Spam Flood Blog: Interesting Stuff

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Interesting Stuff

7/31/2007 12:19:00 PM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Voting machine makers scoffing at bad reviews? That's preposterous! Actually, it's not all that alarming to hear that Diebold, Hart InterCivic, and Sequoia Voting Systems all had less-than-amicable responses to a state study that "found that their machines could be breached by hackers." Of course, we're not exactly sure what all that groaning is about, as we've seen nothing but proof to back the investigation up. Nevertheless, Sequoia dubbed the review "an unrealistic, worst-case-scenario evaluation," Diebold kvetched that the study didn't look at its most recently developed software, Hart found "several inconsistencies, alternate conclusions, and errors," and Elections Systems & Software bypassed the rigmarole entirely by failing to provide their information to the secretary of state. Oh, the irony. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/voting-machine-producers-criticize-critiques/#comments

7/31/2007 11:58:00 AM

Filed under: GPS

If you're the type who just may be the victim of undercover GPS tracking (read: promiscuous), you should give some serious thought to this one. This simple cigarette adapter plug-in reportedly "knocks out GPS logging or GPS tracking systems that may be operating in your vehicle," and considering that it sports a two-to-four meter operating range, just about every automobile outside of an 18-wheeler (or limousine) should be covered. Unfortunately, there's no word yet on how much this potential life-saver will cost, but its slated to ship "soon" to the devious and uber-paranoid sects.

[Via NaviGadget]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/in-car-gps-jammer-subverts-mobile-tracking-devices/#comments

7/31/2007 11:29:00 AM

Filed under: Cellphones

The nation's second largest online music retailer, eMusic, is apparently announcing plans today to partner with AT&T to sell tracks by independent artists directly to mobile phones, without the need for the computer middleman. The music-seller will make nearly all of its 2.7 million songs available for direct download to the carrier's devices, although eMusic's rates will jump from $9.99 for 30 songs using their traditional service, to $7.49 for just five songs with the new mobile service. You would think AT&T would be hot-to-trot with Apple when it comes to selling music for phones, but the telco already has agreements with services like Napster, and since the iPhone-maker somehow failed to include iTunes direct downloads to its device, and doesn't offer them to other devices, AT&T clearly sees a window. Granted, eMusic's catalogue is somewhat more eclectic than iTunes, but with artists like Paul McCartney and The Pixies, the cash registers could start ringing.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/emusic-and-atandt-to-partner-for-mobile-music-downloads/#comments

7/31/2007 11:08:00 AM

Filed under: Transportation

Wee electric cars such as the one pictured to the right aren't exactly uncommon, but if Think CEO Jan-Olaf Willums can get his dreams to pan out, his version of the urban green car may actually gain some serious traction. Reportedly, the firm has garnered upwards of $78 million from Silicon Valley and European investors who see promise in the carbon-neutral whip, and moreover, in changing the way we all buy and interact with our cars. Ideally, Think will only sell its vehicles online, which would reduce overhead dramatically, and will equip the cars with WiFi in order to become "a rolling computer that can communicate wirelessly with its driver, other Think owners, and the power grid." Notably, Think plans to "to sell the car but lease the battery as a way to overcome one of the biggest conundrums of electric automobiles," and while nothing is set in stone, the "City" could arrive in select locales as early as 2009.

[Via Slashdot]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/think-hoping-to-deliver-web-enabled-electric-car/#comments

7/31/2007 10:47:00 AM

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Hopefully you haven't forgotten all about TabletKiosk's Sahara i440D Slate PC, because the time has finally come to lay down your hard-earned coin and snag one for yourself. Dubbed the first slate tablet PC with "dual pen and touchscreen input," the i440D can be ordered with Windows XP or Vista, and features a wide array of ports including PCMCIA, eSATA, USB 2.0, and FireWire. Additionally, you'll find a biometric fingerprint reader, an Intel Core Duo LV processor, and options for up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM and a 160GB SATA hard drive. The base configuration starts at $2,295, and just in case it somehow escaped you earlier, it is indeed shipping right away.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/tabletkiosks-sahara-i440d-slate-pc-now-shipping/#comments

