Shopping and Product Reviews

New Klipsch wireless speaker Rocks the outdoors

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 19:41:00 +0000

Klipsch's AudioRock outdoor speaker uses its own battery pack to remain totally wireless, and integrates with the LightSpeaker wireless audio system.

Getting good-sounding music outdoors can be a hassle. Quality outdoor speakers are spendy, and can be an eyesore. Most outdoor speakers that are designed to blend in rarely sound good, and usually require speaker wire to be run underground. Speaker docks for iPods and iPhones aren’t a good option in high-heat situations, and you don’t won’t those things anywhere near your pool or spa.

Klipsch may have just the solution. Today, the company announced a wireless outdoor speaker that will integrate with its LightSpeaker wireless audio system to deliver high quality sound from a heat-resistant, waterproof enclosure that’s been stealthily designed to look like a garden rock.

Fortunately, this isn’t just another “rock” speaker. The AudioRock from Klipsch uses a powerful Lithium-Ion battery pack that will deliver up to eight hours of continuous music and recharges in about four hours on a separate charging stand. The AudioRock packs a beefy 5.25-inch mid-bass speaker and a pair of 0.75-inch tweeters that are aimed up at an angle to provide solid sound from the ground. The AudioRock get’s its signal from the 2.4Ghz band, so it may be slightly limited by “line of sight” issues, but if your cordless phone works outdoors, so should the AudioRock.

Since the AudioRock is part of the LightSpeaker system, it is capable of playing from a second source. So, if you want the ability to dig some smooth jazz indoors and hip-hop outdoors, the AudioRock may be a good solution.

The AudioRock is available now for $199.00 MSRP from many popular retailers.

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Nanda Home’s Clocky alarm clock

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 04:42:00 +0000

This mobile alarm clock won't rest, or stay in one place, until you get up.

According to Nanda Home, the creators of the Clocky alarm clock, 40% of people ‘abuse’ the snooze button on their alarm clock. I would be one of those people. This little monster of an alarm clock aims to cure you of your snooze button abuse…by running away.

If you wake up and turn Clocky ($39) off in the morning, you’re good to go. If you press the snooze button, Clocky will jump from your nightstand (from 3 feet) and roll around your room beeping until you physically get up, find it, and turn it off. It may seem a little cruel, but for those with trouble getting up in the morning, this ingenious device just might do the trick.

Clocky’s smaller, high-tech brother, Tocky ($69), works in the same way but can record voice messages or sounds and upload MP3s to wake you.

Visit Nanda Home for more details.

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Microsoft Bing partners with Facebook for personalized search results

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0000

A new option for Bing users will allow the search engine to use the Facebook "like" data to personalize search results.

Microsoft brought Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg to the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters for a big announcement about the new integration of Bing and the social network. The goal of the collaboration between the social media giant and the search engine underdog is to create a better search experience by using the Facebook “like” data of your friends to personalize your search results. This expands the Facebook empire and gives Microsoft’s Bing a leg-up in its goal of taking market share from Google.

For example, if you are searching for a restaurant on Bing, the Facebook module on the left side of the screen will highlight restaurants that your friends have “liked” through Facebook or one of the 2 million sites that use the “like” button. In addition to attempting to personalize your general searches, Bing and Facebook are also looking to improve people search. If a user searches for “Michael Buckley,” the Facebook module is smart enough to put the Facebook profile of the “Michael Buckley” that his or her friends know above the ones they don’t.

Zuckerberg was asked at the gathering whether Facebook would partner with other search engines in a similar way. The Facebook CEO left the option open but hinted that Microsoft was the first because of their willingness to innovate and take risks.

Bing users will see the effect of the Facebook partnership starting Wednesday.

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Fable 3 releases official launch trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 02:01:00 +0000

Fable 3 will hit stores as an Xbox 360 and PC exclusive on October 26.

Soon you will be able to elevate your own kingdom- or doom it- when Lionhead Studios releases the third game in the popular RPG series, Fable.

In Fable III, your responsibilities will grow to include the wellbeing of your citizens, once you usurp the throne from your tyrannical brother. But being crowned king or queen is only one part of the story, as tensions between your kingdom of Albion and the rival nation of Aurora continue to mount.

Check out the trailer below, and prepare to return to Albion when Fable III is released on October 26.

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GameCrush goes live, still creepy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:41:00 +0000

GameCrush, the online gaming service that pairs women with men willing to pay to play video games with them, has gone live after several months of beta.

Are you willing to pay $.60 per minute to play Halo: Reach with a real life lady? If not, there might still be hope for humanity. If you are, then the GameCrush service is for you, and the site is now officially out of beta.

If you are not incredibly lonely, then you might not remember the debut of GameCrush which began its initial beta testing back on March 30. The idea was simple: to create a product that would appeal to sad and lonely gamers with cash to spare, then pair them with women that they will almost certainly never meet in real life. That isn’t specifically stated on the company’s website, but it’s probably implied.

When you sign up and select your “PlayDate”, you then choose the game you wish to play. The site itself offers a handful of casual flash-based games, such as battleship, checkers and pool, but most members can be found on consoles like the Xbox 360. Each PlayDate will list the games they have in their library- whether it is Halo: Reach, Gears of War, Call of Duty, etc., you can then request that your date play that game with you over Xbox Live. While paying $.60 per minute. A live video and audio chat remains active throughout the session.

