Filed under: Portable Audio
We can’t deny the usefulness of a voice controlled iPod at the gym, while running or snowboarding, or when overcome by the fits of extreme sloth more akin to our eXistenZ. Hell, Apple has recognized the importance of hands- and eyes-free text to audio translation and audio navigation in a number of patent applications. But seriously DirectVoxx, the price of the accessory can’t cost more than the device it accessorizes. Meet the $159 muso, a voice recognition dongle for the iPod nano (which starts at $149). Muso requires zero initial setup and training yet is said to understand natural language commands like, “play me some Led Zeppelin,” or “gimme jazz.” While a muso voice control application from Apple’s App Store seems like a given, DirectVoxx says that, “the iPhone does not allow programs to access the iPod portion of the iPhone.” Shame. The muso is iPod- and English-only for now and expected to ship in December. See it in action after the break.
Otherwise check the $100 voice control solution from Accenda expected in September.
Read — DirectVoxx muso
Read — Accenda
Continue reading DirectVoxx muso voice control accessory is more expensive than the iPod
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Filed under: Laptops
Leave it to Asus to bust out a nice laptop that we can’t have — yet. The new F8Va, released in Korea only for now, packs an Intel Core Duo T9400 at 2.53GHz, 4GB DDR2 800 MHz RAM, a 320GB SATA spinner, ATI Radeon HD3650 GPU, and a 14-inch WXGA screen at 1440 x 900. To top it off, the F8Va includes a Blu-Ray combo drive, 1.3 megapixel camera, and HDMI out. It’s hitting Korea in July, but if / when it comes to the US, we’re probably looking at a $1299 price based on early reviews. Early test scores came in at 4103 3DMarks, an SM2.0 score of 1349, and a HDR/SM3.0 score of 1819. Drool over the info in the read links if you must.
Read - Asus F8Va Laptop
Read - Asus F8Va Montevina platform laptop review
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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Tech firms seem to have this uncanny ability to significantly boost functionality while significantly reducing cost with each new generation of a product — and you’ll never believe this, but it looks like Apple is no exception. The teardown and bean-counting experts over at iSuppli are at it again with the iPhone 3G, finding that the whole kit and kaboodle tallies up to just $174.33 (give or take) for the 8GB model in material and manufacturing costs. That works out to about $53 less than iSuppli’s estimate for the original 8GB model back in June of last year, an amount saved in part by moving to a single 10-layer circuit board (versus a pair of 6-layer boards). The firm figures Apple’s shelling out about $50 in royalties for each iPhone 3G that rolls off the assembly line, leading to a grand total of $224.33 in costs. Offset that with a healthy AT&T subsidy, and all told, we’re looking at something like a 55 percent margin to help Steve finance his next round of black turtlenecks.
[Via AppleInsider]
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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Leave it to Radiohead to do something twisted, innovative, and defiantly futuristic to the art of the music video. Instead of going with underwater singing, fully animated epic, or a mysterious series of “blips,” the band decided to forgo the use of cameras altogether for their latest single, House of Cards. Using 3D video acquisition systems from Geometric Informatics, and 64-element, 360-degree LIDAR from Velodyne, the band was able to create a clip that eschews traditional video recording for haunting, complex data visualizations. You can watch the video after the break, or you can get your hands dirty with a real time, interactive version you’ll find by following the read link. Either way, your mind should be thoroughly blown.
Continue reading Radiohead’s ‘House of Cards’ video gets 3D, interactive, and extremely trippy
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Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home Entertainment
The long delay until Sony launched its video download service (actually more like a few hours), is over. HD and SD rentals, and SD purchases from an assortment of movie studios is now available in the Playstation Store by selecting the video button at the top left. Need to know what’s available in your region but aren’t near your PS3? Check out the website for a list of what awaits.
[Via PS3 Fanboy]
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Filed under: Gaming
Sure, Guitar Hero and Rock Band have fake plastic Gibson and Fender controllers, but cheap plastic ain’t exactly rock’n'roll — which is why this new StarPex PS2 / PS3 guitar controller looks pretty sweet. The ersatz Strat features a hardwood body and neck crafted by “a leading guitar manufacturer” (we’d bet $100 it’s made by Samick), as well as solo buttons, an Overdrive / Star Power button in addition to the tilt sensor, and both wired and wireless capabilities. On top of that, the electronics are modular, so you’ll eventually be able to swap parts and build your own custom axe. Sounds great — but you better start singing in the subway, since this thing’ll set you back $179 when it goes on sale late next month. Yeah, maybe we’ll stick with the plastic axes after all.
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Filed under: Portable Audio
If you’ve been resisting the urge to believe that Samsung’s U4 was more than just a figment of someone’s untamed imagination, we’ve got just one question for you: why? The inevitable has finally happened, with the pocket-friendly DAP getting official half a world away. The unit will boast an OLED display, touch-sensitive buttons and 2GB or 4GB of internal storage. Reportedly, these critters will be available on August 7th in the Asia-Pacific region for S$89 ($66) / S$129 ($96) depending on capacity, though we aren’t sure yet what they’ll sell for when they (hopefully) make the trip Stateside.
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Filed under: Storage
Ridata has dabbled in the wonderful world of triple-data capacity SSDs before, but as with most manufacturers, it wouldn’t open its mouth and divulge a price. Now, however, we’ve got three newcomers to swoon over along with price tags to balk (or cheer, depending on wallet depth) over. The Ultra-S Plus MLC SATA SSD line has launched in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB sizes, all of which offer up to 128MB/sec read speeds and 80MB/sec write speeds. Without further adieu, the late July-bound trio will be selling for $169.90, $294.90 and $537.90 from least capacious to most. So, you gettin’ one?
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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wearables
The latest word on effective cardio exercise is that you should go for short, intense intervals rather than waste hours on the Stairmaster. Shorter workouts, you say? Good with us, but what about the gear to go with all that? The Airun Plus shoe is designed for the HIIT exerciser who wants to track his BMI and caloric burn rates all the while controlling shoe weight. The built-in Smart Technology controller records BMI and calorie burn results while the weighted insoles can be added or removed based on your needs. Weight and speed information comes from a sensor in the right shoe, while the entire kick is designed with shock absorption and safety in mind. Ready to buy? If you’re serious about your body, these things will run you £112.50 ($224) and they come all the way from England.
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Filed under: Displays, HDTV
Next time you take a stroll through Times Square, look up, as Toshiba’s posted a brand new high definition display at the top of One Times Square Building. The 51.2-foot by 52.5-foot consists of 1280×1248 LEDs controlled by Toshiba’s Technovirtual pixel-sharing technology to create “virtual pixels”. Whether or not we can figure out how that works, the LEDs display over one billion colors and help cut power consumption, so the display isn’t just better looking than the one it replaces but also more energy efficient. We’ve seen LEDs in other video boards before, but Toshiba claims it’s the first to offer modular HDTV screens to the outdoor rental market, and starting today they’ve got the best product placement possible.
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