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PC Mag reviews the Dell XPS One's high end $2400 version of the all-in-one with all the trimmings like Blu-ray, a TV Tuner, N flavored Wi-Fi, and a wireless keyboard. They also liked the user-serviceable case, but weren't stoked about the ATI Radeon HD 2400 graphics card. [PC Mag]
In light of the Sidekick Slide's recent problems, T-Mobile is pulling the Sidekick Slide from its product line. Readers are reporting the Slide is no longer on the T-Mobile product site, and anonymous inside sources are confirming this. This is convenient, seeing as Fridays (not to mention Friday night), are the best day to announce a story like this with the least news impact. More to come as we get more info.
iRadio, by Conceited Software, just received an update which brings it much closer to being a valuable iPhone app. The app is basically a SHOUTcast player for the iPhone that allows playing and browsing of thousands of online stations. The app works best under WiFi, but is not limited to it, and does work while using EDGE. There are still many quarks to be worked out, but for the most part, we are impressed with this early application.
Combine the sleek stylish form of the Maya Single Chair, a 32-inch television angled for maximum lounging relaxation, a pair of 60W speakers and a sub and you have a setup that most people couldn't possibly afford. If you are most people, you will be spared the horrors of sticker shock given that little information exists on the Maya, and it appears to be a concept at this point. [StudioAV via T3]
If there was ever a case for embedding your dog with a microchip, this is it. In 2001 Lyn O'Byrne's dog Rhia was stolen from the vets office where she worked as a nurse. Amazingly enough, last week she received a call from a lost animals line informing her that a dog was found with her contact info stored in a microchip embedded in its neck. Dog and owner were reunited, hugs and kisses all around, technology rules, and all is right with the world. [Wimbeldon Guardian via Spluch]
If you are the type that is captivated by small shiny objects, flashing lights and your own reflection, you will love this TwinMOS USB Drive with its mirrored surface and 6 colorful LED indicators. It also features a 4GB capacity, and a sliding USB connector. No pricing or availability information has been announced. [Aving via Gearfuse]
Earlier this week ACCESS announced a beta VM that will allow owners of the Nokia N770, N800 and N810 to run Palm/Garnet OS applications. If you were skeptical, feast your eyes on the video proof. And while your at it, let the dynamic voice of the narrator send you off to a blissful night's sleep. [Palminfocener via MobileMag]
If you are a Leopard owner that felt stack icons were a tad un-sexy or unclear, help is on the way in the form of overlays that place your stacks into clean looking "bins." A simple terminal command will allow you implement the 18 custom icons in the original downloadable pack. However, if you want to make your own custom stack icons, it can be achieved fairly easily using a image editing program like Preview. Hit the links for a full tutorial on making your own icons and a link to the original download pack with instructions. [Download via TUAW and Tutorial]
The PS3 turned one year old today. We wiped off our dusty PS3 and threw it a birthday party with this cake that Sony Computer Entertainment of America had delivered to our house, in a stunt in the style of the Wii Ice Cream Truck. The cake was delicious, thank you, Sony. The party was going ok. Wii and Xbox 360 Elite showed up, but Halo Xbox 360 Legendary Edition was out with his groupies, the Halo 3 Fanboys. The sad thing was, no stellar PS3 games showed up to the party. Maybe next year, PS3. We still respect your record-breaking Protein folding capabilities and supercomputer performance.
The birthday party is going to be at Chuck E. Cheese near the Bergen Mall in North NJ. You're invited. (Don't tell Wii.)
I got five words for you: Drag and Drop Netflix Queue. This app by Brent Jensen that supports multiple accounts, downloads thumbnails of movies, lists new and top 100 movies, also has a search function.
Just in case you missed it, at Oracle OpenWorld 2007, Dell demonstrated the multi-touch capability of their new Latitude XT tablet PC. Users will be able to use multiple fingers to draw lines or manage several images simultaneously. Kevin Kettler, Dell's chief technology officer, noted that "it's going to be a great avenue for creative applications to be developed around it." Dell plans on shipping the system sometime in the next few months. [ComputerWorld]
Don't be too alarmed, but this video shows the iPhone being accessed by terminal using a program installed by a webpage. Since the program, like all unofficial apps, runs as root, they've got access to data stores for mail, call lists, contacts, and voicemail, which are served up via terminal. And no, that guy isn't hacking your ghost with those piercing eyes. I think.
This is why a managed SDK with sandboxed apps like the one Jobs proposes for February is going to be a lot better than opening up the device outright, like it or not. Since this is a hack done via a website, it's likely the 1.1.1 TIFF exploit that can be patched by a) installing Apple's 1.1.2 patch or hacking your 1.1.1 iPhone using the Jailbreakme.com installer website. The guy runs all this on a LAN, knowing IPs, but it wouldn't be hard to have malware ping home, either. [FC via CrunchHickey]
What J. Allard reveals when he talks about Microsoft's (and his) plans for conquering all media isn't surprising—an integrated, single network for all of its entertainment products and services. NYT's Bits sums up his spiel in three sentences:
Even though the Zune and Xbox product brands are separate, they are ultimately meant to connect to the same central network. The online services for Xbox, Zune and future products will merge. Video will be a key part of this service.Allard also shared his feelings about the first Zune—what he calls "failing fast"—and the potentially true rumours of a Zune phone.
