CrunchGear |  |
- Daily Crunch: Elephantastic Edition
- Review: Logitech G700 Wired/Wireless Gaming Mouse
- Review: Logitech G930 Wired/Wireless Gaming Headset
- Future-Trains In China To Hit 1000KPH
- Woman Toe-Types For Help After Burglar Ties Her Up
- Tesla Reports Q2 Financials
- Is Microsoft’s Mystery Device The Arc Mouse Touch?
- Final IE9 Preview Meets Web Accuracy Requirements
- Test Drive: Nissan Leaf
- Of Course Hitler Had To Weigh In On The Symantec iOS Security Report
- The Mini Riser Is A Mini Notebook Riser (duh)
- Those Full-Body Scanners We Were Told Wouldn’t Save Images? Yeah, They’re Saving Images. Shock.
- The Universal Network Cable is a universal network cable
- The First Kindle KDK-based Programs Trickle Out
- Latest Apple Rumor Speaks Of Smaller iPads & iPods, And Early 2011 iPhone 5 Release Date
- Did The iPad Preemptively Kill The US Tablet Market Like The Kindle & Nook Killed Other Ebook Readers?
- CERAMICA: Japanese Designer Mini Speakers
- MSI Outs Thin But Powerful Notebooks With The P600 And S600
- New, Weird Feature Allows Audio Streaming From iDisk
- European Signature Edition Of Gran Turismo 5 Has Many Things, Costs Many Euros
| Daily Crunch: Elephantastic Edition Posted: 05 Aug 2010 12:00 AM PDT |
| Review: Logitech G700 Wired/Wireless Gaming Mouse Posted: 04 Aug 2010 10:00 PM PDT
Short version: A fine evolutionary step for Logitech’s long line of gaming mice. Possibly the best yet. Features:
Pros
Cons
Review: It’s been fun watching Logitech’s mice evolve over the last decade. There’s a clear line of succession, with each new model building upon the last. The G700 follows that tradition with the form factor found in the Performance line combined with the G Series gaming oriented features. It’s about the best of both worlds. The tracking is outstanding, partly because of the gaming-grade pads located on the bottom. It’s precise and accurate and the top-mounted sensitivity button makes adjusting it so much easier. There’s even side-mounted LED lights to indicate the sensitivity settings. I never saw any lag with the wireless mode. As for battery life, I’ve yet to charge the mouse and I’ve been using 14 hours a day for about 2 weeks. The Micro-USB cable also doubles for the wired mode. The connector is right in front in between the two mouse buttons in a similar was found on the Razer Mamba. The G700 is of course equipped with Logitech’s dual-mode scrolling wheel that can either scroll silky smooth or clicky style. The button directly behind the scroll wheel toggles the modes. I’ve found that the two modes are great for web browsing but even more so for gaming. Got a lot of weapons to scroll through? Use the click mode to precisely choose the right one. The best evolutionary change for me at least was the thumb buttons placement. On previous Pro series mice, my thumb would always rest directly on these buttons, which isn’t a good fit for me because I grip the sides of my mice. Now with this one, my thumb can squeeze the mouse all it wants because the buttons are located slightly above the resting shelf. It’s a huge improvement and allows me to use the mouse for daily tasks as well as gaming. I simply love this mouse and feel like it’s the best one I’ve ever used. But I always feel that way about Logitech mice until the new one comes out with a slightly-tweaked design. For now though, this is the mouse to beat.
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| Review: Logitech G930 Wired/Wireless Gaming Headset Posted: 04 Aug 2010 10:00 PM PDT
Short version: What do you get when you cram 7.1 Dolby sound, gaming-grade wireless, a few buttons, and a noise-canceling microphone into one headset? Sweaty ears. Seriously Features
Pros
Cons
Review: Wireless headsets have always been about the best thing ever — on paper. The thought is that you could eliminate the wire that always tends to get in the way but up until recently, wireless headsets were fools gold as they were rarely as good as wired version. Wireless technology simply couldn’t delievery quality sound. I’m happy to report that isn’t the case with these Logitech cans. They sound just as good wirelessly as they do when directly plugged in. The 7.1 Dolby surround is very convincing for games and movies, but it slighly distorts music. Thankfully there’s a headset-mounted slider that toggles the mode.
