Most Recent: Technology
Posted on Tuesday, December 2, 2008 at 3:01 PM
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Tal PinchTagged as: iPod, Apple, Computer, Laptop, Technology, MacBook, Games, iPhone
iSmacked: The MacBook Backlash has Already Begun
It didn't come with the same kind of bluster accompanying the latest iPod or iPhone, but the recent launch of Apple's latest MacBooks did come with its fair share of hype. Although on paper, it seemed to be warranted. The addition of new high-end Nvidia graphic chips and multi-touch track pads made it look like the world of intense gaming, which requires high-end video components to play sprawling, graphically-intense games, may finally be coming to Mac.
The specs looked impressive but the starting price of $999 disappointed a lot of people in the market who expected more competitive price points. For the people who were looking to get the latest MacBook anyway, it probably didn't mean all that much, but it was still disillusionment enough to make Apple's stock drop. The backlash didn't end there.
Initial reviews of the new Books have so far been not-so gentle. For one, the aforementioned track pad to help navigate your way cannot be replaced if it is damaged, so you?re already in trouble if you get a little physical with your laptop. The keyboard has also proven unpopular. But if you're looking to replace it, you'll have to remove 80 screws, which is probably more trouble than it's worth.
With an adverse response to even a little moisture and some models even reportedly missing important keys (see if you can find the letter b on this model), it hasn't taken long for the MacBook hype to subside. While it seems to run high-impact applications more efficiently, the absence of Blu-Ray indicates this may be more of a gateway model, so you could be best off waiting for the next line of MacBooks, whenever that may be.
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Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 11:44 PM
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Tal PinchTagged as: Timex Ironman Race Trainer, Central Park, Watches, Technology, Electronics, Outdoor, Timex, New York Marathon, New York, Sports
Timex Gives You a Chance to Get Ready for Next Year's Marathon
The New York Marathon a few weeks ago really got us motivated to finally get out there and run; no, really. But considering you already missed this year's installment, you?ll need to look elsewhere to complete your 26.2 miles. You could probably start (and get some nice travel in to boot) with the Hong Kong, Miami, Dubai, New Orleans, and Marrakech marathons in January and February. By next fall, you can use the competitive Chicago Marathon to gear up for the New York edition, the event most closely associated with the words ?maybe next year.? You can always sign up for charity on the marathon?s web site.
If you're ready to start training, Timex?s Ironman Race Trainer has made your marathon prep a lot easier. On the surface, the kit revolves around the new sports timepiece featuring the requisite stop watch, chronograph, 50-lap memory, and all tangible training information. Working with a wireless chest monitor, you can also track distance and heart rate.
What truly sets this kit apart is its wireless communication with your Mac or PC via a USB Timex Data Xchanger. From there, you can sync your watch and all pertinent training information with the special TrainingPeaks software, which thoroughly analyzes everything from the range of your heart rate to how you allocate your time walking versus running to your diet. No high-tech features to speak of, like GPS or remote tracking, but with a $220 price tag, there isn't a more efficient way to closely organize your evolution into a marathon mad man. Of course, a good pair of running shoes, like the light and resilient Saucony ProGrid Jazz 12 or the Asics Gel Evolution 4, should help too.
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Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 6:37 PM
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Tal PinchTagged as: Games, Sony PSP, Playstation, Electronics, Handheld, Sony, Technology, iphone
New PSP 2 Concept Gets Our Attention
With the recent European launch of the PSP-3000, the once-innovative handheld gaming console got some face time in a cluttered handheld market focusing primarily on phones and media players. Looking identical to the most recent PSP model, the mobile device has additional features like an improved display and a mic.
Not bad, but certainly not enough to divert our attention away from the iPhone/G1 debate. But with a new concept recently unveiled by designer Tai Chiem, the PSP could once again be worth a couple of looks.
While the images are nothing more than a concept for a fictional gaming device, the technology infused in the unit would instantly make the PSP relevant again. The most prominent (and quite frankly, the coolest) feature in this PSP concept is the roll-out, fully-flexible OLED display, ensuring a vivid screen that can be placed snuggly in your pocket.
