Tech Gadgets Reviews

At least we know that Microsoft doesn’t believe that PC gaming will die anytime soon: they are releasing their Sidewinder keyboard in September. The detachable numeric pad allows gamers to use this piece on the right or left side, depending on their preference. Also there’s a little software help named “cruise control”. Players will be able to record keyboard macros (hey, some people used to call that “cheating”) – I wish that I had this back in the C&C General days at the office. Finally, a good “gaming” keyboard always has additional buttons – including these two mysterious knobs on the upper-right.

Last summer, we reported that Spider-man 3 broke the record for the most successful opening weekend. I’ve just heard that this record has been broken by The Dark Knight, which is on the verge of becoming the best superhero movie ever.

I’m sure a lot of you saw it over the weekend. Some of you might have been greatly impressed by the Batpod, director Christopher Nolan’s take on the classic bat-cycle, without the sidecar for Robin. The Batpod was designed by Nathan Crowley, the same man who designed the Tumbler from the Batman Begins.

The stuntmen had a difficult time riding the Batpod. The vehicle has no handlebars, but shields for the shoulders that allow for steering. It was also difficult to keep balance on the huge 508 millimeter tires, with engines in both hubs of each wheel. Not only that, the driver has to lie belly down on either side of the tank, balanced on two foot pegs spaced 3 ½ feet apart.

I suppose learning how to ride a bike again is a small price to pay for riding the Batpod, especially when it has grappling hooks and machine guns. Boo-yeah!

Since six Batpods were built for this movie, we might see one of these available on Ebay, assuming they were not all wrecked during filming. Perhaps these Batpods might inspire some new extreme sport of some kind, and more of these special cycles could be designed for the casual, non-bat consumer.

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by Darren Murph, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 8:15AM

Generally speaking, Oppo has stuck to its bread-and-butter: decently stylish PMPs and a well-received family of upscaling DVD players, respectively. Now, however, we’re seeing a trio of concepts which allude to a future unit (or three) boasting gaming functionality. Unfortunately, details beyond that are few and far between, and we’re not even certain of their place of origin. In other words, don’t bet on seeing these hit shelves in the foreseeable future, but keep your fingers crossed that they do anyway.

[Thanks, Raz]

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Credit: Donald J. Lindler, Sigma Space Corporation/GSFC; EPOCh/DIXI Science Teams

NASA has released images and a vides of a planet which looks very alien to the observer. In reality, it’s our own Earth as seen by the Deep Impact spacecraft from 31 million miles away.

Deep Impact’s primary mission was to travel to comet Tempel 1 to release an impactor directly into its path. When the impactor collided with the comet on July 4th, 2005 the Deep Impact spacecraft examined the material ejected to determine what the comet was made of.

Now the Deep Impact mission has been extended to include two new mission components including the search for alien (extrasolar) planets and a fly-by of another comet called Hartley 2. On its way to Hartley 2, Deep Impact snapped a 15-minute cadence of shots which was then made into a color video. The images as well as the video can be seen on the NASA website.

These videos definitely make you look at Earth in a whole new light. It’s incredible to see the moon pass in front of the camera. You really believe that this is an alien world somewhere far off in the universe. I suppose from the perspective of the Deep Impact spacecraft it is.

Read more and watch the videos at the NASA press release

Brando has announced an adapter which will let you use an iphone with stereo Bluetooth headphones, something that the iPhone doesn’t offer with its built in Bluetooth option. The INFINXX AP23 is an A2DP transmitter which plugs into the iPhone’s dock connector and sends audio to any compatible headset. It even allows remote control of play, pause, volume and the like if the headphones support AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile).

Why Apple disables stereo Bluetooth remains a mystery (perhaps to ensure we use those iconic white earbuds?) Until this is fixed, a dongle is the only choice, and Brando’s is at least small and discrete. It will cost you $62 and works with all iPhone models.

