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The iPhone launches in China today, seems to arouse little interest (pictures from Beijing)

Posted: 30 Oct 2009 03:41 AM PDT

Japan went crazy over the iPhone when it made its debut in summer last year, but China as another big Asian market for Apple seems to react differently. The iPhone officially launched in China today, offered by China Unicom, one the country's three big cell phone carriers. But our friends over at major Chinese news portal 163.com are reporting [Google machine translation] that not too many people were actually queuing up to get one, at least in Beijing.


VHS lives: JVC announces VHS/DVD/Blu-ray recorder for Japan

Posted: 30 Oct 2009 01:21 AM PDT

victor_VHS

It seems VHS will never die, and this is generally welcome, as a lot of good movies aren’t still available on optical discs. In summer 2008, Panasonic released a VHS/Blu-ray combo, followed by Sharp’s Aquos BD-HDV22 that was pretty much the same thing. And today, over one year later, JVC anounced the DR-BH250 [JP], which is a VHS recorder, Blu-Ray Recorder and 250GB HDD rolled into one.

JVC also threw in 1080/60p/24p support, BD-Live and BONUSVIEW support, AVCHD support, a USB port, an HDMI CEC interface, and an SD/SDHC card slot. It’s possible to transfer material between DVD, VHS and Blu-ray, including copying video from a VHS cassette to a Blu-ray disc.

victor_VHS_2

JVC plans to roll out the DR-BH250 at the beginning of next month in Japan for $1,400. The company hasn’t said yet whether VHS fans not living in Japan will ever get to lay their hands on the device, too.

Daily Crunch: Egg Throne Edition

Posted: 30 Oct 2009 12:00 AM PDT

Asus is going to launch a smartbook after all

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 10:00 PM PDT

asus-snapdragonDespite what he said back in August, Asus CEO Jerry Shen confirmed this week that they will in fact be releasing a smartbook product sometime during 1Q2010.

This is a dramatic about face from what was stated previously, I wonder is Asus perhaps underestimated the demand for small, lightweight, Android based products when they made their previous statements. Mr. Shen also said that Asus R&D has been working quite hard, and we should expect to see quite a few new products from them in the next 6 months. Asustek’s first smartbook is expected to retail for about $180.

[via Shanzai]

Scosche announces new line of 12v USB chargers

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 09:45 PM PDT

powerFUZEScosche (makers of various home and vehicle accessories) just announced a product that I think I’m going to have to pick up. It’s a USB charger that works in the home and the car, you plug your device into the adapter and then into the wall mounted charger, or into your 12v cigarette lighter socket in your car, and voila! Instant power source.

There’s three different levels of the product available, a plain socket adapter for $19.99, a house adapter that you can charge two devices with (and it has the 12v adapter as) well for $44.99. There’s also a 12v socket adapter with an iPod cable included for $24.99, if you need a cable to leave in your car.

Asustek announces WiMAX enabled E-Books coming soon

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 09:15 PM PDT

In_Gear_609690aAsustek will be launching an e-book reader in the near future that will combine wi-fi with WiMAX mobile technologies as soon as the end of 2009. Asustek will most likely release the reader under the extremely popular EEE name here in the U.S. Looks like the predictions back in August were right.

Information is somewhat sparse at this time, but we do know that Asustek has made WiMAX hardware before, for companies like Clearwire, so that part of the technology isn’t new to them. Of course, Asustek frequently produces hardware and sells it to other vendors for re-branding, so we might see this technology under another brand name. We can probably expect Asustek to price their reader in the range of Amazon and B&N, in order to be competitive. One thing for sure, it’s turning out to be a good year for e-book readers.

DIY: Attack of the pumpkin

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 07:45 PM PDT


Tired of the hoodlums destroying your pumpkins? Looking for a little payback? Here’s a project that will allow you to get some vengeance. Plus, it’d be fun to shoot silly string at the older kids that show up on your front step this Halloween.

