If you’re looking for a high-quality condenser mic that you can take anywhere, it looks like the Samson Go Mic is something you’ll consider carrying around in the future. I have a band, and I actually like to keep recordings of our practices and gigs so I can listen them over after the set and see what else needs to be done to improve our playing. And obviously, audio quality of the mp3s ripped from videos is really bad I can’t even listen to the details properly.

It goes without saying that I’m seriously going to consider the Samson Go Mic when it becomes available. From the official press release:

Go Mic is perfect for recording music, podcasts or field recording, but its range of functionality extends beyond typical USB microphones. Ideal for voice recognition software, iChat, web casting and even Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Go Mic is the ideal solution for recording on the go.

High-quality components and meticulous engineering ensure the Go Mic offers remarkably clear, professional audio reproduction. Thanks to its switchable cardioid and omni polar patterns, you can pick whichever pattern is more appropriate for your specific situation. Use the tightly focused cardioid pickup pattern when recording a podcast, acoustic guitar or vocals. Or use the omnidirectional pattern to capture the entire room, whether you’re jamming with your band, webcasting with a group or conducting an online meeting with multiple members in a single location. Plus, with a frequency response of 20Hz – 18kHz and a resolution of 16-bit/44.1kHz, you can be sure you’re getting professional audio specs in a compact, multi-purpose design.

So, what do you guys think? Is this good enough, or should I hold off for a better deal?

Dubbed the Playstation Move, the advanced motion controls on this baby makes it supposedly more accurate than that other motion controller from that little-known console from Nintendo (maybe you’ve heard of it, it’s called the Wii?). You can operate the controls via action buttons and an analog trigger, with the typical shock and rumble treatment from the controller itself. You can even use the PlayStation Eye camera for 3D simulation, basically putting you in the game.

If that wasn’t enough to make any gamer stop and be excited for this, Sony is set to release at least 20 games that will cater specifically to the new motion controllers.

Just check out games like the brutal street boxing game Dukes.

You will be able to get involved with PlayStation Move in several ways:

• Camera + controller (including a “starter disc” with a range of demos for games releasing later in the year)
• A single controller for people who already have a PlayStation Eye camera
• A full console pack which includes PS3, dualshock3, Move controller + camera
• Finally some of the PS3’s biggest games will be available with a Move controller included

I admit, I’m not too crazy about the colored lightbulb at the end of those sticks. It really makes the PlayStation Move look a bit silly, but I think I might change my opinion once I get t play with one of those things.

Of course the biggest card PC users throw at Macs would be the “Macs can’t be used for gaming” card. In fact, people have been making jokes about the Mac’s apparent lack of gaming capabilites over and over again.

But it looks like the games can now consider a Mac for their next computer purchase. This April, Steam is finally coming to the Mac, and bringing the entire library of Valve games with it. From Mac Life:

Steam is a digital games distributor, a social networking platform for gamers, a multiplayer host for huge frag fests, and one of the most essential pieces of software for computer gamers everywhere. And if you still have no idea what we’re talking about, think of game titles like Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2, Half-Life, Portal, and Counter Strike–these gems will finally be available for Mac heads everywhere.

The availability of Steam for Mac gamers means that we’ll finally be able to kick the butts of our PC brethern, without investing in a pricey gaming console, or a Windows PC. Additionally, game publishers will be able to distribute all of their latest game titles via digital downloads, and we’ll be able to play all the various Valve titles across a multitude of different computers, regardless of operating system. We don’t doubt that the Mac versus PC debate won’t continue on for generations to come, but at least there’s finally some common ground.

I’ve always resisted getting a Mac for the longest time, and this might just be the tipping point that’ll actually make me want a Mac. What do you think?

Laptop Mag have gotten their hands on an interesting eBook reader called the Entourage Edge. They find it strange though. It’s the same size and form factor as a netbook, but it’s actually two screens: one e-ink screen and the other a normal LCD screen. It’s too big to be an eBook reader, they felt, but they do appreciate the effort to make such an unconventional product.

