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Eurocom’s M860TU Montebello 15.4-inch laptop rocks the Centrino 2 2008-03-08 13:14:00 Filed under: Laptops
In case you missed it, it was Eurocom's Phantom-X that managed to swipe that "fastest tested laptop" mark from the MacBook Pro last year -- and totally ruin a perfectly good commercial. Now the company is back for more with the M860TU Montebello 15.4-incher. We'll have to wait for the benchmarks to see how this one stacks up against the recent crop of Penryn laptops, but what's new here is that the Centrino
2 "Montevina" chipset is under the hood, which should support faster Penryn processors, lower power consumption and some new fancy security features. Other specs on the M860TU include a 15.4-inch 1920 x 1200 LCD, 512MB NVIDIA 8800M GTX graphics (with a future option for 9xxxM GTX chips once they're announced), 4GB of RAM, HSDPA and external eSATA and HDMI plugs. Yea
Startups Must Hire The Right People And Watch Every Penny. Or Fail. 2008-03-08 13:02:58 Yesterday Jason Calacanis, the founder of Mahalo (and, full disclosure, our partner at TechCrunch40), wrote a blog post titled “How to save money running a startup.” Boy was he attacked. Bloggers lined up to take their shots at him. Examples are here, here, here and, especially, here.
Our own Duncan Riley also wrote a post criticizing [...]
Read more:Penny
, Right
, Startups
Delicious (and Not So Delicious) GMC PC Case Designs [PCs] 2008-03-08 13:00:00 Although we think CeBIT is largely a waste of convention center, one standout was Korean PC-case master GMC (no relation to America's own troubled automotive titan). Its sexiest case concept was by far the disc-shaped red-and-black beauty captured by Aving above. Even its simple name, "Pot," evokes a feeling of peace and ease, tinged with faint pangs of hunger. The other designs below are innovative and practical, though some suffered from designer overkill, not to mention an overwhelming reliance on the color green. [Aving USA; GMC]
galleryPost('gmcpccases', 6, '');
Read more:Delicious
, Designs
Masdar HQ: World’s First Positive Energy Building [Architecture] 2008-03-08 12:00:00 The Masdar HQ in Abu Dhabi has big ambitions; the site is planned to be the world's first positive energy building, meaning it will create more energy than it consumes. Checkout some more fantastic images by clicking through the gallery.galleryPost('masgi', 3, '');The project is expected to cost $300 million, and it will form an impressive center piece to Masdar City, which will be a $22 billion development stretching out beyond Abu Dhabi. The Masdar HQ is the very vision of a greener future. In fact, a roof pier will be the first part of the building to be hoisted into place, which will be covered in solar panels that will generate energy for its own construction. The complete structure will encompass some 1.3 million square feet, and we think the term "intelligent design" should now be r Read more:Architecture
, Building
, Energy
, First
, Positive
, World
Pioneer isn’t abandoning Kuro plasma, expects same-quality panels from Matsushita 2008-03-08 11:38:00 Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment
If you're all broken up about Pioneer
's seeming exit of the plasma business, take heart. Pioneer Executive Vice President Russ Johnston claims Pioneer's plans aren't to abandon Kuro-quality plasma displays in any way. The move to an outside manufacturer (Matsushita, parent company of Panasonic) is designed to cut cost in plasma production, but Pioneer still plans to maintain its premium edge over competitors. "The number-one goal is to make sure we can maintain our differentiation," said Russ, "and specifically our Kuro difference in the marketplace." Apparently Pioneer will be still be responsible for the video circuit and processing, the color filter strategy and other such secret sauce, and the company is confident Matsushita can step up t Read more:expects
Lightning Review: Timbuk2 Messenger with Specialty Fabrics [Review] 2008-03-08 11:00:03 The Product: Timbuk 2 is famous for their trendy, customizable messenger bags with rock solid construction. You can pick different colors for each of the three panels of your bag to create a personalized product. Now Timbuk2 has added specialty (premium) fabrics to their designs.
