Gadgets Device

Who says you need stunning graphics and intense visuals to enjoy playing a game? Mike McCracken doesn’t think so. In fact, he is the inventor of a new Audio Ping Pong game thats uses only your ears and the tilting motion of your head play the game.

The way Audio Ping Pong works is that a sound comes out of earphones placed on your head that resembles a ball rolling towards one side of your noggin. The object is to tilt your head either left or right to get the ball to stay balanced. As the game progresses the speed of the audio ball increases, making it harder to play.

Now granted you won’t look like the smoothest person in the world playing Audio Ping Pong.

(Read the full post about ‘Audio Ping Pong brings classic game to ears only’…)

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AMD’s triple-core processors have been on the horizon for months now and, after all the speculation and derision, they are finally here. The launch included three Phenom X3 processors: the 8750, 8650, and 8450, all of which will come in at under $200. AMD is, as expected, positioning these processors between their dual-core and quad-core offerings and is targeting cost-conscious consumers, people who will appreciate the performance boost but would rather save a few dollars than go with a quad-core. The three 65nm models will arrive at 2.1, 2.3, and 2.4GHz frequencies, respectively priced at $145, $165, and a hefty $195 for the 8750. These models have a TDP of 95W and 1.5MB total L2 cache per processors as well as 2MB shared cache. (Read the full post about ‘Review: AMD Phenom X3 8750 Triple-Core Processor’…)

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In the UK, the BBC iPlayer is huge. Instant on, decent quality and free. In the first three months of the service, 42 million shows have been streamed or downloaded. So many, in fact, that British ISPs want the Beeb to cough up some cash to pay the bandwidth bills. One of the problems with the iPlayer, for non-British residents at least, is that it is only available in the UK. I’m on a fleeting visit to Blighty right now, so I thought I’d test the service out. I decided on Dr. Who, possibly the best thing from the BBC since, erm, the original Doctor Who. I pitted the iPlayer against my usual method of watching Brit TV; BitTorrent. Specifically, isohunt.com and the quite excellent software client Transmission. (Read the full post about ‘Test: BBC iPlayer vs BitTorrent’…)

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Alas, there may be yet a glimmer of hope in saving Windows XP according to a recent report by Reuters. During a recent news conference in Belgium, Microsoft bigwig Steve Ballmer said that customer input could be the key to rescuing XP from its current end-of-life schedule.

“XP will hit an end-of-life. We have announced one. If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter, but right now, we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments,” stated Ballmer during the news conference. So it would seem, according to Ballmer, not enough people have spoken up to change Microsoft’s mind on the destiny of XP.

(Read the full post about ‘Want to save XP? Send Microsoft feedback, says Ballmer’…)

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The GPS mail logger tracks itself. The idea is that you slide it into an envelope to discover why your mail is being delayed. The logger can be set to record positioning data at timed intervals or when it detects movement. It looks fairly easy to use, and integrates with Google Earth, but we see problems. One, it costs $700. Two, what if it gets lost in the mail. There would be a supreme irony in losing a GPS tracker in the post (the data is recorded to a MicroSD card, not beamed directly to the owner). Three, even if your mail is going astray, what do you do? Call up the postal service and complain that the mail van was stuck in traffic for two hours? No. (Read the full post about ‘GPS Logger Tracks Your Mail’…)

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Helo users will be able to receive push Gmail on their Fin, Mysto or Ocean after Google decided on Helio to be the first carrier to utilize such a service. Set up is a snap, as you just need to go to your Inbox and select Send/Receive. A message asking whether you want to enable new email alerts will appear, so all you need to do is hit yes and everything would be all right. Nice touch, and this will likely appeal more towards those who constantly want to stay on top of their email. Tags: pvr, consumer electronics, mobiles, DAB (Read the full post about ‘Helio Devices get Push Gmail’…)

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Ski Bag Kit
Because, in the world of the serious gadgeteer, one needs to fully prepared for every eventuality and correctly tooled-up for every job. Acquire the rather handy Ski Bag Kit and tooled up for an alpine adventure you most certainly will be.

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Tags: digital, camera, gear, dvr

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Word on the street has it that Verizon will be carrying the upcoming Treo 800w, which is a good thing since recent smartphone releases have always arrived on AT&T and Sprint months before folks at Verizon managed to get hold of them, if ever. If you’re a Verizon subscriber, would you switch carriers just to obtain the handset of your choice, or are you prepared to ride this current one out, keeping your fingers crossed that your provider will offer the smartphone of your dreams sometime down the road? Sort of like looking for a partner, eh? (Read the full post about ‘Verizon Could Get Treoo 800w Too’…)

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Summer heats up with playstation and Sky launching Go!View, the first official PSP video download service in Europe. Go!View claims to offer a whole bunch of programming ranging from entertainment to comedy, sports and movies, greatly enhancing the PSP’s functionality and expanding beyond its gaming experience. Users will be able to create their own individual TV schedule on the PSP, choosing when and where to watch as they please, making portable video-on-demand a reality. You can choose from a subscription model or a pay-per-view basis - no prizes for guessing which will cost more. Content are downloaded through a PC first and transferred over to the PSP. I wonder when will Go!View expand beyond Europe’s boundaries… (Read the full post about ‘Go!View PC Video Download Service for PSP’…)

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iRiver looks set to introduce some class into its new players - the E150 and E200, doing away with its traditional plastic chassis. The E100’s unimpressive LCD screen will also be upgraded to a much brighter version in the new model, and the two mini speakers on the E100’s behind will be dropped. I suppose that is good for the general peace in a train, but teenagers who want to let the whole world know what they’re listening to will have to get a pair of external speakers instead. The E150/E200 will be out sometime this summer, but there is no exact word on pricing and availability as at press time. (Read the full post about ‘iRiver Introduces Aluminum With New E150/E200′…)

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