CrunchGear

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• Tenori-on Orange: Yamaha’s new, cheaper model of its musical instrument
• Toshiba announces world’s first 1.8-inch HDD with 320GB Capacity
• Daily Crunch: Trilobite Tamer Edition
• Olympus E-P2 gets official – but will it sell?
• Leaked AT&T Memo: If Anyone Asks About The Verizon Lawsuit, Just Tell Them We’re Awesome
• Video: Japanese pen and pencil grab bag from JetPens
• Special feather stylus for early buyers of Legend of Zelda – Spirit Tracks
• Klipsch ProMedia speakers rock the wireless
• Lawyer bait: OS Calculators
• In an age of free and abundant wi-fi, Starbucks takes a stand
• Review: Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000
• Blizzard starts selling in-game pets for real world money
• Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade for the Samsung Jack now available
• Lesson of the day: Ask just one more question
• Where were the games? Ubisofts sales down 52 percent for first half of FY2009-2010
• TRAX STI replaces Subaru’s tires with treads, blasts through snow
• Minimalist bike does away with chains, frame, comfort
• Olympus E-P2 specs and pics leaked
• No worries, OS 10.6.2 does not kill Atom support
• Verizon to sell the Droid to New Yorkers extra, extra early

Tenori-on Orange: Yamaha’s new, cheaper model of its musical instrument Posted: 05 Nov 2009 04:01 AM PST Yamaha launched its so-called Tenori-on, an electronic musical instrument with a built-in sound module, in 2007 for a recommended retail price of $1,200. The device, which consists of a touch screen and lets you play music by running your fingers over a 256 LED grid, is being sold world-wide, but the price is obviously a problem for many potential customers. It took a while, but today Yamaha in Tokyo announced the Tenori-on Orange [JP], which will cost less than $780 (at least in Japan). I am not sure if the new model will attract masses of people, with Yamaha saying they had to remove the magnesium casing of the original and use ordinary plastic instead to push down the price of the instrument. Another minus: You can’t use the Tenori-On with batteries anymore so there needs to be a power source anywhere you use it. The LEDs are orange now (instead of white), but Yamaha says both versions are absolutely identical as far as making music on them is concerned. Both the new and the old Tenori-On can be networked, too. The Tenori-On Orange will go on sale in Japan on December 1. Yamaha has yet to say anything about their international sales plans.

Toshiba announces world’s first 1.8-inch HDD with 320GB Capacity Posted: 05 Nov 2009 02:04 AM PST Just in September this year, Toshiba proudly announced a 1.8-inch HDD with 160GB capacity, which was pretty impressive already (their new SSDs aren’t too shabby either). But today, not even two months later, Toshiba unveiled another 1.8-inch HDD with 320GB capacity [press release in English]. The MK3233GSG features a 3Gbps SATA interface and 16MB puffer, produses just 19dB of seek noise and spins at 5,400 rpm. Needless to say it’s the only 1.8-inch HDD with 320GB capacity out there. Toshiba says mass production will start in December this year. In the past few months, the company has announced one high-capacity HDD after the other.

Daily Crunch: Trilobite Tamer Edition Posted: 05 Nov 2009 12:00 AM PST Wherein we discuss Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony The Beatles remastered catalogue will be released on an apple-shaped USB drive The Electrobite makes it fun and exciting to be handicapped In an age of free and abundant wi-fi, Starbucks takes a stand My new watch podcast