This pumpkin does a bit more then just fire silly string. It’s controlled by an Arduino device coupled with an IR motion sensor, which allows it to shoot the aforementioned silly string. It also controls a sound box, and will twitter when it fires so you can count how many victims.

It’s not a complicated build, but requires some specialized hardware so you better get to it if you want to be set up in time for the weekend.

[via Instructables]

Egg chairs are back. Now with Surround Sound!

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 07:15 PM PDT

Picture 13

What was your favorite part of the 70s? If you said egg chairs, than stop and read the rest of this post. You won’t regret it.

Acousticom, the same company who make headsets for military pilots and flight deck crew, has taken your favorite seating implement and turned into a personal theater / gaming station. These babies contain a 5.1 surround sound system with full 20 Hz – 20kHz response, and a 10″ woofer under your seat. The sound isolating foam not only eliminates outside noise, it comes in a variety of designer colors.

The SoundEgg will be officially released at CES 2010 in Las Vegas. But it looks like they’re taking online orders already. These things run 1450.00 USD. A bit steep, but worth it to have a evil mastermind throne that has its own sound system? Hell yes.

Here’s a frequency response chart for all of you nerds serious audiophiles out there.

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Behold, the ultimate keg/arcade machine mashup

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 07:00 PM PDT

Meet the arkeg. The ultimate combination of a MAME console, and a kegerator. Those lucky bast blokes at Wired managed to get they hands on one to review. It’s got some good and bad points, but you have to admit it’s cool no matter what.

The arkeg isn’t cheap, you’ll need to spend about $4000 to get this bad boy set up. It also is limited to a ‘Corny’ keg, and not a full size unit.

[via Wired]

FlipShare TV: yet another way to access your PC’s videos on your TV

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 06:30 PM PDT

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The number of techniques for getting content from your PC to your TV is getting alarmingly high. It’s possible that it’s so simple at this point that anyone can put out a product and sell a few — so you can either get a basic one cheap now, or wait for the inevitable breakthrough product that will do something awesome but cost a bundle. The FlipShare (pdf from FCC) ain’t that breakthrough, but it does look like a nice, simple way to watch your home videos on the TV.

The older generation doesn’t want to fiddle around with codecs and all that nonsense, they want to shoot a video and then watch it later. That’s all. And if they have a Flip camera (good present by the way), they’ll be comfortable using the FlipShare TV. It’s simple to set up: just plug it into your TV, then attach the USB dongle to your PC. Then you can watch videos using a simple file browser interface and included tiny remote.

There’s no pricing information yet, but considering Flip likes to keep it low, I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing went for $99. We’ll update when there’s more, of course.

[via Wireless Goodness]

FCC filing shows Cisco FlipShare TV

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 06:03 PM PDT

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I don’t quite understand why companies still see Sneaker-net as the fastest way to get content from your PC to your TV, but here is the FlipShare TV, a device from Cisco designed to transmit standard or HDMI video to a TV. You will presumably connect a USB key or Flip camera and an interface which allows you to scroll through videos one by one.

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The FlipShare appeared in an FCC filing and it seems that the device can also stream device over the network to other Flipshare devices. It even includes a tiny, Flip-like remote.

No pricing or availability but expect it to hit around CES time.

via WirelessGoodness

Transformers 2 sells 7.5 million DVD & Blu-ray discs. Can’t you people find a better movie to buy?

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 05:30 PM PDT

autobot_1680This is just wrong. I’ll admit, I didn’t enjoy “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”. I thought the plot was weak and contrived, and I was slightly offended by the dumbing down of the film (robot urination and racial stereotypes? give me a break). I realize that the original “Transformers” wasn’t exactly the height of cinematic art, but it was better then the sequel.

