Gadgets Blog

Heat has always been the enemy of the Xbox 360, with “the red ring of death” destined to by associated with Microsoft’s console in the history books. Still, Microsoft has taken an iterative approach to solving the heat problems and the latest iteration, codenamed Jasper, is thought to be appearing this August.

At the moment the console uses a 90nm IBM graphics chip, but the new Jasper version will have that replaced with a cooler-running 65nm GPU. Apparently, Microsoft has shared the contract for manufacturing the chip between TSMC, ASE, and Nanya PCB.

A further console revision is also rumored to be in development, called Valhalla, which would combine the core processor and the GPU on to a single 65nm chip. I doubt we will see that before next year though.

I have recently bought an Xbox 360 Elite after holding off buying one due to the heat issues. I also know a number of people who say their new Elite consoles run cooler and with less noise than the earlier machines. The 65nm GPU should hopefully stop the heat issues altogether for Microsoft, who I am sure want to cut the console return-and-repair numbers as quickly as they can.

If the Valhalla revision turns out to be true, then we may even see Microsoft follow Sony’s lead and release a smaller version of their console to market. Unlike Sony however, Microsoft would still have to ship with that giant power brick.

Read more at TechRadar.com

As reported by Anythingbutipod, the Cowon’s D2 portable media player is now available with 16GB of internal capacity. Just like the previous version (2,4 and 8G), the D2 features a 2.5-inch touchscreen display, video recorder, Line-In Recorder, built-in FM tuner as well as support for MP3, WMA, OGG WAV, APE and FLAC Codecs but all video files must be converted using jetAudio VX. The 16GB edition is currently available at Jetmall for $240 (that’s including shipping cost).
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Volkswagen and Sanyo will be teaming up to develop a new a lithium-ion battery which will be used in hybrid as well as electric cars. The German automaker is targeting a 2012 release date for this new battery, but I wish the development could be completed sooner since I definitely do not want to see the entire world economy collapse and nations go to war any more just because of black gold which is essential in keeping the engines of nations running, economically or otherwise. Till then, viva renewable energy!

Hello Kitty phones appeal to only a niche market, but strangely enough this niche market is huge to say the least. What we have here is slightly different from other Hello Kitty offerings as it comes with a separate pair of speakers, presumably for you to better enjoy your tunes with friends and family. This GSM 900/1800 handset measures 90mm x 49mm x 15mm and tips the scales at 75 grams, boasting a talk time of up to 150 minutes and up to 5 days of standby time, although I don’t think the latter two figures are indication of real world use. It features a shake function found on selected Sony Ericsson handsets, where a single shake will change MP3 tracks. Other features consist of a 2.2″ 260k color display and a 1.3 megapixel camera. No idea on how much this will cost though.

Source: Gizmodiva

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Laptop sleeves are becoming more and more popular these days. Not only do they allow a laptop to be carried safely in a bag that doesn’t scream “I have an expensive computer in here!”, they also help users avoid carrying backbreaking amounts of junk. The new Cargo Laptop Sleeve from Built NY is perfect for those who just want to carry the bare minimum. It’s made out of tough, protective neoprene and aside from holding a laptop it offers three pockets that can hold a portable hard drive, a mouse, an ipod, or whatever you can find that will fit. It’s also got special zig zag stitching that gives it extra water resistance. It comes in three sizes: Large (fits laptops up to 17-inch), Medium (fits laptops up to 15.4-inch) and Small (fits laptops up to 13-inch). Prices range from $40-$50.

Product [Built NY] Via [Crave]

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Isn’t this the coolest coffee table ever - granted, it won’t be able to do what Microsoft’s Surface can, but Kyle Downes has poured in a whole lot of sweat and tears into this NES Controller Coffee Table, complete with a high quality finish and glass top that oozes with class. What makes this coffee table all the more fantastic is the fact that it works - as long as it is hooked up to a working NES console. Amazing, isn’t it? Makes me feel as though I’m in Wonderland where everything else has been super-sized. I forsee a niche market for this - bring it on with other console-themed tables!

Toshiba will soon use PS3 technology in its new range of TVs and notebooks, where the SpursEngine chip (incidentally co-developed between Toshiba and Sony) will be able to handle majority of video and multimedia processing while freeing up the main processor’s resources for other tasks. Toshiba did run some benchmark tests, claiming that HD processing which used to take an hour now takes just one sixth that amount of time. Unfortunately, no PC games are optimized for the SpursEngine chip at this point in time, so you’ll still need a dedicated graphics card if you want to get some gaming in between your work time. I find it interesting that Toshiba and Sony went head to head against each other when it came to Blu-ray and hd dvd, but are pretty close buddies with the SpursEngine.