Reviewing Everything In Life

Gadgets and Gear Unique New and Cool Products

2010-03-16T20:06:00.001-04:00

Recently I came across a very cool website called Gadgets and Gear . They seem to have some amazing new gadgets that really blow my mind. Up until now, I thought most of these things existed only in science fiction movies, but the are real. YOu may want to get the little camcorder as a gift for your boyfriend, I know I would like one. I would suggest everyone go and check out what they have I am sure you wont be disapointed. Every day is something new.

From digital watches, to LED tshirts that light up to geeky geek stuff they got it all.
Gadgetsandgear.com

Massive $1 billion electric car charging grid planned for San Francisco Bay Area

2008-11-23T09:25:00.001-05:00

We've mentioned Project Better Place before, the company that plans to create a network of charging stations and battery exchange locations for electric cars in Denmark, Israel and Australia. Backed by super-rich investors, now it's planning an ambitious expansion into the San Francisco Bay area. The idea is to build a $1 billion network of 250,000 charging ports like you see here, 200 battery-swap stations, and a driver service center.

The remarkable aspect of this grand scheme is that most of this infrastructure is targeted to be operational by 2012. The three big-city (San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose) Bay Area mayors are on board with the idea, especially since this high-tech goodness won't cost them a cent. They will offer incentives for companies to install the chargers, and offered to expedite building permits to speed things along.

Meanwhile, Better Place will sell Renault-Nissan cars as part of the plan, and car companies such as GM and Toyota are interested in the idea, too. Tesla says its upcoming Model S sedan will be compatible with the swappable batteries and charging stations, adding that its battery will charge in the time it takes to fill a car's tank with gas. Better Place's remarkable move shows that the electric car scenario could fall into place quicker than anyone thought.

Sleep Partner resets your body's clock using acupuncture

2008-11-23T09:20:00.001-05:00

Everyone has their favorite way to minimize the effect of jet lag, but this one's new to us. The Sleep Partner is a wrist band that according to its makers, "stimulates the acupuncture points of the wrist associated with sleep" thereby helping to reduce stress, while helping to reset your body's natural clock. I must admit to a healthy dose of skepticism, although at around 20 UK pounds (about $30 US), getting one to try out is unlikely to break the bank.

NASLite - DIY NAS Image

2008-11-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

Networked attached storage devices are becoming increasingly common in home network setups, but they remain fairly expensive for what seems like a fairly simple idea. If you’d prefer to make rather than pay for a NAS then take a look at NASLite. They have a range of options for building your own NAS device from any ancient PC you might have lying around.

NASLite has 3 main distributions, CD based, HDD based or USB based depending on how you want your PC to boot. It’s designed for your typical home network setup and doesn’t need a fast PC by any means, for example the basic requirements are:

*
Pentium or better processor
*
PCI bus
*
64Mb or more of RAM
*
1 or more fixed disk drives
*
PCI or on-board network interface adapter (no USB adapters)

If you want RAID with your NAS you’ll need RAID hardware, the NASLite software won’t do it for you. The NAS can be run without a screen, keyboard or mouse and you have full control via Telnet and you can keep track of things via HTML based reports.

The website has a full list of compatible hardware so you can check it all before you buy and there’s a forum and the usual community to help your untangle your BIOS from your SCSI. It’s $US29.95 for the CD, HDD or USB version of the software.

NASLite-2 HDD is a Network Attached Storage (NAS) Server Operating System designed to transform a basic computer into a dedicated SMB/CIFS, NFS, AFP, FTP, HTTP and RSYNC file server. NASLite-2 HDD is specifically designed to boot from a suitable IDE or SATA device and is intended for use in any low-security environment or application that requires the simultaneous availability of large amounts of inexpensive networked storage.

LG Insite Smartphone

2008-11-23T09:14:00.000-05:00

InciteLG has finally come around to providing a smartphone for the U.S. market. The AT&T Insite has 3G speed, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0, Windows Media Mobile Player 10 and a full color 3-inch LCD display that auto-rotates. Add to that streaming radio capability, Mobile Microsoft Office editing, Video ShareSM and both a QWERTY keyboard and 20-key version. With a price of $499.99, knock it down with a 2 year contract, a mail in rebate and the Insite is yours for $199.99.

