CrunchGear

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• LX series: Sharp Japan rolls out new AQUOS TVs with 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio
• Review: Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 6500UB
• Daily Crunch: Fontanesi Edition
• iPod touch ad on IGN confirms Apple’s games focus
• Strange CPU monitor is not a tumor
• Cyanogen will continue, albeit slightly handicapped by Google
• Apple brings back Newton designer, defines irony
• Students aren’t really feeling the Kindle love
• New Thermaltake case looks hot, runs cool
• The tiniest drill ever: now shipping
• Comparing Microsoft’s 720p LifeCam Cinema to an iSight
• Apple Store goes down for mystery updates
• Verizon to buy DirecTV? Analysts like the idea.
• Sometimes, the Internet works as advertised
• Lighthouse SQ7: A social media device with voice recognition
• $199 Nintendo Wii steals and deals
• Why does Microsoft go to the cafes I go to and know the people I know?
• The Peek Pronto now offered for $299 with lifetime service
• ‘Yay! Scale’ may encourage unhealthy eating habits, poor money management
• Swing and a hit: Louisville Slugger bat for the Wii

LX series: Sharp Japan rolls out new AQUOS TVs with 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio Posted: 29 Sep 2009 04:20 AM PDT Sharp has announced four new LCD TVs with some impressive specs for the Japanese market today [press release in English]. The TVs will be available in four sizes: 40, 46, 52 and 60 inches. All models are full HD and feature LED backlight for improved picture quality. The TVs from the so-called LX series feature a fantastic contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1, extra-low power consumption levels (Sharp speaks of the lowest in the industry) and an RSS six-speaker system with duo bass sub-woofer and a 2.1-channel set-up (except for the 40-inch model). The 60-inch flagship model will go on sale in Japan on November 25, and it isn’t cheap (price: $6,100). The other models prove that quality has its price, too: Sharp sells the 52-incher for $5,000, the 46-incher for $3,900 and the 40-inch model for $2,800. The company hasn’t laid out international distribution plans for the LX series yet.

Review: Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 6500UB Posted: 29 Sep 2009 03:43 AM PDT There are a few “holy grail” purchases for home theater. One is the format-agnostic HD playback device plus DVR that will record HDTV as seamlessly as a TiVo but doesn’t require a cable card (NOTE: This does not exist), another is a strong, over-the-counter bottle of painkillers to help get through this upcoming season of Heroes and Lost (NOTE: This also does not exist.). But the piece de résistance of every AV nerd’s arsenal is a 1080p projector. So when Epson sent us the PowerLite Home Cinema 6500UB, why wasn’t I excited? Well, like a boy offered a M242 25mm chain gun when he only asked for BB guns to plink cans with, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. The PowerLite is a beast. It weighs 16 pounds and is 17 inches across by 5 inches high – without the little legs. It has native 1080p using 3LCDs with 2 HDMI ports, RCA composite and component ports, S-Video port, and VGA-in. It outputs at 1600 lumens and blows out a 1920×1080 pixel image at up to 100 inches diagonal. Unless you live in a hangar, this is clearly too much projector for one man. The projector costs $2,999 online with free shipping. I plugged the projector into a Blu-Ray player and an XBox 360 and saw excellent picture from both. We did see a stark 120Hz “soap opera effect” due to frame interpolation before I changed the settings. Once I removed that stumbling block, which others seemed to find as well, you’ve got yourself a mondo projector. 1080p projectors are now fairly common. However, this model has a striking contrast ratio, 75,000:1, and ultra blacks which offers a picture more like an LCD flat screen than a projector. Even during set-up you notice a definite sharpness around the edges of text and images on screen. This is to be expected from your average business projector but for a model specifically aimed at the home it’s pretty great. Unfortunately, unlike the average business projector, this thing is huge. It requires some sort of mounting system to get it out of the way and is definitely suited more for a large, long room than the average New York apartment. Our house here in Brooklyn is pretty darn big but it’s still a stretch to call it usable. The projector also doesn’t have built-in speakers, a minor issue of you were thinking of using this as a self-contained device in lieu of a full home theater setup. Bottom Line Overall, however, I’m totally down with a $3,000 1080p projector, especially with HDMI in. It’s cheap enough to look into as a TV replacement and it’s sharp enough to warrant a long look.

