Archive for: July 7, 2009

By Andrew Liszewski I’m sure the website for this USB-powered chainsaw known as the i.Saw is a parody, or some attempt to trick those gadget blogs who’ll post anything, but it’s convincing enough to warrant at least a mention. So there, I’ve mentioned it. $59.95 available for pre-order now with an estimated ship date of September. Now who’s clever enough to figure out what this is really about? [ i.Saw ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

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i.Saw USB Chainsaw Looks Real, Probably Isn’t

By Andrew Liszewski My general lack of music knowledge makes karaoke an uninteresting prospect for me, but applying the same general concept to movies? Now you’ve got my attention. Yoostar does just that and uses a special piece of software as well as a webcam and portable greenscreen to turn your PC or laptop into an easy to use compositing suite. You simply select a role from one of the included movie scenes, shoot your part and I assume the software does the rest to insert you into your favorite flick. When it’s released in August Yoostar will come with a selection of famous movie scenes to choose from, though I have to wonder if there are many movie buffs who’ve been dying to recreate Harrison Ford’s role in Witness ? But over time new scenes and roles will be released, and you can request scenes from your favorite movies on the Yoostar website. The kit is available for pre-order now with an MSRP of $169.95, and probably due to copyright issues will only be available in the U.S. [ Yoostar ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

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Yoostar Is Kind Of Like Karaoke For Movie Buffs

By Andrew Liszewski YouTube and other video sharing sites have made finding and watching clips of men getting hit in the groin by footballs extremely easy for everyone from kids to grandparents. But it was a company called Pure Digital that made capturing hilarious clips like that just as easy for anyone capable of pushing a button. Their Flip line of digital camcorders are known for being as easy to use as it gets, and with the addition of the MinoHD and the UltraHD pictured above, creating HD content is just as simple. I spent a few weeks playing around with the Flip UltraHD and while I was initially worried that I would be frustrated by such a simple device, I actually walked away appreciating its simplicity. So if you’ve been looking for a way to shoot HD video that’s as easy, if not easier, than a point & shoot still camera, you’ll want to check out my full review of the Flip UltraHD after the jump. One of the best parts of the Flip UltraHD is its small and compact size, so it’s not surprising that the packaging is just as compact and minimal. It’s a clean and simple cardboard box with product shots that show off the camera from all sides, so in the store you’ll know exactly what you’re getting ahead of time. And as is the trend these days with gadget packaging, once you remove the Flip UltraHD’s outer box there’s a pair of flaps that really serve no other purpose than to provide a dramatic reveal of the device while you’re opening it. Of course the first thing you’ll find inside is the Flip UltraHD itself, but digging a little deeper also reveals a removable rechargeable battery, a microfiber case, a lanyard and a ...

By Evan Ackerman There are any number of potentially useful and/or incredibly stupid light-up USB accessories that owe their glowyness to various flavorings of LEDs. That’s cool, I’m down with that, I like the futuristic look as much as the next geek. But retro is rapidly becoming the new futuristic, and this USB light fits the bill neatly with a light bulb that is, in fact, a light bulb. You know, the old school vacuum + filament + heat + inefficiency + if it breaks you have to clean up really carefully or you’ll get shards of glass in your feet kind. Numerous disadvantages aside, the one redeeming factor if incandescent bulbs is present in this USB powered version… Namely, the ability to cast a warm and pleasing glow, which (I imagine) provides a nice counterpoint to the inevitably harsh and unyielding photons that are being pumped out by whatever device this little lamp is plugged into. For about $14, you get the lamp plus two spare bulbs, one of them frosted (if you’re into that kind of thing). Each bulb should last about 300 hours, giving you decades (well, 0.01 decade) of pleasing illumination, and a replacement set of three is only about $6. It all can be yours, from where else but Japan. [ JTT (Translated) ] VIA [ New Launches ]

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USB Light Bulb Is Actually A Light Bulb

By Andrew Liszewski I don’t know about you, but I find this kind of sad. I think at some point everyone daydreams about catching the winning touchdown at the Superbowl, or accepting the Oscar for best performance, but in reality that’s just not going to happen for most of us. But something tells me this Box of Applause just doesn’t provide the same thrill you’d get from an audience full of your jealous appreciative peers, or a stadium full of rabid fans. Even though opening the lid on this handsome wooden box does greet you with the sounds of cheering and clapping from an enthusiastic crowd, it probably comes across as a really depressing consolation prize for life. $24.95 from SkyMall . [ Box of Applause ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

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Box Of Applause Is Like A Successory For Someone Who Never Succeeded

By Chris Scott Barr As a kid I never had the patience to solve a Rubik’s Cube, perhaps now that I’m a bit older and wiser I might be up to the challenge. Of course that thing is old news, what with the Rubik’s 360 coming out soon. This sphere actually contains two other plastic spheres with small holes in them. There are six small colored balls inside of these, which you are to navigate successfully to their similarly-colored outer dome compartments. Once there, you have to keep them from falling out while trapping the other balls in place. Of course the most frustrating part is that you can’t just remove the stickers and place them back in the correct order. You should be able to pick one of these up in the UK starting next week for around $15. No word yet on when we’ll see them over here. [ Amazon ] VIA [ Dvice ]

