Spam Flood Blog: Interesting Stuff

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Interesting Stuff

6/13/2007 11:51:00 PM

Filed under: Digital Cameras

While we'd already seen a couple of noticeable offerings from Sony that mysteriously touted larger than usual internal hard drives, it now seems that a bevy of Sony's Handycams are eligible for an upgrade. According to the SonyStyle website, the DCR-SR42 and DCR-SR62 can grab an "A" on the end of its title and double the HDD capacity from 30GB to 60GB for $100. The DCR-SR82 can morph into the DCR-SR82C and go from 60GB to 100GB for just a Benjamin, while the DCR-SR200 and DCR-SR300 can make the same leap in size for $200. So there you have it, nothing revolutionary, but a whole lot more capture time can be yours if you've been holding out on picking one of the smaller models up.

[Via CamcorderNews]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/sony-offers-up-hard-drive-upgrades-in-camcorder-line/#comments

6/13/2007 11:21:00 PM

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Wireless

While Philips' latest universal remote lacks the genius design seen in the prototype book iteration, it's tough to deny the utility here. This universal remote may not sport the most luxurious button layout, but it does manage to control up to six devices and play nice with your iPod; moreover, the SJM3151's built-in LCD screen touts the ability to mimic your player's screen, so you can sneak a peek at what's on deck without squinting to see the faraway dock. Interestingly, this remote not only packs the infrared abilities we've come to expect, but it also speaks ZigBee in order to transmit signals "up to 300 feet." Of course, this multifaceted device won't run you cheap, as interested buyers will be asked to cough up $180 to procure one when it lands this fall.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/philips-sjm3151-univeral-remote-mirrors-your-ipod-screen/#comments

6/13/2007 10:51:00 PM

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

For those who picked up Sanyo's LP-XL40 wide-angle projector for its sensational short-range capabilities, we hope your wallet's prepared for an upgrade. The firm's newest LP-XL50 steps it way up by touting the ability to shoot an 80-inch image onto a screen with just 8-centimeters of space between the lens and the wall. Moreover, you can still squeeze out marginally smaller images from even closer ranges thanks to its newfangled optical engine. Specs wise, you'll find a 1,024 x 768 native resolution, 275-watt UHP1 lamp, 2,000 lumens, "blackboard mode" for mounting just above a classroom board, theft deterrent system to foul up those mischievous kids, a pair of VGA inputs, component, S-Video, and composite connectors, and a built-in two-watt speaker to boot. Unfortunately, it seems that you'll be waiting 'til late December to throw down your ¥600,000 ($4,931), but click on through for a few more looks for the time being.

[Via AkihabaraNews, images courtesy of Impress]

Continue reading Sanyo LP-XL50 projector touts uber-short throw

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/sanyo-lp-xl50-projector-touts-uber-short-throw/#comments

6/13/2007 10:21:00 PM

Filed under: Peripherals

Early adopters who hitched their wagon to Razer early on are likely to remember the elusive "First Edition" Boomslang mice, and if you've been clamoring for a practically identical replacement, Razer's got you covered. The Boomslang Collector's Edition 2007 will make its debut at this summer's DreamHack, will be limited to 10,000 units worldwide, and will bd will be encased in a sleek titanium housing. Moreover, the mouse will glow green from underneath to add that final dash of 1337-ness at a dark LAN party, but there's no word yet on DPI nor price.

[Via Electronista]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/razer-teases-boomslang-collectors-edition-2007-mouse/#comments

6/13/2007 9:51:00 PM

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

In an age where companies are scrambling to combat the sinking prices of LCD HDTVs, Uniden decided to make no bones about where it was trimming the fat, as it introduced a pair of 1080p sets that are devoid of an internal digital TV tuner. While they both keep the same iMac-esque appearance with that semi-transparent, glossy white bezel, the 42-inch TL42AZ1 and 37-inch TL37AZ1 both include a pair of HDMI and component inputs as well as a soon-to-be-useless analog tuner. The sets are apparently targeting consumers who use their TV primarily for gaming or multimedia activities, or to customers who prefer to use a set-top-box to receive digital and HD content. Of note, the firm also released a 19-inch TL19TX1 (pictured after the jump) that rings up around $382, but it does manage to include a digital tuner at the expense of an analog flavor. Pricing for the 42-incher looks to be around $1,469, while the 37-inch iteration will demand just $1,142, and all three sets should begin shipping in late July.

