Gadgets 2008

Posted Jan 31st 2008 2:58PM by Steven Kim
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Just in case you thought that Sony was, you know, making up those snazzy new alpha DSLRs with articulating, live-view LCDs, we’re here with a plethora of hands-on shots to prove that they’re the real deal. Since you already know the specs by now — 10.2 megapixel (a300) or 14.2 megapixel (a350) sensors, 2.7-inch screen, ISO up to 3200, and traditional CF slots — we’ll just let you get right to the eye candy below.

Gallery: Hands-on with Sony’s new a300 and a350 DSLRs

Posted Jan 31st 2008 3:16PM by Evan Blass
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Wow, that’s a lot of Lumixes! If there’s one thing to be said for Panasonic’s digital imaging division, it definitely gives the consumer quite a large variety of models to choose from. And some, like the TZ4 and TZ5, offer pretty compelling features, such as a relatively monstrous 10x optical zooms in a relatively pocketable form factor. For the full list of models in the gallery below, which run the gamut from 8.1 to 10.1 megapixels, be sure to check out the official announcement post from a few days back.

Gallery: Hands-on with Panasonic’s new Lumix lineup

One of our aims for 2008 was to finally break into the top 1000 blogs according to Technorati (which is based on how many other blogs link to you), we’ve been petering on the edge for a while and finally broke in this afternoon at position #998.

I would like to thank every blog and blogger that has ever given us link credit to our stories, we will always strive to do the same. So in no particular order (though the sites in bold are the ones that I see a lot) I’d like to say a big cheers and thanks to:

• s2999
• Geek Chic
• Compradiccion
• Noantri
• Ektopia
• Slash Gear
• Gizmodo
• Digital Drops
• Geek Alerts
• Gadgettastic
• Grupo Geek
• Gadget Reporter
• Gear Log
• Geeky gadgets
• Tip of the Day
• Zedomax
• Tech News 2 U
• Monster Works
• No Puedo Creer
• To all the others that I missed, thank you and I’ll try to include you next time

The next target for 2008 is to get our subscriber base up to 100,000 so if you haven’t subscribed to our feed yet here it is .

Just a quick notice: looks like AT&T is experiencing difficulties with data service nationwide.  Word from on high is “they are working on it”.  Interestingly, five states are immune from the data outage.

AT&T Business Customer Service can be reached at 800-222-0400 or at their site.

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If more relationships than you care to admit have ended because of your unreasonable greed when chocolate-covered Rolo caramels are involved, then I think it’s time to stock up on these sterling silver My Last Rolo keepsakes. At £35 (about $70) apiece, it may seem ridiculously pricey, but when you actually sit down and do the math, it’s quite a steal.

Think about it. Rather than have to actually give up your last Rolo or (heaven forbid) buy another roll to share with your significant other, you can just hand over this inedible life-size silver version and be done with it for good. Not only have you just saved your relationship from ever being in candy-related peril again, you’ve also just done something symbolically romantic and given him/her precious-metal jewelry with no ulterior motive (that can be proven) to boot!

Maybe I am just jaded and twisted as I head towards middle age at the speed of a bullet train, but I think that these ThinkGeek 8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirts are sad. They are not cute, they are not funny, and they are unlikely to put a smile on my face and will certainly not brighten up my day. The only people that are going to wear these are overly affectionate young couples in the most sickening stages of puppy love, or those that are so revoltingly desperate that they wish to advertise their loneliness by means of a glowing shirt.

As you draw near your special someone, the life meter lights up. You can get up to six lives. The battery is good for three hours, if you can go that long without taking a big time monster beating. Go on get your matching set for Valentine’s Day. It is kind of romantic in an ultra-nerdy way. You can rub all of your single friends faces in how wonderful your new relationship is and wonder why your weekends suddenly involve watching old romantic comedies starring Hugh Grant.

$25 for the shirt, $12 for the transmitter from Think Geek.

Oh Gizmo!

