Latest News - Page 3195

Sceptre has been peddling some nice and inexpensive LCD TVs for a while now that come in a range of sizes. The sets can be purchased online and in retail stores like Target and more. One thing that many people who buy a new TV want and need is a place to set that TV for viewing. Sceptre has announced a nice new line of home theater furniture that you don't need tools to build.

If you have ever put together one of those DIY style wood entertainment centers that has all the screws and cams, you know what a massive pain the build process can be. The big feature of the Sceptre line of entertainment furniture is that the build process needs no tools and claims to be able to be finished in only a few minutes. The line includes three different pieces.

The three pieces include the Oracle at $499, the Stello at $399, and the Delano at $299. The difference in the three is the length and the weight they can support. The entire build process has six steps and needs no tools to complete. The furniture has glass doors and is finished in a dark espresso finish that looks nice. The entire line will ship nationwide in September. Check out a video of the build process below.

A while back Nikon unveiled a cool digital camera in its point-and-shoot Coolpix line that had a projector built in to share those photos and video on the camera with more people. The company has now unveiled a follow up to that original projector equipped camera called the Coolpix S1100pj. Compared to the predecessor, the new camera has more features and a better projector module according to Nikon.

The S1100pj is 40% brighter than the previous projector camera with 14 lumens of light output. That is certainly not that bright and will mean that you need a dark room to really see detail in the video and photos projected with the camera. Most pico projectors are questionable in even dimly lit room with more lumens than that. Still, the camera is interesting and has another cool feature the original lacks -- USB connectivity.

With that USB connectivity, you can project your computer screen onto a wall or other surface. The projector is capable of showing a 47-inch image from over 7-feet away. The camera also has a 3-inch rear LCD touchscreen. The CCD has 14.1MP resolution and has a 5x optical zoom Nikkor lens. Other features include 5-way VR image stabilization, ISO up to 6400, and 17 scene modes. Nikon will launch the camera in September for $349.95.

They say once you go Lian Li you never go back. Well, OK so maybe they don't say that but all of the Lian Li cases I have used over the years were much better than most other cases on the market. The big downside to Lain Li gear is that the company knows it makes good products and charges dearly for them. A Lian Li case sometimes costs as much as a netbook to purchase.

Lian Li has added a new HTPC chassis that might be just the thing for the living room computer user looking for performance and good looks. The case is offered in black or silver brushed aluminum finishes. It works with Micro ATX, Mini DTX, and Mini ITX mainboards and measures in at a svelte 445 mm x 167 mm x 325mm and weighs 3.2kg. The chassis also has a plethora of front mount ports and connectors to keep you from having to dig behind your HTPC.

Those front mount ports include three USB 3.0 ports, which is a very nice feature to have. Other front mount ports include HD audio, eSATA, and a SD card reader. The cooling system includes a pair of 120mm fans on the side of the chassis and PCI brackets with holes for better cooling. Additional spots for another pair of 120mm fans and an 80mm fan are also included. Inside the case is a single external 5.25" bay, modular drive cages for three 3.5" HDDs and three 2.5" HDDs and space for four expansion cards. Pricing and availability are unknown.

Despite all the constructive critisicm being handed back to him in layman's terms (due to being "no Bill Gates"), Tony Abbott is continuing to ignore industry experts who are outlining many flaws about the Coalition's alternative broadband policy to Labor's nationwide fibre network.

Last night on ABC's Q&A program he went on another wireless happy talking spree about it being the smarter choice. The Coalition have been questioning whether people will really need the bandwidth provided by a fibre network, while experts in the industry find this ludicrous.

John Lindsay whom is the carrier relations manager at Internode said the Coalition's broadband policy is ""just technical ignorance on a national scale and frankly Australians deserve better than that". He then went on to talk about why Wireless is inherently slower than fibre, explaining that it is a 'shared access medium' and is prone to drop-outs and spectrum constraints. Not only this, but he says that for a wireless network to be a viable substitute to fixed line ADSL, there'd need to be a wireless base station at the end of every major street.

Looking for the next big jump in smartphone processing power? It may be coming sooner than you think. Qualcomm's VP Mark Frankel stated that their dual-core Snapdragon processors with clock speeds up to 1.5GHz have been shipped to manufacturers and we could be seeing them in smartphones and tablets as early as the end of this year.

The 45nm QSD8672 Snapdragon has two cores that can each be used independently and could possibly improve battery life up to 30% over their single core predecessors. These chips also allow for full 1080p playback which will be great on the tablet front. It is expected that HTC will be at the front of the line to bring devices with the new dual-core processor due to their strong ties with Qualcomm.

