Posted Feb 20th 2008 6:03PM by Nilay PatelFiled under: Gaming There’s no denying the coolness of the Novint Falcon haptic gaming controller, but it looks like realness factor is getting upped a notch — the company just announced the separate availability of that pistol grip it’s been demoing for a while, as well as a black version, pictured above. The pistol grip is a $20 add-on for any Falcon, while the black version will list for $199 — still pricey, but if you’re a gamer, totally worth it. (Read the full post about ‘Novint adds a black Falcon, pistol grip accessory’…)
Photo: myla kent/Flickr The Sharper Image filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy last night, after three years of overall losses, poor consumer confidence, and ongoing litigation concerning the usefulness of its Ionic Air Breeze air purifier. As a result, you might soon lose the option of waiting for your girlfriend or mom by playing with the store’s latest stainless steel coffee maker or by taking a nap in their ‘massage’ chairs. The Sharper Image has been a staple in malls across America for many years, but the majority of the items the brick-and-mortars offered never seemed to be useful enough, or quite cool enough, to be considered absolute must-haves and move people into buying them. (Read the full post about ‘The Sharper Image Files for Bankruptcy’…)
After using the LG Viewty for a month we’ve compiled the good, the bad and the ugly on this little black handset. Two people had the phone for a few weeks and swapped it to get different perspectives. Good points Big bright and colourful screen SMS / notes can switch to full screen landscape QWERTY mode which is great for extra speed Touch screen is nice as buttons are big enough, (still press two buttons at the same time occasionally though) Touch screen tactile feedback is useful, and thoughtful feature when making a phone with minimal hard keys. Battery life is good for both standby and normal phone use. 3G - Good data speeds It can play flash / swf content. (Read the full post about ‘LG Viewty KU990 Review’…)
Sony has always been the trendsetter with personal audio devices. If your remember back to the 80’s, then you will remember they pioneered the first portable cassette Walkman. Now, their latest range, the NW-E series looks to be healthy competition for the ipod shuffle and Creative Zen Stone Plus. It comes in a range of colors, dare I say more appealing than the Shuffle, and in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB models. It also has more features than the Shuffle, ATRAC/MP3/WMA/AAC files are all compatible and it has a built-in FM radio tuner. It looks to be a hip device, but the price tag of around $149 (4GB) may deter some. Via [Engadget] Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! (Read the full post about ‘Sony’s new E-series Walkman lineup’…)
The GTC G850 might look like Apple’s MacBook at a cursory glance, but it is actually a much smaller sized device that helps keep you entertained during those long haul flights. It has a 3.5″ QVGA display for starters (at least you no longer need to squint) and is powered by a Switzerland-RK2706 processor. Supported formats include RMVB, AVI, MPEG, MPG, DAT videos and MP3, WMA, JPEG and TXT. A miniSD memory card slot, USB connectivity and AV out rounds off the list of features. Available in 2GB and 4GB capacities, the former will retail for approximately $120. Other than the pleasant aesthetics, everything else inside is a cookie cutter PMP from China, which probably means a lousy user interface. (Read the full post about ‘GTC G850 Takes After A MacBook’…)
Posted Feb 20th 2008 2:26PM by Donald MelansonFiled under: Desktops, Misc. gadgets, Laptops Implicit Networks isn’t exactly a household name, but it sure looks like its trying to make itself known with its latest lawsuit, which takes aim at no less than Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, Sun and Real Networks (plus semiconductor company Raza Microelectronics). As you’ve no doubt surmised, the cause of all that litigiousness is some alleged patent infringement by those big name companies, and specifically a violation of Implicit’s patent for “Methods and System for Demultiplexing a First Sequence of Packet Components to Identify Specific Components Wherein Subsequent Components are Processed without Re-identifying Components.” Exactly what that is, we’re not sure, but Implicit claims that each of the aforementioned companies violated it in their own particular way, and it’s now demanding an unspecified amount of cash in return. (Read the full post about ‘Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, others sued by Implicit Networks in patent brouhaha’…)
Apparently some Toshiba customers have gotten the idea that since the company has ditched its hd dvd format, they should be able to return recently purchased players or get some kind of consideration for buying equipment that suddenly seems worth a lot less than it did when Toshiba was making lavish promises about the format. Valleywag neatly kills off those fantasies with this response from a Toshiba flak, who seems to be saying it’s your own damn fault for believing Toshiba in the first place:There is nothing wrong with the products so we aren’t accepting returns from customers … [Customers] understood that there were two competing formats and understood that one of them would probably prevail … (Read the full post about ‘Toshiba to HD DVD Adopters: Tough Luck, Suckers!’…)
Posted Feb 20th 2008 12:00PM by Ryan BlockFiled under: Announcements, Features We’re creeping up on the Oscars, which means it must also be time for you to vote in the 2007 Engadget Awards! Based on your nominations (and a couple of our own) we’ve compiled a list of over 150 gadgets and technologies that made 2007 the blockbuster year it was for consumer electronics.Votes will be tallied until Saturday, March 1st; after we’ve checked for abuse we’ll publish the results alongside our own Editors’ Choice picks the following week. May the best gadgets win! (Read the full post about ‘Vote for the 2007 Engadget Awards!’…)
This problem always seems to happen when I’m dining at a restaurant: I have read the menu, and made my selection. However, the waiter or waitress never seems to come around, even though I’ve got the menu folded up on the corner of the table. I then have to wave my hands to get his or her attention, and that is just plain awkward. Okay, I guess it is not really a problem per se, but this is the digital age, for crying out loud, and there is always a technological alternative to the middleman. A Japanese manufacturer has addressed this issue with the Deli-Touch. The Deli-Touch is a digital pen that looks a lot like the Fly Fusion from Leap Frog. (Read the full post about ‘Deli-Touch Digital Pen’…)
Amazon announce its support for Blu-ray. Of course they will support Blu-ray! Yesterday was HD DVD funeral
Amazon.com currently carries a wide array of Blu-ray hardware and software products including players, Blu-ray discs, and the Sony playstation 3. For the hundreds of thousands of hd dvd owners who may still wish to purchase products for that format, Amazon will continue to carry a wide assortment of HD DVD products, including the broadest selection of HD DVD movie titles.
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Tags: gear, ipod, technology, audio
