Ubergizmo

Blackberry Storm 2 for 99c at Wirefly - Black Friday only

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:24:41 -0800

For those interested in the Blackberry Storm 2: Wirefly has just announced that it will sell the phone (with a new contract). If you already have a Verizon contract, you might be eligible for a $29.99 upgrade. From Wirefly: "Verizon is waiving the activation fee, as well. And additional savings of $35 for one line. And up to $135 for 5 lines."

Our advice: check the Motorola Droid first.

Permalink: Blackberry Storm 2 for 99c at Wirefly - Black Friday only from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Bandit To Help With Your Exercises

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:52:38 -0800

Are you too busy to find a gym partner? Well, the folks over at the University of Southern California Center for Robotics and Embedded systems have pulled in the stats (and we’re fairly sure everybody is busy). The robot called Bandit is now offering Robotics and Embedded Systems exercise training. This certainly seems suitable in the gym, though you had to admit the fact that the it’s so huge would probably deter a lot of people from checking it out.

Permalink: Bandit To Help With Your Exercises from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Liquid metal battery being developed

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:45:09 -0800

A group at MIT led by Professor Donald Sadoway is busy developing grid-scale storage solutions for times when electricity is scarce. They’ve come up with a rather novel way to keep things running, which is by using high temperature liquid medals. The team has even had time to award a grant from ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency and Energy. We’re not too sure how getting high temperature liquid metals will be feasible, but we’ll leave that to the experts for the moment.

Permalink: Liquid metal battery being developed from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Steering Wheel With Integrated Desk

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:37:41 -0800

Ever needed a place to write or doodle some stuff while you were waiting in your car? Well, with the steering desk wheel, you’ll certainly be reclaiming a little bit of space that was initially yours. Would you attach this innovative table to your expensive car?

Permalink: Steering Wheel With Integrated Desk from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Leica M9 Ready For Pre-order

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:25:54 -0800

Are you a camera aficionado? You know, because if you are, you could drop $7000 to pay for the Leica M9 B&H preorder. Of course, for that price, you would probably get a half-decent car, not to mention in home air conditioning. If megapixels is your thing, you would be glad to know that the Leica M9 sports an 18-megapixel resolution.

Permalink: Leica M9 Ready For Pre-order from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Soccer Ball Shaped iPod Speaker

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:20:39 -0800

Thinking of buying a set of speakers for your soccer-crazy friend, but can’t think of something? Well, it seems that the iPom is out; it was designed to look like a soccer ball. The speaker also has an AUX input jack, which is really useful because not everybody can own an iPhone/iPod. Would this design be something that David Beckham would like to promote?

Permalink: Soccer Ball Shaped iPod Speaker from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

UMID mBook Now Available In Pink

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:10:46 -0800

Pink certainly isn’t a manly color, but if you’re looking for a UMID for your significant other during the Christmas, you could always check out the UMID mBook that we reviewed a short while ago. More importantly, especially as a gift for the fairer sex, the UMID mBook is currently also available in pink Features stay the same with its 4.8-inch WVGA touchscreen, 5 hour battery life, powered by Atom processor.

Permalink: UMID mBook Now Available In Pink from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

CarterCopter Personal Air Vehicle

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:02:31 -0800

Sometime in the near future, will we all own one of these as personal transportable devices? If you’re attracted to the scene in that pretty picture, maybe we will be having such a future, eh? Carter Aviation technologies, which has been trying for 15 years to win acceptance for its radical gyrocopter/aeroplane technology seems to have finally gotten a good deal, as it has partner with successful military robot make AAI. There isn’t any mention on the estimated cost of building/buying such a device, but you have to admit it’ll certainly be something to show off with. Check out more details on how it works here.

Permalink: CarterCopter Personal Air Vehicle from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Shirt that helps you identify stress

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:52:57 -0800

There’s no denying the importance of clothes in our daily lives, but would you want your shirt to be able to get more information about you, specifically your stress levels? Well, this shirt has bio sensors that will be able to determine the level of your stress, after which signals will be sent to the corresponding LEDs connected to the shirt. The higher your stress levels are, the faster the LEDs will blink, and therapy will certainly be much easier since your partner knows where to stimulate based on the blinking LEDs.

