Best Gadgets World

Posted Feb 1st 2008 3:03PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Portable AudioWell, that makes three — Sony and XM announced today that the two companies have reached a settlement in the Pioneer XM + MP3 case. As you’d expect, terms of the deal are super-secret, but we hear XM tells that to all the multinational record conglomerates it gets in bed with. Anyway, with Warner, Universal, and Sony all lined up, all XM has to do is woo EMI and this nightmare of dullness should finally be over — and we should start seeing some hot new devices.

Livescribe has just launched its Pulse Smartpen - what looks like an ordinary writing instrument is actually a computer. Housed within a pen-shape case, this nifty little device is capable of digitally capturing handwriting in addition to recording audio simultaneously, synchronizing it to the writing. As I suspected, it isn’t compatible with any paper (now that would definitely make it sell like super hot cakes all over the world), but instead relies on a special Dot Paper Notebook. Whether you are a student, a professional or just an ordinary bloke who often gets involved in note taking situations, the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen sounds like what the doctor ordered.

According to Livescribe, Inc. Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jim Marggraff, “Pulse is a new type of mobile computer that supports the four basic modes of human communication – reading, writing, speaking and listening. Using an embedded speaker and display for audio/visual input, and microphones and a pen for audio/visual output, Pulse advances the power and flexibility of mobile computing – it’s the missing link that now connects the paper and digital worlds.” The Pulse Smartpen is tipped to hit retail markets this March, and will come in a couple of flavors for different budgets. Those who opt for the 1GB model will have to fork out $149 while folks who want double the memory need to top that initial figure with another $50. To get an idea of how far 1GB can bring you with the Pulse Smartpen, that amount of storage capacity is enough for roughly 100 hours of recorded audio and 16,000 pages of digital notes.

Each Pulse Smartpen is housed in anodized aluminum that doesn’t attract fingerprints unlike other glossy gadgets, tipping the scales at 1.3 ounces while measuring 6.1″. It runs on a Samsung ARM 9 processor and is powered by a rechargeable lithium battery.

Source: Gizmag

Posted Feb 1st 2008 2:20PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wireless
We already knew that pigskin fanatics in 223 countries would be able to catch Super Bowl XLII this Sunday, but thanks to Raytheon’s Global Broadcasting Service (GBS), even sailors and Marines stationed aboard ships in the Pacific Ocean will be able to catch the Giants attempt to mar the Patriots’ currently unblemished record. The aforementioned technology has been in use for over a decade delivering “high-speed, multimedia broadcasts of mission critical information to military and government decision makers,” but this weekend, it’ll be used to bring home entertainment to folks far, far away from home. Sadly, it doesn’t sound like the broadcast will be in HD this go ’round, but we suppose any football is better than none at all, right?

[Via DailyWireless, image courtesy of ProJo]

Yes, we’re all still coming down from the Macworld announcements high and now we’re looking at the cold, hard reality of what we really got from this year’s Macworld. Take the AppleTV, for instance. Sure, you can use your iPod and navigate music and videos and even rent movies through it. It’s still quite expensive for not having any DVR capabilities or the ability to read media on a disc.

There’s a great alternative that you can use on your television to watch your videos and music from your iPod. The Tekkeon NavDock is (according to the official website) “a Home Media Center with On-TV Navigation for iPod.” The NavDock “lets you navigate your iPod through an on-TV menu to play videos, photos and music on a connected television.”

The NavDock also supports the following models of the iPod:

• iPod classic
• iPod nano (3rd generation)
• iPod (video)

The following models are compatible with NavDock, but do not support video on-TV navigation. NavDock’s on-TV navigation of music is supported.

• iPod touch
• iPod with color display
• iPod 4G
• ipod nano (1st and 2nd generation)
• iPod mini

Also, the on-screen interface can be customized to use one of four colors: green, blue, orange, or pink. iLounge has a great review of the NavDock and shows you very detailed photos of the unit itself and what works well and what doesn’t - a great resource if you’re considering the NavDock. Granted, you can’t rent movies on the NavDock like you can with the AppleTV, but isn’t that what Netflix is for? But you can pick one up for $130 when its released soon.