The Price: A custom medium sized laptop messenger runs $140, plus $23 per specialty fabric panel.
The Verdict:As you can see, my test subject (aka wife) stuffed the bag to the brim with lady-themed folders, various tiny containers and her Macbook. The Timbuk2s expand a ton and their shape holds up pretty well considering the load.
And while the new premium fabrics look and feel nice enough, it's Timbuk2's staple internal corduroy laptop liner that sells the bag. It simply feels safe to when your laptop slips Read more:Messenger
, Specialty
iPod nano sparks bedroom fire, no humans harmed 2008-03-08 10:26:00 Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Oddly enough, this isn't the first time we've seen a product proudly designed in Cupertino erupt, but it's pretty safe to say this story could have had a much more tragic ending. Reportedly, an iPod
nano owner recently awoke to a blaring fire alarm around 2:00AM, only to find his beloved PMP wrapped in flames on the bedroom floor. Thankfully, the fire was tiny enough to be extinguished without any major trouble, and no substantial damage of property or human flesh was tallied. As of now, we've no idea if the unit simply exploded or if surrounding circumstances are at least partly to blame, but you can bet your bottom dollar that be sleeping with one eye open (and on our media players) tonight.[Thanks, Sandy] Read | Permalink | Emai Read more:humans
, iPod nano
Jupiter Mouse Offers Control Via Glorified Wooden Testicle [Peripherals] 2008-03-08 10:00:00 The JupiterMouse
is made of wood, easily fits the palm of your hand and controls the on-screen cursor by using tilting gestures. The astronomically great mouse retails at ¥13,980 ($136.10), and the control method actually seems quite interesting; tilting the mouse results in cursor movement in the relevant direction, and the magnitude of the tilt determines the pointer's velocity. Further, it comes equipped with a stand to stop your rolling roller getting lost in orbit. Sorry. [Kilian Nakamura]
Read more:Control
, Offers
, Peripherals
, Wooden
Nyko’s rumbling Zero Wireless PS3 controller goes on sale 2008-03-08 09:38:00 Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
Over a year (yeah, really) after this thing was originally announced, Nyko has finally slid the final piece in place in order to offer up the rumbling, bumbling Zero Wireless
PS3 controller
to end users. Granted, the version hitting shelves as we speak does include rumble, but since you've waited this long, you're probably better off getting the real deal when it lands in April -- for $5 less. Still, those who actually prefer 3rd party kit can look forward to being $59.99 poorer and receiving 25 hours of play on a full charge, LED-backlit buttons, "heat-dissipating aluminum panels (saywha?)," and your choice of black, white or silver.[Via Joystiq] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
“A Drunk Tank Driver Destroyed My House!” [Tanks] 2008-03-08 09:00:00 It happens from time to time, a man driving a tank lets his vim and vigor get the best of him. In this case, which took place in Russia where both tanks and vodka are plentiful, an allegedly drunk tank driver smashed into a cinderblock house while on a vodka-and-snack run.
"A drunk tank driver destroyed my house," said the victim, who went on to point out a more tragic coincidence: that the army never helped him buy a house when he was in the service, and now army dudes have destroyed the house he managed to build on his own.
Of course, all of this is just crazy talk: "The driver was absolutely sober, because he was going to military exercises," says a military spokesman. Judge for yourself in the video below.
