FROM GAMERTELL - To help celebrate the Fourth of July 2008, DirecTV is offering a free preview weekend of its Game Lounge interactive channel for the long weekend (July 2 through 6, 2008, CH 110).
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The Galaxy, like all other Tokyoflash watches is unique in its design. Time here is told in a different dimension, colors are used instead of numbers to tell time on Although it may look confusing at a glance, time on The Galaxy is really easy to decipher, one touch of the upper button initiates a programmed animation of light, and then presents the time. Twelve yellow bars represent hours in a clock wise direction, eleven red bars represent groups of five minutes and four green bars show single minutes. Pressing the lower button presents the time immediately. What’s your take? Is it too much of a headache to read? [product page]
by Donald Melanson, posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 7:11AM
It may not create drinking water from anything like Dean Kamen’s wonder machine, but this new so-called Klimatic Base 1 AirWater Machine does its share of inventive (but not entirely unique) water purifying nonetheless, with it promising to pull drinkable water out of the air. That’s done, as you might have guessed, with the aid of an apparently standard dehumidifier, which gets paired with several filters and a UV light chamber that the company says will eliminate any bacterial content that might be in the water. You’ll apparently even be able to get both hot and cold water from the dispenser. There’s no word on price or availability just yet, unfortunately, and we wouldn’t recommend trying to rig up your own with a Brita filter and the dehumidifier in your basement in the meantime either.
[Via Tech Digest]
Filed under: Misc. gadgets
by Darren Murph, posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 1:29PM
GEAR4’s BlackBox Bluetooth speaker is splendid for those with ample room in their abode, but where will you turn for lavish sound when space is an issue? Bose? Pish posh. The newly introduced BlackBox micro (sadly) ditches Bluetooth in exchange for a sole 3.5-millimeter auxiliary port, but it does include an integrated SFX gel base in order to use any flat surface to “provide rich bass sounds.” Beyond all that fanciful stuff, you’ll find another traditional driver kicking out mids and highs, and there’s even a USB port for powering it with whatever computer you’ve got nearby. Look for this one to sneak into stores this August for £20 ($40).
[Via Pocket-lint]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio
by Chris Ziegler, posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 9:00AM
Shoot, all Motorola had to do was change from pink mahogany to this nice, normal, compliant shade of black, and that would’ve been enough of an update to justify a model name change. There’s more, though: the V9x will officially offer AT&T Navigator, the Telenav-powered navigation system already found on the Z9, and we can see from these press shots that it’ll even work on the secondary display, which is pretty trick. This appears to be the same update that we’d originally heard would drop way back in January, which means we can likely expect Video Share support as well. Take a stroll on over to Engadget Mobile for the full gallery.
Filed under: cellphones
Aside from the obvious upcoming release of the iphone 3G, it looks like AT&T customers will have a good remainder of the year device wise. Based on a recently leaked 2008 roadmap there is a nice selection of phones that will soon be available.
It looks like the upcoming 3rd quarter is going to be dedicated to the BlackBerry with an anticipated release of the Curve 8320 with Wi-Fi and the Bold. In addition it looks like the updated BlackBerry OS will also be released during Q3, which will put the 8820, Pearl 8120, Curve and Curve 8310 up to version 4.5.
Then for those who are not quite as excited by the BlackBerry, it looks like Q4 will be the time for you, of course its almost like a flip with the 4th quarter focusing a little more on Windows Mobile 6.1 goodness. Expected to be released is the Pantech Duo, Samsung Blackjack 3, AT&T Tilt 2 and also a still unknown handset from Samsung. Of course that unknown handset is rumored to be the Samsung Omnia. The four handsets that are on track for the fourth quarter release are all going to be running Windows Mobile 6.1.
In addition to the new WM 6.1 handsets AT&T also has a few current devices that are scheduled to be upgraded to 6.1 as well. It looks like the Samsung Blackjack 2, AT&T Tilt and the Moto Q9H will be updated in July with the old Pantech getting updated in October.
Sounds like a good rest of the year is to be expected for both blackberry and Windows Mobile 6.1 fans alike, as you would expect we will keep you up to date as more information becomes available.
Via [BGR]
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Continuing in the grand tradition of shameless gadget imitation for the benefit of the consumer public, manufacturer GoLive2 has come up with the latest version of the Wii-mote: The motion-sensing Stix, for the PC.
The wireless GoLive2 Stix are ‘touch sensitive’ controls that will be compatible with hundreds of PC games, and will be conveniently offered at their own game portal, Sphere. The company will also support third party and independent game developers and help them adapt their games to the Stix scheme.
Oddly, there will be three different types of Styx with increasing levels of features, the Stix 200, the 400 and the 100. (Did they not learn anything from the Vista potpourri feature-set pricing plan?). The Stix 400 will be compatible with all of the approved games, including all the Games for Windows.
