CrunchGear |  |
- Review: Klipsch iGroove SXT Speaker System for iPhone and iPod
- Tesla Motors preparing to go public “soon”
- Time to trade up to a new GPS unit
- Shh! World’s largest radio telescope network goes live
- Gift Guide: Peripherals
- Review: ReTrak Universal 90W Notebook Wall Charger
- Rolls-Royce joins Volvo in exclusive club
- The Serio speakers from Waterfall Audio are stunning (and expensive)
- Uh-Oh: Gameloft moves away from Android development
- Target leaks pre-Black Friday deals: Acer netbook for $199
- Vizio Internet-connected HDTVs delayed
- The More You Know: An Overview of the Major Carriers’ Early Termination Fees
- Man alive: Valve owns 70 percent of the digital distribution business
- Rave reviews for steering wheel table!
- The Barnes & Noble nook is officially sold out
- Law firm asks, ‘Were you banned from Xbox Live? We want to help.’
- Reminder: New York Meet-Up is tonight, meet the CrunchBoys and Cali Lewis
- High-quality Zune HD wallpaper source
- For your holiday consideration: A little truck that poops dominoes
- Some dude in Japan marries a video game character
| Review: Klipsch iGroove SXT Speaker System for iPhone and iPod Posted: 20 Nov 2009 08:33 PM PST
Short Version: You want to listen to Fergie in the kitchen. Don’t worry, I understand. Fergie and cooking eggs just go together well. If you’ll be piping Fergie off an iPhone or iPod, you’ll probably want a compatible speaker system. Like anything in the audio world, the price tag on dedicated speaker systems for the iPhone or iPod can be surprisingly cheap ($30-40 bucks), or mind-blowingly expensive ($500+, like the Bose SoundDock 10). Most tend to work their way into a comfort zone of $129-$159.99 – and at an MSRP of $149.99, that’s exactly where you’ll find the Klipsch iGroove SXT. Originally released in 2007, the SXT has just been re-released with improved sound quality and compatibility with the latest iPhones and iPods. It’s not perfect, but with dual 2.5-inch subwoofers, it packs a good amount of boom for your buck.
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Review: There I was in the kitchen, still rockin’ my pajama pants from the night before. Half a dozen eggs were left in the carton, the pan was just beginning to smoke, and the Klipsch SXT was just begging for me to hit the play button. I shot the go-ahead signal across the room with the remote control right as the first egg splashed down. Listen up ya’ll, cause this is it. The beat that I’m banging is de-lic-ious. Yep! I was listening to Fergie. Do I like Fergie? Oh hells nah. In fact, she drives me absolutely bat shit insane – but that’s exactly why I’d picked her for this test. If a stereo could make Fergie’s sinus-backed voice sound good, I’d give it a thumbs up. And sure enough, Fergie sounded pretty damn good. The sound was filling the room better than I’d expected out of the tiny box, with a decent amount of bass pounding out of the dual 2.5″ subs. I dug around for a few speaker systems for the sake of comparison, and, from a sound quality standpoint, the Klipsch SXT seems to fit exactly where they’ve priced it. It blows away the $80-$90 iHome clock radios we had laying around the office, and sounds quite a bit better than the almost identically priced JBL On Stage 200ID. It fell a bit short against the JBL On Stage 400 series — but considering that that 400 series costs nearly $100 more, that’s pretty much what was expected. Dedicated iPod speakers tend to be ugly chunks of black plastic, but that’s not the case here. The SXT is essentially one big glorious speaker grill, accented with a bit of silver plastic around the edges. It manages to be color neutral without looking cheap, so it ought to fit well in just about any room you throw it in. Snap back to the kitchen – pajama pants, eggs, etc. No one was home (and thus, no one was around to make fun of my music selection) – might as well crank it up, right? I hit the volume up button – it got louder. I hit it again – it got louder again. So far, so good. The volume level was hurts-so-good loud at this point, but there wasn’t even a hint of distortion yet. I hit the button again and… nothing. I’d capped out the volume, but had no way of knowing as there isn’t any sort of volume indicator. There also isn’t any FM radio. Considering that most people would presumably use this in rooms where they don’t otherwise have an audio system — and that it’s almost standard amongst lower-end systems — this is a bit disappointing. Alas, FM radio almost always gets abandoned once the price tag goes up, presumably because FM radio is the last thing you want (besides AM radio) when you want to be pushing quality sound. If you’re looking for an iPod/iPhone speaker set that smokes the sub-$100 sets and the majority of stuff available around the same $150 price tag, the Klipsch iGroove SXT ought to fit the bill.
