• Home
• News
• Reviews
• Community
• About Us
• Log In

Latest Review

Samsung SyncMaster 940B LCD Monitor

Review by MikeC

Recent Reviews

Thermaltake Bigwater 745 Liquid Cooling

As a complete kit, the Bigwater 745 is a must to consider. However, a little investigation of whether your case can accommodate such a large system should be in order.

Thermaltake Mozart VC4000SNS

Thermaltake's Mozart is a gorgeous Home Theatre chassis that features an external display for system configuration and a built in Home Theatre front end software package.

Samsung YP-F1XB

Samsung is determined in their quest to become the worlds leading MP3 player maker by 2007. Their first entry in this foray is the YP-F1 which brings trendyness and functionality to the MP3 player market.

Latest Tech News

AMD Names the Next PC Computing Thrill Ride: The Phenom™ (no impressions left yet)

Unless you're an Intel guy, like me, this news just comes as normalcy; there can’t be just one choice. I mean, if Intel reigned supreme over all other processors, what fun would that be? At any rate, the new AMD chip looks like it could be a fantastic rival to the core 2 duo. Further more, I need to know prices for the simple reason: is it cheaper? Or perhaps, the better buy? I'll let you decide for your self, as I will come to my own conclusions. More can be read by following the link provided below.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- May 14, 2007 -- Delivering a four-core foreshadowing of innovations to come for PC enthusiasts worldwide, AMD (NYSE: AMD) today unveiled the upcoming AMD Phenom™ processor family name and publicly demonstrated the first all-AMD enthusiast platform, codenamed “FASN8.” The industry’s only true quad-core client processors are expected to deliver the ultimate visual experience, especially when paired with AMD’s new DirectX 10 ATI Radeon™ HD 2000 series, which began shipping today (see related press release: “AMD Introduces the ATI Radeon™ HD 2000 Series, Delivering The Ultimate Visual Experience™ for Desktop and Mobile Platforms”). AMD expects true quad-core and dual-core AMD Phenom-based desktop systems will ship in the second half of 2007.

Read the Full Article: AMD Press Releases
Posted by HayesA at 2:04 PM on May 14 UTC

The HP HDX: a laptop in name only (no impressions left yet)

Although it sports the labtop look, and kinda feels like a labtop; it isn't a labtop at all. Looks can be deceiving, especially in the gadget business, which is why I found this partially interesting. Hey look! It also sports a huge 20" LCD! Below you shall find a short blerb (is that even a word? I have no idea, but it sounds fun.) From the post on crave. That is followed by a side preview of the labtop.

Weighing in at an amazing 15.5 pounds and sporting a desktop-sized 20-inch LCD, the HP Pavilion HDX is truly a laptop in name only. This semi-portable home theater system has a Media Center remote that docks right next to the full-size keyboard, an HDMI output, and an optional HD DVD drive. We first got a glimpse of the massive HP Pavilion HDX system back at CES 2007, and have been eagerly waiting for a review unit ever since. Some system highlights include:

• 20.1" WSXGA+ Ultra BrightView widescreen display
• Four Altec Lansing speakers plus built-in HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer
• Digital/Analog Hybrid TV Tuner
• HD DVD drive and HDMI port
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 XT
• An eSATA port for hooking up external backup drives

Read the Full Article: Crave Gadget Blog
Posted by HayesA at 1:47 PM on May 9 UTC

Sony Ericsson tosses out three new thin phones (no impressions left yet)

Sony Ericsson's new phone series is very attractive. Although my hope has diminished over recent Sony products, the Sony Ericsson branch has always attracted me to wanting their phones. Below is a short preview from the crave post, and then followed by a sample picture of one the new phones.

Sony Ericsson today released three new cell phones that aim to capitalize on the still-hot thin handset craze. Two of the new models should make it to North American shores, while one model features two dazzling colors rarely seen in the mobile world.

The Sony Ericsson S500 features a 2-megapixel camera with a 4x zoom, a media player (though not a Walkman-branded one), a speakerphone, a memory card slot, and stereo Bluetooth. The S500 features a slider design that is 0.55 inch thick and is available in the very unique hues of mysterious green and spring yellow.