Daily Crunch: Fontanesi Edition Posted: 29 Sep 2009 12:00 AM PDT The tiniest drill ever: now shipping 'Yay! Scale' may encourage unhealthy eating habits, poor money management Learning is Fun: What is Skittle Pool? Sometimes, the Internet works as advertised "I fell in love at the Apple Store," the catchiest Apple song you'll hear all day

iPod touch ad on IGN confirms Apple’s games focus Posted: 28 Sep 2009 09:14 PM PDT Although the iPod and iPhone are versatile gaming platforms, gamers have been skeptical for a number of reasons. No buttons, to start, and no room for serious assets (though recent games have really been pushing the limits). That doesn’t appear to be stopping Apple from pushing the iPod touch as a gaming device in this clever ad on IGN. I remain skeptical. My favorite genres of games are impractical on a no-button touchscreen (shooters, platformers, RPGs), and it’s going to take some doing to convince major players like EA and Ubisoft to break exclusivity or first-dibs deals with the other guys. Still, the more games the better, and there are plenty of possibilities for good stuff on the iPod. Just don’t pretend a virtual D-pad is in any way acceptable.

Strange CPU monitor is not a tumor Posted: 28 Sep 2009 09:03 PM PDT No, it’s not a physical manifestation of a computer virus. Made by Japanese artist Mio I-zawa, the mechanical tumor serves as the most biological CPU meter ever seen. Built as a concept art item, the “mechanical tumor” does more then just look pretty. As the computer uses more and more CPU processes, the tumor will shake, inflate, and move to represent the usage. I’m not entirely sure what the practical application of something like this is, but it sure looks creepy. Maybe it’s something that can be used in the sequel to eXistenZ or something. [via Gizmodo]

Cyanogen will continue, albeit slightly handicapped by Google Posted: 28 Sep 2009 08:32 PM PDT After Google dropped the L-bomb on Cyanogen, he reportedly opened up talks with the boys in Goo. It sounds like they may have finally reached a compromise in their little disagreement. Is it a good thing? Maybe, maybe not.

Apple brings back Newton designer, defines irony Posted: 28 Sep 2009 07:58 PM PDT That fact that Apple has rehired Michael Tchao, one of the original Newton developers, is likely to stir up stories and posts about the Apple tablet. But the man has had a storied past in the CE field and Apple might have brought him back on board after a 15 year hiatus just because of his impressive resume. Or they need help on the Apple tablet marketing. Actually, that’s probably exactly why Apple needs him back. Most recently he was the general manager of Nike Techlabs where the Nike+ products originated. Michael Tchao’s new role will be VP of Product Marketing at Apple. The NY Times, "He's got the scars and the great ideas" about tablet computing, said another former Apple employee who worked with Mr. Tchao. He did not want to be named because the hiring was not yet public. Here’s how you market an Apple tablet: produce a relativity inexpensive touchscreen device that has an app store, webcam, and incredible battery life and have Steve Jobs tell a room full of gadget nerds to buy it. Most will and then will spread the gospel to the masses. Then have Justin Long tell everyone to buy it and of course more will. It’s that easy.

Students aren’t really feeling the Kindle love Posted: 28 Sep 2009 07:31 PM PDT The Kindle DX might be a good e-book, but the consensus among students at Princeton is that it is a very poor replacement for real books. Very poor, sir. It’s not secret that students make a holy mess of their books, annotating, dog-earing, doodling in the margins — and none of that is easy (if it’s even possible) on the Kindle, or any other e-book at the moment. Sure, if all you need to do is read plain-text book, it’s handy. But what about diagrams? Full-color illustrations? Scratch-and-sniff patches? The Kindle is, in its current form, “a poor excuse of an academic tool,” according to Aaron Horvath, Princeton class of 2010. (I think our Ivy League correspondent meant a poor excuse for an academic tool) When I think of the shortcomings of the Kindle DX, my mind suddenly shifts to the Courier. My god, what a difference! If Microsoft can make the Courier anything like their demo video, that will actually be a replacement for many tools currently required by a student. Annotations? Check. Full color? Check. Schedule? Check. Facebook and Twitter? Check and check. I’m sure there will be a market for the Kindle-like e-book for a good time to come, but until they offer the kind of functionality we’re going to be seeing in tablets come 2010, they’re always going to be limited to the latest Dan Brownloads.

