Monday, April 16, 2007
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Adobe CS3 Is Finally Here; May Prove Macromedia Merger Was Good Idea
11:40PM Seamus Byrne | For all you graphics geeks who have been waiting eagerly to find out whether or not Adobe has screwed up all of your favorite Macromedia design tools, now’s your chance to plunk down $1,000+ to find out. CS3 launches today, and it’s as freakin’ thorough as expected. You can buy Design Premium for $1,799, Design Standard for $1,199, Web Premium for $1,599 and Web Standard for $999. Also available are separately wrapped apps: Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended, Adobe InDesign CS3, Adobe Illustrator CS3, Adobe Flash CS3 Professional, Adobe Dreamweaver CS3, Adobe Fireworks CS3, and Adobe Contribute CS3. If you’ve been holding out on buying a new system, Adobe says go ahead: All of the programs run as Universal apps for both PowerPC Macs and their Intel-based successors, with some significant speed improvement there. Adobe also says that you get a speed boost running CS3 on the latest Windows hardware. Follow the jump to see CS3’s new scary clown mascot plus some extra specs… More »
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Intel’s New Mobile PCs Will Ditch Vista for Linux
11:33PM Seamus Byrne | UMPCs have yet to take off, yet Intel’s already launching an alternative to the overgrown handhelds—the Mobile Internet Device (MID). These mini-tablets will run Linux, not Vista, as their operating system. They’ll have screens ranging from 4.5 to 6 inches and each device will carry a dual-core processor clocked from 600 to 800 MHz. The MIDs will have Wi-Fi and 3G HSDPA complemented by entertainment-friendly features. Design-wise, they look slicker than many of their UMPC counterparts. For now we can only hope they don’t follow the UMPC’s painful path to popularity. – Louis Ramirez Intel to Launch Linux-powered Mobile Internet Device [ZDNet] More »
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Sony and SanDisk Reveal High-End SxS Storage Card
11:20PM Seamus Byrne | Although our gut reaction to seeing the words “new” and “memory card specification” in the same sentence is a hearty “WTF mate?!”, the SxS format seems to be different, and perhaps justified. Sony and SanDisk are teaming up to produce the SxS cards to be compatible with ExpressCard slots and be used in pro camcorders—like the ones we’re seeing at NAB this week—and are useful for people who really need quick access and transfer speeds. How fast? How about 800 Mbps? Plus it’s going to be nice and thin at only 5mm, so it will fit into the sleeker pro cams that are all the rage these days. The first camcorder from Sony to support this format will be the XDCAM EX series, which are available later this year. – Jason Chen SanDisk and Sony Announce SxS(TM) Memory Card Specificaation for Professional Camcorders [Japan Corp via Digitimes via Tracy and Matt] More »
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Deeda’s Pi Phone Fools Nobody
11:00PM Seamus Byrne | Now that everyone who’s even a little somebody’s getting (ahem, Meizu) into the touchscreen phone game, the nobodies are making some noise as well. Here’s Deeda’s Pi Phone, which supposedly has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, flash, Instant Messaging, Google Maps, zooming, vibrational touch feedback, bajillions of supported audio and video formats (including MPEG4), UWB, and a calculator—among other things. The Pi is supposedly the highest in their touchphone line—the lower two being the Kiku and the Menx—and will be available with storage sizes of 8, 30 and 60GB. The entire thing smells of baloney to us. And we’re talking the phony kind, not the delicious kind. Mmmmm, baloney. – Jason Chen Product Page [Deeda via Uber Gizmo via Esato] More »
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House Sitting Robot Takes Snaps of Invaders
10:30PM Seamus Byrne | This house sitting robot from Japan doesn’t actually walk your dog, feed the kids, or fetch the mail, but it does make sure your house doesn’t get robbed. Well, not exactly. It doesn’t stop the actual act of burgling, but it does take snapshots of whoever broke in and made off with your HDTV and your collection of Knight Rider DVD boxsets. Also, when the sensor is set off, the robot gives you a call on your 3G videophone and can stream a live feed so you can make sure it’s not your cat going berserk again before you call the popo. – Jason Chen Impress [via Plastic Bamboo] More »
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The Ultimate Box Cutter From Japan
10:07PM Seamus Byrne | Hey dudes, Jason here. I’m back after a week of nonstop eating, sleeping, and general debauchery in lands East of here. Not only have I brought back about 10 pounds worth of food in the form of an even larger gut than before, I’ve also brought back some neat Asiangadgets. Here’s one. This Japanese boxcutter, as you can see, is unlike the retractable ones we have here. Instead, it’s like a knife with serrated edges that can tear through cardboard with a sawing motion just as easily as it goes through tape and other packing material. There’s even a convenient sheath so you don’t “accidentally” shiv your wife (or yourself) in the face when it’s not in use. Not sure where you can find this online, but had I known these were so good I would have bought more than one. – Jason Chen More »
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Stance Angle Chair: Park Your Ass Every Which Way You Want
10:04PM Seamus Byrne | This is the Stance Angle Chair, a piece of furniture which will make La-Z Boy owners look like athletes. It comes up with just about every position you can think of that is acceptable in the modern workplace . As well as foot rests, there are knee rests (useful should you want to bring out your inner Lewinsky in front of your boss). You can even be supported standing up should you need a rush of blood to the butt. There is, however, one drawback. There is no point buying the Stance Angle unless you also buy in to the TaskMate, a hydraulic platform that will raise your computer to the appropriate level. And you’ll sure need the support when you find how much the combo costs – a sphincter-loosening $1,200 to $1,500 for the chair, $800 to $900 for the TaskMate. – Ad Dugdale Product Page [Plasma2System via Oh!Gizmo] More »
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Geneva Sound System XL: Make your iPod an AiiiiiiPod
9:06PM Seamus Byrne | There are speakers, and there are SPEAKERS. This one, from the Geneva Lab, is one of the latter. As well as having a dock that will fit just about every iPod (video, nano, mini) there is a built-in, slot-loading CD player that also plays CD-ROM and MP3, and an FM radio with preset digital tuner. It comes with remote control and can connect to other sources, including the TV. Oh, and don’t think the speaker stand comes for free – that you have to pay for. The Geneva XL is available in black, white and red. Vital statistics are 21.7″ x 23.5″ x 15.8″ and it weighs 84 pounds. Price is…. $1075. Like I said, Aiiiiiiiiii!. –Ad Dugdale Product Page Geneva Lab via Red Ferret More »
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New Nokia 8600 Details Posted on Carphone Warehouse Site
8:04PM Seamus Byrne | It’s also known as the Luna and the Fashion High, but here’s Nokia’s 8600 in all its glory. UK retailer Carphone Warehouse posted a pic and details of the phone, describing it as “a handset with a distinctly fashionable feel.” “The rounded corners and smooth features,” the blurb continues, “give it an almost futuristic appearance.” Yeah yeah yeah. Other specs include a 2 megapixel camera, MP3 player and 1GB of built-in memory. No details of price or shipping details as yet, but UK customers can pre-order if they want, and it will definitely be cheaper than the 8800. –Ad Dugdale Nokia High Fashion [Carphone Warehouse via New Launches] More »
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