Tech Gadgets Reviews

Microsoft employees can’t catch a break in China. Photographed above is a company shuttle equipped with a workstation per person, meaning they’ve got to get down to business just seconds after leaving their homes. So much for listening to your ipod and zoning out before work.

Microsoft makes you work from the moment you step on the bus! [NewLaunches]

Photo: NewLaunches

Anybody who is fed up with new formats of media and still has only vinyl switch off your monitor now.  Boosted by their success in the High Definition DVD war with Blu-ray they have decided to expand the Blu franchise with Blu-spec CD.

Details are sketchy regarding the actual advantages due to a poorly translated Japanese press release, but what we do know is that it aims to overthrow the CD.  Unsurprisingly, they are burned using the Blu Laser Diode (hence the Blu) and even more unsurprisingly they will cost around the $20-$35 mark.  Obviously, we don’t know what you are paying for but the general consensus is that it will be significantly better sound quality.

What we were surprised by was that despite the fact that Blu-ray discs need to be read by a blue laser, the Blue-spec CD will be able to be read by your standard red laser CD player—just don’t ask how or why!  60 titles are set to be released by Christmas eve including “The Guardian of Heaven” by Satanta and ELO’s “Discovery,” but don’t expect to see it in the US soon.  There is no news on this outside of Japan so stay tuned for more information when we get it!

Source [PocketLint]
Release [sme]

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FROM APPLETELL - Although a bit late to the party, Apple has finally decided to implement the “Get More Podcasts…” button we saw in last week’s iphone 2.2 rumor.
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FROM GAMERTELL - D3 Publisher is going to release Astro Boy games for the DS, PSP, PS2 and Wii to coincide with Imagi Animation Studio’s 2009 Astro Boy movie.
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Greetings gadget-philes, it’s been quite the week over in reviewtown. We’ve been hard at work making the new site sing and crafting highly critical reviews (coupled with elegant prose) about the gizmos you actually care about. Our fave gadget of this week? The long delayed, often hyped, incredibly pretty BlackBerry Bold that landed in the United States..finally. Reviewer Christopher Null weighed in with this take on it:

Some improvements are immediately visible, even to novices. The non-touch screen, at 480 x 320 pixels, is now on par with the iphone, though it’s quite a bit smaller at just 2.6 diagonal inches. Impressively bright, it’s easy to read even birdseed type (which you’ll probably do a lot) — the web browser is one of the most capable we’ve seen on a blackberry to date.

    

Read his full BlackBerry Bold review here.

We also had a look at the WD TV from Western Digital. This plucky black box essentially takes media files from a hard drive and streams them direct to a HDTV. Wired Mag Associate Editor Joe Brown, howerver, found a more, uh gripping application for the device. From his write-up:

A certain class of people have long wanted to easily download and play files on their massive flat-panel TVs. This powerful special interest group is responsible for many of the technological innovations that drive our modern economy. They are internet porn addicts, and the WDTV is the answer to many of their prayers.

Read the full WD TV review right here.

Yes, we managed to have a look at a Panasonic camcorder that uses SD cards as its primary recording format. Reviewer Roger Hibbert had this to say about it:

You’ve longed to document your fascinating life for some time now, but you just haven’t found the right lightweight HD camcorder. Well, here’s the perfect tool for it: The Panasonic HDC-SD100 3CMOS camcorder can shoot 1080i HD video or 2.1-megapixel stills, all in a light, easily toted package.

   

Read the full SD100 review right here.

Additional to the menu was HP’s newest netbook, the Mini 1000. Gadget reviewing powerhouse Christopher Null had this to report:

The 1000 is not only extremely thin (less than an inch thick, all around), it’s the lightest 10.2-inch netbook we’ve tested, at just under 2.5 pounds. For the most part, HP doesn’t skimp on features to hit this weight, either.: The model we tested includes the now-standard 1.6-GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1 GB of RAM, Windows XP, and an incredibly bright widescreen LCD.

 

Read the full HP Mini 1000 right here.

Finally our own Terrence Russell spent some quality time with a set of bargain basement priced noise canceling headphones from Able Planet:

From the moment we strapped its jet-black cans to our cranium, it was clear the NC200s are designed for a frugal user. Even with their satisfying heft and plastic/leather-ish accents, these headphones still feel cheap and a little sparse.

 

Read the full Able Planet NC200 review here.

 

 

Until we have RSS capabilities on the new gadget review website (it’s still in BETA guys!) we’ll be posting links and previews to our reviews here. So remember to hit those links and hit the comments. Anything you guys like? Let us know. Anything that we can do better? Definitely give us any and all suggestions. We’ll be standing by. 

Macworld reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, “For a product as on the cutting edge as the iPhone, its built-in camera is an embarrassment. Like the camera on the original iPhone, it’s got a basic two-megapixel resolution, doesn’t zoom, has no flash, doesn’t work well in low light, and doesn’t take videos. With still subjects in well-lit areas it produces nice results. In terms of quality, the consumer point-and-shoot digital camera I bought seven years ago still blows it away, and most of the iphone’s smart phone competitors offer better cameras as well.”

Read more about the Apple iPhone 3G.

Remember when we told you about Vivienne Tam’s fabulous HP Digital Clutch which she previewed at Fall 2008 fashion show in Bryant Park during New York Fashion Week? With everyone clamoring to get it for the holidays, HP moved up the production and you can get yours now by calling 1-800-230-5752 or online at HP MiniVT. By making a reservation now, you are guaranteed one in early December. ($699.99 with the colorful,protective Vivienne Tam silk sleeve.)

At only 2.25 lbs and a mere 1″ thin, it’s the perfect accessory.

Product Specs:

10.2″ High Definition display

Under 1-inch thick

Built-in HP Mini Webcam

Windows XP Home with SP3

Intel Atom Processor

Put it on your Christmas list today or do what I did and enter the contest.

I’m not too sure why you would want to settle for a device like the Intelligent Digital Compass with the myriad of GPS devices around, but perhaps there is a novelty of marking up to three different spots in its memory so that you can return to them at a later time. Hopefully the Intelligent Digital Compass is robust enough to last for many years, since it will be interesting to bury a time capsule and check out its location a few decades down the road. Expected to hit the market sometime in January next year, it features an LCD display that shows you the direction you need to head to as well as the remaining distance, battery life and GPS signal status. With it being backlit, you won’t have any problem using this in the dark. Perfect for those who want to venture away from camp in a forest at night.

Source: Navigadget

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Why didn’t I think of dressing up as my iphone 3G for Halloween? (Maybe because a witches hat is as creative as I ever get.)

This clever apps guy went all out. It only looks like your iPhone at first glance. Check out this closer pic to see some of the more, uh, unusual apps not available at the Apple store.

Via Dvice.

With Flipbac, it is a snap to take angled images from the hip without having to kneel, and you can also capture candid portraits with your face in it. This angle viewfinder is perfect for those who want to experiment with their photography sessions by taking photos from a unique perspective. Features of the Flipbac include :-

• Easy low angle or ground level shooting
• Shoot accurately from unique positions: ground level, waist level or overhead
• Capture natural, relaxed portraits
• Excellent LCD screen protector when not in use
• Opens to more than 180 degrees in both Landscape and Portrait positions
• Fits most digital point-and-shoot and digital SLR cameras with 3″ LCD screens

Strangely enough, there is no word on pricing on the product page.

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