New Thermaltake case looks hot, runs cool Posted: 28 Sep 2009 07:00 PM PDT Thermaltake is one of my personal favorite case makers, I’ve owned a few of their products in my time, but this Level 10 is exceptional. Announced at CeBit in March, the Level 10 was designed with the help of BMW DesignWorks, and it is amazing. MaximumPC got one first, but they were kind enough so share some unboxing pictures with the world. This case looks like nothing else I’ve ever seen. The components hang out the side of the case, but they’re all enclosed in their own separate area. The left side contains the motherboard, and then each self-contained and cooled compartment holds a different item. The case has six hot-swappable SATA bays, room for three optical drives, and a enclosed and cooled compartment in the top rear for the power supply. The Level 10 will be available in mid-October for $700. You can see the official product page here. I have to admit though, I think they should have called it the Level 11.

The tiniest drill ever: now shipping Posted: 28 Sep 2009 06:30 PM PDT Remember the littlest drill in the world? Well it’s now available for purchase. Sure, €85 seems a bit much to pay for a drill that won’t put a hole in anything, but let’s face it, we’ve all spent more on less at some time or another. Buy it here, but expect a couple weeks for construction and shipping.

Comparing Microsoft’s 720p LifeCam Cinema to an iSight Posted: 28 Sep 2009 06:00 PM PDT I’ve just hooked up the LifeCam Cinema to my desktop, and thought an SD comparison was in order. In a stroke of genius, I attached the LifeCam to the top of my Mac so it and my iSight were pretty much aligned — though not so much that it’s seamless. I did a little video so you can compare color, fidelity, and all that. Best to watch it in HD so you can see the differences between the two. It’s a bit difficult to get a read on detail since I can’t directly overlay the two images — but have a look at these two full-size images from the videos (click to embiggen): I think the LifeCam has the iSight beat handily in all areas, though neither one is very good at catching motion naturally and dynamic range is pretty much non-existent. Of course, the iSight is a built-in thing the size of my pinky fingernail, and the LifeCam is actually the size of the original cylindrical iSight. The LifeCam has a better low end in the audio but also has a hiss that gets pretty pronounced if you need to boost the volume. That can be taken out with a mild low pass filter, though. Full review will be coming a little later in the week. [Updated: I think this thing is called the Cinema now, not the HD. I'm not by the box so I can't tell. Also, it doesn't appear to work on Macs natively, although some programs are able to at least get a signal from it.]

Apple Store goes down for mystery updates Posted: 28 Sep 2009 05:49 PM PDT We’re used to seeing this message flash across the Apple Store every time Steve Jobs graces the stage – but on a random evening at the beginning of the work week? That’s a bit strange. Any guesses as to what’s in the oven? The latest whispers around the Interwebs all suggest that iMac and MacBook revisions are on the way – but they weren’t expected to trickle out for a few more days. Might they be sneaking out a bit early? Perhaps. Might Apple just be adjusting their gradient-y drop shadows and bumping some margins? Perhaps. We’ll see soon enough. Update: It was something along the lines of the second one. It just came back up and, as far as we can tell, nothing changed. Let us know if we missed something.

Verizon to buy DirecTV? Analysts like the idea. Posted: 28 Sep 2009 05:30 PM PDT Ever since the DirecTV’s CEO stepped down back in July, there has been talk about someone buying up the satellite TV provider. The latest analysis chatter states Verizon might pick up DirecTV to dramatically increase its marketshare overnight. The purchase would make Verizon second only to Comcast in subs when the DirecTV customer base is added to Verizon’s current FiOS subscribers and supercharge Verizon’s influence on the market. All this talk started when Verizon’s CEO indicated that he wanted to “make video the company’s core product for its fixed-line business.” The Wall Street Journal then kindly points out the obvious that the best way to do that is to scoop up a satellite company. DirecTV would be the logical choice over Dish Network as it’s better performing and has a larger subscriber base. Of course DirecTV or Verizon haven’t indicated that this is currently in the works, but the WSJ does have a point. Verizon’s fiber optic service, FiOS, is almost universally loved for its fast Internet, wide range of high-def stations and modest price. However, it’s been slow to roll out to new markets because fiber optic cable has to be ran to each home, which is a timely and costly endeavor. Verizon probably doesn’t have any plans to scale back its FiOS expansion plans, but it will take the company a while to be a national player at the current rate. Buying DirecTV – or Dish Network – is the fastest way to the top.

