Other Gadgets (general gadgets)

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
I've only used those things in rental cars, but I LOVE the condescending voice the computer uses when it says "recalculating" after you fuck up its instruction.

"Please return car onto its wheels"

"Please move car out of ditch"

"Please stop to remove animal carcass"

[NotFromHere]

Looks interesting.



AMSTERDAM - Nokia unveiled new premium phones on Wednesday that included one with an MP3 music player that it said will outsell Apple’s iPod and a camera phone that it forecast will surpass Canon, the world’s top digital camera maker.

Nokia unveiled its N91 multimedia phone, which will have a 4-gigabyte hard drive that can store thousands of music files. The phone, which will also run on high-speed 3G and wireless LAN networks, is due out by the end of the year.

Nokia said its other new phones, the N90 and the N70, will have two-megapixel cameras with high quality Carl Zeiss lenses. The N90 will be in shops in the second quarter at a price of around 600 euros ($784), while the N70, also a 3G phone, will hit the shelves in the third quarter. Apple’s original iPod retails for about 319 euros in Europe while Canon’s cameras start at less than half the cost of the N90.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by NotFromHere
Looks interesting.



AMSTERDAM - Nokia unveiled new premium phones on Wednesday that included one with an MP3 music player that it said will outsell Apple’s iPod and a camera phone that it forecast will surpass Canon, the world’s top digital camera maker.

Nokia unveiled its N91 multimedia phone, which will have a 4-gigabyte hard drive that can store thousands of music files. The phone, which will also run on high-speed 3G and wireless LAN networks, is due out by the end of the year.

Nokia said its other new phones, the N90 and the N70, will have two-megapixel cameras with high quality Carl Zeiss lenses. The N90 will be in shops in the second quarter at a price of around 600 euros ($784), while the N70, also a 3G phone, will hit the shelves in the third quarter. Apple’s original iPod retails for about 319 euros in Europe while Canon’s cameras start at less than half the cost of the N90.

Looks breakable. We'll see if it outsells. I bet it doesn't in the US, because the cell cos. have decided that apple's 99c/song is too cheap, and $2-3 is a better price for OTA song downloads. Sure--I can't wait to get home to download the song, so I'll pay an extra couple of bucks right now. right now.

[NotFromHere]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Looks breakable. We'll see if it outsells. I bet it doesn't in the US, because the cell cos. have decided that apple's 99c/song is too cheap, and $2-3 is a better price for OTA song downloads. Sure--I can't wait to get home to download the song, so I'll pay an extra couple of bucks right now. right now.

And with the hard drive, that makes it nonjog-worthy. Maybe for someone who travels a lot - it might be a good idea. Still I'm not sure I need an $800 phone for the 2 x/ year I use the camera aspect.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by NotFromHere
And with the hard drive, that makes it nonjog-worthy. Maybe for someone who travels a lot - it might be a good idea. Still I'm not sure I need an $800 phone for the 2 x/ year I use the camera aspect.

How long can you keep an HDD spinning on a battery? Market research shows a significant portion of people don't want combo devices because they are loathe to run down their cell phone battery listening to music files. If your iPod dies, the music stops. If you mp3/phone dies, the music stops and you have no phone. Of course, they lived most of their lives without a cell phone AT ALL and somehow managed not to melt into goo, but still.

It looks sexy. I'll give them that much.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
I bet it doesn't in the US, because the cell cos. have decided that apple's 99c/song is too cheap, and $2-3 is a better price for OTA song downloads.

99c/song is too cheap, but the iTunes Music Store is a break-even enterprise designed to sell hardware, not turn profit selling music. Why else would Apple freak out when RealMedia comes up with a codec that can read encrypted AAC? If they made money on the downloads, increasing the universe of hardware that can play the tunes would be good news, not lawsuit fodder.

If the person selling the song is different from the person selling the handheld, as will be the case with cell phones where the hardware is subsidized already, the song will be $2 or more, and that's the point at which ripping a friend's CD starts to look attractive by comparison.

ETA: 4000!

[NotFromHere]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
How long can you keep an HDD spinning on a battery? Market research shows a significant portion of people don't want combo devices because they are loathe to run down their cell phone battery listening to music files. If your iPod dies, the music stops. If you mp3/phone dies, the music stops and you have no phone. Of course, they lived most of their lives without a cell phone AT ALL and somehow managed not to melt into goo, but still.

It looks sexy. I'll give them that much.

Well, as long as it runs more than 2 hours, I'm OK with that. And remember, this is Nokia, not Apple, the batteries are user replaceable. Hey, you can even have a second charged battery with you. What a concept!

And I thought you had gone nocturnal. What are you doing here during the day?

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by NotFromHere
Well, as long as it runs more than 2 hours, I'm OK with that. And remember, this is Nokia, not Apple, the batteries are user replaceable. Hey, you can even have a second charged battery with you. What a concept!

Whaaa? I'll happily use my Palm as an mp3 player because I carry it with me anyway. And if I run out the battery listening to tunes, that's okay because I can live without my address book and Bejeweled until I get it recharged. But I think you're out of touch with the modern cellphone consumer if you think they'll put up with the possibility they'll be without a usable phone if they accidentally left the thing in "play" mode when they unplugged the earbuds.

