Amazon.com Xbox 360 Elite Page

Sony Responds to PS3 Elite Rumor [Kotaku]

The Schuberth J1 Helmet looks so cool that it kind of makes me want to get a bike just so I can use one. Beneath that distinctive futuristic styling is a collection of advanced features designed to protect your noggin’.

The helmet has a removable chin guard, an Optical Class 1 distortion-free visor, integrated sun shade and a ventilation system that’ll prevent you brain from boiling — I’ve seen it happen, it’s horrible. It might cost $660, but that investment doesn’t seem too bad compared to the alternative of having your head splattered into the pavement. Just a thought.

Schuberth J1 Helmet [via Uncrate]

Systemax Pursuit 4155 notebook is proof that all the fuss was a little unwarranted.

I recently did a full roundup of four notebooks that were less than $1,000 and all were running Vista Home Premium, which is the step-down from the Ultimate Edition the Pursuit is running on. None of the notebooks had a problem running Premium and the Pursuit, with its 1.73GHz Core 2 Duo T2250 processor, 1GB of memory, and integrated Intel graphics likely won’t have trouble with Ultimate, either. The other specs in the 4155 are simply average: 60GB hard drive, DVD/CD-RW combo drive, 15.4-inch widescreen LCD, and a built-in 1.3-megapixel Webcam.

Now, I’m not saying you won’t have to replace your three-year-old Pentium 4/Athlon 64 desktop/laptop to run the OS, but the hardware requirements are not so prohibitive that you can’t buy a budget system and still enjoy the fancy Vista features.

Lots more photos of the Pursuit 4155 after the jump.

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That John C. Dvorak is up to it again. Making radical claims year after year until one of them actually hits and then he claims credit – real classy. Dvorak’s latest claim is that Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone before it’s too late. He goes on to say that Apple is merely an advertising company and the iPhone is way over-hyped. Says the silly goose:

What Apple risks here is its reputation as a hot company that can do no wrong. If it’s smart it will call the iPhone a “reference design” and pass it to some suckers to build with someone else’s marketing budget. Then it can wash its hands of any marketplace failures.

So if the iPhone fails, Apple is no longer a hot company? Dream on old man, dream on. However I will give props to Dvorak for what he said about this year’s CES. Read the full article only if you can handle the Apple-bashing, ’cause there’s a plenty.

Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone [Marketwatch]

Though this technically isn’t a gadget, we know every geek loves some Star Wars news! This summer, you’ll be able to pick up Yoda, Luke, and Leia all in the form of postal stamps. To celebrate the countless years of Star Wars in pop-culture, the US Postal Service will be issuing 15 unique stamps that feature different Star Wars characters. The set will go on sale May 25th and each stamp will cost 41 cents a piece (yes, they’re raising prices again). Says David Failor of the USPS:

“Because of the movies’ popularity, we believe these stamps have the potential of reaching the blockbuster status of the Elvis stamp, a milestone only the Force could attempt to surpass,”

Special sheets featuring all the stamps will be available, as well as pre-paid Express Mail packaging that will feature popular Wars characters. You can even vote for your favorite stamp at this USPS website! Talk about Star Wars excitement. If only we had the power of the force to skip those long lines whenever we visit our Post Office.

US to issue Star Wars stamps [The Register]

Ricoh Caplio GX100 with Removable Electronic Viewfinder [Far East Gizmos]

No screen, low cost, and a 50-percent manufacturing savings for Apple. Is it a dream? No! It’s the iPhone Shuffle, an exciting new phone that’s loaded with absolutely no-features and comes with a coupon redeemable for a free sundae at Dairy Queen (aka CrunchGear HQ). It’s due out Q4 and sports some of today’s leading technologies like crushed walnuts and whipped cream. Mmmmm Apples…whipped cream…

Apple announces iPhone Shuffle [64bit headlines]

hacking your Apple TV, if you haven’t already, I wouldn’t bother because Apple is only going to hack your hack. I suppose there is always a downside to the Internet. Apple caught wind of all the hackity hacks going around regarding the Apple TV and they’re taking appropriate steps to rectify the situation.

According to IPP over at Tutorial Ninja, his hacked box, along with others, has mysteriously been reset. They’re quick to point the finger at Apple and say they’re coming in at night to reset everything, but others have pointed to ‘chronojob,’ a scheduled reset tool. Nevertheless, if you think Apple is hacking your hack then change your password, deny any Internet access to it or else you’ll incur a breach of network and/or $300 paperweight. You can’t call yourself a ninja when you’re being ninja’d, ironic isn’t it?

Tutorial Ninjas [via T3]

For the past year, I’ve spent time with numerous Casio digital cameras. The Exilim series has proven to be an excellent blend of both value and performance. A fantastic camera at a low price if you will. But camera after camera, Casio didn’t really do much to change the design of each model. At one point, the difference between a 10.1-megapixel camera and a 6-megapixel camera was virtually undetectable (well, except for the megapixel thing). But with the release of the EX-Z75, Casio has tried something new. The unit I received has a new design, a bright blue paint job, and a new UI to play with. Has Casio finally taken a step forward? Maybe. Read on to find out the entire story.
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Apple just added a “groundbreaking” feature to its iTunes store called “Complete My Album” that lets music fans complete partially downloaded albums for a reduced price. Say you’ve already downloaded one song from an album but now want the rest of it without having to repurchase the one song you already have. (Certain longer length songs can only be had when purchasing an entire album, so this situation pops up more than you might think.) With “Complete My Album,” Apple credits your account for the already purchased song(s), leaving you to just pay the balance for the remaining songs. Very thoughtful of Apple, and now I get to complete my iTunes Introduces Complete My Album [Apple]

Those who enjoy the simpler things in life will gladly welcome the Nokia 5070. This candybar-style phone has no radical design and is chock full of basic features! You’ll get the ability to SMS and MMS, stunning audio messaging, a built-in camera with a terrible resolution, FM radio to listen to NPR on, a stereo headset, and the choice between a red or blue paint job. Doesn’t get any more exciting than this, does it?