Upon opening the Edge, the first thing we noticed is the hinge that allows for a complete 180-degree range of motion for both of the dualbook’s displays. Users can fold them back to back and use just one display at a time, lay the device flat on a surface, or place either screen at any angle, including 45 degrees; the hinge is sturdy enough to keep each screen in place. To keep the tablet from sliding (and to protect the screens) both the outside chassis and inside edges have rubber grip strips or edges. We wish there was a latch to keep the two displays together when opened, though.

The problem is that 3-pound Edge feels heavy for a device that’s meant to be held for long periods of time. Though comfortable to hold as a tablet in the crook of our arm, after about 45 minutes we felt serious strain. Holding the Edge more like a book helped, with the screens at a 90-degree angle, but the weight became noticeble before an hour was up. This may not be as big a deal for students who will likely do most of their work and reading while resting the Edge on a desk.

Read the entire review here.

For those waiting to bring Mozilla’s rendering goodness with them on the go because they feel that heavy contenders for mobile browsers like Opera Mobile and Safari for the iPhone isn’t just cutting it, well, luck is on your side. The much-awaited Firefox Mobile 1.0 is finally out, but for those unlucky to not have a Nokia N900 will have to wait a bit because this new contender in the mobile browser war is available only for Maemo.

From Download Squad:

Like the desktop version of Firefox, version 1.0 of Firefox for Mobile looks to set itself apart from other mobile browsers with the inclusion of browser add-ons.

Mozilla’s Weave Sync add-on is already available for Firefox for Mobile, and in the blog post announcing the new browser’s release Mozilla point out some third-party add-ons that they anticipate will be useful in a mobile context, including AdBlock Plus, URL Fixer, TwitterBar, language translators, and geo guides.

I love the fact that Mozilla is also going to let us bring add-ons anywhere, but we all know that add-ons are the leading causes of crashes for Firefox. They give us additional functionality and make Firefox better than any other browser out there, but it perceptibly slows down the browser 30-40% on some pages. I sure hope they manage to pull off something that’ll let let us choose mobile-ready add-ons that won’t impact the mobile experience that much in terms of speed and reliability.

What do you guys think? Do you think a vanilla browser is good enough already or should we push for the full Firefox experience for mobile?

Powermat is a “revolutionary” wireless charging system that might actually become the hottest gadget this year. You see, Powermat actually does away with the tangled mess of wires you have to deal wit everyday for your camera, iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, PSP, and others. Instead you get an oversized charging mat that you can put your devices on. Yes, putting your devices on the Powermat actually charges them. It’s no over-the-air charger, but we look like we’re getting there. Powermats can handle up to three devices at a time, which I find disappointing, although I don’t see myself charging five devices at the same time. I believe that we can see future Powermats handling more devices.

I’m wondering the same thing as you are: how does this wireless charging technology work? Well, the mat actually needs a receiver that you attach to your favorite gadgets. Contact between the mat and the receiver triggers the charging action. Currently, the receiver is embedded on a cover that you have to attach to your device, creating unnecessary bulk because, well, those things are huge.

But worry not for those with overly-stuffed wallets: Powermat recently demonstrated a Powermat Battery with the receiver already inside! Imagine the possibilities for this. The Powermat X1, X2 and X3 will be available in Summer 2010 for a retail price of $29,99, $44.99 and $59,99 retrospectively. The number of the mat, i.e. X# indicates the number of devices that the mat can charge. There are potable as well as home and office mats available which can be used as a very nifty hub.

Now I wonder when we can see over-the-air chargers.

Via MYCE:

Designed to look like a set of regular earbuds, the NTT DoCoMo customized headset is able to read electrical changes on the surface of the human eye. A user who looks from right to left can pause music, right and then left glances skip to the next track, and rolling the eyes clockwise helps raise the volume. The company hasn’t announced plans to release the eye-based headset to the consumer market any time in the near future.This type of eye tracking technology is mainly used in the medical field, and hasn’t been widely explored by consumer tech companies. NTT DoCoMo modified the method used to track tiny electric charges, as the sensors on the Japanese company’s headset are located near the earbuds themselves.

