http://techreviewdirect.com Great Free Tech Reviews Direct To You Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:54:23 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Filed under: Laptops ASUS has apparently gotten totally, righteously official on its Eee 904, according to reports. Word on the street is that the new iteration of its overflowing line of micro-laptops will be headed to shelves very soon, though it won't exactly pack a groundbreaking set of features. As we ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8171/asus-eee-904-gets-official-officially-boring/ Filed under: LaptopsHey USers -- we know where all those "delayed" Winds are. Just take a look across the pond. bit-tech managed to wrap their paws around a retail unit of MSI's Eee PC fighter, and while early reviews sang a lovely song, this one was just a bit flatter. ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8172/msi-wind-gets-reviewed-2/ Filed under: LaptopsHey USers -- we know where all those "delayed" Winds are. Just take a look across the pond. bit-tech managed to wrap their paws around a retail unit of MSI's Eee PC fighter, and while early reviews sang a lovely song, this one was just a bit flatter. ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8168/msi-wind-gets-reviewed/ Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wireless Not bad eh? These tiny 35 x 25 x 20-mm remote controlled cars fit inside your choice of sport-themed balls which double as the controller. You can even dangle your ball from a lanyard... perfect for all you athletic supporters. While no real technical details are ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8169/rc-mini-cars-move-beyond-mini/ Filed under: Wearables It's true. Any decent mother would wonder what on Earth her child was thinking rocking that thing you see above, and even though all those wonderful ladies of the world would be entirely entitled to that curiosity, we can understand the obsession. On its surface, this timepiece ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8170/tokyoflashs-galaxy-a-watch-only-a-nerd-could-love/ Filed under: Displays Forget schools, forget lighting, forget easy access to drinking water... it's that sweet TV goodness that people living off the grid really need. Well, that and laptops. You're looking at Sharp's 26-inch LCD prototype which uses just 1/4th the power (or 1/3rd measured annually) of a conventional CRT ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8166/sharp-brings-tv-to-the-powerless/ Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds It really does pay to be a foreign minister representing the 8 richest countries in the world. This Japanese-lacquered DS lite is just one of the items presented to the G8 ministers participating in last week's talks in Kyoto. The other items included a scented perfume ball ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8167/condi-rices-custom-ds-lite-proof-that-g8-globalization-is-important/ Filed under: Displays, Gaming Clearly, Acer's G24 monitor is the only monitor capable of matching your high-performance Predator gaming rig. It's orange... or "metallic copper" if you work in Acer's arts and charts department. Bounced around trade shows for the last month, the 24-inch LCD is now officially featuring a proclaimed ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8163/acers-g24-gaming-monitor-with-worlds-best-contrast/ Filed under: Misc. Gadgets We can only hope that the makers of this beer bottle phone actually got Budweiser's permission before slapping its logo on there, but regardless of all that, who can deny the awesomeness here? Okay, so you've got to be "that guy" for it to take your breath ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8164/budweiser-telephone-lets-you-drunk-dial-like-for-real/ Filed under: LaptopsSeems that just about anyone inside of Asus is authorized to discuss the Eee PC roadmap judging by the whirlwind of information we always get prior to an official launch. Case in point: an unnamed "company representative" says that a 3G version of the Eee PC will be ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8165/eee-pc-getting-ggg-in-september-2/ Filed under: LaptopsSeems that just about anyone insider of Asus is authorized to discuss the Eee PC roadmap judging by the whirlwind of information we always get prior to an official launch. Case in point: an unnamed "company representative" says that a 3G version of the Eee PC will be ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8160/eee-pc-getting-ggg-in-september/ Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Now here's an instrument you wouldn't have minded practicing as a tot. Alle Meine Klänge's AMK is a modular recorder (you know, those plastic flute wannabes) that pack an array of individual blocks which can hold any sound you like. Simply transfer homegrown beats / notes / ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8161/modular-recorder-concept-gets-down-with-homegrown-sounds/ Filed under: Robots Building a big robot is nothing to congratulate yourself on, but doing it in this manner is certainly worthy of a little self-indulgence. The creature you see standing before you is a 22-foot tall Styrobot constructed entirely from spare polystyrene packing materials, and no, each piece didn't just ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8162/22-foot-tall-robot-crafted-entirely-from-excess-styrofoam-2/ Filed under: Robots Building a big robot is nothing to congratulate yourself on, but doing it in this manner is certainly worthy of a little self-indulgence. The creature you see standing before you is a 22-foot tall Styrobot constructed entirely from spare polystyrene packing materials, and no, each piece didn't just ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8156/22-foot-tall-robot-crafted-entirely-from-excess-styrofoam/ Wired reviews the LG enV2 and writes, "...There’s a 2 megapixel camera, but even if you have figured out how to comfortably hold an altoid-can-clamshell without blocking the much smaller lens with your fingers, pics and video turn out pretty grainy. Where to ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8159/lg-env2-review-wired-2/ Wired reviews the LG enV2 and writes, "...There’s a 2 megapixel camera, but even if you have figured out how to comfortably hold an altoid-can-clamshell without blocking the much smaller lens with your fingers, pics and video turn out pretty grainy. Where to ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8152/lg-env2-review-wired/ Phonemag reviews the Sanyo Katana LX and writes, "Sadly, that new OLED display is one of the few improvements from the previous model. If the Katana II was a basic phone raised by virtue of its appearance, then the LX is a ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8153/sanyo-katana-lx-review-phonemag/ SiliconRepublic reviews the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic and writes, "Its smooth exterior matches its functionality. It has the usual trimmings which come with mobile phones these days: photos, video, organiser, games and web browsing. The camera quality is fairly typical of camera phones, ie ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8154/nokia-5310-xpressmusic-review-siliconrepublic-2/ SiliconRepublic reviews the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic and writes, "Its smooth exterior matches its functionality. It has the usual trimmings which come with mobile phones these days: photos, video, organiser, games and web browsing. The camera quality is fairly typical of camera phones, ie ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8150/nokia-5310-xpressmusic-review-siliconrepublic/ CrunchGear reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "There are quite a few built-in applications, and the Palm implementation of Google Maps is perfect. The application works well with a stylus, and many of the desktop features are included. The 1.3-Megapixel camera is ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8155/palm-treo-755p-review-crunchgear-2/ CrunchGear reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "There are quite a few built-in applications, and the Palm implementation of Google Maps is perfect. The application works well with a stylus, and many of the desktop features are included. The 1.3-Megapixel camera is ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8151/palm-treo-755p-review-crunchgear/ Filed under: Transportation Ah, ha! So, that Chinese S.W.A.T. team we caught ridin' dirty on Segways earlier this week actually had a reason to be carrying on like they were -- they were performing anti-terrorist drills in preparation for security during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Comically enough, the ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8157/anti-terrorist-drill-reveals-segway-attack-plan-legions-of-embarrassed-patrolmen/ Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable VideoThese days, the cool kids are looking to do more than just play back the freshest jams on their portable media player. We're talking video, PVR, WiFi, the works. Have a listen at Marco's question, and if you think you could do one better, ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8158/ask-engadget-whats-the-best-hdd-based-portable-media-player-out-there-2/ Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable VideoThese days, the cool kids are looking to do more than just play back the freshest jams on their portable media player. We're talking video, PVR, WiFi, the works. Have a listen at Marco's question, and if you think you could do one better, ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8149/ask-engadget-whats-the-best-hdd-based-portable-media-player-out-there/ Filed under: CellphonesSo we heard from a very reliable source that mobile user interface