2006 November - SlashGear

Archive for November, 2006

Rockridge Sound’s VTS-384 Tube Amp for iPod

Lynnsie Nguyen, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

When iPod was first introduced to the market, I hardly imagined that it would become the most popular in the market with tons of accessories. Now you can see devices that are designed for your iPod everywhere, but if you’re looking for something with a “classic” look, a new iPod speaker dock from Rockridge Sound is the answer for you. The VTS-384 has a trio of tubes per stereo channel delivered “full analog” sound out a pair of 2x2W (8ohm) speakers. And nothing is better than the analog sound from tubes. The kit comes with a remote for controlling the iPod, wire protectors for those tubes, and RCA and USB jacks for sourcing non-iPod music or connecting USB speakers. When it hit in February, this gorgeous dock can be yours for an expected MSRP of $604 to $777. Rockridge Sound's VTS-384 tube amp and speaker dock for iPod [via engadget]

SlashGear Giveaway Update!

Chris Davies, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

With just a couple of days to go, we're seeing some great suggestions for future reviews and features over at the SlashGear Slingbox AV Giveaway. There's still time for you to enter - all you have to do is comment with your idea for what you'd like to see more of on the site. So far I'm excited to see that Tablet PCs and UMPCs are getting multiple mentions, as are unlocked and non-US cellphones. There's also interest in media hubs and streaming - topical given it's a Slingbox that's up for grabs - as well as mobile data access and WWAN hardware and carriers. Not seeing your own area of interest? Then get over to the competition thread and leave a comment; remember, the closing date for entries is Midnight EST on Wednesday 28th November!

Tetra’s Go-Anywhere, Brave-Anything Tablet PCs

Chris Davies, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

Few people know it, but Steve from The Carrypad UMPC Journal has the rugged body of a one-man mountain underneath his casual attire. I think that's why he's drawn to ruggedised Tablet PCs, because only they can cope with the crushing forces of his enormous, Hulk-like hands. Fresh for his pen-punishment come these three Tetra models from Logic Instrument, on display at the World of Mobility show last week. Two slates and a convertible, bristling with rubberised bump cases and magnesium chassis, each is capable of surviving the perils of water, dust, salt air and being dropped. They're well worth a look if you're interested in doing work in the harsh outdoors - or if, like Steve, you can snap a ThinkPad with a simple flex of your eyebrow. Read The Full Story

AmberWatch scares perverts, trains kids

Chris Davies, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

Sharper Image would have it that this AmberWatch Child Safety alarm and watch is designed to protect your trusting offspring from "predators" - whether they mean large-toothed animals or grubby men in stained rain-coats I'm not too sure, perhaps there are situation-specific models you can choose between - but I know that in reality it's designed as a child-training tool. Got a misbehaving kid on your hands? Junior just won't eat his sprout and swede soufflé? Then hit the alarm buttons and send him down to the cellar to endure over thirty minutes of 115-decibel sirens and a hellish light show of flickering LEDs. I promise you, when he stumbles back out he'll be far more docile. It also functions as a watch and a standard alarm, so that your child knows exactly when curfew is. Any attempt to break the strap and BAM the siren sounds again. Yours for the bargain price of $29.95. Sharper Image [via The Red Ferret Journal]

1Seg Digital TV Tuner packs 128bit Encryption

Chris Davies, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

Analysts agree that 2007 will be the year of USB digital cheese, as shown in this photo... what's that? This isn't digital cheese? It's a 1Seg TV Tuner with a fancy-smancy rubberised cover? I'm disappointed and elated, all in the same trousers. In fact, this digital tuner from GreenHouse not only receives TV but supports the Japanese scheduling and recording standards of EPG and iEPG, meaning you can schedule recordings as well as time-shift and pause live programmes. All is not perfect, however; the tuner saves files with AES 128bit encryption, limiting you to watching shows only on the PC you recorded them on. No sharing that Pokémon cartoon via BitTorrent for you, you filthy copyright pirate! Otherwise, there's not much to show here - a magnetised base to angle the tuner in any direction is about as funky as it gets. Read The Full Story

Digital Photo frame receives RSS and e-mail photos

Chris Davies, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

Okay, before I start I'd like to apologise if these are your children. I mean no true offence, and I'm sure they'll grow up into perfectly respectable adults. But seriously, would you really advertise your digital photo frame with some Village of the Damned-esque make-up encrusted scary kids? I certainly wouldn't, and I'm having trouble reading any of the specs for this eStarling frame because their demonic eyes are following round the room. Still, it'd be a shame if I didn't manage to take it all in, because the eStarling is one of the few frames I could actually recommend. Not only does it have the standard bevy of memory card slots (MMC, SD, MS and CF) to locally load photos onto the 7-inch display, it also comes with WiFi in both b and g flavours and 128mb of on-board memory. Make sure you read on after the cut to find out just what having that WiFi lets you do... Read The Full Story

