Archive for November, 2009
Over the US Thanksgiving holiday, NVIDIA quietly released their entry level GPU call the GeForce 310. The graphics card is the first in their 300 series, is said to replace the earlier GeForce 210 model and has been designed for users with basic video requirements who are perhaps still working with an integrated video card.
The card will adequately provide for hardware accelerated 1080p high definition video and general computing but this card will not offer any high level gaming experience as it only has a 64 bit memory processor and 16 CUDA cores. Additionally, the processor is rated at 589MHz which is coupled with 512MB of DDR2 VRAM. The board also comes with DVI, DisplayPort and VGA ports with the DVI and DisplayPorts easily convertible to HDMI by means of a simple adapter.
At this time, pricing and availability for the GeForce 310 video card are unavailable.
- Pure Digital Flip MinoHD Camcorder Upgraded
- Myka Ion Nettop Media Player
- Nvidia Fermi With Life Like 3D Rendering
- Memorex MyVideo HD Pocket Camcorder
- Samsung Instinct HD
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
NVIDIA GeForce 310 Video Card |
Computer Gadgets | Post tags: HD, HDMI, Nvidia, video card
Back in January, we brought you a luxury gadget in the form of the Apple iPhone 3G King Button. Back then, the phone was considered the world’s most expensive mobile handset, valued at a mere $2.5 million.
That was back then. This week, the fine folks at Goldstriker’s Stuart Hughes have created an Apple iPhone 3Gs Supreme that is valued at $3.2 million dollars, making it the the world’s most expensive phone…..for now.
The mobile phone took 10 months to design at the request of one of their high value customers, an “Australian gold mining magnate.” This luxury phone comes decked out in gold (271 grams worth of 22k gold), and has 136 diamonds worth 68 cts. As well, the front navigation button has been replaced with a very rare diamond that is 7.1 cts.
Of course, a phone like this has to have a suitable carrying case that matches it in bling and the designer, Stuart Hughes doesn’t let us down. The “treasure chest” that protects this iPhone is made from a single piece of granite, decked out in gold and lined with top grain leather.
- Google gPhone On The Way
- Cisco iPhone App Allows Instant Server Reputation Checks
- Virgin Mobile Canada To Carry iPhone 3G/3GS
- NASA Scientist Creates First Real Tricoder
- TomTom Coming Up With Improvements To iPhone App
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
$3.2 Million Apple iPhone 3Gs Supreme |
Phone Gadgets | Post tags: Apple, bling, iphone, luxury
Rogers Wireless has announced that they will carry the Nokia 6750 which consumers will have an opportunity to purchase for $99.99 with a 3 year service plan. There are several traits that this phone possesses that make it unique and has resulted in the phone being described as being “inspired by the shape of the human body.”
The 6750 is a chrome flip phone with an ergonomic design that will fit comfortably within the palm of ones hand, thereby allowing for long phone conversations. The phone comes with back lighting that allows the 6750 to be illuminated in a variety of colors including pink, red, purple, orange, blue and green. When the flip phone is not in use and closed, the external display will provide basic information such as current time, battery and signal strength as well as call details such as missed calls and message waiting.
The external display on the 6750 comes with a screen resolution of 128×160 while the 2.2-inch internal screen has a screen resolution of 240×320.
The phone also includes a web browser, 2 megapixel digital camera with digital zoom, built in music player, a large keyboard for text messaging, GPS, and a microSDHC memory card slot that supports 32GB of digital storage.
- Nokia X6 Smartphone UK Release
- Nokia N900 Available In The US
- Samsung i5700 Galaxy Spica Android Phone
- Nokia N900 Mobile Phone Based On Linux
- Nokia 5230 Touchscreen Phone
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Rogers Wireless Carries Nokia 6750 |
Phone Gadgets | Post tags: mobile phone, Nokia, Smartphone
While Google’s Chrome operating system got mixed reviews at best, those who saw the possibilities the cloud-geared OS presented were pretty excited. The possibility of Google heavily subsidizing Chrome OS netbooks — or even giving them away for free — seems more likely than one would think.
Chrome OS has extremely light requirements — a bare-bones setup of an ARM processor, 8GB storage, and 1GB DDRAM will be more then enough to run it. And when Microsoft can sell heavier Windows-based netbooks at $200 and below, it’ll be interesting to see just how small a Chromebook’s price tag would be — if it comes with a price tag at all.
