Gizmodo

x360boxes.jpg Home Entertainment

Xbox 360: Retail Bully


Gizmodo's new Norwegian correspondent SilverSnake sends shocking—shocking!—news about Microsoft's Xbox 360 retail marketing demands. Retailers in the land of King Herald V are each being alloted a supply of 20 consoles, 6 core editions and 14 premium versions. But there is a catch: In order to get all of them, each shop or chain has to sign an agreement saying that they will sell out of all 20 consoles on the release date (which is December 2 over there). On top of that, the retailers must agree to sell a minimum of 2 games per console.
"Microsoft Norway even said them selves that they're gonna use the 'Sold Out' as a marketing strategy to hype the console."
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8:52 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By Noah R
2,790 views, 5 comments

Latest by beatvault: I think as a company if people are willing to pay a certain price then sell it at that price. more »

frankenputer.jpg Contests

Sharp Laptop Contest: We Have a Winner


The winner by, technical knockout, is Roberto and his screen-challenged laptop known as the Frankenputer or Franken-PC. He won both the popular vote and the editorial vote for his Gizmodo-like DIY ingenuity. As reader Erzengel put it:
FrankenPC.. WOOT! the display is broken? no problem, im sure i can fix it with this very very old cellphone and my swiss army. Thats the way to face things, and not just complaining.. You deserve it.
The "it" in this case being a Sharp M4000 WideNote laptop that retails for around $1,800. More »

8:23 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By Noah R
402 views, 25 comments

Latest by Stealth43: I agree with Elvis 100%, I'm getting really sick of seeing a pair of breasts with no technical knowledge (can't more »

pet stroller.jpeg Gadgets

A Whole New Meaning to Strolling With Your Pet


All I can say about the Pet Stroller is that if you've bought yourself one, your dog better have three legs or something, because this is really over-the-top. The website touts it as an alternative to those nasty plastic carriers, which I guess is ok if you were taking them on a really, really long trip, but in reality, it seems more than a touch silly. Let those buggers walk will you? The stroller is rust resistant, water resistant and folds up for easy storage. But don't think about throwing your Great Dane in one of these: The maximum weight is only 25 pounds. More »

5:32 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By tgrumet
116 views, 4 comments

Latest by Shin: Both the person walking their pet and the pet look ridiculous, I would laugh if I ever saw one. If more »

VK Mobile.jpg Cellphones

VK Mobile 650c from Helio

Here's another EV-DO phone being shipped by VK Mobile for the US. The VK Mobile 650c is good-looking—white with a spin top—based on the 600c that can be found in Korea. You can also hold the QVGA display vertically or horizontally to watch video and if you're really keen, there's a video out so you can watch video on your TV. Throw in a 2 megapixel camera, stereo speakers and a Transflash slot and you're good to go. On other fronts, it looks like the FCC has also approved the SK Teletech SKY 8300 slider EV-DO phone that shares a lot of this phones features, but adds buttons for gaming. No word on whether we'll see that here. More »

4:50 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By tgrumet
758 views, 1 comment

Latest by Permanent4: Neat phone, but I sure wish it had a full QWERTY keypad underneath that spin top. more »

ique.jpg Portable Media

New Garmin PDA One Step Easier

The new Garmin iQue M4 is pretty much the same as the previous model, the iQue M3. A PDA product that comes with the StreetPilot interface, greeting you with "Where To?" and "View Map," the new M4 now comes with pre-loaded maps of North America, making it easier to just grab and go. No SD card or special software needed (as with the M3). It also includes a highly sensitive GPS receiver, 64 megabytes of RAM, and SD/SDIO expansion slot for memory and wireless networking and comes with a USB synchronization cable, AC wall charger, auto cradle, companion CD or DVD (US only) with owner s manual, City Navigator North America NT maps pre-loaded, and quick-reference guide. Available in December for $700. More »

4:36 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By tgrumet
159 views, 1 comment

