So picture this: You are tasked with watching a volcano And you’re totally like out to lunch one morning and the volcano explodes. You’re like FUUUUUUUUUUU!
With the HUMANITARY INVENTION you’ll never be away from an exploding volcano! This device, which consists of a Piezoelectric system that pushes a rod out of a box. You are then supposed to put a phone next to said box. The phone will then call you and you can be totally like “OMG MY DISTANT PHONE IS CALLING ME! WOW!”
The Japanese madness for all things USB continues. Today I can give you an Alien figure that you can connect to your computer’s USB port. It then sticks out its nasty tongue at random times, backlit by a spooky red LED. Apart from that, the thing isn’t good for much else
Sharper eyes than mine have spotted this little easter egg in the Google Chrome OS Demo video that Google published yesterday. (Or were you completely off the grid yesterday, and didn’t know that Google hosted members of the media to demonstrate Google Chrome OS?) Big Boss? An e-mail from Yoji, asking you to be on time today? Snaaaaake!
The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..
Buying someone else a phone is risky business. Preferences vary, you’ve gotta get their carrier right… it’s a tough game. But if you’re down to make a gamble, we’re here to help. I’ve spent more time playing with new phones in the last year than anyone should ever spend with any phone ever, and have broken down my favorite offerings from each carrier by “Best Bet”, “Best Bet For Under $100″ (though it’s usually worth it to splurge), and “Best Bet for Business” for you Enterprisey folks. Tap on those little arrows down below to begin, and enjoy!
Best Bet — Apple iPhone 3GS: Starting at $199.99
While the Android-vs-iPhone war might not be showing any sign of slowing, AT&T has managed to stay out of things by… not offering an Android phone. As a result, the iPhone is unarguably the safest bet here; it’s drop dead easy to use, gorgeous, and jam-packed with features.
Features:
Product Page | MobileCrunch Review
Best Under $100 — Apple iPhone 3G: $99.99
With the launch of the iPhone 3GS, Apple and AT&T decided to keep the one-year old iPhone 3G on the shelves at just $99 bucks. In comparison to the 3GS, you’ll be shaving 1 megapixel off the camera, video recording, voice control, and the compass. You’ll still have access to (most of) the App Store’s 100,000+ applications, though.
Product Page | CrunchGear Review
Best For Business – BlackBerry Bold: $199.99
The iPhone may be good for a lot of things, but typing emails isn’t one of them. If you’re blasting out more emails in a day than most people send in an entire month, then you’ll absolutely want the physical keyboard of the BlackBerry Bold.
Best Bet – HTC Hero: $179.99
When it comes to Android phones without physical keyboards, the HTC Hero shows how it’s done. The hardware is stunning, and HTC really knocked it out of the park with their custom “Sense” user interface. The Sprint Hero is a bit more expensive up front than its nearly identical cousin, the Verizon Droid Eris ($179.99 vs $99.99, respectively), but Sprint’s monthly plans are almost always easier on the wallet.
Features:
Product Page | CrunchGear Review
Best Under $100 – Palm Pixi (Sort of): $99.99
This one was a tough pick – we really like the Pixi’s hardware, but we had a lot off issues with laggy software during our review, and the lack of WiFi sucks. That said, the price might make up for it: while it’s $99 bucks through Sprint, you can get it for as cheap as $25 bucks through third party retailers. If you’re willing to splurge and drop $50-60 more and still want to stay below $99 (again through third party resellers – see Amazon), however, you’d probably be better off with the Pre.
Product Page | MobileCrunch Review
Best For Business – HTC Touch Pro2: $349.99
If you haven’t touched the keyboard on this thing, you just don’t understand. This is how keyboards on mobile handsets should be done. Windows Mobile certainly isn’t our favorite OS (and to make things worse, it’s 6.1 rather than the newer 6.5), but a lot of IT departments still prefer and/or require it.
Best Bet – myTouch 3G: $149.99
To be honest, this one just sort of wins by default as T-Mobile doesn’t have the biggest variety of smartphones. Their best offerings are the myTouch 3G and the Motorola Cliq. The Cliq’s battery is bordering on terrible, while the myTouch battery is considerably better. It lacks the Cliq’s phyical keyboard, but we’d take the myTouch anyday.
Features:
Product Page | MobileCrunch Review
Best Under $100 – Dash 3G: $99.99
Again, T-Mobile’s limited selection makes a category tough. If you’re absolutely limited at $99 bucks, the only reasonable options you’ve got are the Dash 3G and the BlackBerry 8820. Of those two, the Dash 3G wins hands down, if only because the 8820 feels damned near ancient at this point. If you’ve got the extra change to spare, however, I would absolutely recommend splurging for a G1 or a myTouch – either option really would be a massive upgrade.