After all, the vast majority of Google’s millions comes from advertising dollars. It’s very possible (even probable) that Google will tie-in its AdSense campaign into the Chrome OS netbooks, letting them get their ROI’s on any subsidized netbooks very, very quickly.
Many people may think it’s unlikely that Google will ever offer a netbook for free, but the mere existence of the possibility is pretty exciting. Who knows? We might see the day that vehicles and other high value items can be given away for free when tied in with an advertising arm as powerful as Google’s.
- Acer Aspire One D250 Google Android Netbook
- Alpha 680 – Android Netbook
- Google Search For Mobile Made Better
- Google gPhone On The Way
- Samsung Go Netbook $100 Discount With Times Reader 2.0 Subscription
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Will Google Give Away Chromebooks For Free? |
Computer Gadgets | Post tags: cheap, google, netbook
It’s relatively easy to search for movies using Google by itself, although it will take quite a few clicks to find the information you want — whether you’re looking for reviews, trailers, synopses, cast and crew, or showtimes in theaters near you. But now, mobile users in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland can now Google their movie needs more quickly. Planning that next movie trip has never been easier.
Mobile users can now Google “movies” and click on the new “More movies” link. They can then look through a list of more recent movie offerings, or click on the “Theaters” button to see movie listings in your area.
The new movie listing page also lets you play movie trailers right on your mobile device, as well as view other bits of information on any movie you’d like to know more about. If you’d like to know where a particular movie is showing near you, the “Theaters” button will show you a map of the general area, with theaters screening your movie clearly marked relative to your location.
As always, Google is always happy to receive any feedback from their users. If you have any comments or suggestions that might help develop an even better product in the near future, you can leave comments at googlemobile.blogspot.com.
- Adobe Photoshop Comes To Google Android
- Mobile Bing Made More Useful
- Will Google Give Away Chromebooks For Free?
- Google gPhone On The Way
- Google Maps Navigation For Android 1.6
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Google Search For Mobile Made Better |
Online Gaming | Post tags: google, mobile, movies
With so many new smartphones today looking like the ones that came before them, people have been looking forward to the release of Israeli mobile phone company Emblaze Mobile’s “First Else” smartphone. It has been in development for almost two years, promising a new way to do things on a smartphone. Mobile device enthusiasts will be pleased to know that the First Else smartphone is finally available.
The first thing you’ll notice about First Else is its display. While most smartphones flood the screen with little icons, First Else uses the simple but attractive “sPlay” interface that’s controlled by the user’s right thumb. The interface lets the user navigate the device easy enough, with the phone’s contents neatly tucked away on the display’s right.
First Else runs on the Access Linux Platform 3.0, a little-known mobile OS. It still offers an impressive 3.5-inch, 854×480 pixel LCD touchscreen, a 5MP camera, and a rumored 32GB worth of storage. What’s more, First Else can record videos at up to 30 frames per second.
If you’re tired of the usual smartphone offering and would like a new way of doing things, First Else should make for an interesting change of scenery.
- Toshiba TG01 – Touchscreen Smartphone
- Rogers Wireless Carries Nokia 6750
- Nokia X6 Smartphone UK Release
- Nokia N900 Available In The US
- Samsung i5700 Galaxy Spica Android Phone
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Emblaze Mobile’s First Else Smartphone Finally Makes Debut |
Phone Gadgets | Post tags: interface, Smartphone, touchscreen
Hardcore PC gamers often use mice with more buttons than usual, and thumb buttons are particularly useful in first-person shooter games. Gamers appreciate the ability to execute more commands straight from the mouse, without having to rely too much on keyboard commands. The problem is that gaming mice aren’t one-size-fits-all, and thumb buttons can be pretty hard to reach for some players, you only have to look at the Razer Naga MMO mouse. Razer’s latest gaming mouse, the Imperator, fixes this problem.
Razer’s Imperator mouse has two thumb buttons that can be adjusted and locked into a position that’s most comfortable for the gamer. This should make executing commands on the fly much easier and make for a more enjoyable gaming experience. The mouse sports a 5600dpi 3.5G laser sensor, acceleration of up to 200 inches per second, 1000Hz ultrapolling, a 1ms response rate, and sensitivity adjustment.
Unfortunately, even the Imperator isn’t one-size-fits-all — it’s only designed for right-handed mouse users. It’s available from Razer at $80, and if sales take off as well as Razer hopes, perhaps a left-handed Imperator will be developed soon after.
