Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Sony's 240Hz BRAVIA KDL-52XBR7 HDTV reviewed: extra Hz not worth the $

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/10/sonys-240hz-bravia-kdl-52xbr7-hdtv-reviewed-extra-hz-not-worth/

Here it is, the review you've been waiting for. Are all those Hz worth all those dollars? If you believe CNET, the answer is "sadly, no." The 52-inch KDL-52XBR7 was all the rage upon its arrival, promising slick visuals and a dejudder processor that would wow, stun and awe. Unfortunately, it seems the set hasn't exactly lived up to expectations, as the deep black levels, accurate color temperature and color decoding, comprehensive complement of inputs and beautiful body weren't enough to overcome the breathtaking $4,200 price tag. Furthermore, the 240Hz refresh rate was found to offer "only minor improvements to picture quality," proving our fears of it being more about marketing than performance absolutely correct. Bottom line? Take your dollars elsewhere -- chances are, you won't miss the Hz.

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Sony's 240Hz BRAVIA KDL-52XBR7 HDTV reviewed: extra Hz not worth the $ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tunebite lets you enjoy Nokia's Comes with Music service, DRM-free

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/10/tunebite-lets-you-enjoy-nokias-comes-with-music-service-drm-fr/

Not that you'd be interested, because DRM isn't a clumsy or expensive solution to a problem that exists largely (or even solely) in the heads of the film and music industries, but a new version of Tunebite is out, and among its many features is the ability to make unprotected dupes of tracks downloaded from Nokia's Comes With Music service. This isn't the "crack" everyone's talking about -- there's nothing new about software that records protected audio off the sound card -- but this package does so at speeds of up to 54x. Not bad, eh? But please, don't use it. Kanye needs our money if he's going to keep scarfing up all those awesome gadgets.

[Via Electricpig]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio

Tunebite lets you enjoy Nokia's Comes with Music service, DRM-free originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japan installs cellphone jammers near ATMs to prevent fraud

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/10/japan-installs-cellphone-jammers-near-atms-to-prevent-fraud/

If you're tired of being scammed at ATMs by kind, gentle-hearted con artists (and then forgetting it ever happened), you'll be stoked to know that Japan is looking out for you. Chiba Bank has installed phone signal jammers at four unnamed ATMs at bank branches in the Tokyo region, and while it has gone down as the first institution to go to such lengths, we highly doubt it'll be the last. It's not entirely clear what exactly the criminals were able to convince people to do via mobile, but it's probably something like "psst... get me out some cheddar and meet around back." Not that we have any experience in the field or anything...

[Via textually]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Japan installs cellphone jammers near ATMs to prevent fraud originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ericsson and Intel developing remote kill switch with GPS locator for stolen laptops

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/ericsson-and-intel-developing-remote-kill-switch-with-gps-locato/

While a power-on password and encrypted drive in your laptop could protect your data in the event of theft, it doesn't come close to the satisfaction you'd feel at being able to locate and prosecute the bastage who stole it. While Lenovo has its Lockdown PC Now feature that allows you to remotely disable your lost or stolen laptop via SMS, it lacks GPS to pinpoint your gear's location. Enter Ericsson, who just announced its intent to make its HSPA-capable Mobile Broadband Modules compatible with Intel's Anti-Theft Technology. Ericsson's modules will support remote-SMS disable like Lenovo's slabs but adds GPS to transmit the laptop's location. At least they will once commercial products begin to ship sometime in the second half of 2009.

P.S. To all thieves and malcontents: just because we gave you a picture of the module above doesn't mean you're allowed to remove it and disable the service. Not cool.

Filed under: Laptops

Ericsson and Intel developing remote kill switch with GPS locator for stolen laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Large Hadron Collider damaged and we have the photos to prove it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/large-hadron-collider-damaged-and-we-have-the-photos-to-prove-it/

Is it possible that shoddy workmanship has once again saved the planet from an untimely demise? Not really, but this next tale should give our paranoiac readers plenty to mull over regardless. CERN has recently released pics of damage wrought when an electrical fault caused a liquid helium leak a mere nine days after the Large Hadron Collider started smashing atoms in September, wrecking interconnects between the magnets in sectors three and four. According to CNET, the doomsday machine will be out of commission until at least summer of 2009. So breathe a sigh of relief, little ones... and pray that the grey goo or the replicant hordes don't get us in the meantime. Hit the read link for all the pics.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Large Hadron Collider damaged and we have the photos to prove it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ratoc introduces Wireless USB kit for your PCMCIA-equipped laptop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/ratoc-introduces-wireless-usb-kit-for-your-pcmcia-equipped-lapto/