The Sony PS3 Slim has been on the market for a while now and if you have been waiting to buy one or to upgrade your existing fat console, this may be the time to do it. I know I am eyeing one of the new PS3 slim bundles after my first generation 60GB fat PS3 died a premature death recently. Sony is offering a free game bundle good now through August 21 if you buy directly from Sony online.

The games that you can choose from cost up to $59.99 on their own. Titles you can choose include MAG, Uncharted 2, White Knight Chronicles, MotorStorm Pacific Rift, Heavy Rain, and ModNation Racers. Those are all some of the better titles that have landed for the console in a while. The price for the bundle with any of those games is $299.99.

When you hit the add to cart button the price you see will reflect the game and the console separately, but once you land at the checkout the bundle price shows itself. That's not a bad deal if you are needing a new console. The downside for many who are upgrading from an older console is that those popular games may already be in your library.

Intel's next-gen X25 series of solid state drives aren't far away now with word of a Q4 2010 release. There is said to be four new models coming out in the new series, all of which use the latest IMFlash Technologies 25nm NAND flash memory chips.

The four drives will span across their X25-M and X18-M (mainstream) as well as the X25-V (value) lineups. The same feature set will be given to the new drives as the existing 34nm 'Postville' drives except for a few additions; native data encryption, SMART and of course higher performance from the new 25nm NAND flash chips.

Looking at the most popular X25-M drives, a roadmap reveals capacities of 160, 300 and 600GB coming, while the X25-V(alue) will see the launch of an 80GB 25nm drive. When looking further on into 2011, Intel is planning some new enterprise level (X25-E / 'Lydonville') models using the new 25nm NAND chips and around the same time it will release its new X18-M series coming in 40GB, 160GB and 300GB capacities.

I will never understand what gets people so riled up about the Street View car rolling through their neighborhoods. In Europe, we have seen mobs block the car from entering their neighborhoods. I would like the Street View car to come down my road so I could prank it like this little girl from the UK did.

She was outside playing and spied the car coming. She decided to go all out and play dead. She took the acting job seriously and didn't just lay there; she kicked off her shoes so it looked like someone ran her over and knocked her out of her shoes. It's actually pretty funny, I don't think my 9-year-old son would have even noticed a car with a giant camera on top rolling down our street. That is unless said car was selling ice cream.

I have to wonder how long the image will stay up, I am sure some morons out there thought it was a pic of a real dead kid laying there and the Street View car just drove on by. Now that I think about it, a Street View car has already driven past all manner of dealings from a dog taking a poop to drug dealers and even a van on fire. Maybe thinking it would roll past a dead kid isn't that out of the realm of possibility.

Good old Pentax has been pushing that K-x entry-level DSLR camera for a while now. When the thing started to get long in the tooth a replacement didn't come. Pentax decided to appeal to customers with bright colors rather than new features. Apparently, that tactic is working since four new colors have been added to the K-x line.

One of the colors will appeal to women with a pink hue usually only found in your medicine cabinet. Pentax also offers new beige, chocolate brown, and olive green versions of the camera. All of the new color cams are the same price as the other models already on the market at $649. For that much green you get a whole camera kit.

The lens included is a DA L 18-55mm unit good for about three times optical zoom. If you want more zoom and can live with plain black, you can get a kit for a mere $50 more at $699.95 that includes the basic 18-55mm lens and a 50-200mm lens as well. That better zoom lens will get you closer to the action. I'm not a fan of most of the colors Pentax offers, but the white camera still reminds me of a Stormtrooper.

RadioShack has been around for as long as I can remember. In fact, one of my first computers came from RadioShack. The electronics seller has all manner of stuff and back in the day, it was one of the go to locations for buying tech. As bigger electronics firms like Best Buy came around the need to go into RadioShack has waned for most of us.

The company is turning itself around though an attempting to bring more folks into stores by offering phone sales from just about every carrier there is. The latest device The Shack is offering is the Samsung Galaxy S. you can choose the smartphone from three different carriers. You can get the Samsung Epic for Sprint, the Vibrant for T-Mobile, and the Captivate for AT&T.

All three of those handsets share the exact same features, but have different extras. The Captivate on AT&T is the most expensive at $199.99 with a $20 instant credit for accessories. The best deal is probably the $149.99 T-Mobile Vibrant with a free copy of Avatar and The Sims 3 video game. Buy the Vibrant and you get a $50 RadioShack gift card by mail to boot. I guess there is nothing for Sprint, it probably can't afford any extras right now.

According to a report by Dan Nystedt of IDG News, ASUS is set to launch its anticipated Eee Tablet device in October for around $300 USD. The report claimed that this is a rough price and the final price will vary from region to region.

