Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Computers
Super-Skinny AOC V17 17-Inch HD Monitor Has Equally Diminutive Price Tag
11:47PM John Mahoney | Can’t vouch for general build or image quality on this AOC 17-inch panel, but the 12mm-thin housing is a great look for $US200. The V17 has a resolution of 1440 x 900 with a contrast ratio of 5,000:1 and a 10ms response time. Good deal for a cheap desktop display that can also double as a bedroom HD monitor. AOC says end of 2008 for availability. [Slash Gear] More »
Peripherals
HP’s Wireless Comfort Keyboard Has Emergency CTRL-ALT-DEL Key
11:15PM Kit Eaton | HP’s Wireless Comfort keyboard and mouse combo has a number of other things going for it, apart from being wireless: the mouse has an ergonomic design, four-way tilt wheel and programmable buttons, and the keyboard’s got a cushioned wrist-rest, a rotary selector control and 31 programmable function keys. Including a dedicated CTRL-ALT-DEL. Ohoho yes…everyone’s favourite Windows uncrash key combo has its own button. Is HP saying Windows is unreliable? Kinda. Available now for $US80. [Laptopmag] More »
Press
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi, Wireless Audio for Notebooks
10:58PM Mark Wilson | Creative, not sure what to do next with sound cards, has decided to toss its wireless, sound enhancing X-Fi technology into the batter. Their newly announced an $US80 X-Fi sound card for notebooks allowing wireless audio streaming to up to four Creative wireless receivers for distances of 100 feet (30 metres). It’s not necessarily a bad idea, but we’d prefer a simpler device, like a Wi-Fi speaker, for universal audio streaming. Oh, and each receiver will cost $US270 $US70. So the fully decked-out system is over $US1000 before speakers. More »
Online
Google Buying Valve?
10:15PM Mark Wilson | Weeeeird. According to The Inquirer, Google is set to acquire video game company Valve at any moment now. It might seem like an odd match at first, search engines not having much to do with The Orange Box, but Google may be interested not in Valve’s games but in Valve’s game distribution platform, Steam. Steam is the most veteran digital download service on the block, and acquiring the tech could further enable Google to take over the world/galaxy. Also, rumour has it that Valve has developed a rich stockpile of badass digital weaponry, like laser machine guns and WMDs and stuff. [theinquirer] More »
Gadgets
Lessev Gadget Charging Station Is Simple, Begs for DIY Rip-Off
9:27PM Kit Eaton | Universal chargers/cable organizers are not new, not one jot, but there are two things about the Lessev that I like. Firstly, it’s simple, fairly elegant, and looks like a practical solution: pop your charger connectors through its perforated lid, gadgets on top, and connect up to a power strip inside. Secondly, it’s begging for me to zip to the nearest Ikea, buy a cheapo plastic-lidded storage box and knock together my own DIY version. Sure, it won’t be made of ABS resin, but I could do it for way less than Lessev’s $US79 price. [Kilian-Nakamura via Randomgoodstuff] More »
Science
How to Erase Your Data With Thermite
8:47PM Kit Eaton | Over at Hackaday they’ve gone a bit fiery destruction crazy, and posted a guide on how to destroy HDDs with thermite—that’s the super-high temperature chemical mix used in welding, fireworks, and generalized military destruction. The guide shows how a kilo of burning thermite melts clean through a PC case, hard drive platters and all, turning them into pools of melted metal…which may be handy if you, uh, ever need to, um, “destroy” your data in an emergency. Hmmm. Check out the video, which is pyrotechnically cool, then see the hard drives post-incineration. More »
Computers
Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive Matches with Your MacBook Air
8:00PM Gizmodo US Edition | Iomega, maker of many a sexy storage device, has a new eGo out specifically tailored to the MacBook Air set. The 2.5-inch eGo Helium Portable Hard Drive encloses 320GB in anodized aluminium. In case that’s not enough space, the drive can utilise an online backup service for “cloud computing.” The entire package is less than an inch thick, weighs 7 ounces (about 200 grams) and can be dropped from up to 4 feet 3 inches (1.3 metres) onto industrial carpeting without worry. Not that any of you will experiment with that, I hope. More »
GPS
Sanyo Updates EasyStreet GPS: NVM-4370 has 7 Million Interest-Points Preloaded
7:50PM Kit Eaton | It’s been a while since we talked about Sanyo’s GPS systems, and it’s not exactly a huge name in the game, but Sanyo’s kept working away and now has the NVM-4370. It’s a 4.3-inch screen GPS with Bluetooth, text-to-speech, all the usual media player functions and an FM transmitter to broadcast audio through your car stereo. So far so good, but it also comes preloaded with seven million points of interest to help you when navigating, and its maps cover the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. It’s also got a hookup point that accepts reversing-view cameras. Not bad for $US300. [Navigadget] More »
Gadgets
Audio Bone 1.0, Possibly the First Non-Dorky Bone-Conduction Headphones
6:19PM Kit Eaton | We’ve shown you bone-conduction headphones of different shapes and sizes before, but these new Audio Bone 1.0 ones may be the first genuinely stylish-looking ones (though you’ll undoubtedly get people asking why you’ve not got your earphones in your ears.) They’re a development on the version we showed you ages ago, hanging around behind your head, and making contact with the bone just in front of your ear: hence you get your MP3 sounds directly delivered to your inner ear without blocking the sounds around you. They’ve got a frequency response range of 50-12,000Hz, and come in different colours for $US189.00. [Product page] More »
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