Gadgets Future

CrunchGear reviews the Samsung Ace (Sprint) and writes, “The backside of the device features a speakerphone and 1.3-megapixel camera (no flash) that’s capable of recording and playing MPEG4, H.263, and WMV video formats…Despite its drawbacks — my biggest gripe being the proprietary connections — I found the SPH-i325 to be a great phone, one I’d be more than happy to use on a day to day basis. The form factor and the keyboard are especially excellent and the middling speed and battery life wouldn’t be enough to deter me from using it regularly. If you’re in the market for a solidly-built Windows mobile phone for keeping up with e-mails and surfing the net, you’ll be pleased with the SPH-i325.”

Read more about the Samsung Ace.

Yesterday, the mighty (or once mighty) Jerry Yang, CEO of Yahoo! wrote a blog post entitled, “Ok, so now what?”.  The post was what you would think a CEO might write about his actions under the Microsoft microscope and hopes for a bright future.  One of the fun thing about blogging is the response it invites.  The response Mr. Yang got is rather interesting:

No wonder Yahoo has crumbled as much and as fast as it has.

You’ve all been “Yanged.”

Yahoo is now a case study Internet misleadership.

Jerry Yang is out of touch with the real world

You should have sold. You still don’t have a solid plan for competing with Google

Millions of shareholders and their investment have been destroyed by your incompetent choices and greed.

This is an amazing blunder

While I would agree that Microsoft might have mishandled the things that make Yahoo! cool, I am not sure Yahoo! has more to get really, really excited about.  I recall last year when Yahoo! was announced in a partnership with the iphone; I thought, Yahoo!?  really.  Maybe they are on to something exciting.  End result?  I spend lots more time on Google products than Yahoo! real estate on my 4.5×2.4 inch Safari screen.

And Yahoo! stock, as of 20 minutes ago, is down 14.56%.  Ouch.

Many of the commenters suggest Yahoo!’s primary focus should be on competing in search and that means focusing on out googling Google.  What is your take, did Mr. Yang blow this or are their bright days ahead for Yahoo!?

Read [Yahoo! corporate blog]

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In what is a great first, Rock Port, Missouri became the first US town to be completely powered by wind energy. They now have 4 wind turbines generating 16 Gigawatts of power annually (they require about 13). Granted that Rock Port is a relatively small town with a population of under 1400, this move demonstrates that alternative energies are not just talk and dreams.

via Slashdot

Posted in Miscellaneous

While Intel’s newest chipsets might support integrated DirectX 10 support, their performance is a totally different story altogether. After all, what good is it if DirectX 10 is supported only for one to run the following titles at such poor (unplayable) frame rates?

• Call of Juarez @ 1280 x 1024, no AA/AF — 1.8 fps
• Crysis @ 1280 x 1024, no AA/AF — 4.4 fps
• World in Conflict @ 1280 x 1024, no AA/AF — 5 fps
• BioShock @ 1280 x 1024, no AA/AF — 3.7 fps
• Company of Heroes @ 1280 x 1024, no AA/AF — 3.6 fps

Clearly, you’ll still need a spanking new dedicated graphics card if you ever want to get your DirectX 10 games going. Otherwise, stick to Web-based games like Bejeweled…

I know that the PSP is used primarily for games, while others also use it for watching media and answering Skype calls, a few among us will probably use its bright display as some sort of torch at night instead. No longer do you need to do that with the XCM Magic Night Glow face plate which was created specially for the PSP Slim (read our review). While it looks pretty much ordinary during the day, everything changes at night as it glows eerily, making mom think that the PSP is possessed. There is no word on pricing as at press time.

Super Talent recently rolled out its MasterDrive MX SSDs which is relatively affordable compared to other SSD solutions, coming in 30GB, 60GB and 120GB capacities that do not surpass the $1,000 barrier. In fact, they will retail for $399, $449 and $649, respectively. All these drives feature a SATA-II interface and contain multi-level cell (MLC) NAND memory, achieving read speeds of 120MB/sec and write speeds of 40MB/sec. For those who want superior performance without taking too much of a hit to the pocket can always check out the new MasterDrive DX 30GB ($699) and 60GB ($1,299) SSDs which use SLC memory, featuring read and write speeds of 120MB/sec and 70MB/sec, respectively. I’ll stick to hard drives until memory prices are lower, thank you very much.