But will the motion control scheme have an impact on PC-based gaming?
As of now, the answer is probably no. This is especially the case since the control’s success has been limited to the one Wii console, and even some Wii games have not coordinated with the control scheme that well.
Another reason for our skepticism is that PC gamers are uncommonly attached to their keyboard and mouse as their instruments of choice. Would you blame them? The rapid (but precise) shuffling of a sensitive gaming mouse in the middle of a Crysis bust-out is exciting stuff.
The Stix will be available at the end of August.
Source: GoLive2, Kotaku
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Seth MacFarlane, well-known for the hilarious Family Guy series, is set to have a new series broadcast exclusively on the Internet as part of a new deal with Google.
The series will be called Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy and will start to air in Septmeber. You will be able to watch episodes through YouTube, but in an interesting new twist to advertising on websites, members of the Google Content Network will also be able to display them on their sites instead of a static advert.
Through the deal Seth has created 50 2-minute clips and will receive a share of the ad revenue generated. Rather than placing advertising directly in the episodes they will instead feature one of the following:
Seth is also working with advertisers to create animated adverts to place alongside the episodes, which earns him a separate fee.
Karl Austen, a lawyer who worked on the deal between MacFarlane, Google and the production company Media Rights Capital commented:
We believe the revenue could be formidable … What is exciting is that this is a way to monetize the Internet immediately. Instead of creating a Web site and hoping Seth’s fans find it, we are going to push the content to where people are already at.
Seth agreed to do the episodes because he had a time gap in his commitments to Fox and Family Guy. But, he has also said he is starting to feel a bit stifled on TV due to pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to stop what it deems are unsuitable situations on TV, Seth has commented:
I just felt I could be a lot more honest on the Internet
Those worried about the future of Family Guy can relax. Seth has recently signed a new multi-year contract with Fox.
Read more at NYTimes.com
Matthew’s Opinion
Anything Seth MacFarlane does is sure to attract the attentions of millions of viewers and this could end up being Google’s biggest advertising hit yet.
I am really glad Seth wasn’t commissioned to just do 5 or so episodes that we would then see repeated everywhere. Instead, we get a minimum of 50 and hopefully a slow release over a period of weeks keeping everyone entertained.
If successful I’m sure he will return to do more and this could spur production companies and advertisers to get other materials made exclusively for the web.
Asus U2E
The macbook air got people re-interested in the ultralight category, but Asus’s U series has been lurking on the sidelines, largely unnoticed, for considerably longer. The Asus U2E is an update of last year’s impressive U1F, correcting some early flaws with the model.
Most notable is the addition of an optical drive to the system, which will certainly make the laptop more appealing to a broader range of buyers. Another big change: Out goes the FireWire port, in comes HDMI output, though we can’t image who’ll be plugging this into their A/V rig for entertainment purposes.
Design-wise the U2E (Official slogan: "Deluxe is more") sticks very closely to its ancestor, most evidently with its comfy textured leather palm rest. That leather now creeps to the back of the LCD, too, where it’s more of a fashion statement than an ergonomic boost. It’s a rare thing for a notebook that can turn heads while still looking good in the boardroom.
Unfortunately, the U2E still has some troubling problems that make it less attractive in an era of proliferating ultralights. Performance is uninspiring, and the machine is buggy, too. We encountered numerous odd crashes and Windows hiccups throughout our testing — stuff we wouldn’t expect to see on a brand new system. We chalk some of that up to Asus’s half-baked attempt at loading the machine with private label shovelware…but perhaps some will actually feel that software like the "ASUS Splendid Technology Utility" (actually a color correction tool) is useful enough to live with the stability issues.
The specs are decent (11.1-inch screen, 120GB hard drive, 3GB RAM, Core 2 Duo, and — most importantly — a 2.9-pound weight), but many competing machines (even the Air and the Lenovo IdeaPad U110) run circles around the U2E on every important benchmark. Still, if you feel the need to be surrounded by leather at all times (and you’re fresh out of jeanless chaps) the choice is all but made for you. —Christopher Null
WIRED Handsome. Fully loaded with connectivity options, including three USB ports. Weight on par with similar systems that don’t include an optical drive.
TIRED Numerous software problems. Integrated BIOS/driver update system never completed successfully. Homegrown software works even worse than Vista; causes problems. Too-small keyboard. Too-small, too-stiff mouse buttons. Very loud fan and very quiet speakers. Standard battery is light (machine weighs just 2.9 pounds with it) but gives less than an hour of battery life. (Try the included, larger battery instead: 3.5 pounds total but offers over four hours of life.)
$2000 as tested, asus.com
(Photo by Jon Snyder for Wired.com)