Continue reading Uniden intros digital tuner-less 1080p LCD TVs

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/uniden-intros-digital-tuner-less-1080p-lcd-tvs/#comments

6/13/2007 9:21:00 PM

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video

Sony's been known to toss out some fairly glitzy portable DVD players in the past, and it's keeping the tradition alive by cranking out the relatively sexy DVP-FX850. The clamshell player sports a "high-resolution" eight-inch widescreen LCD and 180-degree swivel, claims up to six hours of battery life, and plays nice with just about every flavor flavor of DVD (yes, that includes the eight-centimeter variety) you can think of. Moreover, users will be happy to see DivX support tacked on, an AV input / output, twin headphone jacks, digital audio output, a 12-bit / 108MHz DAC, and a worldwide power supply. Notably, Sony also tossed in a USB port for loading up music and photos whilst on the go, and even includes a slim wireless remote for handling the controls from afar. Look for this kid-pleasing gizmo to land sometime next month (and hopefully in America).

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/sonys-eight-inch-dvp-fx850-portable-dvd-player/#comments

6/13/2007 8:51:00 PM

Filed under: Transportation

Richard Branson's already used one to break little known world records, and it looks those in the US will soon finally be get a Gibbs Aquada amphibious vehicle of their very own, and for a comparative bargain no less. According to Popular Mechanics, a new version of the vehicle is set to go into production late next year with the intention of it being released in the US in the first half of 2009 for less than $100,000, as opposed to the $200,000+ it currently demands oversees. The new vehicle will also supposedly meet all US safety and emission regulations although, as Popular Mechanics points out, you will still likely need a boat license in order to (legally) get the most out of it.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/gibbs-aquada-amphibious-vehicle-to-come-ashore-in-the-us/#comments

6/13/2007 8:21:00 PM

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

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Never before have we had so many options for getting HD content, but these marketing claims are getting out of control. DirecTV kicked it off at CES this year, claiming 100 national HD channels, then followed up with commercials just to make sure everyone got the word. The cable companies responded by suing, and now in what we can only call: if you can't beat em' join em', a Comcast exec announced that they will have 400 HD channels this year, and 800 in 2008. Never-mind the fact that there are nowhere near that many HD channels of available content, but 800 quality HD channels would take up almost 11 Gbps of throughput (using today's technology). So in order to make this work, we presume they will need to deploy Switched Digital Video, which is great and all, but renders every CableCARD device made today obsolete.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/comcast-promises-400-hd-channels-this-year-and-800-the-next/#comments

6/13/2007 7:51:00 PM

Filed under: Wearables

Cramming a heart rate monitor into a wristwatch isn't all that difficult, but Tokyoflash's BPM watch does the trick in style. This multipurpose timepiece dons a stainless steel face, spits out the time in digital fashion, keeps track of the date, and includes a "mini-torch" backlight to find your way to an empty seat when entering a theater seven minutes late. The standout feature, however, is the built-in beats-per-minute mode, which allows you to "tap the button to the rhythm of the beat" or monitor your current heart rate. Additionally, BPM mode brings out textual inspiration in the form of random DJ phrases that are presumably meant to get you even more amped up. Not too shabby for ¥7,900 ($65), eh? Check the closeups after the jump.

