Gadget Access

Posted Jan 23rd 2008 5:59PM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Desktops They may not have quite the broad appeal of the companies more gaming graphics cards, but ATI and NVIDIA’s relatively recent FireGL V8650 and QuadroFX 5600 workstation graphics cards still have no shortage potential users, and an old-fashioned shootout between the two $1,000+ cards is hard to ignore. That spectacle comes courtesy of the folks at HotHardware, who loaded up each card in a suitably high-end system and put ‘em through the usual array of benchmarks and tests. After all that was said and done, they gave the edge ever so slightly to the NVIDIA card, although they say it’s “not completely cut and dry” as to what the absolute best option is. Working the ATI’s favor, however, is its lower MSRP (despite having more memory than the NVIDIA) and its top of the line Maya performance, although it fell short of the NVIDIA in overall Open GL and Direct 3D performance. If that’s not enough to sway you one way or the other, you can hit up the link below for the complete blow by blow benchmark action.

T-Mobile has reported a break-in at one of their warehouses that resulted in the theft of approximately 36,000 phones, which holds a value of around $8.2 million. Be warned if you are offered a sweet deal on a “new” T-Mobile phone as they are actively tracking the IMEI numbers, its noted that a majority of the phones were Sidekicks. T-Mobile dealers were notified and they are working with law enforcement officials to try and make sure these stolen phones remain un-activated.

“Wanted to let you all know that one of our warehouses was broken into over the weekend and some 36,000 phones were stolen (worth about 8.2 Million). The most significant phones stolen were the Sidekick phones. Please make sure you inform the dealers who like to purchase gray market handsets that we are aggressively working with law enforcement to prosecute anyone who has these handsets. We do know the IMEI’s of the stolen phones and once they end up on our network we will go to the dealer code that activated the phone. So if your dealers get a call about Sidekicks and the deal is too good to be true you will know why.”

Via [Boy Genius Report]

Nokia’s Prism Collection has a brand new addition, and this time it is the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism that joins the fold. Targeting (obviously) design and fashion conscious consumers, you get, in Nokia’s very own words, “seamless diamond-cut design with a crystal centre key, the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism continues to highlight the geometric shapes and personalized style of the Prism Collection”. I personally think that the entire Prism Collection is an acquired taste, and to date I have realized that most of my mates think this line of handsets are just butt ugly - it is definitely a miracle that there are folks who would gush after those cold, calculating designs which in turn causes Nokia to continue manufacturing these ugly beasts.

Nokia’s designers were working closely with creative designer Frederique Daubal to come up with these special laser-etched graphic designs, distinctive wallpapers as well as exclusive accessories to the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism. The wallpapers that come with every 7900 Crystal Prism purchase was inspired by Daubal to communicate the reflection of light and capture the feel of angular prisms and triangles. What are some of the features you can get with this handset? For starters, a large OLED display, a 2 megapixel camera, 3G support for anytime, anywhere Internet browsing, 1GB of internal memory, audio playback and a matching headset.

If you’re still hell bent on picking up the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism, you’d best have at least 375 Euros in hand as the handset will hit the markets sometime in Q1 this year. Mind you, that stated price which was given by Nokia is before taxes and subsidies, so depending on which country you live in, that could mean either a whole lot more or less of dough per transaction. The FCC hasn’t gone round approving this just yet, so it might take a while before the 7900 Crystal Prism hits the US.

Press Release

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CarShield has just launched its fully self-contained CarShield device that can be plugged into any vehicle’s standard diagnostic port in order to receive real-time information analysis as well as delivery that will help the vehicle owner know the true status of their vehicle. Sounds like the perfect tool to have for the man of the house in order to ensure that all the rides there are safe for the entire family, and no longer do you have to keep on getting fleeced by the bunch of mechanics who think you don’t know any better about cars (which you actually don’t, but I digress) and can’t tell the difference from a carburetor from the air filter.

CarShield’s device uses a combination of five essential technologies in order to give you the most comprehensive report possible - GPS, wireless communication, predictive diagnostics, computing intelligence and Internet access that allows the owner of virtually any make or model of vehicle manufactured after 1995 to “monitor, analyze and disseminate a variety of onboard information previously only available to mechanics and dealerships”. It takes just a few seconds to get started and complete the installation as it isn’t rocket science in any way. I wonder whether this unit will be able to handle all the sophisticated computer systems found in more modern cars where normal mechanics have no idea how to handle.

Some of the features include :-
Remote Early Diagnostic Warnings: Receive service and safety warnings via text, email or phone relating to engine health, battery status, tire pressure and
more
Remote Smog Check: Eliminates the need of visiting a smog check station saving time and money
Emergency Support: Provides emergency support, sends roadside assistance and unlocks vehicle doors when keys are locked inside the car
Teen/Family Protection: Provides email/text notification when vehicle leaves a designated area or exceeds pre-defined speed limits
Theft Protection: Unauthorized movement alert/vehicle theft tracking
Vehicle Tracking & Location: GPS satellite and Web interface display where your vehicle has been, and when it arrived and departed specific locations

Press Release

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The only thing better that making a good steaming cup of coffee or tea is drinking it while it’s still hot and fresh . Unfortunately, work or some other distraction frequently gets in the way.

Enter the sleek, stainless steel tea pot warmer set, which not only looks good but also contains a white ceramic teapot that keeps its contents warm for an hour or so. It’s large enough to hold up to one liter/33 oz. of liquid, and comes with a cylindrical tea strainer, so that you can make your tea in it.