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| Tesla Motors preparing to go public “soon” Posted: 20 Nov 2009 06:10 PM PST
Tesla Motors is planning an IPO soon according to a Reuter’s report. However at this point it’s still not clear when that will be although the company had previously stated it won’t happen in 2009. In fact, this rumor has been around for sometime, but in case you didn’t notice, the stock market wasn’t doing that well until recently. Tesla has been ramping up development of its all-electric Model S sports sedan and building selling Tesla Roadsters as quick as they can make ‘em. Of course the $597.5 million in funding that the company raised this year probably helps. The bulk of that cash influx, $495 million, came from a Department of Energy loan. Daimler also came through with $50 million in exchange for 10% ownership of the young startup, while another round of funding earned Tesla $82.5 from Daimler, Fjord Capital Partners, Aabar and other undisclosed investors. A Tesla spokesman dismissed the report as a “rumor or speculation” which very well could be the case. But if the company keeps on the its current path, whenever the IPO does happen, the company will probably not have any trouble finding investors.
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| Time to trade up to a new GPS unit Posted: 20 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST
How does it work? Well, you buy a TomTom PND, then go to this website to complete the process. You’ll ship TomTom your old GPS (along with the appropriate form, of course) and then you’ll get your check in about 7-14 days. Pretty easy. [via Twice]
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| Shh! World’s largest radio telescope network goes live Posted: 20 Nov 2009 04:30 PM PST
In the next 24 hours, 35 telescopes on all seven continents will be linked to listen to 243 specific quasars. The point is to establish a baseline for further observations, since the quasars are stationary in the night sky, and provide a good basis for mapping. The last time this attempted, the total number of 23 telescopes were used. These quasars are also used to set up the GPS system.
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| Posted: 20 Nov 2009 03:00 PM PST Intro GRAND Flash Album GallerySkins for GRAND FlAGallerydeveloped by CodEasily.com - Flash Templates, WordPress Themes and WordPress pluginsThe Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed.. Peripherals, they say, are the spice of life. Well, maybe they don’t say that, but they do say it about variety, and peripherals add variety to your computing life. If you’re reading this on a stock HP desktop, clicking on links with the mouse that came with it, and trusting your data to that 512MB USB stick they gave you at work, then you should consider accessorizing. There are lots of things out there that make your computer better, more secure, or more comfortable. Why not treat yourself or a loved one to one of them? Keyboard  Logitech G110 keyboard: $80 Now, I haven’t used this keyboard specifically, but I did review its big brother, the G19. The essential difference is that the G110 doesn’t have the big, expensive LCD on it, which, while cool, wasn’t really adding much to what was otherwise a great keyboard. It’s comfortable, good-looking, and full of extra stuff like macro keys for games or frequently typed phrases, colored backlighting, and handy media controls. Logitech makes great keyboards, and this one is probably their best deal. Product Page | CrunchGear Review (kind of) Mouse  Logitech G500 Gaming Mouse: $70 Anyone who spends a lot of time with a computer likely spends a lot of time with their mouse. So why should they be stuck using whatever $5 piece of junk came with the computer, or whatever was in the impulse buy section at Radio Shack? There’s a world of mice out there for differently sized and shaped hands, and it can make a huge difference in terms of comfort and efficiency. The G500 is a great mouse with a proven and familiar shape, and at $50 (street price) it’s a bargain as well. Any gamer or big PC user will appreciate it. Fancy Mouse  Razer Mamba: $130 The Mamba is the final word in mice at the moment. A revision