CrunchGear

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• Sharp prepares Android phone for next year as first Japanese cell phone maker
• NEC prototypes battery-less remote control
• Daily Crunch: Early Detection Edition
• The world’s smallest 16GB flash drive
• Burton Vice Mitts keep your hands warm and your (energy) drink cold
• PSP 3000 Police light mod
• T3’s “Netpad” puts a few new twists on the tablet format
• Kingston’s new DataTraveler DTLocker+ is secure, they say
• Review: Big Buck Hunter Pro TV Game
• Samsung overtakes Vizio as top LCD seller
• Everyone needs a pink UMID mbook
• And the Left 4 Dead 2 boycott, how’s that going?
• Dell Adamo XPS now available, praise be He Who Makes The Ultrathins
• It’s a list of fake things that look like real things
• Contest: Win a Nikon D3000
• T-Mobile UK employees caught peddling personal data
• The Pirate Bay kills its tracker, tries to usher in the DHT age
• The Sega Dreamcast keeps dropping in price
• The Moto Droid’s Ability To Autofocus Varies From Day To Day – No, really.
• Sports Authority to sell the Wii because, well, it’s an exercise device

Sharp prepares Android phone for next year as first Japanese cell phone maker Posted: 18 Nov 2009 03:40 AM PST Android is still in its infancy in Japan where most domestic makers still stick with their proprietary operating systems, with basically no one outside the geek community knowing what it is. But things are changing slowly. Last week, SoftBank (the country's third biggest cell phone carrier) announced an Android-powered phone for next year when the company announced their new models for the next months. And yesterday, Sharp announced at an event in Tokyo it will roll out a yet to be specified number of Android-based handsets as early as the first half of next year. Sharp commands the biggest market share of all eight cell phone makers in Japan so this is very good news for the Google OS in what is the most advanced mobile society in the world.

NEC prototypes battery-less remote control Posted: 18 Nov 2009 02:22 AM PST NEC Electronics, an NEC subsidiary, has announced the development of a remote control [JP] that works without using batteries. Every time users push a button on the device, they generate a small amount of electricity through vibration. NEC says this is enough to turn on or off a TV (or any other electric appliance), switch channels or control the volume. The power generation unit in the prototype is made by a company called Soundpower [JP]. NEC teamed up with the Yokohama-based venture back in December 2006 to develop the battery-less remote control. Both companies plan to start marketing it to makers of home electric appliances next year. Via Asiajin [ENG]

Daily Crunch: Early Detection Edition Posted: 18 Nov 2009 12:00 AM PST Contest: Win a Nikon D3000 The third day of Peek-Mas Self-powered diaper monitor system automatically detects wet diapers Review: Big Buck Hunter Pro TV Game T3's "Netpad" puts a few new twists on the tablet format

The world’s smallest 16GB flash drive Posted: 17 Nov 2009 08:45 PM PST USB drives keep getting smaller and smaller. For your viewing pleasure: the Wink. Advertised as the world’s smallest USB drive, it really is quite diminutive. Ideal for attaching to a keychain or necklace, or smuggling out of a secure data facility in on your body, the Wink is a just solid piece of plastic with contacts on it, providing the minimal hardware required in order to connect to a USB port. Oddly though, it looks almost exactly like a Verbatim Tough-n-Tiny. They’re available now from your favorite retailer; the flavors it comes in are 2GB for $7.95, 4GB for $10.95, 8GB for $19.95, and 16GB for $37.95.

Burton Vice Mitts keep your hands warm and your (energy) drink cold Posted: 17 Nov 2009 06:48 PM PST Living up by Lake Tahoe, I’m always on the lookout for new gadgets and technology for when I go snowboarding. Case in point: the Burton Vice Mitt. Okay, it’s a mitt, but what’s the vice part? A drink holder, you say? Designed for skiers and snowboarders, the Vice Mitts are made up of high tech fabric and leather, and feature a zip-out “koozie” that allows you to hold a beverage without your hand getting cold. Seems like an obvious thing really, but Burton is the first company to have this feature. I guess the other guys were afraid people might misuse it. Only energy drinks in that koozie, people! Priced at $70, the Burton Vice Mitts are probably going to be something I’m going to purchase this year before the season starts. [via Dvice]

PSP 3000 Police light mod Posted: 17 Nov 2009 05:30 PM PST Just the thing for playing GTA. One clever modder has mounted 10 LEDs into his PSP 3000. The L and R buttons flash, there are a couple of LEDs behind the speakers, and the four epilepsy invoking LEDs on the back flash in response to the sound coming out of the thing. Here’s a breakdown of how he did it, if you’re curious. [Via Ubergizmo]

