Gadget Access

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jul 26th 2008 at 12:15PM
At this point, we’ve seen the Tube from everyone but Nokia — heck, even Morgan Freeman got a chance to show it off — and it looks like that trend isn’t going to abate any time soon. Another round of in-the-wild shots of the supposed XpressMusic 5800 have popped up (yes, the latest prototype seems to have dropped the “XpressMedia” badge), showing off a pretty uninspiring keyboard that we can only hope has no bearing on the final product. Guess that’s why they haven’t announced this sucker yet, eh? We hope?

[Via The Nokia Blog]

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Filed under: cellphones, Handhelds

I don’t know why, but I love hose nozzles, maybe not so much for the device itself, but b/c I get to play with water! Probably goes back to being a kid. After all, what kid do you know doesn’t like splashing around or squirting someone else, and it just gets better with a high-powered nozzle!

This nozzle has 5 spray settings, and a 2-way shut-off. It’s heavy-duty, and is guaranteed for life. It’s made with stainless steel, fiberglass, brass threads and has a comfort-grip of santoprene rubber.

Summer is here, and you need one of these to replace that leaking, clunky garden hose nozzle you have now.

Gimme!

Price: $29.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Posted in Miscellaneous

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 26th 2008 at 9:41AM
Just because you haven’t been remotely interested in seen a mirror TV in, oh, years, doesn’t mean that companies aren’t still interested in exploiting the niche. Take Pantel, for instance, who is totally stoked about debuting a trio of ‘em at CEDIA 2008. Set to launch in 20-, 32- and 42-inch flavors, the Mirror TV line is aimed at folks looking to add a multipurpose display in their bathroom, shower or sauna. The 20- and 32-inch editions arrive with a 720p panel, while the 42-incher checks in with a full 1080p resolution. Price wise, you’re looking at $1,200 for the little guy, $2,755 for the 32-inch sibling and $5,800 for the mack daddy.

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 26th 2008 at 4:51AMIt has been a solid tick since we’ve seen a good FairPlay hack, so it’s with great pleasure that we pass along El Tunes for Ubuntu 8.04 users everywhere. Tested to work on Hardy Heron using RhythmBox (but assumed to work on any modern Linux Distro with GStreamer and a media player that utilizes GStreamer), said plug-in enables open-source aficionados to play songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store. As for limitations, the current version has no Pause / Seek support and cannot de-authorize a machine for playback, but a future version should hopefully cure those two quirks and add support for purchased video content and audio streaming to an AirTunes device. Give it a shot and let us know how it treats ya.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 26th 2008 at 4:51AMIt has been a solid tick since we’ve seen a good FairPlay hack, so it’s with great pleasure that we pass along El Tunes for Ubuntu 8.04 users everywhere. Tested to work on Hardy Heron using RhythmBox (but assumed to work on any modern Linux Distro with GStreamer and a media player that utilizes GStreamer), said plug-in enables open-source aficionados to play songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store. As for limitations, the current version has no Pause / Seek support and cannot de-authorize a machine for playback, but a future version should hopefully cure those two quirks and add support for purchased video content and audio streaming to an AirTunes device. Give it a shot and let us know how it treats ya.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

iSkin wants to pamper your precious new iPhone 3G with the revo2 soft premium silicone protector, offering protection, quality and style in a single package.

Crafted for a superior fit, the revo2 snugly encapsulates the iPhone 3G and provides complete coverage from everyday hazards such as impact, shock, dirt, dust and moisture. Complimenting this protection is an array of impressive features, highlighted by Microban antimicrobial product protection, a detachable ViSOR transparent face shield, a dust repelling micro-texture grip, integrated port-to-port protection, accented volume and power buttons, an anti-glare and anti-fingerprint screen film, unobstructed silent mode switch, mic, camera and speaker access, and an industry first: a special translucent silicone zone that protects the iphone’s proximity and ambient light sensors without obstruction. The revo2 is also compatible with the iSkin revoClip (sold-separately): a belt holster that keeps iPhones and their owners safely connected.

