CrunchGear |  |
- CrunchDeals: $79 Samsung Blu-ray player with Netflix
- Sleep Scan: Tanita’s sensor-equipped mat monitors your sleep
- Yanko’s camera concept protects the delicate bits
- Muvi Atom is world’s tiniest camcorder
- Positronic man and galactic trickster examine primitive tricorder
- Review: Alienware M11x
- Yet another video of the supposed iPhone 4G/HD screen surfaces
- Toshiba’s Camileo camcorders coming to the US
- Hands-on with Honda’s U3-X, the amazing people mover
- Allegro Portable Wireless Radio & Streamer lets you take internet radio away from the computer
- SNES games on the iPad look great, if you don’t mind weird touch controls
- More details about the ExoPC slate surface
- The Nexus One car dock is finally pictured
- Nexaira announces new 3G/4G router (girl not included)
- Nokia plans to join the tablet party with Intel team-up
- Video hands-on of the Savant ROSIE home automation iPad app
- Panasonic planning 20-megapixel point-and-shoots for 2012
- The iPad is designed so even a 2-year old can use it
- Federal Court Tells FCC It Does Not Have Authority To Enforce Net Neutrality
- Is the Nexus One’s display inferior to the Droid’s, as well?
| CrunchDeals: $79 Samsung Blu-ray player with Netflix Posted: 07 Apr 2010 05:20 AM PDT
Similiarly speced out models retail for nearly double this price. This model not only does Netflix, but it also can stream Blockbuster, Pandora, and YouTube. Not too shabby for $79 plus $5 shipping, eh?
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| Sleep Scan: Tanita’s sensor-equipped mat monitors your sleep Posted: 07 Apr 2010 05:02 AM PDT
Leading health monitor manufacturer Tanita today announced [JP] a sensor-equipped mat that’s supposed to measure the deepness and quality of your sleep. The company, which is also active in the US, says placing the mat under your mattress is enough. The system will then keep track of your body motion, breath rate and pulse throughout the night. All data from the so-called Sleep Scan system is stored on an SD or SDHC card and can be analyzed through a piece of software Tanita is bundling with the “hardware”. You can then evaluate the quality of your sleep (how long you really slept, how often you woke up during the night etc.) through graphs and a “sleep score” the software gives you, based on information coming from the capacitor microphone inside the mat that tracks vibrations.
The mat is sized at 863×314×26mm and weighs 1.3kg. A 2GB SD card is enough to store the data of about 500 sleep cycles.
Tanita plans to start selling the Sleep Scan in Japan from May (price: $395). As mentioned above, the company is active outside Japan but hasn’t said yet if the Sleep Scan will find its way to international markets as well. Via Kaden Watch [JP]
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| Yanko’s camera concept protects the delicate bits Posted: 06 Apr 2010 09:14 PM PDT
The Yanko Zero camera looks like what happens when a Motorola Razr mates with a camera. Essentially the idea is that the LCD screen is hinged to fold over the lens, protecting both the camera lens and the LCD screen when the camera is put away. Interesting idea. It’ll be even more interesting if someone decides to actually build one, and put it into production. Until that day, check out Yanko’s site for even more wild ideas.
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| Muvi Atom is world’s tiniest camcorder Posted: 06 Apr 2010 08:30 PM PDT
Ok, maybe you can convince me that there’s a legitimate use for this, but I’m having trouble figuring out what that would be. The Atom records to a microSD card, supports up to 8GB, and it’s voice activated. Again, try and tell you’re buying this thing to record family home movies to and not hiding it in the dressing room at the lingerie store. The Atom’s internal battery will give you about an hour of video at 640×480 at 30fps. It comes with a 2GB microSD card, but you can upgrade to an 8GB if you are so inclined. MSRP on this perverts delight is $99, which seems a little dear to me. [via GeekAlerts]
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| Positronic man and galactic trickster examine primitive tricorder Posted: 06 Apr 2010 07:59 PM PDT
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| Posted: 06 Apr 2010 06:45 PM PDT
Pros:
Cons:
Full review:
One of the things you generally feel you’re giving up when buying into a sub-$1000 notebook (to say nothing of such a small one) is gaming. Let’s be honest: it’s not practical. The components necessary to play modern games suck power and are physically quite large, right? To some extent, yes, but mobile GPUs and low-voltage CPUs have gotten to the point where they’re able to push a fair amount of polygons, and the M11x represents a sort of tipping point. While you won’t be blown away by the performance if you’re a PC gamer, you will be pleasantly surprised. Before further talk, let’s just get the specs for our review unit out there:
That’s for $1099, by the way. the $799 version has a normally clocked processor, 2GB of RAM, and a smaller hard drive. I feel that the processor is the main thing you’d want to upgrade, or you’ll see a definite performance hit. As you may have noticed when I posted a gallery of glamor shots, the M11x is a very nice-looking machine. It feels very solid when you’re carrying it around, and I didn’t notice any disturbing bending or creaking when I picked it up from one corner. It’s extensively lit up, and you can choose pretty much any color for the keyboard, alien head, rear logo, and “vents” independently. Because you can’t vary the brightness, however, many of the colors seem over-the-top. A dimmer would have been very welcome.