Guitar Hero Pocket Game

2008-11-23T09:13:00.000-05:00

Guitar Hero Pocket GameNow you can take your Guitar Hero with you. The pocket-sized version of the musical game comes with 3 levels of play, 10 track segments and 5 wav tone buttons. The Guitar Hero Carabineer has an LCD screen, a foldable neck, a whammy bar and a handy clip. Songs include “Rock This Town,“ “Heart Shaped Box,“ “Killer Queen” and “Smoke on the Water.“ The portable game comes with a MSRP of £14.95 (~$22.00.)

HP TouchSmart tx2 Convertibile

2008-11-23T09:09:00.001-05:00

HP’s new TouchSmart tx2 was designed for users who want flexibility. With its AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor and Vista Home Premium, the convertible has a twist hinge for PC, tablet and display modes. It features a 12.1-inch diagonal BrightView LED display, is Energy Star qualified and comes with a rechargeable digital ink pen that converts handwriting into typed text. Too kewl! Get yours at HP for prices starting at $1,149.00.

OrbLive streams live television to your iPhone

2008-11-23T09:07:00.000-05:00

Here at Gear Live, we’ve been big fans of Orb for quite a while. Back in the original iPhone days, they made an app that was only available on jailbroken phones that we really liked - we just knew it needed to run at 3G speeds to be useful when on the go. The time has finally come, though, as OrbLive has hit the App Store. To back up for a moment, Orb allows you to access files and media on your home computer while on the go. This means that any music on your home computer can now be played on your iPhone from wherever you are. Videos too. Oh, and if you have a TV tuner in your computer, Orb will even allow you to tap into that and watch live television on the go as well. Isn’t that off the hook?

The one caveat for the time being is that the Orb PC software is only available for Windows - but the Orb folks are promising that versions for Mac and Linux are coming soon. We definitely recommend this one - grab the full version of OrbLive for $9.99, or if you are on the fence, there is also a demo version, OrbLive Free.

Quad Band Swivel Screen Cellphone

2008-11-23T09:04:00.002-05:00

This swivel screen cellphone packs a lot into such a small size. It has 4 band GSM, Bluetooth, Dual SIM with dual standby, FM tuner, and accelerometer.The Bronze Edition also has an MP3/MP4 player, a digital cam, image viewer, video recorder, and its own 1GB card for its SD slot. Unlike many of Chinavasion’s products, there is no minimum to buy and you still get a wholesale price. Sign up now with them to be notified when it comes in stock.

Asus R50A Available Worldwide

2008-11-23T09:04:00.001-05:00

If you're feeling a little bit flush even in these times of economic hardship, chances are you will be able to afford $1,399 for the Asus R50A. Now available worldwide, this device comes with the following :-

* 5.6" WSVGA touchscreen display
* Slim external DVD burner
* Foldable USB keyboard
* Bluetooth mouse
* 3G connectivity

The Asus R50A will ship on the 22nd of December onwards, which means it probably won't qualify as a Christmas present in due time, especially when you live halfway across the world.

Chuwi M70 Portable Media Player PMP

2008-11-23T09:03:00.001-05:00

Chuwi has just introduced a new portable media player (PMP) for the masses in the form of the M70, and this little PMP that could comes with touchscreen support (with a little bit of help from LG, of course), a display at 800 x 480 resolution with 16 million colors, gaming support (nothing 32-bit obviously) as well as a wide compatibility with both audio and video formats. Unfortunately, it lacks GPS navigation, which sorta pushes it down the list where desirability is concerned. Won't be knocking the iPod off its perch anytime soon though.

MPGIO MF101 Portable Media Player

2008-11-23T09:02:00.001-05:00

Trust the Koreans to roll out this portable media player that not only handles a wide variety of audio and video formats, it also boasts the ability to keep you entertained via pre-loaded Flash games including 'Mini Game Heaven', 'Super Action Hero', 'Penoa jeongi', 'Punupunupong' and 'Come2us Soccer 2006'. The MF101 PMP will have 1GB of internal memory which frankly, isn't decent enough to qualify it within PMP ranks, although it does come with a ARM 922T 192Mhz processor and a 2.4" QVGA TFT LCD (320 x 240 resolution) display with 260 thousand colors, allowing you to milk your compressed video for all its worth. Prices start from less than $100 onwards. Would be nice to see a memory card slot of some sort though.