Edgar Bronfman, the CEO of Warner Music Group, admitted that waging war on consumers was kind of a bonehead idea at the GSMA Mobile Asia Conference. Look, he actually admits to being wrong!
"We used to fool ourselves. We used to think our content was perfect just exactly as it was. We expected our business would remain blissfully unaffected even as the world of interactivity, constant connection and file sharing was exploding. And of course we were wrong. How were we wrong? By standing still or moving at a glacial pace, we inadvertently went to war with consumers by denying them what they wanted and could otherwise find and as a result of course, consumers won."Boy, that's just great, Edgar. Really heartfelt, we're all impressed. But you know a better way of admitting that starting a way against consumers was wrong? Stop suing your consumers. Jackass. Until that happens, you're all talk. [MacUser via Slashdot]
This week at Uncrate: We intimidate our opponents with some Custom Beer Pong Balls, reach a million on Guitar Hero thanks to the React Guitar Hero Controllers, and have Thanksgiving Madden-style by serving up a Turducken.
We also build our own system with the JVC DIY Speaker Kit, get down to business on the Go-Cart Desk, and wish for a ride as cool-looking as the Confederate Renovatio Concept Motorcycle. Finally, we upgrade our morning routine with the Starbucks Sirena Espresso Machine, stay in tune with the Gibson Robot Guitar, and stay amused in the wilderness with the Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio.
If you are a fan of Rube Goldberg-style contraptions, you will love Think Geek's Cological Marble Run Construction Set. It contains everything you need to create your own marble mayhem—including 23 different types of marble-moving mechanisms like rolling cars and whacking mallets. More info and a video after the jump.
This is probably the first time the word "sexy" has ever been used to describe a washing machine—but this concept piece from designer Simona Luculano is definitely worthy of such an adjective. Unlike traditional washing machine eyesores that must be hidden in a garage or behind sliding doors, the Flexible Distance washing machine could actually be used as a decorative piece.
When it comes to product placement, I can't think of a more high-profile scoop than the International Space Station. DirecTV is wisely offering NASA a chance to install a 42" HDTV, DirecTV Satellite DVR/receiver and a remote covered in Velcro to avoid losing the remote to spacewalk in the orbital lab. Guess you'd get tired of viewing the entire friggin' planet from space after a few days. [Forbes]
My grandma just cleaned 10 years' worth of useless magnetic crap off of her fridge, revealing its marbled surface for the first time I can remember. The Endo magnetic clips make me wanna cover it in crap all over again. They only support a pound, so you can't string up a small child, or anything with real heft, unless you grab like 50 of them, which is pricey at $10 for a pack of three. [Endo via Gadget Lab]
Like many people who live in Verizon country, I have eagerly awaited the carrier's latest—and definitely greatest—feature phone, the LG VX10000 Voyager. Yesterday UPS dropped it off, and I've been playing with it constantly ever since. It is a powerful thing, ambitious in that it combines much of what we like about both the iPhone and the BlackBerry into a single compact system. But it has flaws that make it hard for me to give the highest marks, especially with an after-rebate price tag of $300.
Because it's not truly a "smartphone" but rather one of the most overblown feature phones to date, I will review each feature in its arsenal:
The Spin: High demand is causing Zune 80s to run out of stock, says Microsoft.
What People Think: Zune Scene's source says production is 6 weeks behind schedule, and Ars reports that the Flash Zunes were prioritized.
What I think: Zune 30 FTW at less than $100 bucks.
[Ars and Zune Scene]
Eyeless Writer called Verizon 56 times to ask two different data pricing questions: one about going over limits, another about roaming. A ridiculous 93 percent of reps answered at least one question incorrectly. Only 2 percent got them both right. Don't they have computers in front of them to cheat when they don't know the answer? [Eyeless Writer via BBG]
Fifty-four percent of you fess up to lo-jacking someone else's Wi-Fi without permission, you free-wheeling bastards. We're guessing the other 46 percent just didn't wanna own up to it. [CNET]
If you've ever had the nightmarish experience of trying to retrieve all your peeps' phone numbers after you lost your phone, you may want Think Geek's SIM card backup gadget. The device has 16KB memory, which is enough to stow away up to 500 numbers. The shiny $15 backerupper can be password protected for added security, and can receive and transfer contact info from multiple SIMs. It may just be the thing to save your sanity—along with that hot chick from bar's digits. [Tech Digest]
That dude who drove his electric motorcycle into a minivan while showing off for reporters at Wired Nextfest got out of the hospital and put some 300 extra Li Ion cells on his bike. Then he broke the electric vehicle world record in the quarter-mile running it at less than 8 seconds @ 168MPH. [TG Daily]
If you want to just play back Blu-ray discs on your PC, this Lite-On branded BD-ROM drive from Philips will do the trick at 4x for $186. Let's get this straight: You can't burn Blu-ray discs with this drive. However, for playback, you'd better have enough hardware oomph to handle all that data flowing through your video system. To be first marketed in Taiwan at the end of this month, these cheap players are expected to be launched later in the rest of the world. If all you want to do is play back Blu-ray movies on your computer, there's no use paying the $300-$500 for a burner. This might come in handy for an occasional flick at the desk, or Blu-ray playback in a PC-equipped home theater. [DigiTimes]
If you were wondering why you've been asked to help pick up the tab with the OLPC project, its founder offers a lesson in international business:
"We are making the XO available to U.S. and Canadian consumers as a financing scheme for the developing world, to trigger global demand and government closure," Negroponte told LAPTOP Magazine. He added, "I have, to some degree, underestimated the difference between shaking the hand of a head of state and having a check written."[Laptop Magazine]
It's that time again… yes, time for another Gizmodo Photoshop Contest! This time, it's a little different. Rather than providing you with a source image to debase, we want to see you be a bit more creative. So here's your task: deliver us an image of the first Thanksgiving — you know, the one with pilgrims and Indians and all that crap — but add some 21st century tech to it. Did the Indians come bearing Roombas rather than corn? Sounds unlikely! Did Master Chief carve the turkey? Probably not! But that's the magic of Photoshop, no? Go nuts with this, really. The most creative and entertaining entries will get in the Gallery of Champions. Read on, brave contestants, for details on how to enter.
