Devices Site

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 11:12AM
Oh sweet mercy, what have we here? A sneak peek (on video) of the looming PlayStation Store revamp and a confirmation of DTS-HD Master Audio output in the next PS3 firmware update, that’s what. Over on the PlayStation Blog, we’re casually walked through the impending v2.30 update, and just as we had heard, Blu-ray fans can shout in unison as the inclusion of their favorite audio codec (as well as DTS-HD High Resolution Audio) is just days away. Word on the street has v2.30 headed down the pipes on April 15th, and if you’re eager to catch a glimpse of some more stills from the made-over PS Store, head on over to Joystiq.

Read - PlayStation 3 firmware v2.30 walkthrough video
Read - Revamped playstation Store images
Read - DTS’ own confirmation of the good news (Thanks, sTeViO!)

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Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Filed in archive Tip by jim on April 10, 2008

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These days more and more couples are having their weddings photographed by friends and family rather than by a pro.

The decision to do so is usually dictated by economics and if you're asked to do the honors you should feel flattered because obviously your photos have impressed the bride and groom.

Of course you'll be nervous about having the responsibility of documenting such a momentous occasion but that's to be expected. Take a deep breath and start planning your project.

Make a list of all "must" shots", such as the bride going up the aisle, and the newly married couple coming back down the aisle, and of course, the key shots of the ceremony itself.

If there's a reception afterwards it's time to take pictures of the attendees, the dancing, the cake cutting, the garter toss and other traditions.

Even as an amateur you have many advantages over the pro photographers of yesteryear who used film cameras.

You can take many shots content in the knowledge that there isn't any film to have processed; you pay only for what you want printed. You also get instant results so after review any muffed shots can be redone immediately. This helps raise your confidence level.

by Paul Miller, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 11:52AM
Hey, we hate lawsuits just as much as the next guy, but we’re finding it hard to fault Verizon for this one. Verizon and Time Warner Cable arrived in court on Wednesday to settle a tiff over some ads that Verizon claims offer up misleading info about Verizon’s FiOS service. Listed among the complaints include supposed false implications by TWC that FiOS requires a satellite dish, doesn’t include phone, broadband and video, and that Time Warner’s network is better. Time Warner Cable is naturally calling the lawsuit “without merit.” Verizon wants TWC to stop running the ads and issue a retraction, as well as compensate them for lost revenue. We’re not positive which ad Verizon is referring to, but if it’s anything like the ad after the break — which has some downright false implications about Time Warner Cable using fiber optics “for over a decade” — then Verizon very well might have something here. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

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Filed under: HDTV

I think we all know people who are way too “into their game”. These are the people who have a near-unhealthy obsession with board games like chess, backgammon, or even Scrabble.

For that last example, the hard-core Scrabble player might want to check out the Franklin SCR-226 Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (3rd edition). This device can definitely come in handy when players dispute if a word is valid, as it can resolve over 100,000 different words.

It can also help a Scrabble player when making his or her next move. All a player has to do is enter in the seven letters that he or she has on the scrabble tile keypad, and the Players Dictionary will come up with several words for his or her turn. It will sort these words out by point value, and it can even find words from the letter pattern on the board.

I don’t know about you, but I would not feel comfortable using this in any Scrabble game. It would be like letting an athlete use steroids to improve their sport. In other words, this Players Dictionary definitely gives the side using it an unfair advantage. If both players use it, then it is like two computers programmed to play against each other.

However, if you have no such objection, and want to improve your Scrabble game, then you can get the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary on the Buy.com site for about $49.95.

Source

We asked readers about “social network fatigue,” which can mean either that you’re getting tired of social networking sites or that you’re simply exhausted from having too much of your time sucked up by online social networking (boredom, on the one hand, addiction on the other). And, indeed, it appears that, at least among those who participated in the poll, this phenomenon is real.

