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- Skullcandy Supreme Sound Hesh 2.0 Headphone Review: Like Vs. Love
- Some Guys Have All The Luck: HTC One X Hitting Doorsteps Ahead Of Schedule
- Lost In The Supermarket? A New Sensor Will Navigate For You Indoors
- Surprisingly Simple Arduino Motion-Sensing Project Makes For Some Weekend Fun
- HTC Titan II Review: Head-To-Head With The Lumia 900 And One X
- Wicked Lasers Releases Light-Up “Laser Saber” On Star Wars Day
| Skullcandy Supreme Sound Hesh 2.0 Headphone Review: Like Vs. Love Posted: 04 May 2012 01:08 PM PDT  There’s a huge difference between like and love. I like cheese, but I love Gruyere. I like beef, but I love filet mignon. I like phones, but I love my iPhone. You get the gist. Long story short, I really like Skullcandy’s latest pair of over-ear mid-range headphones, the Hesh 2.0. But do I love them? Skullcandy has been revamping its roster over the past year, including re-engineering their popular over-ear mid-range headphones. They promise “attacking bass, natural voice, and precision highs.” Where voice and highs are concerned, Skullcandy nailed it. But “attacking bass” is an overstatement. There’s no true thud, no tangible feeling that comes along with the bass on these things. Just a low note, like any other low note. Truth be told, I don’t feel transported to a higher plane of audio ecstasy with these things on my head, but sound quality isn’t bad by any means. I’ve been running around with an older set of Bose over-the-ears for the past few weeks and it’s hard to compete with those noise-cancelling beasts. When I put the Bose cans over my ears, all the excess sound instantly disappears. I’m in my own little suction cup of silence, until I turn on the tunes, at which point I can feel the bass buzzing through my brain. On the other hand, the Hesh headphones are certainly loud enough for just about any setting, including a subway platform, but passersby won’t have any line of defense from your tune choices. I made the mistake of listening to “Superman” by Eminem on the crowded elevator in AOL HQ this morning at full volume — I’m sure I’m only more popular now. I don’t get the same kind of satisfaction from the Skullcandy Hesh 2.0 as I do with my Bose cans, but I also don’t pay as much. The Skullcandy Hesh headphones only cost $69.99 with a mic, and $59.99 without, as opposed to the $250+ set of Bose. That said, sound quality is perfectly acceptable at this price point. Comfort-wise, I’m pretty pleased. I wish the headphones cupped my ears a bit more tightly — feels like there is a little pocket of space that sound escapes through. The leather pillow cups are nice, weight isn’t an issue at 180g, and the soft-touch headband is properly flexible. The Skullcandy Hesh 2.0 headphones come in a variety of color flavors, a few of which you can see below. Availability begins May 7 on Skullcandy.com. Click to view slideshow.
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| Some Guys Have All The Luck: HTC One X Hitting Doorsteps Ahead Of Schedule Posted: 04 May 2012 12:58 PM PDT  Sure, AT&T’s One X will officially hit store shelves this Sunday, but you may be in for an early weekend treat if you’ve taken it upon yourself to pre-order the thing. According to a handful of reports from AndroidCentral’s and Phandroid’s forums, some lucky HTC fans have already received their new Android handsets well in advance of the device’s official launch. It’s a common story, really — just about every time a hotly-awaited phone nears launch, it seems like some lucky son-of-a-gun manages to score one thanks to an overeager delivery person. Take another glance at your device’s order status (most likely though UPS if you ordered from AT&T) if you haven’t yet to see if your One X is set to land on your doorstep today. Those first few moments with the One X could be a little rough, if these early reports are any indication — some unlucky AT&T customers are reporting longer-than-usual activation times. C’est la vie. Of course, I get the feeling some of you may be rueing your decision to pre-order — if you’re always on the lookout for new and shiny hardware (and since you’re reading TechCrunch, there’s a good chance you fall into that category), Samsung’s newly-revealed Galaxy S III may be more up your alley. It may not have been the monumental leap forward some were hoping for — the expectations game is a real pain to manage — but it’s certainly going to be a real contender going forward. Samsung Mobile head JK Shin remarked at the device’s launch event in London yesterday that the LTE version of the device would land in U.S. over the summer, and The Verge managed to lock that launch date down to sometime this June. Like HTC’s flagship, Samsung’s new smartphone is expected to land on multiple carriers’ sales channels in one form or another, so it’s a great time for customers to prowl for potential upgrades.
