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Science
Brain Scan Finds Man Was Not In A Coma – 23 Years Later
1:28PM CNET | Rom Houben has been trapped in a series of worst nightmares, including trying for 23 years to alert those around him that he was not in a coma. A new report suggests he’s not alone in his experience. More »
Computers
Cnet Columnist Says Asus Screwed Eee Brand Because It’s From Taiwan
5:30PM Gizmodo US Edition | Jonathan Gardner of Cnet Asia had an interesting take on Asus’ over-stretching of the Eee brand, blaming it on the company’s inability to change their local, “Confucian” corporate culture. Gardner, a columnist who apparently knows people, declared that “Asus will not be the next Samsung,” mainly because they’re following the path of a “typical” Taiwan business story. So, by interesting, I mean arguably incorrect and also kind of racist.
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2:04PM Nick Broughall | Ty over at CNet AU got his hands on the new Foxtel iQ2 box a little bit before everybody else, and was kind enough to post his thoughts on the CNet site.
Overall, he was impressed by the new Foxtel offering, rating its performance in presenting both SD and HD channels, although the HD was where most of the love was projected, especially with the programs that offered 5.1 surround sound.
There are some advanced options in the setup menu that allow you to cater for lip-sync issues, and the On Demand service worked a treat.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing – the system did lock up a few times and require hard resets, but he was playing with a pre-release version, and Ty wasn’t a big fan of not knowing the start and end times of programs he was recording.
But for the most part, the HD offerings of the iQ2 were enough to convince him that the $200 installation fee was worth the money. Hit the jump for the full review, and stay tuned for Giz AU’s own opinions in the coming weeks.
[CNet AU]
More »
CNet AU Reviews Foxtel iQ2, Verdict: Worth the $200
2:04PM Nick Broughall | Ty over at CNet AU got his hands on the new Foxtel iQ2 box a little bit before everybody else, and was kind enough to post his thoughts on the CNet site.
Overall, he was impressed by the new Foxtel offering, rating its performance in presenting both SD and HD channels, although the HD was where most of the love was projected, especially with the programs that offered 5.1 surround sound.
There are some advanced options in the setup menu that allow you to cater for lip-sync issues, and the On Demand service worked a treat.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing – the system did lock up a few times and require hard resets, but he was playing with a pre-release version, and Ty wasn’t a big fan of not knowing the start and end times of programs he was recording.
But for the most part, the HD offerings of the iQ2 were enough to convince him that the $200 installation fee was worth the money. Hit the jump for the full review, and stay tuned for Giz AU’s own opinions in the coming weeks.
[CNet AU]
More »
Online
CNet Scoring System Analysed; 70% of all gadgets between 6.0 and 7.9
8:01AM Brian Lam | I’ve always teased friends at CNet about their rating system, which appears to always rate products between 7 and 8, meaning everything is more or less “very good” in score. Ecoustics has done the job of analysing 1,325 reviews from 2007 (all of them?) and figured out the exact math: 96% of all ratings from last year fell between 5.0 and 8.9; about 70% fall between 6 and 7.9. Maybe CNet should make anything a “CNet 6 or below” a “1″, and anything that scores a “CNet 10″ a “5″. After all, anything below a 6 means DO NOT BUY to me. More »
Screens
Panasonic’s Hot 85U Series Plasma Reviewed by CNet: Very Black, Not Better Than Pioneer’s Kuro
5:39AM Brian Lam | CNet’s David Katzmaier eats, breathes and shits Giant Plasmas, so when he reviewed Panasonic’s 85 series plasmas, their best until the 800 and 850s come out, I noticed. In a nutshell, the 46-inch (yes, 46-inch) 1080p set’s 30,000:1 contrast ratio gives it some of the blackest blacks he’s ever seen…but unfortunately, still not as black as a Pioneer Kuro, although close. More »
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