In fact, there are several buttons on the headset. Three of them are customizable to whatever you see fit, while the others control power, the Dolby setting, and muting the microphone. There’s also a large dial control for volume that works nicely. Overall, it’s a very nice headset with great sound and solid wireless technology. But I can’t wear it. Well, I can’t wear it for more than 20 minutes because they cause my ears to get rather hot. I really think you could use a snowblower with this headset on and be perfectly comfortable with the audio being just a bonus to toasty ears. It’s not like I have an Shrek-shaped head or anything. My head swims in extra large baseball hats, but this headset is just too tight for my head. I can’t totally write-off the the G930 for as the sound and function is great. Just make sure you purchase the cans from a place with a fair return policy.
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| Future-Trains In China To Hit 1000KPH Posted: 04 Aug 2010 08:43 PM PDT
There is one problem: the new tunnels would cost almost $3 million more to build… per kilometer. But if there are two things China has a lot of, they would be money and kilometers. So this sounds like a pretty good match. [via Engadget]
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| Woman Toe-Types For Help After Burglar Ties Her Up Posted: 04 Aug 2010 06:24 PM PDT
PSA! Open your laptop right now and check if you’d be able to do the same thing! Seriously, you never know what might happen. Might want to check your significant others, too. [via Gizmodo]
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| Posted: 04 Aug 2010 05:37 PM PDT
Critically, the launch of the Model S sedan is on track, and much of the cost of development is already behind them. With a far lower price and larger target demographic, it is likely the first Tesla car many will actually see on the road, and not parked in some entrepreneur’s driveway in Mountain View. Meanwhile, the Roadster 2.5 will likely boost sales a bit, but it’s not really a bottom-line item right now. At $57K for a base price, it has no immediate competition; without tax credit, the Volt is at $41K and the Leaf at $32K — but to be honest, they are completely different vehicles and completely different markets. Sales of the Roadster are a poor indicator for potential in the the eco-conscious upper-middle-class urbanite market, but with luck Tesla can take their time. Other highlights of the quarter:
More information, including a breakdown of the actual numbers, can be found here. Tesla’s stock closed today at $21.26, $0.69/3.1%.
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| Is Microsoft’s Mystery Device The Arc Mouse Touch? Posted: 04 Aug 2010 05:15 PM PDT
In any case, it still looks a little flat to be a mouse, and the Arc Mouse’s thing was foldability. Microsoft Hardware has tweeted “Just remember, we make keyboards, webcams and mice…” in order to keep things confused.
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| Final IE9 Preview Meets Web Accuracy Requirements Posted: 04 Aug 2010 04:45 PM PDT
In the past, Safari and Chrome has scored perfectly on the test, with FireFox coming in at a 94. The results the Microsoft reported using IE9 are on par with the score that FireFox received, meaning that this version of IE9 will most likely be the final beta. What’s more interesting is that this will be the first version of Internet Explorer to use graphics hardware acceleration, meaning it could run faster then Safari 5 on the Windows platform. [via Electronista]
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| Posted: 04 Aug 2010 04:19 PM PDT
The Leaf, as you are probably aware, is Nissan’s new plug-in electric vehicle, and the first of the new generation of consumer EVs to be released here in the States. Sure, you’ve got the Tesla, and even the more family-oriented Model S, but they’re beyond the reach of the average city-dweller. Priced at just under $33K ($25K including the government rebate), the car is really competing with Accords and Legacys and the like. While it’s easy to suggest that it also competes with the Volt, the pricing and technology really set the two apart; all they’ve got in common is an electric motor. I tried to keep all that in mind when comparing the car in my mind with others on the market.
      The Leaf is slightly larger than I pictured it. Its closest relative, as far as I can tell, is the Nissan Versa, though the Leaf is a bit longer. While the rear is a bit too rounded for my taste, the lights are boldly designed (and newly re-sculpted for aerodynamics) and the front end is aggressive-looking and unique. I’m told that the body and interior are both “99.9%” final, subject only to the most minor of tweaks. There is a solar panel (optional) on a small wing protruding from the roof that trickle-charges the car’s 12V battery. I found myself hoping that it would leak a bit of power into the main batteries, but that would be less than useless. Why not have it trickle charge an emergency battery that will take you 1 mile, though? That’d be great.
