Cool toys and Gadgets

If I keep coming on PS3 superiority on handling Blu-ray materials, I might get flamed with fanboyism. May be it is better if I state the opposite first. Why PS3 is not a good standalone? PS3 is loud, the noise tops my projector runs at high beam mode. Bluetooth remote sucks, additional IR dongle requires to add PS3 on Universal remote control. Hardware constraints; no multichannel audio support on analog output, advanced audio codec limits on LPCM though HDMI. Last but certainly not least, it’s awfully ugly!

But truth hurts; we’ve seen how PS3 leads loading time in a small group test, here’s another victory for PS3 fans – An exclusive Blu-ray player benchmark test from Blu-ray.com - The dreadful beast once again crowns the best in system booting, disc loading and operation. It is not only stands out among 12 Blu-ray players in test, but performance trumps contestants in Blu-ray Disc Java department by a large margin.

No surprise there, the results reflect the superiority of cell power processing in comparing with hardware-based units. The best-equipped standalone can’t even come close to the level of PS3 achieved; on the other hand, user has to deal with cooling noise works against the excessive heat resulting from the cell processor.

Test in question didn’t cover audio quality or image reproduction in legacy DVD upscaling or blu-ray disc, but unit’s ability to handle intensive Java content and interactive menu. You can visit Blu-ray.com to see more information on how the test was conducted and categorized.

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Section: Audio, Portable Audio, Video, HDTV, Computers, Desktops, Laptops, Gadgets / Other, Gaming, Console

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, it’s time we enjoy those gadgets that we bought, whether it be a brand new HDTV, gaming system, MP3 player, or computer.  Of course for us techie people, we like to see how this year compares with previous years in terms of money spent.  With the economy in a slump, experts predicted this shopping season to be down, but Cyber Monday managed to persuade many consumers to open their wallets, punch in their credit card number, and eagerly await their arrival of their new gadget(s).

Statistically speaking, last year on Cyber Monday had bought in $733 million in revenue, and this year bought in a 15% increase - an astonishing $846 million spent, stated ComScore in a report.  This came as a relief to many retail stores because sales had dropped by 2% or $12 billion from November 1 to Cyber Monday of this year as compared to last year. 

Gian Fulgoni, Chairman of ComScore, had this to say about why Cyber Monday prospered:

“With Cyber Monday promotions beginning in earnest over the Thanksgiving weekend, consumers have finally begun to open their wallets, setting off a streak of four consecutive days of extremely strong growth.  This is an extremely encouraging development for retailers, and we can but hope that their aggressive discounting has still left room for profits.“

A bit of bad news - when retails formally announce their profits, it is expected to overall be down from last year, even though Black Friday and Cyber Monday both did exceptionally well In addition, it could be the overall worst holiday season in terms of profit in decades.  I noticed, and you might have as well, there are many more commercials and advertisements with deals in effort to promote the holiday season.  Also, holiday music that usually starts after Thanksgiving, I was hearing it on the radio a week before Thanksgiving, probably in efforts to make people spend more.

Cyber Monday has become especially big in the last few years because Americans are finding they can get as good as and in some cases better deals than on Black Friday.  All they have to do is click a buttons buttons, type in a few numbers, and let the website and its employees do the rest. 

Now, the big question that remains is how well will retailers do in the coming weeks.  Of course, it was nice to see this big shopping spree from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, but I don’t think customers are ready to splurge yet with the state of this economy. 

Read [Los Angeles Times]

Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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We’re live in Milan today, covering Sony’s latest announcement. In fact, Sony showed off a brand new marketing campaign today that’s intended to demonstrate their latest technology behind their BRAVIA televisions. The tech is called Motionflow 240Hz and in order to show off what the latest in motion picture technology is capable of, Sony resorted to the oldest method of creating motion pictures: the zoetrope.

A zoetrope is a device that uses static images but when spun at high speeds, create the illusion of movement. The Sony BRAVIA-drome feeds off of this 19th century technology to make for a device that is 10 meters across and spins at over 40 kph.

The subject of BRAVIA-drome is soccer, and this acts as the perfect way to show off how Motionflow works. In actually gets rid of jerkiness and shows the ball traveling in the air smoothly. This reproduces the feeling of being there live at the game. The new ‘drome is the subject of a commercial that will be used worldwide. Filmed in Venaria, which is near Turin, Italy, it shows a soccer star within the images in the BRAVIA-drome.

The commercial itself shows the faces of those in the audience standing in awe of this massive device. And it’s no wonder people were impressed. The BRAVIA-drome is capable of reaching speeds of over 50kph, requires two 40-foot trucks to transport it and weighs in at ten tons. It’s believed to be the largest zoetrope ever built!

The Motionflow 240Hz technology helps smooth out the jumpiness experienced on a normal television set. This works by significantly boosting the number of images, thus the frame rate. A “transitional picture” is placed between images in fast-moving parts of video, providing for smooth picture that is more pleasing to the eye.

This transitional picture is actually created by this Motionflow tech. It works by examining the images that precede and follow a particular image–especially during fast moving parts of a sports event or during an action sequence in a movie. All of the quick cuts and fast movements can cause a problem with how the sequence is subsequently viewed. By examining the prior and following image, Motionflow then adds an image in between that can make that car chase–or the movement of a soccer ball, in the case of the new ad campaign–look natural without any noticeable gaps in movement.