Stokke boasts Zero-Gravity chair

Chris Davies, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [5]

As I get older, I find myself saying "let's have a nice sit down" more and more often. It's a terrifying development, and I'm forced to immediately leap up, down five shots of straight vodka and belch the national anthem to restore my youthful potency. Still, one day I'll have to sit more than I stand, and when that day comes I hope it'll be a Stokke Gravity balancing chair that I get to rest my weary ass upon. Billed as the closest to zero-gravity you can get (presumably without actually going into space and experiencing it there, together with freeze-dried food and suits that invariably make you look fat), the Gravity chair can rest in a variety of positions depending on your mood or task; from upright as an office chair to rocked right back for those noon-time naps. Read The Full Story

Nokia’s Augmented Reality GeoTagging Research

Chris Davies, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

To me, "augmented reality" always sounds like the advertising gumph of some sort of hideous latex sex-aid, possibly with a USB plug because everything else seems to have one of the damn things these days. However Nokia Research would like us to consider it in slightly less X-rated terms - superimposing data onto an image of your surroundings in real-time. Using a 6680 handset modified to include accelerometers, compass and GPS, the team has put together a proof-of-concept system which monitors the location of the phone and overlays virtual information tagged to different objects as shown on the display from the camera's POV. URLs can be associated with objects, giving quick access to local information, and the device can both use data locally-stored or from a remote server. The latter would allow applications such as "find a friend", where the moving location of another object could be streamed to a user's cellphone. The prototype also has map functionality, accessed by holding the handset horizontally, which highlights the user's location and annotates nearby points of interest. There are streaming videos of different functionality on the Research page, linked below. Read The Full Story

Linux Cellphone partners with Open-Source Developer

Chris Davies, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

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With the FIC open-source Linux cellphone launching sometime in January 2007, the company has announced its first major software partner in the shape of OpenMoko, whose OpenEmbedded-based platform will be loaded on every Neo1973 sold. Comprising a library of applications built around a common storage model, OpenMoko will also be compatible with existing open source applications from the OpenZaurus, Familiar Linux, and Ångström projects, as well as FIC-specific software that, having been OpenMoko-certified, can be remotely downloaded, installed and, over the lifespan of the software, updated. Beyond the basic toolkit of cellular features, OpenMoko has used push-email and PIM synchronisation technology from mobile open source software company Funambol, creating a device environment where automatic updates correct bugs and add new features as they are released. Read The Full Story

Lighter than air, louder than death metal

Chris Davies, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

What do you get if you mix together a leaf blower, a piece of wood, a chair and a crazy MAKE: modder? Well, you get a Shovercraft of course - a seat that hovers on a bed of air. Not much information about this, the latest MAKE: Weekend Project, as yet (aside from the photo gallery) but all will be revealed come their Friday podcast. Read The Full Story

Half-finished Radio is opportunity for self-expression

Chris Davies, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

Modding computers is all very well, but it's a bit niche - I can't exactly see my mother picking up the Dremel and adding a window to her computer (or her kettle, for that matter) - what's needed is an easier way for people to imprint their individuality on an object. That in mind, the wouter Geense Design Studio present the Tune 'n Radio, a simple FM radio that comes without aerial or speaker-holes, and with only rudimentary controls. New owners must decide for themselves what might be the best aerial - aesthetically and technically - where to punch the holes and what items to use as controls. wouter Geense describe it as a canvas that, once decorated, a user feels bonded to, in effect a little bit like spray-painting your initials on your cat. wouter Geense [via Neatorama]

Reviews

SlashGear Review: Khet, the laser strategy game

Chris Davies, Nov 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

Sometime back in 2005 I came across a game called Deflexion. I can’t remember where I saw it, I can’t remember exactly when, but I do remember thinking “Wow, I really have to own this game!” Deflexion was all about lasers and mirrors – bouncing a beam of light around a chequers-style board using mirrored pieces, trying to plan the best pathway so as to hit your opponents king. I emailed its makers – Del Segura and Luke Hooper, together with their tutor Dr Michael Larson – to see whether it was available here in the UK, only to find that they were still looking for a distributor.

Khet: the laser strategy game

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, and imagine my coquettish excitement at seeing the game – now called Khet – on UK site Firebox.com. A few emails later and I had a copy of the original Deflexion game in my freshly-washed hands. Deflexion, as my sample is branded, is now Khet on both sides of the Atlantic; I’ll point out any minor differences as necessary.

Read The Full Story