Both women and men can sign up for the service to be a PlayDate, but women’s profiles seem to outweigh the mens’ profiles by at least 10 to 1.

When you sign up, you can choose the “zone” you wish. The Arcade is described as “nice and chill”, and tailors to people looking to play just for fun. The Academy is for gamers who wish to receive tips and pointers from their PlayDate. The Arena is for players looking for serious competition, and the Edge is, according to the website, “Not for the faint of heart”, and says “This could get interesting”, meaning that this is where the sections that were originally known as “dirty” and “flirty” were moved to. While this might sound like a video game-based sex site, it is not. At least according to GameCrush.

“GameCrush is not a sex site. PlayDates are prohibited from advertising or promising sexual content during game sessions or otherwise. It is a good idea to set expectations before starting a gaming session as to what sort of interaction you are interested in. Remember PlayDates are real people with different personalities and gaming styles so please play nice! Players who have been reported as harassing, abusive or threatening may have their account suspended.”

This obviously lawyer-approved quote seems to be somewhat at odds with the picture of the PlayDate who is naked while covering her breasts, the numerous pictures of women in their underwear, and the charming names that occasionally pop up, like “Naughtynymph69”, or “Dirtycumslut”.

The website also claims that it does not monitor what goes on between players. The PlayDates can earn up to $20 an hour, and repeat business will be crucial to the women. So basically it is like the JV of a sex chat hotline. A farm system for the sex industry’s amateur workers and customers.

GameCrush is in no way a dating service, of which there are plenty that are specifically geared towards geeks and gamers. Instead it is a thinly veiled sex line that will charge, and charge heavily, for lonely gamers to hear the comforting sound of a woman’s voice. Without the costs, this might be a good way to bring people together. With it, those lonely nights of gaming just got very expensive.

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Spider-Man’s next villain will be The Lizard

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:47:00 +0000

Only a day after Sony announced that Rhys Ifans had been cast as the unnamed villain in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot, his character has been revealed as The Lizard.

Well that didn’t take long. It is hard to keep a secret on the Internet, especially when that secret is entertainment-related, and even more so when that secret is related to a project with as intense a fan following as Spider-Man. On Tuesday, Sony officially announced that Rhys Ifans had joined the cast of Marc Webb’s Spider-Man reboot to face off against Andrew Garfield’s Spidey as an unnamed bad guy. The rampant speculation of who that bad guy would be had been circling ever since the project was announced, and with the casting of Ifans, it just got more intense.

According to the website TheWrap, which first broke the story, Ifans will be playing the role of Dr. Curt Connors, a.k.a. The Lizard.

If you aren’t up on your Spider-Man lore, Dr. Connors is something of a tragic figure in the Spider-Man pantheon of villains. After losing an arm in an accident, Dr. Connors began to experiment with reptilian DNA, specifically the genes that allow reptiles to regrow lost limbs. During an experiment — where in true comic book fashion Dr. Connors decided to test the formula on himself — things went horribly wrong and Connors began to change. The resulting mutation turned Dr. Connors from a brilliant and gentle scientist who frequently acted as a mentor and friend to Peter Parker in school, into a vicious monster.

The background has changed over the years, but the character of the Lizard has always been seen as a modern day Jekyll and Hyde. In the previous movies Dr. Connors was played by Dylan Baker, and was portrayed as a professor at Spider-Man’s college. Early reports claim that the new film will be set during Peter Parker’s college years, so it would fit to have The Lizard as the villain.

The new Spider-Man will hit theaters in 3D on July 3, 2012.

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Win a custom-designed dress shirt through ShirtsMyWay!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:28:00 +0000

Win $300 worth of custom-designed dress shirts - from the fabric to the color of the buttons - with our ShirtsMyWay contest!

Some stores like to boast that they can offer a wide variety of options, but ShirtsMyWay might have them all beat. The idea is simple and elegant: You go to the website www.shirtsmyway.com, use the “design my shirt” feature on the website, and create a shirt of your choosing. Here’s the extraordinary part — there are over 7 trillion possible combinations to create a fitted dress shirt that is one of a kind. Seven. Trillion.

Although the 7 trillion combinations is a neat figure to boast, it is really a byproduct of the actual purpose of the website, namely designing a fitted dress shirt that perfectly fits your style and your body. The step-by-step section of the website will ask you to choose your preferred fabric and color, the type of dress shirt you want, the button and collar type you would like, and even the color of the buttons. Once you have the look you want, you then enter in your measurements, and your creation will be ready to go. Each shirt can cost anywhere from $75 to $105, so you can be assured that the quality of fabric and material is top notch.

“Our main focus is actually not on offering trillions of men’s custom dress shirts, but making the process of buying and designing them fun, simple, and fast by using our interactive shirt model and free global delivery offering,” Danish founders Michael Yang and Peter Crawford claim on the site. ”That said, a high quality level is also a top priority.”

Looking to get your hands on your own spiffy, custom-designed shirt? Digital Trends and ShirtsMyWay will hold a drawing next month to give away a $300 gift card to create your own custom dress shirts. To enter, head over to the ShirtsMyWay Facebook page and “like” the page. Once that is done, head back to this post, and add a comment listing what your favorite type of fabric is from the ShirtsMyWay website, and that’s it, you will be entered to win!