Olympus E-P2 gets official – but will it sell? Posted: 04 Nov 2009 09:59 PM PST Yeah, that leak did a number on the official “release moment” of Olympus’ new micro four-thirds camera. All the stats are there, but I forbore from weighing in on the thing. I’m cautious but bullish about the M4/3 phenomenon; they’re legit to be sure, but this first generation isn’t going to break any sales records. They’re too expensive and too limited at the moment — but that’s how DSLRs were back in the day, and now everyone wants one. I suspect the non-SLR interchangeable-lens camera (AKA the EVIL system) will replace the point and shoot, and the phone or PMP will fill that snapshot role. But until they get that price down it’s not going to happen. The E-P2 looks like an interesting camera. The problem I see right off the bat is that it’s almost the exact same camera that Peter found so underwhelming six months ago. Maybe he didn’t give it a chance, and maybe it was just in need of stuff like this accessory port to make it worthwhile, but the fact is that it’s not bringing a lot for the money. You can get a fantastic DSLR and a lens or two for the price of an E-P2, or buy an incredibly slick point and shoot and have enough money left over to take a short vacation. It doesn’t mean the M4/3 style is bad, just that it’s new and doesn’t offer the same value proposition as the established technologies. $1100 is a lot to spend on a camera — enough that even early adopters will think twice. Especially considering how quickly Olympus improved on the E-P1. Why not wait? Olympus is very proud of its electronic viewfinder, and I think the accessory port it fits into makes the E-P2 a tasty little gadget. Maybe you want a crossover device for home videos but the EVF isn’t really necessary. Okay, here’s decent 720p video with great sound through a real mic. Maybe you want a party cam, but don’t trust a point-and-shoot’s crappy little flash. Hey, it’s got a hot shoe and you’ll probably get some other stuff for the accessory port anyhow. We may see the new Pen cameras (among their M4/3 brethren) grow into an interesting platform, but until they cost less than, say, a Rebel T1i or some such, the only thing they have to recommend them is their size. But this isn’t the last you’ll be hearing of micro four-thirds, not by a long shot.

Leaked AT&T Memo: If Anyone Asks About The Verizon Lawsuit, Just Tell Them We’re Awesome Posted: 04 Nov 2009 07:36 PM PST Needless to say, AT&T's none too happy about Verizon's "Theres a Map for That" campaign. AT&T first complained about the ads back in October, saying they were misleading. Verizon responded by adding a few extra words and an itsy bitsy disclaimer - but that wasn't enough for AT&T. Early this morning, AT&T filed a false advertising suit against Big Red, presumably in an effort to get the ads off the air as soon as possible. This afternoon, AT&T sent out an internal memo regarding the lawsuit, and we've obtained a copy.

Video: Japanese pen and pencil grab bag from JetPens Posted: 04 Nov 2009 07:20 PM PST The Japanese, I am told, really love their stationery. Pens, pencils, erasers, special paper, cases for everything — one trip to Muji, my favorite store, will confirm this. Unfortunately, stationeriphilia in the US is more of a high-class “my pen is made out of solid gold” affair. So when JetPens, an etailer for Japanese pens and miscellany, offered to send a couple of their favorite things, I accepted gladly. There’s so much stuff there that I just had them select a few things at random — and this is what I got. A stylish little fountain pen – thinner and more portable than your average fountain pen (or quill). A chubbier fountain pen – what can I say? It’s chubbier. Mechanical pencil with auto-rotating lead – I haven’t been able to observe it very closely, but supposedly this pencil actually rotates the pencil lead just a little bit every time you lift the tip from the page, meaning you’re always using a fresh and sharp part of the lead. True? Possibly. Awesome? Definitely. Twist eraser that’s all corners – a great idea. It’s a little wobbly, but the fact that it’s made up almost entirely of corners means you can erase little lines without messing with the neighboring letters or other bits of drawing. Standing pencil case – honestly, not too exciting. I have one of these already, it’s called the cup on my desk. “Beetle tip” highlighter – you can highlight all the text, use just a little tip to circle or whatever, or you can put lines above and below. Not such a huge advance over the traditional wedge shape, but hey, why not? I know, I know, this isn’t a stationery blog. But I think sometimes we forget that there is innovation and weird stuff going on where you least expect it — in mechanical pencils and stuff. You like gadgets, so why not have a gadgety pen, or have a crazy pencil that sharpens itself? Live the life!

Special feather stylus for early buyers of Legend of Zelda – Spirit Tracks Posted: 04 Nov 2009 07:00 PM PST Well, it looks like Nintendo has done it to us again. Purchasers of the new game, The Legend of Zelda – Spirit Tracks in Japan will receive a special transparent quill stylus when they buy the game. It’s not even a pre-order bonus, it’s going to be given out on launch day — just not in the U.S. To be fair, we have seen these stylii before. In 2007, Nintendo offered them as a bribe reward for registering the Phantom Hourglass, and filling out a short survey. And, we don’t know for certain that we won’t see this offered in North America. It hasn’t been mentioned as a pre-order item yet, but who knows. I do know I wouldn’t mind having one. Spirit Tracks will be available in Japan on December 7th.

