Gadgets Comp

The delay is finally over! Mozilla has recently released Firefox 3.1 beta 1 (code-named “Shiretoko”) for public testing. What should a web developer expect? Web developers will definitely be delighted to know that the @font-face CSS property is implemented in Shiretoko. This will allow web developers to design websites with consistent formatting and layout. New CSS properties such as text-shadow and word-wrap are also supported. New HTML tags are also introduced: namely, the <video> and the <audio> tags; both tags simplify the embedding of video and audio files on a web page. It must be noted that the <video> and the <audio> tags only support the OGG Theora and OGG Vorbis formats. (Read the full post about ‘Firefox 3.1 beta 1 released for public testing’…)

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It was just one year ago that Asus unveiled the Eee PC and created what has become the netbook craze.  It was October 16, 2007 when the Eee PC 701 first became available, of course at that time the availability was limited to Taiwan.  But how quickly and drastically things can change in just one year. Since the release of the 701, we have seen netbooks take off.  Not only has Asus continued to expand in this market, but countless others including HP, Acer, MSI and Dell have rolled out their own models to compete. (Read the full post about ‘The Eee PC turns one today’…)

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It was just one year ago that Asus unveiled the Eee PC and created what has become the netbook craze.  It was October 16, 2007 when the Eee PC 701 first became available, of course at that time the availability was limited to Taiwan.  But how quickly and drastically things can change in just one year. Since the release of the 701, we have seen netbooks take off.  Not only has Asus continued to expand in this market, but countless others including HP, Acer, MSI and Dell have rolled out their own models to compete. (Read the full post about ‘The Eee PC turns one today’…)

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FriendFeed launched a new feature last night, real-time updating.  With this feature, you can see all the most recent FriendFeed posts without even having to refresh the page.  As nifty as this new feature is, it can also get a bit crazy. The site has essentially turned the web into a giant chatroom according to Robert Scoble.  You’ve got it all going on here, not just the chatting, but videos, photos, tweets, and more.  Every item has its own URL, as well as its own RSS feed.  You’re able to comment on everything there, not just on the “commentary” like in a chat room. (Read the full post about ‘FriendFeed: Live blogging gone wild’…)

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I don’t know what it is about this little astromech droid, but R2-D2 gets way too much publicity in the gadget world. At CES last January, I got a chance to see Nikko Electronics R2D2 Projector DVD player/projector, as well as the R2D2 Wireless Web Camera. I suppose there is little point of telling about yet another R2D2 product, but I might as well report on the R2-D2 Whizzwatch. No, I did not misspell wristwatch, because this is a Whizzwatch! Yes, it is a timepiece with a little model of everyone’s favorite non-protocol droid, and you can use the watch as a remote control to make Artoo wheel all around your desk. By the way, the Artoo unit is quite large, and putting it on your wrist is like wearing a shoe around your neck. (Read the full post about ‘R2-D2 Whizzwatch is another reason for an Artoo gadget’…)

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A few months ago we wrote about the 55-inch Samsung LE55A956 and it’s smaller 46-inch brother, the LE46A956 when Samsung announced it at this years IFA. The LE55A956 is from Samsung’s Series 9 (A956) range, meaning it’s one of their highest-end models, with features such as LED backlighting. Roughly a year ago Samsung released their first LCD backlit HDTV which pushed the image quality of LCD HDTVs one step further with it’s extremely impressive black levels and contrast ratios. Unfortunately, it also had it’s draw backs, mostly it’s high price. But with the Samsung LE55A956, which features Samsung’s very latest LCD backlighting and less painful price, things are looking much better. (Read the full post about ‘Samsung LE55A956 Review’…)

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Some new reports are claiming that the BlackBerry Storm has been “confirmed” with Rogers, but keep in mind that while it has been confirmed, this is still far from an official announcement.  The information is coming courtesy of a call center employee and may be nothing more than a big ruse.  You see, according to that employee, every call center worker was given a script that they are expected to read when asked about the release or availability of the blackberry Storm. (Read the full post about ‘Rogers rumored to launch the BlackBerry Storm in time for Christmas’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Oct 16th 2008 at 10:00PMAny avid concert goer will confess — security can be a royal pain in the arse when trying to sneak your point-and-shoot in for a few Facebook-bound memories. ‘Tis a shame a few morons who can’t deactivate their flash has to ruin it for everyone else, but rather than ramble on, we’ll let Latrell take it from here: “I’m tired of security confiscating my point-and-shoot at concerts. I’m just looking to snap a few good shots without the flash, but it seems they always find my camera on the way in. What’s the slimmest, most discrete camera out there that can still muster decent images. I’m not looking to buy a new cellphone with a robust camera, either. (Read the full post about ‘Ask Engadget: What’s the best small camera for getting into venues?’…)

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by Paul Miller, posted Oct 16th 2008 at 6:44PM We’ve had iriver’s SPINN laying around the Engadget HQ for a little while, and figure we’ve finally fiddled with the player enough to write down some impressions. If you’re looking for the one liner, here it is: we’re blown away by the beauty of the hardware, but the barebones player software, lack of an “ecosystem,” and hefty price really hurt its chances with the mainstream. Full thoughts after the break.Gallery: iriver SPINN review Hardware Get ready for some superlatives: the iriver SPINN is the sexiest piece of kit we’ve played with this year. (Read the full post about ‘iriver SPINN review’…)

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by Richard Lawler, posted Oct 17th 2008 at 3:41AM Sony didn’t want to make a big deal about this (so humble, that Sony) but the PlayStation 3’s recent 2.50 firmware update has a few extra additions aimed straight at home theater buffs. First up is a place to enter your DivX VOD Registration code — necessary if you want to get any of that Sony Pictures or Warner Bros. DivX-encoded video that’s on the way — along with new Sequential Playback and 50Hz video output settings, plus support for chroma upsampling & Mosquito Noise Reduction video enhancement on homemade Blu-ray discs and DVDs. (Read the full post about ‘Sony details PS3 firmware 2.50 upgrades: DivX VOD support, AV tweaks’…)

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