Product page [Brando]

Verizon has just unveiled the brand new Motorola Adventure V750 clamshell handset that boasts the virtue of being the first phone based on the QChat push-to-talk network from the carrier. It utilizes EV-DO Rev. A cellular data to offer a somewhat similar experience as Sprint’s iDEN service, although in theory, it will be of better quality due to the 3G network. This tough handset complies with US military-grade specifications, offering protection against dust, drops and other shocks, temperature, and water splashes. Some of the other features include external music controls, multimedia support, a microSDHC memory card slot as well as navigation services. It will retail for $100 with a new 2-year contract and a rebate.

iphone/ipod touch fans take note - there is a new dimension to the Remote application that seemed to have been overlooked by many. Apple themselves have done virtually nothing to promote such a feature either, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t useful or interesting to look at. The iPhone or iPod touch will be able to be used as a keyboard in lieu of the hard-to-use on-screen non-QWERTY keyboard as your Apple TV keyboard. Best of all is, the typing is reflected on the TV screen itself so that you know exactly where you’ve gone wrong with a wayward finger or thumb.

Source: Crunchgear

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The CherryPal is what happens when you combine a highly customized, incredibly efficient platform with cloud computing. It is a tiny (1.3×5.8×4.2-inch) computer that runs on a FreeScale processor. It is designed to provide casual PC users with an easy, reliable, and affordable solution that avoids the problems of the typical desktop/notebook while taking advantage of CherryPal’s cloud infrastructure.

For $249 you get a small box outfitted with a Freescale’s MPC5121e mobileGT processor (400 MHz) , 256MB DDR2 RAM, b/g WiFi, two USB ports, ethernet, and VGA-out. It may seem quite anemic–and it’s true that the CherryPal does not have a lot of power–but the thing is that it does not need much power. This is possible for two main reasons…

The first is the cloud. The CherryPal relies on the cloud-computing for most of its activities, including storage (up to 50GB),  updates, new applications, and so on. Unlike other computers using this approach (like the Zonbu) CherryPal offers the cloud without a subscription fee. The same goes for its 24/7 helpline.

The other element of the CherryPal that enables it to work on just 2W is its dedicated software. The OS is based on Debian Linux, but most people would never know this because the OS is hidden from the user. Instead almost everything is done through the browser, a customized version of Firefox, which means the system is easy to use and there is not much that can go wrong (even if the user starts poking around).

Some software is kept locally, like Open Office, but much of it is loaded from the cloud each time the user wants to run it. At this loading point an advertisement will eventually be presented for a few seconds, but that is not expected until Q408.

We haven’t gotten our hands on the CherryPal yet, but it’s looking quite cool so far. A few people are excited about it and it could be the ideal desktop for a casual home user or college student. There are, of course, privacy concerns that the company is taking very seriously (like by hardware-encrypted communications) and considerable limitations to what the system can do, but it’s an exciting approach to cloud-intregation and making computing easier, and more efficient, for all sorts of consumers.

More information is available at CherryPal.com 

Most blood pressure monitors we know are portable devices that are wrapped around your arm before it gets to work - this one does the same albeit with a slightly different approach. It comes with a detachable wireless display for optimal viewing.

This is the only blood pressure monitor that transmits measurements to a detachable wireless display that can be positioned up to two feet from the main unit for optimal viewing. Easier to use than wraparound cuff models, your arm rests comfortably in the enclosed cuff which inflates with a push of a button. The monitor uses the oscillometric method of measurement to record blood pressure readings accurate to within 3mmHg and pulse rate accurate to within 5%. The LCD panel shows diastolic and systolic blood pressure in 7/8 high numerals, as well as pulse, date, and time; LEDs alert you if blood pressure readings fall outside recommended levels. The display stores up to 90 readings for two people. Six AA batteries (included) provide cordless operation for about 150 readings, or the unit plugs into AC with an included adapter.

I guess I’ll need one of these if the Dow Jones continues to plunge each day, as I see my favorite stocks go south and I remain stubborn to the bitter end. The Wireless Display Blood Pressure Monitor retails for $199.95.

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Pretty soon the check out lane of your favorite grocery store may be bright with flashing magazine covers making you feel like you are in the middle of Times Square. All this will be because of the new technology of E Ink that will transform the printed page into attention grabbing display ads.

According to Engadget, September’s issue of Esquire magazine will feature 100,000 copies with a flashing electronic cover thanks to E Ink. If you are thinking about grabbing this copy of Esquire as a technology keepsake, keep in mind the flashing text proclaiming, “The 21st Century Begins Now,” will last until the battery runs out, which will be in about 90 days.

Currently the E Ink technology developed by E Ink Corporation is being exclusively used by Esquire until 2009. After that, however, you could find more publishers taking advantage of the E Ink display technology. This could mean a future that has major magazines playing commercial ads on their publications like small paperbound televisions.

Read more at Engadget.