Archive for July, 2008
Thursday, July 31st, 2008
It’s that time again, time for another computer monitor which would server very well for your HD media or for use as an HDTV. The Dell S2409W 24-inch LCD computer monitor has a HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, aka Full HD / 1080p, perfect for viewing HD content such as blu-ray or for use with a HD console. Inputs on the S2409W are VGA, DVI and HDMI making connecting to other HD devices easy, delivering digital images and audio via one cable. The HDMI input supports DHCP allowing it to display protected content such as blu-ray movies, allowing you to use the Full HD 24-inch monitor as an HDTV. Other features of the Dell S2409W include a 300 cd/m2 brightness, fast response time of 5ms, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and a 160-170 degree viewing angle. (Read the full post about ‘Dell S2409W’…)
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Thursday, July 31st, 2008
DISH Network will be first to bring you* 1080p resolution HD content through broadcast means. Say goodbye to the 720 garbage you’ve been forced to watch and bask in the 1080p you should have had all along. Available tomorrow is “I am Legend” video on demand will be in full 1080p. The asterisk after “you” above means you may not actually be “you”. According to Electronista: The upgrade in resolution isn’t available for all subscribers but will be a no-charge addition for anyone who owns an HD DVR capable of playing MPEG-4 video. (Read the full post about ‘Here comes 1080p broadcasts’…)
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Thursday, July 31st, 2008
Some of you probably have a lot of trouble getting up in the morning. Perhaps what you need is a little more motivation than a loud sound, but maybe just a little motivational smell. Something like the fresh smell of cooked bacon might be just the ticket. This is where the Wake n’Bacon comes into play. This is an alarm designed to wake up the user with the smell of freshly cooked bacon. All that is required is that the user put in a frozen strip into the alarm, and it will start cooking up 10 minutes before the alarm sounds. Once the smell wafts out, you can act like that dog on the Beggin’ Strips ad: “I smell bacon. Where’s the bacon? (Read the full post about ‘Wake n’Bacon Alarm Clock gets you up with a whiff’…)
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Thursday, July 31st, 2008
As you may have heard, we had an earthquake here in Southern California on Tuesday, July 29th. Measuring a “mild” 5.4 on the Richter scale, it was enough for our house to shake for minutes, the water in the pool to wash over the sides, and to scare us out of our PJs. Seismologists have drilled into us Californians that there is a 99% chance that the big one will hit in the next 30 years, so the common thought that comes to mind is: “Is this it?” URGENT NOTE: The Red Cross has just established a “Safe and Well” website for today’s earthquake so make sure to register, or if you can’t find a loved one, input that info under “Search” function. (Read the full post about ‘Emergency gadgets for earthquakes’…)
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Thursday, July 31st, 2008
In an effort to use renewable energy sources and less polluting products, I’m surprised that I never see barbecues being targeted. Everyone always thinks of cars or big industrial factories as the ones that leave the huge carbon footprint, but no one thinks about grilling. I mean, if you’re burning something, that smoke has to go somewhere. And I’m certain that propane is some sort of pollutant because it smells so funny. It appears that someone has addressed this issue with the Helios, an energy-efficient outdoor cooker. The dish that you see is not designed to pick up 400 stations, but for collecting solar energy. The solar dish, which is safely pointed away from you while cooking, is designed to heat a coil inside the barbeque and cook food. (Read the full post about ‘Helios: Changing Barbeques as we know it’…)
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Thursday, July 31st, 2008
Stress is a huge part of everyday living. I’ve seen a lot of ways people relieve themselves of it–from breaking plates to sweating it out to sleeping on it until it ebbs away. But what about for those of us who sit in front of the computer for long periods of time. Professionals working in front of a screen could get so tired of the monitor, there are times when there’s this pressing desire to smash it to bits. That, of course, is not an option unless you can afford replacing computer parts every few months. With the help of ScreenSmasher though, you smash your monitor without actually breaking it. ScreenSmasher is a software which shows you a realistic smashed monitor complete with appropriate sound effects. (Read the full post about ‘Stressed? Smash Your Monitor As a Stress-Reliever’…)
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Thursday, July 31st, 2008
There’s a close look at the BACTrack breath tester over on our sister publication coolest reviews. Follow the link to see how well it worked in the real world…
Email to a friend Leave a comment Tags: gps, hi fi, hdtv, computers (Read the full post about ‘BACTrack breathalyzer reviewed’…)
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Thursday, July 31st, 2008
These robot toilet paper holders may not have a single hi-tech feature going for them, but the fact that they’re robot heads just makes up for it. Although I do wish they automatically ate the toilet paper when too much was hanging down. Maybe with a random sound effect to go with it. However, I’m afraid although these are incredibly cool, they are about as low tech as they come. Thankfully, the vendor has included a roll of toilet paper, just in case you don’t have toilet paper where you’re from. Alright, so it may be 100% recycled toilet paper. Seriously though, who includes toilet paper? The head is made out of heavy duty ceramic. It comes in several bright colors, which includes black, red, white and yellow. They are a bit pricey though, they are being sold for $49.99. Which seems like a bit much for something the just hold toilet paper, even if it is a robot head. (Read the full post about ‘The Robotan Toilet Paper Holder’…)
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Thursday, July 31st, 2008
The typically content-stingy NFL has made the decision to broadcast it’s games live over the net. Heck yeah! This is super-exciting news not just for sports fans but for those who can’t wait for the TV to Internet transformation. Soon your TV won’t be held hostage to the Cable company for content. And content is king. Those of us that caught the webisodes of Joss Whedons Dr. Horrible know that good stuff can be made just for the net and it has the interest of a lot of indie type players to widen our content options. TV as internet will do for TV shows what the internet is doing for music. You’ll find new stuff you never even knew was out there. Build your own TV station. The trick is, can anyone figure out how to make money off it. (Read the full post about ‘NFL gets hip, time to kill the cable company?’…)
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Thursday, July 31st, 2008
Here’s another entrant to the expanding “nettop” or mini desktop PC market, the Shuttle KPC 4800 which is very similar to the KPC 4500 which was announced by Shuttle last year. This affordable mini desktop PC runs on Foresight Linux but users can choose to upgrade to the 32-bit Windows Vista. In addition, the KPC 4800 features Intel Celeron, Intel Pentium or even Core 2 Duo processor, 512MB up to 2GB RAM, 80 to 160GB hard drive with provision for dual hard drives, optical drive, several ports for PS/2 keyboard and mouse, Gigabit LAN port, VGA output, D-sub port, serial port, front out connector, real surround out connector, center/base connector, and wireless port perforation. (Read the full post about ‘Shuttle’s simple KPC 4800 mini desktop shows up’…)
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