Epson EH-TW4000 Projector

2008-11-23T09:01:00.000-05:00

Epson has another projector from its Dreamio range, the EH-TW4000 that will come with the following to keep you entertained :-

* Dupports full 1080p high definition
* Epson D7/C2FINE LCD panel
* DeepBlack technology
* Contrast levels of 75,000:1
* Brightness of 1,600 lumens
* Automatic iris
* Two HDMI 1.3a ports

Interested parties had better make a beeline for Japan this November 28th as that's when Epson will put this projector on sale. It will retail for approximately $3,700 after conversion.

Creative Zen Moo

2008-11-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Has Creative finally failed to live up to its namesake, with the latest MP3 player from the Singaporean company being named "Moo"? Well, perhaps they're trying to tap into a much younger and less mature demographic. After all, the Creative Zen Moo comes in the form factor of a cow's face, and looks to feature a similar set of functions found in the Zen Stone, including a tiny OLED display, 2B of internal memory, 20 hour playback time and an integrated FM tuner. The Creative Zen Moo was specially designed in this manner to pay a tribute to the year of the cow in the Chinese zodiac calendar for 2009.

Larger Eee Top Models Coming Our Way

2008-11-23T08:59:00.000-05:00

Wasn't it just 24 hours ago that Asus released its 15.6" Eee Top all-in-one desktop computer? Well, they certainly aren't one to rest on their laurels, having already released news that they will be outsourcing future 20" and 22" models to Quanta Computer for manufacturing. These larger sized Eee Top computers will be out in the first half of next year. How much do you think Asus will price these new models, considering the current Eee Top retails for approximately $565 at this point in time? Whatever the figure, surely they won't be as expensive as Apple's offerings, right?

Samsung 2494HS LCD Monitor

2008-11-23T08:57:00.000-05:00

Samsung's latest LCD monitor, the 2494HS does not come with a round number where screen size is concerned, instead, it features 23.6" of viewing real estate. Other specifications are no less impressive though :-

* Native 1,920 x 1,080 resolution
* 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
* Stereo speakers
* HDMI input
* DVI and VGA connectivity
* 5ms pixel response time
* 300cd/m2 brightness

The Samsung 2494HS LCD monitor ought to be out in Japan sometime in the middle of next month onwards for $420 thereabouts. Good to know Samsung has a heart for the earth, as this LCD monitor sips just 48W of power when in use. No idea on whether the 2494HS will see action outside of Japan though.

Voodoo Envy 133

2008-11-23T08:55:00.001-05:00

Now that I have used my Voodoo envy for a few weeks, it's time to share how it worked for me. Voodoo is a powerful name in PC Gaming hardware, but let's be clear: this is definitely *not* a gaming machine. The Voodoo envy is an ultra-light laptop that is really good at productivity tasks such as email, web browsing, excel and text editing. Think of it as the ultimate internet cafe machine: it is uber-light, will get you connected with the fastest WIFI, looks great on the table and is most likely a conversation starter even if conversations tend to be repetitive and start with "wow, what's that laptop?".
Physical design

The industrial design is the greatest asset of this computer. It is thinner than the Macbook Air from end to end (0.7") and it also looks so much classier. Very few people seem to have actually seen a Voodoo Envy 133 in the wild. Each time I hop into a meeting, people are watching the laptop instead of looking at the projector screen: you have been warned! Fortunately, I don't sell anything, so that's fine. There's no need for a descriptive paragraph, just look at the photo gallery, it speaks for itself.
Performance
PCMark CPU Score (performance mode)

* Core i7 3.2Ghz: 9873 (desktop PC)
* HP 2730P: 4875
* Voodoo Envy 133: 4536
* Vaio SZ120P: 4191

PCMark HDD Score (performance mode)

* Core i7, Raptor 10k rpm: 9442 (desktop PC)
* HP 2730P: 3750
* Vaio SZ120P: 2996 (Stock drive: Seagate Momentus 5400rpm)
* Voodoo Envy 133: 2767

As you can see, the Voodoo Envy's CPU is not a horserace by any means, but it is largely "good enough" for everyday applications. The hard drive is another story. Being slower than my 3 years-old VAIO stock drive (a 2.5" Seagate Memento 5400rpm) is a bit scary, but remember that the Envy 133 has a 1.8" 4200rpm drive. SSD is an option - at a high price, that said.
Battery life

During my tests, I got around 3 hours of battery life if I use the maximum power savings mode, and may be 1h15mn in performance mode. I mainly spent my time browsing the web, writing reviews and using webmail (I typically dislike using Outlook on a laptop).