[Via PlasticBamboo]

Continue reading Tokyoflash's BPM watch: for DJs and runners alike

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/tokyoflashs-bpm-watch-for-djs-and-runners-alike/#comments

6/13/2007 7:21:00 PM

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

While we've seen some fine marriages between game room entertainment and over the top electronic heaven, Heiron & Smith's flagship pool table just entered a league of its own. The aptly-dubbed Executive measures eight- x four-feet, sports Australian molded cushion rubber, Italian slate, handmade pocket nets, and some of the finest cloth England had to offer. The good stuff, however, consists of a side-mounted LCD TV, stereo with flat-panel speakers, neatly adorned PlayStation 2, racks for your books, games, and other media, and of course, a mirrored indention to stock the sauce. Unfortunately, it'll take a phone call to figure out how many thousands this thing will set you back, and unless you live Down Under (or own a barge), you won't be acquiring one anyway.

[Via TechDigest]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/heiron-and-smiths-executive-pool-table-sports-lcd-ps2/#comments

6/13/2007 6:51:00 PM

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Continuing its strange obsession with unveiling products by the flocks, Philips has yet again given us numerous things to juggle at once. This time around it's a trio of iPod-friendly music / AV stations, two of which also include Bluetooth support. The $199 three-piece BTM-628 iPod speaker station conveniently docks and plays your jams from either the DAP or your BT-enabled cellphone, plays back MP3 discs and CDs, shows caller ID and enables handsfree conversations, and also includes a USB port and SD / MMC slot for playing back tunes from a flash card; the BTM-630 steps it up by adding a CD writer that can create MP3 discs from music stored on flash media. The $399 DCD-778 undercabinet system touts an AM / FM tuner, DVD player, ATSC TV tuner, 8.5-inch LCD, flip-down iPod dock, and the ability to play back videos stored on your Apple. Look for these goodies as well as an iPod clock radio to land sometime this fall.

[Via T3]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/philips-unveils-ipod-friendly-bluetooth-speaker-stations/#comments

6/13/2007 6:21:00 PM

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Sure, Epson and Philips' endeavor to create a mini projector may be novel, but projectiondesign's forthcoming device packs the power we AV freaks admire. Touting an almost unbelievable assortment of niceties, this 3.7- x 9.2- x 10.8-inch DLP machine is reportedly the "world's smallest" Full HD projector to date, and if that wasn't inspiring enough, it also uses TI's 0.95-inch 1080p DMD, the firm's proprietary RealColor technology, and plays nice with home automation systems with RS-232 and IP interfaces. Additionally, it sports a 10-bit video processing engine, HDMI 1.3 compatibility, 1,000 lumens, and a even-segment, 5x color wheel. Best of all, this HD-lovin' projector is available for purchase as we speak, but we're assuming that the unlisted price is a good sign that we common folk should just keep on looking.

[Via Slashgear]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/projectiondesigns-action-m25-dlp-projector-does-1080p/#comments

6/13/2007 5:51:00 PM

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras

We already knew that Kodak was up to something good when it began to phase out low-end digicams and refocus on developing new technologies, and now it seems like we've got one more innovation from its laboratory to look forward to. Reportedly, Kodak has developed a "color-filter technology that at least doubles the sensitivity to light of the image sensor in every digital camera." Bold words, we know, but even Chris McNiffe, general manager of the photography company's image sensor business, went so far as to say that this very invention would enable a "2x-4x improvement in light sensitivity." The company also suggested that a variety of camera manufacturers could expect samples of said technology during the first quarter of next year, and while consumer rollouts weren't detailed, we do know that this magical concoction will hit P&S cameras first with cameraphones to get equipped shortly thereafter.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/kodak-color-filter-technology-could-redefine-low-light-shooting/#comments

6/13/2007 5:31:00 PM

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Good news for all you video-playing SanDisk owners out there, as the creator of your PMP just inked a licensing agreement to support DivX in the very near future. As a part of the deal, future SanDisk video products will include interoperability with the DivX Stage6 video website, and while it wasn't directly stated that firmware would be pushed out to upgrade existing units, we've got our collective fingers crossed. Unfortunately, SanDisk apparently isn't quite ready to divulge exactly what products (if not all of the video-playing varieties) will indeed be stickered with a DivX-certified logo, but it did say that it would relieve that tension and let us all know "later this year."

