The Demo Site

If you were weeping for America, as we instructed, you can stop now. The Comfort Wipe must not have received enough orders (hard to believe) and consequently is no longer being offered. Actually, it never was offered; Telebrand, the company that made the ad, only did so for market research purposes, and apparently found interest lacking. So it’s back to a sturdy stick and damp rag for America.

No worries, though. Telebrands offers many other quality products, like Doggy Steps. On second thought, continue weeping.

[via The Awl]

Short Version: Samsung has put out another well-priced, nicely-featured camcorder in the SMX-F34. If you’re looking for a little more than a simple handheld flash memory camcorder but don’t want to pay top dollar for a high-definition video camera, this model deserves a closer look thanks to marathon battery life, good image quality, 16GB of built-in storage, and a 34x optical zoom all at under $300.

Overview and Features

The Samsung SMX-F34 features the following (full specs here):

• 1/6-inch CCD image sensor
• 30mm lens with 34x optical zoom
• 2.7-inch swivel LCD
• 16GB of built-in storage, plus support for SD(HC) and MMC+ memory cards
• H.264 video codec (MainConcept AVC/AAC — .MP4 files) at up to 720×480 resolution (see sample file below)
• Up to 3 hours of battery life
• MSRP of $299.99, but it’s available for around $250 just about everywhere

If you’ve seen my review of the SC-MX20, the SMX-F34 is similar except that it’s got built-in memory, longer battery life, and has a few new features like time-lapse recording and the ability to shoot still images.

Video Quality

Video is shot using the MainConcept AVC/AAC H.264 codec, which produces .mp4 files. The files are easy to work with using most popular video editing software. I personally use Sony Vegas, which handles the files just fine. I’ve had trouble with files from similarly-equipped JVC and Panasonic camcorders, though. The last thing I want to do before editing video is to have to convert it to a usable format first. The files from Samsung camcorders have been usable straight off of the camera — no fuss, no muss.

Here’s an unedited sample file that shows off the 34x zoom and that you can use to see if this camera will work with your video editing software. The file was shot about two hours before dusk, full zoom, with image stabilization turned off.

Sample Video File (8.3 megabytes)

Files can be read directly off SD or MMC cards or transferred via USB. Transfer time for a 500-megabyte file takes about three minutes.

Battery Life

Samsung pegs the battery life at three hours. I was able to shoot video continuously for two and a half hours, so that three-hour claim likely factors in multiple shots with breaks in between. Whatever the case, I never travelled with the power cord as the battery life was always long enough that I didn’t worry much about it at all.

Additional Features

Aside from just recording video, the SMX-F34 features still image capture, face detection, time-lapse recording, various scene modes, YouTube uploading, image stabilization, windscreen, and more. The camera’s handle swivels 180 degrees, which makes it easy to hold at most angles.

Here’s a short clip of the time-lapse recording function:

Recommendation:

I think Samsung’s line of flash memory camcorders still represent the best value for the money thanks to the long battery life and good codec support. If you don’t need or want an HD camcorder and you like the idea of having 16GB of on-board memory in case you forget an SD card, you want to take still photos, and you like the time lapse feature, then the $249 street price of the SMX-F34 is pretty tough to beat.

Otherwise, if you can find the SC-MX20 for around $200, that’s a great deal too. You just lose the still images, the time lapse, and you’ll need to supply a memory card.

Samsung SMX-F34 [Samsung.com]

If you like to listen to music while you cruise around on your skateboard or bike, your options are limited — both legally and physically. We saw a directional speaker/flashlight/mp3 player last week that looked handy, but if you want to broadcast your music a little more widely, this little wearable speaker might do the trick. It promises “surprising power,” but I’ll reserve judgment until I actually hear it. It’s only one speaker, of course, so you won’t be getting your music in stereo, but all that really matters is hearing the beat over the wind rush or the rattle of your wheels.

The best part is that they’re super rugged. If you crash a lot, you probably shouldn’t be riding around anyway, but since you aren’t likely to stop because I told you to, young man, you should at least have an uncrushable music device. Of course, that protection doesn’t extend to your mp3 player, so I’d keep that baby in a case or something. The batteries are supposed to last 3-6 hours (depending on volume, I suppose).

They’ll be $60 when they come out, but act now and you can save, save, save! Half off if you pre-order. That’s a pretty good deal if the SkullyBoom does what they say it does.

This enormous Space Invaders screen, played by throwing balls at the invaders, is an installation at the OFFF festival in Barcelona. I can’t wait until advanced touch surfaces are so common that you can hack stuff like this into your video wall at home, or use your office’s Minority Report display to play a game of future Risk. As it is, we have to leave it to hackers and art collectives to make our freaky Space Invaders walls, but as long as it’s happening somewhere I’m satisfied.

Incidentally, a friend of mine tipped me off that the intro video for the festival was pretty awesome; you can check that out here.

[via LikeCool]

Boutique PC companies have it rough these days, unless they come up with something truly original or compelling, it’s extremely difficult to fight against the bargain brands. However, for those willing to spend a few extra dollars, some amazing machines are out there. One such brand is MainGear PC, one of the relative newcomers to the game. Maingear recently sent us one of their X-Cube 3D Vision machines to review, and it’s quite impressive.