We're looking for quality and humor here, so if you can make an impressive chop that makes us laugh, you're guaranteed a spot. So get crackin', and email your masterpiece(s) to contests@gizmodo.com. Have the subject say "Thanksgiving Photoshops" and make your filename read like so: FirstName_LastName.jpg. Don't screw this up or we won't look at your entry! Get your entries in by the end of the day on Monday and we'll post the results next week near the big day. Good luck, my friends, and happy chopping.
The Bi-Plug is actually AC/DC, but gives it to you straight, simplifying the charging of USB devices in a flamboyantly colorful way. We've seen similar chargers before, but much bigger. Not to fret, because even though this diminutive conversion tool weighs just an ounce, size doesn't matter much because it's packing all the right circuitry up in there to give you just the kind of power you need for that energy-sucking geegaw of yours. Look for these chargers to roll out November 28th. We hear they're going to be surprisingly cheap. What sluts! [Brighton, via Wired]
Some noticed that the VW Space Up! blue concept car at the LA Auto Show has a car computer that looks like an Apple coverflow UI. Could this result of Apple and VW launching a UI together per earlier talks? My eyes are screaming yes, but my brain tells me that an Apple alliance is the kind of thing VW and Apple would want trumpeted. Maybe at production time for vehicles with this system, come spring, or Maybe at Macworld in January.
Either way, it almost makes me consider a VW, and I'm hoping cousins at Audi get the hint soon and do something as slick as this in their non-touchscreen MMI system. The system has a 7-inch touchscreen is proximity sensitive, too, so it works on gestures in front of the console. Autoblog recalls that all VWs in 2009 model year are getting touchscreens. I like all this speculation, frankly, and would be pretty pleased to see solid Cupertino UIs on the road. [Autoblog Carspace via Engadget]
This is the new Lenovo i909 cellphone, which has standard-issue features like a 2.4-inch TFT display, 2-megapixel camera, microSD memory card slot, mp3 and video player. But it also has an NES emulator on board, and it comes with a controller that snaps on to the phone to make it a little Game-Boy-like device. It is, in a word, badass. The bad news? It's headed to China and only to China. Hey, US cellphone industry! Start taking notes, as this is what will sell geeks like me your otherwise crappy phones. [Unwired View]
The Crayon Physics Deluxe must be one of the coolest touch-screen games ever. The aim is very simple: take a ball to where the start is. The tools to do it are a crayon and your imagination, since whatever you draw will automatically get recognised by the physics engine and put into motion over a piece of paper. Microsoft must buy this game and ship it with every Tablet PC. And somebody should port this to the iPhone. Pronto. [Kloonigames]
The witty pranksters at The Onion are at it again, creating a whole new set of four GotchaBox containers for Christmas, 2007. Get one of these fake boxes ($7.99, or $17.99 for a three-pack, available November 19) and wrap it up with a real (or shitty) gift inside. Then watch their faces as they try to get all excited about a non-existent gadget such as an auto power strip, a smoke alarm that plays sounds of the rain forest, or this "Visor.ganizer" that can supposedly carry up to 7 pounds of crap in the visor of your hat. These are even better than last year's batch, which included our favorite, the USB Toaster. Hilarious. Check out the gallery below for the mirth and madness in all its glory. [The Onion Store]
The Wall Street Journal details a lot of the "strong signals" Google's going to bid in the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction in order to launch a wireless network of its own. Aside from openly declaring "we are making all the necessary preparations to become an applicant to bid," what's really compelling is that
back at its headquarters, Google is already operating an advanced high-speed wireless network under a test licence from the FCC, according to people familiar with the matter. The company has erected transmission towers on its campus for the network. Prototype mobile handsets powered by the Android software are currently running on it.