It was thought by many that the device from ASUS would use Google's Android operating system, but instead it will use a special flavored Linux distribution developed by ASUS. The device will feature an 8-inch touchscreen using a normal LCD display without being backlit. It is said to be able to support 64 shades of gray with a 1024 x 768 resolution. As well as being an e-reading device along with note taking abilities aimed at students, the device can connect to the Internet and surf thanks its built-in web browser via a wireless connection.

The report also claimed that the Eee Tablet may renamed to "Eee Note" to avoid confusion in the market. Since the Eee Tablet is more of an e-reader than anything else, it may not be a bad move by the Taiwanese company.

Following a demonstration at the CeBIT Sydney 2010 technology show a short while back, both CENTRELINK and Medicare are going to start using electronic handheld devices at their entrances to access customers' information.

This is for the most part in efforts to do away with the messy queues seen in these places daily. The device can tap into a mass of information that will determine what's required before the customer takes a seat (as opposed to going into a queue).

Human Services ICT infrastructure deputy secretary John Wadeson says "Queues are bad news. What we're aiming for is a scenario where people will be met at the door by someone with a handheld device and there'll be a brief interchange to find out what's required.

Shuttle has just unveiled its newest small PC called the XS35. Shuttle was incredibly famous back in the day for its small form factor systems and cases that sold like hot cakes. The fad wore off somewhat and now the Taiwanese company has a larger range of products more than just its XPC range of small computers.

The XS35 is a nettop style system that looks rather neat and is able to be mounted to the back of your monitor using the VESA mount system. The design was inspired by a starry night concept with air vent holes on the side of the system that are supposed to resemble the night sky. It comes with an Intel dual-core Atom D510 processor installed and next generation NVIDIA ION graphics on the more expensive model. If you opt for the cheaper version, it just comes with Intel graphics.

Besides that, squeezed inside the tiny system is also a slim style DVD optical drive, five USB 2.0 ports, a 4-in-1 card reader as well as a D-sub and HDMI connector. At this stage there are no details available on price or availability. If the price is right, it could be a good little system.

I always thought that the iPhone 4 signal issues were overstated and people getting their knickers in a knot over something that can be fixed rather easily. Many people use a phone case or cover anyway and that alone makes the problem go away. In fact, reporters in countries outside of the United States such as Australia are claiming that they are seeing little to no signal issues with the iPhone 4. Could it be a shonky network in the USA?

Anyway, a few websites have popped up since the issue arose and a new contender is iBand Aid who is selling the Antenn-aid for iPhone 4, which is simply a vinyl sticker for your iPhone 4. They claim when it is placed over the lower left corner of your phone it should improve signal performance.

You can pick up a single kit that comes with seven stickers for €4.95 and €1.95€ for worldwide shipping - that is about $9 USD all up. Of course, you could just take a random human band aid lying around the house and cut it to size and it wouldn't cost you a thing. But, I guess you do get a choice of several colors and they are already cut to the right size for you. Has anyone actually tried a band aid they have had laying around? Let us know!

Field workers that don't have a desk to sit at most of the time would have a hard time using a normal rugged laptop of netbook. Without somewhere to sit the notebook or netbook, typing would be impossible. This type of worker often uses a tablet because input can be made with one hand and these tablets have to be rugged to survive the inevitable drops.

A company called Armor has announced a new tablet computer for this type of use called the Armor X10gx tablet PC. The machine has a 10.4-inch 1024 x 768 transreflective LCD that can be reading direct sunlight. The machine stores to a 64GB SSD by default but has options for an 80GB SSD or a 160GB SSD. The machine also has an SD/SDHC card slot.

The standard RAM in the tablet is 2GB and it can be expanded to 4GB. The CPU used in the machine is an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.2GHz SU9300 unit. The screen supports pen and touch input and a pen only input is available. The OS is Windows 7 Ultimate and the machine meets military specs for ruggedness. Other features include Gobi mobile broadband, WiFi, Bluetooth, removable storage, and hot swappable batteries.

I think most computer enthusiasts will agree that if you want the best raw performance you go with Intel CPUs for the most part and if you want to save lots of money and can live with a bit less performance you go with AMD. AMD has some nice CPUs like its newer Phenom X6 that launched not too long ago. The CPU maker is set to add some new parts to its Phenom line according to X-bit Labs.

According to X-Bit, the coming out party for the new AMD CPUs will be held on September 21 and the launch will include three new AMD CPUs. The publication cites a source familiar with the plans of the chipmaker with the news. The source also offered up some tidbits on what the three new parts will be.