    Opening up the bonnet revealed the modest guts of the Leaf: mostly empty space with piping, brake fluid, and the 12V taking up as much space as the engine itself. The emblem plate pops up to show the charging ports, which are amazingly cool-looking, though anyone who works with industrial electric devices will probably not be impressed. Interior
The interior seems spacious; perhaps this due to the lack that bulky component usually found in cars — the engine. Seriously, though, the portion of the car dedicated to passengers is more than average for a car this size, I feel. There’s space in the boot for “two golf bags,” or quite a few grocery bags, and the seats of course fold down to make room enough for a Christmas tree or what have you. The rear seat is unremarkable, but seemed comfortable and fairly roomy. The cockpit area is a mix of the familiar and unfamiliar. The steering wheel is pretty standard, with the usual media and navigation controls built-in. The split instrument panel is a little weird at first; it seems the high-priority items and low-priority items are mixed. The speedo next to the clock, live power level next to the temperature, and so on. But despite this conceptual mix-up, the readouts are clear and responsive. I must have missed where it indicates you’re driving in “eco” mode, which conserves and harvests energy, so that probably could be a little more prominent, but everything else was easily viewable. The dash extends rather far before meeting the windshield, giving you the feeling you’re farther back in the car than you are.
There are a couple readouts unique to the Leaf: the range meter, of course, which provides a live estimate of your range, taking into account A/C and other factors. Then there is the power draw indicator, which shows the rate at which you’re sucking (or replenishing) energy. The dots seem to be on an arbitrary scale, so don’t try to make mathematical sense of them. Lastly, there is a little tree display that “grows” trees if you drive conservatively, and cuts them down when you waste energy with quick acceleration or (I would guess) A/C. A karma readout, if you will. Radio and navigation are handled by a touchscreen and a few hard buttons; it seemed as or more easy to navigate than others I’ve used. The environment controls are a little over-stylized; there’s a lot of wasted space there, though that may be room for optional dash components (I forgot to ask). Overall the cabin has an air of simplicity, symmetry, and a little bit of newness for newness’ sake. Drive Here’s a little video from inside the car — not essential viewing exactly, but what is? Thanks to Nissan’s Mark Perry for holding the camera. On a related note, sorry for the shaky camera. There’s much less to put here than in a normal car, especially a manual — which, I should say, I am used to driving. There are two drive modes, normal and eco. Both are “geared” to be pretty tame, I felt; I couldn’t draw a curve of the throttle response, but it certainly wasn’t tuned to provide jump right off the mark, like so many cars around this price. Launch was controlled and smooth; this car is perfect for navigating parking lots. Of course it was very quiet. We didn’t get on the highway, but on a five-lane city street it seemed adequately insulated from street noise. “Shifting” is accomplished with a simple knob that either goes forwards or backwards, switching into the other mode of drive if you are already in drive, or reverse or neutral. Not a lot going on there, though the shifter is given an inordinate amount of space on the console. I would have liked a little more feedback that let me know I’d “hit” the drive mode, but I think it’s pretty foolproof.