Klipsch ProMedia speakers rock the wireless Posted: 04 Nov 2009 06:30 PM PST Klipsch announced their new ProMedia 2.1 speakers today. Designed for use with a laptop system in mind, these THX-certified speakers are totally mostly wireless. So by mostly wireless, I mean that you still need to provide power. The subwoofer and speakers will need to be plugged in to work, just not into your computer. You will need to stick a dongle into your USB port however. This sounds ideal for a laptop user or college student, since you can bring your computer back to the speakers and not have to worry about the cables. The Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 wireless speakers sell for $199, and are only available from the Klipsch website, and only in the U.S. [via Dvice]

Lawyer bait: OS Calculators Posted: 04 Nov 2009 06:00 PM PST Electronics design studio Mintpass is treading a fine line. They’ve come up with a pretty cool concept, bit it’ll probably never make it to market. What have they done that’s so controversial? Created calculators based on the designs in Windows and OS X. It is a cool idea, though questionably legal. The person who did the rendering did invite Apple and Microsoft to contact him, but somehow I suspect it won’t be the kind of contact he’s hoping for. I have to admit though, I hope this product does get made. Good luck Mintpass! [via Technabob]

In an age of free and abundant wi-fi, Starbucks takes a stand Posted: 04 Nov 2009 05:30 PM PST Here in Seattle, there isn’t enough room to swing a cat without hitting an open wi-fi access point. During lapses in my own internet service (damn you, Comcast) I have gotten by on my neighbors’, or one of the dozen cafes or bars within half a mile that have free, unfettered internet access. In fact, it’s become a sort of lifestyle I and other Seattleites subscribe to, flitting about the cafes, sharing music, blogging together. Pretty obnoxious, now that I think about it. But if there’s another thing Seattle is known for, it’s Starbucks. Now, like any true Seattleite, I haven’t set foot in a Starbucks in years except when absolutely necessary (airport, gift card, etc) — I could make some statement about burned beans and corporate culture, but really, it’s because of their lack of wi-fi. Oh sure, they have wi-fi. There’s a guy in Madison Park who’s been playing WoW almost nonstop for years at one of the flagship stores. But it isn’t free, and internet you pay for isn’t really a hot item in the most wired city in the country. But as if it weren’t enough to have to pay for internet there, Starbucks is revamping their system to create a wi-fi access point of unprecedented complexity. Instead of doing something like selling vouchers for a day, a month, or a year of wi-fi at any Starbucks, they are instituting a complicated rewards system, with tiers, drink privileges, and a bunch of other stuff involved. What can I say about a program with a FAQ like this? You’re giving people stars, and moving them around levels? I can’t decide whether they’re trying to be Super Mario Galaxy or a first grade classroom. It’s completely ridiculous. I think what they’re doing is just pushing pre-paid cards, because that forces you to go back to Starbucks more. And if there’s a free drink there for you after however many drinks, and the card is linked to your internet access, you’re kind of stuck with it. But really, why not just have verified punch cards for free drinks, and if you really must charge for internet, why not just sell blocks of time and have people log in through a gateway? This cumbersome Starbucks ecosystem is why people who dislike Starbucks do so. …Also, your espresso is thin and the drip sucks.