T3’s “Netpad” puts a few new twists on the tablet format Posted: 17 Nov 2009 04:38 PM PST Product differentiation is getting more and more difficult these days. The lozenge-shaped, touch-enabled, all-purpose computing device is fast on its way, and while things like the Courier are still serving up surprises, you could be forgiven for thinking most of these big blank screens are pretty similar. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to see some smart additions to the tablet form factor in this concept design by T3. While I think a lot of these additions might be very difficult to get right, I don’t see why we shouldn’t give them a shot. A slide-out keyboard, for instance. It’s going to be a battle over the next few years whether to include a hard keyboard or not. I personally like a hard keyboard smaller devices like mobiles, but it’s possible that a soft keyboard will be perfectly usable on larger tablets like the CrunchPad and that Apple one. A slide-out keyboard would have to be a compromise, because there’s almost no room for key depression. But a little give is better than none. The “control strip” is a great idea. With little OLED displays like those the Optimus Maximus and G19 keyboards becoming more common, I don’t see why we shouldn’t have a little context-sensitive strip like that. You kind of saw what it could do in that four-screened laptop from a few months back, but that was pretty over the top. We’re talking media controls, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles, that kind of thing. Putting it on the slanted edge there separates it physically but not visually and really is a great solution. Multi-purpose, convertible casing: if someone can pull this off, it’d be awesome. An integrated screen protector that doubles as a stand? God damn, sign me up. If it’s reliable, it’d really simplify the accessory situation. The trouble, of course, is that this little “Netpad,” as they call it, would cost a mint. The many moving parts, expensive materials (carbon fiber, magnesium), and multiple touchscreen surfaces would probably propel the final price to… I’d guess about $2000 at least. And since part of the selling point of tablets is their simplicity and low cost, you’d have trouble making money with the thing, cool as it is. Still, if any of these features make it into the next generation of tablets, I’ll be pumped. More info over at T3, where hopefully they’ll continue updating this thing.

Kingston’s new DataTraveler DTLocker+ is secure, they say Posted: 17 Nov 2009 04:00 PM PST There’s no shortage of secure devices out there, but if you happen to be a Kingston-only type of guy, you’re in luck. They’ve just put out a new USB stick that, like other secure drives, requires a password before you can access the data. It’s encrypted with a 256-bit key so I don’t think anybody will be brute-forcing that information any time soon. And if they put the wrong password 10 times… poof, formatted. Personally, I still like the Lenovo secure drive I reviewed; having an actual keypad made it seem high-tech and reliable. Of course, I nearly have a panic attack whenever I have to use it because my “usual” password isn’t all numbers and I forget things easily. Anyhow, you can rely on Kingston to have a decently fast, well-built little secure USB key, though they are a bit expensive. $36 for 4GB up to $200 for the 32GB? Cruel! I guess it’s not that far off from their other drives. In fact the only real difference is the swivel bit. Hey, slow news days aren’t my fault! [via Electronista]

Review: Big Buck Hunter Pro TV Game Posted: 17 Nov 2009 03:30 PM PST Short Version: A faithful recreation of the arcade classic, Jakks Pacific's Big Buck Hunter Pro TV Video Game is a nice alternative when you're too lazy, broke, or inebriated to make it out to your local watering hole to play the real thing. Features: Plugs directly into your TV via RCA cables attached to shotgun controller Full game is built into the controller itself Wireless sensor bar sits on top of your TV MSRP of $39.99 Pros: Pretty close recreation of the arcade version Easy enough for just about anyone to pick up and play Good value for around $40 Cons: Gun controller is a bit small, resulting in underwhelming pump action On-screen aiming cursor's slow reaction time is distracting Review: Ah, sweet memories of being in my early twenties. My friends and I would have just had our asses handed to us twice in the double-header softball league we somehow thought we'd be able to conquer year after year, our postgame analysis short-lived at the dive-bar-turned-cougar-hangout called Bunny's on Excelsior Boulevard in the Minneapolis suburb I called home for years and years. All of it was simply a warm up to the marathon session of Big Buck Hunter that'd inevitably take place until closing time week in and week out. Now I'm 30 and living in Boston. A dull heartache comes and goes in early May of every year as my Minneapolis friends work out their attack positions and flanking maneuvers for the upcoming softball season (if anyone in a semi-serious Boston softball league needs a first baseman or outfielder, please let me know). Most of my friends have kids now and last I heard, Big Buck Hunter's been replaced by a quick beer or two from a cooler after the game interspersed with discussions about mortgage rates and paid time off. But I digress. You probably want to hear about this game now. It’s good. Well worth the $40, in my opinion. I’ll admit that I haven’t played the very latest arcade versions of Big Buck Hunter, but this play-at-home game feels pretty close to the original arcade version as well as Big Buck Hunter II. The gun controller is a little bit on the cheap side but feels like it ought to be able to withstand some manhandling. My main gripe with it is that the barrel's pretty short, which makes the pump action of the fore-end somewhat unsatisfying. Other than that, though, it’s a decent – not as nice as the arcade version but, hey, this thing costs $40. The on-screen aiming cursor is the main weak point of the entire package. Its slow reaction time makes your main objective – trying to shoot moving animals – a bit frustrating. I eventually overcame this by training myself to ignore the cursor and use the sight on the gun barrel. Even though the cursor's slow to react, the game will indeed register where the gun's aimed when fired, not where the cursor happens to be located. Those minor gripes aside, this Big Buck Hunter fan has been a happy camper. For roughly the same amount of money that you’d spend playing the arcade version for a few hours, the home version provides a similar enough experience to make the purchase worthwhile. Big Buck Hunter Pro TV Video Game [Jakks Pacific]