Still getting by with PCMCIA, are you? Looking to get into the potentially crumbling world of Wireless USB? Well then, step right up! Ratoc is pumping out its very first WUSB kit with the REX-WUSB1, which includes a rather bulky PC Card (with ultra-wideband antenna) and a four-port WUSB hub. Users with Windows XP / Vista-based machines simply plug in the card, load up the drivers and link their favorite USB peripherals to the hub; from there, you can kick back and enjoy the spoils of wireless printing, wireless cooling and wireless warming -- two of which really aren't all they're cracked up to be. Anywho, the bundle is expected to go on sale in the Land of the Rising Sun later this month for ¥31,500 ($340).

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Ratoc introduces Wireless USB kit for your PCMCIA-equipped laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fusion-io's ioDrive tested: world's fastest storage confirmed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/fusion-ios-iodrive-tested-worlds-fastest-storage-confirmed/

See all those little Samsung squares? That's NAND flash memory, 80 gigabytes worth on Fusion-io's ioDrive. Tweaktown got an exclusive look at the PCIe storage card and came away mightily impressed by its "near nonexistent latency." It's faster than the best SATA II SSD or fastest 15,000RPM drive loaded in an 8 drive RAID config. Put simply, it's the fastest storage device they've ever tested. Tweaktown was so impressed that they proclaim, "Fusion-io has raised the bar so high that once adopted, traditional solutions will be considered legacy products." Mind you, this is enterprise class storage designed for data center servers requiring ultra-fast IO. Still, the only thing preventing you from installing it inside your own 64-bit OS (only) gaming rig is the price: the 80GB ioDrive lists for about $3,000 on up to $14,400 for the 320GB model. Yeah, expensive, but not for your CIO. Eveyone else will have to wait for the consumer model said to be in the works. Hit the read link for all the benchmarks.

Filed under: Storage

Fusion-io's ioDrive tested: world's fastest storage confirmed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OCZ intros Vertex line of 2.5-inch SATA II SSDs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/ocz-intros-vertex-line-of-2-5-inch-sata-ii-ssds/

What's this? A solid state drive family with prices not hidden deep within telephone menu trees? Yep, OCZ Technology is so sure you'll be unable to resist the speed and agility packed within its Vertex series that it has proudly produced MSRPs to go along with 'em. The 2.5-inch SATA II crew is MLC NAND-based and includes up to 64MB of onboard cache, 200MB/sec read speeds, 160MB/sec write speeds and a 1.5 million hour mean time before failure (MTBF). If your current machine could use a little bit of this, you can pick up a 30GB, 60GB, 120GB or 250GB edition right now for $129, $249, $469, and $869, respectively.

Filed under: Storage

OCZ intros Vertex line of 2.5-inch SATA II SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 07:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell's OptiPlex 160 'Tiny Desktop Computer' is appropriately named

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/dells-optiplex-160-tiny-desktop-computer-is-appropriately-nam/

Dell just dropped the new tiny-tower OptiPlex 160 for businesses and educational markets looking to save space and "go green." This 1.85-inch thick machine packs the usual assortment of ports, and an integrated power supply (no brick!), but unfortunately forgoes the integrated disc drive. The $563 base model incorporates a single-core Intel Atom processor, 80GB HDD, 1GB RAM, integrated video, and Vista Home Basic SP1 -- most of which reminds us of the Eee Box, other than the extra two Benjamins Dell's asking for. You can also spring for a 64GB SSD and an external DVD-ROM drive, and there will be a dual-core Atom option in 2009. While folks over in Round Rock envision these in the workplace, we certainly wouldn't mind taking one home for a romantic weekend with Ubuntu.

[Thanks, Ivana]

Filed under: Desktops

Dell's OptiPlex 160 'Tiny Desktop Computer' is appropriately named originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Addonics' USB-to-NAS adapter: all your external HDDs, now network accessible

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/addonics-usb-to-nas-adapter-all-your-external-hdds-now-networ/

Storage junkies, your dreams have just been made into reality. Addonics has just introduced a marvelous new piece of kit, the simple-yet-useful Network Attached Storage Adapter. This little box enables any USB hard drive to be placed onto a network for network access, essentially turning your stale USB HDDs into NAS drives. The device supports both SMB (Server Message Block) and the open source Samba network protocols, which allows for cross-platform access of shared data for most versions of OS X, Windows and Linux. For users not directly connected over the LAN, the adapter provides FTP access for up to eight simultaneous users anywhere in the world, and it can even be used as "a print server or as a BitTorrent file downloading appliance." Best of all? It's available right now for $55. Like we said, dream come true.