- Razer Naga MMO Mouse
- Ostendo Releases Curved 43-inch Monitor
- Apple’s Multitouch Magic Mouse Now Good For Windows
- Leak: Project Natal Coming November 2010
- OpenOffice Mouse — Faster And More Efficient OpenOffice Use
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Razer Unveils Mouse With Adjustable Thumb Buttons |
Computer Gadgets | Post tags: gaming, mouse, Razer
Product: Outdoorsy Type
Manufacturer: Roundup:
Wired Rating: 0
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10 Gift Ideas That Cost Less Than a C-Note
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Google has never been a company to rest on it’s laurels. An organization driven by innovation, being the leading search engine was one accomplishment, but Google has branched out in many directions with such products as the Chrome browser, Chrome operating system and Android based phones.
It looks like Google is now readying the troops to make an assault on the mobile phone industry by offering it’s own gPhone or Google phone with “unlimited free calls.”
The Google phone is expected to be one of the most advanced smartphones available and will come with a large screen display and a Qualcomm processor that is significantly more powerful then the current Apple iPhone 3GS. Google phone will be powered by Flan, the latest version of Android. Flan is said to offer superior 3D graphics and gaming that rivals handheld console games.
gPhone may launch as early as next year in the US but as more details become available, we will let you know.
- Adobe Photoshop Comes To Google Android
- Slacker Radio To Stream Music To Google Phones
- Apple Purchases Placebook Mapping Service
- Facebook And Pandora For Google Android
- Spotify Digital Music Service For Mobile Phones
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Google gPhone On The Way |
Phone Gadgets | Post tags: Apple, google, gPhone, iphone, Qualcomm
We’ve seen some pretty futuristic Computer Mods in our time, but NecroMac does away with a norm by going back in time. NecroMac is an eye-catching modification of the Blue and White G3 by ModYourMac. The whole thing looks like the computers they used back in the Egyptian Old Kingdom… heh.
ModYourMac did a bit of research before coming up with this mummif–er, modification — by using some historically-accurate materials, such as lemon juice and linen paper. To give the mod an aged look, a heat gun was used to simulate signs of rot and wear.
Not everything is historically-accurate about the mod, though, as any attempt to translate the hieroglyphs will only leave you baffled. Egyptologists may argue the “coolness” factor of this computer, but it’ll no doubt leave the rest us reaching for our digital cameras when we see this around.
Not much else to say about this creative mod, except that let’s hope such designs make it to notebook PC’s soon, too.
- New Apple iPhone Worm In The Wild
- Hacked Mac OS X 10.6.2 Enables Atom Processors
- iSurgeon DIY Apple iPhone Application
- Do It Yourself Rubik’s Cube USB Drive
- Pyramid Home Theatre PC Case Mod
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
NecroMac — A Very Egyptian Computer Mod |
DIY Gadgets | Post tags: DIY, egypt, hack, mod
RIM’s BlackBerry Media Sync is a decent syncing software that lets BlackBerry users sync with many of today’s PC platforms, and has recently gotten the version 3.0 upgrade. BlackBerry users can now enjoy better functionality with syncing and organizing photos.
Media Sync 3.0 sports a much-improved interface, making syncing faster and more hassle-free. Blackberry users now have the option of syncing their music from iTunes or Windows Media Player via USB “simply and quickly,” according to RIM.
Media Sync 3.0 also lets BlackBerry users sync images now, adding helpful options such as adding folders when syncing from a PC to the device. Moving especially large photos is no longer a problem, as the software has a “smart memory management” tool that shrinks large photos up to only 2% of their original size. Now users can store more high-res photos on their devices.
Media Sync 3.0 is available for free through the Blackberry website.
- BlackBerry Pearl 9100 Leak
- US Cellular Carries RIMs BlackBerry Tour 9630
- Blackberry Touchscreen Slider For 2010
- Rogers Wireless Carrying Blackberry Bold 9700
- BlackBerry inPulse Smartwatch
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
BlackBerry Media Sync Goes 3.0 |
Office Gadgets | Post tags: BB, Blackberry, RIM, sync
While the trend in PC monitors is to go HD and bigger, Ostendo is offering an alternative direction. The company has just recently released CRVD, a whopping 43-inch monitor that’s — as the name implies — curved. The left and right edges curve towards you, making working with the large screen feel more natural.
Ostendo apparently has taken note of the problem that some users have with very large flat screen monitors — things on the display begin to look skewed the closer they get to the left and right edges. A curved monitor such as this should make for a more enjoyable working experience. Or will it?