Obviously this machine was designed to be used by the LAN party crowd, since Maingear decided to use a Silverstone Sugo case. Generally speaking I don’t like to see high end components in a mini-ATX style case, as they have a tendency to over heat and the power supply rarely has enough juice to do the job. Silverstone overcame this by using multiple fans in the lid, and making the case large enough for a full size power supply. The side effect of this is that the case is quite loud. Of course, considering the specs, this is to be expected.

Performance and specs

This machine definitely has the power to get things done, in fact I think it’s safe to say this has to be one of the fastest machines I’ve ever used:
Processor: Core i7 920 (2.67GHz)
Chipset: DFI Lanparty Jr. X58-T3H6
RAM: 6GB Kingston HyperX 1600MHz
PSU: Silverstone Strider 1000w
Video: NVidia GeForce GTX 295 1792 GDDR3

The “3D” in the X-Cube 3D comes from the Nvidia 3D Vision goggles that also came with this system, combined with the Samsung SyncMaster 2233rz monitor. While this is available as an add-on to the X-Cube, you’ll have to decide whether the 3D option is for you. I would encourage caution since the goggle technology is still a little rough and caused headaches. They also made the games look REALLY cool, and there was minimal framerate loss when the goggles were active.

Speaking of performance, this machine really shines. In 3dMark06, the X-Cube scored a very respectable 18293, and in PCMark05, a 12085. Of course, if you’re like me those numbers are nice, but what really matters is the FPS when you are gaming.

>In World Of Warcraft (yeah, I know it’s a bit old, but I wanted to see it in 3D) my settings were completely maxed out, and running at 1680×1050, the max that the Samsung supports. I consistently saw 77 FPS, even in some of the new Lich King areas that are notoriously slow. When using the 3D goggles the FPS did take a slight performance hit, coming in at an average of 63 FPS, which is still very smooth and definitely playable.

>Far Cry 2 gave the machine a much harder time, again running at 1680×1050, with AAx4, Bloom on, and the rest of the settings at very high. The “Farm” demo delivered 70 FPS, and in actual game play I consistently ran at about 65 FPS. The 3D goggles again created a bit of a performance issue, dropping the average FPS to about 52 during actually game play. This created some minor issues when there were large explosions going off, but the added cool factor of the goggles outweighed the performance hit.

What I didn’t like
Now not everything is perfect about this system. There were a couple of flaws, admittedly fairly minor. One issue is the blue LED’s on the front of the case. Silverstone decided for whatever reason to use LED’s bright enough to compete with the sun, and so you definitely know when the computer is on. In fact, no other lights are needed in the room when the computer is on as a result. A more serious issue showed up on the back on the computer. After unpacking the machine I noticed that the case cover didn’t have any screws in it, and the metal plate that goes over the USB, network, and sound ports on the back of the machine was pretty bent up. A minor issue, but still not something you’d expect from a company that spent so much time on making sure the cabling was run correctly.

Bottom Line
So the X-Cube 3D came with the Samsung SyncMaster 2233rz monitor, Razor Death Adder mouse, Razor Lycosa keyboard, and the previously mentioned Nvidia 3D Vision goggles. Grand total for what is admittedly a very high end system came in at $3433. Considering today’s economy, I don’t know that many gamers out there are still looking to drop quite that much on a new PC. Keep in mind, the system that Maingear sent us is pretty much a “dream machine” configuration, and you can adjust the specs to your particular needs.

Back in the old days, my buddy and I made do with a cheap four track mixer and a tape recorder. Now these kids have a 16 track recorder that dumbs audio to an SD card that supports 8 simultaneous recording tracks in 44kHz WAV recording and 8 XLR/1/4-inch inputs.

There are even built-in preamps and DSP effects and has a USB interface for audio editing. It only costs $400 so get thee to the computer music store.

Samson Debuts Zoom R16 Revolutionary Portable
16-Track Recorder, Audio Interface and Controller

State-of-the-art professional USB and battery powered recording device with simultaneous 8
track recording, 16 track playback and 100+ built-in mastering effects

Hauppauge, NY – June 16, 2009 – Zoom once again revolutionizes digital recording with the
first digital recorder with 16-track playback and 8-track simultaneous recording utilizing Secure
Digital (SD) memory. The R16 is three production tools in one device: a multi-track recorder, an
audio interface and a control surface, providing all the tools necessary to create studio-quality
recordings. Additionally, the R16 runs on only 6 AA batteries for the ultimate in multi-track
portability.

With the R16, recording artists, songwriters, sound
engineers and film sound professionals alike can
record up to 32 GBs on an SD card. The SD
recording, while incredibly convenient for file
transferring, also makes the R16 significantly
lighter. SD recording also avoids the pitfalls of a
potential crashing hard drive and allows for up to
100 track hours of recording using all 16 tracks.

