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USB
ssds
Samsung Starts Mass Production of Cheap 128GB MLC Solid State Drives
We mentioned it back in February, and Samsung has now come good with its promise, announcing today that it's started mass-production of 128GB SSDs. They're of the slightly slower but cheaper multi-level cell technology, with a read speed of 90Mbps and write speed of 70Mbps. And Samsung claims they'll have a life span around "20 times longer than the generally accepted 4-5 year life span of a notebook PC hard drive." It'll be interesting to see what this move does to the price of SSDs, particularly now that we like them again. Press release below. More »
Golf
Netherlands To Get World's Largest Indoor Golf Complex
I play golf, but I hate the outdoors, so I'm going to move to the Netherlands, because they're on track to open this rad, giant, indoor golf course that I can play year round. Non-golfers won't understand what that means, but those of us in Seattle have a fairly short period that we actually get to go out and play, thus it's a crowded affair, making it very expensive. This magic land will have 34 indoor driving range berths, measure over 15,000 square feet, and feature weather-protected sand traps and water hazards. I'm hoping George Jetson attends the opening, because his handicap sucks. [Tuvie, via TechFresh]
Two-headed monitor
Samsung's Two-Headed LCD Monitor Gets Reviewed
There's something satisfying about having multiple monitors on your machines to keep things organized that you can't really describe. Samsung knows this but also knows that sometimes a full second monitor is overkill, thus the SyncMaster 2263. We've seen it before, but Wired has the first review we've seen up, and it's a a fairly neutral one. Highlights include the attractive finish and innovative design. The downsides include average performance and a high price. We do agree with reviewer, though, that it's a neat idea and somebody's going to figure out how to execute it well, and they'll probably make quite a bit of money. [Wired]
Blu-ray Recorders
Pioneer Going Blu-ray For Set-Top Recorders
Blu-ray set-top players are expected to be hot sellers this upcoming holiday season, but you might want to hold off until early next year when Pioneer and Sharp team up to bring Blu-ray recorders to living rooms in America. The partnership is hardly surprising—Sharp is part owner of Pioneer—and the recorders will launch in Japan this year and be shipped overseas next, with Europe and America likely being the first markets to get them. No word if they'll use those awesome new ultra-high-capacity disks we mentioned earlier, but not likely for this consumer-focused line. [Reuters]
Iphone 3g review
The first iPhone 3G reviews have just hit, from Walt Mossberg of the WSJ and All Things D, Ed Baig from USA Today and David Pogue from the NYTimes. No one goes deep into the app store but here's what they think:
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iPhone 3G Reviews Are In
The first iPhone 3G reviews have just hit, from Walt Mossberg of the WSJ and All Things D, Ed Baig from USA Today and David Pogue from the NYTimes. No one goes deep into the app store but here's what they think:
More »
Packard Bell
Packard Bell—previously referred to as Packard Hell and Packard Smell—is diving head-first into the gaming PC market with the ipower X2.0, a gaming rig that features full customization at a decent price. It's aimed squarely at offerings from Acer and Ares. The Intel-based machines give customers their choice of ATI or nVidia graphics, disk drives, audio options, TV tuners and other add-ons. In addition, the PC features advanced cooling, including a silent water cooling system. The boxes are expected for this holiday season at about $2000, and we're hoping they're nothing like the PBs of the past. [Trusted Reviews]
Packard Bell (!?) Launches Gaming Desktop Line
Packard Bell—previously referred to as Packard Hell and Packard Smell—is diving head-first into the gaming PC market with the ipower X2.0, a gaming rig that features full customization at a decent price. It's aimed squarely at offerings from Acer and Ares. The Intel-based machines give customers their choice of ATI or nVidia graphics, disk drives, audio options, TV tuners and other add-ons. In addition, the PC features advanced cooling, including a silent water cooling system. The boxes are expected for this holiday season at about $2000, and we're hoping they're nothing like the PBs of the past. [Trusted Reviews]
Cellphones
Nokia 8208 Two-way Slider Phone Looks Like N-Series, But Isn't Quite One
Inadvertently posted to the Nokia site, the 8208 not only looks similar to the n96, the first non N-Series phone to feature a two-way slider. Part of Nokia's music phone push, the phone features the 0-9 keys below the screen, and music player controls above the screen. In addition, the CDMA phone has a 3 Megapixel camera and EVDO Rev.A. No word on release date or price. [Electronista]
9:10 PM on Tue Jul 8 2008
By Adrian Covert
1,393 views,
4 comments
Media Center
Windows Media Center Update Might Get Partner Later In the Year
Windows Media Center still isn't what Microsoft wants it to be, but it has its fans, and its getting an update this month that they've been waiting for. Word is coming down, though, that this update isn't the one the users are lusting after, the one with H.264 and DirectTV tuner support. Instead it's a minor upgrade that adds things like international support. But fret not, users, as now it seems like there's another rumor flying around about another update later in the year which will add many requested features. Patience, my fellow home theater nerds, we'll get our updates. [EngadgetHD]
Nvidia
Nvidia Helping Modders Port PhysX Engine to ATI Radeon
Remember those modders from NGOHQ who were swolling out ATI's Radeon graphics cards with Nvidia's PhysX physics engine? Surprise, Nvidia loves the idea of their physics engine running on rival ATI's graphics cards, so they're giving Eran Badit and his crew total support, with access to documentation, SDKs, hardware and actual engineers. AMD, on the other hand, isn't being so cooperative. More »
Aircraft
Boeing JHL-40 Heavy-Lift Rotorcraft Is Massive Floating Crane
