Gadget Access

One of the best and most expensive GPS’ in the industry, plus the most expensive GPS’ Magellan has to offer, the Maestro 5340, will be ready for pre-order for $1200. If you want the basic version, meaning internet will not be included, then it will only cost $1000. You’re probably thinking, who in their right mind would buy such a GPS, but really if you have the money, then it’s worth it.

Basically, it comes with a 5-inch touch screen, text-to-speech capabilities, live traffic updates, Bluetooth connectivity, better voice command options for menus and addresses, 3D landmarks and 1,400 other buildings which are also 3D. Furthermore, it acts like a PMP because it comes with a mp3 player, video playback, new and better screen and case, and OneTouch interface. Now, the most notable feature of this GPS is its GPRS technology, basically it will deliver advanced Google local search and internet access.

Like previously mentioned, it sells for $1200 if you include all above features and only $1000 if you take out the GPRS option. No word on how much exactly the GPRS services will cost, but it is set to ship in late April, so expect more details then.

Via [NaviGadget]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

Niche cell service Helio has amassed a fantastic $560 billion dollars in debt over the last three years. Helio, which is co-owned by Earthlink and SK Telecom was created to bring many of the cellphone features that Asian customers enjoy to the US. Losses have increased steadily over the three years with an understandable $47 million in losses in 2005, a worriesome $192 million in 2006 and finally a downright staggering $327 million in 2007.

There is some good news for the Helio faithful. Sales actually outpaced looses in 2007 with losses increasing at 70% and revenue jumping 264%. There is also the fact there is serious restructuring going on at corporate headquarters as well as dropping prices on phones and services which is bound to help. Regardless of these positives majority owner SK Telecom might look at unloading their stake soon.

Read [Silicon Alley Insider]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

The TandemZ-1 Micro Chopper is not meant for novices as getting the hang of it comes with a rather steep learning curve to it.

For starters the Tandem utilises 3 channels (for up, down, forward and backward movement) and a dual trim system (for pitch and yaw), so novice pilots need not apply. It also boasts a sophisticated gyroscopic mechanism plus unique tilting rotors for additional control. Piloting this baby makes patting your head and rubbing your tummy whilst playing the xylophone with your feet seem about as difficult as pulling down your pants. And that’s what makes it so addictive.

The Tandem might come with a pair of powerful rotors, but they ought to be able to fly for approximately 10 minutes from a normal charge of up to 25 minutes. Sounds like diminishing returns if you ask me. This rescue helicopter retails for £39.95 and comes in red, blue or orange colors.

Want to relive your Las Vegas moments right in the comfort of your own home? Do you have that job interview at the Bellagio coming up next week? Answering yes to either question would mean picking up this Card Shuffler a must.

Forget fumbling around with hands, the only full proof way to ensure your playing cards are thoroughly shuffled and avoid embarrassment when you drop them all over the floor is with this professional-style Automatic Card Shuffler. Simply pop one or two decks of cards into the feeding trays on either side of the automatic shuffler – just the touch of a button shuffles the playing cards in seconds!

Learn up the tricks of the trade with this £9.95 Card Shuffler.

Imagine peering into a photo frame only to find out afterwards that there’s someone watching you through it.

This is what the Digital Photo Frame Webcam does. It has all the trappings of the spy gadget — if only that camera wasn’t so obvious. The webcam can take photos too, when connected to a PC. The picture viewer itself is detachable from the base. Aside from its basic photo viewer and slideshow function, it also has a built-in calendar and thermometer. A bit more tweak into making the webcam a bit more imperceptible would be ideal, but as of now, I like what I see.

via

Posted Mar 1st 2008 4:34PM by Ryan Block
Filed under: Misc. gadgetsWe haven’t heard too much lately about the South Korean government’s probe into the Samsung Group’s alleged corruption and influence in the government, but the AP is now reporting those bribes were emanating from a $213 million slush fund the company supposedly set for use in swaying government officials. Various executives have been in and out of questioning with special prosecuters, including Samsung vice chairman Lee Hak-soo, top strategic planner Kim In-joo, and the chairman’s son, Lee Jae-yong, who is an executive and apparently viewed as the eventual successor to the company when his father, Lee Kun-hee, hangs up his money-stuffed envelopes. Apparently dirty deeds can’t be done dirt cheap anymore, but they can still be done when you’re the top consumer electronics manufacturer in the world.

The Top Gun MicroFighter makes for an interesting gift for kids, and even I myself would not mind finding one of these underneath the Christmas tree this year.

Suitable for advanced level RC Pilots due to its advanced digital throttle and directional control, the Top Gun MicroFighter is capable of performing extreme loops and real-fighter style aerobatics. With the massive levels of thrust offered by it’s twin engine design, advanced take-offs and landings can be achieved. The Micro Fighter has a dual channel digital proportion control allowing up/down, left/right and forward speed control. Powered by a Lithium-Polymer battery, flights of 10+ minutes can be achieved on a single 30 minute charge from the controller.

The Top Gun MicroFighter retails for £29.99.

While Netflix has already announced they will be stopping the rentals of HD DVD titles, they have also announced some good news, but also hinted at some possible bad news as well.

With hd dvd now leaving, Netflix is confident enough to announce they will soon be offering four times as many titles on Blu-ray. This will bring the total of available Blu-ray titles from 400 to around 1,500.

Then in the little hint of posible bad news,

“It seems apparent that content will cost us more,” McCarthy said. “Whether we raise prices will be entirely a function of churn, subscriber acquisition costs and gross margins.”

Hopefully any increase in price will be done in a fair way, possibly splitting into more plans with a distinction between standard DVD and Blu-ray DVD’s. Personally I would rather not see an increase in price and would be more than happy to have a standard DVD only plan. While the price increase has not been made official yet, it does seem inevitable, Blockbuster has already raised their monthly fees due to the higher costs associated with Blu-ray.

Via [SlashGear]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

Posted Mar 1st 2008 1:04PM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Transportation
There’s a decent chance your average hybrid owner wouldn’t know the difference between a lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride battery if their life depended on it, but we know you — dear reader — are not one of those “average” joes / janes. That being the case, you may be interested to know that the 2009-bound S400 BlueHybrid is in prime position to be the world’s first production Li-ion hybrid, which will offer up “compact dimensions and far superior performance” compared to existing rivals. M-B goes on to trumpet the technology’s “high ampere-hour efficiency, long service life, and great reliability, even at very low temperatures.” No word on just how astronomically high this thing will be priced at, but you can expect just shy of 30 miles-per-gallon in mixed driving conditions, for what it’s worth.

Posted Mar 1st 2008 11:26AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Laptops
You’d have to turn your brain all the way back to September to spot the first time we got wind of Acer’s Ferrari 1100 laptop, but the folks over at PC Mag have finally received one in and took the time to spill the beans on how it fared. Right out of the box, it was criticized for being entirely too hefty for a 12.1-incher, but then again, it does have an integrated DVD burner. Still, the lack of a LED-backlit display along with the totally underwhelming performance when benchmarked was hard to overlook. ‘Course, it wasn’t exactly a slouch, but it certainly didn’t live up to expectations. Unfortunately for folks hoping for the best on this rig, it looks as if your $1,860 could be spent better elsewhere, but feel free to dig into the whole review to find out exactly why it earned just three out of those five oh-so-coveted stars.