The contest will begin today on September 10, and last until October 10. Good luck!

Redbox begins to rent games

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 01:07:00 +0000

The Redbox kiosks will offer game rentals, including hot releases like Medal of Honor, for $2 per day.

The future of movie and game rentals may be found in the form of a little red box, as the Redbox service is now offering game rentals nationwide. The service, which has grown steadily while the rental giants Hollywood and Blockbuster have filed for bankruptcy, has begun to rent games for the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, DS, and Wii.

The selection includes most current releases, including EA’s Medal of Honor, which was released just yesterday. A full list of titles can be found at Redbox’s official website.

The move is the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of negotiations with video game publishers. The new video game rentals are still in the testing phase, but if they prove successful, expect the move to become permanent, and the selection to increase.

“The addition of video games to the popular redbox kiosks is part of an ongoing test designed to gauge consumer interest in video game rentals,” a spokesperson for Redbox told IGN.

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Ducati 2011 Superbike 1198 SP features quick shifter, slipper clutch

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:26:00 +0000

Upgrades to the 2011 version of Ducati's Superbike 1198 SP make it the best-performing Ducati ever to leave the factory.

Ducati has released its latest collection including the impressive new 2011 Superbike 1198 SP ($21,995). The lightweight, 170-horsepower machine features an aluminum tank, Ducati Quick Shift, a MotoGP-derived digital dash, and Ducati Traction Control, plus a slipper clutch trickled down from race technology. This bike is Ducati’s highest-performance Superbike ever, so it will be sure to get you noticed on the track or on the street.

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Nathan Fillion campaigning for the lead in Uncharted movie

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 20:55:00 +0000

Fillion tweeted that he is pursuing the role of Nathan Drake in the upcoming Uncharted: Drake's Fortune film, and asked for support from fans.

As soon as it was announced that David O. Russell had been lured back to write the screenplay and film Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, thus legitimizing the project and giving hope for a movie adapted from a video game that might actually be good, it kicked off a flurry of speculation on who would be taking on the lead role of Nathan Drake. Many names have been bandied about, including that of Nathan Fillion, who is actively campaigning for the role via his Twitter page.

“If ever there was a Twitter campaign, let this be it. Rise, ye Browncoats. Rise, ye Castillions. RISE!” Fillion posted in a tweet, which also included a link to the original Hollywood Reporter story.

“Castillions” refers to fans of Fillion’s current ABC show, Castle. As for the “Browncoats”, if you have not seen the show Firefly, please stop reading immediately and rush out to rent or buy it, then feel free to return and comment after watching the 14-episodes that led in to the movie Serenity. Fillion’s career also includes a foray into video games including a vocal role in Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach.

Another name that has been making the rounds (especially in the comment sections of our website and several others), is Joe Flanigan, who is best known for his role as Lt. Col. John Shepard in the TV show Stargate Atlantis. Fillion definitely has the geek cred, while Flanigan seems to have a large grassroots following.

Unfortunately both actors are still just the desires of fans at the moment, and have not been mentioned or contacted by the studio. But what else is the Internet for, if not baseless claims! So who do you think: Fillion, Flanigan, or someone else altogether?

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Call of Duty: Black Ops confirms zombie mode

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 06:50:00 +0000

Treyarch is bringing back the four player co-op zombie mode from Call of Duty: World at War.

In what may be the biggest surprise about Black Ops yet, Treyarch has confirmed to IGN that the co-op zombie mode will return. The inclusion of the zombie mode wasn’t really a secret, since additional zombie maps have been advertised as a bonus for buying the hardened or prestige mode of the game, but what is a surprise is that Treyarch thought it was a secret. Still, it is nice to have confirmation.

If you skipped on Treyarch’s last Call of Duty game, World at War, then you might not have a clue what to expect. In World at War, four players are teamed together online in a slightly fortified location with very minimal weapons, as wave after wave of zombies attack. As you play, you receive points that you can use to buy weapons located throughout the map, and with each wave of new enemy you will need all the firepower you can muster. Treyarch is promising that the essential experience will remain the same, but there will be a few new surprises for Black Ops.

The zombie mode adds to the already impressive list of multiplayer options, including most of the modes that are returning from the previous Call of Duty games, as well as several new ones, including the wager modes.

Call of Duty: Black Ops releases on November 9 for Xbox 360, PC and PS3, as well as modified version for the Wii and Nintendo DS.

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Digital Trends’ Top 5 Viral Videos of the Week, September 24, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 22:44:00 +0000

Another week, another offering of some of the best viral videos that the interwebs have to offer. This week: it is better to be lucky than smart, a dog that has mad skillz and some pandas aren’t sad- they are just mean.

We are back with a new selection of videos to tickle your fancy. These videos are not all from this week, but they all made us laugh or caused our jaws to drop recently. Enjoy!

Beatboxing Dog

What would a viral video countdown be without some adorable animal doing something adorably adorable. Don’t answer that. A star is born, as this dog’s 2 million plus hits on YouTube alone prove that you don’t need much to make a catchy tune. A fact Justin Beiber has proven countless times over (zing!).

Dude, You Have No Quran (Remix)

Apparently it is all the rage these days to burn the Quran, whether it be in Florida, or in a park in Amarillo, TX. Not if this dude has anything to say about it. The video sells itself pretty well, so enjoy.