Permalink: Shirt that helps you identify stress from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Lawyers Court Banned Xbox Live Gamers

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:47:18 -0800

Are you one of the folks affected by Microsoft’s recent move to ban about 600,000 Xbox Live gamers who were running modified Xbox consoles? Well, it seems that the law firm Abington IP wants some input from you, and might be interested in launching a class action lawsuit against Microsoft. One of the points mentioned is that of “obtaining information from Xbox consoles without the permission of the owner”. Would you want to take part in a class action lawsuit and try and force Microsoft to let you get back into Xbox Live? We’re certainly not telling you to go out and join this, of course, just updating you guys on the things that are happening. Check out the details of this here.

Permalink: Lawyers Court Banned Xbox Live Gamers from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Details Of New Intel Atom In 2011

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:39:32 -0800

Some initial information on Intel’s successor to the Pine Trail platform has surfaced. The next iteration will be codenamed Cedar Trail and this 2011 update will be built on the 32 nanometer processor. Aside from that, it will take advantage of a new integrated graphics core, and also support DirectX 10, as well as HD video decoding. Other features should include dual digital outputs that support DisplayPort and HDMI, not to mention support for 1,066MHz DDR3 will also be a welcome addition. It’s nice to see processor technology moving happily along, giving us faster and more efficient chips.

Permalink: Details Of New Intel Atom In 2011 from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

DIY MINI controller kit

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:18:21 -0800

Looking for some simple DIY stuff to fiddle with over the weekend? Well, if you’re feeling particularsly rich, you could always go for DJTechTools’ upcoming solder-free MIDI controller kit, which gives users 16 arcade style button triggers and LEDs that will apparently be released as open source when it’s launched. $165 seems a little steep for a simple ready to assemble DIY kit, but if you’re up for it, you’re welcome to pick one up when it’s launched.

Permalink: DIY MINI controller kit from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Philips releases new LED Pro HDTVs

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:12:58 -0800

Philips has unveiled 2 rather interesting new models in its LED HDTV line up, namely the 40PFL9704 and the 46PFL9704. These TVs boast “LED Pro” which is Philips’ next generation LED backlight technology. Aside from that, you’ll find better contrast ratio, 200Hz refresh rate and it’s claimed to be 50 percent more power efficient than your standard LCD TV. There are also a whooping 5 HDMI ports on this TV, and you’ll also get Philips’ online NetTV service. You’ll have to dig deep to pick these up though, as they’ll be priced at £1,799 and £2,499 when they’re launched in December, just in time for Christmas.

Permalink: Philips releases new LED Pro HDTVs from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Dr. Dre Club Beats Launches At Best Buy

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:03:18 -0800

It looks like Best Buy has teamed up with Monster and Beats by Dr. Dre and will be offering popular DJ equipment such as turntables, headphones and software. If you’re keen on picking a turntable or headphones, you could always potter over to Best Buy and try it out there. Will you be shopping for a new (or your first) turntable over the Christmas period?

Permalink: Dr. Dre Club Beats Launches At Best Buy from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Bamboo Comic Pen & Touch

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:14 -0800

The Bamboo Comic Pen & Touch, also known as the CTH-461/S1, is similar to the Bamboo Fun Small where its body and pen are concerned. However, since the Bamboo Comic Pen & Touch is meant for illustrators as well as those who dabble with comics and manga, you get five dedicated software including Pixia Edition, Illust Studio Mini, Comic Studio Mini and Pencil LITE for the Windows platform, while a Mac/Windows-compatible software would be the Corel Painter Essentials 4.

Permalink: Bamboo Comic Pen & Touch from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Nokia Slashes Jobs In R&D

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:57:09 -0800

While most people believe the economy is beginning to recover, some folks will probably still feel the effects of it, especially after Nokia announced that it would cut 330 jobs in its research and development group, which will be spread between an office in Oulu and Copenhagen. The cuts will represent just under 2 percent of its entire research team, so it’s not that big a hit, and Nokia says that it’s only meant to reflect the company’s “focused portfolio of future products”. Hopefully future Nokia phones will still be cool and innovative, and hopefully not affected by this round of job cuts.