of the Death Adder shape, which was popular for a reason, the Mamba adds two extra buttons and wireless operation to the mix. I found it comfortable, accurate, and extremely good-looking. If you’re willing to spend the dough, this is the best mouse you can buy. HD Webcam  Microsoft LifeCam Cinema: $80 Chances are if you or anyone you know has a webcam, it’s either built into your display or a cheapie one that’s no better than that. Well, a new generation of webcams is coming out that support high-def video, and the first representative is Microsoft’s LifeCam Cinema. It’s got a nice wide angle on it, has more clarity than those pinhole webcams, and the clamp it uses is really convenient. One for you and one for a kid going off to college would be a great way to stay in touch; Microsoft’s video chat software is pretty decent. You can find it for around $60, which isn’t bad at all if you use your current webcam much. Rugged HDD  Lacie Rugged XL 1TB: $160 Lacie’s Rugged series isn’t so much rugged as merely protected from everyday life. While your average external hard drive would probably go belly up if you spilled on it or dropped it, the Rugged XL will take a (minor) licking before rolling over. I’d be much more comfortable bringing this on a long trip than any other drive. There’s a premium for the ruggedness (street price is around $140), but whoever get this will thank you later when the dog knocks it off a table. Secure HDD  Lenovo keypad-secured USB drive (160GB): $150 For your loved ones that are security-conscious, or simply paranoid, I recommend this great drive. Spacious it’s not, and you’re paying a lot for the gigs you’re getting, but the built-in keypad is just too cool to pass up. Not only is it very secure, but it’s also very well-designed. Since you’re actually pressing buttons, there’s no need to worry about administrating it or security software — just set it up once (keep the instructions just in case) and you’re good to go. You can also get a 320GB version for around $200.
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| Review: ReTrak Universal 90W Notebook Wall Charger Posted: 20 Nov 2009 02:30 PM PST
Short Version: A universal notebook adapter with retractable cabling that extends to almost ten feet in length, comes with nine adapter tips, and features two USB charging ports.
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Review: When it comes to universal notebook adapters, it’s important to keep a couple things in mind. First, the term "universal" is a bit misleading as you’ll be hard pressed to find the Mag Safe adapter tips used with most of Apple's notebooks. But that's more of a legal/patenting issue than an omission by universal adapter manufacturers. Second, most of them are priced pretty similarly so it’s a good idea to focus on certain features that appeal to you. The 90-watt ReTrak Universal Notebook Wall Charger, for instance, sports two built-in USB charging ports and a retractable cabling system for $100 as its way of differentiating itself (there's also a 70-watt version available for $80). When I first wrote about this item back in October, I saw the product photo and thought, "Hey, this thing looks pretty tiny." And, indeed, it's billed as being "up to 60 percent smaller than competitors." Here's the product shot:
You’ll notice that the retractable cord doodads in the above photo appear to be small compared to the main adapter housing. In real life, though, they're not nearly as svelte – see the photo I took at the top of this post for a more accurate depiction. So my initial reaction after actually opening the packaging was more like, "Oh, it's about the same size as most of the other adapters I've seen." It absolutely may be a bit smaller than some adapters out there, but I'm not sure where that 60% figure came from. That must have been a gigantic adapter that was used for comparison.
For the sake of our own comparison, here's the adapter next to a 90-watt Sony adapter (on the right) and a netbook adapter (on the left). As you can see, it's actually kind of big. Remember that you get the two USB charging ports, though, and the retractable cabling extends out to almost 10 feet in length without getting tangled up in your bag.