Latest by aaron x: I'm going to continue rockin my 3600, but SDIO and pre-loaded maps are nice steps. The only thing that would more »

radiation.jpg Cellphones

Radiation Cases Set To Go Through Courts

Could cellphone radiation lawsuits be the next big tobacco? Looks like the Supreme Court thinks so, and today decided against hearing an appeal from cellphone companies like Nokia and Cingular Wireless. More »

4:15 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By tgrumet
122 views, 1 comment

robot.jpg Robots

Eighties Hi-Fi Transformer

My 1980s Hi-Fi memories go back to my pops scalding me for touching his beloved Zenith. Luckily some Japanese are turning my 80s Hi-Fi frown upside down with this bad-ass robot built entirely from stereo components. This bot has got it all: tape decks, reel-to-reel, equalizers, and record players. It even includes the nostalgic smoked glass that was used to conceal components in the 80s, for some damn reason. Today's new age Gundam doesn t have anything on the Japanese Hi-Fi robot.. More »

4:11 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By Travis Hudson
201 views, 2 comments

Latest by Robitron: But does it play 8-tracks? more »

_graphics_RWimage1.jpg Gadgets

World's Most Powerful Subwoofer

Coming soon to a 1986 Monte Carlo down your street at 3 a.m. is the TRW 17 subwoofer. This isn t your grandma's subwoofer. Hell, this doesn t even look like a subwoofer, but it is. Normal subwoofers pulsate a concave paper cone while also compressing air inside of a box and pushing it out through a small opening. The metal fans create an enormous cone of air essentially turning your room into the subwoofer box. This is capable of getting frequencies down to the 1Hz range, this is the same range you may associate with jet engines and nuclear explosions. Traditional subwoofers get 20Hz at best. This isn t available to the public yet, but the predicted price will be around the $12,900 range. More »

3:31 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By Travis Hudson
5,733 views, 11 comments

Latest by dutchelite: If it's out, I want to try it. Probably can't buy it anyway but... If I could, my noughbours won't more »

sand_tag_2.jpg Military

Athena Prevents Friendly Frags

The Athena Radar-Responsive tagging system is currently being used overseas by our troops. Developed by the Sandia National Laboratories, along with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Sierra Monolithics, it prevents friendly fire during battles, bombings, and so forth. In a nutshell, it's like a tagging system for identifying who is who on the field. If a pilot is about to bomb a bunch of vehicles in a warzone, he'll check his systems to see if anyone on our side down below has one of these devices present on a vehicle. A unique identifier will then appear and let the pilot know not to bomb them. So if you don't have one, you better duck and cover or your ass is grass. More »

3:30 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By gizmodo.com
282 views, 3 comments

Latest by Robitron: There must be some way to encode the signals, especially on a device that big, so that the signal code more »

Stupid Reseller Tricks Part I - Tiger Direct Check out the link below and click on the green Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory disk. Time to burn your ISOs, kids! Product Page [TigerDirect via Logic & Sanity] MORE »

6 comments

idog_color.jpg Gadgets

iDog in Color for Holidays

Here's yet another animal-shaped robot looking thing that was hopefully made for children (but we know adults are scooping up). The Sega iDog is your usual robopet that reacts "emotionally" to anyone touching its sensors but it also comes with a built-in MP3 line-in jack for an MP3 player. The big news, however, is that you will now be able to get it in new pink and blue versions. These have been spotted on the Japanese iDog website but we just can't be sure if we'll get them here in the US yet. More »

3:02 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By tgrumet
477 views, 3 comments

Latest by Bunnyspatial: Yeah, what they said. My girlfriend made me buy here one, in exchange for I got to buy the new more »

ohnooos.jpg Home Entertainment

High Score: Kotaku Goes Postal

Has it only been a week? Kotaku was crammed full of gaming goodies last week. Our moles confirmed that Best Buy is getting a frighteningly small supply of 360s to sell, so unless you pre-ordered you might want to check out alternatives like Atari's retro-loving Flashback 2.0.
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3:00 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By Brian Crecente
81 views, 1 comment