Review: Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 Posted: 04 Nov 2009 04:30 PM PST Short Version: As ergonomic mice go, Microsoft's wireless offering provides plenty of relief from repetitive stress injuries without deviating too far from the familiar form factor found in standard mice. And with an MSRP of $80 (and available for even cheaper online), it's priced competitively with other specialty mice. Features Unique slanted ergonomic design keeps your hand in a more natural position Four-way scrolling, customizable buttons Six-month battery life MSRP of $79.95 Pros Great natural hand placement Quick learning curve Long battery life Cons Wireless range is a bit limited Awkward side button and scroll wheel placement Uses standard AA batteries instead of rechargeable ones Review Anyone who's had the displeasure of dealing with a computer-related repetitive stress injury will tell you that even the simplest of tasks (like moving a mouse around) can become excruciatingly painful. And while there are plenty of ergonomic mice on the market, they're often expensive, oddly-shaped, or both. Microsoft's take on the ergonomic mouse strikes a delicate balance between usability and relief. It's a bit taller than an average mouse, and its sloped design forces your hand into a more natural "handshake" position which works wonders to relieve inflammation of the tendons running along the underside of your wrist. Since it's laid out like a regular mouse, though, the learning curve is all but nonexistent. I was up and running in no time – much faster than with any of the trackballs or joystick-style ergonomic mice that I've tried in the past. The two main buttons make up most of the surface on the top of the mouse, which allows you to click with your entire index or middle fingers, and a large groove on the left hand side of the mouse provides a comfortable saddle for your thumb. The scroll wheel is downright amazing in that it simply rolls back and forth with no resistance whatsoever, almost as though it's somehow lubricated. Wonderful though the scroll wheel may be, its actual placement makes it awkward to use as a third mouse button. I've historically used middle mice buttons to open new tabs in browser windows, but pressing the Microsoft mouse's scroll wheel takes too much straining so I've been relegated to holding down the CTRL key on my keyboard instead. The wheel is positioned too far back on the mouse's body to easily click downward with an index finger. The wireless mouse uses two standard AA batteries to communicate with a USB receiver. Battery life is rated at over six months (I haven't had the mouse long enough to actually verify that claim yet), but the receiver needs to be placed within a few feet of the mouse in order to avoid intermittent signal drops. Thankfully, the USB cable attached to the receiver is nice and long, allowing you to position it nearby. There are also two programmable buttons located between the thumb and index finger, but they're so hard to effectively manipulate that most users will likely forgo using them altogether. They're just out of thumb's reach and placed too far back to be clicked by the index finger quickly enough to make the effort worthwhile. Aside from those few minor quibbles, though, the actual experience of using the mouse for straightforward tasks is outstanding. After just a single day your wrist will feel much better and by the end of the first week, you'll likely notice that the pain has gone away completely. Product Page: Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000

Blizzard starts selling in-game pets for real world money Posted: 04 Nov 2009 04:00 PM PST Really big World of Warcraft news today, friends. (Why do I write so much about WoW? Oh, you know, it’s just the biggest, most successful MMO in history. Not writing about it would be like covering tech with mentioning Microsoft or Apple.) Blizzard is now selling in-game pets that you can buy with real money, $10. We’re talking cash money. Dollar dollar bill, y’all. It’s significant because it marks the first time that Blizzard has gotten into the business of selling in-game items for real world currency. It’s key to note that this is merely an in-game pet; it’s a vanity item. It’s not like you can buy a brand new sword or piece of armor with your dollars and cents. Silver lining: when you buy a certain pet, $5 of the $10 will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, so that’s at least admirable. Now, we could speculate till we pass out, "will Blizzard one day sell proper, in-game items, like weapons and armor?" But we won’t do that. via wow.com

Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade for the Samsung Jack now available Posted: 04 Nov 2009 03:40 PM PST Look - we're certainly not the world's biggest fans of Windows Mobile 6.5, but we still absolutely feel that anyone who has the opportunity to upgrade from 6.1 to 6.5 should certainly do so. If you've got a Samsung Jack, we've got good news: that "anyone" group now includes you.

Lesson of the day: Ask just one more question Posted: 04 Nov 2009 03:31 PM PST This monster box was just dropped in my livingroom by Fedex. I can’t tell you what it is right now but don’t get that excited about the contents. The damn thing shouldn’t even be on CrunchGear. When I agreed to the early look, I didn’t ask enough questions instead I blinded agreed to review it. What I should have done is simply ask “Is this a consumer or business product?” and not assume the former. Oh well, I’ll give it the go-around. Now to get this beast in the basement.

Where were the games? Ubisofts sales down 52 percent for first half of FY2009-2010 Posted: 04 Nov 2009 03:00 PM PST Looks like Ubisoft hasn’t had a great couple of months, either. The France-based publisher reported today a 52 percent decline in sales for the six months that ended on September 30 compared to the same period last year. (Fiscal years tend to begin in March.) A 52 percent drop translates to €166 million, or around $246 million. Why the sharp decline? It’s not too hard to figure out, really: what big game has Ubisoft published from March to September. Exactly. The company’s entire year will live and die by how well Assassin’s Creed II does. If it’s a hit, then everything’s A-OK. If it’s a stinker, then Ubisoft’s stockholders will be reasonably upset. Ubisoft blames soft sales for its games on the Nintendo DS, and soft sales for its older titles. Games it wants you to look out for: the new Splinter Cell (that game is still around? I tapped out after the first one~!), Red Steel 2 and R.U.S.E. Yeah, they’ve bet the house on Assassin’s Creed II, all right.