[Via TGDaily]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/sandisk-inks-licensing-agreement-to-support-divx/#comments

6/13/2007 5:11:00 PM

Filed under: Robots

WowWee's lovable Robopanda has been making the rounds since CES earlier this year, but it looks like it's just recently wound up in the hands of the FCC, which could possibly signal a US release sooner rather than later. As you can tell by the mugshot above, it doesn't appear to be too happy with its unfamiliar surroundings, but it did manage to pass through with flying colors, and has the test reports to prove it. Also up for your perusal is Robopanda's user manual, which doesn't appear to have any surprises but will give you a chance to familiarize yourself with it in advance, cause you just know you're gonna have to get one.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bwer to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/wowwees-robopanda-snuggles-up-to-the-fcc/#comments

6/13/2007 4:50:00 PM

Filed under: Cellphones

It's no secret that the actual launch of Nokia's E90 was imminent, and while you've had plenty of time to read reviews, stare at press shots, and drool over hands-on photo sessions, now it's time to party. A camera-wielding blogger was able to drop in on the fairly large launch event held in Jakarta and snap a few photos of geeks grappling to boot theirs up the fastest. Of course, we're sure you wish you were somewhere amongst the hordes, but feel free to leap on through for more of the action -- and to think, just under a month ago some impatient soul paid a whopping $5,000 for this bad boy.

Continue reading Nokia's E90 launch party held in Jakarta

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/nokias-e90-launch-party-held-in-jakarta/#comments

6/13/2007 4:31:00 PM

Filed under: Gaming

Sony's PS3 anti-hacker walls are crumbling, with an exploit for 1.10 and 1.11 firmwares recently found, and the announcement of the first copied game to boot on the heretofore unassailable console -- though it isn't actually playable yet, just booting. Sony, of course, isn't taking this lying down, and has threatened legal action to anyone using these new exploits illegally. "Unfortunately, hackers will try to exploit any hardware system software," said SCEA spokesperson Dave Karraker. "The best we can do as a company is to make our security that much stronger and aggressively pursue legal action against anyone caught trying to use an exploit in an illegal manner." Of course, Dave wasn't abundantly clear as to what's "illegal" activity, but soundbites aren't exactly the best place to start bantering about fair use. What is clear is that these are only the opening shots in what promises to be a long war between Sony and the homebrew scene, with the PSP community providing the best example of what Sony most hopes to avoid, for reasons not wholly comprehensible.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/sony-preaches-the-smack-to-circling-ps3-hackers/#comments

6/13/2007 4:08:00 PM

Filed under: Transportation

Adding its name to the ever-growing list of all-electric cars that never seem to seep onto lots is Lightning, which is apparently developing a 700bhp whip that unashamedly rips styling cues from quintessential British cars of the past and present. Designed to "compete with premium market sport cars," the GT is hoping to "combine high performance electric motive power with an advanced regenerative energy system that recharges the car's batteries under braking by capturing lost friction energy." Additionally, motorists can expect a sub-four second 0-60 time, and better yet, just a ten minute charge time to sustain a 250 mile range. As expected, Lightning would love to secure your deposit on the not-yet-launched car right now for a 2008 delivery, but we'd recommend checking with its shipping department before you place an order from outside of Britain.

[Via Autoblog]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/uks-lightning-to-build-all-electric-gt-sports-car/#comments

6/13/2007 3:48:00 PM

Filed under: Digital Cameras

We'll admit, we certainly like where all this is going, but until we hear anything official, you'll still have to restrain yourself and take this tidbit with a spoon of NaCl. Just days after getting wind of D3 rumors galore, a "photo editor at a major newspaper" has tipped us on a phone call he received from Nikon in which his presence was requested at a meeting where a "new professional camera that is leaps and bounds better than anything Canon is offering" would be showcased. As expected, that's about all the details he could pry from the caller, but since the meeting is purportedly scheduled for June 26th, at least we've got some sort of timeframe to get our hopes up about.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/nikon-getting-set-to-unveil-next-gen-professional-dslr/#comments