43 inches is a size to be reckoned with, but Ostendo’s offering only has a resolution depth of 2880×900 pixels — a bit disappointing for a 43-inch monitor with a 32:10 aspect ratio. Another possible drawback is the price tag — you’ll have to shell out $6,000 before you can have this sitting on your desktop.
If you have the extra money, or if you put extraordinary value on display real estate, or if you’re a hardcore fan of driving games, the Ostendo CRVD might just be what you need. You’ll have to admit though, having all that display space to work with sounds tantalizing.
- Afraid Of Kids Ruining Your New Flatscreen? Use TV Armor
- Leak: Project Natal Coming November 2010
- Unlimited Free Trial For Warhammer Online
- Maingear Launches SHIFT Desktop Supercomputer
- Nvidia Fermi With Life Like 3D Rendering
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Ostendo Releases Curved 43-inch Monitor |
Gaming Gadgets | Post tags: CRVD, display, gaming, screen
Amazon’s in a spot these days — with rising competition from the likes of Sony and Barnes & Noble, it’s hard-pressed to keep the Kindle as attractive as it was when it was practically the only player in the e-book reader market. Fortunately, Amazon has managed to release a decent upgrade to the Kindle — improved battery life and native PDF support.
Before the upgrade, Kindles had a battery life of four days with the wireless capability turned on, and two weeks when it’s turned off. Now, Kindles will last up to seven days with wireless on — something that will definitely please hardcore Kindle users.
Kindle users will now also be able to read PDF documents on their devices without having to convert the files. PDF files can now be uploaded via Kindle e-mail or USB. But if users prefer their PDF’s converted, they can e-mail the PDF to their @kindle.com addresses with the word “Convert” on the subject line.
All new Kindles will come bundled with the upgrade, but existing Kindle users can still get the firmware upgrade automatically when they turn the wireless on. All-in-all, a timely holiday present from Amazon to its loyal users.
- Asus Dual Screen Eee Reader
- Pre-orders Taken For Sony Reader Daily Edition
- Sony Reader Daily Edition
- Sony Releases Cheapest E-book Reader Yet
- LG Solar Power E-Book Reader
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Amazon Gifts Kindle Users With Better Battery Life |
Entertainment Gadgets | Post tags: Amazon, book reader, ebook, Kindle, Sony
There were rumors that the first USB 3.0 drive would not be available until CES 2010, but in announcing the DriveStation HD-HXU3, Buffalo became the first vendor to release a USB 3.0 drive. The external hard drive will connect to a personal computer that includes an integrated USB 3.0 port or more likely a free USB port by means of an expansion card. In fact, if you need it, Buffalo also has available a 3.0 PCI Express card to get you going.
The external hard drive is capable of transfer speeds up to 4.8 gigabits per second, which is significantly faster then the 480 megabits per second available with USB 2.0. It should be noted that these are theoretical maximums, but regardless, the speed difference is great enough that users will notice it, especially if they are prone to transferring large files or streaming video.
The new drives are available in three drive sizes: 1TB ($200), 1.5TB ($250), 2TB ($400) and come with Memeo AutoBackup software which is both Mac and PC compatible.
- OWC 1TB Firewire/USB Hard Drive
- Buffalo Shinobi Portable HD – World’s Thinnest External HD
- Silicon Power Armor A50 Portable Hard Drive
- Origin Storage 1TB Hard Drive Features Data Encryption
- Clickfree C2 Portable USB Hard Drive
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Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Buffalo USB 3.0 External Hard Drive |
Computer Gadgets | Post tags: buffalo, external, hard drive, Mac, PC
LG announced that the new LG BL40 Chocolate Christmas Edition will be released in Korea on December 10th. The Chocolate phone is a special edition of the currently available BL40. Being chocolate, it does have some decadence including a black colored case with gold accents and an 8 megapixel digital camera with auto focus, which is an upgrade from the original model that only included a 5MP camera.
The Chocolate phone does look sexy with it’s body artwork and although pricing is not available at this time, I’m sure it will reflect the limited supply of this item. Each phone purchase will come with a voucher that will offer the customer a chance to win up to $4000 in prizes.
More details will follow including if the LG40 (Black Label Series) will be available in other countries or if Korea will be the only market.