"We have learned a great deal from the success of
our H2 and H4n as well as HD8 and HD16, our past
multi-track recorders," says Masa Iijima, CEO of
Zoom Corporation. "With the R16 we have brought the most important capabilities from each of
these product lines into our design to make a unique and versatile music production solution."
Connect the R16 to your laptop or desktop computer via USB, launch your favorite DAW or use
the included Cubase LE; and, immediately start laying down your production tracks. In addition,
USB operation means you can control each function of your favorite DAW software from the
R16 for easy mixing with fine-tuned control.
"The R16 is the all-in-one solution for all kinds of challenges that musicians face," says Mark
Wilder, Samson Director of Marketing. "Its versatility and portability along with the power to
record so many tracks simultaneously, makes the R16 another indispensible product from
Zoom," added Wilder.
With the R16, versatility, control and portability come together in one recorder that lets you
produce professional results everywhere you go.

Complete product specifications are below:

• Digital recorder with 16-track playback and 8-track simultaneous recording utilizing
Secure Digital (SD) memory
• 16/24-bit/44.1kHz linear PCM recording in WAV format
• Built-in stereo condenser microphones
• Included 1GB SD card and with support for up to 32GB SDHC
• Allows simultaneous recording on up to 8 tracks
• Battery operation for remote recording
• USB power for audio interface and control surface operation
• 8 mic inputs / 2 outputs (8 x 2)
• 8 combination XLR-1/4-inch inputs
• High-definition 24-bit/96kHz recording capability using digital audio software
• 100+ built-in studio effects coming from advanced DSP which can additionally be used
as outboard effects
• Hi-Z input for direct connection of guitar or bass
• Included preamp with phantom power on two channels
• Mackie control emulation via USB for popular DAW software including Cubase, Logic,
Digital Performer and more
• Amazing guitar amp and effects models
• Professional quality mastering effects including multi-band compressor, normalizer and
more
• Operates as USB storage device for quick data transfer
• Connect two R16s via USB for synchronized operation and 16 tracks of simultaneous
recording
• Undo/Redo functions
• Comes with Steinberg Cubase LE 4
• Supports Windows XP/Vista, Mac operating systems

This totally slipped my mind at the weekend, but Blizzard is ramping up for theStarCraft II beta, if the e-mail it sent me (and thousands of other writers, I’m sure) is any indication. Get excited, people!

Now, there’s no set date for the beta, but Blizzard stipulated that prospective beta testers submit their info by June 19.

Provided nothing unusual happens, expect plenty of "HEY CHECK THIS OUT!" updates as the summer progresses.

Of course, you could try to get in on the beta yourself!

No doubt in an effort to get everyone to stay indoors all summer, Costco is selling a 40-inch 1080p LCD TV for just $499 after a $100 instant discount that runs until July 5th. The TV is a Proscan brand with a 1920×1080 resolution, 2000:1 contrast ratio, 550 cd/m2 brightness, and three HDMI inputs.

You also get three component inputs, an S-Video input, two standard AV inputs, and there’s a VGA input for good measure. Shipping adds $30 but perhaps you’d be able to find this in your local store. Curiously, the product page states that the TV is great for “HDTV viewing (with an HD cable or satellite box)” which would seem to indicate that the included coax antenna input doesn’t do over the air HD.

That sounds like crazy-talk, though. Crazy-talk, I tell you. Costco has a generous 90-day return policy, though, and the warranty is automatically extended from one year to two. You can also get the same TV at Best Buy (although with just a one-year warranty) for the same price this week.

$499.99 after $100 OFF Proscan 40″ 1080p LCD HDTV [Costco.com]

“What you can do with the new systems is go directly to the international network computers called *dramatic pause* the Internet.”

I wonder if he foresaw the Internet replacing him way back then? Watch this video. It’s a classic.

Hulu via DownloadSquad

It seems that a lot of people are moving to a laptop as their primary machine, but that poses a problem for power users who need both mobility and horsepower. Add battery concerns to the pile and you’ve got kind of a conundrum. Fortunately, each new generation of graphics cards provides more power, less battery draw, or both. That’s going on right now with Nvidia, which is adding a bunch of confusingly-named but functional mobile GPUs to their lineup.

You’ve got your super-low-power G210M, which only draws 14W but is pretty weak despite its higher clock speed. Then you’ve got your mid-range and high-end, in two flavors each. Here are the actual specs in this handy image:

My heightened blogger senses allow me to determine the best deal, and it’s probably the 250M, which has the best cross between low power, fast memory, and advanced architecture. No need to thank me, citizen.

Seeing as though Snow Leopard is only $29, this just-announced $9.95 update program doesn’t have quite the same impact that it might otherwise have. Still! The deal is that if you buy a Mac on or after June 8, Apple will send you a Snow Leopard DVD when the operating system comes out this fall.

More info will be posted tomorrow, obviously.

Meanwhile, here’s that famous video showing the intro videos from earlier Mac OS X releases:

USA!

via TUAWAWAW

It's not the POV action footage you're meant to be shooting with the ContourHD, but I'm stuck in the office and this is the best I can do for now. Video was sped up about 300 percent in iMovie. You can check out the VholdR site for raw action footage until I can get my own up, which should be tomorrow since I'm picking up my skateboard from my old apartment today.

VholdR's latest mountable camcorder shoots HD (720p) footage and supports up to a 16GB microSDHC card (comes with a 2GB). You can easily flip between SD (60fps) and HD (30fps) shooting mode and the one-touch record button makes an audible beep to let you know when it's recording. The device is extremely lightweight at four ounces and the improved viewing angle at 135 degrees makes for wicked awesome footage. The ContourHD comes with various rail mounts to stick wherever you please. The lens can be rotated depending on how you mount it so you're not watching your latest footage upside or rotated 90 degrees to the left or right.

