The Demo Site

What with the spec bump and the white MacBook likely to get the hook soon, Apple is trying to work through their stock of old laptops as fast as they can. It’s not exactly bargain bin, but if you were thinking of getting a one of the Macs on the chopping block, this could be your chance to save a couple hundred bucks. These deals are in-store only, people! If I were you I’d run over there and see if you can still snag a 15.4″ MacBook Pro with 2.4GHz and 2GB of RAM (get your own) for $1600. That’s a steal.

Check out the full complement of deals here; Apple Insider has them all organized into a nice matrix for you, but you’d do well to maybe just call up your local Apple store and ask if they’ve got anything good.

Remember those holograms we saw during the presidential election? It was just like the hologram of Princess Leia that R2D2 shows to old Ben Kenobi, except suckier. I bet you wished, like I did, that you could make your own cool holograms, but with Sasquatch, right? Your dreams have been answered, thanks to LivingSasquatch.com!

This is a pretty cool little application. Simply print out the foot, and place it in sight of your webcam. Then use the simple storyboard tools to line up a sequence of actions, emotions, or attacks, and watch Sasquatch act them out right in front of you!

Here’s a little video I made that took all of two minutes to prepare. With a little more time, and a modest amount of creativity, you can whip up any number of clever Sasquatch videos! I can’t wait to see someone reenact their favorite scenes from Harry and the Hendersons!

Be sure to check out the gallery for more glorious Sasqutch videos.

The keyboard everyone in the world drooled over for months and months is out there on the market. It’s got its own LCD screen, it looks slick as hell, and it costs a mint. You know you want it, but should you really buy it?

The G19 is probably the second most anticipated keyboard of all time, after the infamous Optimus Maximus. The inclusion of a separate full-color LCD screen (an update to its predecessor, the G15) was like geek candy, but the question secretly on everybody’s mind was “is it actually going to be useful?” And as it turns out… not really. Let’s explore that right off the bat so you don’t have to read the rest of this review.

El Seedee

The screen itself is good. It’s 320×240, nice and sharp, and color is vibrant. It’s basically like your average mid-range cell phone screen. Viewing angle is pretty dismal, but you’re usually right in front of it and it swivels vertically anyway. So what’s on it?

Well, the screen has a few basic “channels.” YouTube, RSS Feed, song display, “my videos,” a clock, a performance monitor, a picture viewer, and a timer. Of these, the performance monitor is really the only useful one, because I can’t think of a reason you’d want or need to navigate YouTube or your pictures and videos via this tiny screen. The only situation I can think you’d do it is while in a full-screen app or game that doesn’t minimize or alt-tab well. The RSS reader is adequate, but only displays one story at a time. You’d really have to try hard to make use of this thing.

It works with some games and apps, but not many that I found. FRAPS and Neverwinter Nights 2 were the only ones that showed anything, and they were plain little displays with little information.

Squandered potential, plus it’s annoying

Where’s my bandwidth monitor for uTorrent? Where’s my ammo readout in Counter-Strike or my mini-map in Assassin’s Creed? Of course, it’s on the game and app developers to make that happen, but it’s on Logitech to press them on it. If Logitech is going to roll something like this out, they needed to roll out big or customers are going to see that they’re paying for a fantasy device.

Lastly, the LCD screen is not some self-contained little thing. It runs a bunch of processes in the background all the time, and on XP at least also had an item (or two) in the taskbar all the damn time. Come on, that’s unforgivable.

So unfortunately, that’s the G19’s primary selling point, and it’s not very convincing. Maybe in a year there will be more support for it, or a touchscreen, or what have you, but at the moment it’s just not worth it. But what about the rest of the keyboard?

Solid otherwise

The G19 is, aside from the screen, a very competent keyboard. The keys are big, well-spaced, and have a pleasant resistance to them. They seem to project further from the base than other keyboards, but I have been using the very flat Lycosa for months, so that could just be a bad comparator. The backlighting is the best I’ve seen, and covers the entire rainbow; you can set colors to profiles so you know which you’re in. All illumination turns off with the touch of a button so you don’t have to fiddle with anything if you want a blackout while you watch a movie.

Like the G19’s predecessor, the G15, you’ve got macro keys on the left side and a hard profile switcher — work, play, movie editing, or what have you. Plus, like most gaming keyboards, it detects games you start and will automatically launch a macro/key profile. The macro editor worked well and I use it for blogging shortcuts (inserting image code, signatures, etc) and that sort of thing. I’m not a big macro user but if you are I think you’d enjoy this. The macro keys themselves (G1-G12) are easily available and organized into little blocks of four, excellent for finding without looking (the F-keys are also blocked, thank god).

The other features on the keyboard include a (thank you Jesus) Windows key disabler and the usual media controls. The media buttons worked perfectly for me, although it would have been nice to have them be able to launch the player instead of just control it. The big mute button and volume wheel are responsive and feel good.

Killer app kills the keyboard

So what we’ve got here is a failure to launch. The LCD screen has a lot of potential but is only used for mundane tasks which have no real reason to be on there, or at least don’t justify the cost. Other than that, it’s a great keyboard. I enjoy typing on it, the macros are handy and responsive, and everything works perfectly well. It’s just not worth dropping $200 on because it has a screen. Logitech makes great keyboards, and you’d be better off going with another one, at least until this one has adequate support from the community and industry.

You thought the Wii Vitality Sensor was the last of it? Oh, no.

Nintendo prototype or legitimate medical device? I think the controller is just a little too nunchuk-like for comfort. Although it’s be nice to know your doctor (player 2) would be getting smooth analog control of the camera going down (or up) your gullet.