High School QB play Tecmo Bowl for Real

Like a scene out of Tecmo Bowl, Craig Billington, the quarterback for the Genoa-Kingston High School in Illinois avoids not one, not two, but 11 tackles to score the game winning touchdown and keep his team a perfect 4 and 0. If you know football, then you know that it means that he literally avoided the entire defense. Every single one of them. Billington then went on to date the hottest cheerleader, win prom king, and was named the valedictorian.

The Luckiest People in the World

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than smart, as is evidenced by the people that decided to play chicken with trains, or walk across the track during the middle of a race. Alternatively, some of these people should head immediately to Vegas, because many of them are lucky to be alive. Video compilations like this have been floating around for awhile, and yet they still can amaze every time.

Never Say No to Panda. Or Else…

This Egyptian commercial for a cheese that uses a panda as a mascot has taken the internet by storm. Some say that the ad is actually a cleaver jab at American global politics and the U.S.’s tendency to bully people into doing things by pushing over the little guy, and that the depictions of the office and supermarket are in part there to show Americans that life in Egypt is not so different from our own. Others claim that it is a political jab at the rising influence of China in the global market who are forcing their way into new markets every day. Perhaps we have been on the internet too long, but it just looks like a dude in a panda suit hilariously knocking stuff over. To each their own!

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Grove bamboo iPhone 4 cases

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 08:32:00 +0000

Grove updates its classic bamboo cases for the iPhone 4, with predictably chic results.

Back when we toured Grove’s Portland-based workshops in May, the crew’s CNC machine was still busy buzzing away at standard iPhone 3GS cases, but not for long.

The leak of iPhone 4 photos just weeks later sent Grove founder Ken Tomita back to his digital drawboard in a frenzy, mocking up cases for a phone which – officially at least – did not exist.

It all paid off in June, of course, when the real deal hit the streets in the same form Tomita anticipated. Although his crude mockups didn’t quite fit the iPhone 4 he lined up at 6 a.m. to buy, it was only a matter of tweaks to perfect it, and in weeks it was churning out some of the first iPhone 4 cases on the market.

And here we are.

The redesigned Grove bamboo case for the iPhone 4 follows Apple’s change in design from curves to a more angular, slab-like design. Even so, Tomita makes concessions to comfort with 45-degree chamfers all around – nobody likes bamboo splinters – and special attention to the recesses for the power and volume buttons, which have knocked-downedges to make them easier to access.

You can still snag a Grove case in natural or amber finish, but Grove has nixed the labor-intensive all-black option this time around. (Keep your eyes peeled for inky black special editions, though.)

As with the first Grove cases, the hard-wearing, organic nature of bamboo remains the central appeal here. While plastics lose their mirror finishes with every trip in and out of a pocket, Grove’s bamboo cases gain softened edges and a natural patina, plus a little extra character from every nick and scuff. Despite the cost, hand crafting the cases domestically produces quality unmatched by any factory in Tawain – they feel precisely manufactured, almost supernaturally snug, and even sturdier than the old models.

What’s next for the bamboo boutique? The iPad makes a tempting target, and we know for sure that Tomita has prototypes floating around his shop, but no word yet on when – or if – they’ll go commercial.

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Samsung drips Froyo on Galaxy S phones

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 22:07:00 +0000

Samsung’s release of an open-source Android 2.2 update indicates official, carrier-supported versions of Froyo should be on the way soon.

Whether you know it as the Fascinate, Epic 4G, Vibrant or Captivate, Samsung’s Galaxy S is finally ready for an update to Android 2.2, also known as Froyo. Or at least, it is if you have the technical chops.

Samsung’s Open Source Release Center released the source code for the update on Wednesday, meaning techy-savvy Android users can grab the update immediately, and officially sanctioned versions tweaked by carriers should be on the way shortly. A search for GT-I9000 should turn it up at the release center, but Samfirmware mirrors a copy as well (free registration required).

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A new version of The 3rd Birthday trailer arrives

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:48:00 +0000

After 10 years, the Parasite Eve story continues on the PSP in The 3rd Birthday. It is due out in Japan on December 22, and in the U.S. sometime next year.

Does absence make the heart grow fonder? If so, then you should be very, very fond of The 3rd Birthday, the long awaited next installment of the Parasite Eve franchise. The PSP continuation of the survival-horror franchise doesn’t have a North American release date yet – or an English language version of the newest trailer – but that shouldn’t stop fans from keeping an eye out for this one.

The Parasite Eve series has been on a bit of a break; the last entry into the franchise was on the PlayStation One, when Parasite Eve II was released in 2000. In the upcoming sequel you once again play as the scantily clad Aya, as you fight off a threat known as “The Twisted,” which has infected Manhattan. Aya manges to retain her wonderfully exploitable mid-20 year old body thanks to her powers, despite her actual age and subsequent maturity being nearly 40. Several technical features will be included to really delve into this, including destructible pants, that are blown off as Aya fights. The clothing will play a part in the actual gameplay, as the more clothing you wear, the more layers you have to destroy, which means you will have more protection- see the picture above. Yes, it might be somewhat exploitive, but… Anyway, the game is being described as a “cinematic action RPG.”