Both retractable cables can be detached from the adapter, which is a nice feature, and you get a little carrying bag for transporting the main parts of the adapter and the tips. As for compatibility, the adapter works with various notebooks from Acer, Compaq, HP, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Gateway, Sony, and Dell (see the full list here). The product works as advertised – I tested it with a 13.3-inch Sony, a 15.6-inch Gateway, a 15.6-inch Sony, and even an 11.6-inch Acer netbook, as well as several USB devices (iPod, iPhone, MP3 players, PMPs, pocket camcorders) with no problems whatsoever. Bottom Line: Even though it’s not actually all that compact, the ReTrak universal charger's tangle-free cabling, broad system support, and nice added bonus of two USB charging ports helps it to stand out from similarly-priced adapters. If you've got a handful of notebooks and a pile of portables that have made travelling an unbearable mess of adapters and cables, this ReTrak adapter can help to simplify things considerably. Product Page [EmergeRetail.com]
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| Rolls-Royce joins Volvo in exclusive club Posted: 20 Nov 2009 02:01 PM PST
The 2010 Rolls-Royce model line has something very distinctly in common with all new Volvos. It has nothing to do with the engines, safety ratings, comfort, or design. Nope, none of that. Any guesses? Rolls-Royce joins Volvo as the only manufacturers to offer HD radio as a standard feature in every model. Of course that’s only the new Ghost and three different variants of the Phantom. Previously HD radio was only an option, but someone high-up in Rolls-Royce probably enjoys listening to AM HD radio and wanted to make sure everyone had access to it. Mercedes-Benz also is slowly rolling out the radio option and it’s a standard option in many model’s premium feature packages and Audi previously stated that that by 2011 all models will have it as well.
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| The Serio speakers from Waterfall Audio are stunning (and expensive) Posted: 20 Nov 2009 01:30 PM PST
The latest speaker line, Serio, keeps the glass theme alive, but manages to shrink the package down to a satellite-style size. Too bad all that glass and square lines scream the ’90s. I’m sure they are fantastic speakers. They better be for the price: $5,549 for a 5.1 system which includes a HighForce sub, $1,799 for a 2.1 system, or $249 each. The specs are good too: 150 watts max, 87 dB efficiency, and 180HZ – 20kHz frequency response. Each speaker is about the size of a CD jewel case and weighs 2 lbs.It’s just that they look like something that would have been found in Microsoft’s suits office around the time Windows 95 launched. [Waterfall Audio via Electronic House]
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| Uh-Oh: Gameloft moves away from Android development Posted: 20 Nov 2009 01:20 PM PST  The sudden surge in interest in Android (largely due to all of the hype surrounding the Droid) has caused a lot of developers to reconsider the platform. Atleast one major development house, however, isn't impressed. Earlier today, Alexandre de Rochefort, Finance Director of Gameloft, told an investor conference that the company had "significantly cut [their] investment in Android platform, just like ... many others". Gameloft is one of the largest mobile games companies around, having pulled in roughly $132 million in the last three quarters alone. While there are plenty of fish in the developer sea, this can't be one that Google is happy to see swim away.
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| Target leaks pre-Black Friday deals: Acer netbook for $199 Posted: 20 Nov 2009 01:00 PM PST
Target will be running a special Sunday-to-Wednesday circular this weekend full of pre-Black Friday deals. Most of the deals are okay, if unspectacular – 32-inch LCD TV for $398, $20 giftcard with Wii system purchase, etc. – while the 10.1-inch Acer Aspire One netbook ought to sell out pretty quickly at just $199 (although don’t forget that Office Max will be selling a similar machine on Black Friday for $150). There's also a 50-inch plasma TV for $698, a 42-inch 1080p LCD TV for $597, and a dual-screen portable DVD player for $119. Check your paper this Sunday for the full list of deals. If you just said, "What's a paper?" then maybe check Target's website on Sunday instead.
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| Vizio Internet-connected HDTVs delayed Posted: 20 Nov 2009 12:30 PM PST
Well this is no fun. If you’ve been patiently waiting for the Vizio HDTVs that bring Twiiter, Facebook, Netflix, and Yahoo into you living room, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer. Santa isn’t going to bring one this year. The HDTV sets were supposed to be out in July, but that obviously didn’t happen. CNET is reporting that the new launch date is January 2010. Too bad that Vizio couldn’t make the original deadline. We’ll no doubt see other HDTVs at CES ‘10 with similar social-networking functions. Vizio might get lost in the crowd.