Filed under: Storage, Networking

Addonics' USB-to-NAS adapter: all your external HDDs, now network accessible originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GE frees CFL lighting from the tyranny of ugly

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/ge-frees-cfl-lighting-from-the-tyranny-of-ugly/

Was it Arthur C. Clarke who said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic? If he was correct, it would follow that GE's new Energy Smart CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulb is most magical. A true product of "ecomagination" (their word), the imagineers (Disney's word) at GE have taken the their tried and true CFL hardware and housed it in the form factor of a traditional light bulb. Of course there are already a vast number of options for homeowners wishing to go green on the lighting front, but we're hard pressed to find something that works across the board in traditional lighting fixtures (at least without looking awful as it does so). The product gets its national outing at Target on December 28, and starts popping up at more retailers over the coming months. To tide you over until then, we've provided some earth shattering video after the break.

Continue reading GE frees CFL lighting from the tyranny of ugly

Filed under: Household

GE frees CFL lighting from the tyranny of ugly originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple and AT&T bring back iPhone home activation

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/apple-and-atandt-bring-back-iphone-home-activation/

Online shoppers looking to spend the holiday season firmly planted on the couch can add the iPhone 3G back to their lists -- we've just confirmed that Apple and AT&T have quietly brought back in-home activation. Sure, it's been available in limited circumstances before, but now it's here and for real, just like with the first-gen unit. Would-be unlockers looking to score a phone for $199 flat can't start celebrating just yet, though -- you'll still have to provide your billing details and face an ETF if you don't activate within a set period of time. Oh well -- at least it's convenient, right?

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Filed under: Cellphones

Apple and AT&T bring back iPhone home activation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tsutaya online video portal to allow HD-to-optical disc burning

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/tsutaya-online-video-portal-to-allow-hd-to-optical-disc-burning/

For all the digital download pundits who are quick to harp on the "limited viewing window" of downloadable material, chew on this. In a move that can only be described as "miraculous progress," Japan's own Tsutaya has somehow twisted the arms of four US film companies in order to allow HD content to be recorded to Blu-ray Discs or other optical media (up to two times) for later viewing. Initially, the Tsutaya TV on acTVila will have around half of its library (412 titles and growing) available for burning, and while details are somewhat fuzzy, we are told that HDTV video can be exported "without down-conversion" to BD-Rs, DVD-Rs and iVDR-S media. Of course, AACS protection will be applied, but this is infinitely more convenient than that whole Qflix disaster. Better still, we're told that future improvements will include down-converting HD content for use on portable devices (think Digital Copy), and it's anticipated that the downloadable films will be available day-and-date with hard copy releases. The rub? Each film will cost around ¥3,675 ($40), so for now, you're still better off heading to the store. Still -- focus on the progress, people, progress.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Tsutaya online video portal to allow HD-to-optical disc burning originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC's new Everio camcorders feature HDD and microSDHC recording, YouTube

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/11/jvcs-new-everio-camcorders-feature-hdd-and-microsdhc-recording/

It looks like JVC has added a pair of dual hard drive / microSDHC cameras to its Everio lineup. Currently available in Japan, both the GZ-MG840 (60GB) and GZ-MG860 (120GB) count among their features 720 x 480 wide format image capture, 42x optical zoom, image stabilization and the seemingly ubiquitous YouTube mode. Shooting at DVD quality, the 120GB model can hold over 28 hours of MPEG-2 footage, or just shy of 2 hours on an 8GB microSDHC card. Available in blue, red, or silver, the cameras are not yet slated for Stateside release, but the GZ-MG880 has been seen going for ¥75,000 ($816), while the GZ-MG840 can be yours for about ¥70,000 ($761).

[Via Electronista]

Read - GZ-MG840
Read - GZ-MG880

Filed under: Digital Cameras

JVC's new Everio camcorders feature HDD and microSDHC recording, YouTube originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, December 09, 2008

The Savvy Shopper's Guide to This Year's Online Deal Finders [Online Shopping]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/4bsaHZveWiM/the-savvy-shoppers-guide-to-this-years-online-deal-finders

With all the belt-tightening going on in this economy, it's no surprise that coupon codes and deal finders—especially for online shoppers—are the hottest tools on the web right now. With only a week or so left to finish your online holiday shopping in time for the packages to show up at your door before the 24th, it's time to fill those virtual carts and get to hitting "Checkout." Before you do, make sure you're getting the best price possible using this year's latest crop of deal finders, price comparators, and clever product search engines. Photo by Thomas Hawk.