6/13/2007 3:28:00 PM

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Media PCs

While a plethora of companies having already joined forces to create a modern day Captain Planet of sorts, England is making sure it doesn't fall off the green bandwagon just yet by launching a Green Shift taskforce to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. But the most intriguing aspect of the operation is how it could translate into more dummy terminal usage and lower sales of, say, more popular home PC software. Led by the Manchester City Council, the crew will reportedly "host functions such as office applications, email, and internet surfing on data centers rather than on individual computers," and it also aims to use 75-percent fewer resources in the actual production of computers. The initiative is said to be a full out assault on "cyber-warming," as local Government Minister Phil Woolas so eloquently put it, and the service should hit full stride late in 2009 after a brief pilot program gets executed early next year. Unfortunately, mum's the word on how these elusive data centers will connect with users and what types of hardware will be required to run them.

[Via PCWorld]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/uks-green-shift-could-result-in-dummy-terminals-galore/#comments

6/13/2007 3:08:00 PM

Filed under: Transportation

Just as soon as we finished cheering for the Texas Legislature's stance on those pesky speed cameras, the state's Department of Transportation is apparently trying to override their good will. According to a June 10th filing, the Texas DOT is looking to install "turnkey automated speed notification services" on Highway 10 in Hudspeth County and Highway 6 near College Station (watch those lead feet, Aggies). Reportedly, this project is simply to "assess and evaluate all elements" of such a system, but it doesn't take a genius to guess that money's on the brain. Notably, the "quality assurance" section of the plan points out that these suckers will be accurate to within two miles-per-hour in either direction, so your wiggle room is sliced dramatically. Of course, we can all hope that Texas' iteration of the SPECS-style camera is as easy to circumvent as those in Britain.

[Via FARK]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/texas-dot-could-institute-specs-style-speed-cameras/#comments

6/13/2007 2:48:00 PM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Personal voice recorders simply aren't likely to start up any serious controversy anytime soon, but Logitec's latest spin on taping audio just might raise a few hairs. The LIC-TRA056SD is a "private telephone recorder" that plugs right into your home phone and captures conversations conveniently on the built-in 128MB of storage. If those 50 hours of capacity aren't enough to catch someone red handed, you can also throw in a spare SD card and create an audio archive of every phone call you'll ever make. Additionally, the USB connectivity ensures that extracting dubious MP3 / WAV files won't be a chore, and considering that everything looks to be password protected, the digital eavesdropping crowd will be out of luck. Unfortunately, there's no word just yet on how much this dodgy device will run you, but it should hit the shelves of Japan before the month's end.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/logitec-intros-digital-recorder-for-consumer-telephones/#comments

6/13/2007 2:28:00 PM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

It may have taken longer than expected, but the International Space Station is slowly starting to come up to full speed, with a new solar array now fully unfurled after being installed earlier during Atlantis' mission. Measuring 240 feet long, the twin solar panels are the third of four "wings" to be installed on the Space Station, which are required to provide the necessary power to the new modules set to be attached to the ISS later this year and next. Before they can be put into service, however, the astronauts have to retract part of an older solar array in order to make room for the new wings to rotate, which so far appears to be going off without a hitch.

[Via Scotsman.cotsman.com, photo courtesy of NASA]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/space-station-gets-boost-from-new-solar-array/#comments

6/13/2007 2:08:00 PM

Noted security expert Marc Weber Tobias contributes The Lockdown, exposing the shoddy security you may depend on.

Two years ago I published an alert on my site regarding the inherent insecurity of gun trigger locks in the hope that manufacturers would remove them from the market or modify their design to make them more child-proof. Although some manufacturers now produce a more secure model to meet statutory requirements in California, even some of these can be easily compromised. Essentially nothing has changed: many manufacturers continue to sell products that are poorly designed, the consequences of which can be fatal -- literally. Even the cable locks that are provided under a US Justice Department grant to law enforcement agencies through Project ChildSafe for free dissemination to gun owners are inadequate.

I hope that this article will once again place all gun owners on notice of the dangers stemming from any form of trigger or cable lock to protect a weapon from unauthorized use by anyone -- but most importantly children. Have you ever seen an untrained eleven year old demonstrate the removal of three of the most popular trigger locks on the market from a rifle in just a few seconds? You will today. Read on.