- LG GD510 Touchscreen Phone
- LG’s BL40 Chocolate Phone Goes Massive
- Retro Mobile Handset By Yubz Talk
- iPhone QWERTY VS Swype
- Wooden Chess Board With Bowling Pin Like Pieces
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
LG BL40 Chocolate Christmas Edition |
Phone Gadgets | Post tags: chocolate, handset, LG, luxury, mobile phone, phoneset
TomTom has made a name for themselves with their various GPS solutions. They have entry models for those with a low budget as well as high end devices for those that have more demanding needs. The company has made several announcements in the last few days, indicating that there will be some special deals on their products for Black Friday and today, they have also announced the availability of a special edition TomTom GPS device called the World Traveler Edition.
The XXL 540S World Traveler Edition is similar to the XXL 540S but also includes full maps of Europe, Canada and the US installed and ready to be accessed. The GPS unit has a handy 5-inch screen display, 4GB storage and comes with a myriad of features including Map Share, Lane Guidance and IQ routes which determines your best route to a destination based upon time of day, speed and distance.
The World Traveler Edition will be released in December for $349.
- Google Maps Navigation For Android 1.6
- TomTom XL 335S GPS Device
- TomTom Car Navigation System Available With Homer Simpson Voice
- TomTom GPS Application For The iPhone
- TomTom Coming Up With Improvements To iPhone App
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
TomTom XXL 540S World Traveler Edition |
Automobile Gadgets | Post tags: gps, TomTom
Product: 27-Inch iMac
Manufacturer: Apple
Wired Rating: 8
Put one of Apple’s new 27-inch Core i7 iMacs on your desk, and you run the risk of alienating yourself from your friends, co-workers and loved ones.
Sure, the sheer speed of the thing is amazing — the new Core i7 processor is outrageously fast — but it’s the massive screen that will turn your brain into a gob of HD-saturated jelly. Seriously. The iMac’s screen is so freaking huge, so bright and so crisp, it will render you dumb with child-like glee. You’ll just want to sit there and watch movies all day and night.
Don’t get us wrong, the guts aren’t so bad, either. The top-of-the-line iMac is stocked with Intel’s 2.8-GHz Core i7 “Lynnfield” quad-core processor. It’s not only ridiculously fast to begin with, but it has the ability to dynamically overclock itself when it needs an extra boost. (Intel calls this Turbo Mode.)
The base-model Core i7 iMac also comes with a 1-TB hard drive, 4 GB of RAM (the model we tested had 8 GB) and an ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card — not the best graphics hardware, but perfectly acceptable for everyday tasks like watching movies, editing HD videos and playing most games. A wireless keyboard and the new multitouch-enhanced Magic Mouse complete the package.
The machine’s “chin,” the aluminum strip that runs along the bottom edge of the screen, is notably slimmer on this model than previous iMacs. Hidden underneath it are a pair of speakers. They sound a bit muffled, but they pump out enough volume to annoy the neighbors properly.
That said, the iMac’s most striking feature isn’t the chip on the inside or the refashioned chin. Make no mistake: This machine is all about its gargantuan, stupidly massive, comically oversized but utterly gorgeous display.
The 16:9 widescreen panel is LED-powered, so it’s extremely bright. Whites appear truly white, blacks are solidly black, and bright colors burn with intensity.
The screen is encased in edge-to-edge glass, and it reflects an uncomfortable amount of glare in a sunlit room. That’s where the extra brightness becomes a plus, but you’ll find yourself cranking the brightness down to about 50 percent after sundown.
Glare aside, it is exceedingly handsome display. With 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, it’s well beyond high-def resolution. Any HD movie looks terrific, whether it was shot in Hollywood or in your apartment. We soaked up Watchmen on DVD, a few episodes of House on Hulu, and an HD capture of a Radiohead concert, all in full-screen mode. Nothing came close to testing the limits of the processor or the graphics card, and of course everything looked stellar.
While the iMac’s supersized 27-inch screen commands attention, the speed of the Core i7 processor commands respect. We hooked up a Drobo filled with about 350 GB of music, then watched iTunes index the whole thing in under 4 minutes. Compare this to the 20-or-so minutes it took our Core 2 Duo Mac Mini to index the same library. Ripping a 2-hour DVD in Handbrake took just under a half an hour — the Mac
Mini took twice as long.
The are some minor touches that earn bonus points. If you want to upgrade the RAM yourself (we beefed ours up to 8 GB) the memory bay is easy to access through a trapdoor under the chin. The aluminum case is
beveled and sleek, but it hides an array of ports (four USB and one FireWire, optical in and outs for audio) tucked in the lower corner around back. The Mini DisplayPort also doubles as an input, so you can use your iMac as a secondary display or even (with the correct adapter) as an HDTV.