Sometimes, the Internet works as advertised Posted: 28 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT Ever since I got it, the album art for Cul de Sac’s Death of the Sun has intrigued me. I’m ignorant of 19th-century landscape painters, which is as far as I could nail the style down, and after extensive Googling I could find nothing on it at all. Ten years ago I would be SOL. But today the whole internet is a community, and you’re only one step away from the answer to your question, whether you know it or not. Luckily I’m a member of Metafilter, and so my first recourse was to go to Ask Mefi and put up the question — after searching diligently for dupes, of course. Defying my expectations utterly, the hive mind, while it applied itself admirably, failed to produce the answer I desired. In the process, however, I was exposed to an excellent artist (Corot), reminded of one I’d meant to look into (Millet), and made aware of a school of which they were all a part (Barbizon). So not a loss at all. However, someone had tracked down the album art designer’s webpage, where I was able to find his email address. I emailed him, and he forwarded the question to Glenn Jones, who founded the band. After a day or two I received a reply from Glenn, who told me about the painting and how he came across it. The designer also let me know that the album will be coming out on vinyl shortly, and I’ll be picking it up. The artist, Antonio Fontanesi, is a bit hard to find online, but there are some high-quality images at Ciudad de la Pintura, a valuable site I’ll be consulting more often. The point of this story is not that I’m some sort of tube ninja, or that you all should listen to Cul de Sac, but that the Internet can be a wonderful place. As a casual (and anonymous) inquirer, I was able to get a personal response from the founder of a band I love, in addition to all the other good stuff that resulted from it. We cover a lot of the crazy startups that are the embryos of the next phase of the net, but I think sometimes we lose sight of the most remarkable fact of this technology: that it essentially reduces distance to zero and degrees of separation to one — and I think that’s worth celebrating every once in a while.

Lighthouse SQ7: A social media device with voice recognition Posted: 28 Sep 2009 04:53 PM PDT Social media applications are increasingly abstracted from their web-app roots, be it in Adobe air or an iPhone app. Devices like the Chumby have made some inroads towards completely breaking something like Facebook away from your desktop, but they haven’t been popular enough or good enough to catch on. I doubt that will change too much with the Lighthouse SQ7, but I’d be happy to be proved wrong. It’s just that incorporating voice recognition technology into your device seems like overreaching, as cool as it would be if it worked. At any rate, it’s good to see companies still plugging away at what seems like a sort of awkward tweener device, but honestly, one I might like to have around. A combination alarm clock, social media doodad, and lightweight browser — fitting somewhere on the twisted continuum between tablet computer and digital picture frame. At $250, it won’t break the bank, but it’s not quite low enough to encourage impulse buys, either. I have my doubts about the hardware quality, but at least it’s got something going on the inside. The 7″ 800×480 resistive touchscreen stands between you and a 667MHz ARM processor, 128MB of RAM, and a gig of storage. It runs a custom Ubuntu and has a 4500mAH battery, which is good for five hours of use (not enough, but you can plug it in). I think the hacking possibilities are pretty solid for this thing. I hope at least they’ll add a little more functionality to it. Facebook and Twitter might be the 800-pound gorillas of the social web, but that doesn’t mean they’re all there is to it. AdelaVoice and other potential device-makers take note. The voice recognition works for the demonstrator, obviously, but the question is this: do you have to speak like a robot? – or at least have a naturally robotic air? Voice Search works pretty well in Android if you’re careful about it, but I foresee some embarrassing homonym-related faux pas. You could also use Dial2Do if you’re really interested in having voice recognition in an already-available service, but I doubt you want all your friends’ updates dictated to you. Although I’m not convinced that this particular one is the device I’d like sitting around the house with my friends’ latest updates and my latest photos on it, it seems to be on the right track. We’ll see about giving it a spin, but if my measured recommendation has made you salivate with desire for the thing, you can pre-order one now and they’re shipping on October 7th. [via Best Tablet Review]