I'm not a big fan of the Envy 133 power "brick" and even though it has a cool "Ethernet to Wifi-N" feature, I just wish that it was a bit smaller. In terms of volume and weight, I think that it's somewhat comparable to the power brick of my Vaio, but it is bigger than the HP 2730p tablet. After a while, I can say that I would have traded the Ethernet capability for a smaller power-brick, which would come handy as a paid add-on...

It would have been great to have a battery life similar to the amazing 6+ hours of the HP 2730p, but I can live on power-savings mode and 3+ hours. It's "OK".
Ports and connections

Despite being thinner than the Macbook Air, the Voodoo Envy does have more ports. First of all, it has two USB port. One of them also doubles as an eSATA that can be used to connect an optical drive. The same USB/eSata port can provide power (USB) and connectivity (eSata) to the optical drive. You get the high-performance of SATA and an extra USB port for the day to day use. Smart.

The Envy 133 is obviously too thin to accommodate an Ethernet plug. As we said earlier, Voodoo's solution is to have an Ethernet plug in the Power supply and have it communicate with the laptop via an AdHoc WIFI-N connection. That way, you can benefit from a fast wireless connection even if you don't have a WIFI-N router yet.
The presence of an ExpressCard port means that wireless broadband modem or memory cards can be used, which can come in handy, even if it would ruin the esthetics. There's also an HDMI port that serves as a video out. Of course, there's a small VGA adapter that comes in the package if you need to plug the Envy into a common projector. It works just as one would expect.
Voodoo Instant OS

The Envy 133 comes with Voodoo IOS (or Instant OS, based on Splashtop), a quick-boot operating system based on Linux. I don't really like using the word "instant", because it really isn't (15 seconds to a web page). It does boot a lot faster than Windows, but I found myself not using it at all. I wonder why Microsoft can't build a real instant OS based on Windows Mobile from which we would have access to Exchange, which means emails, contacts and so on. It's just a thought.
Not exactly perfect

As good as it is, the Voodoo Envy 133 isn't perfect. Take the trackpad for example: its integration in the overall design is perfect, but in the dark, it's hard to figure out where it is. A simple LED backlight would solve this. Also, I disabled most of the gestures because they don't work they way I want, except for the vertical scroll, which is really convenient.

The trackpad mouse buttons look great, but having two button using a single piece of plastic isn't the best idea. You have to click at the very edge on either side for them to work best. The keyboard is also wonderfully integrated in the design, but the keys are a little slippery. The keyboard is also a little smaller than the one on my 13.3" VAIO - because Voodoo had to make room for the speakers on each side of the keyboard. It's a weird choice because the keyboard seem to be more important than the audio and it's not like they can't put the speakers elsewhere (well, may be they can't). Talking about the keyboard, I did myself a favor and disabled the Caps Lock button (here's how to do it). First, the performance is "good" to "just OK", depending on your tolerance to battery depletion.

The hard disk speed is the main performance issue here. If you can afford it, go for the SSD, assuming that it is really faster. Note that the hard disk is not upgradeable and apparently, this laptop could not accommodate the Intel X18-M SSD. I have not taken it apart to try.
Temperature
The Envy 133 never gets hot to the point of being uncomfortable on the lap (including on the bare skin), let alone burning hot. That's true even in "performance" mode while running a 10mn torture-test. I guess that this is what happens when, unlike some competitors, there's a fan to blow out the hot air. Oh, and if you wonder, the fan is not too noisy.
Conclusion

My biggest complaint is that I have to clean my fingerprints traces to keep the surface shiny at all times. Sure, The Voodoo Envy 133 isn't perfect, but if you want to have one of the most beautiful laptop, you'll have to take the good with the... less good. As for whether or not you "should" buy one, I would say that you're asking the wrong question. The right one is do you "desire" to? One doesn't buy this laptop to "get the job done", but to do get it done in style. Voodoo did not come up with fancy taglines, but they built the sexiest ultra-thin laptop on the planet. ($2100 as tested )

Windows 7 officially named Windows 7

2008-10-19T18:06:00.002-04:00

Microsoft Windows 7

So, you know that follow-up to Windows Vista that Microsoft has been working on for the past couple of years? They’ve been calling it Windows 7 for a while now, but we just thought that was going to be its codename. As it turns out, Microsoft just announced a few hours ago that Windows 7 is the official name of the next version of their operating system. Why not go with another cutesy name like Windows ME, XP, or Vista? Well, they say this is the seventh release of Windows, and that it “just makes sense.” Well, we guess it does. If you’ll be at WinHEC or PDC, you can plan on getting Windows 7 pre-beta code from Microsoft to play with.