Continue reading The Lockdown: Gun locks - unsafe at any caliber

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/the-lockdown-gun-locks-unsafe-at-any-caliber/#comments

6/13/2007 1:38:00 PM

Filed under: GPS, Portable Video

While Mio's range of navigation systems is figuratively all over the map, the firm's latest offering packs a screen size that would have a hard time fitting in some dashes, let alone a cargo pocket. The seven-inch WVGA LCD that dominates the C517 isn't found in too many competitors, but bringing it in at just 22-millimeters thick and weighing 0.86-pounds could help convince users that it's not all that burdensome. Additionally, you'll notice USB connectivity, audio out, a media player, built-in antenna, and support for voice commands. Of course, it does manage to pull double duty as a DMB-tuning television for those in the Korean market, but unless you're positive that this thing won't be headed out into the wilderness with you, you may want to spend your 400,000KRW ($429) elsewhere. More snapshots after the jump.

Continue reading Mio unveils seven-inch C517 DMB navigation system

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/mio-unveils-seven-inch-c517-dmb-navigation-system/#comments

6/13/2007 1:18:00 PM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Just we always wanted, a DNA tester to call our very own! We've been waiting for them to break that crucial $15k pricepoint, and now Spartan Bioscience has finally accomplished such a feat with its Spartan DX Personal DNA Analyzer. The thing can do 4 samples at a time, and takes about 30 minutes to run a Polymerase Chain Reaction to identify the perp. Unfortunately, Spartan claims the device isn't approved for anything beyond research use, but that shouldn't stop us from doing a bit of home-based forensics: no more name calling, we'll know once and for all who stole the cookie from the Engadget HQ cookie jar.

[Via Gadget Lab]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/spartan-dx-personal-dna-tester-goes-for-a-mere-15k/#comments

6/13/2007 12:58:00 PM

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Bad news for those sticking it out with AT&T's U-Verse. According to a slide presented at the company's investor relations webcast, it looks like a number of key features will be delayed -- some well into next year. Among the niceties that subscribers won't see until Q4 of this year are photo integration, consumer VoIP, U-Bar, Yellow Pages, etc. More importantly, however, is the note that the highly anticipated Whole Home DVR won't be ready until Q3 of next year, Caller ID will remain absent until Q4 of 2008, and two HD streams, pair bonding, and an "intelligent network interface device" won't be released until about 12 months from now. Hey, we're all for getting a product right before tossing it out to the masses, but we can imagine the patience of U-Verse customers wearing a tad thin by this point.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/tasty-atandt-u-verse-features-seeing-delays/#comments

6/13/2007 12:38:00 PM

Filed under: Cellphones

Egads, could it be? Journeying a long, thorny path from executive teaser to fanboy mockup to reality, the mythical Motorola SCPL has finally shown up in the hands of someone who isn't a suit-wearing Moto employee. Bearing a fairly strong familial resemblance to the ultra low-end MOTOFONE, Boy Genius tells us that the SCPL is insanely thin -- thinner than the RAZR 2 -- and sports a QVGA display, 2 megapixel cam, quadband GSM, and JUIX. Missing from the specs are 3G data and any sort of memory expansion, but if Moto can get this one out the door with a non-bank breaking sticker price, they may have a winner they desperately need.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/motorola-scpl-in-the-wild/#comments

6/13/2007 12:20:00 PM

Filed under: Gaming

Only took 'em a couple of years, but Microsoft is finally taking a bit more of a proactive approach to its perennial "ring of death" problems of overheating 360s. Yeah, that means instead just doing the towel trick to get your 360 up and running again, you can send your Xbox off to Microsoft, and they'll actually improve the cooling internals -- in some countries anyways. MaxConsole had been getting some reports of French Xbox 360s getting this special treatment, and now they've got the first solid proof from Czech reader Ikari. We're no cooling experts, but it sure looks fancy in there!