Product Page | MobileCrunch Review
Best For Business – BlackBerry Curve 8900: $149.99
The Curve 8900 is one of my favorite BlackBerrys of all time. The keyboard is great, the handset is beautiful, and it packs all the Enterprise features you’d expect of a BlackBerry handset. The downside? No 3G. T-Mobile’s 3G network is still fairly stunted, though, so that’s not a huge loss – but if you often find yourself out of WiFi range, know what you’re getting into.
Best Bet – DROID by Motorola: $199.99
As of right this second, the Droid is the king of smartphones on Verizon. Hell, it’s one of our favorite phones on any carrier, and most certainly my top Android phone. Sure, it’s not without its quirks, but it’s one of the best implementations of Android to date. The hardware, paired with the (currently exclusive) Android 2.0, makes this an absolutely stellar buy.
Features:
Product Page | MobileCrunch Review
Best Under $100 – DROID ERIS: $99.99
Take the Moto Droid – shave off the keyboard, drop the screen resolution, add in HTC’s signature Sense UI (albeit running on Android 1.5 rather than the oh-so-glorious 2.0) and bump the price of the Droid down by $100 bucks, and you’ve got the Droid Eris. It’s ridiculously slim, and the only thing more gorgeous than the hardware is the software running on it. HTC has already openly admitted that they’re working on getting Sense to work with Android 2.0, so it’s probably safe to assume the Droid Eris will get the upgrade treatment sooner or later. Either way, it’s still a damn good buy at a cent shy of a hundred.
BlackBerry Tour: $149.99
If you’re looking for a solid mix of an amazing keyboard and corporate friendliness on Verizon, look no further than the Tour. In fact, if you’re looking for any BlackBerry, look no further than the Tour. This is the BlackBerry I turn to when I’m in need of one. It lacks WiFi – which sucks, a lot – but everything else about this handset is absolutely top notch. The keyboard is an example for others to follow, and the build quality is simply superb.
The $6,995 Leica M9 is available for pre-order at B&H. You’re probably excited. I would be too if I had the cash to buy the 18MP digital rangefinder. Just look at it; you know you want it. Forget that down payment on a house. You should buy this camera instead. It will probably hold its value better. [B&H via Leica Rumors]
GameStop will be opening at 6AM on Black Friday, a good 10 hours before most hardcore gamers normally wake up. The good news is that you can basically just stay up an extra couple hours, make your purchases, and then go home and go to bed.
Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the Wii-holder. The Charge Base IC is a $34.99 induction charging device for Wiimotes and looks like something out of a Frank Lloyd Wright sketchbook. The base sits firmly on the ground while sweeping cantilevered arms reach out to cradle your Wiimotes with magnets. It’s almost graceful, this amalgamation of clear and white plastic, the glorious sense of weightlessness, the architectural stability with just a touch of grandeur.
But darn it if the lights on this thing aren’t too bright.
RIM has been busy outing updated BlackBerrys and the Pearl wasn’t forgotten. An updated version is apparently on its way and these early pics clearly show that the phone is shapping up nicely. Everything is there from the slender candy-bar form factor to the SureType keyboard. Everything but the pearly trackball though. That’s been replaced with a trackpad.
The PogoPlug, reviewed earlier this year, is a simple no-fuss NAS solution. I enjoyed using the product, and so have many other folks. In just the few short months since my review, the crew at PogoPlug have updated the hardware and features, and are rolling out their latest iteration. The new PogoPlug features four USB ports, a new address book feature, global search across all the drives attached to a PogoPlug and all the PogoPlugs associated with a single account, and a host of other improvements. Read More
Sony just recently said they want to get serious with 3D displays this fiscal year, and they seem to stick to their plan. Following the professional 3D camera that shoots video at 240fps and a futuristic 3D stereoscopic display the company introduced last month, we now get to see a 3D display sized at no less than 280 inches.
You know when a given country, in this case the nation of Japan, is over-saturated with cell phones when you get to see something like this: A cell phone that’s supposed to be similar in shape to a chocolate bar, available in two versions: Melty Bitter (brown) and Melty Strawberry (pink). The Sharp SH-04B [JP] is part of NTT Docomo’s winter line-up of new handsets for the Japanese market (unveiled ten days ago).
So it’s official: there will be a Bioshock 2 special edition. With the upcoming release of Bioshock 2 there’s been much speculation and guesswork about if there would be a special edition, and more importantly, what would be in it. Well, the wait is over.
The official announcement came out today on The Cult of Rapture. The special edition will come in a 13×13″ premium package with special art on the slipcase and the cover of the box. Inside the box, you’ll find three posters featuring vintage ads from Rapture, a LP with the orchestral score from the original Bioshock, a CD with the Bioshock 2 score, an 164 page hardbound artbook, and the Bioshock 2 game.
The special edition will be released on February 9th, 2010 for $99.00 on the Xbox 360 and PS3. The PC version will be $89.00. All three versions will be limited to a single production run.
Now, it’s not that I don’t want to tell the time when I wake up in the morning. It’s that I don’t want it spelled out in macaroni where I usually put my head.
