Tech Gadgets Reviews

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 18th 2008 at 5:10PM

Apparently not everyone at General Motors is toiling away in an attempt to get the Volt ready for its 2010 debut, as another sector of the outfit’s R&D division is busy creating a windshield that will, at its core, enable us to stop running stuff over. The futuristic glass would utilize lasers, sensors and cameras in order to help drivers see the road’s edge better, recognize obstructions and enhance things ahead of us so we’ll theoretically react faster. Truth be told, the device is being designed with older drivers in mind, though we don’t see why younger motorists won’t benefit all the same. Unfortunately, it sounds as if you’ll have to keep those toothpicks in your eyelids for a few more years, but at least we’re one step closer to full-on autopilot.

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Remember all those bizarre Thanko products that were exclusive to Japan?  Well, turns out Thanko is opening up a shop for those of us in the US.  Which is partially great news, because then I won’t have to mess with translating the page just to see the speccs of all their strange products.  It won’t open till August, so as of now we still have to translate things over to English.  Which includes this USB Cooler Mouse.

Thanko seems to think of everything, even those that tend to get all hot and sweaty while on their computer.  The mouse sucks air through the bottom and blows it out directly onto your palm.  When you’re cool enough, you can just shut off the tiny fan and use it as a normal mouse.  The mouse has five different buttons and the extras are programmable.  It is being sold for about $19.  Which isn’t bad considering you get the extra perk of having your hand blown on.  After all, who wants to purchase a normal sized fan and cool off your whole body at once?!

Source: gearlog

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Amazon has launched a new service for its customers in the U.S. that allows them to buy and watch streamed movies and TV shows. To begin with it will be available to a limited user base of selected customers, but by the end of the summer is expected to open up to everyone.

Amazon already has a digital download service called Unbox, but this is the first time no download is required. Instead, the content is available immediately and streamed to a user’s PC. All purchases are stored by Amazon in a customer’s account through a “Your Video Library” section. That means you have access to the content purchased whenver you want; and from any PC or Net-connected TV.

Bill Carr, Amazon vice president of digital media said:

For the first time, this is drop dead simple … Our goal is to create an immersive experience where people can’t help but get caught up in how exciting it is to simply watch a movie right from Amazon.com with a click of the button.

The e-tailer isn’t standing still on the issue of getting content to your TV via the service either. A deal has been struck to allow the digital streaming store to be accessible via the Sony Bravia Video link device and to be included in future Bravia TV releases. Amazon are also working to develop similar tie-ins with other TV manufacturers.

Initially Amazon Video on Demand will carry TV shows and movies from most of the major studios. The one notable exception being Disney.

Read more at the New York Times

Matthew’s Opinion
This certainly sets the standard for what a digital entertainment streaming service should be. Content you buy is accessible anywhere, is always available with a login and has growing support from the major studios.

I am interested to see the pricing structure compared to buying a DVD or Blu-ray. I’m hoping it is significantly lower not only to spur people to try it, but because of the type of access you are getting to the content.

So how many of you welcome this kind of service for your entertainment purchases? I do like having a physical copy of the item I’ve bought, but this service, like a lot of the digital music sites, offers a lot of flexibility and accessibility.

A dude decided to check his laptop’s innards during a repair session and discovered a hidden keylogger within. Read all about his experience in the excerpt below.

What could this mean? I called Dell tech support about it, and they said, and I quote, “The integrated service tag identifier is there for assisting customers in the event of lost or misplaced personal information.” He then hung up. I called the police, as having a keylogger unknown to me in my laptop is a serious offense. They told me to call the Department of Homeland Security. At this point, I am in disbelief. Why would the DHS have a keylogger in my laptop? It was surreal. So I called them, and they told me to submit a Freedom of Information Act request.

Well, further probe of the story resulted in realizing that this is old and fake news, but doesn’t that make you curious to know what’s underneath the hood of your notebook?

There have been rumors for a while, but it has now been made official by EA that a Knights of the Old Republic MMO is in development.

Confirmation came from the very top in an interview with EA CEO John Riccitiello on Portfolio.com. During the interview he said:

We’ve got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development … And the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about — in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry at the point when we get closer to telling you about it.

With a bit more prodding from the interviewer Riccitiello confirmed that he is talking about Knights of the Old Republic Online.

Further comments made during the interview suggest the game will follow just a PC release route. Riccitiiello also pointed out the growing importance of China as a market stating:

China’s a growth market for us … We’re launching some mid-session games on a micro-transaction model. And there’s a bunch more coming that we haven’t announced.

To reinforce the China aspect further, EA are also specifically looking to acquire companies that aid its growth in the Asian markets.

KOTOR makes sense as an MMO in a number of ways. It already has an excellent track record as a franchise, a big fan base and gameplay that easily transposes to the MMO mould. There’s no more information available yet as to when the game will be released, so it could be anything from a year to 5 if we use Warhammer Online as a baseline.

