CrunchGear |  |
- RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon MM 2 Watch: American-Made At Its Finest
- People Are Really Happy With Their iPads
- Daily Crunch: The Operating Theater Edition
- Beautiful “Naked Radio” Repurposes Parts, Looks Amazing
- CrunchDeals: Many Drives, Many Discounts
- Ricoh Updates Its Rugged Camera Line With GPS-Enabled G700SE
- Sony’s New Portable Blu-ray Writer Does 6X On Single-Layer Discs
- Kinect’s Project Milo Grounded?
- SpringPad Finds Its Feet With Mobile App
- Toshiba’s L635 Laptop Is Aimed At The Kiddie Market
- Early Samsung NX100 Hands-On Is Disappointing
- Review: Nav9 Windows 7 Tablet
- Peel 520 iPod touch 3G-ifyer available for pre-order
- The Lowdown On Maximum Tech, Future Publishing’s New Personal Tech Magazine
- Once Upon A Time In America … Blockbuster Files For Bankruptcy
- Nissan Announces Plans For A Pure Electric Van
- The JVC DLA-HD250 Drops D-ILA Projectors To A Lower Pricepoint
- SteelSeries Shift Keyboard Lets You Switch Between Differet Keysets
- Video: Sonic Looks Much Happier In Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Than He Has In Recent Years
- Sony Introduces Its First SXRD 3D Projector, The VPL-VW90ES
| RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon MM 2 Watch: American-Made At Its Finest Posted: 24 Sep 2010 05:19 AM PDT  I wasn't sure what to expect when I first laid eyes on the movement for this RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon watch (which I discussed here). Sure the final version isn't much different than the preview I saw a while ago, but seeing it all put together with case, text, hands, and finishing is really satisfying. I feel a nice level of price seeing this timepiece, knowing it is all American. It really doesn't have too much to do with the fact that "we can do it." If Americans needed to build a tourbillon watch a while ago, we would have. This isn't an achievement in technology or engineering. Rather, it is a signal of our American appreciation in fine watches. That we care enough about good looking, traditional watches to invest enough to make our own. That for me feels good, and a positive sign that Americans are taking timepieces seriously again. A lost appreciation (to a large degree), that is coming back, bit by bit.
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| People Are Really Happy With Their iPads Posted: 24 Sep 2010 05:08 AM PDT
Apparently you can get satisfaction, if you’re the owner of an iPad that is. A report recently released by the American Customer Satisfaction Index shows that consumer satisfaction with personal computers is at an all time high having grown 4% this year, now scoring a 78 on the100-point scale. Leading the pack for the seventh year in row, beloved fanboy brand Apple gains 2% to hit an 86, its highest score ever and a full 9 points ahead of it’s competitors Dell, Acer and HP which all scored 77s.
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| Daily Crunch: The Operating Theater Edition Posted: 24 Sep 2010 12:00 AM PDT |
| Beautiful “Naked Radio” Repurposes Parts, Looks Amazing Posted: 23 Sep 2010 06:00 PM PDT
It’s too bad there is only one of these, and it’s too bad I never listen to the radio. [via NotCot]
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| CrunchDeals: Many Drives, Many Discounts Posted: 23 Sep 2010 05:32 PM PDT
Here’s what I’d buy if I had infinite money but still loved bargains:
Those are some solid buys. Plus if you use the coupon code “seagatestorage,” you get an extra 10% off. Hell yeah. Head over to Seagate to check out the rest.
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| Ricoh Updates Its Rugged Camera Line With GPS-Enabled G700SE Posted: 23 Sep 2010 04:00 PM PDT
The SE has wifi and Bluetooth built-in, to begin with, which is something I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot more of soon. Next it’s got a GPS unit that plugs right into the side, there. Doesn’t that affect its water and dust resistance, having a gaping hole in the side? The GPS unit does the usual stuff, but also supports recording camera direction and movement, which could be really handy for some. Not me, but some. Maybe GPS isn’t your thing, and instead, you’d like to have something like a laser barcode reader in your rugged camera. Lucky for you, Ricoh has that as an option as well. I really have no idea why such a thing would be made available, but I assume there’s a good reason. Aside from that, it appears to be pretty much the same camera as the G700. No price on either of these guys yet, or for the add-on modules. Expect that info in mid-October.
