FocuSoft Tech Blog |
| Western Digital finally releases the 1TB My DVR Expander, TiVo owners rejoice Posted: 22 Apr 2009 10:55 AM PDT
Finally! We’ve been waiting for Western Digital to put out the 1TB My DVR Expander for so long we almost thought that Amazon listing a couple weeks ago was a mistake. The external eSATA drive allows any number of HD DVRs to record an extra 120 hours of HD content, but the real noise is that it’s certified to work with the TiVo HD and TiVo XL, which have locked-down eSATA ports that prevent you from using just any drive. (The original Series3 doesn’t have this restriction.) Stupid, we know, but at $199 list and $167 at Amazon, the markup on this thing doesn’t seem overly ridiculous, so we won’t complain too loudly. Just ship ‘em already, okay? Read more from the original source: |
| Leaked AT&T doc slams the Palm Pre Posted: 22 Apr 2009 10:32 AM PDT  Need more proof that Apple (and AT&T, by proxy) is taking the Pre kind of seriously? Enter this internal document from the iPhone carrier exposing the Palm phone for what it really is — a second-rate claptrap that is doomed to failure because of its inferior and stupid design. Among the highlights in this no-holds-barred slamfest — similar to this Verizon / G1 hit piece — is the comparison between WiFi (somehow the Pre has “limited WiFi access” because it can’t connect for free in Starbucks), and the nasty burn which points out that the Pre is available “in black only.” Ouch… Palm might want to stock up on aloe vera. In truth, though, the doc does point out some issues with the Pre that are very real, namely its lack of roaming capabilities outside of the US and an SDK which thus far won’t allow for CPU-intensive apps like 3D games. It’s significant that AT&T has deemed the phone worthy enough to address (internally at least), but it’s also significant to see just how far the company seems to be reaching on a handful of these points. Just remember guys — competition is a good thing. Excerpt from: |
| Engadget’s recession antidote: win a Joby Gorillapod Focus! Posted: 22 Apr 2009 10:10 AM PDT  This whole global economic crisis — including today’s new of AMD’s gigantic quarterly losses — and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn’t want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back — so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We’ll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we’ve got two Joby Gorillapod Focuses on offer — that’s right, two winners today… this is a sweet tripod for your camera, and it’s crazy looking too, so that’s a plus! Read the rules below (no skimming — we’re omniscient and can tell when you’ve skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff! Big thanks to Joby for providing the gear! The rules:
View original post here: |
| Posted: 22 Apr 2009 10:00 AM PDT This is a great looking mini laptop with ten inch display, but there the brilliance ends! It seems that there is little that separates the entire mini laptop market these days with many of the brands all fielding the virtually the same specs, but at least this one has a decent looking design.
Specs: Source [Liliputing]
Continued here: |
| HP Pavilion dv3t now available for $799 Posted: 22 Apr 2009 10:00 AM PDT
It kind of looks like the dv2 that Devin has for review, but it's slightly chunkier, if only a smidge. The dv3t (wth does the 't' stand for?) is now available from HP with a starting price of $799. The 13.3-inch notebook measures in at 1.25 inches thick and weighs in at 4.93 lbs and is being marketed as an entertainment notebook with its 16:9 HD (1280×800) screen. Under the hood lies an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz proc (T6400), which can be upgraded all the way up to a 2.66GHz proc (T9550). No SSD for this bad boy so you'll have to pick between a 320GB or 500GB HDD. There's a 250GB HDD, but you get the 320GB drive as a free upgrade. All three are 5400RPM models. RAM up to 8GB, but you get 3GB to begin with. Graphics are handled by an Intel 4500MHD and an Nvidia GeForce G 105M with 512MB of dedicated memory. It comes with a 6-cell battery that should last up to four hours, but you're probably better off with the 9-cell that lasts up to seven. Per the usual, a webcam is on board as well as a combo Wireless-N mini-card with Bluetooth if that's what you're into. Otherwise you can opt for a Wireless-G with Bluetooth or either without Bluetooth. Optional HP Mobile Broadband cards are available from Verizon or AT&T. Other notables include an HDMI 1.3b port and SRS Premium Sound enhanced Altec Lansing speakers. This can all be yours for around $1000 based on HP's recommended setup, which is usually what you want anyway. Oh, it comes in "Espresso Black" or "Moonlight White."