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Rubik’s 360 Set To Frustrate A New Generation Of Kids (And Adults)

By Chris Scott Barr Back before the iPhone 3G was released I was content with just an iPod Touch. Sure, the lack of internet access was a bit of a drag when I wasn’t hooked up to a Wi-Fi connection. But what really baffled me was the lack of a camera. It just seems like it would have been so easy to include, since the iPhone has one. Well it’s about time for Apple to refresh the Touch, and it looks like a camera might finally be on the spec list. Sure, rumors can come from nowhere, but apparently one accessory maker has shown a new iPod Touch case with a hole in the back, exactly where a camera would be. Even more interesting is that another maker has shown an iPod Nano case with a similar camera hole. [ Uxsight ] VIA [ MacRumors ]

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Leaked Cases Point To A Camera-Equipped iPod Touch

X-Series Walkman takes on the Samsung P3 Q: I am finally ready to cross that bridge and get me a touch screen player. I wanted to know your expert opinion on the Samsung P3 and the Sony Walkman X-Series . I purchase all my music from Napster, Amazon and some from Rhapsody. I use Window Media Player 11, so I need a player that is compatible with that. Please let me know what you think. — bensworld411, via e-mail A: Although I’ve only used a pre-production sample of the X-Series Walkman, I can tell you that I favor it over the Samsung P3. Granted, the X-Series is quite a bit pricier, but I personally prefer the onscreen interface and touchscreen implementation (though the P3’s is certainly flashy). I also straight-up love the fact that the Walkman has tactile buttons on the top for controlling playback (say, while you have the player in your pocket). Both devices will work equally well with the system you use for music, and both offer excellent sound quality. Really, I would narrow it down to two things: price and whether you prefer Bluetooth or WiFi. If you want a cheaper device that includes the ability to sync up Bluetooth headphones, go with the P3. If you want something with a slicker interface that has WiFi and built-in Slacker capability (free music!), go with the Walkman. Better yet, if you can hold off a few more days, I’m expecting a retail unit of the X-Series to be delivered to my desk tomorrow, which means we’ll have a full review up for you very soon. … Originally posted at MP3 Insider

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Walkman versus the rest–Ask the Editors

Welcome to the 411, my new Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I’m stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail. The Palm Pre's battery life is an issue, but is that enough to avoid it? (Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET) I have the new Palm Pre and I am very concerned about the battery drain. The last phone that I had was the Instinct and was a smartphone and a good phone. But it was not an iPhone, so when the Palm Pre came out, I was happy that they had a phone that can holds a match to the iPhone. But the battery has me worried so I went out and got an iPhone 3G 8G and am trying it out. The iPhone is really a great device. But I have heard that AT&T has poor signal and service. I have been with Sprint for nine years and love their service and signal is dependable and the everything plan is great and affordable compared with AT&T . Do you have any help for me making this choose. — Bradford, via e-mail You’ll have to decide which is more important for you–battery life, proper coverage, or affordability. As you’ve already mentioned, the Palm Pre has problems with battery life, and AT&T sometimes has poor coverage depending on your area (You should investigate this further in your own home and office instead of just relying on random hearsay though–you might find that you have good AT&T coverage in your ...

Great-sounding home theater is becoming increasingly rare, as consumers move toward space-saving solutions like soundbars and tiny home-theater-in-a-box systems ( HTIBs ). If you still care about sound, have a budget around $1,000, and want the convenience of an all-in-one package, the choice largely comes down to two systems: the Onkyo HT-S9100THX ($…

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Yamaha YHT-791BL: Big home theater sound from an all-in-one HTIB

If you're using a Mac you're already familiar with the Dock, the launcher that traditionally lives at the bottom of the screen and gives you an easy way to get to your most commonly used applications and folders. The dock is already great at what it does but DropZone adds power to the Dock that you didn't know you needed, like the ability to instantly install applications, upload files to Flickr or an FTP server, and quickly move or copy files to apps or folders of your choice. 
DropZone isn't free, a single user license will cost you $10. Also, Mac OS X 10.5 is required for the app to run. That being said, if DropZone streamlines tasks that you frequently perform the app may be worth the 10 dollar price tag. Once you have the app installed, you'll likely wind up using it to drag and drop items and perform tasks that used to take several clicks.

One of DropZone's best features is its ability to give you commonly used apps, folders, and network drives. Simply drag an item onto the DropZone icon in the dock and the app will expand a grid that you can customize to suit your most common tasks. For example, if you find yourself uploading documents to Flickr, editing images in Photoshop, and draging finished images to the Pictures folder on your server, you can add the Flickr upload widget to the grid, a Photoshop icon that you can drag folders onto to open Photoshop, and ...

It's hard to believe that it's been only a year, App Store. But you've grown so much. Right now you've got roughly 56,000 apps available, and a few months ago you clocked your one-billionth download. Life sure moves fast in the world of mobile applications.

Apple is celebrating the first birthday of its wildly successful storefront this Saturday. The company is showing off a number of its favorite apps and games--30 a piece. Man, what do you get for the App Store that has everything?