[Thanks, Dutchman]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/microsoft-beefs-up-xbox-360-cooling-freaking-finally/#comments

6/13/2007 12:00:00 PM

Filed under: Cellphones

What's better than a black Samsung UpStage? Why, the very same handset in red, of course. As rumored last week, Sprint has chosen June 18th as launch day for its freshly re-colored UpStage. While nothing new is under the hood, we know some of you out there will appreciate this new -- and perhaps prettier, depending on taste -- iteration of this two-but-really-should-be-one-useful-faced handset. Pricing is set at $99 on a two-year deal and $50 service credit.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/sprint-rolls-out-samsung-upstage-in-red/#comments

6/13/2007 11:40:00 AM

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

In AT&T's latest missive on the iPhone, they rehashed a bunch of well-known information about the device, just to make sure those who signed up for the "notify me" emails are well prepared for the June 29th launch -- though, of course, actual launch day info is nowhere to be found. At the bottom of the email, it's casually mentioned that you'll need an iTunes account to set up your iPhone. This should come as no surprise to those familiar with the practices of Apple, who regularly confines its users to fairly enclosed systems out of "ease of use" or "privacy" concerns, but anyone who was hoping to manage the iPhone and its contents with open and free (as in speech) software should probably give up hope now. Or make friends with a really good group of hackers.

[Warning: subscription required]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/itunes-account-required-for-iphone-setup/#comments

6/13/2007 11:20:00 AM

We don't have a Vista Business DVD of our own to confirm this one, but we'll just stick with the tried and true "it's on the internet, so it must be true" mantra. Apparently a blogger named Kwisatz has uncovered a "secret" photo embedded into the hologram that encompasses the Windows Vista Business DVD. This being Microsoft, the photo naturally depicts three total nerds, grinning excessively at their own cleverness. Of course, this could be a total Photoshop, but somehow we find such an embedding eerily plausible, so we're going to stay cautiously optimistic that this is real. Hit up the read link for full res versions of the discovery.

[Thanks, Gordon]

Update: A friendly tipster just sent us some pretty solid proof of the photos (yeah, multiple). Check after break to give 'em a look-see. Thanks, Matt!

Continue reading Microsoft embedding nerdy photo in Vista DVDs?

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/microsoft-embedding-nerdy-photo-in-vista-dvds/#comments

6/13/2007 10:46:00 AM

Filed under: Laptops

Your idea of the Lenovo buying experience has probably been all but tainted if its latest ThinkPad T61 was, er, would have been your first machine from the company. According to an incredibly long thread over at Notebook Review, more than a few would-be customers are getting progressively angrier as each passing day goes by without any sign of their new laptop. Apparently, a number of manufacturing hiccups are delaying the process, and some users are even reporting ship dates into the first week of September. Moreover, it seems that some loyal users even received consolation emails that tried to explain the delays and apologized by offering up a free accessory and a chance to easily cancel the order. So if you've had a T61 on order since day one and weren't already aware of all this behind the scenes turmoil, do yourself a favor and take a very deep breath before hitting the read link.

[Thanks, Craig]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/irate-would-be-lenovo-customers-seeing-delays-on-thinkpad-t61/#comments

6/13/2007 10:26:00 AM

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Microsoft's Xbox 360 controller is no stranger to hacks 'n mods, but unless your drawing skills are on par with Mr. Todd McFarlane, you won't soon be duplicating these on your own. Both the Spartan and Covenant wireless controllers are splashed in artwork by none other than the Spawn man himself on "high-quality, scratch and wear resistant plastic," and include a limited edition Halo 3 figurine to boot. Moreover, those who aren't down with wrapping their palms around a third-party controller shouldn't fret, as these special devices are first-party through and through. Lastly, an equally rare headset looks to also be available, but it skips the McFarlane makeover in favor of a simple Halo 3 logo. All three units are tentatively set to ship the first week in September for a stiff $59.99 apiece, but after waiting this long to finally have Halo 3 spinnin' in your console, you might as well complete the experience.