Permalink: Nokia Slashes Jobs In R&D from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Hackers work around Mac OS X 10.6.2

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:53:36 -0800

Hackers have managed to get around Mac OS X 10.6.2, allowing netbooks running on Intel Atom processors to work with it again after being shut out by the recent update. Bear in mind that this hack is applicable only to a selected number of users, since not everyone who installs Mac OS X on non-apple machines uses an Intel Atom processor. It still remains to be seen whether Apple will disable Atom processor support permanently in the future. Atom is not used in any Apple products at the moment.

Permalink: Hackers work around Mac OS X 10.6.2 from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Windows Mobile 7 could arrive in March 2010

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:50:26 -0800

Word has it that Microsoft will roll out Windows Mobile 7 in March sometime next year, and we sure as heck hope that Microsoft doesn't botch this one up considering how far Windows Mobile already is behind the game where smartphone operating systems are concerned. Hopefully Windows 7 is an omen of things to come, as healthy competition will always benefit the consumers at the end of the day.

Permalink: Windows Mobile 7 could arrive in March 2010 from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Pantech Impact out this Sunday

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:47:31 -0800

AT&T will be offering the Pantech Impact from this Sunday onwards, where you get a “high-gloss faceplate” with haptic-enabled keys alongside a full QWERTY keyboard. You get an internal and external display alongside 3G support, GPS navigation, a built-in music player, AT&T's HTML mobile browser, a camera with video recording capability alongside easy access to IM and email. Available in bright blue and soft pink colors, the Pantech Impact will retail for $99.99 with a 2-year contract after a $50 mail-in rebate. [Press Release]

Permalink: Pantech Impact out this Sunday from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Sprint Incognito SCP-6760

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:43:24 -0800

Sprint has just rolled out its Incognito SCP-6760 from Kyocera where this model will boast a glowing keypad that makes it easier to type at night, alongside an OLED display for clearer viewing. Flip the Incognito open and you will get a full QWERTY keyboard alongside the benefits of a 2.6"display at 320 x 240 resolution. The Incognito will play nice with Sprint's EVDO network, while the keypad is touch sensitive with haptic feedback for easier and more convenient use. A 2-megapixel camera and a microSD memory card slot rounds off the list of features. The Sprint Incognito is ready to see action this November 30th, retailing for a surprisingly cheap $50 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a two-year contract.

Permalink: Sprint Incognito SCP-6760 from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Sony demos 3D LED Wall

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:39:55 -0800

Sony certainly thinks that the future lies in 3D technology even when you're viewing your favorite sitcom right in the comfort of your living room. In order to accentuate their faith in 3D technology, they placed 70 LED displays together at the International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition 2009 in Japan, where you'll need to wear a pair of dorky-looking glasses to enjoy the benefits of 3D shows.

Permalink: Sony demos 3D LED Wall from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

N900 price drops to $480

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:35:58 -0800

Who would've thought that the delectable Nokia N900's price point would have dropped to a relatively affordable $480 over at Amazon? This is after a $50 mail-in rebate, of course, where you can snag this 32GB capacity smartphone for cheap. Other features to jog your memory include an ARM Cortex-A8 processor and a 5-megapixel camera. No idea on the shipping date though as the device is still in the pre-order stage, making us wonder what led Nokia to make the price cut?

In any case, check out our complete Nokia N900 Review before making the jump.

Permalink: N900 price drops to $480 from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Bmorn BM-870 portable media player

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:25:05 -0800

Where do you draw the line when it comes to the screen size of a portable media player? We are inclined to think that the Bmorn BM-870 does not qualify although it claims to be one, as it has a massive 8.9" display which supposedly offers full HD playback - hopefully the display has the necessary pixel support to keep you entertained in high definition.

Permalink: Bmorn BM-870 portable media player from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

31337 phone

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:22:29 -0800

Check out the 31337 (Elite) phone from designer Shane Crozier - it looks much more like a fashion accessory than anything else, where it is able to hook up to Facebook and Twitter, downloading and synchronizing your contacts onto the handset so that you no longer have the excuse not to have anyone's number. Other standard features such as a camera, speakerphone, music and video playback alongside Internet functionality have been omitted in order to keep the form factor small enough to slip into your pocket.