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| Sony’s New Portable Blu-ray Writer Does 6X On Single-Layer Discs Posted: 23 Sep 2010 03:30 PM PDT
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| Kinect’s Project Milo Grounded? Posted: 23 Sep 2010 03:30 PM PDT
Of course, it’s up to Lionhead whether or not to actually make the game, and they’ve put a lot of effort into it. The rumors might just be resulting from, say, certain portions of the game being completed or canceled. I have my own problems with the idea of the game, but I’m still a bit sad to see something so unprecedented potentially getting the shaft. Remember, this is still just a rumor, so we’ll keep you updated if we hear anything else.
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| SpringPad Finds Its Feet With Mobile App Posted: 23 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT
Let's imagine a scenario; scenarios are usually fun. Let's say you're walking down the street, or in the mall, as you do, phone in hand, and see something in the shop window that catches your eye. "Hmm, this looks interesting," you say to no one in particular. "Let me check that out." So you walk, inspect the item, then say to yourself, "You know, this looks pretty neat, but I'm not quite sure I want it yet. $X-Amount isn't exactly an impulse, you know?" You whip out your phone, launch something called SpringPad, then scan the item's barcode with your phone. SpringPad goes out to the Internet, pulls all sorts of metadata, then stores said data for you on its Web site. When you get home, and you have time to think, you pull up SpringPad, then all of that data is ready and waiting for you. I met up with SpringPad's CEO, Jeff Janer, last week to get a quick tour of the service. It's one of those things that's useful to you if it's useful to you, if that makes any sense. The premise is simple to grasp, as evidenced by the service's slogan ("a free app that helps you remember"). It helps you remember! It's broken up into two main components, there's the Web application (most useful when used in conjunction with a browser extension) and the mobile application (there's one for Android and iOS). Living entirely in the Web application is a little less exciting, if only because, well, who's not armed, 24/7, with a phone?
It works like this: you go about the Web (or the real world) and you stumble upon something, be it a Web site, a photo, a video game, whatever, and want to store that information for later retrieval. (Yes, I realize you could just bookmark a Web site; give me a moment.) What you do is mark (either via the browser extension or e-mail) that item, and then it goes into your SpringPad database. If you marked, say, a movie you read a review for online—may I recommend Louis CK's Hilarious? (Epix invite here)—then SpringPad will pull in things like local showtimes. If you clip an Italian dish recipe, then SpringPad will pull in local restaurants that may also interest you. Like I said, it's the mobile component that's most compelling. You could be at a bookstore, scan a book you may want to read, then come home to all sorts of info: Amazon reviews, price comparisons, and so on. Again, the main idea here is to help you remember stuff. You're out, doing your thing, see a bunch of stuff, send 'em off to SpringPad so when you get home you can parse through it all at your leisure. I'm not one to "hoard" too much information while sitting in front of my computer—I have zero bookmarks set on my current Firefox installation, as crazy as that sounds—but the idea of having a sort of depository for my mobile could prove entertaining.
As I said, useful if it's useful to you. Oh, and I should probably mention the price: free. Nothing wrong with free.
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| Toshiba’s L635 Laptop Is Aimed At The Kiddie Market Posted: 23 Sep 2010 02:30 PM PDT
There’s a built-in DVD drive and the usual ports. So I was kind of exaggerating when I said it was for kindergartners. It’s really more for the clumsy teen who has a bad habit of spilling shakes on his electronics. No specs are available, but it’s $500, so I’m guessing it’ll be competitive with the lower-end ultraportables out there. Low-power CPU… 2GB of RAM… onboard graphics or a combo chip, that sort of thing. It’ll be available September 26 at Best Buy.
