Friday, October 10, 2008
Peripherals
The DIY Quick-Draw Camera Strap That Puts All Other Straps to Shame
11:50PM John Mahoney | SLR Camera straps haven’t changed much over the last, oh, century or so, which is surprising considering how awkward most of them are. Then came the R-Strap, a $US44 strap that uses the tripod mount on the bottom of your camera instead of the rings on the sides, allowing for a comfortable over-the-shoulder sling paired with quick-draw action. Even better are these two how-tos, that show you how to make one yourself for just a few bucks worth of hardware (which Charlie from Wired had success with judging by his photo here). Check out the video below of an actual R-Strap in action Taxi Driver style for inspiration. More »
Press
Presenting the Latest in ATM Scam Gear: The SMS-Sending Card Skimmer
11:30PM John Mahoney | NYC is full of ATMs. It’s one of the great things about living in this city–you’re never more than a block or two away from cash. But a large, large percentage of NYC’s ATMs are cut-rate bodega models that look like your card could catch something nasty from them once dipped. Helping spread the nasty is this, the newest development in ATM skimmers, with SMS capability. So now, if he’s got $US8,500 to drop on the top of the line scam gear, the asshole who just jacked your card number and PIN doesn’t even have to come back to the scene of the crime to retrieve it. More »
Games
Xbox Slim: The Console Microsoft Didn’t Slow Down to Make
11:11PM Mark Wilson | After Microsoft launched the Xbox, they didn’t have any intention of releasing an Xbox Lite or Xbox Slim. Instead, they went straight for the next generation with the 360. Meanwhile, one modder, caught in retro Xbox fandom, had to create a fantastic Xbox Slim of his own. Reduced by almost 5cm in length, width and height, the Xbox Slim has a total reduction in volume of around 60%. But that’s just the start of it. More »
Design
Sound Wave: The Vinyl Strikes Back
10:30PM Mark Wilson | Did you think that records would stand idly by while MP3s took over the music industry? Sure, they turned a blind eye to 8-track and cassettes. Then CDs got a pass, too. But those were physical mediums, brothers-from-another-mothers. And if compact discs don’t have the cojones to stand up to the digital music revolution, vinyl will just have to come back from the dead and start kicking some 1s and 0s butt. More »
Games
PlayStation 3 Controllers Plug Into Walls Now
10:11PM Mark Wilson | I know I’m not the only one who’s left on my PS3, justified it through Folding@Home, but really just wanted to recharge the USB controllers. I know I’m not the only one because today Sony has announced their solution. They are releasing a two-port USB AC adaptor that will allow gamers to recharge controllers from a wall socket. The plug will be available mid-December in Japan for about $US30 (there’s no US release date at this time). And yes, it’s a complicated solution to a problem that shouldn’t exist. [Engadget Japan via Engadget] More »
Phones
Chinese Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Won’t Have 3G, Wi-Fi, Reason To Exist
9:27PM John Herrman | Just like the iPhone, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic ‘Tube’ won’t have 3G or Wi-Fi enabled when it makes its way to China, which pretty much negates any reasons that customers might have to want one. The 3G exclusion can at least be blamed on China’s lack of coverage, but disabling Wi-Fi on every new phone just doesn’t make sense. All China’s regular internet traffic is filtered anyway, so regulators either have a crucial misunderstanding of what Wi-Fi is or a serious problem with people enjoying things. [Nokia - Thanks, Lauri!] More »
Phones
Leaked HTC T8290 Has Touch HD Resolution, WiMax, Sharp Corners
8:47PM John Herrman | These images of a new HTC handset from Nedge2k reveal a surprising addition to the Taiwanese company’s line: a half Touch HD, half Touch Diamond handset for which WiMax — of all things — is the most salient feature. Such a product might not make sense in most places, but Russia already has more than 20 million people soaking in their WiMax networks and other compatible phones in the pipeline. galleryPost('htct8290', 3, ''); More »
Networks
Verizon Charging $US0.03 to Text Its Customers, Could Murder SMS-Based Services
8:00PM John Herrman | Verizon has decided to start asking for $US0.03 per message from anyone who wants to send mobile-terminated messages to its customers, possible strangling SMS-based services like Google SMS, Yahoo! oneSearch. The move will also penalise any other company that uses text message notifications for its customers (though the change won’t affect rates for mobile-to-mobile messaging.) Like others, Verizon used to charge a fraction of a cent to text their subscribers, during which time lots companies built up SMS notification services for everything from social networking to banking — services which may now be too expensive to operate. More »
Screens
Mitsubishi’s $US7000, 65-Inch LaserVue HDTV Reviewed: (Verdict: Lasers Are Awesome)
7:00PM John Herrman | With a history of giving great impressions reaching back to CES, expectations for Mitsubishi’s 65in LaserVue TV are high. It’s the first laser-powered TV, with completely new rear-projection technology that makes for richer, more accurate colours and significantly lower power consumption. Josh Quittner of Time Magazine got to take one home for a while to drool over/in front of it and, well, that’s exactly what he did. More »
Entertainment