I had a high-ranking Nissan guy in the car with me, so I didn’t try to make any 11s, but I did exceed the speed limit for most of the drive. You get 0-60 in about 10 seconds, not that it really matters — acceleration is fast enough to merge onto the freeway, overtake a slow driver, or quickly juke into an open slot in traffic. Eco mode adjusts two things: the throttle response curve and the amount of energy harvested by regenerative braking or natural motion (i.e. rolling down hill). The full amount of power is still available, but it’s concentrated much more closely to the floor. It slowed us noticeably when going down a hill. Hypermilers will enjoy being able to switch in and out of this mode quickly. Handling seemed normal for a car of this size. Having only driven it for a few minutes, I don’t feel qualified to make any real observations other than that it went where I wanted it to. Conclusions I have always said I wouldn’t buy a new car until I could get a plug-in, and I’ve been looking forward to the Leaf as the first real example of what might be worth picking up. I have to say I was not disappointed. For a city car, travelling distances of 5, 10, 20 miles, it’s absolutely great. It’s got plenty of room for cargo, space for a few friends, it’s quiet — it’s a bit larger than I’d prefer, but for most people it should be a good size. Nissan is trying hard to downplay the notion of the Leaf going on longer trips, focusing instead on how practical it is for the more common type of driving: commutes and everyday city driving on the order of tens of miles. That can’t eliminate the anxiety a Leaf owner would have, though, if they needed to make a trip that pushes the boundaries of what the car is capable of. As an all-purpose car, you’re better off with gas for now, of course, but that’s because the Leaf represents a generation of vehicles that isn’t yet supported by our infrastructure — a 50-year-old infrastructure based very effectively around petroleum. While thousands of charge stations will be going up over the next year or two, one still feels restricted, as if one is on an electric leash. The Leaf is a car I’d recommend to anyone who’s already game, but it’s not going to change anyone’s mind who isn’t already interested in getting a plug-in. That’ll happen a few years down the road. But for those legitimately on the fence, I think the Leaf may be a worthy investment.
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| Of Course Hitler Had To Weigh In On The Symantec iOS Security Report Posted: 04 Aug 2010 03:51 PM PDT Symantec’s recent report doesn’t have very nice things to say about iOS’s security. Something about a PDF exploit and bad guys taking control of iPhones and iPads – you know, a real security hole that Apple should address immediately. Hitler doesn’t care, though. His solution? Hitlerfix. Click through for the timely adaptation of the meme.
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| The Mini Riser Is A Mini Notebook Riser (duh) Posted: 04 Aug 2010 03:00 PM PDT
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| Those Full-Body Scanners We Were Told Wouldn’t Save Images? Yeah, They’re Saving Images. Shock. Posted: 04 Aug 2010 02:00 PM PDT
Who saw this coming? Oh, right: most everyone. Gotcha. The Federal Government has admitted to storing those full-body scan images that had privacy advocates so worked up over the past few months. This, despite the fact that it said it wouldn't store the images. Say one thing, do another. Yay. Even more annoying is the fact that these full-body scanning machines were sold to us as not even being able to store images at all! As if there was no memory for the pictures to go after they had been taken. Clearly we have been misled. The U.S. Marshal Service admitted to storing tens of thousands of images without the permission of passengers. They didn't even notify the passengers! You'd at least like to see something like, "Like it or not, but we're keeping these photos. You don't like it then don't board the airplane." The Transportation Security Administration now says those body scanners must be able to store images for "testing, training, and evaluation purposes." Mm. Does this all ring a bell? The full-body scanners, we've been told, are a safe, secure way to check out whether or not someone is trying to carry contraband on-board an airplane. (Well, it's quick than a traditional pat-down.) We were told that the scanning process would be split into two: the person hitting the "scan" button, and the person in a separate room actually analyzing the photo. That way the person doing the analyzing doesn't actually know what the person in the photo looks like. Remember: for your protection. I didn't mind the scanners in the beginning, but I'm not a fan of being misled to. Oh well.
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| The Universal Network Cable is a universal network cable Posted: 04 Aug 2010 01:30 PM PDT
It’s $30 at ThinkGeek, and $23 at Fry’s online. Get ‘em while they’re hot!
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| The First Kindle KDK-based Programs Trickle Out Posted: 04 Aug 2010 12:46 PM PDT
The first game is called Shuffled Row and is a sort of Scrabble clone. There’s Every Word, a word descrambling game. I don’t quite get it but here are the instructions:
Whatever. Anyway, I could definitely see this as a great way to add Sudoku and crossword puzzles – potentially branded by the big names. Obviously we’re also dealing with a very limited set of data entry elements on the Kindle proper, so games would be hobbled. Add a touchscreen into the mix, however, and you’ve got a minxy good time. Wordgames may be most popular for the casual user, but I could also imagine a sort of writing/notetaking system or even a blogging system built-into the app. Imagine reading a book a reviewing it on the fly and you kind of get what I mean, although that sounds about as much fun as dentistry. Regardless, keep your eyes peeled for more KDK apps this month.
