Launching in 2008 are software enhancements that will give DirecTV DVR users with built-in Series 2 TiVo a Recently Deleted Folder and Overlap Protection as well as Remote Booking. No need to upgrade now is there?
It looks like the new 20- and 24-inch iMacs will be making their debut next Tuesday at an exclusive press event at Apple HQ in Cupertino. Unlike past events where e-mails were sent out it seems phone calls from Apple’s marketing department were informing the press of the Mac exclusive event. The new slimmed down keyboard should also be making its debut along with demonstrations of iLife ’08 and iWork ’08. The event begins at 10 am PDT.
Apple to host Mac event next Tuesday [Apple Insider]
NASA would sooner launch the iPhone into outer space than issue them to astronauts according to meeting minutes from July 10. ODIN (Outsourcing Desktop Initiative for NASA) project manager, Jeff Stephens, deemed the iPhone unacceptable for NASA. Thanks Jeff, we weren’t sure if it was enterprise ready, but you’ve just reaffirmed our prior beliefs. Alert the masses! RIM and Palm are basking in the glory as BlackBerry 8800s and Treo 750s are the weapon of choice for America’s astronauts.
Apple iPhone Out, BlackBerry 8800 In At NASA [Information Week]
Geek Squad, the computer repair company married to Best Buy, is looking for big thinkers. It’s looking for big thinkers in order to solve problems. Big problems. Big problems that require big thinking. So it’s sponsoring a (big?) contest to go along with its annual IdeaFestival, where it’s offering the biggest thinkers the chance to go to Louisville, Kentucky to meet other, bigger thinkers. You’ll meet Geek Squad’s Robert Stephens (a nice guy when I met him last year), Steve Wozniak (if you’re on CG, then you certainly know who Woz is) and Tiffany Shlain, founder of the Webby awards.
The contest is broken up into three separate parts: Solutions for eWaste, Power Conservation and Maximizing Untapped Resources. Get your entries, er, ideas, in before August 31.
That’s Fabio dipping the aforementioned Robert Stephens on a cold Louisville autumn morning. I’m not even joking.
Geek Squad IdeaFestival [Geek Squad]
Really, there’s nothing I like better than writing about something when only the most basic information is known. Take this Hacha PC20 PMP. I can tell you that it has a 3-inch screen and that it’s fairly slim at 7.7mm. So I’ll save you from all the clever witticisms and just leave you with one more picture.
Do people still play Laser Tag? Enjoy a round of hot Halo action? If so, then prepare yourselves because Halo Laser Pursuit is getting ready to launch. You, too, can wield a Covenant Plasma Rifle or Pistol and frag away. Both weapons are highly detailed to match what you see in the game and they replicate the same characteristics the weapons in the game have such as blinking lights, sound effects and recoil vibration. There’s also a ‘super shot mode’ on the pistol that inflicts more damage to your opponents. Look for the Covenant weapons at Hot Topic and other retailers in October. A Covenant Energy Sword is expected sometime next year.
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We all have iPods and Hickey already told us what to do if it breaks. But, say, you hate Hickey and don’t believe a word he says. Fair enough, but your iPod could still die an untimely death. Sad, yes, but WindSolutions has released CopyTrans Doctor iPod, software that’s still in beta that may, just may fix your hosed iPod. It sounds like DiskWarrior et al. in that it attempts to fix disk errors. It also will attempt to fix holes in your iPod-iTunes library. (Songs listed in the iPod but not actually there, in other words.)
Windows-only, but Macs are perfect so iPod-owning Mac users won’t even have to bother.
CopyTrans Doctor [WindSolutions via iLounge]
Apparently the brand Tascam is “big” in the music community, as Vince just went off in our chat room on how great it is. Tascam designed this DAP, the MP-VT1, with musicians in mind, which is while you’ll find a line out and a microphone jack there. It has other features only musicians could appreciate, like Variable Speed Audition, which slows songs down without changing their pitch; songs can configured to have looping sections, which is good for DJs; and you can alter the pitch of playing music.
All this pitch talk is making me thirsty.
The fate of the Xbox 360 core system is still up in the air, but this Circuit City ad all but confirms the price cuts across all 360 systems. Beginning August 12, the Elite gets a $30 drop to a more affordable $449.99 price point, the Premium edition drops to $349.99 and the Core system now competes with the Wii at $279.99. If the price cuts weren’t enough to get you in the store then how about a free copy of Rockstar’s Table Tennis?
Circuit City flyer shows Xbox 360 price drop on all systems [Joystiq]
Honestech has an entire suite of software programs that are cheap, do what they’re advertised and easy to use. I’ve spent the last few weeks dabbling with VHS to DVD 3.0 Deluxe, DVD Player 3.0, Claymation Studio, and Rapid Video Blogger. I wouldn’t normally use any of it, but given the chance to test them out, I just couldn’t resist.