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| The More You Know: An Overview of the Major Carriers’ Early Termination Fees Posted: 20 Nov 2009 12:18 PM PST
Turkey Day is just around the corner, which means that the annual American
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| Man alive: Valve owns 70 percent of the digital distribution business Posted: 20 Nov 2009 12:00 PM PST
There really is something to be said about being the first to the dance. I’m pretty sure we can all agree that Steam was the first big digital distribution service for video games, and I also think we can all agree that it was something of a success. But how big a success? Stardock, which owns the Impulse distribution service (and published Sins of a Solar Empire), believes that Steam enjoys 70 percent market share of the digital distribution business. It sounds impressive, and it is, but it’s important to recognize that digital distribution is still in its infancy. In other words, Valve has a 70 percent hold on a not-that-big-yet business. Not that digital distribution isn’t the future. I rated the Sony PSP Go so highly partially because it represents a necessary step forward in the way in which we buy games. (I tell you what I’m not looking forward to today: walking into a GameStop, getting into a "conversation" with the guy there, when all I want is a copy of Assassin’s Creed II. I still haven’t forgiven Best Buy for violating my Civil Rights, so I’m not going giving the ol’ blue shirts any of my business. Unless there’s some indie video game store in Manhattan that I’m not aware of, it’s going to have to be GameStop. Shudder.) That Sony decided to nearly ruin it by only including an 802.11 chipset is another matter entirely. Xbox Live has shown that you can distribute full, current-gen games to a console crowd, and PSN and Virtual Console prove that people are cool with the idea of buying and downloading older games to local storage. The days when video game = shiny disc are numbered. I’m only now realizing there wasn’t really a point to these past few words, just reiterating, for the 100th time, that I’m fully prepared for an all-digital future.
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| Rave reviews for steering wheel table! Posted: 20 Nov 2009 11:30 AM PST
You may recall that back in early September, we brought you news of this steering wheel table. Well, the customer reviews on Amazon's product page are pouring in and it looks like this may be the sleeper hit of the season! Just take a look at what legions of fans are saying about the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk: "Wow is this thing great! I use it as a “mini-bar” when the friends and I go out to the bars. I can quickly fix multiple shots of tequila for myself and the friends as we drive from one bar to the next. We also discovered that if you place a pillow on top of it and turn on the cruise control you can catch quick naps on the interstate." "This has been a total lifesaver. It allows me to prop my sheet music against the wheel, allowing me to play the guitar with both hands while driving." "My copilot and I both used these during our “daily grind” transcontinental flights from San Diego to Minneapolis. We had to modify them a bit to fit snug against the instrument panels (when we bought them we didn’t realize the planes we fly don’t have steering wheels!), but in the end it did the job. With our laptops firmly in place we were able to focus our attention on what really mattered, participating in raids with our WoW clan. During our last flight we were so immersed in trying to take down Eranikus that we overshot Minneapolis by a full hour and a half before some annoying flight attendant interrupted us, babbling something about 'FAA and F16 fighters.'" "The best usage of this product is that i’m allowed to make perfectly symmetrical lines of cocaine while driving. product.of.the.century" "I collect bobble-heads, got ‘em all over my dashboard and behind the back seat — but I had run out of space to add my latest bobble-head additions to my amazingly decorated car! Where could I put my “Barack O-Bobble”? How would I display my “Jonas Bobbles”? Well, thanks to the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk, my collection can keep on growing!" "Finally!! I don’t know if anyone else has small children that they drive with, but this has been a lifesaver for me. I get so tired of pulling over whenever my infant son soils his diaper. Now, whenever I smell that familiar stench, I just turn around, unbuckle him from his car seat and change him right on this desk. It is the perfect size for a newborn!" "I am an OB-GYN and this has helped me take my practice mobile. It’s the perfect height for my patients to sit on so I can examine them while I drive. I highly recommend!!!!" "I just picked uuyp my laptop hoder from the post offfice and I’m ddriving home now. It’s OK Iguess, but the bumpy road majkes it hard to type. And theree’s a lot of pedeestrians and traffi c that keep distracti9ng me fromm my computer." "Do you have any idea how hard it is to read Braille books while driving? Every time I’d hit something my book would slide off my lap onto the floor and I’d lose my place. Problem solved…Thanks Laptop Steering Wheel Desk." Needless to say, the item is in short supply. Hopefully Amazon will get more in stock soon. Laptop Steering Wheel Desk [Amazon.com via The Register]
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| The Barnes & Noble nook is officially sold out Posted: 20 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST
Figures. Just yesterday we write about all the different e-books you can get your hands on this holiday shopping season, and then we get a bombshell:Barnes & Noble is 100 percent sold out of nook . The company says that it has exhausted its current supply, and will only have enough nooks to fulfill current pre-orders. In other words, if you were thinking about getting a nook for Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) but didn’t pre-order one yet, well, too late now. To throw some cold water on this volcanic story, Barnes & Noble says people won’t have to wait too long to get their nook if they order now. The expected ship date here on out is January 4, 2010, only a few days after Christmas day. So while the nook won’t be sitting under your tree, it’s not like you’ll have to wait months and months to get yours. The big winner in all of this, of course, is Amazon, whose Kindle 2 is widely available. Considering there’s really not too much of a difference between the two readers, I think it’s safe to say that a few people who were prepared to buy a nook may now spring for the Kindle.