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| Early Samsung NX100 Hands-On Is Disappointing Posted: 23 Sep 2010 02:00 PM PDT
The thing is, a lot was riding on the i-Function lenses, and the ones they tried out were fiddly. I can’t stand fiddly. Being able to focus manually is great, but I don’t like the idea that I’ll have to take my eyes off the subject to check whether it’s in the right mode. If they can make this work better, or if some lenses execute it better, the camera will fare decently. But they also took issue with the feel of the camera and the control layout. “One of the least aesthetically and ergonomically appealing mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras we've ever held.” That’s pretty savage. Check out the whole article over at Pocket-Lint.
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| Posted: 23 Sep 2010 01:30 PM PDT
Pros:
Cons:
Full review: Windows-based tablets are nothing new, but with the iPad spurring sales and raising interest in every sector, and Windows 7 including many considerations for touch interaction, a lot of OEMs are going to be coming out with devices aimed at the enterprise/pro market. The Nav9 is one of these, making it to market long before the delayed HP slate and offering a more straightforward, netbook-like experience.
Before we get started, here are the specs on the unit I used:
I don’t want to drag out this review with a pointless description of Windows 7′s strengths and shortcomings in the tablet form. If you’re interested in a consumer tablet made just for email, internet, and basic media playback, it’s probably enough to say that a Windows 7 tablet is not for you, and you’ll be better off with an iPad or one of the numerous platforms that will surely be coming out later this year and in early 2011. The best comparison is probably your average netbook, to which the Nav9 is pretty much equivalent hardware-wise (as opposed to the also-obvious iPad, with which the Nav9 really shares less). While you won’t be running any serious 3D or rendering video on this thing, it handles Windows 7 extremely well; applications opened as quickly as you would expect on an Atom, and VLC played back 720p content perfectly well with no stutters or delay. Startup time is relatively long, but it wakes up from sleep instantly, as it should. Battery life is similar to a netbook; 3 hours would be a good estimate, but 3G and heavy video usage will of course drop that. As far as customization goes, only the hard drive and RAM can be upgraded; 2GB is really a good idea, but 32GB of space should be enough given the SD card slot and USB ports. You can open up the back, but it’ll void the warranty; Netbook Navigator does let you send it in to them for a quick-turnaround upgrade for these components. A vanilla Windows 7 netbook or tablet is pretty boring to begin with, though a personalized unit with multiple desktops, all the touch settings tweaked right, and so on could definitely be a nice work environment. Check out the video demonstrating the capabilities of this little guy: Sure, it’s sped up, and most of this stuff is just baked into Windows now, but still. If you take the time to put your system together (I’ve been improving this XP install for eight years now) it can be pretty nice. I didn’t have time to personalize the tablet, so I’m not going to ding them for a rather plain experience out of the box. I found the resistive touchscreen to be accurate and responsive to both finger and stylus, though of course for the (astonishingly accurate) handwriting recognition you’ll need to use the stylus. The display itself is bright and sharp, but the viewing angle is really pretty bad. Left and right angles were fine, but tilting the screen up or down resulted in serious color shifting after only perhaps 20 degrees. Video looked great, and text was sharp.