Just in time for Father's Day, Amazon is offering a free $50 gift card when you buy the ContourHD bringing the cost of the device down to $230 (if you factor in the gift card).

We’re not sure if there’s a direct connection here or not, but here’s the way we saw it: PreDev Wiki opens the floor to anyone looking to discuss tethering the Pre, then nixes the topic at the request of Palm. Just hours later, the first tethering solution has gone up. Coincidence? Did someone get a spark of motivation after the discussion got pushed under the rug? Either way - tethering works!

Read the rest of this post >>

Stop what you’re doing! It’s a Samsung press day and they’re blowing the doors off the hinges with these completely bonkers announcements. Well, not really, but there are some nice little upgrades (and a grip of phones) trickling out, so if you were in the market for a little external drive, better read this before you shell out.

Samsung’s little S series has been offering tiny storage and encryption for a while, and the line is now getting a cosmetic and functional upgrade. The S1 Mini, which uses a 1.8″ drive, is getting a size bump to 160GB; that’s a great amount of space to have in something that fits easily into my purse. I mean your purse. The whole line is also getting truly amazing new blue and magenta colors, so you can impress all your friends with your fashion sense as well as your storage capacity.

Of course, if you’re not concerned about looks, you can buy one of these ugly (but practical) mothers.

I’m not a huge movie buff, but I have a pretty good memory and do well enough at movie trivia games. I am also often able to repeat lines verbatim from movies I saw years ago, and usually enjoy doing so. So I was pretty intrigued when I saw Avalinx’s new app, MovieLingo. It’s a simple app, but I think it’s a good example of how to use mobile computing and always-on Internet connectivity to improve the social experience.

Final Fantasy XIII is our white whale. We’ll follow it and follow it until it drives us crazy. Today’s news: the Xbox 360 version of the game has only been in development for two months. Spring 2010, you say?

Here’s the relevant quote:

Up to the trial demo version that was released [in April] in Japan, [FFXIII] was PS3-only in terms of development… The Xbox 360 version is definitely following after the PS3 version, but [we] were finally able to come to a point in the PS3 development where some of the staff could take their hands off and start programming the 360 version.

Now, the engine that powers Final Fantasy XIII, Crystal Tools, is multi-platform, so porting from PS3 to Xbox 360 isn’t as hard as it could be.

Let’s all place bets on bwin.com: What will comes first, flying cars or Final Fantasy XIII?

And yes, I am aware that that picture has nothing to do with FFXIII, but I’m tired of using the same picture of Lightning for these posts. Amano artwork from here on out.

Sure you’ve seen wireless 3D mice but have you seen one shaped like a loop? No, you haven’t. That’s why there’s the Hillcrest Labs Loop Pointer, a loop-shaped remote control that costs $99 and promises compatibility with Macs, PCs, and the PS3. It’s obviously great for presenters but they’re also billing this as a media center controller.

It was fairly accurate in our limited testing and would work great as a 10-foot interface controller - you just point it at the screen and it divines its current position without complaint. It’s a bit inaccurate out of the box - it was always pointing a little to the right - but you can learn to work through that issue. An interesting concept and interesting execution - but $99?

Bottom Line
I’m 80% sold and would be more so if it worked with more CE devices.

Hillcrest Labs Introduces the Loop(TM) Pointer: In-Air Mouse for TV

Hillcrest Labs Introduces the Loop(TM) Pointer: In-Air Mouse for TV

ROCKVILLE, Md., June 15 /PRNewswire/ — Today, in time for Father’s Day, Hillcrest Labs launched its award-winning Loop(TM) pointer to be sold directly to consumers. The Loop pointer is a unique Freespace(R) mouse that lets users control an on-screen cursor with the flick of wrist. The Loop pointer is designed to be used by the growing number of consumers who connect their PC or Mac(R) to a TV.

According to data derived from a recent Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)(R) report, there are now more than 7 million US households that have connected a personal computer to their home television sets(1). With the Loop pointer, these consumers now have an engaging new way to search, browse, and navigate the Web or their home media content on TV.

The Loop pointer’s distinctive design is round and ergonomic including just four buttons and a scroll wheel. Originally developed as a concept product to showcase Hillcrest Labs’ Freespace in-air pointing and motion control technology, the Loop pointer is available to consumers for the first time for just $99. Consumers can purchase the Loop pointer at www.amazon.com or www.hillcrestlabs.com/loop.

“As our flagship Freespace product design, the Loop pointer has captured the imagination and interest of most people who have used it,” said Dan Simpkins, CEO and founder of Hillcrest Labs. “Although today we are introducing our first product directly to the public, at our core, we remain a software and IP licensing company.”

“Hillcrest Labs is recognized as one of the most innovative developers of motion control technology and graphical user interfaces for television,” said Colin Dixon, principal analyst at the Diffusion Group. “Their new Loop pointer is a simple, elegant product whose unique design will make it a great conversation piece in the living room, dorm room, lecture hall, or board room.”