Full Feature list:
Dock

• Remote navigation of videos and music via on-TV menu
• Play slideshow on TV
• Now playing screen with album art, song info, and status bar
• Viewable song lyrics
• On-screen display of iPod user name
• User adjustable screen savers
• Customizable color schemes
• Access to equalizer presets
• Multilingual menu: English, Spanish, Japanese
• Charges iPod

Remote Control

• One-touch mode selector for videos, photos, music and settings
• Five-way navigation pad
• Home key
• Volume control
• Mute
• Play/pause
• Skip next/back
• Fast forward/backware
• Shuffle
• Repeat

[Tekkeon via iLounge]

Posted Feb 1st 2008 1:49PM by Joshua Topolsky
It turns out that 17-year-olds probably aren’t that good at studying electrical interference — and its effect on pacemakers — created by iPods. Unlike the data presented to the Heart Rhythm Society last year by a high-school student, which demonstrated the music player’s ability to interfere with heart-regulating devices, the FDA now says that the gadgets are completely safe for use. Researchers measured magnetic fields produced by four different models of Apple’s ubiquitous device, and found no reason why your grandmother can’t keep jamming to her South of Heaven reissue. Said FDA researcher Howard Bassen, “Based on the observations of our in-vitro study we conclude that no interference effects can occur in pacemakers exposed to the iPods we tested.” We hope the FDA will follow this up with a definitive study on the effects of boomboxes on hip implants.

Got an inordinate desire to beef up your DS? After all, you didn’t buy it for its portability right? Well folks, Gametech has the answer to your needs.

The new Sound Shell DLite was designed to boost the volume of your DS. What people notice at first glance, however, is that it beefs up your console considerably. The Sound Shell DLite acts a cover for the whole DS console and comes complete with a stand. I guess you have to sacrifice one thing to get something else. For 15 though, it’s not too bad. I can even get over it bulking up my console as long as its sound-boosting performance works well.

Check out the product page.

via

Posted Feb 1st 2008 10:30AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Gaming, Laptops
Merely two days after Dell added NVIDIA’s GeForce 8800M GTX to its beastly M1730, it seems that Rock is looking to up the graphical ante as well. Reportedly, the firm is gearing up to unleash the (likely rebadged) Xtreme XL8, which will house an Intel X6800 quad-core processor, a delightful pair of NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTXs, up to 1TB of storage space and a 17-inch 1,920 x 1,200 resolution panel to boot. Furthermore, you’ll find an Ethernet jack, Draft-N wireless card, an obligatory (no, really) hd dvd drive and a presumably laughable battery life. Waiting for the sting? Try £2,500 ($4,976) to £3,000 ($5,971), with pre-orders going live later this month.

Posted Feb 1st 2008 11:32AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Handhelds
Every so often, a gizmo crosses our path that truly makes us question the thought process of its creator(s). This particular Friday, that gizmo is the Blinger. This so-called “portable ATM” apparently enables users to whip out an oversized, one-trick-pony of a device and instantly send cash for wares, check your current level of fundage, calculate currency conversions and wonder why on earth they haven’t invented this thing called “online banking.” Oh, wait.

[Via InventorSpot]

Posted Feb 1st 2008 11:34AM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: GamingAccording to a report, the next iteration of PS3 packages has been all but confirmed during a GameStop conference call recently. Apparently, the 80GB version of the console is dead, and is due to be replaced by a 120GB model bundled with the Dual Shock 3 controller — just like we mentioned a few days go. There’s no set price or release date, though speculation is that it will turn up by GDC. Instead of a denial, Sony has gone for a “no comment” in regards to this news, though it certainly looks like this is the direction they’re heading in, regardless of what they say.

[Thanks, Khattab]

It comes as no surprise that in the wake of the success Asus found with their Eee PC, others are already trying to cash in with similar products. Asus isn’t sitting idle, they’ve got their own plans to keep their sales up. In addition to adding Windows XP to their current sub-notebook, they’re planning on branching out with other low-cost computers.

The first new product that has been announced is the E-DT, which is essentially a desktop version of the Eee PC, with no monitor. They’re shooting for a price between $200 and $300 and plan to first use Celeron processors which will later be replaced with single-core Diamondville CPUs. Look for these in April or May.

They are also looking to move in on Apple’s all-in-one turf with the E-Monitor, which will sport a 21-inch display and a TV tuner. This complete desktop system should only run around $499 when it debuts in September.

The final addition to the line is the E-TV. This is basically a 42-inch LCD TV that can run Linux. This will run about $200 more than your average 42-inch set. No word on when we can expect to see this product.

Source: Crave