This stunning aircraft—that looks straight out of a science-fiction movie in which the Nazis won WWII—is the Boeing SkyHook JHL-40. A heavy-lift rotorcraft designed to lift 40 tons, it can transport its cargo across 200 miles without refueling in adverse environments like the Arctic. According to Boeing, it will be able to reach where no other kind of transport can go, at a fraction of the cost, with less environmental impact, and without danger to the crew. Seeing it carrying massive tree trunks makes the JHL-40 look even more impressive: More »
8:00 PM on Tue Jul 8 2008
By Jesus Diaz
9,639 views,
44 comments
Art
Instead of turning it into a jukebox, a jack-o-lantern, or worse, a web server hosting your text-only fan site, why not ship that old Mac of yours out to Melbourne, Australia where painter and street artist Satta van Daal will slap on some fanboy-approved Apple imagery as part of his iPaint myMac series. I'm actually a little surprised it's taken this long for me to see a Mac with Jobs and Woz's bearded mugs on it. Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough. [Satta Van Daal via Team Teabag]
Meta: Artist Uses Old Macs as Canvases for Mac Fanboy Paintings
Instead of turning it into a jukebox, a jack-o-lantern, or worse, a web server hosting your text-only fan site, why not ship that old Mac of yours out to Melbourne, Australia where painter and street artist Satta van Daal will slap on some fanboy-approved Apple imagery as part of his iPaint myMac series. I'm actually a little surprised it's taken this long for me to see a Mac with Jobs and Woz's bearded mugs on it. Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough. [Satta Van Daal via Team Teabag]
Car Audio
So you got yourself a fancy new stereo for your car. It's all well and good while you're driving, but when you're out of the car you know damn well that it's a magnet for ne'er-do-wells who are just itching to take a crowbar to your window and forcibly remove your fancy apparatus from your dash. What to do? Simple: disguise it with a really crappy looking stereo faceplate, complete with a half a cassette sticking out.
More »
Hide Your Fancy Car Stereo Behind a Very Crappy Car Stereo
So you got yourself a fancy new stereo for your car. It's all well and good while you're driving, but when you're out of the car you know damn well that it's a magnet for ne'er-do-wells who are just itching to take a crowbar to your window and forcibly remove your fancy apparatus from your dash. What to do? Simple: disguise it with a really crappy looking stereo faceplate, complete with a half a cassette sticking out.
More »
Question of the Day
Well if you didn't know it was iPhone week yet, you do now. This morning we saw a Portuguese phone get blurrily unboxed, followed by a US version just a few minutes ago. Unfortunately they're mere teases—since you've read our 3G survival guide, you'll know that your opportunity comes Friday. So the question on everyone's mind is—are you going to pick one up? Upgrading? Sticking with the oldie? Or just can't wait for this week to be over? UPDATE: This poll may be broken. Either that, or we only have one reader who hates the iPhone—hey it's possible, but unlikely. Please continue to vote anyway, since it may just be a very laggy counter.
More »
Question of the Day: Are You Getting an iPhone 3G?
Well if you didn't know it was iPhone week yet, you do now. This morning we saw a Portuguese phone get blurrily unboxed, followed by a US version just a few minutes ago. Unfortunately they're mere teases—since you've read our 3G survival guide, you'll know that your opportunity comes Friday. So the question on everyone's mind is—are you going to pick one up? Upgrading? Sticking with the oldie? Or just can't wait for this week to be over? UPDATE: This poll may be broken. Either that, or we only have one reader who hates the iPhone—hey it's possible, but unlikely. Please continue to vote anyway, since it may just be a very laggy counter.
More »
Satellites
Micro Satellites Geared Toward Private Sector Make Tin Foil Hats a Good Idea
The Guardian wrote a neat feature on Surrey Satellite Technologies, who are currently working on scaled down, fully functional satellites for commercial consumption that only cost 10 million dollars, only weigh 220 pounds, and only take 18 months to build. But when compared to full-sized satellites ($500m, 1000 kg) used by government agencies and large corporations, these micro-satellites are amazingly compact and cost effective. Surrey will be sending 5 of these into orbit on the back of an old soviet rocket in Kazhakstan. More »
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3G First US Unboxing (Best Photos Yet)
Boy Genius' unboxing of the iPhone 3G might not be the first in the world, but it is the first in the US, and damned if it isn't the best, with lots of clear, shiny shots. One problem: It's not activated, so they can't actually dive into the phone's functions. But it's not like there's a whole lotta surprise there. [BGR]
6:33 PM on Tue Jul 8 2008
By matt buchanan
37,898 views,
49 comments
Safety First
What are nudists to do when enjoying their favorite watersports? I mean, safety is one thing, but wearing a traditional lifejacket means unsightly tan lines and breasts yearning to be free. Fortunately a Korean company has manufactured a transparent lifejacket dubbed the "Zak Nudevest" that ensures buoyancy and exposure for the discerning naked consumer. I suppose that the jacket could also be used for clothed individuals that simply feel foolish wearing big, orange lifejackets—but that problem is not nearly as arousing. Available for around $15. [Earlyadopter via TFTS]
Zak Nudevest: A Transparent Lifejacket For Nudists
What are nudists to do when enjoying their favorite watersports? I mean, safety is one thing, but wearing a traditional lifejacket means unsightly tan lines and breasts yearning to be free. Fortunately a Korean company has manufactured a transparent lifejacket dubbed the "Zak Nudevest" that ensures buoyancy and exposure for the discerning naked consumer. I suppose that the jacket could also be used for clothed individuals that simply feel foolish wearing big, orange lifejackets—but that problem is not nearly as arousing. Available for around $15. [Earlyadopter via TFTS]
Applegasm