Examples of Applications and Uses

To use the Loop pointer, consumers simply plug a small, USB 2.0 transceiver that comes with the device into a compatible computer or device. As with a conventional mouse, no special driver software is required for use on a PC or Mac. Device applications include:

* Mouse for TV: For consumers who connect a PC-to-TV or Mac-to-TV, the Loop is an in-air pointer that offers the industry’s highest performance. Users can relax comfortably on a couch, hold the Loop pointer in any position, and control their favorite online video sites, photo sites, music sites, and more. Using the standard on-screen keyboards that are included with the Windows or Mac operating systems, people can enter search terms, passwords, and more.
* Presenters: Executives, professors or other PowerPoint(TM) users now have a far more useful and eye-catching tool for use with keynotes, company presentations, or lectures. The Loop pointer also makes it easy to switch between presentations, web pages and other applications, all while walking around the conference room or lecture hall.

The Loop pointer can also complement the following products:

* KODAK Theatre HD Player: Owners of the highly acclaimed KODAK Theatre HD Player can use the Loop pointer as a fully functioning alternative controller to interact with pictures, videos and music, and more.
* PS3(TM): The Loop pointer is not a game controller for PS3, but it can be used as a complementary device to navigate the Internet using the PS3’s web browser.
* Apple TV: While Apple TV does not support mouse controllers, consumers who use aTV Flash, from Fire Core (version 3.6), will be able to use the Loop pointer to navigate content on the device and the aTV Flash web browser.

Freespace Technology

The Loop pointer incorporates Hillcrest Labs’ patented Freespace technology. Attributes of the Loop pointer that are made possible by Freespace technology include:

* High Accuracy/Precision: The Loop is a highly precise pointer which allows users to point to individual pixels on a high-resolution screen.
* Orientation Compensation: Regardless of the orientation of the device in space (e.g. pointing at the ground, turned sideways, etc.), Freespace generates intuitive cursor motions on the screen. MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) sensors combined with Hillcrest’s proprietary software enable consistent control of the device from any position - standing, sitting or reclining.
* Adaptive Tremor Removal: Hillcrest’s technology can distinguish between intentional and unintentional movement, including natural hand tremors. Instead of filtering out the entire range of human tremor, which would reduce the accuracy of the pointer, the Loop pointer dynamically measures each individual user’s specific tremor and unintentional movements and removes them.
* No Line-of-Site: Unlike conventional Infrared devices and optical motion-sensing devices that require “line-of-site” operation, the Loop pointer uses RF (radio frequency) technology, so users do not need to point directly at the computer or TV screen. This gives users greater freedom to move around at a range of up to 30 feet. It also means that the PC or Mac could be stored in a media cabinet while in use.

Freespace technology can also be licensed by companies as a complete hardware and software platform to create peripheral devices that accurately track motion with six degrees of freedom. Companies that have licensed Freespace for use in their products include: Eastman Kodak, Logitech, UEI, and ZillionTV. In addition, Hillcrest Labs licenses a broad set of intellectual property including more than 40 issued patents, out of more than 190 filed by the company.

Loop Pointer Specifications

* Diameter: 4.8 inches (approximately the size of a CD or DVD)
* Width: 1.2 inches
* Weight: 4.9 ounces
* Color: Black with silver buttons
* Connectivity: USB 2.0 antenna with built in RF (radio frequency transceiver)
* Power supply: 2 AA batteries (included)

Okay, this is definitely a new one. The “BeerPaQ CarboPouch for Draft Beers” is pretty much exactly like it sounds, although you could drop “BeerPaQ” and “Carbo” to achieve the same effect: it’s beer, but in a pouch. But why?

Here’s why. It’s expensive and time-consuming for smaller “craft draft beer brewers” — people who brew their own beer that’s delicious enough to sell to other people — to bottle all those beers for sale. These beer pouches make it easier and less expensive to do so, especially at on-site events like beer festivals and whatnot where they may sell beers one at a time.

The pouches are made from a special “organoleptic film structure” that apparently don’t change the taste of the beer, so it’s just like drinking out of a bottle assuming you can get past the mental aspect of drinking a tube of beer.

Here’s more:

“The patented film structure is designed to handle the pouch "stretch" after filling and carbonation expansion. The automatic filling process is such that there is no headspace after filling. The three-side seal pouch has a smooth side comfort grip feature. The combination of these factors makes the CarboPouch™ a true economical innovation for distribution of craft draft beers to the consumer's home. Sports functions now have a package!”

The pouches come in three sizes: 8 ounces (boo!), 16 ounces (yay!), and a whopping 1.8 liter-sized pouch (hooray!). I’ve never personally heard of or seen anything like this but maybe they’ll slowly creep their way into local beer-stravaganzas everywhere.

CARBOPOUCH [Beverage Pouch Group via DVICE]

I've been on a quest for a functional and affordable desk over the last few months and I think I found it. It’s no Milk desk, but the StudioDesk appears to suit my needs just fine.

I can't attest to the quality of the BlueLounge desk, but the features are appealing to a nerd. A hidden compartment holds most of your power doodads so as not to clutter your desktop. A slit running just short of the width of the desk allows for cables to enter and exit and only one cable exits the desk to plug into the wall. A drawer-like slider covered with an optional faux leather mat reveals just how messy you really are. Made from mahogany and laminate press, the StudioDesk is available for pre-order now (ships later this month) at $600 with free shipping. I wonder if Ikea will make a cheaper clone.