Read the Full Article: Crave: Gadget Blog
Posted by HayesA at 1:21 AM on May 9 UTC

iPhone's Downsized Wide Screen (no impressions left yet)

It seems that the iPod's video screen is getting a little flack from the commnity for being an odd aspect ratio.

The specs of the iPhone list a pixel count of 480x320. In and of itself, that doesn't prove anything: some displays utilize rectangular pixels, which allows them to deliver a true 16:9 picture. (Older Hitachi plasma panels, for example, have a 1,024x1,024 pixel count, but their rectangular shape delivers a wide-screen image, rather than a perfect square one might infer from the resolution). But examining the photos of the iPhone on Apple's site reveals a nearly perfect 1.5:1 aspect ratio on the device's 3.5-inch screen when it's viewed in landscape mode. (The images below were snagged from Apple's site, and they compare the iPhone to Apple TV, which offers a true wide-screen image of 1.78:1.)

Read the Full Article: Crave
Posted by PatrickD at 3:52 AM on Jan 18 UTC

Creative to Release 'Blood-Red' Zen V Plus (no impressions left yet)

Why, oh why, does Asia get all the good stuff? Creative is releasing this amazing "blood-red" Creative Zen V Plus. It's not only for Lordi fans though. It'll hold up to 8GB of whatever your favorite music or videos may be.

Read the Full Article: Crave
Posted by PatrickD at 3:43 AM on Jan 18 UTC

Vallejo Man's Cell Phone Ignites in Pocket (no impressions left yet)

It's unknown at this time whether the battery was to blame, but a man's phone ignited in his pocket causing burns to not only his body, but the furniture around him.

Firefighters arrived at the residential hotel late Saturday night to find Picaso lying on the bathroom floor after the cell phone in Picaso's pants pocket set fire to his nylon and polyester clothes, department spokesman Bill Tweedy said.

"It was either a malfunction or some type of glitch in his phone," Tweedy said, adding that investigators found no other possible ignition source, such as matches or open flame, nearby.

Read the Full Article: San Francisco Chronicle
Posted by PatrickD at 3:40 AM on Jan 18 UTC

Tokyo Flash Morse Code Watch (no impressions left yet)

Another wacky watch has been spotted. This one not only tells the time, but tells the time in morse code. For you geeks, this is perfect.

The watch has three modes for telling the time, two of them somewhat impenetrable and one of them straight forward. As its name suggests, the principal way it announces the time is by beeping out the hours and minutes in Morse Code through an in-built speaker. In the very likely event that you didn't quite catch all the dit dit dah dahing in your panic to decipher them, you'll be relieved to know that you can see the time displayed in red LEDs on the watch face. This of course is also in Morse Code, and as it's quite probable that your code breaking skills are a tad on the rusty side, you'll still have absolutely no idea of what the time is. In long meetings and during boring conversations this is quite useful, because knowing how long you've had to put up with the tedium is always rather depressing.

Read the Full Article: I Want One of Those
Posted by PatrickD at 3:36 AM on Jan 18 UTC

PlayStation 3 – Widely Available, Wii – Out of Stock. (a few impressions left)

The PlayStation3's debut made it feel like there wouldn't be one to find on the shelves for long times to come. But, in a twist of fate, the Wii is sold out nearly everywhere and the PS3 lies under layers of dust.

“Our channel checks yesterday of 52 retail stores, from boutiques to big-box retailers, showed that 28 of the 52 stores had PS3 consoles in stock, while none had Wii consoles in stock,” American Technology Research analyst Paul-Jon McNealy said in the research note, Reuters news-agency has reported. [...]

Given that Sony’s PlayStation 3 costs $499 or even $599 depending on the version, there is no surprise that Nintendo Wii – which is also discussed and advertised widely – that costs $249 faces much higher demand, yet, amid much higher supply as well. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that the game console from the developer, which previous-generation gaming machine faced lukewarm welcome just several years ago, is so popular on the market that is heavily under attack by Microsoft and Sony.

Read the Full Article: Xbit Labs
Posted by PatrickD at 3:33 AM on Jan 18 UTC

Internet Explorer 7.0 Reaches 100 Million Mark (no impressions left yet)

Internet Explorer 7 has reached 100 million systems worldwide. I'm one of them. While it's not my primary browser of choice anymore, it's definitely a little more current than IE6 felt.