TRAX STI replaces Subaru’s tires with treads, blasts through snow Posted: 04 Nov 2009 02:30 PM PST If I had one of these things, I’d never get any work done. Unless I was a rally driver, in which case I’ll I’d be doing was work, work, work. Unfortunately (in this case at least) I’m just a blogger, so I don’t won’t be getting paid for zooming around the mountains in a cross between a tricked-out Subaru and a snowtank. Yes, I know there’s no such thing as a snowtank, but you know what I’m talking about. This beast isn’t exactly unprecedented (they need vehicles like this to get around at resorts, for filming, etc) but it is reportedly the fastest one out there. And once you get over the weird look it has (triangle-wheels) it’s actually pretty attractive. Incidentally, there need to be more snow-racing games. Driving down a freaking mountain, there’s something you don’t get to do in real life. No more “Need For Speed” on regular streets. I want to drive down the Matterhorn, people! [via Neatorama]

Minimalist bike does away with chains, frame, comfort Posted: 04 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Living in Seattle, you see a lot of fixed-gear road bikes. Why that is, I leave the reader to determine, since we have more than our share of hills and rough roads. I suppose the simplicity of the bike is part of the attraction (also: hipsterism). J. Ruiter, a designer in Michigan, decided that it wasn’t quite simple enough, though, and has removed pretty much everything from the bike except the absolutely necessary frame bits, handlebars, seat, and pedals. The last item is attached directly to the axle of the rear wheel, which makes it look rather uncomfortable. I admire the idea, but you’ve got a couple problems here. First, all your weight is on your crotch — even more so than on normal bikes, which are no picnic for those of us who keep important things there. Pedals are right below you on a normal bike, because you get power by pushing against your own weight, which forms the counterbalance. On this bike, you’re pushing forward, probably against your arms. That’s going to be incredibly fatiguing. So when they say it’s for short range urban travel, they better mean short short range. Luckily, there is a grip brake, which they probably included due to the number of people who died testing the pedal brake on earlier models.

Olympus E-P2 specs and pics leaked Posted: 04 Nov 2009 01:22 PM PST Someone really ought to explain to the British Journal of Photography how to keep a secret. They leaked the Nikon D3s early, and now they’ve dropped the new Olympus E-P2 as well, which was expected to be announced later tonight. I guess they just think they’re too cool for school. Or maybe they read the embargo time wrong. To be fair, much of the announcement was already leaked — we knew about the body style, as well as the electronic viewfinder and microphone add-ons. However the official specs are new. Here are the vital statistics: 12MP 720p video at 30fps Manual focus and aperture control in video mode (awesome) AF tracking (focus lock for moving objects, handy) Tiltable electronic viewfinder (800×600, looks nice) Optional microphone adapter for better sound (very good) Some new image modes It actually seems that the camera itself hasn’t changed much from its predecessor. The big add-on is the accessory port, which will probably sport more stuff than an EVF and mic in the near future. Price is quoted as £849 (~$1400), however I believe that includes both EVF and lens, since the original E-P1 cost $750 for a body-only version. The poor Brits have historically paid more in these situations, so I think we can expect a more reasonable price than that. And shame, shame on BJP for leaking this information. [via 43Rumors and PhotoRumors]

No worries, OS 10.6.2 does not kill Atom support Posted: 04 Nov 2009 01:15 PM PST The Hackintosh community can let out one big sigh of relief now. The latest build of OS 10.6.2 (10C535) supports the Intel Atom platform unlike the previous version that caused so much panic and concern earlier in the week. Of course, as the source states, nothing is official until the final of version of the update is release, but it doesn’t look like Apple’s out to get the modders – yet. [via 9to5Mac]

Verizon to sell the Droid to New Yorkers extra, extra early Posted: 04 Nov 2009 01:04 PM PST So you've lurked the blogs, watched the unboxing, and read the coverage, and you just know: you want your Droid. You already know that most Verizon Stores are opening the doors a bit early at 7 AM to get your your fix - but what if you want it even earlier? We just got word that a very, very limited number of Verizon stores will start peddling the Droid as soon as the clock ticks over to November 6th, from midnight to 2 a.m. The emphasis here is definitely on "limited".

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