StudioDesk [BlueLounge]

Thanks for the tip, KSA!

We jumped on the chance to take a look at two of Chrome’s newest bags: the Corsair and Vega. As Peter Ha told me, Chrome is one of the last true makers of messenger bags. He is rarely right about anything, but this time he was dead-on. These bags are rad.

So what makes these bags so good? Well, for one, they are extremely well made with quality material. The Cordura fabric seems like it will last forever. The straps are lightweight, but also wide enough that they shouldn’t dig into your shoulder even when loaded down.

What I like the best about both of them is that they are lined with a rubber material which should keep the bag’s contents safe from weather. Now, the bags aren’t sealed up as the top is held on with just two straps, but I wouldn’t expect rain or snow to seep through this layer.

Neither bag is very large. Don’t expect to put more than two text books in either. The Vega is really more of a man purse than anything else. It could probably hold your Franklin Covey planner, Kindle DX, and a magazine okay, but don’t expect anything else to fit comfortable. The Corsair is a tad larger, but not much.

Chrome markets these as utility bags and not notebook bags. That’s doesn’t mean you could use them as such. Just be careful. The bags do not have any type of padding. I found that a 13-inch iBook fit in the Vega and the Corsair held a 15.6-inch Asus just fine. I would recommend some sort of notebook sleeve though.

As with any quality item, these come with a price - a high one. But if you need a solid, weather-resistant utility bag, you probably will not mind spending $80 on the Corsair or Vega. I wouldn’t.

Kudos to you, Kingston. The DataTraveler 200 is the world's first 128GB USB thumb drive. It's also available in 32GB and 64GB capacities, which are readily available. The 128GB DT200 is build-to-order only and retails for $546. Besides the memory capacity, the DT200 line comes with a five-year warranty and includes Password Traveler security software for Windows. The 32GB can be had for $120 while the 64GB retails for $213.

Kingston

Bad news, sports fans. It looks like Apple has downgraded the speed of the SATA interface in the newest revision of the MacBook Pro. While the previous MacBook Pros had a 3.0 Gbit SATA interface, benchmarks show that the current MacBook Pro only clocks in at 1.5 Gbit.

This is really only an issue if you plan(ned) on using a solid state drive. Traditional hard disk drives won’t even come close to maxing out a 1.5 Gbit interface, so there’s no need to worry in the slightest if you’re using a regular HDD.

It’s a different story if you’re using an SSD, as your top speed is effectively halved. Check out these benchmarks. The first pic shows a MacBook with a 3.0 Gbit SATA interface, while the second shows a new MacBook Pro with the slower 1.5 Gbit SATA interface.

No one knows what the heck is going on. Is Apple cutting costs? Is this an artificial limitation? Where will David Villa play next year? Question marks all around.

Nowhereelse found a video of a young man playing Super Mario Brothers with, of all things, a theremin. By moving his hands over the rods Mario jumps, moves, and twists. Think of it as Natal but for fans of old sci-fi movies and participants in Flaming Lips mass on-stage bacchanals.

this guy made possible to play Super Mario Bros (NES) with an old Theremin instrument!
Two peoples can also play together, one controls left and right and the other controls jump.
It’s also possible to control the game with the voice or any sounds (with a microphone).

We just unboxed the new Viliv X70 last Friday and spent all weekend with the UMPC. Overall we’re mighty impressed at all this little guy can do for the price. It’s not perfect and has some quirks, but overall it’s a solid package. Our pros and cons after the jump.

What we don’t like:

• The screen isn’t great outside
• It doesn’t include a GPS program (MS Streets and Trips 2009 sucks btw)
• The top left nub is only a four way switch and doesn’t work well
• There isn’t a good solution for scrolling on webpages
• It doesn’t playback 720p videos well
• The 3G modem is sketchy at best

What we like:

• It feels great in the hand
• High quality materials
• Great touchscreen
• Super fast SSD
• Takes only 17 seconds to boot WinXP
• Takes 2 seconds to pop on from standby
• Quality built-in software pack
• Alright webcam
• The on-screen keyboard works better than expected
• The leather case is high-quality

What we really like:

• The USB transfer wizard EasySuite integration (hands-on video coming soon)
• Viewing Google Reader with the screen in portrait mode
• The $599 starting price via Dynamism.

This isn’t our full review of course. That’s too come in a little bit.

Sony’s “don’t call it a netbook!” VAIO P gets a somewhat more manageable price tag at Staples from now until Saturday. Instead of paying $900 just about everywhere else, you can grab it for just $700 thanks to a $120 price break followed by $80 in instant savings.

This model comes with a 1.33GHz Atom CPU, Vista Home Basic, 2GB of RAM, 60GB hard drive, and an 8-inch screen with a 1600×768 resolution. The entire weight is just a pound and a half, which shouldn’t weigh anybody down too much at all.

Sony VAIO VGN-P530H/Q Netbook PC [Staples via dealnews]

Tokyo-based robotics venture ZMP has developed a mini vehicle that is about one-tenth the size of a real car and able to drive autonomously. Equipped with a CCD camera and an infrared laser system, the robo-car is able to detect obstacles and calculate their distance.