Samsung overtakes Vizio as top LCD seller Posted: 17 Nov 2009 03:00 PM PST Samsung and Vizio have been playing a game of leapfrog the last couple of years. It seems every couple of financial quarters, the manufacturers switch between the number one and number two spots on the top LCD sellers chart. But as of right now, Samsung is king of the mountain again. Vizio’s Q3 sales accounted for only 15.7% of the US’s total, while Samsung managed to move 16.8%. iSuppli credited Samsung’s LED backlighting push for the higher sales. LED backlight means thinner TVs. The rest of the manufacturers, LG, Toshiba, and Sony only managed a 8.1%, 7.8%, and 7.8% respective market share. But here’s the thing, only LG saw its numbers actually increase from the second quarter of 2009. Everyone else, including the top dogs, watched less TVs ship out. Of course that shouldn’t be a problem for the fourth quarter of the year as people pick up TV sets as household holiday gifts.

Everyone needs a pink UMID mbook Posted: 17 Nov 2009 02:30 PM PST It’s pink. It’s tiny. It has a webcam and a five-hour battery. Just tell me, who wouldn’t want a pink mbook? No one, that’s who. Dynamism claims the computer is the world’s smallest PC and, well, it very well might be. It sure is tiny at only .69 lbs and 6.3 x 3.7 x 0.7 inches. An Atom CPU powers the device and a microSD card slot provides backup to the 8GB SSD hard drive. The screen is only 4.8-inches but that’s probably large enough to update Facebook and read email anyway. Plus it’s pink. Everyone loves pink. Except for dudes.

And the Left 4 Dead 2 boycott, how’s that going? Posted: 17 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST It turned out that a lot of those so-called Modern Warfare 2 protesters were talking jive, as they played the game late into the night, alone with their hypocrisy. (It’s overdramatic Tuesday, by the way.) How did the Left 4 Dead II protesters do? A little bit better, yes. Less people in the Steam "L4D Boycott" group have turned their backs on their principles. Then again, now that Modern Warfare 2 has dedicated servers… And here’s a shocker: I read Rock Paper Shotgun’s review of the Left 4 Dead II today, and now I’m very likely going to buy the game. My one reservation is that the Xbox 360 version ends up being ignored, like the Xbox 360 version of Team Fortress 2 was. I need reassurances that Valve won’t stab me in the heart if I buy the game for the 360!

Dell Adamo XPS now available, praise be He Who Makes The Ultrathins Posted: 17 Nov 2009 01:40 PM PST How excited are you about the Dell Adamo XPS 13? Like (*stretches arms wide*) this excited? (*stretches arms wider*) Or this? Well, it’s true. The XPS is available now for a mere $1,799 with a 128GB solid state drive, 13-inch WLED screen, 4GB memory, and an Intel Core SU9400 1.4GHZ processor. It will run Windows 7. You can pick the old girl up right here We’ve been pretty excited about Adamo generally and this is an interesting move towards the right size and shape for the line.

It’s a list of fake things that look like real things Posted: 17 Nov 2009 01:30 PM PST I point you in the direction of Business Insider, which has compiled a list of knock-off products that’s worth your time. It’s not just the typical, Chinese iPhone wannabe, either. Like, nalencia oranges? Never heard of those. Dolce & Banana? I might be able to afford that. And, hmm, that looks an awful like the Amazon Kindle, but it’s not quite it, now is it?