[Via Joystiq, thanks Mark]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/todd-mcfarlane-designs-wireless-halo-3-controllers/#comments

6/13/2007 10:04:00 AM

Filed under: Household

Ripping a page straight from James Bond, enterprising hacker sprite_tm built this knock-activated door unlocker to help out a friend who wanted to keep his access to a room in his apartment building a secret. The system listens for a particular pattern of knocks speakeasy style and triggers a decidedly low-tech unlock mechanism when you enter the right knock-code -- it winds a rubber band around the lock handle. We're not certain if we buy the backstory here (what happens when the landlord sees a giant motor gaffer-taped to the inside of the door?) but the idea is pretty sweet, and we're even thinking of a mod to make the door scream "TWO BIIIIIIIITS" when we knock "Shave and a Haircut".

[Via Hack A Day]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/knock-operated-door-unlocker-keeps-you-on-the-dl/#comments

6/13/2007 9:44:00 AM

Filed under: Displays

Get ready for personal projection kids now that Epson and Philips have released this tiny joint reference design. Immediately available for OEMs, the 0.47-inch (diagonal) 3LCD panel is capable of projecting an 800 x 600 pixel image with the aid of Philips' 2.8 x 1.4 x 1-inch driver and 1.7 x 2.5-inch Ujoy lamp system. Perfect for portable gaming systems, camcorders, and PMPs assuming somebody picks this up for mass production. Hear that Microvision, the big boys are comin' for ya.

[Via Impress]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/epson-and-philips-ready-mini-projector-for-portable-gaming-and-b/#comments

6/13/2007 9:14:00 AM

Filed under: HDTV

Hot on the heels of their PAVV plasmas come three new PAVV LCDs. The 40-, 46-, and 52-inch models all bring a 1080p resolution to the game with 3x HDMIs and a sweet 17,000:1 contrast -- barely nudging out the trio of Bordeaux LCDs unveiled back in March. These sets also feature ACAP, as in Advanced Common Application Platform for interactive television -- part of the ATSC spec we're familiar with Stateside. However, at the moment these sets are S.Korea-only tagged â©3,200,000 (about $3,424) for the LN40M92BD, â©4,200,000 (about $4,494) for the LN46M92BD, and â©5,400,000 (about $5,779) for the LN52M92BD.

[Via Akihabara News]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/samsungs-bordeaux-pavv-lcds-17-000-1-contrast-and-acap/#comments

6/13/2007 8:58:00 AM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We've noticed that the folks at Porsche Design have been branching out to new endeavors of late, but this joint venture takes brand extension to an entirely new level. The group has apparently partnered with Germany's Metabo to unveil the Multihammer P'7911 power drill, which "combines all the essential functions of a drill with the power of a pneumatic hammer," sports a carbon fiber / aluminum housing, and includes an impeccably balanced grip that makes this bad boy easier to handle. The 705-watt device has no problem with scratches here and there from drilling through concrete, stone, wood, and steel, and the five different function settings allow you to tweak the tool for the job at hand. No word just yet regarding the (presumably lofty) price, but be sure to leap on through to see this luxury power tool hard at work.

[Via Sybarites]

Continue reading Porsche swerves to the power tool realm with P'7911 Multihammer

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/porsche-swerves-to-the-power-tool-realm-with-p7911-multihammer/#comments

6/13/2007 8:01:00 AM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wearables

An inventor with no medical background looks to have already made quite a name for himself with his X-Finger prosthetic device, which gives folks that have lost fingers a full range of motion without relying on robotics. To control the device, the wearer simply pushes against a lever with the remaining portion of their finger, which sets the knuckles into motion, apparently providing enough force to hold a coffee cup or clutch a golf club. While inventor Dan Didrick's already churning out 100 fingers every 45 days, according to The Naples Daily News, he's apparently far from meeting the demand, for which he says he needs about $11 million in funding. Presumably, that'd also help reduce the cost of the mechanical digits, which currently run a cool $10,000 per finger.

[Photo courtesy of Lexey Swall / Naples Daily News]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/non-robotic-x-finger-replaces-lost-digits/#comments

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