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Nokia’s BH-604 Bluetooth stereo ‘phones are two months from hitting the market, but CrunchGear was lucky enough to receive a pair of sample models. I’m a firm believer that Bluetooth headsets/earbuds are the most ridiculous looking gadget anyone can wear around, but Nokia’s DJ-like headphones have me painting a different picture after the week I’ve spent with them. Was I impressed? Yes. Was I disappointed? Yes. Huh? It was a good disappointment, so keep your pants on.
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The Anti-Tracker GPS jamming gadget from China is perfect for spies or paranoid individuals who think they’re significant other is tracking all their movements. It’s powered by your car’s lighter socket and claims to knock out GPS logging or tracking devices on your car. The Anti-Tracker puts out 200mW of jamming power! There’s no price yet, but check back often. *sigh*
Product Page [via Navigadget]
The BlackBerry Curve is a hot piece of Canadian machinery, but the 8320 we have here in the States lacks the GPS that everyone and their mother seems to crave. You could opt for the 8800 series if you really want GPS, but it’s slightly bigger and doesn’t have a camera. What’s a geek to do?
RIM announced today the 8310 Curve in Germany. How could you, RIM? How could you release a GPS-enabled Curve in Germany and not in the U.S.? At least we can take solace in the fact that the 8310 might show up on our shores sometime this year. This sudden onslaught of new RIM devices has me running in circles, but it’s saving me money because I know there’s something new coming out down the road. Ugh.
For the German Vodafone subscribers in the audience, you can pick up an 8310 for 99 Euro now.
BGR strikes again with hot news regarding the launch dates for the Moto RAZR 2, Q9, BlackBerry 8820, Pantech C810 and the AT&T SMT5700. Having seen both the RAZR 2 and Q9 in person, I can say they’re well worth the wait. The duo from Motorola will launch August 24. The Pantech C810 won’t be out till September 9th and BlackBerry 8820 is slated for mid-August, around the 13th or 14th. And the AT&T SMT5700 QWERTY device is slated for August 24th or the 28th.
We try, however implausible as it may seem, to say we’re anti-piracy here, step-by-step how-to articles notwithstanding. That will not stop me from, once again, pretending to be anti-piracy.
These collection of ads tell us, in so many words, that supporting piracy in its myriad forms will bring about the Death of the West and the collapse of representative democracy.
Right off the bat, what does this prototype laptop—the Purity Notebook—remind you of? To me, it looks like any number of PCs trying, really trying, to emulate the MacBook. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Being a PC, it runs Windows Vista, insofar as prototypes runs anything, I suppose.
The FCC approved the E-ten Glofiish X800 and with that approval came more details that might make you forget about dropping $700 on an iPhone or becoming a crackberry addict. The spec sheet is quite impressive with GPS, Wi-Fi, 2.8-inch LCD touchscreen, but it runs on WinMo 6 and lacks a QWERTY keyboard that allows users to be a tad more efficient than poking around with a stylus. Full specs after the jump.
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I think it’s safe to say that iPhone owners are cutting edge individuals and in order to keep up that façade you must know about everything iPhone. Keeping with that trend, don’t be the oddball not playing Bejeweled while waiting in line at Starbucks. Popcap Games has developed a free iPhone-only version that’s playable via Safari. Actually, anyone can play it for free through Safari, but it’s been optimized for the iPhone, so you’ll look silly in your cubicle with your face two inches from the monitor. *leans back in chair*
Bejeweled Turns iPhone Into Gaming Gem [Game Daily]
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G1 is a behemoth of a point-and-shoot, due in part to its beautiful 3.5-inch LCD. And with 2GB of internal storage and a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar f/3.5-4.3 38mm-114mm 3x zoom lens and quality 6-megapixel sensor, you’d be hard pressed not to give the G1 a fighting chance in a crowded market. However, its steep $600 price and sucky built-in Wi-Fi feature nearly negate all of the G1’s positive attributes.
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Sometimes we’re broke and you know what: that’s OK. We all know that it’s worth eating ramen noodles for three weeks so that we can enjoy playing Playstation 3 games for hours on end between bong rips. So when some crafty gentleman needed an extra controller for rocking out in Guitar Hero, he reached out to household crap and a PS1 controller. The result is the above picture, which Giz thinks looks ugly as hell. Me? It reminds me of some guitar the guys in Warrant would use. I approve.
How to Make an Ugly Guitar Hero Guitar Out of Scratch [Gizmodo]