Check out the trailer below that debuted at the Tokyo Game Show and was reposted by Kotaku. Although it is in Japanese, you should get the idea. Evil things appear, you destroy them. The plot is probably more detailed than that, but until we get the English version, stuff blows up pretty. What more do you need to know?

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New Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare trailer debuts

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 23:10:00 +0000

Battle the undead in Rockstar’s newest expansion for Red Dead Redemption.

Is that a zombie bear? The newest expansion for Red Dead Redemption will offer a new single player campaign that has you take the role of series protagonist, John Marston, as you fight through hordes of the undead- both human and animal- as you attempt to seek a cure for the zombie uprising.

But seriously, is that a zombie bear? That just seems kind of unfair….

No word yet on when to expect “Undead Nightmare” other than “Very soon”, so possibly early next week. It will be available on both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

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New Skyline trailer released

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:54:00 +0000

The sci-fi thriller is directed by the Brothers Strause, and will be in theaters November 12.

The movie Skyline has been flying a bit under the radar so far. An early trailer was attached to Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, but beyond that, there doesn’t seem to be much buzz about this story of alien invasion. As the November release date approaches, that may change, and trailers like this one should definitely help.

Set in Los Angeles, Skyline follows a group of survivors following the introduction of a strange light that attracts people to it before sucking them up, whole populations at a time, which threatens to swallow the entire human population. The film is directed the Brothers Strause (Aliens Vs. Predators: Requiem), and it stars Eric Balfour (24), Scottie Thompson (Trauma) and Donald Faison (Scrubs).

Look for more trailers and news on this movie in the coming month, but for now check out the trailer and wait for the release on November 19.

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Dell’s new Inspiron computers focus on family entertainment

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 23:32:00 +0000

Yesterday, Dell released the new Inspiron One and Inspiron Zino HD desktops. The Inspiron One offers Stage, a new Dell-designed interface which, delivers one-touch access to music, photos, videos and more.

Inspiron Zino HD Desktop

Inspiron One includes: a full HD 23-inch LED-backlit LCD; and an optional quad-core processor. It has a host of audio/visual inputs that instantly transform the PC into a TV. And it also offers a new Dell-designed intuitive user interface called Stage, which delivers one-touch access to favorite content, like music, photos and videos, and applications.

Inspiron One All-in-One Touch Desktop

Inspiron Zino HD is a mini powerhouse entertainment PC, good video and audio performance and is the perfect companion for High-Definition TV screens and home-theater setups. The Zino HD offers up to an AMD quad-core Phenom II processor with optional 1GB discrete graphics; built-in networking and media card reader; VGA and HDMI connections for displays and TVs; available THX 7.1 surround sound; optional Blu-ray Disc combo drive, and up to 1TB of hard disk storage.

Both computers mark Dell’s move into building entertainment solutions that go beyond the traditional desktop.

“The PC is at the hub of the family experience, and the new Inspiron One and Zino HD demonstrate how we are rapidly redefining the role of the desktop in the home,” said Michael Tatelman, Dell vice president and general manager, Dell consumer sales and marketing. “The innovative all-in-one and ultra small desktops fit anywhere in the home and deliver the unrivaled entertainment that families and students have told us they want.”

The Inspiron One will be available this weekend exclusively in select retail stores, starting at $799. The Zino HD is available immediately, starting at $299.

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Google Chrome Frame brings HTML5 to old versions of IE

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:26:00 +0000

Google Chrome Frame literally puts Google Chrome and its standards-supporting HTML5 features inside Internet Explorer...so long as you have admin privileges.

A year ago, Google announced Chrome Frame, a project intended to bring the standards support, HTML5 features, and speed of Google’s Chrome Web browser to Internet Explorer as a plug-in, rather than requiring users to download a separate application. Now, Google has taken the “beta” tag off and announced Chrome Frame’s first stable release, bringing Chrome’s features—and speed—to Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8, without requiring users to replace their existing browsers.

“When Google Chrome Frame went into beta in June, the team set aggressive goals for speed and stability before delivering a stable channel release,” wrote Google engineers Tomas Gunnarsson and Robert Shield, in Google’s Chromium blog. “After months of polishing, Google Chrome Frame now starts three times faster on Windows Vista and Windows 7 and the most common conflicts with other plug-ins have been fixed.”

Chrome Frame is intended to enable users of older, legacy Web browser get the benefits of HTML5, faster performance, and support for new Web standards even if they can’t upgrade or install new Web browsers—a situation that’s not uncommon in many enterprises and institutions. Sophisticated Web applications are increasingly relying on new Web development standards and fast JavaScript execution, so Google views Chrome Frame as a way for organizations to get into Google Apps and other services without having to upgrade their base software. Chrome Frame works with Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 on Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, and Windows 7; however, one downside is that users need administrator privileges to install it. (Google also supplies an MSI installer for network admins who want to distribute Chrome Frame to their users.)

Google says it has aggressive plans to enhance Chrome Frame, including improving performance even more, as well as eliminating the requirement for administrator privileges to install the plug-in.

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Qi technology introduces wireless charging stations

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 01:14:00 +0000

The day when you can place your laptop on a table that has a wireless charger embedded into it and automatically charge your electronics is closer than you think.