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| Latest Apple Rumor Speaks Of Smaller iPads & iPods, And Early 2011 iPhone 5 Release Date Posted: 04 Aug 2010 11:52 AM PDT
Smaller iPod? Sure why not. Perhaps that what that small LCD screen that appeared a few weeks back was for. Maybe a new shuffleless shuffle? Smaller iPad? Hells yeah. Personally I find the iPad too big and feel that a smaller screen — the rumor says 7-inches — is better suited for most of the tasts. It would make a more portable ebook reader, a better GPS unit, and the scaled iPhone apps wouldn’t look so bad. Plus, it would be totally pocketable. Early 2011 iPhone 5 release? Certainly plausible. Apple is still no doubt reeling internally about the whole Antennagate scandel and would probably like to quickly move past the iPhone 4 and onto, I don’t know, the iPhone 4GS. Or it could be the CDMA Verizon iPhone. New bumpers? Apple is only giving away the current crop of bumpers through September, which lead many to believe there will be a slightly new model launched afterwards. This rumor states that actually Apple is working on a new lower-cost bumper. Perhaps it will come bundled with the iPhone 4? Who knows.
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| Posted: 04 Aug 2010 08:58 AM PDT
It’s a different story in Euroland or Asia. There are many ebook readers available, as two devices backed by content providers don't dominate the market. This creates true consumer choice and opportunities for new ebook readers. Now, the Kindle is still huge everywhere, but at least manufacturers haven’t totally given up on the market like they have in the US. But did Apple just destroy the US tablet market in the same way? Are manufacturers really going to invest millions upon millions of dollars in R&D and marketing when consumers are buying the iPad by the millions? Is the US tablet market dead? It’s been about five months since the iPad launched. Since then we’ve heard bits and pieces of info concerning upcoming tablets from some big names. So far, the only tablet that’s actually made it to market from a major manufacturer is the Dell Streak, but with a 5-inch screen, it’s not exactly after the same crowd as the iPad. Nearly every week something drops that says Acer, Asus, Lenovo, everyone is working on a so-called iPad killer. But where are they? Did the iPad really come out of nowhere and catch everyone off guard? Surely it doesn’t take that much time to design and manufacture a keyboardless-netbook running Android? That’s what’s so strange: Tablets have been made for years and they really haven’t changed all that much, but yet since the launch of the iPad five months ago, the whole industry has been silent. Only a few convertible netbooks have dropped including the Viliv S10 and Asus Eee T10. Sure, there’s a steady stream of cheap Android tablets flowing out of China, but none of the top PC makers has responded with a proper competitor. It really feels like the whole market is holding its breath. HP has perhaps the best chance to shatter the silence with the Palmpad. After all, it's coming to the market bearing any major unforeseen hurdle and might be the best chance the tablet market has to spur true competition and innovation. WebOS failed the first time around mainly because of poor hardware, but hopefully that won’t be the case with the Palmpad. But the longer HP delays its launch, the iPad gains marketshare and furthers its conquest for total domination. It only took the iPad two months to hit the three million-unit mark. Just think what will happen if it has this Christmas shopping season all to itself. Now that HP owns Palm and the rights to webOS, they have the same advantage as Apple. They can develop the OS specifically to their hardware. Everyone else is relying on Android underpinnings developed by Google. Then there’s the Android updating issue and all the fractioning. Android and tablets simply do not seem to be a recipe for success. The iPad is killing the tablet market even more so than the iPod killed in PMPs. The iPod was the top dog for years, but there was always a race for second place between Creative, Archos, SanDisk, and eventually Microsoft with the Zune. This might not be the case with tablets as they're more expensive to develop than MP3 players and makers have a lot more to lose. So rather than competing specifically in the US market where the iPad is the king of kings, they might go after other markets in Europe or Asia or ignore the form factor altogether. I truly hope I’m wrong. I don’t even own an iPad, nor do I want one. The only Apple product I use on a daily basis is the full-size keyboard. But look at the numbers: the iPad has a gigantic head start against any other tablet. So much so that it probably already “won.” All I hope is that manufacturers haven’t totally gave up in that space and plan on outing innovative competitors. I just don’t see it happening anytime soon, though.