Posted Jan 31st 2008 11:56AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
Usually we spot console modders adding a few LEDs to their boxen, squeezing in some extra memory or perhaps even changing a form factor altogether, but it’s rare to see these hackers actually hack in some original functionality. Cyberpyrot over at Acid Mods is taking this whole modding business to a whole new level with his voice recognition controller for the Xbox 360, which involves some heavy hacking and a bit of hardware kit wizardry to let you control teh Halos with merely the silky smooth sound of your voice. The mod is ostensibly designed to help out the mobility impaired, but we all know it’s going to be primarily used by slothful nerds (you know, those “purists” that didn’t pick up a Wii) who have decided that even repetitive finger motions are too much of an effort. The current mod can handle 10 different voice commands, check out a video of it in action after the break.

[Thanks, GrandpaSmurf]

Posted Jan 31st 2008 1:31PM by Steven Kim
Filed under: Digital Cameras
So where do you turn if you want the DSLR-like ergonomics but you’re not big on the idea of picking which glass will be the best bet on your shoot? Fujifilm has some stuff to show you. New models to the FinePix lineup start out with the S100fd which lays claim to the world’s smallest 12x zoom camera. Hopefully the “Picture Stabilization” will produce crisp looking shots from the 10-megapixels when the lens is racked out without boosting the ISO to grainytown. Moving up the line to the S8100fd gets you optical and electronic stabilization (thank you) on the same 10-megapixel resolution. The top of the heap, though, is the S100FS. You get an 11-megapixel sensor and a 14.3x zoom. Dual stabilization is a given for that kind of reach, and you can crank up the ISO to 6400 by binning down the resolution to 6-megapixels. The $800 price is pretty close to DSLR territory, but like we said, some people like the simplicity.

Gallery: Hands-on with Fujifilm’s new FinePix lineup

We all know Valentine’s day is coming up. And men all over the world are scurrying around trying to find the right gift for their Valentine that won’t disappoint them. (We all know men have given up on trying to find the perfect gift, because that will never happen). It’s hard enough trying to find a gift for the average woman, but what do these poor guys do when faced with a woman who is a geek/nerd? Most guys fall back onto the default of chocolate and flowers, but this year, there’s a great alternative for your geeky Valentine.

Think Geek is has come out with the Chocolate Molecule T-Shirt just in time for Valentine’s Day. Well, technically it’s not Chocolate, but the chemical Theobromine. The description from Think Geek:

…Theobromine, and she’s the tasty little number who puts your mind in a happy place while you are eating chocolate. Molecularly similar to caffeine, but with just enough differences to make her a much smoother date, Theobromine is slower to burn out of your system and induces gentle, sensual stimulation to your muscular and cardiovascular systems.

Granted, you can’t eat this lovely chocolaty brown t-shirt with the Theobromine molecule imprinted in a lovely Valentine’s raspberry pink and get the same chemical effects on your body - but your geek girl may just swoon over the geekiness (and your thoughtfulness) of this nearly perfect gift. Also, the t-shirt has no calories, so your sweetheart can wear this t-shirt proudly without gaining an ounce (well, technically only 6.1 oz, but that’s how much the shirt weighs).

I’m pretty happy that this t-shirt has a looser “classic” cut than a traditional babydoll tee, because let’s face it, only stick figures can fit into a babydoll tee. The t-shirt is 100% combed ring-spun cotton with a common 1×1 rib will make the (nearly) perfect gift for the nerdy love of your life. Pick one up for $17.99.

[Think Geek]

Asus will be adding to the lineup of Eee products, no longer will it just be limited to the much talked about ultra-portable Eee PC laptop. Asus will begin offering LCD TV’s, a desktop PC and all-in-one style computer similar to the iMac and XPS One.

The LCD TV line is going to enter the larger than 42-inch market and is expected to retail for no higher than $200 more than competing brands. They will “integrate the Linux-based PC functionality of other Eee PC products,” and are looking for a September launch.

The desktop PC will be the E-DT and will initially feature an Intel Celeron processor with later models to use Intel’s Shelton’08 platform with Diamondville processors and the 945GC chipset. The E-DT is expected to retail for $200-$300 and it will ship without a monitor. An April or May launch is expected.

The final product in the new lineup will be the E-Monitor, an all-in-one style computer that will feature a 19-21-inch display and include an internal TV tuner. The E-Monitor is expected to be available this September and retail for just $499. The E-Monitor will be using Intel’s Shelton’08 platform from the initial launch.

In a little bit of sad news for those waiting for the touchscreen Eee PC, Yen Ting Chen mentioned that their research indicated that there is not enough demand, so you can cross that off your wish list.

Via [DigiTimes]

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