Archive for January 6th, 2008
06
01
2008
Dell’s XPS 630i Compact Entry Level Gaming Rig [PCs]Posted by: in Technology News, Media & PC, GamingDell’s scheduled to show off an XPS 630i desktop gaming platform. It’s aimed at the entry level, with power not too far off the high end 720 series models. The chassis should be smaller, too. [Yahoo]
06
01
2008
Make a Lamp That is Straight Out of Tron [DIY]Posted by: in Technology News, Media & PC, Gaming
[Instructables via Make]
 Dell is planning to show off the latest desktop in its XPS line, the 630i, at CES, which the company is positioning as an entry-level gaming machine to complement the larger, more powerful XPS 720 (pictured above). Although no specs or images have been posted yet, Dell’s teaser release calls this new model a “middleweight contender with heavyweight power,” promising that while it’s “more compact than the powerhouse XPS 720 family, it won’t compromise on performance.” Expect the XPS 630i to be announced this spring, along with the requisite pricing and configuration deets.
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06
01
2008
Mylo 2 Gets A Video Groping [Mylo 2 Hands On]Posted by: in Technology News, Media & PC, Gaming
 As announced in today’s press conference, gamers are clearly in Sharp’s sights for 2008 as an area of corporate growth. So here they are with their second generation 32-inch panel. The new 1080p set features a slimmer design and unique swivel stand. A “Game Mode” is said to optimize picture quality for game playing while the remote control allows for a quick swap of inputs. A Mountain Dew-ey “Vyper Drive” mode supposedly “eliminates perceptible lag time between game console input and the TV display.” Rounding things out then is a 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 450 cd/m2 brightness, 3x HDMI 1.3 and 2x component inputs, and a custom design by renowned industrial designer, Toshiyuki Kita. Available in glossy finishes including black, red wine, and white for $1600 starting now.
06
01
2008
Sony’s 11-inch XEL-1 OLED TV Finally Ships in January for $2,500 [Sony Oled TV]Posted by: in Technology News, Media & PC, GamingThe Pitch: Sony finally brings their OLED TV (which we’ve been seeing and hearing about forever) to market at $2,500 in January. It’s the first OLED TV in the US, and takes advantage of OLED’s 1 million to 1 contrast ratio, low power consumption, and rapid response time. XEL-1 Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) Television  As if we didn’t already know, Sony just spit out a press release announcing the availability of Skype on PSP courtesy of a firmware update due later this month. After the update, a Skype icon will be available under the Network menu, allowing users to create a new account or login with their existing one. Otherwise, it’s Skype as usual: free calls between Skype users; SkypeOut to make calls to regular old phones; SkypeIn to receive calls on your PSP (just don’t answer the phone in front of a potential mate). There is one notable caveat however: Skype will only work on the PSP-2000 (ie: PSP Slim, PSP Lite, PSP Petite). We’re not sure if there’s a hardware limitation preventing the original PSP from using the service but our best guess is that whatever microphone attachment is released may not be compatible with the older model. Also, no word if Skype functionality will be enabled in-game. More as we hear it, folks.
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The models: Hit the jump for all the sweet specs.
