Tech Blogging and News For South Africa
Darren Murph
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Homepage: http://www.engadget.com
Posts by Darren Murph
Source R&D brings Wisair-based wireless docking station to Macs and PCs for $150
March 9, 2010 - 9:51 pm
Tags: dock, docking station, DockingStation, easy dock, EasyDock, Mac, os x, OsX, Source RD, SourceRd, Warpia, Warpia Easy Dock, WarpiaEasyDock, wireless, wireless docking station, WirelessDockingStation, wisair
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Remember that Wisair-based wireless display adapter that we knew was headed for Macville? Looks like she has arrived. Source R&D has just introduced a universal docking station of the wireless variety, and better still, it’s completely plug-and-play with Windows 7, Vista, WinXP and OS X (Leopard / Snow Leopard). The Warpia Easy Dock is a pretty simple setup; just plug a transceiver into a free USB socket, attach two USB peripherals and a DVI monitor to the base station, and enjoy the luxury of using a real-deal keyboard, mouse and LCD when your laptop is at home. Unfortunately, the resolution of monitor is capped at 1,400 x 1,050, so you certainly won’t be taking fully advantage of that Dell UltraSharp U2711 you just took delivery of. It should be available momentarily for the tidy sum of $149.99.
Continue reading Source R&D brings Wisair-based wireless docking station to Macs and PCs for $150
Source R&D brings Wisair-based wireless docking station to Macs and PCs for $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Seven45 Studios ups the ante for music games, intros fully functional six string controller
March 9, 2010 - 4:00 pm
Tags: accessory, Control, controller, first act, FirstAct, gdc, gdc 2010, Gdc2010, guitar, instrument, microsoft, music, peripheral, playstation 3, Playstation3, Power Gig, Power Gig: Rise of the SixString, PowerGig, PowerGig:RiseOfTheSixstring, seven45, sony, xbox 360, Xbox360
Posted in Gadgets, Gaming, General, Personal, Technology | Comments Off
We’ve seen “real” guitars made to “work” with existing music-band titles, and we’ve even seen MIDI guitars play nice with Rock Band, but we’ve yet to see a company design a game from the ground-up to work with a legitimate six string. Until now. Here at GDC, Seven45 Studios is making a name for itself by introducing Power Gig: Rise of the SixString (for PS3 and Xbox 360) along with a bona fide axe. The newfangled company is a sister firm to First Act — the same guys who made that guitar sold with your ‘07 Jetta — and the instrument debuting here at the show uses proprietary technology “that can distinguish and recognize gamers’ input all along the guitar.” Better still, the instrument includes all of the innards necessary to make noise through an amp, so you could theoretically use this to rock out in real life as well. If you’re skeptical about the game’s ability to actually recognize complicated inputs, get a load of this: “Power Gig also introduces the option to switch on chording, or chord play; chording presents the added challenge of playing the game using chords that require specific finger placement on the strings.” The tandem is slated to go on sale this fall for an undisclosed amount, and we’ll be snagging some hands-on time with the game and guitar here in just a few hours — stay tuned!
Seven45 Studios ups the ante for music games, intros fully functional six string controller originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Case-Mate’s Hug wireless iPhone charging solution shipping now for $100
March 9, 2010 - 3:38 pm
Tags: case, case mate, CaseMate, charge, charger, charging, ecoupled, hug, hug case, HugCase, induction, induction charging, InductionCharging, iphone accessory, iphone case, iPhone,, IphoneAccessory, IphoneCase, peripheral, power, wireless charging, wireless power, wireless power consortium, wirelesscharging, WirelessPower, WirelessPowerConsortium
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Remember that wireless induction charger that we saw poking around at the CES iLounge Pavilion earlier this year? Seems that Case-Mate has finally given that little doohickey a name, a price and a ship date. The aptly-titled Hug (which consists of the Hug Case and Hug Pad) slips onto one’s iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS and allows Apple’s darling to get recharged by simply laying on the aforementioned platter. Of course, the case itself is distractingly bulky, and this whole thing relies on the same eCoupled technology that we’ve been seeing for years now — though, the fact that this pad will charge any other case that utilizes the same standard is worth noting. Is the ability to never need your dock connecting cable for rejuvenation purposes really worth the $99.99 asking price? We’re guessing not, but those that disagree can get their own shipped out this very moment.
