Gadgets Device

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 6:43AM AOC did a stellar job of knocking off some rust and catching our eyes with the downright stylish 2230Fm, and the inclusion of a self-sustaining media player was also worthy of a closer look. Thankfully, the kind folks over at Gear Diary managed to get ahold of one such unit and put it through the paces, and in the end, it seems as if more positives were noticed than negatives. As an LCD, it was viewed as top notch; visuals were crystal clear, colors were sharp and accurate and ghosting was non-existent. The built-in audio and slideshow players were lackluster at best, but the integrated video player did a phenomenal job of handling a myriad formats and making things look right at home on the 22-inch panel. (Read the full post about ‘AOC’s 2230Fm HD3 display / media player combo gets reviewed’…)

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by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 7:06AM There’s no OS to speak of, no optical drive, just 4GB of flash storage and 256MB of RAM, and you’re limited to a 400MHz Freescale 5121E processor with integrated graphics under the hood. But the CherryPal desktop PC — just revealed with a $249 price tag — is definitely worth making a fuss over. About the size of a plastic paperback sporting a pair of USB ports and VGA-out, the mini PC plugs directly into the CherryPal Cloud via 802.11b/g WiFi or 10/100 Ethernet for 50GB of free Internet storage, automatic system updates, and access to a number of webified apps (which also reside locally) including iTunes, OpenOffice, and a CherryPal-branded instant messenger and media client (though we figured iTunes would have taken care of the media playback). (Read the full post about ‘The CherryPal cloud PC: $249, ready for (the new world) order’…)

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Armpits aren’t exactly the most desirable location to stare and (not to mention the awful smell in a packed train during rush hour), but it is something most people cannot avoid when taking public transport. The advertising world has decided to take this particular lemon and make some lemonade by introducing a new concept that sees digital TV displays built straight into the armpits of shirts. This concept will be developed by deodorant manufacturer Right Guard, paving an interesting method to market its products. Of course, I would assume these displays will be waterproof since some of us tend to sweat it out a whole lot more in that particular body part. (Read the full post about ‘Armpit Advertising A First’…)

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by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 7:57AM If you’re an owner of the first generation iPhone then one of the (many) annoyances you’ve discovered with your new curvy and slightly chubbier 3G sib is the fact that it won’t fit your existing dock — be it the dock bundled with the iphone or with the Bluetooth headset. To make matters worse, Apple chose not to bundle a compatible dock with the iPhone 3G — you have to purchase that separately for $29… you know, assuming you can find it. Fortunately, that old dock can be made into a suitable charging base for your iPhone 3G with just a bit of simple Dremel action and elbow grease. (Read the full post about ‘Crafty iPhone dock mod supports iPhone 3G, saves $29′…)

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Michael Fenger is a former Motorola executive, who was tasked with overseeing operations for the company in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. As with all executives of his stature, the company employing them are always wary of their intellectual property, operations information and the general knowledge of the company being shared with competitors.

In order to stop this many get their employees to sign a non-compete agreement. This states that if a person leaves they cannot work at a competitor for X number of months or years.

(Read the full post about ‘Motorola sues Michael Fenger for joining Apple’…)

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LG has launched a new stylish portable hard drive in the Korean market. This 2.5-inch hard drive with a SATA II interface is called the LG XD1 and gives out a transfer speed of up to 480mbps with its USB 2.0 E-SATA port. The XD1 features a gradient texture design which is available in either red wine or black pearl colors. It will be available in 120GB, 160GB, 250GB and 320GB storage capacities.

Pricing and release date information for the LG XD1 are not yet available. LG has not yet announced as well whether this portable hard drive will be available internationally.

Via [I4U]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness!

(Read the full post about ‘LG intro’s the stylish XD1 portable hard drive’…)

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At the risk of coming across as an Apple Fan Boy, I’ve now had two great experiences with Apple support in the past month. The first one I detailed in a previous article where my MacBook suddenly stopped working and a call to tech support and a follow-up visit to the Apple Store fixed my issue. The second one I experienced on Thursday evening.

I bought an iPhone 3G and then bought some music from iTunes using it. I had previously done the same with an older iPhone, so was already used to the experience. I then synced my iphone 3G to my computer, and as expected, the tunes I had purchased showed up in iTunes next to other previously purchased tunes.

(Read the full post about ‘Apple support might be the best I’ve seen’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 4:25AM Look, that USB-powered fish tank was fine during your teenage years of irresponsibility, but it’s really about time you started acting your age. Of course, we’re not suggesting you actually work harder — just smarter, is all. The DIY Automatic Fish Feeder is an exceptionally cheap, easy and almost life-changing creation that will never, ever forget to keep your fishes well fed and well lit. By attaching a makeshift pill bottle dispenser to a timer, Baha Tanju was able to create an automatic feeder that barely requires any attention. (Read the full post about ‘DIY Automatic Fish Feeder is outstandingly simple, rewarding’…)

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Filed in archive Opinion by jim on July 21, 2008 Many people, especially Americans, think that bigger is better, and many times that's true, but not always. Bigger is better for bank account balances but not necessarily for diamonds for example. A smaller stone with fewer or only tiny flaws looks better and is more valuable than a large one with visible flaws. But many people are obsessed with numbers such as zoom lens ratios and these days the number of megapixels a digital camera's sensor has. As I've said in past postings, there are other factors that determine the quality of a digital image besides the number of megapixels. (Read the full post about ‘Are More Megapixels Always Better For Digital Cameras?’…)

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Trading Standards in the UK are issuing a warning to anyone who has brought a cheap mains charger over the past 18 or so months for their Nintendo DS, Lite, Gameboy, mobile phone or digital music player.

The chargers carry the code DE62347066, or are marked as “Travel Charger”. They may also be carrying the CE safety mark, which is fake.

The following recall notice was issued via the Trading Standard website:

We are alerting consumers to potential electric shock and overheating problems we have found in certain non-branded gaming machine chargers imported from China and typically sold through on-line sites.

The chargers were supplied as accessories for charging Nintendo DS and DS Lite machines, although they could also be used to charge Gameboy machines.

(Read the full post about ‘UK is full of overheating, electrocuting mains chargers’…)

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