Gadget blogs are a far reach from being oppressive totalitarian states. But the propaganda they all push, if not carefully filtered by editors, on behalf of the CE industry, can be disgusting. BBG’s ran a fantastic three day run of fictional blog posts, written as the mouthpiece of the ministry of comms of a “massive super-conglomerate”, which I highly recommend.
Microsoft is at least considering releasing a consumer-priced version of its Surface computer, if a marketing research survey is to believed. The survey is centered around a device called “Oahu,” which, from its description, sounds a lot like the table we’ve all come to know and love: a multitouch flat screen that sits like a table top and allows for multiple users to interact with it at once.
This news isn’t official yet (and we all know what to make of rumours), but we’ve received word (in the form of a leaked memo to Telstra dealers) that Telstra will be phasing out the HipTop Slide around the end of November in anticipation for a late 2008/January 2009 launch of the Hiptop LX.
The new Hiptop model will be available in two colours: Blue and Brown, plus a limited edition Tony Hawk design.
The target is to have the LX in time for Christmas to maximise sales, which they’ll be doing by offering a selection of revamped plans tailored for the LX (although exactly what they will be is a mystery).
It makes sense for Telstra to launch the new HipTop just before Christmas, and also that it’s an exclusive Telstra arrangement. Even though technically this is still a rumour, if you are thinking of picking up a new Hiptop in the next month or so, we’d suggest you hold off just a little bit longer for the chance to get the most recent model…
If you’re in the market for a new television and a Blu-Ray player, Sharp will help you kill two birds with one of its new Aquos DXs. The company has released a line of LCD TVs that have built-in Blu-Ray disc recorders, which they tout as an all-in-one solution for recording television onto BDs… in case there’s television that’s actually worth the trouble. The 16 sets in the Aquos DX line range from 26-inch to 52-inch models and cost between $US1,600 and $US4,900.
If you’ve been in Norway this past year or so, you may have happened upon The Strømer, an interactive LED wall that turns shadows into light. Based on architect Stig Skjelvik’s Dobpler prototype, the display lights up as people move through Norway’s Sandnes Sentrum pedestrian tunnel, leaving illuminated trails in their wake. Constructed as part of the city’s European Capitol of Culture 2008 event, it’s unknown how long the wall will be up. Check it out if you’re in the area. [ Inhabitat]
So, I get the feeling that Nikon’s about to announce something in February of 2009 and it’s going to be… not small. This anti-petite happening will be taking place at the decidedly non-humble MGM Grand Arena during the WPPI photography convention in Las Vegas. The event might be an official announcement of the 41 megapixel MX sensor, or perhaps the long awaited D3x DSLR. You know what it won’t be though? Lilliputian. Call it a hunch. [Photography Bay via CrunchGear]
If you haven’t already seen the competition we’ve got running on Giz this week, here’s the quick summary: We want you to write the lyrics for the chorus of a song. You need to include the words “Lego”, “Batman” and “Giz”. Over the weekend, we’ll pick the best three sets of lyrics, and those “artists” will each receive a brand new PSP and a copy of the Lego Batman game.
Sounds simple, right? Well, some people have taken it further (and we love it when you guys take things further). Reader Toastie wrote an entire 1:16 long song. Sure, it sinks to a level of musical crappiness not heard by mortal ears since the days of Bros (if you don’t know who they are, you’re lucky) but we love it for the fact that he actually went above and beyond the call of duty, and then actually put it online.
You can hear the song (and watch a nice montage of Lego Batman: The Videogame screenshots) after the jump. If that doesn’t inspire you to enter, I don’t know what will.
Elephants are text messaging themselves out of trouble, thanks to an SMS system implemented in a Kenyan nature reserve. The gentle-ish giants are outfitted with SIM cards in their collars, which automatically alert wildlife rangers if they get too close to nearby farms. Rangers can then shoo them away before they do damage to interspecies relations by, say, eating the season’s harvest.
AT&T users can now snap up the AT&T USBConnect Quicksilver, one of the smallest 3G HSPA-capable devices out there. The tiny little hub weighs 34 grams and uses the new Icera Livanto chipset, which handles GSM/GPRS/EDGE/3G data. That’ll give you 70 to 135kpbs downloads on an EDGE network, and 700kbps to 1.7 Mbps downloads on HSPA. Best of all, it’s free (if you get it with a two year contract and mail in the $US100 rebate). [CrunchGear]
Were you tantalised by our taste of Adobe’s Creative Suite 4, the insanely huge upgrade to its product lines? You can stop holding your breath and start parting with your money, now that the product family–which includes improved versions of Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver–is now shipping! Updates number into the hundreds, from hardware acceleration to multitouch. Full versions will run from $US1,700 to $US2,500, but Adobe will give you a discount if you’ve already got CS3. The press release is below.