Actually, it’s a Danish single use intubating videoscope using an “intuitive handle design.” Good, because I was wondering where that other “accessory” off to the left was going.

[via MedGadget]

I was prepared to completely blow off inFamous as more hype-fueled garbage, especially after Tycho from Penny Arcade dumped all over it, but Yahtzee has quite another take. It’s not very often you hear him say a game is great, and now I think I’m going to have to find out whether he was for real about liking it, or maybe just on a peyote trip.

Let’s start with Toshiba’s ad that looks like it came straight out of the early 90s. Pretty boring if you ask me. Aside from that the SV670 is quite stunning. For one thing, the 55-inch model would take up my entire living room and I’d be happy to watch from the next room. I can’t say too much about the local dimming and simulated 240Hz because all the Toshiba sets were looping the same video of the Rose Gardens in Portland, OR. The Deep Lagoon design might seem gimmicky, but when you’re in the store staring at hundreds of black trimmed TVs on the wall, the Regza is going to catch your eye. I can’t give it a proper “hands-on” because it didn’t seem to be calibrated correctly because the ZV650 seemed to be properly calibrated and the color on that particular set blew away the SV670. I was thoroughly impressed with Toshiba’s lineup that was re-announced today, but I’ll reserve final judgment until I’ve had proper time with each. In the meantime, check out the photos.

Toshiba Televisions

One of the main problems with indoor putting surfaces is that the layout and hole placement never changes. So you get really good at one particular putt and then once you hit the course, your golfing buddies laugh at you and pull down your pants when you miss any putt that’s not ten feet away and dead straight. At least, that’s what my golfing buddies do and I can only assume the same thing happens everywhere.

The Expand-A-Green Putting Surface features 10 interlocking panels that can be fit together in various configurations, plus two regulation size cups and multiple cup locations. The entire surface area can reach three feet wide by eight feet long and you can even “position the cup knock-outs underneath for varying break” so it’s not a dead-on straight putt every time.

And now the bad news: it’s way too expensive at $130. Maybe it’s not if you have pool table and foosball table money like the guy in the above photo. That’s real money right there.

Expand-A-Green [After5 via Likecool.com]

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If you haven't picked up Battlestations: Pacific for the Xbox 360 (and PC) then you're doing it wrong. For an RTS, I really, really enjoy it. I just think of it as Battleship. Anyway, the Volcano Map Pack DLC will be available tomorrow for 560 MS points through the Xbox Marketplace while PC gamers will see the expansion on June 25th through Windows Live.

The Volcano Map Pack features two new maps for multiplayer and is playable in Island Capture, Competitive and Duel modes.

'Volcano', playable in Island Capture, Competitive and Duel modes, features a stunning backdrop of Hawaiian-style volcanic islands at dawn break. Island Capture mode offers players an all-new island formation to master with many huge land-based artillery batteries to capture and control; Competitive mode focuses on intense air combat as players either attack or defend a squadron of B-29 bombers intent on crushing the Japanese island occupation; and Duel mode offers players a unique battlefield unseen in Battlestations: Pacific – a partially submerged volcano.

In 'Choke Point', playable in Escort, Siege and Duel modes, players are offered a challenging and distinctive map which offers up its own unique blend of action and strategy. A narrow channel running through two stunning volcanic outcrops offers players a more action-oriented battlefield, all under the shadow of a huge volcano. Escort mode sees the USS Yorktown run the gauntlet with both air and sea attacks against its naval fleet; in Siege mode, the US ground forces have to disembark at the base of the volcano, their goal to capture the Japanese outpost; and Duel mode pits players to all out warfare in a head-to-head battle around the mighty volcano.

The DTV transition happens this Friday and there are still a bunch of households not ready according to a Nielson survey. It’s good to see that my grandparents aren’t the only old folks that get it as that segment is the most ready for the switch. However, there are still 2.8 million homes not ready with minorities leading the unprepared.

We’re trying to do our part by providing FAQ and tips. Unfortunately we are probably preaching to the choir. Still, the switch happens this Friday so do your part and ensure that your friends and family are ready.

Nielson via EngadgetHD

Now that it's summer and time to frolic outside, it's time to ride dirt bikes, right? Of course it is, but let's try and keep the environment clean and quiet this summer.

Zero Motorcycles announced their latest electric motorcycle yesterday, the Zero MX. It's built for the track with a beefy suspension specifically designed for "bigger jumps" and a 19-inch front wheel. Who wants to lend me $8,250 so I can buy one?

Zero Motorcycles

Our buddies at iFixIt are tearing down a 13-inch MacBook Pro as we speak, adding images throughout the day as they tear out her delicate innards.

You can follow iFixIt on Twitter to see what they’re up to right now. It appears they have opened the box and looked at the battery. While this may not be as exciting as Baby Jessica falling down the well, but it’s fun.

Here are some of the topics from today’s podcast…

• Apple’s WWDC announcements: new iPhone, Snow Leopard, Safari 4, new MacBook Pros and much, much more
• Nicholas gets threatened for posting torrent news
• Palm Pre versus iPhone versus Android

LISTEN: Show Link | RSS Feed | iTunes Link

Haven’t written about Sirius XM for a little while, so here’s a treat: your bill is about to go up. Starting next month, Sirius XM will tack on a $1.98 surcharge (if that’s the word to use) to your bill in order to placate the music industry.

That’s right, the music industry. The Copyright Royalty Board increased the rates that it forces satellite radio—but not terrestrial radio!—to pay. It works out that, because Sirius XM can’t "absorb these increased cost," it’ll merely be added onto your bill. See, easy!

And let’s not forget that Sirius XM started charging for its online stream a little while ago.

"Good times, good times," right?