A SuperDrive and an SD card reader are also standard issue. A nice touch: Your SD card sticks out about a third of the way when fully inserted, so you won’t leave it in the computer and forget to put it back into your camera.
One last caveat. The iMac is so large, it’s tough to sit in front of it properly. Ergonomic experts recommend you situate the top of your screen at or just slightly below eye level, a position we found impossible with two different desks and three different chairs.
Time for a trip to IKEA.
WIRED Did we mention the screen? Sexpot good looks. Core i7 processor is fast enough for the autobahn, and quad-core technology means you get support for next year’s apps today.
TIRED All-glass front enclosure throws off enough glare to give you a tan. Screen is too big for anyone under 6-foot-2, unless they’re sitting on a phone book. Speakers have too much low-end. You’re better off hooking up some sleek Harman Kardons or, better yet, some primo headphones.
Product: Magic Mouse
Manufacturer: Apple
Wired Rating: 7
It’s about time. For years, Apple has embraced aesthetic simplicity over practicality with its peripherals. Single-button mice! Yes, we know Apple hasn’t made single-button mice for a long time, but why in the world did Steve Jobs ever think that was a good idea? Well, he was wrong until today. Apple’s latest Magic Mouse actually does the trick thanks to its multitouch powers.
The Magic Mouse ditches the lozenge-shaped body and gunk-collecting trackball of its predecessor (the Mighty Mouse) in favor of a curvy wedge shape with a fully touch-sensitive housing. The new form factor fits more naturally in your hand than previous Apple mice — enough so to erase the painful memories you have of that atrocious hockey-puck mouse from the ’90s.
The mouse detects touch gestures that trigger different functions. Swiping upward or downward with momentum enables scrolling in a browser. In Safari, using two fingers and swiping left or right takes you a page backward or forward, respectively. The same gesture also lets you flip through a photo album with the Mac OS X Preview app.
In an age where a heavy amount of everyday computing can be done in a web browser, the Magic Mouse couldn’t be more than welcome. You’ll love the Magic Mouse if your browser of choice is Firefox. Why? Two words: Tab switching. With a simple hack, you can switch back and forth between tabs using the two-finger swipe gesture. That means obsessive tab switchers can more efficiently waste their afternoons reading Wired.com in between catching up on the latest TMZ gossip and a few minutes of doing actual work in Google Docs.
As is often the case, these gains come with loss, too. The Mighty Mouse had a clickable scroll wheel and two squeeze sensors on the side that could each trigger the Exposé and Spaces tools for desktop management. The Magic Mouse doesn’t have any built-in gestures for Exposé, which seems like a wasted opportunity. Cross your fingers and maybe Apple will issue a software update adding a three-finger gesture, perhaps, that controls Exposé. (For now, there’s a third-party solution to enable Exposé functionality with the Magic Mouse, but it’s not practical.)
WIRED Smooth, comfortable form factor. Multitouch gestures streamline goofing off on the web. Buttonless design bids farewell to the Mighty Mouse’s dirt-loving trackball.
TIRED Lack of Exposé and Spaces support will force your hand to the keyboard more often.
Samsung Electronics has received some heavy promotion for their Samsung Go netbook. Last week, AT&T announced they would offer the Go netbook at a reduced price provided you sign up for a service contract.
Today, the New York Times is offering a $100 discount towards the purchase of the Samsung Go netbook when you become a NYT subscriber. The deal goes as follows. Register for a 1 year New York Times 2.0 subscription which will cost $179.40 and you will receive a “Times Reader Coupon” that can be used at J&R to buy your Samsung Go netbook for $279.99.
All things considered, if you already read the New York Times for your daily news, then this may be a viable option to get a cheap netbook, but to subscribe to the NY Times just to get a discounted netbook doesn’t make sense as the netbook will end up costing more once you factor in the price of your news subscription.
- Samsung Go Netbook Comes To AT&T
- Dell Mini 10 Netbook Available Through Sprint
- OLED Notebooks To Debut Next Year
- iPhone QWERTY VS Swype
- Asus Eee PC 1201N Netbook
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Samsung Go Netbook $100 Discount With Times Reader 2.0 Subscription |
Computer Gadgets | Post tags: deal, netbook, Samsung
Sure, the recent release of Chrome OS has everyone thinking about storing all their data in the cloud. Cloud computing may be the future, but you can bet that there will be many of us who’ll stick with physical storage (including me, since I’d still like to access my files even without an Internet connection). Imation’s Wireless Hard Drive offers a sort of middle ground for people on both sides.