Qi (pronounced “chee”) is the new global standard for wireless charging stations, set by the Wireless Power Consortium. The goal is life unplugged, without all those wires, chargers and power cords. Any device with a Qi-enabled accessory or with Qi built directly into it can charge on any Qi inductive charging pad. You’ll be hard pressed to find a Qi-enabled device today, so if you want to get in on the action, expect to purchase a Qi-enabled accessory to make your devices compatible.

This is a burgeoning industry with a variety of players looking to get in on the action:

Energizer recently unveiled a new inductive charger for smartphones. All a user needs to do is place their phone in a Qi-enabled sleeve and onto the charger, in this case a mat, and the device will begin charging. Its coverage is limited to the iPhone and Blackberry Curve 8900 for the time being. Look for this to be widely available in November. Pricing starts at $89.

The furniture manufacturer, KI, is one such company committed to making it easy for consumers to access wireless charging systems. They plan to build Qi technology into their furniture, removing the need to chords and cables. Charging a device with KI will be as simple as placing you Qi-enabled device on their furniture and letting the inductive technology do the rest of the work.

KI expects its first customers to be educational institutions, but I can’t imagine it will be long before larger organizations jump on the bandwagon.

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First impressions of Sharp’s LE 925 Quattron 3D

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:49:00 +0000

Will the 3D latecomer be worth the wait? Absolutely, if you have the cash.

Sometimes quality just takes a little longer. While Sharp may have disappointed CES audiences earlier this year by tweaking 2D quality rather than diving headfirst into 3D with every other major manufacturer, its hesitance appears to have paid off.

With its recently unveiled Quattron 3D LCD televisions featuring a fourth yellow pixel, Sharp seems to have preserved the vivid color palette that made the Quattron technology a winner in two dimensions, and produced some of the best 3D we’ve seen from an LCD set.

We had a chance to sample both the 52- and 60-inch LE 925 series Quattrons at CEDIA 2010, and while the untrained eye still may not immediately detect the sizzle of Sharp’s particularly yellowy yellows, its 3D performance stands out among other LCD televisions.

If the aforementioned color gamut of the new LE 925 doesn’t stop you in your tracks, the sheer luminance of it will. Sharp hasn’t made any official claims to exact brightness on the series, but it claims the quad-pixel technology is capable of brightness up to 1.8 times that of competitors. Creative numbers? Perhaps, but there’s a discernable difference that pays off when you lay on a pair of dimming 3D glasses, producing a picture that remains brilliant.

Although Sharp has made very little effort to play up the LE 925’s 2D to 3D conversion, we managed to cajole them into showing it off, and it’s surprisingly slick. No, it doesn’t approach the immersive feel of native 3D, and it looks gimmicky and disjointed at its highest levels (you can adjust it between 1 and 16), but it certainly approaches what we saw on Toshiba’s impressive but never-to-be-produced Cell TV at CES. Purists, smirk if you must, but we can see ordinary consumers using it to fill the void of 3D content until more comes along.

Priced at around $4,200 and $5,300, the LE 925 might be a bit too indulgent for most consumers off the bat, but if they’re anything like the last Quattron models, prices won’t stick to MSRP for long. Sharp hasn’t yet announced launch dates for either set, but we expect to see them on store shelves prior to CES.

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Catfish Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 04:30:00 +0000

Review: Catfish, a documentary that begins as a love story, shifts into a mystery, and ultimately ends as a somewhat touching and sad portrait of life.

Catfish is a difficult film to review, as the biggest moment in this documentary is also the one that can’t be revealed without spoiling it for anyone that has yet to see it. It is a documentary from filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman that focuses on Schulman’s 24-year old photographer brother, Yaniv “Nev” Schulman, as he experiences a shocking surprise stemming from a romance that began on Facebook. If you have seen the trailers or commercials, then you know that the film is based around this surprise, and the rest of the plot revolves around this major twist like planets orbiting around the sun. But what you won’t gleam from the trailers is that while the surprise might be the driving force of the documentary, the film really shines in the deep and thoughtful examination of why things are the way they are in the first place. In doing so, it elevates Catfish from the internet cautionary tale that it could have been, to something far more.

The story

The documentary follows the burgeoning and unexpected relationship between Nev, a photographer in New York City, and the mysterious and beautiful Megan. Megan is the older sister of Abby, an 8-year old prodigy in a rural Michigan town that first contacted Nev to seek permission to create a painting based on a published photograph that he had taken. Once the painting was complete, Abby’s mother Angela then sent it to Nev, who was immediately impressed by the quality of the artwork. The paintings, Angela claimed, would likely have sold for several thousands of dollars, and the family was planning a showing for Abby in a gallery they owned. This began a series of exchanges, first of art, then of information, and Nev soon became friends with Abby, her mother, and several other family members and friends.

Soon Nev and the 19-year old sister, Megan, connect through Facebook. The two soon begin a correspondence that begins as just a friendship, but soon blossoms into a long-distance romance. The couple traded emails, IMs (instant messages), texts and speak on the phone for the next several months, all the while discussing how and when they will meet.

Nev’s brother, Ariel, and his documentary partner, Henry Joost, decide to film the long-distance relationship, partly for the romance itself, and partly to highlight the technology involved with a relationship of this sort, and how people can connect through various means. As Nev begins to fall deeply for the woman he has never met, certain facts begin to stand out that raise more questions than answers. Nev and his friends decide the only way to know the truth is to head to the family’s home of Ishpeming, Michigan and confront them.