People regularly play their iPods and PSPs down to zero battery. They'll be reticent about using their cell phone in the same way. Music player + cell phone is the convergence feature we weren't waiting for, especially if the answer is "carry another battery."

And I thought you had gone nocturnal. What are you doing here during the day?

Some boards have a PG-13 rating for strong language, violence, and adult situations. Others don't. The distinction matters to the IT people. (Hi, Ashok!)

[NotFromHere]

Hey Sidd,
Time to upgrade.

Internet provides sneak peek into new Xbox

The sleek new console is reportedly called the Xbox 360 and is a slimmer, far more stylish version of the existing Microsoft game console. Purported pictures of the new console have surfaced on a variety of Web sites in recent days, including engadget.com, eurogamer.net, Kotaku.com and Teamxbox.com.
Unlike the horizontal bulky black-and-green original Xbox, launched in November 2001, the new model is shown standing vertically like a slim CPU, its sides slightly concave.

The pictures show a large green-rimmed button, which looks like the start button, situated on the thin front of the console below the disc tray.

Kotaku says the console can also sit horizontally, like the PlayStation 2, and that the front of the console can be customized with faceplates. The Web site also says that the new console will feature wireless controllers.

Engadget.com says its pictures — which show a wireless controller, headset and what looks like a peripheral camera — came from last week's taping in Los Angels of the MTV special unveiling the console.

That special, hosted by actor Elijah Wood and featuring the Las Vegas band the Killers, is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. EDT Thursday in the U.S.

The show and accompanying party drew the likes of skateboarder Tony Hawk, actors Scarlet Johansson, Alyssa Milano, Rachel Bilson, Wilmer Valderrama, Efren Ramirez and such musicians as Limp Bizkit, rapper Lil John, Poison's C.C. DeVille, No Doubt's Tony Kanal and Ryan Cabrera, according to MTV's website.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by NotFromHere
Hey Sidd,
Time to upgrade.

Internet provides sneak peek into new Xbox

The sleek new console is reportedly called the Xbox 360 and is a slimmer, far more stylish version of the existing Microsoft game console. Purported pictures of the new console have surfaced on a variety of Web sites in recent days, including engadget.com, eurogamer.net, Kotaku.com and Teamxbox.com.
Unlike the horizontal bulky black-and-green original Xbox, launched in November 2001, the new model is shown standing vertically like a slim CPU, its sides slightly concave.

The pictures show a large green-rimmed button, which looks like the start button, situated on the thin front of the console below the disc tray.

Kotaku says the console can also sit horizontally, like the PlayStation 2, and that the front of the console can be customized with faceplates. The Web site also says that the new console will feature wireless controllers.

Engadget.com says its pictures — which show a wireless controller, headset and what looks like a peripheral camera — came from last week's taping in Los Angels of the MTV special unveiling the console.

That special, hosted by actor Elijah Wood and featuring the Las Vegas band the Killers, is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. EDT Thursday in the U.S.

The show and accompanying party drew the likes of skateboarder Tony Hawk, actors Scarlet Johansson, Alyssa Milano, Rachel Bilson, Wilmer Valderrama, Efren Ramirez and such musicians as Limp Bizkit, rapper Lil John, Poison's C.C. DeVille, No Doubt's Tony Kanal and Ryan Cabrera, according to MTV's website.

The new Xbox may not be backwards-compatible. That would be a huge problem. Inevitably I will upgrade, but if I can't play my current stack of games then I will wait at least another six months before doing so.

And I will at least consider switching to PlayStation.

You hear me, Gates? You fucking HEAR what I'm SAYING?

[lookingformarket]

I want to buy one for less than $500 bucks, I probably want one that records to miniDVD, and I don't want to do any research.

Who has researched them recently and will tell me what to buy?

I'll be using it for filiming general family type stuff, probably some poor lighting stuff (they can't ever the stage lit properly at youngest daughter's ballet recitals)

[Flinty_McFlint]

Originally posted by lookingformarket
I want to buy one for less than $500 bucks, I probably want one that records to miniDVD, and I don't want to do any research.

Who has researched them recently and will tell me what to buy?

I'll be using it for filiming general family type stuff, probably some poor lighting stuff (they can't ever the stage lit properly at youngest daughter's ballet recitals)

Not going to find a minidvd camcorder for under $500, unless you try ebay or perhaps one of the NY camera shops. If you are a costco member, try this one:

costco dvd recorder

Costco's return policy is unbeatable.

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by Flinty_McFlint
Not going to find a minidvd camcorder for under $500, unless you try ebay or perhaps one of the NY camera shops. If you are a costco member, try this one:

costco dvd recorder

Costco's return policy is unbeatable.

Is that b/c they're unauthorized dealers and so the mfrs warranty is void?

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
Is that b/c they're unauthorized dealers and so the mfrs warranty is void?

If avocado is not actually a vegetable, don't post "Avocado is not a vegetable." Those posts blow.

[Flinty_McFlint]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
Is that b/c they're unauthorized dealers and so the mfrs warranty is void?

I don't think that's true, and even if it was, who cares. In ten years, when we're all recording directly to the hard drive implanted in our skulls, you can still take the camcorder back to Costco and get a refund. Not that I'm condoning that.