Sometimes, even cloud storage isn’t enough, and users look to other forms of storage to backup their data. External hard drives have played a big part in solving this problem, but sometimes the mere act of directly connecting the external drives to the computer can be cumbersome. The Imation Wireless Hard Drive solves this problem by letting users save to and access their data from up to 30 feet away.
Storing your data on the cloud is important if you take your work to different parts of the world, but if you only bring your work to different parts of your home or office, then the Imation Wireless Hard Drive should make backup storage much less of a hassle. It’s a bit pricey — $450 — so decide carefully if the convenience is worth the extra cost.
- Verizon Wireless Carries LG Chocolate Touch
- Verizon Launches Prepaid Broadband Data Plan
- Silicon Power Armor A50 Portable Hard Drive
- Origin Storage 1TB Hard Drive Features Data Encryption
- Clickfree C2 Portable USB Hard Drive
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Imation Wireless Hard Drive — A New Way Of Backing Up Your Data |
Computer Gadgets | Post tags: hard drive, wireless
Netbooks are on the rise, and they come in many different colors these days — it’s difficult not to find a shade you like. But sometimes even the sleekest netbook colors can look pretty tame, and the more artsy netbook users are left wanting something more. If this sounds like you, then you might want to take a look at Deanne Cheuk’s Dell netbooks.
Deanne Cheuk is a world-renowned designers who’s contributed her artistic talents to the likes of Nike, Target, American Express, Swatch, MTV, and the New York Times. Her art direction and illustrations are — for the lack of a better description — awesome. And now, 5,520 limited edition Dell netbooks are hitting Best Buy shelves sporting her design.
The limited edition Deanne Cheuk Dell netbooks have a kaleidoscope design — pretty nifty, and very eye-catching. Each of the 5,250 netbooks are individually numbered, so you can bet it’ll be a while before an even artsier netbook will make its rounds in the market again. These special netbooks cost $379 at Best Buy, and since there are over 5,000 of them, everyone stands a pretty good chance of getting one for themselves.
- Crystal Comb Lamp Emulates Honeycomb Design
- Proof That Typewriters Once Existed
- DoCoMo Touch Wood Debuts In Japan
- Can’t Bust A Nut – Go Nuclear!
- AT&T To Carry Lenovo Smartbook
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Deanne Cheuk Designs Limited Edition Dell Netbook |
Computer Gadgets | Post tags:
This little tool has made its rounds in the Internet and has received its fair share of humorous jabs from the blogosphere, so it would be wrong not to write about it on Coated. Introducing the Laptop Steering Desk, a nifty little desk that clips on to most any steering wheel configurations, making it much easier to use your laptop in the cramped confines of the driver’s seat.
I know what you’re thinking — the same thought occurred to thousands of people when they first heard about it. There are now laws against using your cellphone while driving, but now they have a clip-on desk that lets you use your LAPTOP while on the road?
But thankfully, we play fair around here. The Laptop Steering Desk is, of course, meant to be used while the car is at park. Now provided every single driver out there is smart enough not to use the Laptop Steering Desk while driving, it should make for a handy companion during long drives, letting you park near a Wi-Fi hotspot and get some work done.
Even if you don’t have your laptop around, this should be handy for doing some paperwork, solving the day’s crossword puzzle, or simply keeping French fries from falling between your legs.
- Nissan Eporo Robot Cars Mimics Schooling Fish
- Nissan Leaf, the Environmentally Friendly Green Car
- TomTom Car Navigation System Available With Homer Simpson Voice
- Car Windshield Mount with Twin Holders
- Solar Collapsible Traffic Cone
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Laptop Steering Desk — A Car Crash Waiting To Happen? |
Automobile Gadgets | Post tags: automobile gadget, car, laptop tray, portable tray, steering wheel
As if smoking’s health risks weren’t enough…
Apple has recently turned down the requests of two Apple laptop users who asked for repairs. Their PC’s were allegedly damaged by secondhand smoke, which — according to Apple — voided the warranty. We all know that dust can get dangerously in the way of computer performance, but why smoke?
