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« Previous Entries Next Entries »Korea’s internet addict camp breaks dependance with crafts, drumming
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007We apologize in advance if any of what follows hits a little too close to home, but unless you’re camped out in South Korea, you don’t have to worry about being ripped from your computer and sent to the Jump Up Internet Rescue School. Much like seen earlier this year in China, this compound attempts to rehabilitate citizens from their dependence on the intarweb by forcing coaxing them into less digital activities such as pottery and drumming (, anyone?). South Korea, which boasts “nearly universal” internet access, offers up the camp free of charge to those admitted, and currently, around four to five habitual net users are applying for every one available spot. While there, campers engage in social activities and participate in group functions like horseback riding and wall climbing, but it remains to be seen if graduates of the program can really resist the temptation of relapsing once they return home.
1GB write-once SanDisk memory cards to cost $5.99?
Tuesday, November 20th, 20071GB write-once SanDisk memory cards to cost $5.99?
Posted Nov 20th 2007 6:36AM by
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- The new “memory cards (memory stick)” will be widely available in food, drug, camera, and convenience stores (we already knew that Wal-Mart and Walgreens were involved)
- The new format fits your existing camera
- Large enough to store at least 100 photos per card (does that mean 256MB cards for $2.00 or less?)
- Write-once technology stores your pictures safely for over 100 years (check)
- Less expensive than standard re-writeable memory cards (duh)
No dates were provided in the survey, but at this point, a near-term launch certainly appears imminent.
Canon’s 5D Mark II rumor gets another jolt
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007Here’s a sure fire way to set rumors in motion: list an unannounced, though hotly rumored camera in a pull-down list on your website. Right there you’ve got the Canon . That’s it, just a name in a list on a reputable software vendor’s bug tracking page. Legitimate leak, idle speculation, or dastardly ploy to drive traffic to PhaseOne — that’s the real question. Proof? Hardly, unless you’re already a believer.
Oculon’s Hikari Pro920 might be the world’s tiniest projector
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007On the lookout for portable projection? Sure, us too. That’s why we were pleased to see these new Oculon Hikari Pro1440 and Pro920 (pictured) projectors land in our tips box this morning. The pair can project a 15- or 20-inch display from a distance of just 2-feet. The $399 Pro1440 LCoS model throws 250 lumens across a 20-inch, 800 x 600 pixel display from Composite or D-Sub15 RGB connected sources including game consoles, laptops, and portable media players. Things drop down to 25 lumens across a 15-inch, 640 x 480 pixel display for the $299 Pro920 which measures just 86 x 44 x 85-mm. “World’s tiniest,” as Oculon claims? Maybe. At least until get their acts together. Pro1440 pictured after the break.
Vodafone to have exclusive rights to 3G iPhone in Q1?
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007Vodafone to have exclusive rights to 3G iPhone in Q1?
Posted Nov 20th 2007 4:45AM by
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Samsung’s LED-backlit LN-T4681F LCD HDTV gets reviewed
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007Although it’d be easy to take one of our reader’s for it, Sound and Vision Magazine set out to see if Samsung’s sleek LN-T4681F really was the best home theater display on the market. The 46-inch LED-backlit display is a proud member of Sammy’s , and while the glossy motif sure boosted the sexiness, reviewers did note that a “fair amount of reflected light pooled up on the screen during daytime viewing.” The crew didn’t have much trouble tweaking the settings to get the image just right, but it did exhibit a few problems deinterlacing film-sourced 1080i-format programs. Nevertheless, LED SmartLighting / LED Motion Plus both proved extremely beneficial, color rendition was deemed “excellent” and picture uniformity was satisfactory save for the slightly lackluster off-axis performance. Overall, those in charge of critiquing this here set were mighty impressed, and while a few niggles may annoy those looking for reasons to nitpick, most everyone else will likely walk away quite pleased with its performance.
Samsung’s VP-HMX10A HD camcorder makes retail premier
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007Samsung’s camcorder is now on sale. No, not in North America or Europe, but S.Korea-only at the moment. ₩799,000 (about $870) nabs this 720p recorder with 2.7-inch LCD and 4GB of internal flash storage for all your H.264 recordings (SD expansion for more) in a 310-gram barrel. With any luck these will go global on the quick.
Dell’s 15.4-inch Vostro 1000 laptop hits $399
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007Dell’s 15.4-inch Vostro 1000 laptop hits $399
Posted Nov 20th 2007 2:17AM by
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Vodafone Germany obtains restraining order against T-Mobile iPhone sales
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007Vodafone Germany obtains restraining order against T-Mobile iPhone sales
Posted Nov 20th 2007 1:27AM by
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[Via ]
— Dow Jones
— Deutsche Telekom (translated)
— FT
Review: Dell XPS One All-In-One, One-In-All
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007(Photo by Claude McIver)
Surfing about on the Internetz lately? Chances are you’ve seen leaked photos of the all new Dell XPS One. This entirely self contained PC with its smoked glass base, die-cast metal stand, and bezel-less glass display, seems to have sprung more from a think tank in Cupertino than Round Rock Texas. But, as usual, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Let’s drill down on the unit Dell sent us.
Encased within the 20-inch (1680 x 1050) HD display lies a 2.33Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and an ATI Radeon HD 2400 video card. Sorry hardcore gamers, that’s not a typo — the XPS One isn’t much of a graphics powerhouse. But for all you casual fraggers, the computer managed a playable, albeit unimpressive, 30fps in PREY. Touch sensitive media keys on the front panel come in handy when the included remote isn’t. And as if by magic (read: proximity detector) they illuminate when your hand comes within 6 to 12 inches of the display.
Now we know the question on everyone’s mind: can the XPS One hang with the iMac? Yes and no. In terms of aesthetics it looks nearly as good as the polished aluminum and glass of the iMac. Performance? The One yields some impressive benchmarks on general apps, but gaming performance falls flat. And then there’s the whole little Vista issue; with the One you’re pretty much stuck with Vista while the iMac can boot Leopard or a Microsoft OS via the Bootcamp app. That said, the XPS One is a sleek, intuitive, polished machine. We can’t wait to see what future iterations will be like. —Claude McIver
WIRED Wireless keyboard and mouse syncs easily and are imbued with the same slick style as the PC itself. 2-megapixel webcam with motion sensing and remote viewing software (intruders beware!). Bluetooth 2.0. Six USB and two FireWire ports. Slot-loading Blu-ray drive included (score!). Screen tilts back 45 degrees. 2-year warranty. Integrated speakers fill up a medium sized room with decent sound and don’t skimp on the bass. Touch sensitive media keys feature force feedback.
TIRED Mac-like looks yield a Mac-like price. All-in-one form factor makes it difficult to access and tinker with interior components.
$2,400 as tested, dell.com