Continue reading Case-Mate’s Hug wireless iPhone charging solution shipping now for $100
Case-Mate’s Hug wireless iPhone charging solution shipping now for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
MSI serves up Core i5 within 13-inch X-Slim X360 ultraportable
March 9, 2010 - 1:02 pm
Tags: core 2010, core i5, Core2010, CoreI5, laptop, MSI, ultraportable, x-slim, x-slim x360, X-slimX360, x360
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Those lowly Core 2 Duo chips already feel like a long forgotten memory, and frankly, that’s a-okay with us. MSI is helping its seductive X-Slim line get a taste of Intel’s Core 2010 lineup with a Core i5-520UM processor, which sits alongside up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 250GB / 320GB / 500GB hard drive, integrated graphics, a 13-inch (1,366 x 768 resolution) panel, HDMI / VGA outputs, a pair of USB 2.0 sockets, 4- or 8-cell battery and an SD / MMC card reader. There’s also built-in WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, twin speakers and a chassis that measures under 1-inch thick. Per usual, MSI is in no hurry to out pricing and release details, but we’ll be sure to keep an eye (or two) out for both.
MSI serves up Core i5 within 13-inch X-Slim X360 ultraportable originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Music Planet waterproof speaker ball makes bath time more melodic
March 9, 2010 - 5:26 am
Tags: audio, ball, japan, japanese, music, music ball, Music Planet, MusicBall, MusicPlanet, toy, toys, waterproof
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Remember that waterproof Bluetooth speaker that you picked up last summer after none other than Billy Corgan endorsed it? Here’s comes round two. Available exclusively in the Land of the Rising Sun (surprised?), the Music Planet speaker ball is IPX7-certified to shrug off water damage for up to 30 minutes at a depth of one meter, and it’s designed so that the speaker itself sits just above the water line. Internally, you’ll find an FM radio tuner, an SD / SDHC card slot for loading up MP3 files, a USB socket (good luck with that non-waterproof thumb drive) and an alarm clock. You know, in case you fall asleep underneath two feet of soapy water. Power comes from six AA cells, which provides enough juice for 13 straight hours of your own jams or 28 hours of whatever’s on the radio; it’s up for order right now at ¥10,500 ($117), but sadly, no fancy shower gels are bundled in. Opportunity, missed.
Music Planet waterproof speaker ball makes bath time more melodic originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Neo SNES / SFC Myth Flash cart brings emulation magic to your aged console
March 9, 2010 - 1:28 am
Tags: emulation, emulator, flash cart, FlashCart, myth, Neoflash, nes, nintendo, rom, SFC, snes, super nintendo, SuperNintendo
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Oh, sure — the Wii’s Virtual Console may put you in direct contact with some of the best titles from yesteryear, but for the purists in attendance, it just feels like cheating. If you’ve been hanging onto that Super Nintendo (or Super Famicom, as it were) and you’ve recently been dealing with the emulation itch, Neoflash just might have the remedy. The Neo SNES / SFC Myth cart is pretty much the most magical cart you could ever slap into your classic console, offering up ROM support for “99.5 percent” of SNES games. Better still, titles can be offloaded from your PC and onto the cart via USB, making the entire transfer process a cinch. Of course, the $169 price tag will likely offend all but the most dedicated of retro gamers, but hey, at least you’ll be staying true to those “roots” you value so highly.