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| CERAMICA: Japanese Designer Mini Speakers Posted: 04 Aug 2010 08:40 AM PDT
Japan-based accessory maker Momoyama is offering a range of ceramic mini speakers that come with an iPod cradle and in funny (stylish?) forms. Choose, for example, between a pig, a hippo, an apple or a cute elephant (more versions can be seen here [JP]).
Each fruit-themed speaker of the so-called CERAMICA series costs $45, while the animal-like models cost $52 (Japanese street prices, including the cradle). Momoya plans to start selling the speakers in Japan from the middle of August.
If you’re interested but live outside Japan, contact specialized online stores such as The Japan Trend Shop, Geek Stuff 4 U or Rinkya.
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| MSI Outs Thin But Powerful Notebooks With The P600 And S600 Posted: 04 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT
MSI Announces North American Availability of the Thin P600/S6000 Notebooks: Power and Portability for People on the Go Notebooks Combine Built In Optical Drive with Powerful Performance and Long Battery Life in a Portable 15.6 Inch Form Factor CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–MSI Computer Corp., a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, today announced the North American availability of its thin and light P600 and S6000 notebooks, designed for people who need powerful multimedia, entertainment and business capabilities. "By providing a lightweight notebook that people can take anywhere, MSI strives to exceed busy people's demands for portability and powerful computing." MSI displays its technical prowess by combining its exclusive ECO Engine power saving technology with Intel®'s Core i5 processors on the Calpella platform, and Intel Turbo Boost technology. As a result, the P600 and S6000 notebooks offer 30 percent improved performance, and for the P600, battery life clocks in at up to eight hours, which is 15 percent longer than average for standard notebooks in its class. Additional features of the P600/S6000 include: MSI's own EasyFace software that authenticates users by recognizing unique facial features to help keep sensitive data safe while on the go. The P600 will be available online, at sites including Newegg, Amazon, J&R, and the S6000 will be available in stores, including Office Depot, Micro Center, Tigerdirect and La Curacao. For more information, including a complete list of specs, please visit http://www.msimobile.com/level2_productlist.aspx?id=5. About MSI Notebook Based in City of Industry Calif., MSI Notebook manufactures and sells a wide array of mobile computing products. Its product lines include the highly-praised G-Series gaming notebooks, the award-winning and ultra-portable U-Series, the ultra-slim and ultra-portable X-Series, the classic and affordable C-Series, and the newest addition to MSI Notebook, the F-series. Each product line is designed with the latest technology to meet a specific set of needs for the various classifications of mobile users. To learn more about MSI Notebook's complete offerings, please visit www.msimobile.com.
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| New, Weird Feature Allows Audio Streaming From iDisk Posted: 04 Aug 2010 07:59 AM PDT
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| European Signature Edition Of Gran Turismo 5 Has Many Things, Costs Many Euros Posted: 04 Aug 2010 07:30 AM PDT
Once again, the Europeans get all the fun. Sony Europe just announced the collector's edition (technically the Signature Edition) of Gran Turismo 5. It comes with many things! You get the game, obviously, but you also get a "metal sculpted box finished in SLS AMG Obsidian Black"; an "exclusive GT branded SLS AMG 1:43 model car"; a "GT leather wallet containing Signature Edition competition entry card"; a "Branded USB key with Polyphony/Mercedes-Benz trailer"; a "GT branded metal key fob" (I don't even know what a "fob" is); a "Signature Edition coffee table book featuring the beautiful cars and locations of Gran Turismo 5" (!); and a "200 page Apex drivers magazine with hints on driving technique, car tuning, future technologies and more." How much? Reach into your wallet, pull out your credit card (or wad of cash if your name is Ric Flair and this is 1986), and be prepared to pay a very handsome €180, or just shy of $240. That's right: $240 for a video game. Rumor has it Sony was going to call the game Steel Battalion: Gran Turismo 5. No idea when this version comes out, but the American edition has a November 2 release date. When it comes to Gran Turismo 5: I'll believe it when I'm holding it in my hand.
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Now this is how you do it. China is looking into creating a high-speed train that would 
Microsoft just announced the results from their latest preview version of 
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