7/31/2007 10:24:00 AM

Filed under: Cellphones

When the time came and your battery died, you were probably thinking you'd have to send your iPhone off to Apple as part of their expensive and complicated battery replacement program -- but now you've got a sketchy DIY option instead. Once again, a mysterious Chinese company has stepped in and "created" a "solution" to your problem with its iPhone battery replacement kit. For just $20, which is cheap enough to elicit genuine concern, you get a 1400mAh, 3.7V iPhone battery, some type of screwdriver-like tool, a strange plastic shiv, and an instruction manual (presumably in English, but you never know). All you have to do is crack open your $600 phone, de-solder your old battery and solder in the new one... and probably some other, more complicated stuff too. At this price, it seems unlikely that this battery won't explode, so buy at your own risk, and definitely try at your own risk.

[Via I4U, thanks Luigi]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/iphones-first-sketchy-battery-replacement-kit-appears/#comments

7/31/2007 10:03:00 AM

Filed under: Portable Audio

We've long since wondered how laptop manufacturers got away with claiming that a bonafide "subwoofer" was somehow crammed within those tight confines, but if Panasonic has anything to do with it, true low-range may soon fit within such an enclosure. The patent-pending Nano Bass Exciter reportedly enables compact equipment to "reproduce high fidelity low-range sounds," and while specifics have yet to be divulged, this technology can supposedly "reproduce low-end sound equivalent to that emitted by conventional speakers with larger cabinet volume." Furthermore, Panny even goes so far as to claim that this new sound reproduction method allows "ultra-compact speakers used for mobile terminals to produce a sound effect closer to that of home AV equipment speakers." Unfortunately, there's no word on exactly when the firm plans on implementing this into any future products, but until we get a listen in, color us cautiously skeptical.

[Via Japan Today]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/panasonics-nano-bass-exciter-adds-thump-to-compact-speakers/#comments

7/31/2007 9:33:00 AM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

The wireless power business sure seems to be getting crowded these days, with upstart Powermat Ltd. only the latest company promising to free your gadgets from yet another cord. Unlike some similar products, however, Powermat's system looks to actually be ready to charge your devices, with the Loews Regency Hotel Business Center in New York City the first to put it to use. While the company eventually sees its technology being directly integrated into various electronic devices (like every other company), in the meantime you simply hook your device up to a so-called "puck," which in turn wirelessly picks up the signals from the power mat it's placed on. No word on when you'll be able to get a Powermat for yourself, but the company does say the system will be "inexpensive."

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/loews-regency-hotel-gets-outfitted-with-powermat-wireless-power/#comments

7/31/2007 9:03:00 AM

Filed under: Transportation

While we've already witnessed robotic submersibles take on fish-like sensing abilities, a team at MIT is hoping to equip autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with a mechanical fin in order to nix the necessity of a propeller. In essence, the crew is looking to "create a more maneuverable, propeller-less underwater robot better suited for military tasks such as sweeping mines and inspecting harbors," and they are taking a note from the bluegill sunfish to make it happen. This particular creature sports a "distinctive swimming motion which results in a constant forward thrust with no backward drag," making it the ideal candidate to replicate. Current prototypes are being constructed with a "thin, flexible material that conducts electricity," and while we've no idea when the gurus plan on cranking out a finalized version, they've already got plans to study other aspects of the sunfish's movement in order to better design the bots.