Asus R710 PND With Pathfinder HUD

2008-10-19T18:01:00.000-04:00

Asus has released their R710 PND with Pathfinder HUD (Heads-Up Display) technology that allows users to project directions, speed, etc. on car windshields. The GPS system has a 5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth capability and built-in light sensor. The R710 will also play MP3s, videos and display pictures for those times when you are stuck in traffic. Its MicroSD card slot can handle up to 8GB. At a thickness of only 13.5mm and a weight of only 200g, contact Asus for price and availability.

Samsung BD-P1500 With Free Matrix

2008-10-19T17:57:00.000-04:00

We told you a while ago about a Limited Edition Matrix Collection that comes with Nebuchadnezzar. Samsung must have thought that was a good idea and it is tossing in the movies (sans vehicle) with the sale of their BD-P1500. The 10-disc set was released today and retails for around $100.00 depending on where you shop. We figure that’s a pretty good deal considering the Blu-ray player can be had for $223.00 up to $299.00, again dependent on online retailers. Prices are only good through October 18.

Apple introduces LED Cinema Display: 24-inch, $899

2008-10-19T17:55:00.000-04:00

After many years of remaining stagnant, Apple finally gave their Cinema Display line a nice redesign. The new 24” LED Cinema Display looks similar to what you’d find in an iMac. Aluminum casing, black bezel along the front, LED backlit, built-in MagSafe connector, and a built-in iSight camera with microphone. That last one is something we’ve been waiting for, for far too long. Unfortunately, not everything is all fun and games with the new Cinema Display, as it appears that - at least for the time being - these new Cinema Displays are only compatible with the new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air that were announced today, which all incorporate the DisplayPort. There is currently no way to connect a Mac Pro, iMac, or older notebook to one of these. Let’s hope this gets remedied quickly.

You can pick up the new 24-inch LED Cinema Display in November for $899.

AT&T Sony Ericsson W760a Walkman Cell Phone

2008-10-19T17:53:00.000-04:00

AT&T is undoubtedly pleased to carry the latest Sony Ericsson W760a cell phone. The 3G Walkman phone features an accelerometer for control by shaking or tilting to fast forward to the next song. The technology can also be used for video games. The cellie has an HTML browser, a 3.2 megapixel cam, dedicated gaming buttons, and AT&T Navigator support. Available in red, black or silver, the W760 carries a price of $129.99 after rebates and purchase of a 2 year contract.

Logitech Wireless Vantage Microphone

2008-10-19T17:51:00.000-04:00

Vantage MicrophoneLogitech has announced that they have upped their Vantage Microphone (shown here) to make it cordless. They claim 20 hours of battery life, a range of up to 30 feet, and 2.4 GHz technology in its USB receiver that doubles as a mic stand. The device is compatible with Playstation 2 and 3, and Xbox 360. At a price of $79.99, the Vantage should make a December appearance in the U.S. and Europe.

Michael Moore’s “Slacker Uprising” Free Download

2008-10-19T17:50:00.000-04:00

Michael Moore joins with Leo DiCaprio by using the Internet to get his political ideas across. The filmmaker is offering his latest movie, Slacker Uprising, as a free download. Not only that, he is giving everyone full rein to email, burn, air, or otherwise share it with anyone in the U.S. or Canada.

“This is being done entirely as a gift to my fans. The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters ever at the polls in November,"says Moore. Sign up with your email addy on the Slacker Uprising site and feel free to donate the $9.95 price. And if you are looking for more fun concerning the election, check out the new YouTube videos by P Diddy and Justin Timberlake.

Datapal iPhone 3G External Battery

2008-10-19T17:49:00.000-04:00

The Datapal External Battery can extend your phone or iPod touch or nano, 3rd generation, for additional play of up to 30 hours of music, 6 hrs. of video, or 3 hrs. of talk time. The device has an LED working status indicator and a built-in 1900mAH rechargeable Li-On battery that connects through Apple’s fast port. Recharge with included USB cord in about 3 hours. At a size of 70 x 62 x 12.5mm and a weight of 54.5g, the battery is available for $30.99.