[via CrunchGear.com] |
| CrunchDeals: A brand new Sega Dreamcast for $99 Posted: 22 Apr 2009 10:00 AM PDT
You always wanted a Dreamcast right? But part of the fun of buying a gadget is breaking the seal for the first time. ThinkGeek has your back. There is certainly only a limited supply of these systems available, so you better lay down your $100 fast. But you get everything, brand new in the box. Just think that the controller will not be warn out, nor will the CD drive make funny noises. It will be great. And soon you'll be gaming like it's 1999. Continued here: |
| Too Late watches: Oddly endearing Posted: 22 Apr 2009 09:50 AM PDT
Remember when the multi-colored iPod nano ads came out? How you were all like "Ohhh… I'd like the orange one maybe. And the black one is amazing!" Well, here is Too Late, a watch company that truly attacks that weird hunter-gatherer node in the brain that encourages us to like bright colors.
Truth be told, the watch is junk. It's just a lump of quartz stuck inside a rubber band. But my, they are alluring. At 16 euro - about $20 - they're just this side of a good deal and if anything they make a nice fashion statement. You can buy them here and I'll have a full review after my wife wears it for a few days. They even come in glow-in-the-dark models! They're no Nooka, but if you care more about your watchband not clashing with your Pumas and less about the movement or feature set, this is a cool watch. More here: |
| LG announces 1080p DivX support, release windows for new TVs Posted: 22 Apr 2009 09:48 AM PDT  LG’s always done a good job supporting DivX in its players and TVs, so this morning’s press release announcing that the company will offer 1080p DivX support in its latest gear isn’t all that surprising — we’re mostly excited because it suggests that the latest round of LED-backlit LCDs will arrive in “late May and late April.” That’s, uh, real soon now, so those of you waiting on a little Scarlet action in your lives should look sharp. [via EnGadget.com] |
| Warner Offering Up Blu-rays in Exchange for HD-DVDs with Red2Blu Program [Movies] Posted: 22 Apr 2009 09:40 AM PDT
Still sitting on a pile of HD-DVDs that grow more and more embarassing by the day? Warner Bros. has just started up a new program that’ll let you swap them out for Blu-ray versions. The Red2Blu trade-in program is designed to get people burned by HD-DVD into the Blu-ray fold. Simply mail in your HD-DVD cover art (you get to keep the discs!), pay $4.95 per movie and $6.95 for shipping and get brand new copies of the same movies on Blu-ray in about a month. Of course, it only works for Warner Bros. HD-DVDs/Blu-rays, but if you’ve got a few kicking around this ain’t a bad deal. [Red2Blu via Engadget] Go here to see the original: |
| The $350 Kindle 2 costs only $185 to build Posted: 22 Apr 2009 09:30 AM PDT
The good folks at iSuppli took it upon themselves to rip apart the Amazon Kindle 2. Great, right? What's not great is knowing how much of a premium you're paying for the device; ignorance is bliss here. The Kindle 2, for which Amazon wants $359, costs approximately $185 to build. That is, when you take all the Kindle's parts and add them together, you get a total of $185. So where does the extra $174 come from? Well, assuming Amazon is in the business of making monkey, some of that "left over" money is profit. Then you'd need to consider all the money Amazon poured into the Kindle 2's development: designing it, whipping up the software, marketing it, etc. You gotta spend money to make money, Lou. Inside the Kindle 2 you'll find memory chips from Samsung; wireless data modules from Novatel Wireless; an ARM controller chip; and the display was developed by eInk, but put together by a Taiwanese company. This was just like Inside Baseball, but without the silly background music. More: |
![red2blu Warner Offering Up Blu rays in Exchange for HD DVDs with Red2Blu Program [Movies]](http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/04/red2blu.jpg "Warner Offering Up Blu rays in Exchange for HD DVDs with Red2Blu Program [Movies]")
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