$199 Nintendo Wii steals and deals Posted: 28 Sep 2009 04:30 PM PDT The Nintendo Wii is finally $199. We knew the price cut was coming and are glad it’s here. But now that the MSRP is only $199, online retailers and brick and mortar stores have the opportunity to sweeten the deal. We’ve done some searching and have the best deals after the jump. The $169 Wii Use coupon code N4ZVL$MQSSFGT8 to drop the price at Dell Home Free $25 Gift Card Amazon is offering a $25 gift card with purchase. Save it for the updated Wii Sports Resort with MotionPlus that comes out on October 12. Free Mario & Sonic at the Olympics eToys is offering the game and free shipping Free Game Party Not that it’s the best game in the world, but Best Buy is offering Game Party with the system Free T-shirt Toys-R-Us is offering a free T-shirt. Exciting. Obviously the only ones you should really care about are the first two. Unless you’re afraid of ordering off the Internet and if so, grow up, grab your credit card, and save some money.

Why does Microsoft go to the cafes I go to and know the people I know? Posted: 28 Sep 2009 04:00 PM PDT I was just installing some software for this new LifeCam HD when I saw this picture. That looks familiar, I thought. In fact it’s more than familiar, I was just there. And I’ve met that girl (very attractive in real life). But why in the world is Microsoft taking candid photos at Bauhaus? Do you guys ever find yourselves or people you know in stock or product pictures? I wonder how often that happens without a person’s knowledge. I suppose with all the shots Microsoft needs to have of people using their stuff and looking normal, just about everyone in Seattle is going to be a poster child for them at one point or another.

The Peek Pronto now offered for $299 with lifetime service Posted: 28 Sep 2009 03:31 PM PDT The Peek has been around for a year already and surprise, surprise, it’s still around. In fact, you can now snag one without a monthly subscription charge for $299 exclusively from Amazon. Now, I’m not saying you should spend $299 on a device that just does email now that smartphone’s monthly subscription costs are dropping, but someone out there might want a dedicated device for email, Twitter, and Facebook. The deal has two options: either you can get the Peek Pronto with one year of service for $229 or spend $299 for the handheld with the lifetime service plan. Generally you have to buy the Peek for $60 and then spend another $14.99 a month on the service. So if you’re eying the device, it would only make sense to spend the extra hundred bones and get the lifetime service plan if you plan on keeping it more than a year and a half. Update: Target has the classic, non-Twitter’n , non-Facebook’n version for only $15 bucks. Just saying.

‘Yay! Scale’ may encourage unhealthy eating habits, poor money management Posted: 28 Sep 2009 03:00 PM PDT   This is called the "Yay! Scale" – it's a $55 scale that has no numbers. Instead, you're greeted with esteem-building words like hot, lovely, cute, ravishing, and stuff like that. That's all well and good but if you're trying to actually lose weight, maybe they could have put something like "Cute! And you're well on your way to hitting your goal of losing ten pounds. Keep up the good work! Don't slack off, now! You're an inspiration to your family and friends! Maybe even to total strangers, too!" Granted, that would take up too much space. So, "Cute!" it is. And even though this thing costs $55, which is roughly $40 more expensive than most regular scales, it's sold out. Plush Size Yay! Scale [VoluptuArt via Foolish Gadgets]

Swing and a hit: Louisville Slugger bat for the Wii Posted: 28 Sep 2009 02:30 PM PDT Wii Sports is an excellent game, but it can feel a bit silly at times flailing your arms about as you pretend to play various games. Perhaps it’s fortunate then, that no matter what the game, it appears that there is an accessory for it. Case in point: the new officially licensed Louisville slugger bat. Now you can relive your favorite scene from “Casino” on your Wii. The foam bat is available for $14.99 from your favorite toy megastore, just in time for that non-denominational holiday celebration. From the Toy’s R Us site: Louisville Slugger Wii Baseball Bat – Transform your Wii controller in to a big league style bat with the Louisville Slugger Wii Baseball bat. The product is designed to securely hold the controllers, allowing for full use of all buttons, straps and IR functions. The foam construction makes for safe play. The Louisville Slugger Wii Baseball bat is compatible with games such as Major League Baseball 2K9, The Bigs 2 and MLB Power Pros. Wii Remote sold separately.

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