Neo SNES / SFC Myth Flash cart brings emulation magic to your aged console originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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HDI CEO admits that smaller laser 3D HDTVs could become a reality, 103-incher coming in June
March 8, 2010 - 8:04 pm
Tags: 3d, 3d hdtv, 3dHdtv, active shutter, ActiveShutter, display, HDI, HDI LITE, HdiLite, hdtv, laser, laser hdtv, laser tv, LaserHdtv, LaserTv, lcd, lcd X-POL, LcdX-pol, lcos, X-POL
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We’ve been waiting on Woz’s favorite 3D display ever to ship for quite some time, and as of now, no delays have been seen. According to a new interview with HDI CEO Ingemar Jansson, the June ship date for its 103-inch, laser-based monster is still on track, with a $10,000 price tag being placed on it when ordered “in volume.” Frankly, there’s not much here that we haven’t already heard about the new face of 1080p 3D in the home; what is new, however, is the mention that smaller versions could very well be on the horizon. Regardless of whether you’re man or woman enough to admit it, a 103-inch set is far too large for the vast majority of homes, so a 46-inch iteration — which was mentioned specifically in the dialog — could be a perfect alternative. There was no time table or estimated price given for the smaller version(s), but you can bet we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for more. Oh, and if you don’t think an HDTV upstart can give Sony, Sharp and Samsung a run for their money, there’s a “Mr. Vizio” in the back room that would like to have a word with you.
HDI CEO admits that smaller laser 3D HDTVs could become a reality, 103-incher coming in June originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Verayo launches next-generation of ‘unclonable’ RFID chips, hackers get wide-eyed
March 8, 2010 - 3:08 pm
Tags: authentication, chip, microchip, rfid, Unclonable, Unclonable RFID, UnclonableRfid, Vera M4H, VeraM4h, Verayo
Posted in Gadgets, General, Personal, Security, Technology | Comments Off
If there’s one thing a security company should avoid, it’s tempting the hackers to unravel their promises. As we’ve seen time and time again, there are few (if any) completely uncrackable technologies, but Verayo sure seems confident about its next-generation RFID chips. Dubbed “unclonable,” this new product family — which is led by the Vera M4H — promises to make mass transit tickets, secure IDs and access cards more secure, and unlike the original, this one touts a “non-networked, unlimited authentication” feature. We also get the impression that the company has worked to drive costs down with this newfangled line, but we’re still not sure we’d trust our lives to this thing. Anyone down to really put these claims to the test?
Verayo launches next-generation of ‘unclonable’ RFID chips, hackers get wide-eyed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Fujitsu’s LifeBook UH900 gets reviewed, notable flaws found
March 8, 2010 - 2:43 pm
Tags: fujitsu, g90, lifebook, LOOX, loox u, LooxU, reviewed, tablet, tablet pc, TabletPc, uh900, umpc, unbox, unboxed, unboxing
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There’s no question that Fujitsu’s LifeBook UH900 is a niche device; much like Sony’s VAIO P, there’s just not a lot of demand for an expensive clamshell with an extremely high resolution and an exceptionally cramped keyboard. That said, there’s a curious seduction surrounding this thing, and critics over at Pocketables seemed to agree. After spending some long days (and nights, don’tcha know?) with the Japanese version of this here device, they came away with a huge mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, the snappy performance and excellent portability made it difficult to put down, but the downright dreadful 2 – 2.5 hours of battery life more or less forced them to. There’s also more gentle gripes about the screen color, the “toy-like” build quality and “useless multitouch.” For us, that’s probably one flaw too many to accept, but the forgiving among us should definitely check out the full skinny before making a final call.
Fujitsu’s LifeBook UH900 gets reviewed, notable flaws found originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Strobeshnik: probably the most awesome hard drive clock of all time
March 8, 2010 - 6:48 am
Tags: clock, diy, hard drive, hard drive clock, HardDrive, HardDriveClock, hdd, led, storage, Strobeshnik, stroboscopic, stroboscopic clock, StroboscopicClock, timepiece, video
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Turning aged hard drives into clocks has been a common occurrence for years now, but there’s still something magical about this rendition. Designed and crafted by Svofski, the Strobeshnik relies on the stroboscopic effect to create the illusion of a persistent numeric display. The HDD platter itself has ten digits, colon and dash marks cut all the way through it, and by carefully timing the light strobes, the illusion is perfected. Check out a video of the startup just below the break — and be patient, the payoff is spectacularly sweet.
Continue reading Strobeshnik: probably the most awesome hard drive clock of all time
Strobeshnik: probably the most awesome hard drive clock of all time originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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