Best Gadgets World

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 11:12AM
Oh sweet mercy, what have we here? A sneak peek (on video) of the looming PlayStation Store revamp and a confirmation of DTS-HD Master Audio output in the next PS3 firmware update, that’s what. Over on the playstation Blog, we’re casually walked through the impending v2.30 update, and just as we had heard, Blu-ray fans can shout in unison as the inclusion of their favorite audio codec (as well as DTS-HD High Resolution Audio) is just days away. Word on the street has v2.30 headed down the pipes on April 15th, and if you’re eager to catch a glimpse of some more stills from the made-over PS Store, head on over to Joystiq.

Read - PlayStation 3 firmware v2.30 walkthrough video
Read - Revamped PlayStation Store images
Read - DTS’ own confirmation of the good news (Thanks, sTeViO!)

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Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home Entertainment

by Paul Miller, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 11:32AM
Just what we needed, another couple of me-too MIDs dropped into the world without a purpose. USI is naturally putting some fine tech in these devices, like a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen, up to 8GB of SSD, WiFi, Bluetooth, 512MB of RAM and a 1.2GHz Intel Atom processor, but given the lack of proof that an MID is even what consumers want at the moment, we’re having a hard time getting excited about these particular MIDs. The main claim to fame of the MID-200 (keyboard) and MID-150 (no keyboard) is a PCI-express slot for adding 3G or GPS, but the existing four hour battery life is certainly going to strain under the load of any additions. No word on price or a release date just yet.

[Via thegadgetsite; thanks KC Kim]

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Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs

The moment I saw the Micro SD Card Projector, my skepticism alarm went off. After all, portable projectors often generate images that are not as clear as their non-portable predecessors.

My skepticism lessened when I saw images of its projections from the product page. They looked like the projected images you would see from any other projector. Of course, it’s really hard to tell how good a projector is from a picture of its projection. It looks like my skepticism is now increasing.

Especially when I saw this product being sold on a site called Drinkstuff.com. It’s almost like their company slogan would be “we sell stuff that drunk people should use”. Yet Drinkstuff has also been around for over 30 years, and they have a lot of other quality merchandise on their site.

Even though I am still skeptical about this product, there is one thing that is a plus: a built-in MicroSD. That will come in handy when you want to project the videos or images from the memory card on your digital camera. The MicroSD Card Projector also has some handy ports for attaching a DVD player, Blu-ray player, or video game console.

Here’s the thing that I’m most skeptical about: how long can this product run on 4 AA batteries? I mean, my son’s Leapster doesn’t last more than a day, and this projector looks like it would use a lot more juice than that.

In short, you might have to take a chance when you buy this product. Hopefully, you are willing to bank $197 on it.

Source

The Sony Bravia E4000 series is Sony’s latest range of LCD HDTVs, with a unique “Picture Frame” design. As you can tell from the promotional shots below, the Sony E4000 series have been designed to look like a picture frame and display artwork or photos. These are fully functional, top spec HDTVs but they also feature Sony’s Picture Frame Mode, which lets you display still image to enjoy, from a selection of six pre-installed image, or your own from a USB stick.

The Sony E4000’s look great, and can continue to look great while your not watching your favorite shows, by replacing the boring black rectangle with some beautiful photos. These sets are of course designed for looking great wall mounted, but can also be used via the stand.
The Bravia E4000 series is avaliable in three sizes, the 26-inch KDL-26E4000, 32-inch KDL-32E4000, and the largest 40-inch KDL-40E4000. You can select four different colour frame options to blend the HDTV with it’s surrounds. Midnight Sky, Aluminium, Dark Walnut and Pearly White.The 32-inch and 40-inch Sony E4000 models have the highest 1080p Full HD resolution LCD. All have the following specifications; Picture Frame Mode, Bravia Engine 2 for image enhancement, 24p (24 fps support) UBS photo viewer, theater mode, high 178 degree viewing angle, integrated analog / digital tuners, 3x HDMI 1.3 inputs, PC VGA input and 2x Scart.The top of the range 40-inch Sony KDL-40E4000 also features a 10-bit LCD panel for better colour blending, x.v colour and live colour creation for enhanced colours and PhotoTV HD.Release date and prices of the Sony Bravia E4000 series are currently unknown. We will update when this information becomes avaliable. Sony E4000 Press post
Sony E4000:

• Sony KDL-26E4000 (KDL26E4000) | 26-inch
• Sony KDL-32E4000 (KDL32E4000) | 32-inch
• Sony KDL-40E4000 (KDL40E4000) | 40-inch

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 10:51AM
We already knew what Marshall was capable of when we caught wind of his masterfully assembled portable Nintendo 64, but the modder extraordinaire has really outdone himself this time. As the name implies, The Multari is a portable Atari 2600 with 32 games built right in. The chassis itself was crafted from vacuum-formed styrene plastic, and aside from the colorful buttons and iconic D-pad, there’s also a 5-inch display and what appears to be a set of speakers. Mmm, retro never looked so good. Peek the video after the break (right after you grab your drool cup).

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Virginia was first with a law requiring public schools to teach classes on Internet safety. Hear, hear. Texas and Illinois have both followed suit. I totally agree. The Internet is something that has taken hold in the general public in the blink of an eye, relatively speaking. Its uptake has been rapid as compared to say, television or radio.

As an IT person who understands a fair amount of computers, technology and the Internet, I still maintain that computers are complicated beasts, and it is downright scary how little people know and understand. This doesn’t stop them from trawling the Internet, happily clicking away at things they don’t understand. And while I believe that kids will be entirely more comfortable than their parents at using computers and being on the Internet, I don’t think that they will as a group be knowledgeable enough.

Posted in Computers, Networking & Internet

Philips GoGear SA28 is the first mp3 player that features its own Fullsound technology. The SA28 was first introduced during the CES2008, and now, it is available at China mainland. The 2GB SA28 is sale for RMB399 (approx US$57) with built-in FM tuner.

Fullsound is a digital audio algorithm patented by Philips that refines audio output by performing 10 million operations per second to analyze and re-compute the music signal before it is sent to the speaker. This means that FullSound brings out the best of any audio system and delivers more life to the music.

More images after the jump

Philips GoGear SA28 (dissected)

Sigmatel STMP3710

Sigmatel STFM1000
[ via iMP3, Philips ]

Philips, SA28, Fullsound, MP3 Players, Sigmatel

by Nilay Patel, posted Apr 9th 2008 at 8:21PM
We knew Canon’s hot new Rebel XSi was due this month, but it looks like Amazon is once again to the rescue with a specific street date: April 27, which is a bit after the previously-rumored date of the 15th. That’s what, just 5,000 pennies a day to get one by launch? Totally doable.

PS. -Don’t forget, if you can’t wait that long, we’ve got a hands-on gallery right here.

[Thanks, Dan]

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 9th 2008 at 5:38PMWe’ve known think tanks to come up with some fairly unbelievable determinations before, but the Machine Industry Memorial Foundation may not be too far off with its latest assessment. It’s suggesting that the jobs of 3.5 million people in Japan could be filled not with younger folks, but with mechanical creatures by 2025. Currently, Japan’s population is declining, and the proportion of those 65-years and up is continually swelling; analysts are asserting that the nation could save around ¥2.1 trillion ($21 billion) in elderly insurance payments by 2025 if it relies on robots (instead of humans) to monitor the health of the geriatric set. Of course, Japan’s been creating bots to do our dirty work for years, so it’s not like the idea of being ruled by robotic overlords is a completely foreign concept over there or anything.

[Via I4U News]

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Filed under: Robots

Dynamic people on the go should also have the chance to enjoy their shiny stuff.

While the love for gadgets only continue to grow over time, people start to ask for what was considere impossible a mere 50 years ago, one of which is waterproof electronics. Sure, there are already gadgets which are water-proof, but for those who can’t just afford to throw their older stuff away, the overboard waterproof case protects electronics 100 percent. It features transparent front and rear so you can have access to your gadget’s controls. And, since it has air-injected pockets, it’ll float to the surface just in case you accidentally let it go while diving to the bottom of a body of water that’s up to 19 feet in depth. The overboard waterproof case comes with a water-proof headset and is priced at 14.95.