[Via Physorg]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/mit-gurus-developing-mechanical-fin-for-autonomous-submarine/#comments

7/31/2007 8:01:00 AM

Filed under: Cellphones

Hearing that a cellphone saved someone's life isn't exactly surprising these days, but it was the manner in which a bundle of handsets enabled doctors to continue on in a recent operation that differentiated this one from the rest. Reportedly, the backup generators at the Policlinico Juan D. Peron hospital in Argentina failed to activate after the power went out whilst an appendix surgery was ongoing, but rather than panicking, a family member gathered up a number of phones in order to provide enough light for the surgeons and anesthetists to keep on keepin' on. According to the hospital director, the operation went on without proper lighting for no more than 20 minutes, but thanks to the beaming LCDs, the fellow under the knife came through just fine.

[Via Switched, image courtesy of foto8]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/cellphone-lights-enable-operation-to-proceed-in-blackout/#comments

7/31/2007 6:56:00 AM

Filed under: Digital Cameras

It's probably a fact that your internet "dates" could turn up in a slightly higher resolution, don't you think? Well maybe it's time to turn on the Clique Communications' Clique Hue HD flexible webcam, which will broadcast or capture any variety of web-related video "activities" at the cushy resolution of 1280 x 1024 (but at a measly 10 FPS), or you can knock it down to 1024 x 768 for a decent 30 FPS situation. If you're just interested in still-framing it, this little dude can rock resolutions up to 2560 x 2048, although apparently it all happens via software trickery, which means your lovely date may still look somewhat... um, messed up.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/clique-hue-hd-webcam-ups-the-resolution-gets-colorful/#comments

7/31/2007 6:03:00 AM

Filed under: Gaming

Oh boy, another patent lawsuit filed in that litigious folly called the Texas court system. This time, the suit pits Parallel Processing Corporation of Newport Beach, California against that legal whipping boy, Sony. PPC alleges that Sony's Cell processor -- the horsepower inside the PS3 -- violates a patent for "synchronized parallel processing with shared memory." Filed on July 26th, the five-page complaint by PPC states that Sony's actions are causing "irreparable harm and monetary damage" to the company and are therefore seeking the usual: compensation for damages (with interest) as well as the impounding and destruction of all Sony products infringing on the patent. Good times.

[Via gi]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/sony-sued-again-for-patent-violation-injunction-sought-on-ps3-sales/#comments

7/31/2007 5:15:00 AM

Filed under: Peripherals

Here you have it: proof that convergence can never be stopped. We don't have any details on this optical mouse but really, what more do you need to know?

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/ezkeys-mouse-and-keypad-combo/#comments

7/31/2007 4:38:00 AM

Filed under: Laptops

Remember how Acer's chief, Gianfranco Lanci, slammed Vista as a disappointment to the "entire industry?" Apparently, he wasn't just fishing for sound bites. While there's still no official word, an Acer advert in Singapore offers their 15.4-inch Aspire 5710Z laptop pre-loaded with none other than the Ubuntu distro for SG$999 or about $660 of that US green stuff. However, we're not 100% clear whether the pre-load comes from Acer direct or via some third party tinkerer. Still, we wouldn't be surprised in the least to see Acer follow Dell's lead here and offer additional choice for consumers.

[Via The Inquirer]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/acer-about-to-offer-ubuntu-pre-loads/#comments

7/31/2007 2:52:00 AM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when if your apartment, dorm room or palatial mansion smelled like Cheetos, Diet Coke and unwashed laundry, there was simply nothing USB-related you could do about it. Sure, there were wall outlet fragrance "plug ins," scented candles, canned air fresheners, and of course windows which could be opened -- but not one of those was USB-powered. Of course, those days are long gone, because a random Chinese sweatshop has dreamed up another modern-day marvel: the USB oil burner. If you're like us (and we think you are), there's nothing you want to do more than pour scented oil into something that plugs into your computer. Available in rose and peppermint, $7 each.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/31/usb-oil-burner-threatens-everything-you-hold-dear/#comments