43% of participants said they’re afflicted and have cut back since last year, which could mean the novelty has worn off for them and the experience is no longer so fascinating, or that they’ve stopped shopping around and have settled into one or two sites they use regularly (which is probably good news for established networks like facebook). For the 9% who said they’re afflicted but haven’t cut back (the addicts?), those who are still getting acquainted with the whole concept, and those who just don’t care yet, new offerings may still appeal.

by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 8:47AM
Remember Thingamagoop, the little synth monster controlled by light thanks to the photocell governing the main oscillator? Well, this alarm clock mod requires a 9-volt DC jack and adapter, switch SPDT, and some audio cable and wire to bring it all together. A few snips and solder burns later and voila, the monster Moog alarm clock is born. Man, robots… synthesizers… it’s like the ultimate nerd sub-cult. Video after the break, detailed hacking instructions on the other side of that read link.

P.S. Yes, he has throw-switch nipples and a uh, knob.

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets, Household

Virginia was first with a law requiring public schools to teach classes on Internet safety. Hear, hear. Texas and Illinois have both followed suit. I totally agree. The Internet is something that has taken hold in the general public in the blink of an eye, relatively speaking. Its uptake has been rapid as compared to say, television or radio.

As an IT person who understands a fair amount of computers, technology and the Internet, I still maintain that computers are complicated beasts, and it is downright scary how little people know and understand. This doesn’t stop them from trawling the Internet, happily clicking away at things they don’t understand. And while I believe that kids will be entirely more comfortable than their parents at using computers and being on the Internet, I don’t think that they will as a group be knowledgeable enough.

Posted in Computers, Networking & Internet

by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 3:29AM
Don’t know about ya’ll, but our eyes tend to glaze over with apathy as soon as we see “desktop replacement” in a laptop press release. Nevertheless, here’s LG’s take on the semi-portable: the 17-inch X-R700 and 19-inch X-S900. They’re big — much bigger than the average mini-skirt found on Korean product waifs. The ₩1,699,000 (about $1,744) Model X-R700 XP50K sports a WXGA display with integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, 3GB of memory, 512MB of nVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics and a 1.83GHz T5550 Core 2 Duo pumping away under the hood. The ₩1,390,000 (about $1,436) X-S900 KP55K model packs the same 1,366 x 768 resolution and processor but slaps in 256MB of ATI Mobility Radeon HD2400 graphics, 2GB of memory, and bumps the disk from 250GB to 320GB spinning at 7,200rpm (thanks Fujitsu). While the laptops are a bit meh, at least you’ll notice how much bigger the images are on the new and improved Engadget layout.

Gallery: LG’s X-R700 and X-S900 laptops replace desktops, double as paperweights for product models

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Filed under: Laptops

Philips GoGear SA28 is the first mp3 player that features its own Fullsound technology. The SA28 was first introduced during the CES2008, and now, it is available at China mainland. The 2GB SA28 is sale for RMB399 (approx US$57) with built-in FM tuner.

Fullsound is a digital audio algorithm patented by Philips that refines audio output by performing 10 million operations per second to analyze and re-compute the music signal before it is sent to the speaker. This means that FullSound brings out the best of any audio system and delivers more life to the music.

More images after the jump

Philips GoGear SA28 (dissected)

Sigmatel STMP3710

Sigmatel STFM1000
[ via iMP3, Philips ]

Philips, SA28, Fullsound, MP3 Players, Sigmatel

I argue that they really could have named the product something better than “Floral titi,” but the gadget itself looks quite good.

Unfortunately, it’s only been released in the Korean market by GDIS. The Floral titi is a clip-type mp3 player coming in 1GB and 2GB varieties. The colours available are more varied than a rainbow’s: lavender, ice blue, aqua, mint, strawberry, carrot, sweet pink, mocha, and vanilla. The Floral titi weighs a mere 10 grams so it’s basically negligible when you pin it in your clothes–the only problem is that it might be TOO negligible, it becomes easy to lose. The Floral titi has can store enough power per charge for eight hours of playtime and sells in Korea for ₤21 and ₤29 for the 1GB and 2GB versions respectively.

via