Sponsor Thanks [Announcements]

Without our sponsors, we couldn’t afford the whippets that make this whole thing possible. So a very special thanks to Autotrader, Chevy Fuel Solutions, Clone Wars Soundtrack, Coors Light (Wilson Rothman’s fave), Elgato Systems, Equifax, Gamestop, Hotflops, Lenovo, Microsoft Windows, Puma, Samsung, Sharp Aquos, Sprint, Starwood Aloft Hotels, Stolichnaya, T-Mobile, Toshiba Gaming, Unscrew America, Verizon. All of these companies are the best company ever.

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Scuba Steve Is Good With Children, Aquatic Pets [Figurines]

Scuba Steve, a 7″ figurine, seems like a nice enough guy. His round face and charming monocle seem perfect for children’s parties and lending an extra hand in bathroom sterilization. But then you read his description and see that “if a shark won’t listen to reason, then Scuba Steve pulls their teeth out (but still lets the shark live.)” And you realize, yeah, that Scuba Steve really is a great guy. $350. [Slobot via Gizmo Watch]

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Panasonic’s 65VX100U Premiere Kuro-Killing Plasma Reviewed (Verdict: Best Flat Panel to Date) [Th-65vx100u]

Just yesterday we got our first taste of Panasonic’s new TH-65VX100U plasma technology, which features specs that meet or exceed Pioneer’s Kuro. Our initial impressions were extremely positive, but Gary at HD Guru managed to get his hands on an early production sample for a closer look, and he too was impressed. In fact, he called it the “new king of flat panels.”

During the review he broke down some of the technology behind the eye popping specs, as well as taking note of a feature set that is high on performance and low on ordinary TV functions. Being a monitor, the 65VX100U does not feature a built-in HDTV or analog tuner and standard definition source imputs like composite and S-video. However, it does include 4 HDMI jacks, one component video, one PC input (VGA), and a RS-232 jack.

As far as performance is concerned, Gary compared it side by side with the 50-inch Kuro and found that Pioneer won on ultimate black level and in the effectiveness of its anti-reflective screen, but the latter results in an purple-reddish tint that can be clearly seen when compared side by side with the 65VX100U. The Kuro also requires a higher level signal to come out of black, which obscured details that the Panasonic did not. All in all, it seems that if you have $10,000 to plunk down on a 65-inch flat panel, the 65VX100U should be at the top of your list. [HD Guru]

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Dell Inspiron Mini review roundup

Filed under: Laptops

Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 didn’t waste any time going from its formal debut to hitting the review circuit today, and although its basic design didn’t blow anyone away, it seems like an impressively put-together piece of kit for the price. Everyone laments the tiny keyboard, although it’s apparently fine once you get used to it, but Notebook Review flat out says it won’t cut it as a primary typing machine. PC Magazine says the 1.6GHz Atom and 1GB of RAM are enough for most tasks under XP, although multitasking is a chore; the Linux configurations seem similarly capable — Laptop says the custom build of Ubuntu Remix is “smooth” and “sleek.” The four-cell battery averaged around three and a half hours under both XP and Linux, which is decent, but several noticed that Dell hasn’t made an extended battery available yet. We’d expect that to change soon, but overall it’s a minor quibble — could this be the netbook that finally makes you reach for your wallet?

Read - Laptop (3.5 out of 5)
Read - Notebook Review (”…fabulous netbook… [but] only ‘your new best friend’ if you’re willing to overlook a few flaws.“)
Read - Washington Post (”… isn’t perfect, but it does offer a terrific design and a good price.”)
Read - PC Magazine (3 out of 5)

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MSI Wind launch was delayed by ripped movies, family photos?

Filed under: Laptops

Here’s an interesting, albeit confusing, story: we’re getting word that MSI has recalled some Wind laptops running SUSE Linux, since some random oddities had snuck onto the disk image. Namely, illegal screener copies of movies and some family photos. That could explain MSI’s temporary delay in shipping this thing out — a preemptive recall — but the when, where and what of the recall are a bit hazy, so we recommend rummaging around for the files just in case they’re eating up your hard drive room or contain that one flick you were dying to watch with large “Screener copy!” signs flashing past.

[Thanks, Patrick S.]

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OSIM uSpace Full Body Massage Chair Balances Your Body, Bank Account [Gadgets]

At $6,000, this OSIM uSpace full body massage chair better do what it says in addition to just looking all sci-fi and space Pac-Manish. According to the manufacturer, the chair fixes you using mood lighting, massage, and music. They say the uSpace has three different modes: “revitalize”, “relax” or “balance” you.

They explain that using specific lighting colors, with something called “synchronized” music will activate certain areas of your brain, putting you in any of those states. I don’t know if it works or not, but the idea of putting my head inside the mouth of space Pac-Man here only makes me anxious. [OSIM via Dvice]

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Microsoft to Deploy Their Own Version of the Apple Genius [Microsoft Gurus]

As part of their $300 Million ad campaign Microsoft has announced that they will begin to deploy in-store representatives to large chains like Best Buy and Circuit City to help consumers with their PC issues. Like their Apple counterparts, The “Microsoft Gurus” will not be paid on commission and they will be available to handle general questions and give demos of products—but they will not be available for any real tech support or repairs. So they are kind of like Apple Geniuses, only a lot less useful. Nonetheless, Microsoft plans to roll out around 155 of these trained experts during an initial trial run sometime before the end of the year. [Electronista]

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Rumor: New iTunes Visualizer will be the Stunning Magnetosphere [ITunes]

According to rumors, the new iTunes 8 presumably coming next week at the Apple “Let Us Rock” event will come with some beautiful new visualizations. Now, new rumors say that the new visualizations will actually be Magnetosphere, a formerly-available plugin by artist Robert Hodgin. After seeing the gorgeous video above, I hope this rumor ends up being true. [TUAW via Boing Boing Gadgets]

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