7/31/2007 12:58:00 AM

Filed under: Networking

Well, it looks like Cisco CEO John Chambers spoke a little too soon last Friday when he said that the Linksys brand was going the way of the dodo -- Cisco is now saying that it will continue selling Linksys-branded products "in the near term," and that changes would only come "if and when these changes add value to our customers' decision making processes." In other words, Linksys ain't dead yet, but the axe is still mighty close.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/linksys-branding-not-dead-after-all/#comments

7/30/2007 11:50:00 PM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

The race to build a cheaper solar cell continues to produce results, as researchers at Ohio State have developed a nanotech solar cell with a unique pink color that they say will one day be able to produce as much power as traditional silicon cells for a quarter of the cost. The dye-sensitive solar cells, or DSSCs, get their pink color from a mixture of ruthenium and either titanium or zinc oxide particles that absorb sunlight, while nanowires link the particles to provide power transfer. So far the team have gotten the cells to produce half as much power as traditional cells, but the next step is to start using nanowire "trees" to improve efficiency to equal or surpass those levels. No word on when we'll see this tech hit the market, but surely the prospect of a hot pink solar Cadillac isn't too far off.

[Photo is of an unrelated DSSC concept from New Zealand]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/pink-solar-cells-provide-green-power-on-the-cheap/#comments

7/30/2007 10:44:00 PM

Although we're unabashed fans of super-complicated macro-and-touchscreen universal remotes, a lot of people just want to smack a button and have their home theater work without having to squint at tiny screens or worry about state-based macro operations. Niles Audio is hoping to to capitalize on that market with the IntelliControl IC2, an all-button RF remote that's optimized to control most home theater devices without the use of a screen. The included HT-MSU control unit / repeater has 8 IR / RS-232 outputs and connects to the IC2 via ZigBee, meaning the system can potentially be expanded further, although Niles hasn't announced such support yet. The company is expected to announce the IC2 at CEDIA in September, but if you're hoping to chuck your Harmony, you'd better start saving pennies: simplicity will cost you $999.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/niles-intellicontrol-ic2-remote-does-it-all-with-no-screen/#comments

7/30/2007 9:39:00 PM

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

One awfully clever Brazilian programmer couldn't stand not being able to experience the sometimes-maddening act of typing on the iPhone's notorious keyboard -- so he wrote an iPhone keyboard app for his Nokia N800. In what appears to have been a fairly short amount of time, Gustavo Sverzut Barbieri put together an Apple-copyin', typepad act-alike using Python, Edje, and a little elittle elbow grease. Without ever actually using an iPhone, Gustavo seems to have clearly captured the essence of the keyboard, which is either really good or really bad for him... only he knows for sure. Check the video after the break to see the app in action.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

Continue reading Tenacious hacker brings the iPhone keyboard to a Nokia N800

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/tenacious-hacker-brings-the-iphone-keyboard-to-a-nokia-n800/#comments

7/30/2007 8:41:00 PM

Filed under: Gaming

If you haven't gotten hyped enough over the forthcoming third installment of the Halo series, perhaps you might want to get your paws on these illified (and expensive) toy guns from Jasman Toys. Apparently, the Halo 3-modeled firearms will not only look really bad-ass on your mantelpiece at home, but the recoiling, sound-projecting, light-flashing gats will also enable you to play a game of "advanced" laser tag, called "Halo Laser Pursuit." With the accompanying wearable laser target you can try and reenact your favorite scenes from the games, as the receivers perform somewhat like Halo's shields, or so says Jasman. Really the only way this game of tag differs from the actual game is that no one dies -- and it's not nearly as much fun. Priced between $79.99 and $119.99, available in October.