Powered by a nickel metal hydride battery, it can drive up to one hour continuously, avoiding any obstacle in its path. Weighing about 3kg, the cars are sized at 429×195x212mm.

Users can control their robo-cars via a remote-control. The Linux-supported vehicles can communicate with each other, too.

ZMP will start selling therobots as early as this month with prices ranging from about $6,000 to $13,000 (for a stylized body). The company hopes to sell 200 units in the first year and is open for orders from abroad.

Via Robot Watch [JP]

The average American probably doesn’t know this, but there’s a huge problem with knife-crime in the UK. (That’s what happens when guns are so hard to get a hold of, knives everywhere.) Sports stars try to tell people to knocks it off; so does the prime minister but no one cares what he says anymore. Which brings us to today’s news: the very first "anti-stab" knife. That is, a knife that’ll do the job in the kitchen, but can’t really be used to stab someone.

How does it work?

The knife has a rounded edge instead of a point and will snag on clothing and skin to make it more difficult to stab someone.

But as the inventor, a gentleman from Swindon—go, Swindon Town!—says, no knife can ever truly be "stab-proof":

It can never be a totally safe knife, but the idea is you can't inflict a fatal wound. Nobody could just grab one out of the kitchen drawer and kill someone.

It’s also £40, which, I think, is a tad expensive for a kitchen knife.

Also, the comments on the Times Web site are truly disheartening: "This invention is stupid die die die." Calm down, sirs.

Wahl claims to be the first to the lithium ion party when it comes to electric shavers and on behalf of people who shave once a month because we never leave the house, let me be the first to say thanks.

Aside from the longer run-time and no loss of battery life when unplugged, the “Wahl 17pc Lithium Ion Complete Grooming Kit” also promises twice the torque of electric shavers packing standard nickel-metal hydride batteries. There’s also a one-minute quick charge, which apparently produces four minutes of juice and a full recharge takes only an hour.

Wahl is selling the razor directly for $49.99 although it’s out of stock. You can get it on Amazon for ten bucks cheaper and in-stock, though, with coupon code WAHLJUN9.

[via Wired]

Tap Tap Revenge 2 now supports Push Notifications, allowing you to invite friends and neighbors to play against you through the network. The system basically pops up a little invitation message when your friends are playing the game. Millions of years of human evolution brought us to this point.

via 9to5

Here we have a combination USB hub, rechargeable battery extender, and solar doodad in one. The 2.5- by 2.5-inch square features an internal lithium ion battery that can be charged via sunlight or AC power and then hooked up to your dying cell phone to provide some extra juice on the go.

It’s also a 4-port USB hub, should you need to plug in a bunch of thumb drives as the above photo suggests. The real draw here is the solar recharging, though, and the hub comes with connector tips for Nokia, LG, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson phones, along with a Mini USB connector for Motorola and HTC phones (or anything that charges via Mini USB).

It only costs $20 but there’s no mention of the battery’s actual capacity or how long it takes the sun to charge it up fully.

USB Solar Charging 4-Port Hub [Brando]

Available in the coming months from ViewSonic are three 3D-enabled DLP projectors (DLP Link and Nvidia 3D-Vision compatible) with 120Hz refresh rates. The PJD6211 and PJD6221 output 1024×768 XGA resolution with up to 2700 lumens and a 2800:1 contrast ratio. Both come with composite, S-Video, VGA inputs and a VGA out. The 6221 includes an RJ45 jack as well.

The 6211 and 6221 will be available next month for $849 and $999, respectively.

ViewSonic also announced the PJD6381 this morning and it, too, is a DLP projector with the one of the shortest throw ratios (0.68) on the market. Screen resolution is the same as the others, but it has 2500 ANSI lumens and a 2500:1 contrast ratio. The refresh rate is same and it also includes an RJ45 jack and will be available in August for $1249.

Nasa (NASA?) has selected Saft, a French company, to develop its next-generation batteries, batteries that will power tomorrow’s rovers, landers, and all sorts of space-related goodies. The batteries will be of the Lithium-ion type, like the kind inside your cellphone (but not the new MacBook Pro—that’s a Lithium-ion polymer.)

What can we expect from these fancy, new, French-developed batteries? Apparently they’ll be lighter, which, as you can imagine, is important when sending items into space.

Be sure to tweet Peter Ha with your funniest battery-related stories!

Buy.com has dropped the price on the Nokia N810 yet again, this time to $179.99 with free shipping. One month ago to the very day, it was on sale for $199. That’s a savings of a certain amount of dollars! Probably twenty or so!

The N810 runs a flexible, bendable version of Linux and features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4.1-inch 800×480 touchscreen, 400MHz processor, 2GB of internal memory expandable via miniSD, built-in GPS, integrated webcam, and a Mozilla-based web browser with Flash support.

Nokia N810 Internet Tablet [Buy.com]

Oh how it must be wonderful to live in Japan. Not only do they get to worship a life size stature of Gundam, but Club Nintendo members will soon get a chance to win blue Wii Remotes and Nunchuks. And all we have over here are dingy white ones we had to pay for. Blah.