[Reuters]
Read more:Destroyed
, Driver
, House
, Tanks
Rumor: Further evidence of Star Wars: KOTOR MMO discovered 2008-03-08 09:00:00 Filed under: MMO1UP recently added some fuel cells to the fire of the relatively aged rumor that the result of Bioware and LucasArts' recent collaboration is an MMORPG which takes place in the long-winded universe of Star Wars
: Knights of the Old Republic. While one could make a case for and against this claim, a script for the game, which apparently landed in the laps of 1UP's digital ink slingers, could prove conclusive evidence for the online epic -- if it's completely legit, that is.The script details the online game as a "role-playing game set in the historical past of the Star Wars universe," where "Jedi and Sith battle across the galaxy." While those two phrases could apply to many chapters of the Star Wars mythos, the tipster who submitted the script was convinced it carried Biowar Read more:Further
, Rumor
Iona Radio Cube Means You Physically Flip Through Stations [Design] 2008-03-08 08:00:00 This Wi-Fi radio concept design from Cambridge Consultants is a rubber-edged plastic cube. Four of the sides are assigned your four favorite stations via a web interface (maybe some of you have more, but frankly, I think four about covers it for me). The minute some annoying commercial or crap song starts playing, you just roll the Iona over to the next channel. Gizmag says adjusting volume requires twisting the cube itself to the right (up) or left (down), though I'm not entirely sure what that means. The fifth side houses a mono speaker, and the sixth has a non-roly-poly on-off switch. [Gizmag via Ubergizmo]
Read more:Means
, Physically
, Radio
, Stations
UK developer consortium Tiga cries foul over Canada tax breaks 2008-03-08 07:50:00 Filed under: Culture, Business
It's common knowledge that game companies have been migrating to Canada
's developer-friendly shores for some time, a side effect owing more to the region's inviting tax breaks
than to its scenery or love of winter sports. Now the UK's Independent Games Developers Association, a gathering more commonly known at Tiga, has cried foul, referring to Canadian government subsidies to game developers as unfair, and that by offering tax incentives "the playing field is increasingly tipped against UK based games developers."Tiga CEO Richard Wilson has issued a statement calling for the UK government to investigate whether or not Canada's tax breaks for game companies violate any World Trade rules -- something the organization feels is "likely" -- and if so, to "take ac
Rechargeable Battery Adventures 2008-03-21 13:30:57 Rechargeable batteries come in all shapes and sizes A, AA, AAA, 9V, C, D & you name it. They have been around for quite some time and appear to have made great strides in not only the recharging technology but in their storage capacity…or have they?
Jeff Atwood wrote an interesting in depth article on [...]
Read more:Adventures
, Rechargeable
Tom Clancy’s Rainbox Six Vegas 2 2008-03-21 10:00:27 Brett Molina recently reviewed Rainbow Six Vegas
2 and gave it a 9 out of 10. He summarized that “Rainbow Six Vegas 2 hits the jackpot with commando-style action and precise tactical controls. It’s one of best bets in gaming.”
Read more about his in depth review at USA Today.
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Read more:Clancy
, Tom Clancy
Best Buy Will Give You $50 For Your HD DVD Player 2008-03-20 15:00:19 Best Buy is doing something that surprised me. Just when I was about to write them off, they pull this good deed. Best Buy is offering a $50 gift card to anyone who bought an HD DVD player before Feb 23, 2008 from Best Buy which is basically the date that HD DVD threw in [...]