If you don’t already know, PC’s are pretty good heat generators — work with a notebook on your lap, and you’ll see what I mean after 15 minutes. As such, laptops gather dust pretty easily, especially inside where it’s hard to clean. And smoke is the worst kind of “dust” you can expose your laptop to, since smoke isn’t dry — it’s moist, and coats laptop parts with tar and goo.
Apple said afterwards that they won’t fix the smoke-damaged PC’s due to the “health risks of second-hand smoke.” Okay. Think what you will, but at least Apple is concerned about their employees’ health.
Apple recommends that if you do decide to clean your PC yourself, use cotton swabs, compressed air, and rubbing alcohol (the higher the concentration, the better). But don’t expect the guys at Apple to do the dirty work for you — apparently, smoking is also bad for Apple PC’s.
- BassJump MacBook USB Subwoofer
- Hacked Mac OS X 10.6.2 Enables Atom Processors
- Apple OS X 10.6.2 Disables Intel Atom Support
- Quad-core Apple Macbook Pros Coming?
- New MacBook On The Way
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
Apple Refuses To Fix Smoke-Damaged Macs |
Online News | Post tags: Apple, Mac, smoking
The MacBook speakers are pretty good for everyday use, but they won’t give you the theater sound you’re looking for if you are a true audiophile. For that, you need to invest in a high quality sound system or if you’re looking to save a little money, then you might want to consider a subwoofer to compliment your setup.
With that in mind, Twelve South has introduced the BaseJump subwoofer which connects to your MacBook through a USB port. Once connected and the proprietary software installed and configured, BaseJump handles all of the low frequency sounds while the MacBook speakers act as tweeters.
The BaseJump subwoofer is a MAC only accessory and keeps the clean lines typically seen with Apple products. The units retail for $80 a pop and would add to the enjoyment of listening to classics such as the Beatles’ Catalog that was recently released on USB drive, assuming you were able to get your hands on one as these were a limited edition release.
- Apple Refuses To Fix Smoke-Damaged Macs
- Hacked Mac OS X 10.6.2 Enables Atom Processors
- Slacker Radio To Stream Music To Google Phones
- Apple OS X 10.6.2 Disables Intel Atom Support
- Quad-core Apple Macbook Pros Coming?
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
BassJump MacBook USB Subwoofer |
Computer Gadgets | Post tags: Apple, audio, Mac, subwoofer
If you love novelty USB gadgets and are a fan of the movie franchise Alien, then you might be interested in this USB Alien. This coming attraction will be available in mid-December, just in time for the Christmas season.
So what exactly does this alien do? Being USB, you’d think it could be used as a data transfer device or a USB flash drive, 2GB minimum. Nope. This device offers no storage space whatsoever. It is strictly a decorative cool toy that does a couple of fun tricks once it’s plugged into a free USB port. Once connected using it’s tail, the mouth randomly opens and glows red with an LED light while an illuminated tongue protrudes out.
The USB alien is available for pre-order through Strapya World for about $44.
- Second Generation Pogoplug Sharing Device
- Origin Storage 1TB Hard Drive Features Data Encryption
- 64GB Corsair Flash Survivor USB Drive
- Clickfree C2 Portable USB Hard Drive
- Toshiba Launches Wireless USB Docking Station
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
USB Alien With Illuminated Tongue |
USB Gadgets | Post tags: cool, toys, USB
The most popular keyboard style on smartphones these days is the QWERTY virtual keyboard. The keyboards do meet the needs of the mobile user and there are some that have become rather proficient typists.
However, the QWERTY keyboards do have their limitations. It’s because of this that a new style of text input called Swpye has been developed. With Swype, you literally move a single finger across the keyboard from one letter to the next to create words and sentences. There is a leaked video demonstrating the new typing method and although it is just an illustration created to promote Swpye, it does give you a feel of how it works.
Swype typing is not a conceptual idea, this feature will be integrated into the new Samsung Omnia II, a Windows Mobile phone that will go on sale next month. There is also some discussion underway that the new Android phones will also include this in Q1 2010.
- Samsung Bada Mobile OS
- Samsung i5700 Galaxy Spica Android Phone
- Samsung Saturn i6500 Powered By Google Android
- Environmentally Friendly Samsung S5500E Lydford Phone
- Samsung Galaxy i7500 Google Android Phone
© Coated, 2009.
Coated brings you the coolest gadgets and best geek toys.
iPhone QWERTY VS Swype |
Phone Gadgets | Post tags: Android, mobile phone, Omnia, qwerty, Samsung
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