You will be able to choose from a range of fashionable two-tone colors combinations that consist of Onyx (Black/Black), Diablo (Red/Black), Sonic (Blue/Black) and Ozone (Clear/Black). The revo2 will cost $39.99 which might put some people off, but the benefits far outweigh the cost IMHO.

Press Release

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iSkin wants to pamper your precious new iphone 3G with the revo2 soft premium silicone protector, offering protection, quality and style in a single package.

Crafted for a superior fit, the revo2 snugly encapsulates the iPhone 3G and provides complete coverage from everyday hazards such as impact, shock, dirt, dust and moisture. Complimenting this protection is an array of impressive features, highlighted by Microban antimicrobial product protection, a detachable ViSOR transparent face shield, a dust repelling micro-texture grip, integrated port-to-port protection, accented volume and power buttons, an anti-glare and anti-fingerprint screen film, unobstructed silent mode switch, mic, camera and speaker access, and an industry first: a special translucent silicone zone that protects the iPhone’s proximity and ambient light sensors without obstruction. The revo2 is also compatible with the iSkin revoClip (sold-separately): a belt holster that keeps iPhones and their owners safely connected.

You will be able to choose from a range of fashionable two-tone colors combinations that consist of Onyx (Black/Black), Diablo (Red/Black), Sonic (Blue/Black) and Ozone (Clear/Black). The revo2 will cost $39.99 which might put some people off, but the benefits far outweigh the cost IMHO.

Press Release

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It seems like Fujitsu is prepping a new mini laptop/tablet pc called the Lifebook U2010. Don’t be confused by the model name though as it certainly is different from the Lifebook T2010 which was previously announced by Fujitsu.

For one the U2010 sports a 5.6-inch 1024×768 display while the T2010 has a full 12.1-inch LED display. The U2010 also features a 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz Intel Atom processor, a 80GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, a 3G radio, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

We don’t know about you, but those features are certainly top-notch for a tablet PC as small as the LifeBook U2010, hence it is expected to hit the streets with a retail of around $1300. Unfortunately, no official word about the Fujitsu Lifebook U2010’s release date and other whereabouts are available yet. As we wait for perhaps an official announcement coming from Fujitsu, continue reading to see another picture of the Lifebook U2010.

Via [Engadget] Via [Tihn Te]

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Coming in a close 3-2 vote, the $3.3 billion purchase of XM from rival Sirius has been given the official seal of approval from the FCC.

This news will now leave US customers with just one satellite radio service, which initially sounds like not the best of news, however at least some from the FCC think this was a good move.

According to a recent statement from FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, “this merger is in the public interest and will ultimately benefit consumers.” As a consumer and a current Sirius subscriber I can only hope that turns out to be an accurate statement.

While the approval has been granted, this decision does not come without some guidelines, which are being set in place to offer protection to consumers.

To begin with there will be a three-year cap on prices. They will also have to offer a minimum of “8 percent of their channel capacity for minority and non-commercial programming” and also pay a fine of $19.7 million for FCC rule violations that have occurred in the past.

It sounds good so far.

Chairman Martin also went on to mention that this merger would allow customers to choose from smaller, low-cost packages of programming in the future.

Lets just hope that he means a more a-la-carte based system where you can pay just a few bucks a month for a few channels. I am not sure about your listening habits, but while its nice that Sirius currently has lots of available channels, I spend 95% of my time listening to just 4 or 5 of my favorites.

Read [Reuters]

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If you’re an avid jogger or cyclist who still wants to enjoy listening to your favorite tunes while working out a sweat on the pavement, perhaps it would be more prudent to invest in a pair of AirDrives? These allow you to groove to your tracks without missing out on ambient sounds that could mean the difference between life and death as a vehicle bears down on your six. The AirDrives rest just outside the ear, allowing you to stay alert to traffic, announcements and people around you. Audio from your mp3 player are transmitted using bone conduction technology. You can choose from adult, kids, and iphone versions which retail for £49.99, £39.99 and £59.99, respectively.

Source: Shiny Shiny

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