Build quality struck me as very solid; lots of plastic, but thick plastic. The screen, when seen with glare, had a distressing irregularity to its coating, especially on the bezel, but it wasn’t visible when the display was on. The ports are on the sides: 2x USB, audio, power, and combo on the left side; the last USB and SD slot are on the right. Power button is up top, and the user-accessible insides are naturally accessed through the base plate. It’s got a bunch of status LEDs that kind of blast you in the face if you’re in the dark. There is a fan, but it’s very quiet. The SSD keeps things cool, quick, and silent, and it never felt too warm in my hand. Speaking of which, it’s not exactly light at 2lbs, but not exactly heavy either. And while the 0.8″ thickness may look a little bulbous, it actually feels good to grip something about this size, especially if you’re going to be writing or tapping on it with the other hand. Needs to be meaty. Conclusion The questions that needs to be answered, of course, are “is a Windows 7 tablet right for you?” and “what does this tablet offer that others don’t?” To the first, I would would say probably not; a 7 tablet is more aimed at enterprise and IT, and while it’s a full PC in your hand, with all the benefits that provides, it’s also pretty poorly optimized for touch at the moment. You’d have to put some work into it. As for whether the Nav9 provides anything special, I’d also have to say probably not, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a worthwhile machine. It’s a netbook with a resistive touchscreen, and that pretty much tells the whole story. If that’s what you need, and you don’t want to wait until early 2011 for the big companies’ versions of this form factor and OS, then the Nav9 is a worthwhile investment. Bonus! If you feel like ordering one of these guys, use the coupon code CRUNCHGEAR10 at checkout for 10% off your order.     
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| Peel 520 iPod touch 3G-ifyer available for pre-order Posted: 23 Sep 2010 12:48 PM PDT
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| The Lowdown On Maximum Tech, Future Publishing’s New Personal Tech Magazine Posted: 23 Sep 2010 12:30 PM PDT
Sort of a meta post for your Thursday afternoon consumption. Future, the publishers behind Nintendo Power, Mac Life, and Edge (among others), have a new magazine up their sleeves that may interest you guys. It’s called Maximum Tech (here‘s today’s press release), and it’s supposed to do to personal technology—all the fun stuff you see here every single day—what the likes of Edge and T3 have done for gaming and gadgetry. Allow me to explain. I spent a few minutes yesterday talking to Jon Phillips, who’s the editor-in-chief of the new magazine. My first thought was, well, how wise is it to launch a new magazine in 2010? It turns out that not all print media is dying. As Phillips explained to me, what’s happening is that publications that are heavily dependent upon advertising revenue are falling away. If you take the novel step of actually charging more than 50 cents for something you’re actually able to sustain yourself. So, while the newsstands were once filled with an atrocious number of magazines, often sold for something like $4 (and often worth barely half as much), today it’s more a case of: let’s charge $8 or $9 for this magazine, <>make it good, and you’ll be fine. That, and don’t bother with subscriptions. You want Maximum Tech, you’ll have to leave your house (!) and buy it at the store. That’s the "business" side of Maximum Tech in a nutshell: charging for quality. You don’t have to depend on 8 million advertisers, and then have half of your printed pages be ads. As for the content, Phillips concedes that the magazine, which initially will be a quarterly publication, isn’t going to be competing with the likes of [INSERT YOUR FAVORITE TECH BLOG HERE] on news. Obviously the lead time in producing a quarterly publication precludes running "small company releases new thing you’ll probably never use" stories that make up so much of the daily grind. No, what you’ll see is longer (and actually researched!) features—an article this month teaches you how to build your own "better-than-Tivo" box—and reviews based on legit quality time spent with an item. It’s sorta like how you don’t read Edge to see a quick blurb about how Kudo Tsunoda hates the as a gaming platform, but maybe a multi-page article, borne from that very comment, on the history of the genre, from the early days of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom to Halo: Reach and Call of Duty: Black Ops. The magazine actually has a photography studio! You’ll actually see photos that are properly lit and have a bit more imagination to them than merely, "Oh, here’s some blurry unboxing photos I took with my iPhone." You’re paying for quality, you see. And, should the magazine prove to be a hit, Philips says they’re not opposed to producing it a little more frequently, if not even moving to a monthly model. So, if you’ve ever thought to yourself, "You know, I like this stuff, but there’s, like, zero depth anywhere. Where can I turn?" now you know.