Latest by Robotube: Whachoo talkin bout, Willis!? ™ more »

dap_oct31_triple.jpg Portable Media

DAP Delights for October 31

Today's DAP Headlines: More »
denon_avr_3806_250.jpg Home Entertainment

Denon Hi-Def AV receiver Brings On the Video

Let's face it, A/V receivers aren't really the darling of the CE world these days. Phones, gaming consoles, PDA's, these are the things we tend to look at when we want to drool. But Denon has always been a favorite of mine. Although its products aren't exactly exciting to look at, the company always packs a really great punch into a boring silver or black box. Take this new AVR-3806 receiver, which can upscale your analog TV signal to HDMI to make it almost as good as an HD signal. It'll also make your DVD images and console games look sweet as well. Has seven power amps and lets you feed multiple rooms from one source. Goes for around $1300. More »

2:58 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By tgrumet
1,008 views, 1 comment

Latest by rbf2000: I've seen upscaling dvd players and was less than impressed. They don't get anywhere near the quality of a more »

summit_psp_headset.jpg Peripherals

Wireless PSP Headphones

So what the is the deal this week with PSP and headphones/sets. This is the Summit PSP wireless headset (actually just headphones). Summit is using a workaround way to get the wireless headphones functional by using FM transmission. A device is attached to the PSP broadcasts the signal and the integrated FM tuner in the headphones picks up the signal. Lets hope it can work with any kind of FM tuner. This is available for a lowly $14.99. More »

2:56 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By Travis Hudson
3,575 views, Comment

Sonycompactvault_250.jpg Portable Media

Sony's New Proprietary Memory Scheme - Compact Vault

You got to be kidding me Sony. According to my count, this is the sixth Sony Memory Stick version released: Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro M2, UMD, and now the Compact Vault. This isn t completely proprietary. It's just kind of silly. The Compact Vault is a variant of CompactFlash Type II, so in a way they are simply upgrading, but there is probably no chance in hell that it will be compatible with older CompactFlash devices. The initial release will offer 5GB of data and transfer at a nice 96.7Mbps. It should be popping up around the UK in November. More »

2:27 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By Travis Hudson
278 views, 6 comments

Latest by drsmith: I don't know about anyone else, but I don't like to purchase my storage in like 8 different incompatible formats. more »

colorkeyboardkids.jpg Peripherals

Keyboard For The Kiddos

This keyboard is being dubbed as a "kids keyboard", but I beg to differ. As an avid Fisher-Price user, I personally enjoy the fun and exciting colors found on this keyboard. Each set of keys is labeled with a different (and bright) color to seperate things like letters, numbers, and functions. The keys also have Japanese characters underneath them so if you need to kick it as a non-US keyboard, it's very possible. It connects via USB or PS/2 (with adaptor) and retails for 4,980 YEN or about $43 USD. More »

2:10 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By gizmodo.com
451 views, 4 comments

Latest by Nintendofreak: It looks so colorful. more »

ziricote9.jpg Musical Instruments

In Your Face Bass: 9 Strings Of Fury

This custom made bass from Conklin packs a whopping 9 strings and a bitchin' Pac Man logo on the fret board. The Ziricote 9 string bass is custom made with a neck-through-body design and Bartolini split pickups with custom switching electronics that allow the player to send the 4 low strings to a bass amp while the upper 5 strings go to a guitar amp or all 9 strings to a bass amp. That's pretty hardcore and allows for some real creative playing. I'd like to see Geddy Lee from Rush or Chris Squire from Yes take on this bad boy. How much will it run you though? A lot. The base price for this custom work of art is $5100 with the ability to go much higher. Better start saving. More »

1:54 PM on Mon Oct 31 2005
By gizmodo.com
471 views, 6 comments

Latest by tinfoil: In case anyone is still reading this far back, I've interviewed Jean here: http://music.tinfoil.net/modules.php?name=News&file=articl... more »

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