Firefox, always a popular browser with techies, was pulling in 10.7% U.S. marketshare as recently as December 19.

IE7 and Firefox still don’t quite have the muster to take down the perennial browser leader: Internet Explorer 6. IE6, which was first released on August 27, 2001 is still the leading browser on the market with around 62% marketshare.

Read the Full Article: DailyTech
Posted by PatrickD at 5:04 AM on Jan 16 UTC

John Carmack Speaks (no impressions left yet)

The pioneer of the shooter hath spoken! This time, it's regarding the current state of gaming, consoles, and Vista.

Carmack then said that he’s quite satisfied with Windows XP, going as far to say that Microsoft is ‘artificially’ forcing gamers to move to Windows Vista for DX10. “Nothing is going to help a new game by going to a new operating system. There were some clear wins going from Windows 95 to Windows XP for games, but there really aren’t any for Vista. They’re artificially doing that by tying DX10 so close it, which is really nothing about the OS ... They’re really grasping at straws for reasons to upgrade the operating system. I suspect I could run XP for a great many more years without having a problem with it,” he said.

Read the Full Article: DailyTech
Posted by PatrickD at 5:01 AM on Jan 16 UTC

Jensen SportFones (no impressions left yet)

No wires to get in your way or break. These Jensen SportFones have the MP3 player built into the headphones themselves and will last a good 8 hours.

If I hadn't tried these on myself, I wouldn't have guessed how little these SportFones weigh -- a mere 2.2 ounces. A 2007 CES Innovations winner, the mp3 player is built directly into the headphones along with a set of simple controls and a rechargeable battery that reportedly will last for 8 hours. I don't know how long you plan on going to the gym, but I hope that will cover you. With a 512MB (figure 150 songs), they use mp3 and WMA music file formats. I liked the "sweat-repelling" ear pads that are washable, and the convenient storage case.

Read the Full Article: PopGadget
Posted by PatrickD at 5:00 AM on Jan 16 UTC

Toshiba HD-A2 Review (no impressions left yet)

Toshiba's second HD-DVD unit has arrived and the reviews are starting to trickle in. Does it trump the first release or bomb?

The format war is still anyone's guess in my opinion. One side could crush the other this year or dual-format players could eventually become the norm. All I know is that with an ever increasing amount of discs and players in the market from both camps, home theater enthusiast shouldn’t be overly concerned with waiting for a winner or the longevity of the respective formats. Find a deal on a player and start enjoying some of this terrific HD content. If you happen to go the HD DVD route, I can easily recommend either the HD-A2 or HD-A20 (I’m under the assumption it’s basically a HD-A2 with 1080p output) without reservation. And as always, happy viewing.

Read the Full Article: Home Theater Blog
Posted by PatrickD at 4:55 AM on Jan 16 UTC

The One and Only Mac Tablet (a few impressions left)

The Mac has always had looks going for its portable systems. But it isn't until now that they've given the tablet touch, that reversible screen which converts the screen into a writing surface.

The Axiotron ModBook features Wacom® Penabled® hardware, the same high quality technology that makes the Wacom pen tablets and interactive pen displays the preferred choice for professional artists, designers, photographers, and consumers. Requiring no batteries or magnets, the pen always feels light and nimble and due to the radio-based digitizer technology, users can even write with their hand resting on the screen. This technology allows the cursor to be controlled while the pen is hovering over the screen, providing for an intuitive, mouse-like interface with zero learning curve.

"Wacom is pleased to have its patented pen input technology incorporated in the Axiotron ModBook tablet solution for the Mac enthusiast," said Joe Deal, President of Wacom Technology Corp. "ModBook users will appreciate the pen's intuitive interface, comfort, and the mobility it adds to the overall computing experience."

Read the Full Article: Tech Powerup
Posted by PatrickD at 3:46 AM on Jan 15 UTC

Ethernet Crossover Adapter (a few impressions left)

An interesting little device I spotted crusing around is this little gem from ThinkGeek. It's a portable crossover cable. Remember the days of cutting the CAT5 cable open and crossing the transmit and receive wires? This little handy dandy adapter does it for you. Simply plug one end into a PC and another PC into its back end. Voila!