BRAVIA® KDL-40Z4100 Flat-panel LCD HDTV W4100 BRAVIA® KDL-52W4100 Flat-panel LCD HDTV BRAVIA® KDL-46W4100 Flat-panel LCD HDTV BRAVIA® KDL-40W4100 Flat-panel LCD HDTV V4100 BRAVIA® KDL-52V4100 Flat-panel LCD HDTV BRAVIA® KDL-46V4100 Flat-panel LCD HDTV BRAVIA® KDL-40V4100 Flat-panel LCD HDTV BR6 BRAVIA(R) KDL-37XBR6 Flat-panel LCD HDTV
BRAVIA(R) KDL-32XBR6 Flat-panel LCD HDTV Filed under: CES, Desktops, Gaming, Laptops
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06
01
2008
Mylo 2 Has New Design, Touchscreen, Flash Support [Mylo 2]Posted by: in Technology News, Media & PC, Gaming
That’s a long list of laundry, but it isn’t a phone and can’t even tether to handsets via Bluetooth, so you’re restricted by wi-fi accessibility. The $299 device carries a similar shape to the PSP, with a sliding keyboard underneath and the camera on the backside. This is a pretty good piece of hardware that more or less works as it should, but I thought a few of its key features weren’t up to par. I’m a pretty big fan of the Mylo 2 build quality. It sits nicely in the hand – not too big or heavy. The keys on the key board are well defined and logically placed, though I could do with a dedicated row of number keys. There are a series of permanent hotspots on the touchscreen that bring up various shortcuts/context menus without eating up too much of the screen. It has a 4-way directional nub with a center click feature to speed up the navigation process when the touchscreen won’t do. There were a few buttons, such as the camera button and the wi-fi on/off switch, that made the design a little busy and could have been taken care of by the touchscreen or nub. My biggest hardware complaint about the Mylo 2 is that its touchscreen is pretty unsophisticated. It’s not enough anymore to slap a touchscreen on a gadget and expect people to be impressed. In the web browser and instant messaging, zooming and scrolling took a ridiculously long time. I finally got used to finding the onscreen navigation buttons but it doesn’t mean I liked it. The lack of bluetooth also puzzled me a little. Adding bluetooth to Mylo 2 seemed pretty logical with the rise of bluetooth headphones, cellphone tethering and VoIP headsets. Sony said they wanted to keep costs down and the user experience simple. Adding bluetooth doesn’t strike me as being that expensive, or complicated, but whatever. Software is a mixed bag with the Mylo. The general UI is easy to navigate and generally intuitive. Sony even threw in a widget-like section with quick links to Facebook, Google, Youtube and Wikipedia. Instant messaging works pretty well by giving a 1/3 of the screen to contacts and the other 2/3 to the conversation window. But I couldn’t find a way to add new buddies or sending a message to anyone not on my buddy list. The music and video apps are no frills additions that work pretty well. They aren’t mindblowing by any stretch of the imagination, and there are better options for those specific functions, but as an add on for an internet-focused device, it works well. The camera app is similar in interface to a cameraphone. Zoom functions are carried out on the touch screen and there is a mode that lets you make basic edits after you snap the photo. Again, no frills, but it works. Web browsing is the one software feature that really disappoints. Navigating web pages tends to be choppy and the on screen nav buttons at the bottom can be unresponsive at times. Sony also worked with Adobe to get flash video up and running on the Mylo 2, but the machine is a bit underpowered to handle the load. Many of the YouTube videos were littered with encoding errors that shouldn’t have been there. The bigger the video size, the more choppy it got. The Mylo 2 is a lot better than the Mylo 1, but its still a device without an identity. Is it a computer? No. Is it an MP3 player? Kind of, but not really. Is it appealing on the basis of its internet function alone? With a laggy browser and without a solution for mobile internet, I’m hesitant to say yes. Sony has the right ideas in place, but the Mylo needs some polish before it’s ready for primetime. |
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It is not hard to see where designer Greg Madison got his inspiration from for the Madylight —namely sci-fi movies and video games. He believes that one of the common threads between these mediums is “luminescent shapes which represent electronic circuits or magic spells.” So the goal was to reproduce these shapes in everyday objects —like a lamp. It looks awesome, and the best part is that it is not all that difficult to make yourself. Hit the jump for a video and a link to the complete instructions.
If you were wondering what the 
BREAKING NEWS: Sony announced an update to their LCD line of televisions here at CES! 
The Mylo 2, like its predecessor, is a portable internet communicator. This one is more powerful, but it’s still a freak of nature. It throws in a few internet functions here, some media player features there, and tops the thing off with a camera. Some of its key features include: