One more Motorola Z heading for AT&T’s bonnet. The Motorola Z9 was leaked almost a year ago in 2007 and has taken its own sweet time to arrive at the FCC’s door. The Z8’s successor is also 3G capable and runs on Motorola’s Linux-based Synergy OS. While we weren’t too impressed by Z8’s weird sliding action, we did appreciate its multimedia versatility nonetheless. Motorola has now ditched the curved slider design, sticking to the more conventional straight slider approach in the case of Z9. Other known features include a 2-megapixel camera with flash, hot-swappable microSD expansion, a QVGA display, and Bluetooth with Stereo A2DP profile along with AT&T’s 3G-dependent Video Share feature. (Read the full post about ‘Motorola Z9 hits the FCC’…)
Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer first come out in Japan in 1995 on the Super Nintendo or Super Famicom, and a year later it was ported to Game Boy. That release was also in Japan only. But now, SEGA has taken over the ChunSoft franchise and released the title on the Nintendo DS. Read on to find out whether this RPG is worth getting into or if it shouldn’t have made the journey to port. The title follows a Japanese ronin named Shiren and his talking weasel buddy, Koppa. For those who don’t know much about feudal Japan, a ronin is a samurai with no master. The game is a Rogue-like RPG, which is a type of role-playing game characterized by 2D maps, leveling up one’s character, and–of course–random-generated dungeons. (Read the full post about ‘Review: Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer for DS’…)
I’m fortunate enough not to work in a large office. Generally speaking, large offices usually mean boring cubicles and annoying phone systems. The only phone lines that I worry about are my cell phone and my fax line. However, if you have an office phone, here’s a device that might make things a little easier for you. The Xlink Cellular Gateway will let you “use your cellular phone as your home phone” and “use your home phone as your cell phone.” Essentially what it does is take your existing office phone (or home phone, doesn’t really matter what you call it) and integrate it with up to three Bluetooth mobile phones. (Read the full post about ‘XLink combines your landline and cell phones via Bluetooth’…)
Posted Mar 14th 2008 2:15PM by Darren MurphFiled under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment Though not quite as awe-inspiring as Meridian’s all new MF10, Knoll’s April-bound HDP460 is a far cry from being a slouch. This 1080p DLP projector boasts the oh-so-coveted TI DarkChip4 along with a 5,000:1 contrast ratio, Pixelworks DNX 10-bit video processor, 1,600 ANSI lumens, HDMI 1.3, ISF day / night presets and built-in scaling support for 2:35:1. (Read the full post about ‘Knoll’s 1080p HDP460 projector packs DarkChip4′…)
Plantronics Explorer 370 Bluetooth HeadsetWe don’t usually get jazzed over Bluetooth headsets. They’re one of those no-frills gadgets we use when we’re hauling ass in a six speed manual transmission, but forget about the moment we set them down. Plantronics spiced things up for us with the Explorer 370. It’s not only a ruggedized Bluetooth headset, but it also has a Charles Bronson-sized deathwish. Okay, so maybe Plantronics doesn’t expect us to torture the 370. But when a headset boasts water, dust, and shock resistance it’s not a warning – it’s a challenge. So we turned the abuse up to an 11 to see if Plantronics really did its homework. (Read the full post about ‘Review: Tough Plantronics Bluetooth Headset Is Damn Near Bullet-Proof’…)
Now this USB flash drive is the bomb - literally, as it comes in the shape of a classic bomb that you find in the Bomberman and Mario franchises. Designed by Mexico City industrial designer Joel Escalona, the USB bomb is unfortunately a prototype at this point in time, but I would love to see this roll off manufacturing lines and be shipped to the fictional ACME company of Road Runner fame. Tags: Gadget, Ogg Vorbis, pvp, cool gear (Read the full post about ‘USB Memory Bomb’…)
If paying 3x for a fancy wooden USB thumbdrive doesn’t entice you, maybe getting it with a custom engraving will. Zana design’s skills don’t go far. Their "flash drive with style" ad has a jagged font, imposed on an Amiga-style gradient and what appear to be photoshopped renditions of the advertised engraving. Yuk. As such, it’s still the perfect gift to go with the walnut dashboard in your uncle’s 1980s Jaguar, just moreso. Assuming that you’re ready to pay $56 for a 1GB drive or $105 for an 8GB one, that is. (Read the full post about ‘Engraved Fancy Thumbdrives Cost a Little Extra’…)
The Panasonic SDR-SW20 can be a good option for the people looking to buy a waterproof digital camera. It has an average price - $380 - but it comes with a good specifications. In addition to being waterproof with a limit of 5 feet, the Panasonic camera is also shockproof to 4 feet. On the technical details of the camera itself, it has a 10x optical zoom that can be viewed in the 2.7-inch LCD screen, and an audio input for a microphone. All the data is stored into memory cards - SD or SDHC - and besides the usual photos on JPEG format, the Panasonic SDR-SW20 has the ability to record videos. (Read the full post about ‘Panasonic SDR-SW20: Waterproof Camcorder’…)
Philips has presented a new digital frame that can do it all, unlike others on the market. On top of displaying JPEG images, it has other interesting features that can be used daily. Those features being: - alarm clock, in which you pick if you want to wake up to nature sounds, or the normal buzzer. - radio so you can listen to your favorite shows - USB port and a slot for SD memory cards, to store all the content (photos, music) - support for MP3 and WMA files The Philips AJL308 costs $130. (Read the full post about ‘Philips AJL308 Digital Frame’…)
When Fidel Castro turned over the reins as Cuba’s President to his younger brother Raul Castro, there was speculation that Raul might implement reforms that would help the Cuban economy. One of those new reforms will let regular consumers in Cuba own electronics that were once only available for foreigners and companies.
While you and I take these everyday items for granted, the people of Cuba will now be able to purchase computers and DVD players for the first time. The explanation, according to a government memo, was the improvement of Cuba’s electric grid.
(Read the full post about ‘Cuba lifts ban on computers, DVD players’…)