Permalink: 31337 phone from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Shake N Wake Alarm Clock

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:19:42 -0800

Finding it hard to get up each morning without disturbing your partner? The Shake N Wake Alarm Clock might just help - retailing for $25, you wear this like a watch on your wrist, where it will shake and vibrate when the appointed time to rise and shine approaches. Perfect for folks who don't want their sweetheart to wake up at an agonizingly early hour, or for the hearing impaired. Apart from that, you can still turn on the bleep alarm if you so desire, having being brought up on a diet of alarm clocks that actually make some noise.

Permalink: Shake N Wake Alarm Clock from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Playstation Network to get fee-based subscription

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:16:47 -0800

In what would most probably be an unpopular move, Sony looks set to introduce a fee-based subscription for the Playstation Network sometime in 2010 or the year after that. It isn't meant to replace the free Playstation Network access but complement it instead, where they reiterate the mantra that money gets you places - in this case, perhaps an increased download speed or more detailed profile online among other exclusive benefits. What do you think of this development?

Permalink: Playstation Network to get fee-based subscription from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Pegatron smartbook coming our way

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:13:29 -0800

The Pegatron smartbook is on its way to hit the US, where it will retail for a sweet, sweet sub-$200 price point in the first quarter of next year. Powered by an ARM processor, this 10" netbook will run on Ubuntu where it will function more like a cellphone than notebook thanks to its Always On capability, while boasting a Quick On function that helps it get up to speed in a jiffy instead of wasting a couple of minutes of your life waiting for the machine to boot up. Hopefully the battery life would be a strong point, otherwise all the good work mentioned might just be undone.

Permalink: Pegatron smartbook coming our way from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Meizu M8 going for €199

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:09:38 -0800

Did the moon just turn blue? Guess so, especially when you can pick up the Meizu M8 for a mere €199. What was once touted to be the iPhone killer (but failed miserably in case you haven't noticed) is going for $295 unlocked (after conversion from Euros), making it $100 cheaper. Just in case you've forgotten what the M8 can do, it boasts a wide range of video file format support, which is its greatest strength apart from letting you keep in touch with friends and family.

Permalink: Meizu M8 going for €199 from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

USB Heating Kneepads

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:05:26 -0800

No, the USB Heating Kneepads are not the bees knees. Keeping your hands and feet warm we can understand, but knees? Just wear a really long and thick pair of pants if you're so averse to winter temperatures, or at least have a set of long johns to keep you warm and toasty inside instead of wasting $28 on the USB Heating Kneepads. Apparently, this device comes with an external battery that can be juiced up when plugged to a USB port, it also can be charged via a wall outlet.

Permalink: USB Heating Kneepads from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

US Army to get AM-Pholed prototypes

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:02:25 -0800

Nice to know our men in uniform who proudly and bravely defend our country will be getting prototype versions of flexible AM-Pholeds. It remains to be seen just which part of the battlefield operations will experience action with such prototypes, although we do know that the US Army has its eyes on enabling flexible PHOLED technology to be adorned on a soldier, perhaps to check out real time instructions from the top right on your sleeve without bogging you down with heavy equipment?

Permalink: US Army to get AM-Pholed prototypes from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Sony to launch online portal

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:49:40 -0800

An online store is a big thing thanks to the iTunes' unprecedented success on a global scale, and Sony doesn't want to lose out on this potentially lucrative market if executed rightly, having announced plans to roll out an online portal for music, movies, books and other content including applications. The new Sony Online Service is supposed to assist the company in hitting Apple where it hurts - iTunes. Hopefully they won't introduce all the crap DRM and proprietary formats in the process.

Permalink: Sony to launch online portal from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Verizon to offer Samsung Omnia II

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:46:30 -0800

The Samsung Omnia II will be heading towards Verizon Wireless, although it does make us wonder why the carrier would release a Windows Mobile 6.5 device to go up against the Motorola Droid from their own stable. SEems that it will retail for $200 a pop for a 2-year contract, although at that price point you will need to send in a $100 mail-in rebate. The Omnia II is set for a December 2 release.

Permalink: Verizon to offer Samsung Omnia II from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Motorola Motus spotted in the wild

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:43:50 -0800

As with many other spyshots of any device, the Motorola Motus takes on the form of an extremely blur image, and it does seem to share some resemblance with the Motorola CLIQ. You get a flat keyboard with this sans D-pad for navigation purposes. Word on the street point towards Android 1.6 as the operating system of choice, alongside a 5-megapixel camera as it is tipped to roll out sometime in Q1 2010. Does look like a fingerprint magnet to us though, that much we can confirm.