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| Once Upon A Time In America … Blockbuster Files For Bankruptcy Posted: 23 Sep 2010 11:52 AM PDT  It's come to this: the success of Netflix and Redbox in the United States have driven Blockbuster, as expected, to file for bankruptcy protection after failing to adequately and swiftly adapt its movie-rental model from physical storefronts to mail-order and online technology pioneered by its aforementioned competitors. The company filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition today in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, listing assets of $1.02 billion and debt of $1.46 billion. The company's largest trade creditor is Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment with a $21.6 million claim, according to today's filing. The news, first reported by Bloomberg, comes almost 25 years after Blockbuster opened its first store (Dallas, Texas on October 26, 1985).
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| Nissan Announces Plans For A Pure Electric Van Posted: 23 Sep 2010 11:30 AM PDT
The thought process is probably along the same lines as GM’s Voltec Cargo Can Concept. Simply install a similar, but beefed up Leaf powertrain in a commercial-quality vehicle. The application is sound in theory as delivery vans tend to drive within a limited area anyway, and the vehicle platform itself is probably able to handle more batteries than small consumer vehicles like the Leaf. Besides, designers don’t have to worry about making it so pretty. Delivery guys don’t care about stuff like that. It’s function over form for them.
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| The JVC DLA-HD250 Drops D-ILA Projectors To A Lower Pricepoint Posted: 23 Sep 2010 11:16 AM PDT
The DLA-HD250/250Pro utilizes three .7-inch 1920×1080 LCoS panels paired with a 1,000 lumens lamp to produce the image. The presser also points out that this model has “outstanding native contrast” without a dynamic iris to muck up the specs. Nearly everything else you would expect from a quality projector is included as well: motorized zoom, on-screen controls, advance video processor. All this could be yours for $2,995 later this month. JVC UNVEILS ENTRY-LEVEL D-ILA HOME THEATER PROJECTOR ATLANTA, September 23, 2010 – (Virtual Press Office) – JVC U.S.A. today introduced a low-cost home theater projector that for the first time provides advanced D-ILA technology at an entry-level price. The new projector, to be marketed as the DLA-HD250 by JVC Consumer and the DLA-HD250Pro by JVC Professional, is priced below $3,000 and delivers 25,000:1 native contrast ratio and 1,000 ANSI lumens brightness. The DLA-HD250/250Pro features three 0.7-inch 1920×1080 D-ILA devices for a naturally rich, flicker-free picture with true blacks and extraordinary luminance detail. Combined with JVC's wire-grid optical engine, the new projector provides outstanding native contrast – without a dynamic iris to artificially inflate contrast specifications. Plus, an advanced HQV Reon-VX video processor by Silicon Optix ensures excellent image reproduction with precision I/P conversion and scaling. Other features include a high-performance 2x motorized zoom lens with auto dust cover, as well as on-screen, customizable gamma control and ultra-quiet (19dB) operation. While ideal for use in a dedicated home theater, the DLA-HD250/250Pro is also suitable for brighter environments, such as great rooms or bar and restaurant installations, thanks to its 1,000 lumens of brightness. "JVC projectors have been widely acclaimed for their performance, but they've remained out of reach for home theater enthusiasts with a limited budget," said Gary Klasmeier, product engineering manager, D-ILA Systems, JVC Professional Products. "With this new projector we bring D-ILA's remarkable film-like image quality and impressive native contrast to an entirely new market segment." The DLA-HD250/250Pro will be available later this month for $2,995. It carries a two-year warranty.
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| SteelSeries Shift Keyboard Lets You Switch Between Differet Keysets Posted: 23 Sep 2010 11:00 AM PDT
SteelSeries has a fancy new keyboard that might be worth checking out. It’s called the Shift, and its deal is that it has interchangeable keysets. So, you have one keyset for your FPS—yes, Kudo, people still plays FPSs on PCs—, one for MMOs, one for RTSs, and so on. If the concept sounds familiar, it’s because Shift is an updated version of the Zboard keyboard from a few years back. (SteelSeries bought the company that first produced the Zboard.) Beyond that, though, it’s all SteeelSeries—sturdy materials and a design that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to have on your desk. It has media keys that you can map to whatever, a built-in microphone and audio-out port (no having to snake around your headset cable anymore!), and two USB ports, one of which is powered. The keyboard itself is $90 and comes with one standard keyset, with additional keysets available for $25 a pop.
