Gadget Access

Posted Jan 23rd 2008 6:31AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Desktops, GamingEvery so often, we get wind of a mysterious gaming rig that’s so powerful, so mighty, that the entire world just has to see it. Unfortunately for most, this particular one will remain a pipe dream, primarily due to the UK’s impeccably strong pound and America’s woefully weak dollar. Nevertheless, those shacked up on the other side of the pond can grab Computer Supermarket’s (we know, we know) Ultimate Gaming rig, which is home to an Intel Q6600 quad-core CPU, 8GB of DDR2 RAM, a 750GB SATA II hard drive, NVIDIA’s 512MB 8600GT graphics card, a dual-layer DVD burner, 22-inch LCD, Windows Vista, keyboard / mouse and a fairly decent assortment of ports. All this pizazz can be yours for just £938.83 if you’re in the right place, but for $1,829, we’ll probably look elsewhere over here.

[Via RandomlyAccessed]

What perfect timing for Robert Oschler’s new robotics video than the day we vote “Pleo” as the Gizmo of the Day! The video shows Digger, Claire, and Pendragon, Robert’s 3 Pleos, doing a skit that involves a short bit of dialogue followed by a song complete with synchronized lip movements. Each Pleo is running a skit designed just for their part with it’s own animations and sound.

Read all about the video and My Skit on RobotsRule.

Posted Jan 23rd 2008 3:46AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
Weird. After making such a fuss, Sony Japan just delayed Skype on PSP services in Japan. A move with a definite knock-on effect for the rest of world. The cause of which seems to be Sony’s two microphone products — the single pack PSPJ-15010 and twin pack PSPJ-15011 — which “did not meet the Skype specifications” and thus failed the certification process. Something you think Sony would have known well before the eve of the scheduled January 24th launch. We’ll let you know when a new date is announced.

One Billion Dollars. That’s what the Execs at gaming publisher Activision are saying in a Dr. Evil accent while walking around their offices newly outfitted in gold thanks to the “Guitar Hero” franchise setting an industry record posting over $1B in North American sales in only 26 months.

“‘Guitar Hero’ is one of the biggest brands and one of the most powerful distribution platforms in all of entertainment today,” said Michael Griffith, president and CEO, Activision Publishing. Congrats to Activision.

Posted Jan 23rd 2008 2:01AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Portable Audio From iriver and the house The Mouse built comes this limited edition Mplayer. Gold plating and a Philips PNX0103ET audio processor create what iriver calls an “assassin’s mace” of a device. Sure, Cute. Simple. Friendly. Now add Opulent to the tagline too — at ¥888 (about $123) you’ll be looking at a 100% or so markup over their standard 1GB Mplayer.

Posted Jan 23rd 2008 1:20AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Cellphones, DisplaysWe’ve no idea who whispered in Aurora Systems’ ear that naming your products sans a few letters and with caps lock on was a good idea, but nevertheless, it listened, and it listened good. First up, the firm is cranking out the LAZR IMAGR, which is hailed as a “single panel color field sequential device” (psst, a micro LCD) designed to get VGA resolution into mobile projectors and the like. In case that wasn’t enough, you’ll be thrilled to know that it’s also trumpeting its new LAZR DRIVR, which, contrary to popular belief, actually isn’t Tiger’s latest club of choice. Rather, it’s a chipset designed to “drive both VGA and SVGA resolution panels” while also enabling memory to be “embedded in the driver chip to limit total chipset power consumption.” Sounds pretty spiffy, huh? Or are you still stuck on the names?

[Via AboutProjectors]

Trusted Reviews has a review of the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic and writes, “The camera is a less positive story. It has a 2-megapixel lens which puts it squarely in the average camp. It lacks autofocus, self portrait mirror or flash, and when framing photographs you have to hold the phone still to avoid your subject looking very blurred on screen…Images themselves are disappointing. The coloured dish, which I always photograph under normal household lighting and with the camera set to auto modes, looks washed out. Its colours are a lot more vibrant than the photo suggests. The chair lacks definition and there’s evidence of lens distortion along the top of the picture.”

Read more about the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic.

Despite Sony Ericsson not actually having announced the Z660i yet, it’s obviously official, as it has its own official video. Oddly, Sony Ericsson put it up on their own official site, which the Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog managed to upload onto YouTube just in time before the official Sony Ericsson (still with me here?!) took it down again!

So now we get to see the new Sony Ericsson Z660i in action, as well as getting official confirmation that it’s on its way, without actually getting an official confirmation! Don’t you just love rumours!

Anyway, looking rather sleek and designery, the vid makes it clear that the Z660i is being pitched as a man’s phone for men, so don’t expect it in pink anytime soon.

The video shows the Z660 off in all its finery, and also shows how well it uses Google Maps to find various services in your neighbourhood, such as restaurants. Certainly looks super-responsive, which is what you need from a good location-based service.

[Source: Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog]

Posted Jan 22nd 2008 11:01PM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming
You’ve waited, you’ve watched, and now your wildest dreams are about to come true. That’s right, someone has coded a native SNES emulator for the iPhone / iPod touch. Right now, the project is still in the beta / testing phase, but you can be assured that in the very near future, your sweaty hands will be smudging all over a virtual controller during heart-pounding games of F-Zero, Killer Instinct, and Super Metroid. If you absolutely can’t wait one more second (Paul Miller, we’re looking at you), slip the developers a donation and they’ll break you off some beta test action. If you’re the patient type, you can enjoy the video after the break, and sit tight till the app goes public.

[Thanks, Daniel]

Rogers has just announced the availability of the Jack, or what is more commonly known as the Samsung Blackjack II. The Jack will offer the same features as the formally named Blackjack II which include a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 display, 2.0-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, front jog wheel, full QWERTY keyboard and integrated GPS.

The Jack is currently available and will retail for $199.99 along with a 3-year agreement. For those looking for a shorter contract option you can opt for the 2-year price of $374.99 or the 1-year price of $399.99.

Product [Rogers] Via [WirelessInfo.com]