What better way to sneak upon an enemy than in a disguise? British defence giant BAE Systems is working on a bunch of small tiny electronic spiders, insects and snakes which could eventually end up as the eyes and ears of soldiers on the battlefield, with the potential to negate the loss of life. Prototypes are tipped to be released at the end of the year, helping troops overcome booby traps with additional eyes thanks to these robots. Each soldier is said to carry such robots into combat, where they will be used as the first line of reconnaisance. According to BAE Systems, these tiny robots won’t be too expensive to manufacture once they’re in full swing, retailing for approximately £100 ($197) each.

Microsoft Corp. has recently signed a worldwide deal with automakers Hyundai and Kia, with the aim to see its in-car software used in cars from both manufacturers where voice commands are used to control personal music players as well as telephones. Both Kia and Hyundai have been given the green light to sell cars equipped with Microsoft Auto on a global basis from November this year onwards. Features related to geography and needs will also be tailored, depending on which country the car will be sold. Somehow I’d rather let my vehicle be Windows-free as a Blue Screen of Death is definitely not welcome when I’m in the middle of nowhere.

The T12 is the second model of the T series of tributaries power strips. This model is similar to the previously available T10 model. The T12 power strip was designed to give easy accessibility to any wall wart power supply. T12 models have twelve different outlets in which eight of the outlets rotate 90 degrees. This makes it easier when plugging in from different directions and angles. The remaining four outlets are equipped with safety shutters.

The T12 also features a built in resettable circuit breaker that is set with the power push button. The model has two led lights to show that the power strip is working properly. The red light shows that the power strip is working correctly, and the blue light shows that the outlets that are connected are grounded. The T12 also comes with a cord management design so that all the cords will stay organized.

T12 models are setup to protect all three legs of the AC line. The models are rated at 1875 watts and 125VAV/ 15A 60 Hz. The power strip is also made to with stand a voltage spike of 6KV and has a clamping voltage of 330V. Energy levels of 4320 joules can easily be dissipated by the T12 models. The power strip also has surge protection for the telephone/modem, and the f connectors. T12 is produced with a wide band line filter that will prevent EMI/RFI noise from interfering with connected equipment. It can reduce noise levels from around 150 KHz to somewhere around 100 KHz.

The T12 models have been rated with 8 separate listings from the Underwriters Laboratory ranging from the Standard Surge Protection Device (UL1449) to Standard Electromagnetic Interference Filters (UL1283). It also meets the requirements of California’s Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003. This means that the T12 is RoHs (Restricted and Hazardous Substance) compliant.

Gimme!

More info from the manufacturer

Price: $120.00 (Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Posted in Audio/Video, Home Theater, Computers, Gizmo of the Day

Yes, Minority Report–that Tom Cruise flick. Apparently, a collaborative project called the Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology (MAST) Collaborative Technology Alliance is developing spy robots inspired by the said Holloywood movie.

Britain-based BAE Systems is one of the major collaborators for the project. In fact, the company just signed a 19 million deal with the US Army to develop surveillance micro-robots. And these micro-robots are not just ordinary robots–they’re to be designed in the makings of insects, arachnids, and small animals. The first design on the line seems to be the spider which you can see on the picture. Others include bees, geckoes, hummingbirds, and flies among others. And no, they’re not just made to look like these critters, the robots will be made to act and behave like them too. According to the researchers, the first of the lot will probably only be equipped with basic movement abilities and a camera for surveillance. Subsequent models will be equipped with more spy functonalities as the robotic parts become smaller and take less space. Scientists are also reducing energy consumption of the robots for them to be more viable for field use. Not bad. So next time, if you happen to squash a fly and it turns out to be a robot, you’d know someone is spying on you.

via