It’s really rather impressive and the whole BRAVIA-drome effort shows Sony is serious about promoting their newest technology. Check out our video from the press event below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Check out this silicon iPhone case for the sight-impaired, via Core77:

Portugal-based designer Bruno Fosi has developed a prototype iPhone case that would enable the sight-impaired to use the device. The silicon case has debossed, tactile logos, icons and characters, yet is still thin enough for the screen to register touches. Used in conjunction with text-to-speech features, it opens up a world of possibilities for those without sight. Not to mention the blind could eke out some extra battery life by turning down the backlight.

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in iPhone | Digg this!

It seems you will soon be able to enjoy vastly improved Bluetooth speeds by the middle of next year. According the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, the 10x and 100x Bluetooth standards will be released by mid-2009.

The 10x standard is intended for WLAN. This will allow for much improved transfer rates for data up to 30Mbps. On the other hand, 100x, will boost Bluetooth to USB level speeds, which clock in at around 300Mbps.

Bluetooth 2.0 right now is only capable of 3Mbps. So, these new standards would be a vast improvement. What do they mean, exactly? Well, Bluetooth speeds such as these should make video streaming wirelessly and printing from mobile devices a breeze. It is believed that the 10x standard will appear first in handsets that currently have Wi-Fi modules. However, the 100x standard will not be able to be used until more handsets feature UWB radios.

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A lot of people who own MacBooks tend to want to show them off. However, if you’re finding you need to protect your precious MacBook Air from bumps and scratches, you might be interested in the U-Suit Case.

The U-Suit covers up your MacBook Air and keeps it protected. However, it looks remarkably like a Dell Inspiron, doesn’t it? Kind of strange, don’t you think? But hey, at least you can still see the Apple insignia poking through the clear part.

Make by Uniea, the U-Suit Premium is available in both red and black color options. It is resistant to scratches and can hold up against most impacts. You can get this case now for $69.95, which is quite expensive, but most computers are an investment, so this can just go toward securing it further for you.

[via Chip Chick]

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FROM APPLETELL - Skinkers wants to bring live TV to your iPhone via their Livestation broadcasting platform. Although this isn’t a finished product yet, it sure does look promising. MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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Even though it was announced last month, the Cosmos Black case bundle from Cooler Master just got an addition that is definitely worth mentioning. In fact, it got a HyperZ600 CPU cooler added to the package, which suddenly makes it much more worthwhile.

This new case is, of course, all black and the HyperZ600 CPU cooler is meant to keep the latest high performance processors running cool without drowning you in noise. The cooler itself features a 120mm fan capable of 800 to 2200 rpm. It also has a spacer that goes between the fan and the top of the cooling fins to better channel the air. This also has the benefit of reducing noise greatly.

We don’t know what CPUs this cooler would be compatible with, but it does seem to be rather universal. If the HyperZ600 cooler sounds interesting to you, then you should take note that it is only available as a part of the Cosmos Black bundle.

[via SlipperyBrick]

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Google’s open-source Android cell phone operating system can be found on the T-Mobile G1, but soon the G1 will no longer be alone. The Agora from Australian cell phone maker Kogan will be the next to feature Android.

Sure, it looks like the lovechild of a Blackberry Bold, and a Samsung Blackjack, but that just means that phones are getting smart enough to mate and swap good genes. It will feature a 2.5-inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G, and a nice Qwerty keyboard.

Expect a January 29, 2009 ship date, but it’s now available for pre-order.

[Obsessable]

Section: Audio, Web, Websites

Piracy is a massive problem in the music industry as it is getting easier and easier to get your music free off the Internet.  Obviously the music industry is trying to keep up, and the people at Bopaboo (what a weird name!) think they have come up with a solution: second hand music.  But not any old music, oh no, you can now buy used digital music.  “How on earth does this work?“ I hear you cry, and that is exactly what I thought, but let me first explain the idea behind this and what is supposed to happen. 

The theory is that people will go onto the website and tell people that they have digital music to sell, and Bopaboo puts a price on it.  Then someone comes along who wants that music cheap and buys the second hand digital music off them and the seller gets 80% of the profits with Bopaboo stashing the other 20% for themselves.

This is (in theory) a great idea, if you buy music digitally which is awful/boring you can sell it to someone who wants it: you sell it legally and they get cheap music.  It is a way to get people out of the habit of downloading illegally, you get money for your old music and everyone gets a good deal without feeling bad.  However as I am sure you have noticed right from the start there are some massive problems with this, and ones that will probably make this completely flawed.

Here is a small quote from the terms and conditions:

“You will delete any remaining copies of the Used Published Item that may exist in your possession, custody or control” and goes on to say that “...you agree to indemnify and defend bopaboo against any and all claims arising out of any transaction in which you are the seller”.

To be honest this is ridiculous, firstly they are expecting people to be honest and secondly they are using the general public as a legal backup: I don’t think that will hold up in court.  Firstly, they will have an overload of music for sale as people copy illegal music again and again so they can upload more and thus get more money, and noone is really going to delete any remaining copies, are they?  You will find a lot of people buying off it: it is a good idea for cheap music, but the idea that people will sell it is one that just won’t work.

All in all if 50% of users aren’t downloading illegally it is progress, but it is by no means the miracle that it promises to be.  Unfortunately I cannot see a day where music will be safe from pirates, but at least this is a step, however small, in the right direction.

Source [Gizmodo]
[Bopaboo]

Full Story » | Written by Christian Milsom for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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