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| Law firm asks, ‘Were you banned from Xbox Live? We want to help.’ Posted: 20 Nov 2009 10:30 AM PST
It’s safe to say that we hear at CrunchGear think you should be able to do whatever you want with hardware that you buy. Let’s take console modding. You wanna flash the drive on your 360 for whatever reason? Fine, go ahead. But don’t think that you can log onto Xbox Live with said modded console, and play your misbegotten wares (or is that warez?), on Microsoft’s network. It’s against the TOS, it makes a mockery of the entertainment medium that you purport to support, and, well, is unfair to the other players. That said, I can almost understand where this law firm is coming from. AbingtonIP (which seems to specialize in class action lawsuits), a law firm with offices all over the mid-west, has a form on its Web site asking if you were affected by the recent Microsoft ban hammer. The law firm is specifically looking for people who haven’t had their Xbox Live service prorated. That is, say you were six months into your Xbox Live subscription when Microsoft booted you off—are you entitled to roughly $25 in recompense? (An Xbox Live Gold subscription is $50 per year, so if you only received half a year in service, then you can argue you are due $25 for services not rendered.) Then again, maybe somewhere in the fine print it says that if Microsoft catches you using a modded console on Xbox Live it reserves the right to ban you without having to pay back a single penny for any time you had left on the agreement. Or you can be a cynic and just assume these lawyers are out for a quick buck. Whatever works for ya.
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| Reminder: New York Meet-Up is tonight, meet the CrunchBoys and Cali Lewis Posted: 20 Nov 2009 10:17 AM PST  Sorry for the short notice but I thought it might be fun to toast to Turkey Day and the launch of our our Gift Guide. I'm teaming up with Cali Lewis of GeekBrief.TV for an impromptu CG meet-up in New York. We'll be meeting at 7pm Friday at Heartland Brewery, 35 Union Square West, in Manhattan. We should be able to commandeer the back of the pub for our purposes.
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| High-quality Zune HD wallpaper source Posted: 20 Nov 2009 10:00 AM PST
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| For your holiday consideration: A little truck that poops dominoes Posted: 20 Nov 2009 09:30 AM PST
Does your child enjoy dominoes? Does your child enjoy trucks? Does he or she like to see trucks move? Do they like to see the trucks poop out little dominoes? Do you know your kids? At all? Do you know that they’ll play with this for like five minutes and then eat the dominoes? Well, Brando doesn’t care about all that. They just want to sell you stuff. In fact, you can ” Let it build the Dominos around your Christmas Tree and Sofa!!” Sofa!! If anyone builds anything around my sofa this holiday I’ll kick it over on my way to the fridge for a beer.
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| Some dude in Japan marries a video game character Posted: 20 Nov 2009 09:00 AM PST While I would totally go out with Princess Peach (provided all the parts are really there, and they must be because those Mario Brothers have been after her for years), I find this story to be quite disturbing. A Japanese man married Nene Anegasaki in a church in Guam and is going to be streaming their honeymoon live.
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TomTom wants you to buy a new PND (personal navigation device) this holiday season. So much so, that they will buy your old device from you via a mail in rebate.
The world’s largest array of radio telescopes are joining together for 24 hours in order to observe some quasars.
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