Permalink: Motorola Motus spotted in the wild from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Gameloft to slow down on Android games

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:37:14 -0800

Gameloft is famous for their range of mobile games, but they have just revealed that they will be slowing down on Android game development due to a lack of potential revenue and slow adoption of the platform. According to Gameloft finance director Alexandre de Rochefort, “We have significantly cut our investment in Android platform, just like … many others. It is not as neatly done as on the iPhone. Google has not been very good to entice customers to actually buy products. On Android nobody is making significant revenue.” Oh, is this a big blow to Android as we all know that games do sell hardware. Would this result in a snowball effect for buying more iPhones?

Permalink: Gameloft to slow down on Android games from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

BlackBerry Pearl 9100 leaked

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:34:42 -0800

Another day, another leak - this time round it is the BlackBerry Pearl 9100 that is the beneficiary, also known as the stratus/striker. Check out the video above - this latest iteration of the BlackBerry Pearl looks all set to rock our socks off when it is finally released.

Permalink: BlackBerry Pearl 9100 leaked from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Pogoplug 2 announced, looks great

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Cloud Engine has shown us the next-generation Pogoplug. The multimedia sharing device uses a new beautiful industrial design that allows it to expand significantly from the first model: it is now possible to connect four USB hard drives to increase the storage capacity to several Terabytes. This great for edgy consumers, but also for independent professionals and small businesses.

The software has also been improved too: Pogoplug can now automatically synchronize files from connected computers. Organizing photos and videos has been simplified as well, and the demo that we've seen was very convincing. Video support has not been forgotten, and Pogoplug 2 is smart enough to convert most video formats (except AVCHD for now) into mp4 for streaming and sharing. The front-end web interface is nice and clean. If you really want to go overboard, it is possible to install several Pogoplugs and create your own cloud.

We know that the devices are on their way right now by plane and boat, so Pogoplugs are scheduled to ship in December. The price? $129

Permalink: Pogoplug 2 announced, looks great from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Google News Revamped For Mobile

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:56:21 -0800

Mobile versions of websites have never been all that hot, but we’re fairly sure that many folks were still disappointed that Google News’ simplified version wasn’t all that nice. Fortunately Google isn’t going to sit back and take flak that its sites aren’t good, and it has revamped the site for iPhone, Android and Palm Pre users. One of the nicer features is the “Jump to” link which will bring up a window that allows you to skip to the news section of your choice, saving you a couple of clicks. Check out the Google News site on your (supported) phone to see the new layout.

Permalink: Google News Revamped For Mobile from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Motorola Milestone For 1 Euro In Germany

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:39:02 -0800

It certainly seems that us folks in the US are getting the short end of the stick here. Aside from the Motorola Droid (Milestone) over in Europe having multi-touch capabilities, it seems that the folks over in Germany will be able to pick up the phone for 1 Euro, as opposed to us paying $149.99 for the phone. Maybe the next bit of news will be how the Motorola Milestone in Europe can fly you to the moon or something.

Permalink: Motorola Milestone For 1 Euro In Germany from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Man Marries Virtual Girlfriend

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:24:10 -0800

If you thought that getting hitched underwater of hooked up while playing World of Warcraft etc is weird, what till you hear about the Love Plus dating sim. Apparently one guy loves his virtual girlfriend, Nene Anegasaki, so much that he’s going to marry it (her?). The magical date is set for November 22nd, and he’s invited the media to attend, so it looks like there will be some coverage of it. What do you think of this?

Permalink: Man Marries Virtual Girlfriend from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Optical Zoom For iPhone From Princeton

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:17:05 -0800

Optical zoom add on kits for cell phones aren’t particularly new, but Princeton Japan has just introduced its iZoom, which is compatible with the iPhone 3G/3GS. It’ll give you an option for up to 8x optical zoom, which isn’t too bad. The iZoom will come with a case and you’ll even be able to focus manually. One more reason to leave your camera at home?

Permalink: Optical Zoom For iPhone From Princeton from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review