Computer Gadgets New

One of our aims for 2008 was to finally break into the top 1000 blogs according to Technorati (which is based on how many other blogs link to you), we’ve been petering on the edge for a while and finally broke in this afternoon at position #998.

I would like to thank every blog and blogger that has ever given us link credit to our stories, we will always strive to do the same. So in no particular order (though the sites in bold are the ones that I see a lot) I’d like to say a big cheers and thanks to:

• s2999
• Geek Chic
• Compradiccion
• Noantri
• Ektopia
• Slash Gear
• Gizmodo
• Digital Drops
• Geek Alerts
• Gadgettastic
• Grupo Geek
• Gadget Reporter
• Gear Log
• Geeky Gadgets
• Tip of the Day
• Zedomax
• Tech News 2 U
• Monster Works
• No Puedo Creer
• To all the others that I missed, thank you and I’ll try to include you next time

The next target for 2008 is to get our subscriber base up to 100,000 so if you haven’t subscribed to our feed yet here it is .

Posted Jan 31st 2008 3:24PM by Joshua Topolsky
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

In an expression of remembrance for a historical moment in hair-trigger overreactions, artists all over the Boston area have taken to the streets armed with provocative LED signage. Paying homage to the “bomb” scare of January 31st, 2007 (which was actually just viral promotion for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie using LED art), creative pranksters have descended upon the city with electronic recreations of President Bush, Osama Bin Laden, and a number of other inflammatory images sure to rile the local authorities but-good. Truck on over to MAKE to see a collection of images, and if you happen to be in the Boston area, don’t miss a chance to snap some photos of your own!

Posted Jan 31st 2008 11:31AM by Donald Melanson
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

They’re about as far from myths as you can get, but MythBuster Jamie Hyneman nonetheless took it upon himself to explore seven tech headaches that many of you are likely all too familiar with in the latest issue of Popular Mechanics, and he’s offered a few suggestions on how companies could fix ‘em. Those headaches include the ever-popular cordless tools with endless varieties of battery packs and chargers (which he suggests should be replaced by stackable 6-volt modules), fancy flashlights that use pricey batteries (which he thinks we’d be better off without), and cars with obnoxious electronics and near-impenetrable encasements. Of course, cellphones and their myriad of charges and connectors aren’t spared either, although Hyneman sees some hope in the Open Mobile Terminal Platform that aims to make micro-USB the standard, and, as you might have guessed, he pays particular notice to computers that come pre-loaded with scores of unnecessary software. On that last note, he also offers some action consumers can take themselves: switch to Ubuntu.

[Thanks, Niall]

Today, Amazon announced that they have bought out the popular digital download site Audible.com. Audible is best known for their wide variety of digital content such as digital audio books, newspapers and magazines, television, radio programs and original programming. Audible boasts over 80,000 media files and is sure to help Amazon on their quest to stand atop the digital model.

“Audible.com offers the best customer experience, the widest content selection and the broadest device compatibility in the industry,” said Steve Kessel, Amazon.com’s senior vice president for worldwide digital media. “Working together, we can introduce more innovations and bring this format to an even wider audience.”

Also, Donald Katz founder and chief executive of Audible.com, had this to say:

“This deal brings together two pioneering companies that share a long history of ceaseless focus on improving the customer experience, we are very excited to be joining a company as innovative as Amazon.com.”

When all is said and done, this deal will be completed during Q2 of 2008 and will cost over $300 million. The decision to acquire Audible.com seems to be a great move on Amazon’s part.

Read [Amazon]

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It’s the last day of January. Tomorrow will be the start of February and guess what?

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!

Here a gift suggestion I think geeky couples would surely find entertaining!

Chocolate Mii for you and Wii!

Hahaha, how totally cute is that.

The chocolate Miis are placed inside a miniature Wii-shaped box.

You can choose whether to have your Miis be made of either gourmet milk, dark, or white Chocolate.

Price is $14.95 at Paul Papa Designs.

I frankly find these more romantic than flowers, heheh!

Tags: chocolates, mii, valentines, Wii

Posted Jan 31st 2008 11:10AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Just like expected, Acer has formally bought into Packard Bell, snapping up 75% of PB Holdings, Packard Bell’s parent company. Things got a bit hairy for a bit there when Packard Bell started speaking with Lenovo as well, since Acer fears losing its strength in Europe to the Chinese giant. Luckily for Acer, Gateway was the real clincher here, since Gateway started talks with Packard Bell before getting bought by Acer itself, and had nabbed the right to counter any offers Packard Bell might get from other companies. The deal officially went through on Wednesday for $45.8 million.

We’ve all experienced console rage, especially when playing Mario Kart and Princess sneaks up from the back to beat you at the last second. But few of us take it as far as Tyrone Spellman aka Anwar Salahuddin, who beat his 17 month old daughter to death after she knocked over his XBox 360 while he was playing it.

Spellman, of Philadelphia, punched her continually and possibly threw her across the room. Susan Arendt at Game|Life has the full story of the conviction and possible 47 year sentence. We’re sure that video games will be blamed for this incident, as usual, especially as Spellman was hitting the ‘Box for up to seven hours a day, but what kind of person gets angry at a baby for just knocking something over?

Man Convicted of Killing Daughter Over Xbox Accident [Game|Life via CrunchGear]

We all know Valentine’s day is coming up. And men all over the world are scurrying around trying to find the right gift for their Valentine that won’t disappoint them. (We all know men have given up on trying to find the perfect gift, because that will never happen). It’s hard enough trying to find a gift for the average woman, but what do these poor guys do when faced with a woman who is a geek/nerd? Most guys fall back onto the default of chocolate and flowers, but this year, there’s a great alternative for your geeky Valentine.

Think Geek is has come out with the Chocolate Molecule T-Shirt just in time for Valentine’s Day. Well, technically it’s not Chocolate, but the chemical Theobromine. The description from Think Geek:

…Theobromine, and she’s the tasty little number who puts your mind in a happy place while you are eating chocolate. Molecularly similar to caffeine, but with just enough differences to make her a much smoother date, Theobromine is slower to burn out of your system and induces gentle, sensual stimulation to your muscular and cardiovascular systems.

Granted, you can’t eat this lovely chocolaty brown t-shirt with the Theobromine molecule imprinted in a lovely Valentine’s raspberry pink and get the same chemical effects on your body - but your geek girl may just swoon over the geekiness (and your thoughtfulness) of this nearly perfect gift. Also, the t-shirt has no calories, so your sweetheart can wear this t-shirt proudly without gaining an ounce (well, technically only 6.1 oz, but that’s how much the shirt weighs).

I’m pretty happy that this t-shirt has a looser “classic” cut than a traditional babydoll tee, because let’s face it, only stick figures can fit into a babydoll tee. The t-shirt is 100% combed ring-spun cotton with a common 1×1 rib will make the (nearly) perfect gift for the nerdy love of your life. Pick one up for $17.99.

[Think Geek]

Resolution of 14.something megapixels seems to be the new standard for digital SLRs, but that’s likely to change with the development of a new Sony image sensor. The CMOS chip boasts resolution of 24.8 megapixels and is the same size as a 35mm film frame, promising better image clarity and no silly conversion formulas to figure out how much zoom you’ll get from a lens.

There’s no word yet on plans to adopt the chips. But with image sensors continually shrinking in point-and-shoot cameras, inevitably at the expense of image quality, here’s hoping more SLR makers will see the benefit of working with full-frame sensors.

PMA: Sony Announces 24MP 35mm CMOS Sensor [Adorama]