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/halos-covenant-laser-tag-guns-coming-in-october/#comments

7/30/2007 7:49:00 PM

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Don't look now, but Microsoft is apparently readying a Vista Performance and Reliability Pack for release, and while it's certainly not available through Windows Update just yet, that doesn't mean it's not hiding elsewhere. Reportedly, the aforementioned pack and the Vista Compatibility and Reliability Pack will institute a number of welcome fixes and performance increases in a variety of areas, and though the list is indeed lengthy, a few notables include:

Increas;Increased compatibility with many video drivers.
Improved visual appearance of games with high intensity graphics.
Improved quality of playback for HD DVD and Blu-ray disks on large monitors.
Improved reliability for Internet Explorer when some third party toolbars are installed on Vista.
Improved reliability of systems that were upgraded from XP to Vista.
Resolves an issue where creating AVI files on Vista may get corrupted.
Improves the performance of Vista's Memory Manager in specific customer scenarios and prevents some issues which may lead to memory corruption.

So if all the red flags prove correct, Vista users can eagerly await an official release of the updates, or if you're the adventurous type, you can bypass the whole "waiting" thing altogether and get your download on immediately.

[Via TechSpot]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/vista-performance-and-reliability-pack-hits-the-web-prematurely/#comments

7/30/2007 7:08:00 PM

Filed under: Transportation

We're certainly not holding our collective breath on this one, but according to an article put out by the Los Angeles Times, the cult classic DeLorean automobile just might be resurrected. Reportedly, the DeLorean Motor Company" is laying plans to bring the car back into limited production, and while it'd be easy to brush aside this whimsical scheme, 2007 certainly has been good to vintage automobiles made new. Apparently, the supply of cars suitable for rebuilding is quickly dwindling, and if everything pans out, DMC could possibly produce "20 or so cars a year." Of course, there's simply no way to tell how legitimate these expectations are, but here's to hoping for a brand new gull-winged whip in the not-too-distant future.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/delorean-being-brought-back-from-the-future/#comments

7/30/2007 6:34:00 PM

Filed under: Gaming

You can add this to your ever-growing file folder stuffed with blurry photos of "products" or "internal memos." Joystiq is reporting that a source inside the hive-mind of Best Buy is claiming that the retailer has earmarked the Xbox 360 Core system for deletion in the company's computers. Apparently, this usually means that a product has been discontinued and "replenishment of the item is not expected," which seems to indicate that if the rumored $50 price cut happens, it may be taking the Core offering with it. Of course, this also might just be a piece of paper that your annoying neighbor knocked out on his dot matrix.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/is-microsoft-about-to-kill-the-xbox-360-core/#comments

7/30/2007 6:03:00 PM

Filed under: Laptops

The bickering that boiled over into a patent dispute earlier this year between 3M and Sony has finally ceased, but it seems like Lenovo and friends may actually still be fighting their own battles with the innovative giant. Nevertheless, Sony Corporation and Sony Electronics are now "licensed sources of batteries containing 3M's cathode technology," and while specific terms of the settlement shall remain confidential, we're sure it was no small sum that Sony was ~~asked~~ required to pay out. One down, several to go.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/sony-and-3m-settle-intellectual-property-dispute/#comments

7/30/2007 5:32:00 PM

Filed under: GPS

The United States and the European Union are moving forward on a common system of satellite navigation after reaching an agreement on a joint civil signal for the technology. The US system, called Navstar GPS, is the only fully operational GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) currently in use, though the EU's Galileo project is in the initial stages of deployment. The new agreement eliminates compatibility and security issues, and will allow makers of GPS equipment to increase their devices interoperability by utilizing the new common signals, dubbed GPS L1C and Galileo L1F. The European Commission's Director-General Matthais Ruete says the agreement will "facilitate the rapid acceptance of Galileo in global markets side by side with GPS." Which probably means we're going to begin to see a whole slew of new satellite technology hitting both shores in the near future. Huzzah!

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/us-and-eu-reach-agreement-on-satellite-navigation/#comments

7/30/2007 5:01:00 PM

Filed under: Gaming

Nintendo may be slow to get a Wii version of Pilotwings off the ground, but those looking to get ready for that inevitability may want to pick up the latest Wiicessory from PEGO, which will turn your humble Wiimote and nunchuck into a makeshift flight stick. Of course, there aren't exactly a whole lot of games at the moment that'll let you take full advantage of the setup, but it will only set you back $13, and it would seem to offer some potential for those looking for some new uses for their Wiimote on their PC.