The screen would be pulled out of a cylinder design featuring speakers on either side that would also double as gaming and camera controls. Chiem also imagines Sony embedding two joystick controls, a feature noticeably missing from the original PSP designs. Just as they have with the array of other, less-inspired PSP design ideas that have been thrown online, Sony has no comment.
But this innovative idea could very well be the future of handheld gaming and a much-needed boost for a product that has been steadily losing face in North America in the age of the iPod.
Sure, the iPhone and other handheld devices have provided some gaming options during our down time (who wouldn?t want to play Double Dragon in the back of a town car?), but most of us haven?t truly enjoyed mobile gaming since the last Gameboy device from Nintendo or the first Sony PSP. Considering there is still a demand for high-end mobile gaming, we?d keep an eye out for this new PSP model. If we?re lucky, they could see the light of day some time in the next five years.
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Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 6:12 PM
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Tal PinchTagged as: Carl Zeiss, Cinemizer, MyVu Crystal, Travel, Movies, iPod, Technology, Entertainment, Electronics
Watch Movies on Your Glasses
Watching your favorite Blu-Ray DVDs on a new 60-inch plasma is the typical enjoyable home entertainment experience. Then there's the occasional desperate attempt at iPod video viewing. This is not how you were supposed to watch the Godfather.
But some manufacturers are trying to provide a new way to watch your mobile video without squinting. The finest example so far is the new, limited-edition Cinemizer video eyewear from Carl Zeiss. While plenty of tech companies have made a play for this emerging video eyewear market, most of them have been lacking either in design or technology. Such is the case of Toshiba's massive head-mounted unit, where they've taken a mobile medium and turned it into a neck-straining monstrosity.
The Cinemizer, on the other hand, brings a slick design that interacts with your iPod to simulate a four-foot screen at a distance of almost seven feet away. Only 500 of these golden-edition Cinemizer models have been made, providing impressive and clear video straight from your iPod and iPhone. Cinemizer reviews have been strong so far and the new golden version is one of the few video eyewear models that you might actually consider wearing in public. Of course, considering how many New Yorkers we've seen engaged in their texting to such a degree that they almost walk into oncoming traffic, it's probably not a good idea.
For anyone requiring this kind of entertainment during their cross-country or trans-Atlantic flights, there are similar models also earning strong reviews, particularly the MyVu Crystal, an iPod-compatible personal viewer that also happens to look pretty good on your face.
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Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 at 6:40 PM
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Tal PinchTagged as: Cars and Moto, Ferrari, Gadgets, Apple, ipod, Handheld, Technology, Scuderia Spider 16M
Tired Ferrari Gadgets Don't Work Without the Car
Like every other major sports car manufacturer, Ferrari has been doing plenty of work to lend their brand to other products. They may have reached a boiling point recently, though, with the release of the latest Ferrari-branded Vertu phones (retail price around $10,600). While they feature the same leather and stitching you'd find in the sports cars' interior, you won't find any special features that justify the price tag. If you want a special Ferrari toy to play with, you're best off looking at cars and gadgets in one tidy package. It?s a combination the company is only now getting into and should try to do more of in the future.
Like the phone, there's also talk of the new Ferrari 16GB iPod touch, another product long on hype and short on features. Unlike the phone, the iPod comes complimentary with Ferrari's incredible new Scuderia Spider 16M. The limited-edition iPods come packed with Ferrari content, including photos, video, and engine audio (which seems like an unnecessary feature). It's the inclusion of the sports car that saves this bizarre combination of brands, something Ferrari's other branding partners should keep in mind. If you're going to use the car's label, you might as well include access to the car with it.
With only 499 of them made, the car itself is awe-inspiring enough without the complimentary iPod. It's an open-top version of the famed F430 Spider, the howling, aluminum-body convertible so powerful it measures 8500 rpm in first gear, topping out at 193mph as Ferrari's fastest-ever road car. Inspired by the Formula One racecar that won the 2008 Formula One Constructor's Championship, the 16M even features the six-speed F1 gearbox you'd find in their racing models. All of which makes it the closest thing to a Formula One vehicle you can get without bribing Ferrari driver and 2008 Formula One runner-up Felipe Massa. Maybe you could offer him the Ferrari iPod?
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