Read more at Portfolio.com, found via 1UP.com

There will be a new Sidekick device in the market from T-Mobile known as Gekko, and this entry-level model ought to see some improvements that made the original Sidekick hugely popular with the masses when it was released. This GSM device won’t support 3G connectivity, stopping at EDGE. It will feature a 2.6″ widescreen QVGA display, a full QWERTY keyboard, a 2 megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth connectivity for wireless freedom. It will also boast removable shells for that greater level of customization, and it remains to be seen whether users can create their own shells or not with a template. Hopefully the new Sidekick Gekko will maintain the current sub-$200 price tag with a service contract when released.

iPhone 3G

[Editor’s note: We’ve spent an entire week testing every single nuance of the iphone 3G and what follows is Wired’s official, pull no punches, definitive review. If you’re still hankering for a lengthier take on the phone, check out our first impressions we recorded right after getting the device.] 

There’s much to love about Apple’s new burner: GPS, 3G, Exchange support, and an upgraded OS with hundreds of downloadable apps. Yet the camera still stinks, there’s no cut and paste, and—because Apple didn’t make voice dialing a priority—it’s completely unsafe to use an iPhone while driving. Then there’s the battery. If you plan to use any of those new hardware features or processor-intensive apps, expect to charge up twice a day. But here’s how far ahead the iPhone is: Even though the hardware upgrade is a massive disappointment the intuitive software and trademark multitouch input wins it the best in its class award. —Mathew Honan

WIRED Without exception, the best user interface of any phone. WiFi and zippy 3G network fetch Websites faster than a Labrador on a sirloin. GPS with Google Maps integration beats many handheld navigators. Bright, beautiful, highly responsive touchscreen with easy-on-the-eyes color temperature.

TIRED Battery drains juice faster than a toddler in the desert. AT&T’s 3G network riddled with more holes than Krispy Kreme Want to cut and paste? Bust out the scissors and glue. Plastic back highly susceptible to nicks and scratches. Still no MMS. Did we mention the battery stinks? Well, it’s worth mentioning again.

$299 16GB with 2 year plan, iphone.com

(Photo by Jon Snyder for Wired.com)

While the price drop does not seem to be available at every online retailer, at least one, namely CompUSA has dropped the price of the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet down to just $299.99. Currently listed as in stock and available the discounted price comes after an instant savings of $100.

No word on how long this price will last for, so if you were considering an N810 purchase, this may be a good time to part with the cash. A quick check of a few other online retailers still reflect the standard pricing. NewEgg has it listed for the expected $399.99, while Best Buy is still trying to get $479.99.

Now you can purchase the N810 for little less and be able to play around with Android a bit, sounds like a win-win.

Product [CompUSA]

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AT&T’s promise of free access to its hotspot network has been sporadic to say the least. The on-again-off-again announcements have left many, including us, confused. But now, unless the announcement disappears again, all 17,000 AT&T hotspots are available free to iPhone users, including those in Starbucks coffee shops. From the AT&T page:

AT&T knows Wi-Fi is hot, and free Wi-Fi even hotter, which is why we are proud to offer iphone customers free access to the nation’s largest Wi-Fi hotspot network with more than 17,000 hotspots, including Starbucks*. Now users can relax and access music, e-mail and web browsing services with their favorite blend in hand from the comfort of their favorite location.

“Music, e-mail and web browsing”. That sounds like everything on your iPhone that accesses the web, including the iTunes Store. Go grab it while you (still) can.

Product page [AT&T]

HP have decided to cater for those businesses that need either a new data center, or an expansion very quickly with the introduction of the POD.

POD stands for Performance Optimized Data Center and basically offers a complete data center contained within a shipping container. HP says it can deliver a POD in just 6 weeks hoping to catch the market where businesses need some extra capacity for a while, need to fill a shortfall or just want something that is actually mobile.

In terms of performance, a POD has 2 basic configurations offering either 3,500 computer nodes for increased processing, or 12,000 hard drives for extra storage capacity. A combination of these may also be configured in a single POD.

Christine Martino, vice president and general manager, Scalable Computing and Infrastructure Organization at HP commented:

Customers have more flexibility to balance their capital expenditures and operating expenses while quickly and seamlessly meeting their needs for additional capacity with HP PODs … HP’s innovative POD approach allows customers to deploy world-class, scalable, highly power-efficient data center resources quickly and ships in just six weeks.

Read more at BusinessWire.com

Matthew’s Opinion
In a perfect world businesses will plan well in advance for their data center needs. But this isn’t a perfect world and there are times when extra capacity is needed and this either had to be outsourced or new facilities built or hired very quickly. With POD HP is giving a lot of extra flexibility and a sort of standby, emergency solution.

It also offers new ways for businesses to operate. For example, imagine you are a company that handles operations at the big festivals that take place every year. Having a POD to deal with your processing needs is probably much easier than having to setup at each venue, and probably cheaper than outsourcing to a 3rd party.

PODS also could potentially lower insurance premiums if you are a data center business because you have a backup plan and a few PODS on standby. I’m sure they are expensive, but there is clearly a need otherwise HP wouldn’t be backing it so strongly.