Here’s the skinny: Buy a copy of Wii Sport Resort and then register at the website. We’re not going to calculate your odds, but only 5000 sets are being given away and chances are that Nintendo will sell a tad more than that of Wii Sport Resort and the bundled Motion Plus controller add-on.

But whatevers. Japanese gamers might as well register. If they don’t win, we imagine they could hawk the blue set on eBay successfully.

In an example of rolling over in the name of “good relationships,” the Pre Dev Wiki has shut down their tethering page because “Sprint could get angry.” This is in stark contrast with iPhone devs who couldn’t give two squirts about “good relationships” and instead produce interesting technical content including unlocked phones.

“We have been politely cautioned by Palm that any discussion of tethering during the Sprint exclusivity period (and perhaps beyond—we don’t know yet) will probably cause Sprint to complain to Palm, and if that happened then Palm would be forced to react against the people running the IRC channel and this wiki.

We want to retain a good relationship with Palm, hence we are not allowing discussion of tethering on the IRC channel, or in this wiki.

Note that Sprint does not have a plan available for use with the Pre which allows tethering under the Terms Of Service.

Once there is a version of the Pre available for a carrier that does allow tethering, or an unlocked GSM version, then we may be able to change this policy.”

Interestingly, this was only “discussion” of Pre tethering and not actual tethering instructions, a delightful chilling effect that I suspect will backfire once the same folks who were working on the Dev Wiki move to somewhere more conducive to intellectual inquiry like this, which I put up in about five minutes.

I don’t want to get all “freedom of speech” on this but the futility of the action - by both Palm and the devs - is touching. WebOS is now hackable and they’re already working on homebrew software. It will literally be a matter of two or three weeks before someone figures out tethering and then all that stands between Pre owners and the Interwebs is Sprint’s 5GB cap on “unlimited” Internet. Someone will do it and now it’s not the Pre Dev Wiki. They’ve frightened themselves out of relevance.

UPDATE - Just noticed the Dev wiki’s motto: “Let’s open this beast up.” Not so much, it seems.

HDMI cables are the new fool’s gold. And by fool’s gold I mean “things they sell at Best Buy for $30+ that you can get on the internet for next to nothing.”

In this case, it is indeed nothing. Nothing, plus $5.99 for shipping. That’s still not a bad deal, though, as you’ll get two — oooh, gold plated — HDMI cables.

The deal, good today only, comes from 1saleaday.com, which I can’t say I’ve ever heard of or used. Here’s the privacy policy, if you’re interested. If not, enjoy your free + $6 cables.

1 Sale A Day, Daily Deal [1saleaday.com]

Thanks for sending this in, Dave.

Is this Dell’s upcoming Android-powered smartphone? Hmmm? It does sport a Dell logo on the bottom chin. And it does seem to be running Android. Still, there isn’t anyway of verifying this pic’s authenticity so we’ll just add this bad boy to Mr. BlurryCam’s portfolio.

PDAFans via Engadget

“Aww, those are so cute!” says my wife as I took the new JBL Roxy headphones out of the shipping box. Me? I could not care less how my gadgets look, as long as they work well. But my wife instantly reminded me that looks are more important to some, so I came up with the idea to send the headphones to high school with my little sister-in-law for some teenager hands-on.

So that’s what I did. I told Bridget to have fun, let her friends jam-out on ‘em, take some pics, and don’t break ‘em because I had to send the pair back when she was done.

A few days later, I got the headphones and she didn’t have a negative thing to say about either one. She really digged the classic cans. They were super comfortable on her tiny head and had bass “that shook her toes.” She also thought that the in-earphones sounded good too, and she found that they blocked out sound (her mom) well.

There you have it: A 15-year girl’s take on the new JBL Roxy headphones. She and her friends liked ‘em a lot. Oh, and they are super cute too.

My take:

Even though they aren’t exactly my color, I spent an afternoon of listening with both of these headphones and one impressed while one disappointed.

The reference 430 over-the-ear set is a solid performer. It has great bass response with a clear note. The quality of the sound honestly impressed me out of the $59 model. Just like Bridget found out, they do fit anyone’s head including mine and my 2-year old son, so small girls shouldn’t have any issue rock’n these.

Now, the reference 250 in-earphones. I don’t have anything good to say about ‘em. They lack any bass and have a flat sound overall. In fact, standard Apple iPod earbuds from a few years back sound better to me than this set. The bottom line is that they are totally not worth the $39.99 price even if they are kind-of comfortable.

However to some it doesn’t really matter how the headphones sound as long as the style is right. And according to every girl that saw these, both got that right. (and the on-ear cans sound great too)

JVC today announced a new brand for LCD TVs in Japan [JP]. The first model of the badly named XIVIEW series is the LT-42WX7, a full HD display sized at 42 inches. JVC said they first want to target business customers with the new model, possibly followed by XIVIEWs for home use.

The new TV covers 100% of the sRGB color space and is able to reproduce 96% of the Adobe RGB color space. Other specs include a contrast ratio of 4,000:1, 450cd/m² brightness, 178° viewing angle and a 5.5ms response time. Buyers also get 2×10W speakers and 3HDMI interfaces.

Sales in Japan start at the beginning of next month. The LT-42WX7 will be priced at $3,700. JVC is yet to say if the XIVIEW TVs will ever make it outside the Japanese market.