Read the Full Article: ThinkGeek
Posted by PatrickD at 3:44 AM on Jan 15 UTC

The Real Brains Behind the iPhone (no impressions left yet)

The iPhone's interface has been deemed sexy, innovative, and many other adjectives which imply that Apple had no help in creating the device. But a little digging has led Gearlog to a different conclusion. They uncovered a possible lead in the trail to the real inventor of the technology, Synaptics.

I had several conversations with Synaptics back in late July and early August, when they first announced a brand-new interface technology they had spent a few years developing. The major innovation was a clear, capacitive sensing technology, called ClearPad. In a nutshell, this is the physical hardware behind the iPhone--Apple just put a nice graphical interface on it. But don't take my word for it. Here's a direct quote from Synaptics description of the ClearPad technology:

"ClearPad is based on Synaptics' proprietary sensing technology, and will offer unique capabilities such as two finger input, proximity sensing, text entry and high resolution finger input that can dramatically improve and enhance the user experience with a touch screen."

Read the Full Article: Gearlog
Posted by PatrickD at 3:38 AM on Jan 15 UTC

Never Oversleep Again (or die) (no impressions left yet)

Having trouble getting out of bed? This alarm clock will solve that. Ever been to a rock concert and not worn the ear plugs? How about a jet landing nearby? Those would be considered quiet compared to this. At 113dB, it'll not only wake you up, it'll scare the sleep right out of you. It's rightly named the Sonic Bomb.

We've had our fair share of industrial-strength alarms (with dubious success), but Mr. Sandman may have met his match with the "Sonic Bomb." This master blaster drops a sound bomb at 113 decibels, which Gadgetizer says is "the same thing as a loud car horn" nearby. And if that's not enough, you can use the 12-volt bed shaker.

Read the Full Article: Crave
Posted by PatrickD at 3:35 AM on Jan 15 UTC

Teeny Tiny Commodore 64 (no impressions left yet)

Growing up in the 80's, I had a C-64. Who didn't? I still break out the emulator now and then and immerse myself in some Pools of Radiance. But I could take the system with me anywhere if I had one of these.

Oh. And it's battery powered.

Read the Full Article: Makezine
Posted by PatrickD at 3:32 AM on Jan 15 UTC

Luxeed Interactive Keyboard (no impressions left yet)

The Das Keyboard was interesting in that it didn't have any markings at all on it. Just looking down at my keyboard, I can see the same, except my W A S and D keys are far more blank than the others. Another way to spruce up your keyboard for some attention is to light it from the bottom. That's been done before, but not like this. The letters can be lit up from beneath in any of 512 colors. They can be saved and stored for later use, and even be programmed to dance to music.

Read the Full Article: ChipChick
Posted by PatrickD at 3:25 AM on Jan 15 UTC

DocuPen is Mightier than the Mere Scanner (no impressions left yet)

This little gadget, if it had existed, might have prevented the Enron scandals, or proven that aliens did crash in Roswell in the 40's. Perhaps it would have just gotten Bond, James Bond, out of another crazy situation. According to its designer, four seconds it all it takes to scan a page of material into memory. It can hold up to 100 pages and easily connect to your PC to offload the contents.

Read the Full Article: CrunchGear
Posted by PatrickD at 3:04 AM on Jan 13 UTC

Philips HTS8100 SoundBar (no impressions left yet)

Philips HTS8100 may look a little odd, but if you're into big sound but the wife won't let you erect speaker towers in the living room, it might be for you. For $1000 and a little horizontal space, you can enjoy full theatre surround sound without the carpet imprints.

The HTS8100 SoundBat is among those home theatre systems that takeup one portion of your cabinet rather than scattering itself all over your room. It consists of amplifiers and a DVD player to go with it. It also has a subwoofer which incidentally happens to be the only independent unit from the main body. The appearance of the HTS8100 is pretty sleek and it goes well with any player you have. It is the proud winner of the Innovations Award Winner owing to the various technologies (array processing, precise driver positioning and psycho-acoustics) that it supports.

Read the Full Article: New Launches
Posted by PatrickD at 2:59 AM on Jan 13 UTC

Read more news »