2008 April - SlashGear

Archive for April, 2008

Samsung P1500 BluRay player gets BD-Live upgrade & June launch

Chris Davies, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [0]

Samsung fourth-generation BluRay player, the BD-P1500, has been delayed until June as the company updates its specifications to include BD-Live functionality. First announced back in January, the P1500 was originally slated for a May launch with a MRSP of $399. Capable of full 1080p playback, the unit will also upscale normal DVDs to 720p, 1080i or 1080p. Read The Full Story

Westinghouse 16-inch HDTV offers maximum placement flexibility

Chris Davies, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [2]

I'd always thought TVs under the 30-inch mark were really too small for you to appreciate HDTV, but Westinghouse Digital are too busy enjoying the fact that their latest LCD TV is super-flexible to wonder whether 1080p is wasted on just 16-inches. The dual hinge and compact dimensions of the PT-16H610S mean it's ideal for small spaces, such as kitchens, and you can mount it upside-down (flipping the detachable bezel) beneath a cabinet or on the wall. Everything is controlled by touch-sensitive buttons on the base section. Read The Full Story

Super Talent Project X high-performance 4GB DDR3-1800 RAM kit

Chris Davies, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [0]

Super Talent Technology are already known on these pages for their high-performance solid state drives, but the memory company also specialises in speciality RAM under their Project X banner. Intended for gamers and other users who demand excessive performance from their systems, Super Talent are claiming their new Project X DDR3-1800 4GB kit is the first on the market offering that much memory running at that fast a speed. Rivals, apparently, have only managed DDR3-1600. Read The Full Story

Medion Akoya Mini E1210 – yet another Eee alternative

Chris Davies, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [1]

PC manufacturer Medion have taken a look at the ultraportable Eee-rival market and decided there's no way it's saturated enough; there's plenty of room for their Akoya Mini E1210, an HP Mini-Note lookalike only bearing a 10-inch display rather than the HP's 8.9 LCD. Powered by Intel's new Atom ultra-efficient mobile processor, the usual Linux OS is present and a traditional 1.8-inch hard-drive of as-yet unspecified capacity. 1GB of RAM and two USB ports are pretty much par for the budget-ultraportable course. Read The Full Story

Samsung YP-S2 1GB Shuffle-rival

Chris Davies, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [1]

Samsung's latest music-only portable media player gets off to a good start by virtue of not being an iPod clone; in fact, the pebble-like YP-S2 is really more of a shiny audio nugget. Of course, you could say that instead they've looked to Sony's DAP range for their inspiration. Available in five colors, the YP-S2 has 1GB of non-expandable storage and saves space by virtue of a removable USB plug that clicks into the 3.5mm headphone socket when needed. Read The Full Story

Sony HDD-toting DVD recorders aim for under your BRAVIA

Chris Davies, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [0]

Sony has announced three new combination DVD recorder and hard-drive PVRs, boasting direct digital copying from compatible camcorders, 1080p upscaling and a choice of analogue or digital TV tuners. The RDR-HX1080 and RDR-HXD1090 both come with a 500GB hard-drive, enough for 1420 hours of recordings at the lowest quality level (or 73 hours at HQ+ maximum quality). The HXD1090 and HXD1095 both have a DVB-T digital terrestrial tuner alongside their analogue tuner. Read The Full Story

Microsoft Live Mesh promises consumer cloud computing

Chris Davies, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [2]

Aiming to bring user data together and aid collaboration, Microsoft have announced Live Mesh, an example of so-called 'cloud computing'. The system, eventually to be compatible with PCs, mobile devices and Apple's hardware, synchronizes data via the internet while also maintaining an online store that can be accessed from anywhere with web access. A free service (initially limited to 10,000 beta testers using Windows systems), it includes 5GB of online storage. Microsoft plan to extend both numbers and compatibility later on this year.

Images via CNET

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The Skullcandy Hydration Backpack

Abby McVay, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [0]

For anyone who is actually going to leave their computers behind and head out into the great outdoors as the weather continues to warm up, you might want to check out this Skullcandy backpack. The Hydration Pack has a built in 72 oz. water bottle that features a bite valve and seeing as how it's Skullcandy it also keep you attached to your iPod. Read The Full Story

Gaming celebrity look-alikes

Abby McVay, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [2]

After staring at a game so long, eventually you start seeing things everywhere that remind you of it. Maybe certain people start looking like the hero of the game. Well someone finally took the time to point out a few celebrities that have a striking resemblance to different characters. Read The Full Story

Magic Online III – you’re better off sticking with real cards

Abby McVay, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [0]

I have on occasion played Magic the Gathering, I have always done the version that involves actual physical cards, but I have debated on occasion whether or not to give the online game a whirl. However, this recent news about Magic Online III isn't exactly giving me that extra shove to convert to online. Read The Full Story

Five new Satellite Pro Laptops from Toshiba

Vincent Nguyen, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [2]

Toshiba's new Satellite Pro laptops are affordable with price starting at $699 to $1149. The display sizes range from 13.3-inch to 17-inch displays, you're bound to find the right laptop for your business or personal needs. Aside from the nine different configurations, you get to pick from an Intel Centrino processor or AMD Dual core processors

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ASUS insists Eee battery issues sorted by June

Chris Davies, Apr 23rd 2008 Discuss [0]

Asustek has announced that its battery shortage - which it was feared would significantly affect shipments of notebooks, particularly the popular Eee model - should be resolved by the end of Q2 this year. In March, the company warned that the shortage, which was affecting all manufacturers and not just Asustek's range, could lead to 40-percent of its Q2 orders being delayed. The problem had been caused by a fire at a major Korean battery factory owned by LG Chem. Read The Full Story