[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/2007/07/30/wii-airplane-controller-adds-yet-more-clutter-to-your-living-roo/#comments

7/30/2007 4:29:00 PM

Filed under: Laptops

Dell didn't stray very far from its nearly year-old D820 with its new D830 model, but those still on the fence about a purchase may want to head over to NotebookReview, which now has a fairly thorough examination of the laptop from someone that took the plunge and bought one. While it certainly won't stand out as much as some recent Dell laptops, NotebookReview's "Commander Wolf" nonetheless found the unit to be "visually appealing," with a solid construction and good performance, helped in no small part by its use of discrete graphics. On the downside, he unsurprisingly found that td that the D830 was "not a thin-and-light" and he was somewhat disappointed by an "unusually large" amount of light leakage coming from the bottom of the screen. The good Commander also thankfully took the time time to put the system through some benchmark tests, which you can check out by hitting up the link below.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/dell-latitude-d830-gets-examined/#comments

7/30/2007 4:01:00 PM

Filed under: GPS

Those patiently awaiting further details on Delphi's latest navigation system need wait no longer, as the firm has finally cranked out the full array of details on the NAV300. This 3.5-inch GPS will feature a SIRFstarIII receiver, rechargeable Li-ion, 32MB of Flash ROM, 64MB of RAM, an SD expansion slot, NAVTEQ maps, a built-in speaker, 400MHz Samsung processor, an image viewer, and a media player that can handle MP3, WAV, MPEG4, AVI, and XviD formats. Furthermore, it'll boast text-to-speech capabilities, speed limit warning software, integrated Bluetooth for handsfree calling, and optional traffic information via the RDS-TMC technology. Best of all, those interested can get their orders in right now, and while the NAV300 will run you $399.99 by itself, you can opt for "lifetime traffic data" for an extra Benjamin.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/delphis-nav300-gets-specd-priced/#comments

7/30/2007 3:19:00 PM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

For the seasoned traveler who just can't leave their home country without bringing along their dear pet, Komfort Pets is out to make your animal's trip much more bearable. The firm's climate-controlled carrier not only cools Fido off when the ambient temperature reaches 72-degrees Fahrenheit, but also utilizes its pateits patent-pending technology to heat things up if the outside air temperature dips below 65-degrees. The crate is said to be suitable for non-climate-controlled garages, and could be equally useful in homes, cars, boats, or RVs. Currently, a 19-inch x 13-inch x 16-inch rendition is available for $399, and while this one is only meant to hold creatures up to 12.5-pounds, larger carriers are slated for release later this year.

[Via BookOfJoe]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/komfort-pets-climate-controlled-pet-carrier/#comments

7/30/2007 2:47:00 PM

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

He may not yet have the resources to build his own PCs and sell them on the cheap, but 15-year old Jacob Komar looks like he could well be a young Nick Neg in the making. As ABC News reports, Komar has already prevented some 1,500 PCs from ending up on the scrap heap since starting his "Computers for Communities" organization in 2001, with him performing all the necessary repairs and finding new homes for them among those in need. Now all he needs is a rivalry with another, bigger company trying to muscle in on his territory, to be followed by the inevitable announcement that the two have made up and will now be working together.

[Via The Inquirer, photo courtesy of ABC 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/2007/07/30/lil-nick-neg-recycles-old-pcs-for-those-in-need/#comments

7/30/2007 2:18:00 PM

Filed under: Wireless

Betcha didn't think our CES 2008 coverage would begin over five months prior to the magical event itself, but once we receive that email inviting us to register, it's game on as far as we're concerned. And speaking of the registration process, we happened to notice a little addendum at the bottom of this year's form that reads:

"Please note that an RFID tag will be imbedded in your registration badge and will not contain any personal data but only an identification number. The ID number and their related data collected during CES will be used for internal purposes only by Show Management and will not be sold, bartered or traded."