I don’t think we can see this in everyday devices, mainly because it’ll be a real pain to actually switch tracks using our eyes, especially if we’re commuting and all. Imagine having to browse through an album using your eyes. I can actually see a use for this for disabled people, especially paraplegics who don’t have use of their hands. Something like this could be used to drive a wheelchair or type for someone who may only have physical control over their eye muscles.

Well then, I’m pretty much applauding this technology, unless they’re made available to the general non-disabled public. I mean, really, are we going to be that lazy that we can’t even be bothered to reach for a button?

For a while, the Sony Dash is actually kind of a glorified widget machine. Kind of like an iPad, but imagine that it doesn’t have the office suite function, or anything else that makes the iPad so great. The Dash Internet Viewer is a touchscreen WiFi device which can be propped up like a digital photo frame. Oh yeah, it’s not portable. So you just have to prop it around your home.

It runs Chumby OS, which lets the 7-inch device can run Chumby apps (there are over 1,000 free ones out there already), to which Sony will be adding its own Sony Music and Sony Pictures properties for movie trailers, music videos and so forth.

But the thing is, the the Sony Dash can now actually stream Watch Instantly content from Netflix. As if that wasn’t enough, Demand Media will also be offering Dash-tailored portals to content from eHow, Golflink and Livestrong.com, and it’ll have no issues streaming “online music videos, television, or film content on-demand” to the 7-inch touchpanel.

Amazingly, this device is only $199. Okay, there’s no external battery and you can’t lug it around everywhere, but I’m sure you can hack it.

I’m sure most of you were waiting for this, right? Since Nokia’s previous Maemo Internet Tablet offerings were also capable of running Google Android, it was only a matter of time before somebody thought of installing Android on Nokia’s intrepid new smartphone. And imagine: installing two open platforms on one excellent phone? It’s a geek’s wet dream come true.

From Slashgear:

Brandon Roberts is the man responsible for the dual-booting marvel, and while he’s describing it more as a proof of concept right now than a workable solution, from what little is shown in the video he’s come a decent way. The keyboard seems to work, and the display is running at the N900’s WVGA resolution; a boot menu allows you to choose between Maemo and Android.

Right now there are no instructions as to how exactly he did it, but we’ve a feeling this could be a popular hack assuming all the N900’s core hardware could be encouraged to work with Android. The combination of Maemo for experimentation and Android for everyday use could potentially transform the N900.

Okay, it kind of sucks that there are no instructions on how to install Android on the Nokia N900, but I guess the hack’s not yet refined. I can’t wait to see this in the future though.

We all know that wireless keyboards are pretty neat, except for the fact that they eat their batteries up a little too fast. Well, guess what. Logitech is promising that their Wireless Desktop MK710 keyboard and mouse combo will last for 3 years. On one set of AA batteries. Seriously, just pop in four AA batteries on this baby, and it’ll last three years. I don’t know what sorcery they’ve used to make this keyboard and mouse set, but this is so awesome I’m not even complaining.

From the official press release:

The comfortable, midsize laser mouse delivers smooth tracking on a variety of surfaces and puts control in the palm of your hand. Hyper-fast scrolling lets you fly through long documents or, if you prefer, you can easily shift to precise click-to-click scrolling to navigate lists, slides and image collections. The mouse’s sculpted, right-hand shape guides your hand to a naturally comfortable position and places the three customizable thumb buttons within easy reach, so you can move quickly between Web pages or applications (after downloading of Logitech software).

Logitech Advanced 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity delivers the reliability of a cord plus wireless convenience and freedom. Fast data transmission, virtually no delays or dropouts, and 128-bit AES encryption give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your data is protected moving from keyboard to receiver to computer.

The Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710 will be available at the end of this month and will retail for $99.99