Contest: Win a Nikon D3000 Posted: 17 Nov 2009 01:00 PM PST Looking for a DSLR this holiday season, but the budget is a bit tight? Let CrunchGear and Photojojo help you out. Photojojo is running a giveaway for a Nikon D3000, and they’ve invited you, our very special friends, to join in on the contest. Find out how to win after the jump. The contest starts today, and the will end on the 23rd. To win, just leave a comment below telling us what your big plans are for the Thanksgiving holiday. You’ll enter here instead of at Photojojo, but we’ll collect the entries and send them over on the 25th. Only one entry per person please, and we will be watching. It’s definitely worth your time to check out Photojojo as well. They have some pretty cool photography tips and some suggestions for projects you might not have ever seen before.

T-Mobile UK employees caught peddling personal data Posted: 17 Nov 2009 12:45 PM PST Here in the states, T-Mobile has been no stranger to screw-ups, but we'd always just figured that their UK counterparts were stand-up guys. After all, they're British - as we all know, every one from that side of the pond is charming, affable, and rocks a bloody good accent. Unfortunately, it looks like not everyone employed there is as scrupulous as their customers would hope – a story by the BBC has confirmed that T-Mobile UK employees sold private subscriber data to a third-party broker.

The Pirate Bay kills its tracker, tries to usher in the DHT age Posted: 17 Nov 2009 12:30 PM PST Pretty big news to share with y’all today: The Pirate Bay is no more. Well, "no more" in the sense that the site’s admins have decided to kill the tracker once and for all. The site will continue to serve the BitTorrent community, but will instead rely upon trackerless technology, such as DHT and PEX. You’ll notice that, for today at least, the site’s well-known pirate ship logo has been replaced by a giant magnet. (No, Panic Software didn’t buy ad space on the front page!) That’s a clever reference to the new type of non-tracker links you’ll be clicking should you continue to use TPB. Called magnet links, these links don’t contain .torrent files, but rather the data needed for your client (Vuze, uTorrent, etc.) to connect to other peers to download the data. It may take a little while to get used to non-torrents, yes. Perhaps even more interesting, it seems like TPB’s higher-ups are trying to convince other BitTorrent sites to eliminate trackers, too. So says TorrentFreak, who’s usually right on the money when it comes to TPB news. The idea is that the Internet’s big BitTorrent sites will do away with torrents so as to better evolve with the BitTorrent protocol. Presumably there are legal reasons for this, too. How you can convince the world’s big "private" BitTorrent sites to hop aboard the DHT bandwagon, I don’t know. All the private sites I’ve been a party to have discouraged the use of DHT for the longest time. All that said, you may want to star November 17, 2009 on your calendar, for that’s the day the tracker died. (How’s that for melodrama?)

The Sega Dreamcast keeps dropping in price Posted: 17 Nov 2009 11:18 AM PST Last time Dreamcasts were spotted for sale, the price was north of $100, but Amazon now has the system for only $79. It’s NIB too. Ladies, this could make a great Christmas gift for your nerd boyfriend. Everyone loves the Dreamcast. It has a great selection of games (that are very easy to pirate), good enough graphics, and 10x the cool factor of a Nintendo Wii. If you’re going to get this system, make sure you get at least a Visual Memory Unit and you probably want an extra controller too. Chances are that local second-hand gaming outlets have those cheap. [Amazon via DealNews]

The Moto Droid’s Ability To Autofocus Varies From Day To Day – No, really. Posted: 17 Nov 2009 10:44 AM PST Here's a weird one for you: A few hours ago, Motorola DROID users began reporting that the cameras on their handsets were suddenly.. better. The camera's ability to auto-focus, which I'd railed in our review of the product, seemed to drastically improve overnight. And it did! Most assumed that Verizon and Motorola had managed to sneak out some sort of stealth over-the-air update, patching the camera's settings on the fly. A number of sites reported as much. Some even took offense to this idea, declaring that such things shouldn't be allowed without their explicit permission. According to the folks that should know best, there was no over-the-air update at all; the camera fixed itself, and in 24.5 days, it'll break all over again.

Sports Authority to sell the Wii because, well, it’s an exercise device Posted: 17 Nov 2009 10:30 AM PST Next time you’re at Sports Authority applying for a hunting license, you could pick up replacement Wii Remote or even the Wii Fit as the retailer is getting into the gaming business. But seriously, this kind of makes sense and has apparently been in the works for months. The Nintendo Wii has long been associated with exercise. It forces players to get up and actually move. In fact, there is a whole market of accessories built around the Wii Fit. Sports Authority might not have any trouble selling the systems with Wii Fit if they are marketed with demo units available for shoppers to try out. I, for one, would much rather spend a couple hundred on the Wii than an entry-level treadmill or Stairmaster. The WSJ is reporting that some stores could get the systems as soon as this week and Sports Authority has been working with Nintendo for almost six months. This might help Nintendo push a few more units into homes and regain a dominate position in the gaming console wars.

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