In other words, since vendors and journalists alike have never really taken to those swipe cards meant to gauge booth attendh attendance, the Consumer Electronics Association has decided to track us more efficiently by making it a passive affair -- ensuring that the hours we spend "working" at the international food court will be well documented. Actually we're not all that worried about having our movements tracked as long as the data is used anonymously to tease out certain aggregate trends, and not available for Intel to find out that we spent way more time with the folks from AMD. However, some of our colleagues may not be as childishly trusting as we are, so for all the paranoid techies out there, the CEA has thoughtfully given attendees the option to opt out of the program. We'll be sure to bring you a hands on with the ID's when the time comes, along with documenting the confusion that ensues after we strap our own badges to a family of small mice, release them into South Hall, and completely wig out the computers furiously attempting to monitor the roaming nerd herds.

Update: As several readers have helpfully pointed out, the tags will likely be of the high-frequency, short-range variety -- perfect for handheld readers at the booths, but probably incapable of detecting the fact that one unnamed Engadget editor spends an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom.

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

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7/30/2007 1:50:00 PM

Filed under: Cellphones

Another one bites the dust, so to speak. This time around, we've got Verizon Wireless doing the acquiring, as it has just announced plans to pay $2.67 billion for "one of the nation's largest rural carriers," Rural Cellular. The news comes just over a month after AT&T handed over a staggering amount of its own to pick up Dobson Communications, and this agreement will expand the carrier's coverage "in parts of the East Coast and the South, as well as in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Idaho, Washington and Oregon." Verizon did note that it planned on deploying CDMA service in Rural Cellular's existing GSM markets in order to convert customers over, but it also mentioned that the existing GSM networks would remain to "serve the roaming needs of other GSM carrier's customers." Look for the deal to be finalized sometime during the first half of next year, and don't be surprised if we see a few more consolidation efforts go down in the meantime.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/verizon-wireless-to-buy-rural-cellular-for-2-67-billion/#comments

7/30/2007 1:21:00 PM

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

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It's not unusual to find pre-fabricated rigs with game-specific paint jobs here in the US, but Trigem is looking to pique South Korea's interest with its Lineage 2 Dreamsys STWT. The glossy white tower sports some fairly impressive artwork on the front panel, and while your attachment to the game may draw you in, it's the innards that will make or break the deal. Specs wise, you'll find a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 320GB SATA hard drive, a DVD burner, 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 7650GS GPU, gigabit Ethernet, a slew of USB 2.0 ports, nine-in-one multicard reader, audio in / out, FireWire, and VGA / DVI outputs to boot. No word on when this gem will be available to fanboys (and gals), but you'll be looking at a â©1,249,000 ($1,356) pricetag whenever it does.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/trigem-showcases-lineage-2-dreamsys-stwt-slim-pc/#comments

7/30/2007 12:52:00 PM

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Iogear GHDMIAS4 4-port HDMI switch

IOGEAR has just released the GHDMIAS4 4-port automatic HDMI switch, which takes four of your favorite HDMI inputs and pares them down to one output. It has automatic sensing to switch to an input when a new source is turned on, or you can use the remote with discrete buttons. The switch supports 1080p and HDMI 1.3, is HDCP-compliant, and ships now for $189.95, including a bonus 6-foot HDMI cable.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/iogear-releases-4-port-hdmi-switch/#comments

7/30/2007 12:24:00 PM

Filed under: Wearables

Have you ever been halfway through a heart attack and thought "If only my shirt had been laced with wireless sensors that monitored respiration and body temperature, this cheese-stick-related incident might have been prevented"? Well now, next time you have one-too-many wings while tailgating, a fabric developed by researchers at the University of Arkansas might be able to alert medical professionals to your condition before you go code red. The technology, based around an "organic seganic semiconductor" called pentacene (a hydrocarbon molecule) and a comparative instrument known as a Wheatstone bridge, can be embedded in fabrics such as undershirts and coupled with wireless transmitters. In the garments, body temperature is monitored through a thin-film transistor, while respiration is gauged using electrical resistance, but both technologies employ the pentacene as a sensing layer. Researchers hope to further develop the technology so that doctors can get to you long before you eat a fatal piece of cheesecake.

