Monday, April 28, 2008
Gadgets
Body Armour and Fashion Collide in the Urban Security Suit
11:40PM Gizmodo US Edition | Designer Tim Smit had a vision: somehow unite people’s need for personal security with fashion. So he created the Urban Security suit concept, a neoprene outfit with carefully placed kevlar panels— the biggest over the heart area. The neoprene lets you move easily, the kevlar shields your internal organs, and there’s a gasmask to protect you from airborne toxins. It looks pretty interesting, in a dystopian future, Bladerunner-ish kind of way, though we’re not sure of its popular appeal. Maybe emo kids of tomorrow will be sporting something like it? … as long as it comes in black. [Yanko] galleryPost('urbansecsuit', 3, ''); More »
Hardware
PC Mag Reviews FragBox 8500 (Verdict: “Here To Kick Ass”)
11:19PM Mark Wilson | PC Mag has gotten their hands on Falcon Northwest’s latest FragBox, a turn-key, budget gaming PC (if there ever was such a thing). Loaded with an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 processor (as opposed to more expensive quad core offerings) and an NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS graphics card, the semi-portable (it has a handle) 20-lb. box runs $US1,895, competing well in price with Dell’s XPS offerings. And PC Mag loved the machine. More »
Phones
Foxconn Building 3G iPhone, Prepping June Launch?
10:36PM Mark Wilson | The China-based Commercial Times has reported that Foxconn, the company behind the first iPhone, is prepping a 3G model for late May. With Apple’s anticipated announcement expected at WWDC in early June, Foxconn is preparing for shipments of three million 3G iPhones during that month. And through the product’s lifespan, the manufacturer anticipates shipping 24-25 million 3G iPhones. So does that mean we finally have a better rumour on our hands? UNCONFIRMED: APPLE PREPPING 4G iPHONE. [digitimes] Thanks everyone! More »
Computers
More Powerful iMacs Arrive As Predicted
10:33PM Wilson Rothman | The rumours were right: Today Apple launched new iMacs, including a $US2,200 24-inch model with a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo and an NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics card with 512MB video RAM, potentially doubling video performance for certain apps. The full lineup, still starting at $US1,200, will include 6MB L2 cache and a 1066 MHz front-side bus, and most models will also come standard with 2GB of RAM. On the 24-inchers, you can up the HDD to a full terabyte for $US250 extra, and 4GB RAM for $US200 more. Details and model-by-model breakdown after jump. More »
Phones
Vertu Gets Own Cheap Chinese Knock-Off: Veptu
10:15PM Gizmodo US Edition | Those Chinese cloners have fired up their photocopiers again, this time hunting after big, expensive game: the luxury Vertu phones from Nokia. The Veptu clone phones actually look like the real deal, some even coming with 24k gold-plated cases, leather backs and up to 3.3 carats of embedded diamonds—are these real? Who knows. Each comes with a 176 x 220 TFT display, either a 1.3 or 2.0 megapixel camera and some have Bluetooth. They also have GPRS and play MP3s and MP4s, and come in a variety of dual-band and tri-band GSM setups. However similar they may look, they can’t pack the same build quality: they’re available for between $240 and $710. [Veptu via Bornrich via Chipchick] galleryPost('veptu', 4, ''); More »
Toys
R2-D2 and C-3PO Easter Egg in LEGO Indiana Jones
10:00PM Jesus Diaz | Reader LindsayJoy just received her Indiana Jones and the Lost Tomb LEGO set, complete with snakes, the Lost Ark, snakes, Marion, snakes, Indy, snakes (I hate snakes,) and a special piece we didn’t notice the first time we saw the first production set photos: a piece with the hieroglyphic engravings of R2-D2 and C-3PO in the Well of Souls, just like in the movie. Hit the jump for all the action. More »
Phones
Nokia’s “Beautiful to Use” 3600 and 6600 Fold/Slide Phone
9:03PM Gizmodo US Edition | Nokia has fired out three new mobile phones aimed at the European market, under a “beautiful to use” banner. Most interesting, the 6600 comes in either a fold or slide version, both with “tap” touch control technology. The 3G folding version has a 2 megapixel camera and 2.13-inch OLED screen, while the slide version has 3.2 megapixel camera and 2.3-inch screen. The coloured sliding 3600 model has the same 3.2 megapixel camera and is the first from Nokia with “background noise cancellation.” They’ll be available at the end of the year, the 6600 fold around $470, the slide at $430 and the 3600 at $300. [Nokia] galleryPost('nokia66003600', 5, ''); More »
Music
BatMP3 Kills Villains as You Listen to Music on Your BatEars
9:00PM Jesus Diaz | Not having enough with his multi-billion dollar industrial conglomerate, Bruce Wayne keeps whoring his Batman brand for everything that can be manufactured using plastic in China. This the Batman MP3 player, shaped like a 2.75-inch black batshuriken, with 1GB of RAM inside, compatible with Windows and Mac OS X, and stereo headphones shaped as bat ears. More »
Announcements
Microsoft’s Yahoo Bid Deadline Passes, World Doesn’t End
8:40PM Addy Dugdale | Yahoo! and Microsoft have failed to agree on a takeover deal. The deadline for the deal was last weekend, and Saturday came and went without so much as a peep from either party. This means two things: a hostile takeover, which would mean kicking out the Yahoo! board at the shareholders’ meeting; or Ballmer et al will quietly drop the proposal. So, will we be seeing the launch of Microhoo!, or has the fat lady just sung on the tie-up? [MacWorld] More »
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