So why by all that’s holy, is “Transformers 2″ the best selling DVD/Blu-ray (in first week sales) of 2009? I think the issue is that this year has been somewhat dry as far as good movies go. “Transformers 2″ does appeal to a wider audience, and that’s why Paramount has sold 7.5 million copies in the first week that it’s been available. “Transformers 2″ did fall short of the 8.3 million discs sold in the first week by the original Transformers film.


Sleek Audio announces SA-1 earphones, a cheaper alternative to the SA-6

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 04:30 PM PDT

sa-1Not too long ago, Devin reviewed the Sleek SA-6 earphones. He gave them a pretty good rating, but one of the issues (at least for me) was that $250 price tag. Well, good news for me (and for you) Sleek has released that SA-1, a lower priced version of the SA-6 that still uses the removable tip system.

The SA-1s have that same tuned 6mm driver in a rosewood body, and you can still change the tips to get the best sound depending on your requirements. The SA-1s only have two tips though, and they adjust the treble to be, well “more” or “less”. You choose which one sounds better, and swap them out as needed. Best part, the SA-1’s will only set you back $79.99. To me, that’s a whole lot easier to swallow then $250.

Sleek’s SA-1 earphones will start shipping early this November, and are currently for sale on the Sleek website for $79.99.

[via Slashgear]

Boardy is a USB stick made out of recycled paper

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 04:00 PM PDT

boardy_sefmailer
At major events like CES, thousands upon thousands of little USB sticks are distributed, full of assets, press releases, and so on. Stop by a booth or show, get a USB stick. Usually they’re only 1 or 2GB (and dog slow), so you don’t end up using them more than once and they end up in a drawer or sitting on a table somewhere in Vegas. Here’s an idea: why not use these recycled paper Boardy USB sticks? Sure, it’s not really clear how big they are or how much they cost, but they can’t be much more in bulk than all those crappy plastic ones.

I’ve taken issue with cardboard computing before, but this seems like a perfect application. Not necessarily disposable, but not a damn ecological disaster if it does get disposed of.

[via Geeksugar]

Where are all the great Android games? The answer is simpler than you think

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 03:48 PM PDT

I was Tweeting with Michael Gartenberg last night about all the great Android games. After all, the Android Marketplace has so many great titles like Civilization Revolution, Canabalt, iShoot, and… oh… wait… All kidding aside, the reason there is such a dearth of great games has to do with some programming choices in Android itself and it's a problem that can - and should - be fixed before the Droid comes to market this November.


Acer’s T230H: One of them there fancy touchscreen monitors that work with Windows 7

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 03:30 PM PDT

T230H

How keen are you on touchscreens? Keen enough to navigate Windows 7 while using such a monitor? Acer has a new one, the T230H, which will allow you to do exactly that. A big selling point is that it’ll increase your productivity, but I’m not so sure.

I mean, is it easier to use a touchscreen to navigate Excel, or flip about Firefox? You’ll still have a keyboard, I should think, so it’s not like the iPhone where you’re forced to get used to this radical, new interface; you have no other choice. Here, you’re split between touching the screen and typing away on a traditional keyboard.

But I’m still not the biggest fan of touchscreens yet, so my bias is palpable.

Anyhow, the specs:

• 16:9, 23-inch, 1920×1080 LCD.

• HDMI interface

• 2ms response time, which should placate the twitch gaming crowd

• 80,000:1 contrast ratio

And so on. Again, there’s got to be a market for these things, but I’m not so sure I’m a part of it.

$30: Perfect-for-Google-navigation Motorola Droid car dock

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 03:00 PM PDT

ddock

The Motorola Droid, on Verizon Wireless, is, by all accounts, pretty OK. That’s fair to say, no? Yes, I believe it is. What’s lame, though totally to be expected, is that it’ll cost you $30 for a car kit. And you’d want said car kit in order to make that Google navigation application really fly.

The car kit places your Droid on your car’s dashboard; the Droid then enters a special car mode, which presents a simplified user interface. From here, you’d be able to slap on your Droid and let the it take you to the "varrazanne Bridge" in New York.

