy will be anywhere close to a bargain.

If you’re one of the millions that didn’t heed our warnings about buying into the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray format war, and ended up making the wrong choice, you may be getting a little medication to help ease your pain. Those who purchased an HD-DVD Player or XBOX-360 add-on drive at Best Buy before February 23, 2008 will automatically receive a $50 gift card good towards anything in the store.

Some may look at the $50 gift cards as a token gesture, considering that HD-DVD playback devices sold between $180 and $500 until Toshiba pulled the plug back in February. It’s important to remember that early adoption of new audio, video, and gaming formats is a…

Read the rest at TechLore.com

The Bathtub Cleaning Drill Brush, which may be constructed using the supplied how-to, is an ingenious meeting of the motors.

Using standard household tools, one can create a simple attachment able to scrub with an intensity and consistency the human forearm cannot match.

Looking at the picture of a completed example, however, I cannot help but remember what I was once told by a police detective who focused on meth lab cases. This was in the southwestern town where I used to live, in rural New Methsico.

Meth addicts, he told me, ultimately suffer from diminished sense of touch. This leads inexorably to power tools being attached to, well, you know what, because the standard fare becomes ineffective. You’d go to a meth lab bust, look in the bedroom and yep, there it was. Every time.

I had buried the memory of this conversation, until I saw the Bathtub Cleaning Drill Brush.

Cleaning with power tools [Make]

TiVo has announced that TiVo subscribers will be able to enjoy video content from the Internet directly on their TVs, courtesy of an updated version of the TiVo Desktop Plus PC software. Guess one of the home theater PC’s functions has now been transported over to a standard TV, and I would recommend having a large screen TV to enjoy this feature best. The TiVo application uses the popular Season Pass functionality on the TiVo service, helping customers search, discover and enjoy a slew of entertainment options without regard to the source.

TiVo users can now subscribe to and watch a broad range of video content available through Real Simple Syndication (”RSS”) feeds, so some of the choice picks include nightly podcasts and newscasts, ranging from The Sesame Street Podcast to Daily Headlines from MTV News and College Humor from CHTV. Should you be a social outcast just because your idea of a hobby differs vastly from the rest of the world, this application is also able to provide consumers access to niche interest and hobbyist videos which are more detailed compared to the coverage offered by cable and satellite channels.

YouTube fans can also rejoice, since this announcement means TiVo subscribers will be able to access YouTube videos directly on the TV via a TiVo DVR, and with the roll out of the TiVo-YouTube service, TiVo users will have the ability to search, browse and watch these videos directly on their TVs. According to Tara Maitra, Vice President and General Manager of Content Services at TiVo, “TiVo users will have the best video from the Web easily available on their television sets from user generated as well as brand named sites.” You will first need TiVo Desktop Plus 2.6 first before taking advantage of this new service. If you’re wondering just how much TiVo Desktop Plus 2.6 costs, it will set you back by a one-time fee of $24.95.

Press Release

Ever wondered what is inside the Eye-Fi SD memory card? Well wonder no more, as IkonTools has just taken one of those and placed it under a skilful surgeon’s knife, revealing it’s innards for all and sundry to see. Just check out the WiFi radio (number seven is the antenna) and marvel at how small everything has become today. I wonder when a microSD version of the Eye-Fi will be released.

ECS has launched its G10IL notebook to make it official, and this means Asus’ Eee PC has yet another rival to challenge its throne. The ECS offering is powered by Intel’s Atom processor, and features 3G support which is rarely found on most small portables of a similar size. Features include a tri-band HSPA modem that works in US, Europe and Asia, a choice between an SSD or regular hard drive, an 8.9″ or 10.2″ LCD display, a 1.3 megapixel camera and a 4- or 6-cell battery. There is no word on pricing, but the ECS G10IL will ship sometime this April.

Despite being a hardcore geek, I love the great outdoors. Camping, hiking, canoing and fishing are some of my favorite things to do when it warms up. I enjoy “roughing it” and do my best to leave most of my technology at home. I do carry my cell phone and some electric lanterns, but that’s usually about the extent of it, which is nice. Here’s a low-tech survival kit that almost everyone should keep with them when braving the wild.

This looks like a tin can of sardines or tuna, but it’s actually backed with twenty-five essential items which I have listed below. I find this design to be brilliant because it is waterproof. Most first-aid kits that you see these days are made from plastic and are not airtight, which can ruin several of the vital items.

A non-aspirin pain reliever, adhesive bandage, alcohol prep pad, antibiotic ointment, book of matches, compass, chewing gum, sugar, salt, energy nugget, duct tape, fire starter cube, first aid instructions, fish hook and line, note paper, pencil, razor blade, safety pin, reflective signal surface, tea bag, waterproof bag, whistle, and wire clip.

While it does suck that you won’t be able to reseal the container, it’s cheap enough that you won’t have to worry too much over it. This Survival Kit in a Can will only set you back $13.

Source: UberReview

Posted Mar 19th 2008 3:50AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: cellphones

Don’t hide it. We all share the same moment of reflection accompanying any $500+ smartphone purchase: “Man, I could really use a cheap, new Axim right about now.” Say it loud boy, ’cause you might be in luck if DigiTimes’ sources are to be believed. According to the Taiwanese rumor rag, Dell is set to “resume its handheld device business” with a focus on Windows Mobile, not Android as previously rumored (though we’d would be nuts to rule that out). Sources claim that Foxconn (not Quanta) is preparing to accept handset orders from Dell who is busy organizing its handheld device team under Ron Garriques, the executive VP Michael Dell hired away from Motorola’s cellphone division in early 2007. Of course, the industry stood shaking in its Palm OS boots the first time Dell entered the handheld market in 2002 — a “Palm killer” as Dell’s inexpensive and bulky Pocket PCs were then hailed. Now, with Palm all but dead, Dell would enter an entirely different marketplace dominated by premium handsets from the likes of RIM, HTC and that upstart from Cupertino. Following ASUS’ resurgent WinMo offerings unveiled at CeBIT and Acer’s recent acquisition of E-Ten, we’re pretty sure Michael Dell isn’t just looking on from Round Rock, fiddling.

So you’ve got an iMac and aren’t too happy with the way it looks at the moment. Speck is here to save the day, featuring a custom made transparent plastic shell that helps make your iMac look a whole lot sexier. Perfect for those who want to bring back happy memories of the original iMac which was released during the last few years of the last century. The Speck hard shell for iMacs retail for $49.95 a pop and is available in Aqua, Black, Pink, or Red colors.