It’s now or never for Amazon. In face of fierce competition from Apple iPad, Barnes & Noble Nook and an increasing number of eBook readers, Amazon would be smart to refresh its Kindle. But the question remains: are the improvements enough to keep bookworms happy? The new 6″ Kindle didn’t get neither an apps store nor a color screen. Instead it’s 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter (now 8.7 oz.) over its predecessor. The display also receives a significant upgrade, using the same E-ink Pearl screen adopted on the <a href=9″ Kindle DX. This results in a 15 percent brighter screen with 20 percent faster refresh rate.
The new Kindle comes with two version:
3G/WiFi and
WiFi-only. The former will cost $189 while the WiFi-only version goes for $139. The aggressive price finally puts it in the hands of lots of budget-conscious bookworms. The new refresh rate also makes the built-in browser much more functional as there are inherently more page refreshes during web surfing. Did we forget to say the Kindle is also in graphite now?
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A inherent problem with notebook coolers is that they don’t always align with the vent holes on the laptop’s underside. Other than finding a cooler with a fan big enough to cover the entire laptop or perhaps just one that fits well with your notebook, there’s no perfect solution until now. The latest Cooler Master Notepal U3 can accommodate up to 19″ notebooks.
The mammoth cooler is unique not only because of its size, but also its unique flexibility to meet different cooling requirements. The Notepal U3 has three 80mm modular fans which can be easily placed anywhere underneath the unit to align with your laptop’s CPU, GPU and HDD. These fans are controlled by a nifty speed control clip (fan sped between 950 and 1800 rpm). The Notepal U3 itself is made primarily of aluminum, and is tilted 10-degree for better ergonomic positioning. It measures 420 by 320 by 65 mm, so it’s even big enough secure your notebook with the bundled elastic belt. You couldn’t ask for more from a notebook cooler.
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In contrast to Flip Slide HD, Samsung already has a pretty impressive portfolio of Flip-type pocket camcorders with the introduction of HMX-U20 and HMX-U15 during early this year. It now adds another member, HMX-E10, to the mix. The E10 is all about self-recording in that the most prominent feature is the swiveling spherical lens. You can easily turn the lens around to do self-recording. Samsung obviously takes a page from Sony Bloggie HD.
The Samsung HMX-E10 aside from its 270-degree rotating lens offers a 2.7″ 230k-pixel touch-screen, relatively large for the camcorder size. The LCD is spilt into an electronic live view and touch controls which include record stop and play. The 1080p camcorder itself is however a downgrade, from the U20′s 3x optical zoom to 2x digital. It also records to microSD and outputs via HDMI, unlike SD/SDHC and component video output found on U20. The Flip-arm USB arm handles as usual the battery charging and video sync. Interestingly, the U20 and E10 are set at the same MSRP ($199) so you could say the trade-off is in the lens.
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eSATA is trying to take another bite out of USB 3.0. This time, Taiwanese A-data comes up with the Nobility N909 hybrid flash drive that plugs into either USB 2.0 or eSATA+USB. (This follows the USB 3.0 version announced just last month.) The company is banking on an increasing number of powerhouse notebooks with eSATA+USB combo port. In fact, you can actually find more laptops with the said dual-interface port than ones with USB 3.0.
The beauty of the
A-data Nobility N909 is that it can draw power from USB 2.0 while transferring at uber-fast eSATA speed (90MB/s read, 50GB write). And this can be done without an extra USB connection for power. The N909 is actually a second-generation of its kind. Others have
tried the hybrid design, but their products suffered from usability issue since they have to draw power from a USB auxiliary cable. The A-data traditionally doesn’t make pricing available so we have no way of knowing the the N909 falls into the affordability category.
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As Intel evidently won’t be offering USB 3.0 as chipset integrated feature until 2012, AMD is taking the opportunity to slap its nemesis in the face by integrating USB 3.0 into its upcoming mobile PC platform. The said platform is code-named Hudson D1 which serves as the southbridge chip for Ontario and Llano APUs – AMD’s CPU/GPU fusion. It is slated to ship in Q4 2010, and will primarily target at thin-notebooks and notebooks.
Rumor has it that AMD is in talks with NEC to license its
proven USB 3.0 chipset in order to save R&D money into developing its own solution. NEC seems like an ideal partner as the fab manufacturer has the capacity to ramp up production as soon as orders are received. The talk comes at a time when Intel at last released xHCI spec 1.0 which finalizes the details of the register-level interface for host controller driver in software. The move by AMD will undoubtedly drive the cost per unit even lower to perhaps under $2, and will likely create an incentive for more first-tier manufacturers to adopt SuperSpeed USB.
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This case-mod masterpiece from modder pinchillo was inspired by the Dreadnoughts from Warhammer 40,000. As you will see in the video after the break, the damn thing actually talks, has a spinning chain gun and working LED lights. Oh, and there’s a PC in there somewhere…whatever.
(Bols Lounge via Technabob)
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It’s a fact of life that no two persons hands are exactly the same; hell the variance between people can be down right HUGE. For this reason, manufacturers of peripheral components like the ubiquitous mouse, have to design for the mythical “average” person. This is great if you have an average hand, but its no fun if you don’t. Mad Catz plans to change all that with their Cyborg R.A.T. 7 gaming mouse, as this marvel of engineering is ADJUSTABLE allowing for what in theory is the perfect custom fit. Is that what the R.A.T. 7 gaming mouse delivers? Check out my full review to find out.
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Asus today enters the gaming headset market with the CineVibe Rumble Feedback USB headset. Always innovating, Asus has added a rumble effect to this gaming headset. This is a more private version of the Buttkicker home theater device or the rumble effects found on many console game controllers. The USB headset is driver-less of course and works on either PC or Apple computers. The rumble vibrations are tuned to low frequency sounds and not with game related events so this technically isn’t a force feedback system, but its potential for sound enhancement is exciting.
Vortez didn’t find the effect that exhilarating. He notes the addition of the low frequency transformation into vibration altered the somewhat average sound of the headset. While the novelty of the sensation would certainly distract from less than stellar sound, most serious gamers will opt for the
higher quality circumaural experience found with larger ear cups like the
Logitech G35 or those focusing on surround audio like the
Razer Megalodon. Anyone who spends a significant amount of time gaming (enough to desire rumble headphones) will know that headphones that press on the ear can’t be tolerated for long sessions. We’ll hope Asus tries again with this concept but with a larger version with some configurable drivers and game support. The headset is available now in online stores for roughly $80, but it seems version 2.0 might be worth the wait. Check out the video demo after the jump.
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Premier electronics titan, Samsung, has apparently never heard the phrase “Too much of a good thing.” and we are so glad they haven’t. The addition of a 2nd screen to the front of their compact line of digital cameras has become an instant classic, see the ST500 / TL225. This new model, the ST600, increases the size of the front facing LCD screen by 20% as well as adding more arm’s-length support functions as well. Facial recognition, smile detection and self-portrait modes enter the lineup. Perhaps a little cheesy for the pro-sumer photographer, a large number of digital camera users love these features. Even grown ups will have occasion to want to get themselves into the picture during that chance encounter with Brad Pitt at the mall.
The myriad of other features adorning the ST600 make the extra view-screen a handy add-on, like the “fireworks mode” that we’ve seen on more than a few cameras. The resolution has also been increased to 14.2 mega-pixels and all the other key features are there that you’d expect from any high-end subcompact. They also maintain the same gesture controlled touchscreen interface for review and composing pictures. Gestures make easy work of starting a slide-show of captured shots or playing back the 720p video. The ST600 should be available for $329 in September.
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