Now if that isn’t exciting, I just don’t know what is anymore. It’ll retail for about $135 and will be available in Europe during Q2. A bit of an expensive phone for the lack of features, but it looks solid and is probably choice for someone who doesn’t enjoy thrills.

Press Release [Nokia]

Corporate dudes, please don’t try to be funny. It never works and you just end up looking silly. Take this guy at CTIA. He’s going on and on about how much the iPhone will change human history like it’s the wheel. Then he mentions a bunch of no-good punk kids and how they wanted him to “pull some strings” so they could get one early. Very funny, sir. Methinks you should quit your overpaid job as an executive and hit the comedy circuit. Pryor’s got nothing on you.

Video surfaces of iPhone at CTIA [Electronista]

One of the better accessory/case-makers, Proporta, needs some help picking a design for it’s Alu-Leather cases. There’s pouch-style where a device slides in and is held entirely or side grip-style where a device is held by two plastic nubs. By heading over to this URL, you can read all about it, cast your vote, and possibly win a prize.

There’s five Proporta Gadget Bags with portable USB chargers to be given away, so get e-mailing!

Voting Page [Proporta]

5700 XpressMusic rumors to become official. The newest 3G handset from Nokia has many of the traits of the 5300 XpressMusic, but it’s got a nice twist, literally. The rotating bottom isn’t just for show, either: each position serves as a different mode for the phone. The most obvious function for the 5700 is a music player, then a 2-megapixel camera, followed by video call and then smartphone.

The 5700 features a MicroSD slot that can be upgraded to 2GB. Stream audio to your A2DP Bluetooth stereo headset if you don’t feel like being wired in with the 3.5mm plug earbuds or rock out with the built-in speakers. The music player also supports album art, playlists, and a 5-band equalizer with audio visualizations. The 5700 XpressMusic is expected to hit Europe next quarter with a €350 price tag and it’ll be available in Red and Black.

Press Release

The Nokia 7088 just had its bah mitzvah and is now a man… well, is now no longer just a rumor. The cellphone will be part of Nokia’s L’amour (French for “tacky”) collection, the first CDMA phone to be granted this privilege. How Nokia expects to battle other “luxury” cellphones with what looks to be a basic slider is beyond me. There’s no crazy mirror effect, nor any fancy touchscreen here to speak of. The middle button is apparently jewel-like and the phone itself is wrapped in leather. Wow, it’s like you need to be royalty to use this phone. You’re also better off not living here in the U.S. if you want one quickly, since its Q2 release date only applies to Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

Product Page [Nokia via Ubergizmo]

::Yawn:: Welcome folks. Today we have some, ah, stunning 2-way radios / walkie talkies from Motorola that are dubbed MOTOTRBO. These industrial-grade radios sport both an analog and digital band and have the ability the send text messages to each other. The whole package comes with all the equipment and software you’ll need to communicate within your group and drive up your electricity bill.

There’s even an API for…programmers. These incredibly exciting radios are available now and can be found at your local trucker store or logistics wholesaler I suppose.

Press Release

Let’s start your Thursday off with something a little action-packed, shall we? No? Ok then. Apple has released Boot Camp 1.2 and with it comes long-awaited support for Windows Vista. Now you can turn your purebred Macbook into a mutt by installing the Vis’ on it while still getting your Mac OS X fix. Other updates that come with Boot Camp 1.2 include updated drivers, support for the Apple Remote in Windows, a “Windows system tray icon”, Apple Software Update, and updated documentation.

There are a few other things which one might want to glance over, but nothing important or exciting. Hit it up and download it today to get Vista going on your Mac.

Product Page [Apple]

If your house is anything like the CrunchGear Mansion, it’s filled to the brim with gadgetry and electronica. And with all this newfangled convenience comes an equal dose of frustration. Like when your cell phone clock goes dead the second the A train pops underground. It’s almost enough to make you strap on your old Mickey Mouse wristwatch.

So this got us to thinking — what are some common problems that ruin our gadget-loving experience, and how can we fix them? If any companies are interested in the following ideas, I’ll be standing by.
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Microsoft has garnered a lot of press this week with the announcement of its Xbox 360 Elite. The updated console features HDMI inputs and an expanded 120GB hard drive. Its announcement, while not a surprise to anyone, warrants one obvious question, “What now Sony?”

The above FCC filing from earlier this month might hold some indication as to how Sony plans to respond to the 360 Elite. Michael Mowhertor at Kotaku believes that the letter could be indicative of an augmented PlayStation 3.

While it only states the presence of a larger 80GB hard drive, the new PS3 model (CECHE01) could have more under the hood than a larger hard drive. I’m not sure how plausible it is, but this constitutes as some of that food for thought everyone always seems to be hungry for.

And, of course, we’ll keep our eyes open for any new info to surface.

Sony Working On PS3 “Elite” Model? [Kotaku]