Check your misconceptions at the door

This documentary can, and likely will, suffer from two major misconceptions. The first stems from the advertising. This seems to be a growing, and alarming trend- when a studio is unsure how to market a movie, they will make it appear like the film is a genre movie that will attract the fans that are willing to take a chance on the movie without knowing much about it simply because they are devoted to the genre. The American did it when the trailers promised a high octane, Jason Bourne-style adventure, but then delivered an art house flick that fooled audiences by using every single action scene in the movie in the trailer. Unfortunately the marketing for Catfish seems to be following that trend.

Judging by the clips and the posters, you could easily be lulled into thinking that this is a horror movie. The trailers all show the guys walking towards a dark barn, with slightly ominous music playing, as one of them says how creepy it is. Another clip shows the shock that the guys have after realizing things are not as they appear. The poster is entirely black with a blood red catfish emblazoned with potentially ominous tagline “Don’t let anyone tell you what it is”. These are all distortions of the actual content.

Catfish is not a horror movie in any way. It would be like marketing The Expendables as a love story, or Star Trek as a character study. Many people might leave the theater disappointed, which is a shame, because their justifiably preconceived notions might do more damage to the reputation of this documentary than anything the filmmakers did. Hopefully it won’t hurt the film in the long run, but it is odd.

The second misconception that people will have going into this film is the emphasis placed on the secret itself, which is only half of the movie. Catfish is not The Sixth Sense or The Usual Suspects. The movie does not build to a surprise at the end that will leave audiences with their jaws scrapping the floor in total shock and amazement. The surprise actually comes about half way in, then the rest of the movie becomes about the reasoning behind it. At that point, the documentary stops being a mystery and becomes something much deeper and far more profound. Catfish will suffer from the expectations that moviegoers might have been falsely led to believe, but with luck, enough people will go in as a blank slate and enjoy the experience.

The three parts of Catfish

Catfish is essentially broken up into three main parts. The first is the back story and the blossoming romance between Nev and Maggie, as well as his deepening bond with the Michigan family as a whole. The second is the suspense that culminates with the big reveal, and the third is everyone trying to make sense of the reasoning that led to the surprise.

The first section is fairly straightforward, but it is also the part that will set people on edge, wondering if the film is a fake, or at least heavily staged. Perhaps it is simply cynicism, or perhaps it is the unfortunate timing of the revelation that Casey Affleck’s year-long documentary that followed the continuing descent of his brother-in-law Joaquin Phoenix, I’m Still Here, turned out to be a fake that will have people looking for holes in the truthfulness of Catfish. On the other hand, perhaps it is a testament to Nev and his friends, who have no doubt spent so much time in front of cameras that they come off as if playing a part. Maybe there is a deeply profound point buried in there about the nature of our society and how people now react on camera. There is also the possibility that the scenes shot before the group heads to Michigan were actually filmed later to highlight points that they later discovered to be more important than they may originally have thought- but that doesn’t take away from the moments that are to come, which strike a very genuine chord.

Of the three sections, the second- the surprise and the intrigue and suspense leading up to it will no doubt receive the most attention for the film. Discussing it would be pointless though, as the movie needs secrecy during this part in order to succeed.

But it is really the third part that makes Catfish more than just a typical documentary, and really elevates the entire production. This is what will catch most people off guard- not the big twist, but rather the very thoughtful and deep portrayal of what happened next, and why the twist happened at all. It was a surprisingly effective piece of filmmaking that makes no judgments, but does an admirable job of allowing the viewer to come to certain conclusions that erase any feelings of outrage that you might expect to harbor.

One of the best decisions the filmmakers made throughout the movie was to allow the ending to play out without forcing home any points or editorializing. It would have been easy to do, and in keeping with the earlier tone of the film, but it would have hurt the final product. The first two-thirds of the movie are spent with the filmmakers discussing events, and laying them out for the audience. The final part of the movie wisely backs off and allows the story to unfold through interactions between the people involved.

Catfish walks the thin line between legitimate documentary film making, and exploitation of people. The final confrontations are handled with delicacy, which also helps legitimize the project as a whole.

The technology of Catfish

There is a heavy reliance on technology in this movie that many will pick up on, especially people that do not use the technology in question. While people that are not experienced in using Facebook might focus on how much of a role the website plays in the movie, those of us that have used the social network for a few years will simply see it as the method of delivery, so to speak, for the story.

While this particular film might not have been possible without Facebook, the technology is something that we of the “internet generation” take for granted, and there is no heavy emphasis on it from the filmmakers. The heart of this story is about people, and Facebook just happens to be the method these people use to communicate. It becomes an integral part, but it is not emphasized nor should it be. If the people using Facebook had not had the website to use, the story might not have unfolded the way it did, but it would not have changed anything in the long run with the way the people in question lived their lives. But if you are not tech savvy at all, if you don’t use Facebook and don’t understand how it works, this movie will not make a lick of sense to you.

That being said, it is interesting to see the heavy use of technology to both cut costs, and to enhance the film. Rather than using expensive tricks to film a location in question, the filmmakers use Google Maps to show the street. With Facebook status updates and wall comments used as part of the narrative, the filmmakers simply show a status change, such as Megan becoming single, and it tells a part of the story in a fresh way. The film also shows the influence that technology is having on the documentary film genre. You no longer need thousands of dollars of specialized equipment- you just need a few HD cameras, a decent computer, and maybe just an iPhone. That is not really a point of the movie, but an interesting aspect, nonetheless.