[Via Medlaunches, thanks, Geetu]

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/organic-semiconductors-help-researchers-monitor-your-heart/#comments

7/30/2007 11:59:00 AM

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation

It's already considered sending various types of robots to asteroids, but NASA apparently still has plenty more plans for dealing with near-Earth objects (or NEOs), with it recently asking Santa Cruz-based DigitalSpace Commons to develop a simulation for a manned mission. The company's plans, officially unveiled today, are based on NASA's own Constellation exploration crew vehicle, which the space agency developed for lunar missions but says can be modified for trips to NEOs. As CNET reports, DigitalSpace's planned modifications include a system that would anchor the spacecraft "like a boat in a harbor," along with a ring of sensor-equipped airbags that would detect stability on the ground. While NASA isn't saying exactly when it might attempt such a mission, DigitalSpace says it believes one could be done as soon as 2017.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/digitalspace-shows-off-proposed-asteroid-mission-plans/#comments

7/30/2007 11:26:00 AM

Filed under: Portable Audio

We know you've all been waiting with bated b bated breath for someone to get their hands on iRiver's Disney sanctioned Mickey Mouse Mplayer music jockey and unbox the hell out of it. Well, luckily for you, Pocketables is just as excited about the tiny, cartoon-shaped DAP as you are, and they've given us a full breakdown of the school-girl's dream gadget. Point yourself to the read link for a proper box thrashing and semi-unimpressed review.

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

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/30/irivers-mickey-mouse-mplayer-gets-unboxed-reviewed/#comments

7/30/2007 10:58:00 AM

Filed under: Features, Laptops

Generally we reserve this feature for already-released consumer products, but with everyone now the proud owner of "the last gadget I'll ever need," we figure that we're forced to look in a new direction for devices to collectively critique. And with the hundred-dollar-and-change OLPC XO finally in full-scale production, what better candidate to help us stray from the traditional format? Keep in mind, though, as you're tearing the charitable unit apart, that it's not really meant for the readers and writers of Engadget (at least not yet), and therefore you're gonna look pretty silly suggesting Alienware-esque specs for a project whose goal is financial prudence. That being said, there are still a number of changes we can think of that would benefit the kiddies while still keeping the green plastic wonder under budget. Like, how about a keyboard with some tactility that one can actually touch type on? And while we love the philosophy behind open-source software, the sad truth is that you need to at least be familiar with Windows in the business world -- and with Microsoft offering $3 basic installs to developing countries, why not let these machines dual-boot? Finally -- and this one is for you conservative types over at the News Agency of Nigeria -- NickNeg and friends should probably stop wasting time with those ineffective filters and simply make the machines incapable of displaying flesh tones instead.

Well that's the best we could come up with; now how about you -- how would you change the OLPC XO?

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

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7/30/2007 10:31:00 AM

Filed under: Displays

LG Philips, known for its nearly constant pursuit of new flexible display solutions, has recently applied for a patent on a bendable OLED screen technology which would use oil and water to produce images. Apparently, current flexible OLED displays are hampered by the fact that the OLEDs get hotter than the plastic substrate, making manufacture difficult and expensive. The new process that the company is developing would circumvent those problems by making pixels out of oil and water connected to plastic electrodes. The opaque oil would float on the water and obscure a colored surface beneath -- when an electric charge was applied to the field it would reveal the surface and change the color of the pixel. The process is cheap and simple, which hopefully means a future of reading a completely digital morning paper for all of us.

[Via NewScientist, thanks Alan]

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

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