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| Video: Sonic Looks Much Happier In Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Than He Has In Recent Years Posted: 23 Sep 2010 10:30 AM PDT Interrupting your Thursday afternoon with new footage (I love how we still use the word "footage," by the way) of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. (I guess there’s going to be multiple episodes? One would think.) It’s safe to say that I’d much rather run through this game than play something where Sonic transforms into a werewolf. Who made that decision?!
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| Sony Introduces Its First SXRD 3D Projector, The VPL-VW90ES Posted: 23 Sep 2010 10:00 AM PDT
ATLANTA, Sept. 23, 2010 (CEDIA Booth #1112) – Sony today brings the big-screen 3D cinematic experience home with the new the VPL-VW90ES – the company's first 3D front projector. Designed with the custom and specialty consumer electronics market in mind, the VPL-VW90ES is the first projector to be been branded with Sony's "Elevated Standard" (ES) moniker, signifying an emphasis on high build quality and outstanding video experience. It was also engineered to seamlessly integrate third-party control systems. "The VW90ES also shares the heritage of previously acclaimed Sony SXRD projectors delivering incredible 2D performance that rivals any competition in its class," he added. The Silicon X-tal Reflective Display (SXRD™) full HD (1920 x 1080) projector delivers film-like performance with Sony's 24p True Cinema™. It incorporates frame sequential 3D technology with active-shutter glasses that work together with Sony’s proprietary 240Hz high frame rate technology, delivering smooth, full high-definition 3D images. The new 240Hz high frame rate drive supports to minimize cross talk for minimal image distortion, producing an unrivalled 3D and 2D high definition cinematic experience. Additionally, the projector uses a single Ultra High Performance (UHP) lamp that drives brightness of 1,000 ANSI lumens and delivers a sharp, deep black picture thanks to Sony's Advanced Iris 3™ technology that helps to produce a dynamic contrast ratio of 150,000:1. Sony's ES audio and video products not only deliver outstanding sound and picture quality, they are built to seamlessly integrate with third-party control systems. Sony has worked closely with major custom home theater control companies ensuring that drivers are available and accurate. The VPL-VW90ES is no different as it joins an elite list of Sony products that integrate easily with leading home automation systems including Control4, Crestron, AMX®, Savant, Ultimate Remote Control, RTI, Vantage, and others. The projector is also Control4 Certified and includes an AMX Device Discovery Beacon. The projector does not require a special screen so it can be easily placed in existing home theaters with minimal revision to the set up making it ideal for retrofit projects. It includes two pairs of Sony active shutter 3D glasses that are also compatible with Sony's 3D capable BRAVIA HDTVs. The VPL-VW90ES SXRD 3D front projector will be available in November for about $10,000 through Sony authorized installers and specialty dealers around the country. It will come equipped with two pairs of Sony active shutter 3D glasses and a built-in 3D transmitter.
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There’s a big sale going on right now at Seagate, and whether you’re in the market for a portable drive, an NAS, or something in between, there’s probably a deal for you here. Major savings, people, but I don’t think they’ll last.
The L635 looks to be your basic compact notebook, with a 13.3″ display and a thin, but not too thin, form factor. The kid-friendly design is limited to the keyboard and shell: the keyboard is wipeable and resistant to fluids and crumbs, and the shell is fingerprint-resistant — you know, because kids hate fingerprints. On the inside, it’s got the KidZui for-kidz browser and Net Nanny comes pre-installed, so your kids can learn early how to circumvent censorship software. It’ll also have Lego Batman, because hell yes.
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