Catfish also highlights the intrinsic trust that many of us put in to our online footprint. That information can be manipulated easily, and lies can quickly be accepted as fact. You will know doubt here the phrase “cautionary tale” often repeated in regards to Catfish and people that have a large internet presence, and this is well deserved, but not a major focus of the film.

Conclusion

If you go into Catfish thinking that it is a horror movie, you will leave disappointed, possibly shaking a fist towards the heavens after being once again fooled by machinations of a Hollywood system that isn’t sure what to do with a documentary like Catfish. Go in with an open mind, don’t focus too much on the twist as much as the reasons for the twist, and you might find yourself being slightly moved by the film.

If you are not a fan of documentaries, then Catfish probably won’t win you over. I would say it is at least worth a watch as a DVD, but even money says the surprise will be spoiled long before you get a chance. If you are so inclined to check out a documentary in a theater, then Catfish is highly recommended- just leave your expectations at the door.

Oh, and as for the term “catfish”, while not entirely a secret, it is revealed at the end, and makes for a nice final thought to the movie.

The Good

If you can mange to avoid any spoilers at all, the twist is an interesting and shocking one. A surprising story that becomes a deep and somewhat touching one. The heavy use of technology is so taken for granted that most might not see how clever it is.

The Bad

Certain parts with Nev and his friends ring false. Once people know the surprise, they will be far less likely to see this movie, which is a shame.

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Foursquare 2.0 pushes the boundaries, improves To-Do lists

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:52:00 +0000

Foursquare, the popular geolocation-based social network, has just updated its iPhone client to version 2.0.

The latest version includes a new layout for To-Do lists and Tips. The service has also added an “Add to My Foursquare” button that third-party sites can add to their Web sites.

All these changes are aimed at helping users discover places and locations more easily and expand the service beyond traditional “check-ins”.

Tips and To-Do lists get a major overhaul:

In Foursquare 2.0, Tips and To-Do lists have their own sections. By implementing these changes, Foursquare is aiming to help make it easier for users to track and remember all the cool places they want to visit. In addition, these two features will appear more prominently through the application.

Now here’s the cool part: After adding a location to one’s To-Do List, a ‘dog ear’ for that place appears in the nearby places list when in the area. Foursquare has ensured that items don’t just whither on your To-Do list, but that the application will actually help you discover them in the future.

“Add to My Foursquare” helps bridge online and offline discovery:

The new button that anyone can add to their website can be clicked when browsing the Web and thereby saved to a To-Do list. The button can be found today on sites such as Eater and Racked. Expect to see it implemented widely in coming weeks.

Foursquare 2.0 is only available for the iPhone, but updates for Blackberry and Android phones are coming in a few weeks.

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Google adds two-step login verification to Google Apps

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 10:14:00 +0000

Google's two-step login verification is making cloud collaboration easier for enterprises that are concerned about security on the Internet.

Google plans to offer its users improved security to its cloud applications through the introduction of a two-step login verification process. This announcement is a boon to enterprises interested in cloud collaboration, but in need of a more secure authentication protocol.

Google will be rolling out two-step verification in several phases. Initially, it will only be available to Google Apps Premiere, Government, and Education edition users, at no extra charge. But Google plans to make the technology available to all its users in the coming months.

Here’s how it works: After entering your password, a verification code is sent to your mobile phone via SMS. “This makes it much more likely that you’re the only one accessing your data: even if someone has stolen your password, they’ll need more than that to access your account,” explained Eran Feigenbaum, director of security for Google Apps, in a blog post.

The two-step verification process needs to be set up by a Google Apps administrator in order for it to be active.

Google plans to open-source the code for these mobile applications, allowing third parties to adapt them to specific enterprise security needs.

Aperion Audio snips wires with Zona wireless speakers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 03:36:00 +0000

Aperion Audio ventures into wireless speakers with the $499 Zona system.

The most expensive laptop speakers ever, or a pair of killer rear surrounds for your new home stereo? Up to you. Aperion Audio’s new Zona wireless speakers snip the cord for either application, letting you put them where you want them – not where the cables from your receiver happen to reach.

As long as you can power them, anyway. Like all wireless speakers, you’ll need to run power to each shoebox-sized bookshelf speaker to drive the dual 20-watt Class D amps inside, but each one receives audio signal independently from a donut-like transmitter. Aperion’s older wireless solution, the Home Audio Link, allows wireless audio transmission from a source to a receiver, but lacks its own amplification.

With 1-inch silk dome tweeters and 4.5-inch fiber woven fiberglass woofers, the handsome bookshelf speakers most closely resemble Aperion’s Intimus 4B wired speakers, but slightly taller, and ported. A clothe grille and matte finish makes the Zona relatively unobtrusive, save for an LED-lit ring that shines through from behind indicating connection status: flashing when looking for signal, solid when connected.

The Zona transmitter can connect either to the surround pre-outs of your receiver, or to a computer for digital transmission via a USB port.

Aperion is accepting preorders on the Zona system immediately, but they won’t ship until October 25. The whole system, including a transmitter, speakers, and remote, will sell for $499.

Zona transmitter

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