Read more:Best Buy
, DVD Player
Intel’s Classmate PC headed for US, European consumers 2008-03-20 10:44:00 Filed under: Laptops
We've seen 'em in India and the Philippines (among other locales), and if all goes according to plan, we'll be seeing 'em in the US and Europe, too. Reportedly, Intel
will be making its Classmate PC available to the everyday joes / janes in America and Europe, though Lila Ibrahim, general manager of the firm's emerging market platform's group, declined to mention what PC manufacturers would be responsible. As for pricing, we're still hearing "sub-$300" tossed around, and while definitive time frames weren't provided, here's to hoping "soon" actually means soon.[Thanks, Brad L.] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Read more:consumers
, European
Cyborg insects survive to adulthood, ensure our doom 2008-03-20 09:51:00 Filed under: RobotsRemember those cyborg insects that seemed so much like a pipe dream just two short years ago? Yeah, those frackin' things have somehow survive
d into adulthood, and are closing in on being ready to infiltrate enemy camps and extract vital information. According to a recent update on the DARPA project, the insects -- which have "modified body structures and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) embedded" within -- have lasted into adulthood, and now those behind the endeavor are hoping to enable remote control of the bugs via "mechano-sensor activation" or something similar. Additionally, scientists are hoping to harness the energy emitted during locomotion to actually power the internal MEMS. Sure, as long as these critters can be swatted down with a newspaper, we're sol Read more:Cyborg
, ensure
Scientists concoct material that superconducts at room temperature 2008-03-20 09:26:00 Filed under: Misc. GadgetsWhile the temperature at which superconduction has occurred has been steadily rising throughout history, a potential breakthrough could open up a whole new world of possibilities in the computing realm. Reportedly, a pair of mad scientists from Canada and Germany have developed a silicon-hydrogen compound that can superconduct at room temperature. The secret, they say, is that the silane-based matter is "super-compressed," and they were able to achieve such compression by "adding hydrogen to a compound with silicon that reduced the amount of compression needed to achieve superconductivity." Granted, the work done so far was classified as "theoretical," but hopefully it won't be long (read: during our lifetime would be nice) before such technology finds its way int Read more:material
Web-Capable Sprint Phones Getting a Real Web Browser [Sprint] 2008-03-20 09:24:12 Instead of unreadably cramming the internets into half-assed mobile browsers, Sprint
's rolling out a full-fledged browser for "virtually all" of its phones that can do the web dance. They're using Openwave's OpenWeb, which supposedly will make for a more desktop-like and less crap-like internet experience, even on sites not optimized for mobile devices. It'll hit handsets in a couple weeks. [Treo Central]
Read more:Capable
, Phones
Sub-$800 One-Screen Optimus Will Have Raised Keys [Optimus] 2008-03-20 09:15:44 Apparently, when Jesus called Art.Lebedev's Optimus
Tactus keyboard "Optimus Retardus" for its lack of physical keys, the design team listened. Or not. Either way, Lebedev's latest plan is to indeed make a visual keyboard with just one full-color screen as opposed to many tiny ones. But it will overlay physical transparent keys (like on the Upravlator). In the end, you'd actually have a hard time noticing that each key isn't its own display. The goal is to get this thing into production by year's end, and to sell it for under $800—a bargain by Art.Lebedev standards. Later, the dudes will move to E-Ink or e-paper for lighter, wireless keyboards. [Optimus Project]
Notes: Snowboarding Meetup Details (Free Stuff) [Notes] 2008-03-20 09:03:02 Hey, more good news on the snowboarding reader meetup beta. The day: April 5th. The place: Alpine Meadows. Nokia is coming with a fleet of N95s we can use, and Vudu is donating a prize to give away, as are a few others who aren't locked down yet. If you want to come, please drop me an email. I'll show you my non-360 where I act my age and smash my hip on the hard pack. Making raspberries on your muffin top, it's an Art.
Read more:Free Stuff
, Meetup
, Notes
, Snowboarding
Samsung’s Hauzen Cleaning Robot keeps floors, homeowners happy 2008-03-20 09:02:00 Filed under: Household
Samsung
's no stranger to automated floor sucking creatures, but the latest from the outfit is looking to give your Roomba a real run for its money. The Hauzen VC-RE70V sports a fairly attractive shell along with a built-in camera to "see" where it's going; better still, it can reportedly snap pictures of rooms as it goes in order to build a map of your domicile in its "brain" and keep things quick on subsequent cleanings. Just like your Automower, this thing will also automatically move to its recharging station when it feels weak, giving you one less reason to even roll out of bed the day the in-laws are set to arrive.[Via I4U News] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Read more:Cleaning
, keeps
, Robot
Pulver Launches An Online TV Guide In The Form of a Cube (PrimeTimeRewindTV) 2008-03-20 08:42:31 Now that all the major TV networks are streaming prime time shows on the Web we are starting to see sites and applications that bring all of that video to one place. Instead of going ABC.com, NBC.com Fox.com, CBS.com or Hulu, why not create a uniform interface that organizes and streams the videos from [...]
Read more:Guide
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