There’s also a second such dock, one that’s meant for your bedside. It turns your Droid into a grossly overpowered alarm clock. Well, it’s also for viewing movies and whatnot, but I’d rather eat glass than watch a movie on a phone.

And sorry the photo is rubbish, but I couldn’t find a higher-res one.


Apple patent shows Bluetooth headset with built-in media player

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 02:30 PM PDT

applesomething

Writing about patents really ought to be banned, since so many companies file so many patents every year that it’s silly to cherry pick this one or that one, drawing attention to something that may never exist. Be that as it may, today an Apple patent was discovered that shows a wireless headset that includes a media player. Think of it as "a Bluetooth" with a built-in MP3 player.

The patent was originally filed in April, 2008, but the filing wasn’t published until today. As the illustration shows, the device would have simple, on-board controls—play, pause, etc.— for your convenience.

Now, we could be irresponsible and concoct a rumor along the lines of, "APPLE TO RELEASE THIS THING AT MACWORLD," or just be honest: the odds of this thing coming out aren’t great. I mean, it could come out, but just because someone found a patent filing doesn’t mean it’ll ever come out. Did we see any fully descriptive iPhone patents before its first reveal in January, 2007? Nope. Have we seen any definitive iTablet patents? Nope.

You know what I mean. Carry on, and go eat some candy.

via Electronista

Can we blame Nintendo’s profit drop on the lack of gamer’s games?

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 01:45 PM PDT

mariomario

It hasn’t been the best couple of months for Nintendo. Profits were down for the six months leading up to September, which the company blames on the strong yen and the Wii’s price cut. Net sales, too, were down, some 34.5 percent. Fair enough, and those reasons are likely to explain Nintendo’s situation, but is there something else going on? I know Pat Buchanan, the older gentlemen that he is, always uses the phrase "the chickens have come home to roost," and I think it’s applicable here. Perhaps Nintendo’s strategy of selling the Wii to the "casual" crowd (housewives and the like, to simplify this) has finally run out of gas?

How many games were released for the Wii that appeal to the more hardcore among us? I’m thinking back to all the games I’ve played this year—Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil 5, Bioshock, Fallout 3, Race Driver: Grid, Forza Motorsport 3, and maybe one or two others that I’m forgetting—and none of them were available for the Wii. Now, I consider myself a hardcore gamer only in the sense that I’m not going to play something like Mario Party or some sing-along game; I’m not hanging out on NeoGaf debating the merits of Xbox Live vs PSN. So that’s where I’m coming from.

The point? I would say that there have been next to no games released for the Wii that interested me, a gamer who’d rather sit there and try to 100 percent Resident Evil 5 (well, Resident Evil 4… Resident Evil: 5 had too many things that annoyed me) than lose five pounds playing Wii Fit. I’m a gamer, not someone looking to have a fun evening with my grandkids.

I think that’s what it comes down to: Nintendo has made, if I may, mad money over the past few years by positioning the Wii as an entertainment device for the whole family. That’s all well and good, but when Single Professional Woman buys a Wii so she can host a Wii Sports party once a month, what are the odds that she’s going to keep buying game after game?

That’s not to say Nintendo is doomed, of course. I played the New Super Mario Brothers Wii a few weeks ago, and I can honestly say, "Now there’s a game that’ll appeal to the 'hardcore' among us."

But what do I care? I’m most concerned with leveling my warlock in WoW.

Flickr

CrunchDeals: Get Team Fortress 2 for only $2.50 (act quick, only a few minutes left)

Posted: 29 Oct 2009 01:20 PM PDT

tf2
Quick, you have until 2:00 PDT to get Team Fortress 2 for only $2.50. That’s a deal. This could be in fact the best deal of the year. After all, TF2 is one of the very best multiplayer games every created. Period. It’s a fact and you can’t say anything otherwise. So, whip out that credit card and spend the $2.50. It’s totally worth it.
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