The best of the trio is expected to be the Phenom II X6 1075T running at 3GHz and selling in the$230 to $240 range. The other part will be the 3.5GHz Phenom II X4 970, which will step into the throne as the fastest quad core the company offers. A couple cheap parts in the $100 range are also mentioned that should drive prices for some of the lower performing CPUs into the under $100 range. The new $100 range CPUs include the Phenom II X2 560 and the Athlon II X4 645.

We can be honest with each other and say that many of the wireless products on the market aren't that great, especially for gaming. I have tried to use a normal wireless mouse and keyboard to play games like COD and others before and ended up with ghosting that was bad enough I expected to see Casper pop up on screen. There are some wireless rodents on the market for gamers, but most of the wireless gear is still aimed at the general computer user.

Logitech has debuted a nice looking new wireless desktop for the general computer user called the Logitech Wireless Combo MK520. The wireless desktop includes a full-size wireless mouse and keyboard. That keyboard has all the one-touch media controls that you need to control your content and a full number pad as well.

The keyboard has keys that use the Logitech Incurve design to make it easier for your fingers to glide from one key to the other, making typing easier n adore comfortable. The full-size mouse is an ambidextrous design with a scroll wheel and soft rubber grips on the side. Logitech is mum on sensitivity, but you can expect in the 800 dpi range. The mouse uses a laser promising accurate tracking on anything other than glass or a mirror. Official pricing is unknown and the MK520 should ship soon and it uses the Logitech unifying receiver for connectivity..

I have had an Apple TV since the thing first came out and I can be honest when I say it sucks massively. The thing is worthless, I can buy DVD copies of movies or TV shows at the store for about the same price as the cost on iTunes. There was never any decent streaming content offered on the device either making it mostly just there taking up space on my entertainment center.

Apple is reportedly set to replace the Mac Mini looking Apple TV device with a new and much smaller device dubbed iTV. The iTV is said to be an iPhone 4 on the inside and stream in up to 720p resolution. The Apple TV was able to support 1080p. We can only hope if the rumor is true about iTV, it is a much better supported and operating product than Apple TV was.

Redmond Pie cites Engadget's source claiming that the iTV will sell for $99, run the A4 processor, and have 16GB of flash storage. Most of the content for the device will be streamed. There will also reportedly be full App Store access so you can play some of your favorite iPhone and iPad games on your big screen. This sounds to me like Apple's first blatant attempt to grab some of the console gaming market. The iTV device is expected to be announced in September at the iPod event. Apple TV buyers should get a free iTV for the epic waste of money the Apple TV has turned out to be.

I think the thing that most gamers and computer enthusiasts expect from their hardware to start with is performance. If we have more than one option offering the same performance and one looks cooler, it's usually a no brainer to buy the good looking schwag. This is especially true if you are using a PC chassis with windows. ECS has unveiled a cool looking new mainboard called the P55H-AK.

The mainboard is aimed directly at the hardcore gamer and enthusiast and has a slick design that is black and white in color. This is one of the best looking mainboards I have seen. The big feature of the board isn't the good looks though; it's the performance and overclocking promise. The board is designed to deliver massive overclocking potential to the enthusiast.

ECS claims that the board is capable of overclocking Intel's latest processors all the way up to the 5GHz mark with a normal air cooler. The board uses the NVIDIA NF200 chipset that offers support for both 3-way SLI and CrossFireX. The board also supports DDR3-2600+ RAM. Other features include SATA 6G ports and an eSATA 6G port powered by a Marvell chipset. The board also has four USB 3.0 ports that are powered by a NEC USB 3.0 controller chip. The board is a limited edition and is available right now.

I can tell you first hand that dropping your favorite gadget, like your iPhone, and breaking the screen sucks. I was due for an upgrade so as soon as I can get the iPhone 4 in the local store my cracked screen issues are over. I could get the screen fixed for about $100 locally if I wanted. With the iPhone screen costing $100 for repairs, I don't even want to know what the cost of fixing my iPad would be if it gets dropped.

If you worry about breaking your smartphone one of the strongest cases you can get for most devices comes from OtterBox and is called the Defender. OtterBox has announced that the Defender and Commuter series cases are now available for the iPad. The only thing the Defender iPad case lacks that the smartphone versions have is water resistance.

The Defender has a removable screen shield that can be used to prop the iPad up for video watching. It has the same three-layer design that the Defender family is known for with silicone and polycarbonate construction. The Commuter series is also a silicone and polycarbonate construction case, but only has two layers to the Defenders three layers. Both will protect against drops and shocks as well as some dust. The defender will set you back about $90 and the Commuter will cost you about $70. Both of the cases are available right now to protect your iPad.