Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Computers
Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10 Ultra-Portable Gets Splashtop Instant-Bootup
11:55PM Kit Eaton | Back in August we brought you official news, specs and pricing for Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10 ultraportable, and now one month after its launch you might be interested to learn that it’s getting a Splashtop instant-on pre-bootup option. In the Lenovo incarnation, the system is being called “QuickStart” and it’ll let you connect to the web, check your email, online chat or video conference “seconds after turning on” the S10e. Press release and gallery below. More »
Home
The Most Important Appliance In a Depression
11:40PM Matt Buchanan | I’m not surprised that in the middle of a deep recession, while people have basically stopped buying appliances, standalone freezers have an exceptional growth of 13 percent. One of my grandmas, who lives alone, has the most massive freezer I have ever seen in a home. It is bursting with food that will likely never be eaten, unless a zombie apocalypse strikes and the whole family boards itself up in her house, where we would have six months before we’d have to start eating each other. More »
Gadgets
Radioshack Offers Gift Cards for Old, Broken Gadgets
11:22PM Mark Wilson | Similar to offers we’ve seen from companies like Costco, the RadioShack Online Trade-In Program will swap your old gadgets for.gift cards. You search their database for your gadget and offer the best quality assessment that you can, and they provide a mail-in sticker that you print. If all goes well, they’ll send you a gift card 10-14 days after the unit is received. But remember, that’s only if all goes well. So assuming worst case scenario, what are your totally broken gadgets worth? More »
Phones
BlackBerry Bold Selling for $US660 at Best Buy, Costs $US169 to Build
10:43PM John Herrman | Two hilariously complementary news items have hit at about the same time regarding the BlackBerry Bold: first, iSuppli’s $US169 price estimate for the cost to build the handset, and second, Best Buy’s announcement that they are selling the unlocked version for $US660. iSuppli’s cost analysis reveals a handset that costs the same amount to build as the iPhone 3G, but that, even under contract, will sell for significantly more. Of course, this is all unfortunately pretty typical. [Best Buy and Digitimes] More »
Software
Now Even the PS3 Surfs Faster than Explorer
10:23PM Mark Wilson | It’s a sad day, Microsoft, when Sony goes on record that their PS3 browser is faster than IE7. Firmware 2.5 is not only bringing the PlayStation 3 internet browser Flash 9, but its Javascript update promises to speed up the browser by an impressive 2.8X. Sony admits that they’re still slower than Google Chrome, but as for IE7, it’s eating their dust. If Sony’s claims are true, it’s straight up sad that the PS3’s browser UI is worse than almost any browser on the market…including some on mobile devices. [IGN via Kotaku] More »
Screens
Sanyo ALBO Digital Picture Frame is Handsome, Like George Jetson
9:23PM John Herrman | Sanyo knows that some of us are still upset that the futuristic fictional universe of The Jetsons doesn’t look like it’ll come to pass, so they’ve thrown us a bone: a Wi-Fi digital picture frame that looks like it came straight out of Jane Jetson’s foyer. The innards are pretty unexciting , with Windows CE and 256MB of onboard memory to complement a fairly standard set of picture frame capabilities, including a wide range of storage support, Picasa downloads and limited audio playback. The frame more than makes up for being a technological bore by looking completely amazing, in a retro-futurist kind of way. More »
Science
Artificial Diamonds Still Forever, Just Now Sparklier and Defect-Free
8:39PM Kit Eaton | Artificial diamonds are forever, Sparkling on your little scalpel. Unlike before they are shiner, and better: More »
Games
Open Source GamePack Lets You Bake a Game Boy From Scratch
8:38PM John Herrman | If you’re possessed of some serious disposable income, electrical engineering chops, mountains of free time and a passion for open source and vintage gaming, you might be the kind of person who would want to buy the GamePack. For about $US250, Liquidware will send you a full build kit for his open source Game Boy killer tribute. Unfortunately, the “Game” part will be up to you — the Arduino-based handheld has only been tested running very basic code. These points aside, the specs are impressive, with an OLED screen, Lithium Ion battery, and built-in rumble capability — not to mention that fact that it’ll fill the gap in your nerdbelt between your NES buckle and your OpenMoko Neo Freerunner quite nicely. [Liquidware via Technabob] More »
Gadgets
Ear Pressure Equaliser Sucks On Your Eardrum to Un-Pop It in Planes
8:20PM Kit Eaton | Now that’s a headline you won’t see often, and yet that’s exactly what this gizmo does. You pop it in your ear, and squeeze it to create negative pressure outside your eardrum, thus compensating for the sometimes painful inward-flex caused as the aircraft you’re flying in descends from altitude. Or you climb back down a mountain. There is a safety vent, so nothing should go bang (ouch!)… as befits a device developed by a professor from the Tinnitus Research and Balance Clinic in Melbourne Australia. Still, since it costs a surprising $US60, I’ll be sticking with my Eustachian tubes, thankyouverymuch. [OhGizmo] More »
Software