Product: InvisibleSHIELD for iPod touch by ZAGG
Price: $24.99
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros:Adds military-grade protection to most surfaces, improves grip, frees mind from worrying about most scratches
Cons: Lacks protection around middle edge
Overall: 90% fantastic protection that adds to the look of the device.  More grip is a very good thing vs. the iPod’s slick metal back.

At CES, one demo sticks out in my mind: picture me a husky man trying his best to pull an InvisibleSHIELD up and over a key held by a rep from the company.  I failed to get the key to damage the surface.  I was so impressed, I ordered one for my iPod touch and installed it.  The result: I am still impressed.

We did a review of the InvisibleSHIELD back in 8/06 for the then-hip Moto Q.  Reviewer Jerry Bingham said, “the screen’s shield is indeed invisible and needless to say, this shield is a keeper and a perfect shield for my Q.”

I am back with a fresh review of the product, to see what’s different now that the company is publicly traded.  The shield arrives in a neat box that holds a rubber squeegee, magic spray and decent instructions.  The instructions also point to an online video that can be handy as well.

The shield is made of a urethane plastic and was once used to protect the leading edge of helicopter rotor blades.  For the iPod touch, the shield comes in two parts: a front side and a back side.  The front covers the top of the device all the way to the edge of the dark gray metal running around the device.  The bottom covers all the bottom and wraps up the side, completely covering the shiny metal backside.  The only exposed parts are the button on top, the gray metal edge that runs around the circumference and the entire area around the earjack port and ipod dock port.  Only the outer edge makes me nervous and it stops the product from a 10/10 rating.  To be fair, their website does show this gap in coverage.

At CES, the rep told me installation takes about 20 minutes.  I found this to be a reliable estimate.  After removing the paper backing, the shield is sprayed with the magic spray, applied then squeegeed and pressed into position.  I’ve put on similar products and installing this was my best work to date.  I can’t tell if that is because this was a better design or my skills are improving.  I believe the spray had a lot to do with it.

The shield has a rubbery-tacky like feel that is a welcome addition to my slippery touch.  My fingers tend to be oily so the tackiness should keep the unit from sliding around.  Also, oils don’t seem to build up on the surface like they did on the naked touch screen.  The shield is clear and besides the added shininess, you would be hard pressed to tell a shield is on it.

Overall, the shield doesn’t detract from the look of the device as most protection add-ons do.  I am very happy with the shield and would recommend it for any of your electronics from laptops to phones to well, lots of different devices are supported. 

Product site: [invisibleSHIELD]

Posted Jan 23rd 2008 7:29AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Gaming
var Oh cruel, cruel word… is it true? A teaser site for Gizmondo just appeared in the fetid bowels of the Internets boasting that the “legend is reborn.” A cruel hoax or has Sefan Eriksson, freshly sprung from the clink, really teamed up with former accomplice Carl Freer in a bid to resurrect Gizmondo as the Swedish press claims? If true, the service is set for a Christmas 2008 launch with the promise of a “Gizmondo Live Marketplace” presumably chock-full of open source games running on a supposed $100 device. Will it really “democratize gaming?” Hardly. No worries though, we’ll be too busy checking out the “exciting psychic worlds” to notice.

[Thanks, Olof]

Read — [Warning: Swedish]
Read — Teaser site

Posted Jan 23rd 2008 11:37AM by Sean Cooper
Filed under: CellphonesZut alors, big things are underway at RIM for BlackBerry users as Waterloo’s finest prepare to roll out the big guns by way of an update during the first half of the year. We’ve got your features here friends, mail is set to see significant changes with both HTML and Rich Text support, which will enable mail formatting that supports the original fonts, format and even graphics. Mail search functionality is also being thrown in to peruse old mail, a contact availability feature for meeting requests, and presence features for IM that will add “click to call” and “convert to call” as well as advanced emoticons — *wink*. Follow the read link to see the complete list.

[Via PhoneScoop]

Posted Jan 23rd 2008 11:14AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Storage
Believe it or not, Olympus’ original Type M xD-Picture Card crashed the scene over a year ago, so it’s about time its successor showed up, don’tcha think? The revamped (and ever-so-slightly renamed) M+ card promises data transfer speeds of up to 1.5 times faster than the vanilla Type M, yet somehow still supports “virtually all digital cameras with xD-Picture Card slots” — whatever that means. Unfortunately, these speedsters still cap out at 2GB, and while pricing deets remain undisclosed, they should be landing sometime in April for all to see.

The new compact camera from Panasonic may be designed specifically for beginners who wish to dabble in the art of digital photography, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t one cool camera. Now you don’t have to be an expert to capture truly amazing shots, with a little help of course from the DMC-LS80S from Panasonic.

The new Lumix 8.1-megapixel Compact Digital Camera comes equipped with many really cool features, including a folded optical increase 8.1-pixel matrix, LUMIX DC VARIO lens and a 2.5-inch LCD display with a resolution of 2300000 pixels. It also has an optical stabilizer MEGA Optical Image Stabilization, GsINAs ISO 100-6400. It features Intelligent Mode support functions, which enhance the brightness of the display and the Easy Zoom button instantly extends into full telescopic position.

Now great shots can be assured every time, especially with the help of the Auto Power LCD for increased backlight brightness in the sun and Bright Live View, which doesn’t leave it up to you to adjust brightness; it automatically increases it according to the level of ambient darkness.

So be an expert tomorrow, but first go out and buy this cool new camera for beginners from Panasonic today!

Read [New Launches]