Gadgets Comp

Posted Feb 29th 2008 3:37PM by Nilay PatelFiled under: NetworkingSure, the researchers at Alcatel-Lucent have already sent data 50 miles at 25.6Tbps, but it looks like now they’re going for distance rather than speed: the company announced yesterday that it’s now pumped bits over a 1584-mile long link at 16.4Tbps. Sure, that’s slightly slower than the record, but being able to firehose bits at distances like that is even more impressive, if you ask us (you didn’t). The core tech is essentially the same as used in the earlier speed record: bundling several 100Gbps optical signals at different wavelengths into one multiplexed transmission, shooting it down fiber, and splitting it up at the end. (Read the full post about ‘Alcatel-Lucent sends data 1600 miles at 16.4Tbps’…)

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Posted Feb 29th 2008 3:32PM by Donald MelansonFiled under: Gaming We already knew it was coming, but if for some reason you’ve been holding out on buying a PSP until you could get a minty green model, you can now finally get your fix — in Japan, at least. As DCEmu points out, however, you can also go the importing route courtesy of SuccessHK, where the brightly-colored handheld demands the slight premium of $228 (plus shipping, of course). (Read the full post about ‘Mint green PSP now available, in Japan’…)

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Posted Feb 29th 2008 12:53PM by Darren MurphFiled under: Laptops Uh, we figured this whole Penryn update thing was all taken care of by now, but for whatever reason, Dell has found it quite pleasing to roll out said chips to its machines on a one (or two) at a time basis. Just a day after the new processors landed in the Precision M2300 and M4300 — and merely two days since they crawled within the M6300 — the Round Rock powerhouse has seen fit to hook up the all-business Latitude D630 and D830. Effective immediately, interested consumers can snatch up one (or both, we ’spose) of the aforementioned machines with a 2.5GHz T9300 or 2.6GHz T9500, both of which include 6MB of L2 cache. (Read the full post about ‘Wait, there’s more! Dell’s Latitude D630 / D830 go Penryn’…)

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Posted Feb 29th 2008 2:29PM by Donald MelansonFiled under: Gaming There’s certainly been no shortage of sad stories involving Xboxes, but when it comes to attempts to get the console repaired, this latest tale from a gamer known only as Nathaniel might have to take the cake. As you can see above, his console (one of the first to hit the market) boasted a good deal of personalization, including signatures from folks at Bungie and the Xbox 360 team, and a spiffy illustration by Rooster Teeth Comics artist Luke McKay. As with many other Xbox users, however, Nathaniel’s console eventually packed it in, and he was forced to send it to Microsoft for repairs. Needless to say, that’s when things took a turn for the worse. (Read the full post about ‘Gamer’s tale takes Xbox repair woes to new levels of sadness’…)

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I think that I was born to be a writer, looking back it’s obvious really. First, I’ve always had horrible handwriting, which means I could have become either a doctor or a writer, and since I had no desire for an extra 10 years in school, there wasn’t much of a chance for being a doctor. When my school finally received new computers they began testing our typing skills, which I excelled at. We had boring typing games to track out WPM count, nothing cool like this cool USB Speedometer. I honestly don’t know how many words per minute I can type anymore, as it’s been a long time since I really cared. (Read the full post about ‘Track your typing skills with this USB Speedometer’…)

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Is it just me or does anyone else think that this USB Hub with Clock and Mood Light look like the mac mini? The design of the USB Hub with clock and mood light is a blend of functionality and simplicity. It is a multi-function USB hub featuring an integrated 7-color mood light. The 7 soft colors will start to illuminate by taking turns the moment the device is powered. It also doubles up as a desk-based alarm clock, waking you up from your afternoon nap and reminding you that there are just three more agonizing minutes to 5 before you can take off from the office. The time display is backlit as well for your convenience. (Read the full post about ‘USB Hub with Clock and Mood Light’…)

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Posted Feb 29th 2008 11:48AM by Darren MurphFiled under: Storage Yeah, companies have been trumpeting their ability to crank out discs that will last long after Martians come and evaporate our minds here on Earth for some time, but for archive junkies out there, more is always better. On deck today is Mitsubishi’s ARLEDIA DVD-Rs, which reportedly feature corrosion-resistant coatings made from gold and silver. ‘Course, you can only write to these at 8x, but they are expected to last about twice as long as traditional recordable discs. Not like you’ll be around to prove ‘em wrong, though. (Read the full post about ‘Mitsubishi develops corrosion-resistant DVD-Rs for the long haul’…)

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Why should your iPod have all the cool cases? Griffin has now released two of their most popular cases for the iPhone. For the rugged individual, there’s the multi-purpose Courier which is made of compression-molded EVA outer jacket for abrasion-resistant durability and can either wrap around the strap of your backpack or bag (up to 4 inches wide), or be secured by a industrial-strength hook & loop closure (see photo above). The detachable case fits iPod classic/iPod with video and ipod touch, and your precious iPhone. With a hidden zipper pocket for key, money, ID, and a second flapped pocket for sync cable, earphones, or whatever you need, this utiilty case is all you need to carry. (Read the full post about ‘New iPhone cases - Reflect and Courier’…)

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Posted Feb 29th 2008 7:12AM by Ryan BlockFiled under: cellphones, WirelessAssuming Sprint can make it — and that’s starting to seem like kind of a big if these days — CEO Dan Hesse made some comments about the coming 4G revolution, including one auspicious hint about dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX devices this later year for XOHM. It’s almost an exciting enough concept for us to forget that even if these devices were forthcoming in 2008, they’d still only be for one of the soft launch markets, and would probably start as a data cards — not phones. (Read the full post about ‘Sprint to launch dual-mode CDMA / WiMAX devices this year?’…)

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Freshome has managed to hunt down a bunch of bookshelves - 30, to be exact, that will definitely provide you with a better idea on how to furnish your newly purchased home. After all, reading is the gateway to a world of knowledge, and it makes perfect sense to stock up your home with books instead of spending all your free time in front of the TV. The Equation Bookshelf that you see on the right plays on the idea of dividing things in priority order, allowing you to lump all the books that you need immediately together or more important ones between a parentheses. I guess nothing still beats the boring but effective Dewey decimal system though. (Read the full post about ‘Bookshelf ideas for the home’…)

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