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| Lost In The Supermarket? A New Sensor Will Navigate For You Indoors Posted: 04 May 2012 11:05 AM PDT  Sure, GPS helps us get from Point A to Point B, but what if you’re just trying to find the Cinnabon? A new system from Fraunhofer allows for in-store (or in-mall) navigation and uses very simple sensors to asses where you are in the building at any time. The system works when you enter the edifice and scan a QR code. This identifies your current position. A built-in pedometer and compass assess the speed and direction you’re going and, rather than relying on GPS signals, the system can tell where you are simply based on stride length. These include an acceleration sensor that registers the motion of the body, and a magnetic field sensor that measures the alignment of the body through its position in relation to the earth's magnetic field. In tandem, they map a highly precise movement pattern. "Sensor fusion" is the term von Rosenberg uses to refer to such intelligent coupling of multiple sensors. The fascinating thing is that the module does not have to be calibrated by the user. On its own, it detects if the individual has long legs, or is just taking baby steps. The system, called the MST-Smartsense Sensor, has its own processor built-in and could work with nearly any mobile device including tablets and smartphones. Although these things are proof-of-concept right now, it seems that something like this would be quite simple to implement using any modern phone assuming it had a pedometer built-in. Regardless, look for it at a defunct mall somewhere near you soon.
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| Surprisingly Simple Arduino Motion-Sensing Project Makes For Some Weekend Fun Posted: 04 May 2012 10:18 AM PDT  If you’ve always wanted to try to build an Arduino project, this may be a great way to start. Matt Williamson built a tiny, Arduino-based motion sensor that will SMS you when something moves by your desk or into a room. It’s completely open source and the notifications system runs on your PC thanks to a simple Python script. Why is this interesting? Well it only requires 67 lines of code to perform something quite useful and the hardware is very easy to build as it uses pre-made boards and a little plastic container to store the motion-sensing components. It’s no automatic robot lawnmower or AI-based hovercraft, but it’s still pretty cool.
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| HTC Titan II Review: Head-To-Head With The Lumia 900 And One X Posted: 04 May 2012 08:08 AM PDT  The HTC Titan II has already gone through the Fly or Die ringer, but the real determining factor for these phones is the level of competition surrounding them. In the case of the Titan II, the HTC/Microsoft partnership is most threatened by more HTC and Windows-powered phones, namely the Lumia 900 and the HTC One X. So what do these phones have that the Titan lacks? How does the Titan wipe up the floor with them? Well, that’s why I’m here, and why we’ve made this lovely graphic for you. Truth be told, specs really don’t matter anymore, especially specs like processor clock speed and (I’m sorry to say it) megapixel count on cameras. What really matters is your preferred operating system, display size/resolution, and comfort with design. When weighing these three phones against each other, the similarities are abundant, as are the subtle differences. For example, the Lumia 900 will net you $100 less than either of the other two phones. At the same time, it’s a touch smaller than the Titan and the One X, and if you prefer HTC hardware to Nokia’s then that doesn’t really matter. I happen to be a pretty huge fan of the Lumia 900 simply because Windows Phone can pull off its stupid 480×800 resolution requirement on a 4.3-inch screen much better than it can on the Titan’s 4.7-inch display. Past that, the phones are quite similar. The Lumia feels a bit more premium in the hand, yet HTC does an excellent job of making even their plastic phones feel high-end. If Windows Phone is your flavor, this is definitely a tough call. Good luck. If it’s HTC that tickles your fancy, it all comes down to the OS. Do you prefer Sense 4 on top of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, or would you prefer to play with Microsoft. The One X specs slap down the Titan II like Daniel LaRusso at the beginning of The Karate Kid, but as I mentioned earlier, specs matter less and less these days. Where you’ll really win with the One X is the 4.7-inch 720p display. If you can tote it around comfortably, it really doesn’t get much better than that. The ball is in your court, my dear readers. Choose wisely.
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| Wicked Lasers Releases Light-Up “Laser Saber” On Star Wars Day Posted: 04 May 2012 07:20 AM PDT Have you ever wanted to feel like a real Sith and/or blind your friends? Well buy yourself a massive WickedLaser’s laser and the $99 “laser saber” attachment and get ready to buy a guide dog! This saber screws into any WickedLasers $300 S3 laser (which are, arguably badass) and a special gravity powered plug makes it look like the laser is slowly powering up just like in the movies that WickedLasers is not associating itself with in any way. Generally, this isn’t quite what we’ve all been dreaming of – namely a finite-point plasma sword with the power to cut through steel bulkhead doors – but if you and your friends don’t mind spending a few hundred on lasers and attachments and you have a pair of welder’s goggles handy, these might make for a great afternoon of fun/potential blindness.
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 5/05/2012 05:24:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 5/05/2012 05:24:00 AM
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