guru Matias Duarte -- who you may know as the man behind the Sidekick and Helio UI / user experiences -- actually left Helio late last year to join up with Palm. Although no announcement was ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8146/matias-duarte-designer-behind-sidekick-and-helio-now-developing-palms-next-gen-ui/ Filed under: Household While the rest of the world goes off to win the hearts of environmentalists (and laypeople, too) with LED light bulbs, Hitachi Lighting and Seiyu are taking the road (way) less traveled. Reportedly, the duo has collaborated in order to pop out a "bulb-shaped fluorescent lamp that can ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8147/hitachi-and-seiyu-develop-light-bulb-with-replaceable-arc-tube/ Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds It looks like Motorola and Verizon are getting ready to take a third crack at the Q9 form factor, following up the Q9m and Q9c -- and this time around, there's a little something extra in store. On top of the EV-DO Rev. A radio, the so-called ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8148/motorolas-worldly-q9-napoleon-breaks-cover-for-verizon-2/ Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds It looks like Motorola and Verizon are getting ready to take a third crack at the Q9 form factor, following up the Q9m and Q9c -- and this time around, there's a little something extra in store. On top of the EV-DO Rev. A radio, the so-called ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8141/motorolas-worldly-q9-napoleon-breaks-cover-for-verizon/ Filed under: Cellphones We could tell by looking that RIM wouldn't think of charging too many hundies for its still unannounced BlackBerry KickStart, but $49.99? CrackBerry has it that said flip phone will be selling at T-Mobile for a penny under $50 on a two-year contract, which certainly seems smart given ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8142/is-the-blackberry-kickstart-getting-a-50-price-tag-on-t-mobile/ Filed under: Desktops, Gaming It only launched a few weeks ago, but it looks like NVIDA could already be set to cut the price of its top-end GeForce GTX 280 graphics card -- a move that would be prompted, as you might have guessed, by AMD's cheaper but powerful Radeon HD ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8143/nvidia-said-to-be-dropping-geforce-gtx-280-price-in-response-to-amd/ Filed under: Laptops Given that Gateway just pushed out a round of updates including the relatively ginormous P Series, we reckon it was only logical to expect a review shortly. To be frank, the P-6831FX critiqued over at HotHardware is far from being the most potent machine with a 17-inch panel, ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8144/gateways-17-inch-p-6831fx-gaming-laptop-gets-reviewed/ Filed under: Laptops HP has already busted out a bundle of Puma-based laptops and tablets, but it looks like it's not done with AMD's latest platform just yet, with it now rolling out a pair of new Compaq laptops aimed at business users. Those include the 15.4-inch Compaq 6735b and the ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8145/hp-rolls-out-puma-based-compaq-6735b-6535b-business-laptops-2/ Filed under: Laptops HP has already busted out a bundle of Puma-based laptops and tablets, but it looks like it's not done with AMD's latest platform just yet, with it now rolling out a pair of new Compaq laptops aimed at business users. Those include the 15.4-inch Compaq 6735b and the ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8133/hp-rolls-out-puma-based-compaq-6735b-6535b-business-laptops/ Filed under: Announcements Remember how when we launched Engadget Poland a couple weeks ago we said that we were just getting started rolling out new international versions of the site? Well, today we're announcing two exciting new Engadgets we've waited for years to get started: Korean and German! They're both in ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8134/introducing-engadget-korean-and-german/ Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home EntertainmentIn case you didn't get the message, Sony's due sooner-rather-than-later 27-inch OLED is going to be priced for the Mark Cubans, Bill Gates' and other people not you of the world, at least for the next couple of years. Even with recent massive investments, U.S. ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8135/sony-talks-future-of-oled-blu-rays-chances-against-dvd/ Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds Though the Sprint version is the most well-scooped CDMA variant thus far, Telus is actually becoming the first carrier 'round these parts to announce the Touch Diamond imbued with a little EV-DO for your data-consumption pleasure. The phone will run $149.99 CAD (which is just about a ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8136/telus-announces-htc-touch-diamond-for-a-summer-release-2/ Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds Though the Sprint version is the most well-scooped CDMA variant thus far, Telus is actually becoming the first carrier 'round these parts to announce the Touch Diamond imbued with a little EV-DO for your data-consumption pleasure. The phone will run $149.99 CAD (which is just about a ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8122/telus-announces-htc-touch-diamond-for-a-summer-release/ Filed under: Digital Cameras Pentax's K200D has been out and about for a little while now, but if you're still undecided about taking the plunge on the mid-range DSLR, you may want to pay a visit to Photography Blog, which has just put the camera through its paces. On the ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8137/pentax-k200d-gets-reviewed-2/ Filed under: Digital Cameras Pentax's K200D has been out and about for a little while now, but if you're still undecided about taking the plunge on the mid-range DSLR, you may want to pay a visit to Photography Blog, which has just put the camera through its paces. On the ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8123/pentax-k200d-gets-reviewed/ Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Scientists may have discovered a new way to combat the global energy crisis -- and they're calling it the "Anaconda" (we'll give you a moment to purge your mind of any J. Lo films). The system works by utilizing the power of the ocean and long, black ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8124/scientists-create-sea-power-generating-anaconda/ With their pint-sized design, volume limiting feature, and itty-bitty price tag, the Sony MDR-222KD headphones are a great choice for kids who aren't too concerned with audio quality. http://techreviewdirect.com/8139/sony-mdr-222kd-childrens-headphones-black/ With their pint-sized design, volume limiting feature, and itty-bitty price tag, the Sony MDR-222KD headphones are a great choice for kids who aren't too concerned with audio quality. http://techreviewdirect.com/8138/sony-mdr-222kd-childrens-headphones-pink/ Filed under: Laptops While some of the benefits of SSDs may be in question these days, it looks like those still itching to take the plunge on an SSD-equipped Macbook Air can now at least save a few bucks, as the premium add-on has just received a much needed price cut. ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8125/macbook-air-ssd-option-gets-slightly-more-affordable-2/ Filed under: Laptops While some of the benefits of SSDs may be in question these days, it looks like those still itching to take the plunge on an SSD-equipped Macbook Air can now at least save a few bucks, as the premium add-on has just received a much needed price cut. ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8115/macbook-air-ssd-option-gets-slightly-more-affordable/ Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds July 4 was the date, but hey, what's the harm in opening up the floodgates just a handful of hours early? Get past the lack of 3G, EDGE, camera, and a rock-solid set of tested, commercialized apps, and open-source phoning nirvana can now be yours for $399 ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8126/openmoko-says-screw-it-starts-taking-freerunner-orders-a-day-early-2/ Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds July 4 was the date, but hey, what's the harm in opening up the floodgates just a handful of hours early? Get past the lack of 3G, EDGE, camera, and a rock-solid set of tested, commercialized apps, and open-source phoning nirvana can now be yours for $399 ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8116/openmoko-says-screw-it-starts-taking-freerunner-orders-a-day-early/ Mobile professionals who need a powerful but sleek messaging-centric smartphone will be well-served by the Nokia E71; just be prepared to pay a price. http://techreviewdirect.com/8132/nokia-e71-white-unlocked/ Mobile professionals who need a powerful but sleek messaging-centric smartphone will be well-served by the Nokia E71; just be prepared to pay a price. http://techreviewdirect.com/8131/nokia-e71-gray-unlocked/ A new ruling in Viacom's $1 billion lawsuit against Google has privacy advocates fretting that the case may further erode privacy online, even if it's eventually settled. Judge Louis Stanton of the U.S. District Court for Southern New York ruled that Google must provide Viacom with information from its database, ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8130/court-gives-viacom-window-on-youtube-user-activities/ Sony's 2.40 firmware update for the PlayStation 3 video game console ran into problems less than an hour after the company made it available for download Wednesday. Owners began reporting problems as a result of the download on the PS3 Forum, leading Sony to pull the update from availability. "A ... http://techreviewdirect.com/8128/sony-pulls-update-following-ps3-firmware-fiasco/