The keyboard is attractive and the backlighting helpful (when it’s not blasting your eyes late at night), and I found it comfortable to type on, though a little soft. The trackpad is decent, though the buttons are really bad. They seem undersized and squishy, and I always felt I was being prevented from pushing them by the portion of the case surrounding them. Fortunately, as a gaming machine, it’s likely to have a mouse nearby, obviating this issue for the most part. The webcam is functional and performs the face-recognition security that Alienware is so fond of, and which of course can be fooled with a photograph. Don’t hide your secret of secrets on this thing. There are plenty of ports for you to use, and they’re generously spaced, unlike my Mac’s. Having USB slots on both sides is welcome, and the two headphone jacks are a nice touch as well for multiplayer gaming. The bottom of the laptop has a little battery charge indicator, which is handy when you’re just grabbing the laptop to go and want to know whether you’ll have to find an outlet wherever you’re headed — or for seeing whether it’s fully charged yet.
The M11x does not have an optical drive. Sure, that’s a trend recently, and it’s justified in computers where the main selling point doesn’t come on DVDs. I mean, of course you have Steam and Direct2Drive and all that, but if you own a physical copy of Crysis like I do, you’re out of luck. It’s a limitation that isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but for many, an optical drive is still essential. Puzzlingly, the M11x comes with a Windows 7 restore disc. Okay…? If you’ve read CrunchGear’s laptop reviews before, you’ll know we’re not really big on benchmarking. After all, unless you’re willing to go all out and do every serious synthetic benchmark, it’s kind of useless. Those particular nuts and bolts are handled better by those who write hardware reviews exclusively, and you’re probably going to check out some of those reviews too. You’re here for the broader questions regarding this thing: does it play the games you want it to play, does it die super fast, and is it worth the money? Yes it does. As long as you adjust your expectations, you’ll be happy with the results in many of the newest games. You need to keep in mind that some effects are CPU-intensive, though (some lighting and shadow effects which use ray-tracing, particle effects and physics) so it’s a good idea to turn those down first if you’re getting low framerates. But the limited resolution means that there won’t be that much horsepower required, so you can usually set visual settings pretty high — anyway, at that rez you won’t be able to notice the difference between “high” and “ultra” settings in a lot of cases. You will want anti-aliasing, though; 768 vertical pixels means you’ll see jaggies for sure. Portal, TF2, and Half-Life 2 ran well; with detail maxed out and medium AA and AF settings, they both ran at an average of 80-100FPS. In tamer situations it approached 150-160FPS, and I only saw it dip below 30 or 40 once or twice for a few frames. Wolfenstein ran well, around 40-50FPS for the most part; unfortunately on the small screen a lot of texture detail is lost. Similar results could be found in MW2, Mass Effect 2, and Borderlands. Generally you’d peak around 55-70 FPS with CPU-hogging features reduced, with an average around 40 and the occasional dip into the 20s. There were a few choppy moments to be sure during big firefights, but they were outweighed by the fact that it was usually smooth and also that it looks good. Remember, we’ve got settings on high here. You’re not compromising your gaming experience much at all. I also had some issues with the screen, and I’m not the only one. Although it says it’s LED-backlit, I didn’t find it particularly bright, and the vertical viewing angle was extremely narrow. It’s a good time to note that putting things on an external monitor or projector is a fantastic idea with this thing. Bring an HDMI cable with you and you’re looking at a solid HTPC as well as a games machine. I plugged mine into an HD projector from Acer and it worked great; there’s even a dedicated button for switching between external monitor modes. Another thing to note is that the switch between discrete and integrated graphics, while straightforward, is not seamless. It blacks the screen out and asks you to quit some applications when you do it. Not wildly inconvenient, I admit, but why is it that way when NVIDIA has already released an improved version of the discrete/integrated switch that is far more seamless? Does it die? Yes it does. If you were to start up a modern game like Mass Effect 2 and unplug the M11x at the same time, you’d maybe get about two and a half hours of play time. It depends on how hard the game is working your hardware, of course, and you can increase battery life by using headphones and dimming the screen, but you don’t get too much more out of it. 2 1/2 hours is about the max — for performance mode. For the battery-conserving, power-sipping integrated graphics mode, you can expect between six and eight hours — casual use like writing and reading will put you at the eight hour end, while video-watching and high-speed web stuff will obviously suck it dry a little faster. It’s perfectly reasonable life for a computer this size. So you won’t be doing any marathon sessions while in a plane. I mean, not that we expected it; Alienware can’t break the laws of physics. But it’s more than enough time for a few levels of a shooter, or to watch an entire HD movie. Is it worth the money?
I think it’s a pretty good deal — if you know what you’re getting into. This isn’t a miracle machine, it’s a competent performer with an unexpected price and form factor. Chances are it’s going to be revised relatively soon with improved hardware, some tweaks to the design, and maybe an external Blu-ray drive as an option. I realize that “it’ll be better later” is a pretty weak reason not to recommend something, but I have to resort to it now. The “compact gaming laptop” is a new thing, as evidenced by everyone’s surprise at the competency of the M11x. Since it’s new, it’ll be improved significantly soon, unlike many other laptop price points and form factors, where the differences between models are few and far between. If you must buy, I would say upgrade the CPU but don’t bother with the RAM; 2GB should be enough for most games at the settings you’ll be at. Similarly, don’t worry about a hard drive upgrade. Take the hundred bucks you would have spent and get yourself a nice external you can keep your HD content and miscellany on. You can always add RAM later. The M11x isn’t a heavy hitter, but it’s a great little machine and if you’re a gamer, I can think of worse ways for you to spend a thousand dollars. Just read the reviews and be sure to consider whether you can live with the compromises necessary to get modern gaming into this sexy little shell.
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| Yet another video of the supposed iPhone 4G/HD screen surfaces Posted: 06 Apr 2010 06:11 PM PDT
What happens when you take what seems to be the same supposed iPhone 4G LCD/bezel we saw a few weeks ago, add a pinch of Coldplay, and toss in a camera that just can’t seem to focus? This video. Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>
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| Toshiba’s Camileo camcorders coming to the US Posted: 06 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT
The Camileo comes in three different versions, the basic S20, and the touchscreen enabled H30 and X100. All three record in 1080p, use SDHC memory cards for storage, and feature HDMI connections for plugging into your home television. All three models are due in the US on the 19th of this month, with the S20 prices at $180, the H30 at $250, and the X100 at $400. Expect to see them at your favorite retailer.
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| Hands-on with Honda’s U3-X, the amazing people mover Posted: 06 Apr 2010 03:55 PM PDT
Jimin and I tried the U3-X in a ballroom in Times Square and both of us came away impressed. It is completely self righting and to ride it you just move your body in the direction you want to go. The wheels-within-wheels system allows for 360-degree motion. This is the first mini people mover I’ve actually been excited about. It’s so small that you can actually use it in mixed company and as long as the battery lasts you can ride it in absolute comfort on most smooth surfaces. No specific release date for this thing and it’s apparently quite expensive right now, but I would totally buy one.
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| Allegro Portable Wireless Radio & Streamer lets you take internet radio away from the computer Posted: 06 Apr 2010 03:30 PM PDT
The Allegro supports Pandora, SIRIUS internet radio, Live 365, iheart radio, NPR, BBC, FOX, CNN, CNBC, and NOAA alerts. It can also serve as a portable alarm clock, and is portable using AA batteries. It’s also possible to stream audio from your PC over your wifi network. You can pick one up from the Grace Digital Audio website for $169. From the press release:
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| SNES games on the iPad look great, if you don’t mind weird touch controls Posted: 06 Apr 2010 02:30 PM PDT
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| More details about the ExoPC slate surface Posted: 06 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT
Up front the 11.6-inch capacitive outputs at 1366 x 768 and is powered by a GPU that has enough juice to pump video in full screen mode. An Atom CPU reportable handles multitasking just fine and that’s perfect seeing how there will be an app store at launch. We hear the SDK even supports everything from JavaScript to HTML to Flash programing. Of course none of this is official, but tablets that that don’t rhyme with iSad will hopefully offer a similiar feature set. Well, they better if they’re to have any chance of breaking into the market. [via Blogue de Geek]
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| The Nexus One car dock is finally pictured Posted: 06 Apr 2010 01:36 PM PDT  Boy have we been waiting for this one -- since January 14, actually. As it turns out, too, the backside of the dock we spied a few weeks back is actually the official dock. But it just doesn't hold the phone in place, it also has built-in speakers, volume controls, and the goods need to charge the Nexus One. That's pretty much everything we wanted. It even auto-launches the Car Home app upon docking the phone in place.
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| Nexaira announces new 3G/4G router (girl not included) Posted: 06 Apr 2010 01:09 PM PDT
Naxaira Wireless recently unveiled their 3G/4G SOHO router. The new router promises fast and secure Wi-Fi anywhere in North America where there is cellular coverage by a wireless carrier. The device works with HSPA and HSPA+ networks from AT&T, T-Mobile, Bell, Rogers, and Telus, and EDVO RevA networks from Sprint and Verizon, as well as 4G WiMAX from Clear. Features include automated set-up, a user friendly i3 GUI, and speeds of up to 300Mb/s. The router will be available in May 2010 for $99.95
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| Nokia plans to join the tablet party with Intel team-up Posted: 06 Apr 2010 01:00 PM PDT
The trouble is this information comes from an “analyst,” which means it could be pure BS. But it would make sense: Nokia is no stranger to tablets, nor is Intel, and they’re already making nice with Maemo and Moblin. Hey, I’d be interested… well, maybe. Nokia and Intel have such reach in the industry that I’d expect it to be much more of an open and customizable platform than iPad or Chrome OS — something that could be rebuilt and customized for the military or medical fields, or other big markets that don’t care about app stores or web 2.0. [via Ars Technica]
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| Video hands-on of the Savant ROSIE home automation iPad app Posted: 06 Apr 2010 12:40 PM PDT I’m not the only one that thinks the iPad will revolutionize home automation and remote media controls. It’s just a matter of time until it kills off every other large-screen controller. Apps like the Savant ROSIE are just the beginning. [via CEPro
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| Panasonic planning 20-megapixel point-and-shoots for 2012 Posted: 06 Apr 2010 12:00 PM PDT
Consider that all three of the cameras I recently reviewed have 1/2.3″ sensors, and even at 12-14 megapixels they were having lots of trouble resolving detail, and of course the “HD” video is smeary and full of skew. What the hell could we possibly want with 20 megapixels crammed into the same space? There’s nothing to be done, of course. It’s not spec-savvy bloggers that will change the way companies like Panasonic make cameras, it’s the buying public. And if they want megapixels, by god Panasonic will give them megapixels. At least, according to this road map, they’re planning more high-sensitivity stuff too. That’s way more important, if you ask me. [via Photo Rumors]
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| The iPad is designed so even a 2-year old can use it Posted: 06 Apr 2010 11:35 AM PDT Apple knows people are idiots and didn’t want its consumers to learn another interface. So the iPad rocks the iPhone OS. That way anyone familiar with the other system can easily pick up and instantly use the iPad — like the 2.5-year old daughter of Laughing Squid’s Todd Lappin. She’s not a genius, she’s just part of Generation I.
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| Federal Court Tells FCC It Does Not Have Authority To Enforce Net Neutrality Posted: 06 Apr 2010 11:11 AM PDT  This morning, the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia dealt the FCC a major blow in its drive to impose net neutrality on the nation's broadband providers. A panel of three judges ruled that the FCC did not have the authority to order Comcast to slow down BitTorrent traffic, and, more, broadly, that the FCC does not have the authority to enforce net neutrality. The case started as a result of Comcast selectively slowing down certain types of traffic in 2007 — namely, BitTorrent — leading the FCC to order Comcast to stop the practice. Comcast challenged the order, claiming that the FCC didn't have the authority to mandate net neutrality policy. Today's ruling affirms Comcast's stance. This will strike a blow to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski's recently released broadband plan, but it was not entirely unexpected, and the FCC can still fight back.
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| Is the Nexus One’s display inferior to the Droid’s, as well? Posted: 06 Apr 2010 10:33 AM PDT  Science! Big words! These are two things we like around these parts, even if we don't really understand them. When I look at the Nexus One's display, I can't help but slap my knee and let out some sort of proclamation of joy, like "Gee Wiz!", or "Well, I'll be!", or "Fwaaaaarg." Some people, however, aren't quite as impressed.
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Yanko is known for their 
Muvi makes small, clever, little camcorders. Their previous model, the Micro DV, was considered to be the smallest 
Toshiba announced today that they would be bringing their popular “Camileo” camcorder line to the US. Previously only available in Europe, the Camileo is a pocket sized camcorder with built in YouTube support and a 3-inch LCD viewscreen. 
Grace Digital Audio announced their latest creation today, the Allegro Portable Wireless Radio & Streamer. The Allegro is portable unit, designed to allow you to take your internet radio choice with you when you step away from the computer. 
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