Deal Finders

Most deal search engines work the same way: You enter the product you're looking for and in some cases, the price point, and they return any better deals in their index, no email address required.

BeatMyPrice.com (our full review) looks up products on sale at a better price than an existing listing that you enter. Made by the same folks who brought you coupon-finder RetailMeNot (which is integrated into BeatMyPrice.com's results), BeatMyPrice.com combines user-entered prices as well as product listings across the web.

GotoDaily (our full review) is a straightforward coupon search engine. Enter a store web site or keywords and GotoDaily will list coupon codes and deals to be had; users can remove codes that don't work or add new codes that aren't listed.

BeatThat! (our full review) is a community-driven deal search engine which indexes deals and coupons across the web and also gets entries from site users. Dedicated deal hunters can actually make money at BeatThat!, which pays its members for submitting deals that meet a certain criteria.

FreeShipping.org (our full review) rounds up free shipping coupons for over 600 stores online from the Gap to Macy's and Target and Home Depot and Land's End. Search by store or item to find free shipping coupon codes before you hit the "Purchase" button.

Price Drop Notifiers

Most price drop notification systems watch items you enter over time and email you when it goes on sale. While they'll all assure you that they'll never sell your email address or use it inappropriately, the paranoid can set up a spare free web mail account (like at Gmail) or use the Gmail + trick with your existing address to filter notification email and make sure it doesn't invite spam.

ShoppingNotes.com (our full review) is a straight-up online price watcher. You enter the URL of a product online that you want to get at a better price, and ShoppingNotes will email you a price drop notification up to a number of days you specify (like, until December 20th).

ZingSale (our full review) is another straightforward email price drop notification tool. Enter your desired product and your email address, and ZingSale will trigger a message when it goes on sale.

Savvy Circle (our full review) is a wishlist and price drop notification service. You add items from a wide range of specific stores to your Savvy Circle account's wishlist, and it watches those items in those stores and emails you when the item goes on sale.

Shop It To Me (our full review) scours the internet for sales on clothing brands and accessories you specify from Adidas to Louis Vuitton, and sends you an email digest of the latest deals on those brands online. Correction: Shop It To Me doesn't focus on sales at brick-and-mortar locations, as first stated. Apologies!

Price!pinx (our full review) tracks price drops at any site and offers a handy bookmarklet to do just that. Give Price!pinx your email address and add items to your watch list by hitting the !pinx button on your toolbar.

Lesser-known Product Search Engines, Reviews, and Recommendations

While your favorite store's search engine, or Google, or Amazon.com might turn up most product results, a few new search engines that offer clever twists on gift-finding are also available this year.

The Pogue-o-matic is a fun, interactive product guide to choosing the best tech gear for your circumstances. Made by our favorite New York Times tech columnist, David Pogue, you choose what item you're looking for—digital camera, smartphone, TV, camcorder—and answer a series of simple questions about what you ! need spe cifically in that item. Then Pogue tells you his recommendation based on your responses. Meant more for gadget newbs than anyone else, gamer nerds will still enjoy a classic Easter egg hidden in the app that Gizmodo uncovered.

Like.com (our full review) finds items that look like another based on an image. Upload a photo of those snazzy and expensive shoes and Like.com will send you an email of similar, discounted results.

Amazon Mobile for the iPhone (our full review) looks up any product on Amazon.com that you snap a picture of with your iPhone; similar to previously mentioned SnapTell.

PleaseDressMe (our full review) is a t-shirt search engine that makes finding items for your hipster internet-savvy cohort easy, aggregating snarky tee's from the likes of Threadless, Busted Tees, and other specialty vendors in one place.

GoodGuide (our full review) gets your green on this holiday season with a product database of information categorizing each item on how socially, health-conscious, and environmentally responsible it is.

ReviewGist (our full review) displays users reviews from across the web in easy to scan graphs, and can even compare products side-by-side, great especially for tech gear purchases.

If Amazon's your online storefront of choice, check out our Top 10 Amazon Power Shopper Tools. For more time-tested online shopping techniques, check out our guide on how to become an online power shopper.

What deal finders and product search engines have netted you the best deals this holiday season? Tell us about 'em in the comments.

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