We have an especially fun episode for y'all today, with a comparison between Transformers 2 and GI Joe, a brief rundown of old video game movies, the decade's biggest tech flops, and OF COURSE: The 404 Semi-Weekly Audio Draft Sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.FM, a subsidiary of CBS Interactive and CNET News and Reviews 5000!
Man, the preshow this morning got HEATED! In a joking way, of course. You really have to be there for Friday morning preshows in the live chatroom. The buzz this morning was about Jeff seeing "Bruno," and actually LIKING IT! This is, of course, in contrast to Wilson totally despising the flick, blaming the overuse of phallic objects used only to make the audience feel uncomfortable. If you saw that movie and have an opinion, leave a comment on here and help us settle this argument!
That conversation in the preshow leads us to talk about the latest from AintitCool News, who claim that "GI Joe" is a better movie than "Transformers 2"! This is actually pretty surprising to us because we saw the trailer for "GI Joe," and it seriously looked awful, although it'd be hard to make a worse movie than "Transformers 2." I guess it's a "lesser of two evils" sort of thing. Early reviews coming in claim that the "GI Joe" movie should be taken with a large grain of salt, since the tone is similar to that of the original "Street Fighter" movie.
After talking about video game movies for awhile, we finally get to our favorite segment, the OFFICIAL 404 Semi-Weekly Audio Draft Sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.FM, a subsidiary of CBS Interactive and CNET News and Reviews 5000! Today's pick is Mayer Hawthorne, a 29-year-old music junkie from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who makes retro-sounding soul music in the vein of such artists as Isaac Hayes, Leroy Hudson, and Barry White. His music tips its hat to the old Motown days between 1966 and 1974, when scratchy instruments and smooth falsettos dominated the waves. Hawthorne definitely draws inspiration from those artists, but also layers his own style into the mix with breakbeat production and a gallery of horn instruments that every generation can get into. He's currently on the popular hip-hop label Stones Throw and has a few singles out, but his new album, "A Strange Arrangement," is due out in the fall. For now, check out his page and today's track, "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out," and let us know what you think!
EPISODE 384
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The new Juice Pack for the iPod Touch 2G.
(Credit: Mophie)If you've been waiting for the Juice Pack Air for the iPhone 3G, it's still not out yet. However, you can now get Mophie's latest Juice Pack for the iPod Touch 2G that the company announced on March 19.
The new Juice Pack gives iPod Touch owners twice as much time to use their player for music, video, or surfing the Internet. According to Mophie, the pack will give the iPod Touch 2G up to an additional 42 hours of music playback and up to 7 hours of video playback.
The Juice Pack is certified by Apple to work as a battery extender and as a protective case. It sports an ergonomic design with a soft-touch, nonslip rubberized finish, and it comes fully charged and ready to go out of the box.
Similar to the original Juice Pack for the iPhone 3G, the new Juice Pack for the iPod Touch 2G has a pass-through design. This lets you simultaneously charge and sync with iTunes via a USB cable (included) without having to remove it from the Juice Pack.
The pack features advanced battery technology that intelligently instructs the iPod Touch to drain the Juice Pack first before tapping its own battery. It uses a highly condensed lithium polymer battery with built-in overcharge, short circuit, and temperature protection.
The back of the Juice Pack has four LED lights that let you know how much juice is left, and it also displays how much time remains during the charging process.
The new Juice Pack for the iPod Touch 2G is available now for $99.95.
(Credit:
Apple )
We're still waiting for Apple to send over an iPod Classic 2G for review, but our mate Nate Lanxon at Crave UK already had a chance to take the product through the paces. Stay tuned for our detailed take, and in the meantime, have a look at Nate's full review.
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ezSkin Plus for iPod Touch 2G comes in black or white.
(Credit: ezGear)Well, that didn't take long. ezGear announced on Friday a protective case for Apple's new iPod Touch 2G, which made its debut earlier this week. The case is called ezSkin Plus.
Like all other cases from ezGear, the new case is made of silicon, and designed to fit the new iPod snugly and offer a smooth coating that repels dirt. And it feels nice on the hands.
The ezSkin Plus comes with a long list of extras, including a screen-cleaning cloth, a clear static screen protector, a port cover for the iPod dock, a removable belt clip, and a small stand. It also has a new feature called ezButton that covers all of the device's buttons for protection while allowing for easy usage.
The ezSkin Plus for iPod Touch 2G comes in black and white, and will be available by the end of this month for about $30.
Apple didn't make much of a fuss over the second-generation upgrade to their iPod Classic, but there are a few details worth noting. First off, Apple has discontinued their 80GB and monstrous 160GB models and now offers only a single version of the Classic packed with 120GB of storage for $249. We may hear some grumblings from file-hoarders and lossless audio fans about the discontinued 160GB model, but 120GB is still an impressive amount of space for your music and video collection.
The user interface of the Classic hasn't changed since the first-gen model, but there are a few additional features that are only available on the second-gen. Apple has included their new Genius playlist tool, which theoretically should work better with the larger music collections you can store on the Classic. Also, the Classic 2G can now make voice recordings through its headphone jack, so long as you use a compatible pair of headphones with an in-line microphone (Apple's iPhone headphones do the trick, but we'll see more headphones from Apple in October).
The iPod Classic is still offered in the same two colors (black and silver), with a healthy-rated battery life of 36 hours for music and 6 hours for video--numbers that are slightly up from last year's 80GB model, but down from the 160GB version's promise of 40 hours of music and 7 hours of video.
The rounded metal back of the second-generation iPod Touch feels like a million bucks.
(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)As expected, the biggest news with Apple's second-generation iPod Touch is its drastically reduced price. The 8GB version of the iPod Touch is now $229 (down from $299), the 16GB is $299 (down from $399), and the 32GB is $399 (down from $499).
The latest firmware for the iPod Touch (version 2.1) is available for both the first- and second-generation players, and adds support for on-device Genius playlist creation, Microsoft Exchange push e-mail, multi-language keyboard and dictionary support, MobileMe, multiple calendar management, contacts search, and a scientific calculator.
On the hardware end of things, we're happy to see that the new iPod Touch's lower price does not mean cut-rate construction. In fact, the new iPod Touch 2G feels sturdier and sexier than its predecessor, with a rounded chromed-steel backing that seamlessly wraps around the back and sides of the device much like the iPhone 3G. By popular demand, the iPod Touch 2G now includes a volume rocker switch just like its iPhone cousin, for making quick volume adjustments without fussing with the touch screen. A built-in speaker is also included, concealed within the body of the Touch.
Just like the iPod Nano 4G and iPod Classic 2G, the second-gen Touch now accepts microphone input through its headphone jack, by way of compatible iPod accessories such as the newly announced Apple In-Ear headphones. That may not seem like a big deal at first glance, but when you add in the iPod Touch's built-in speaker and App store compatibility, the Touch is starting to look like a ripe platform for VoIP communication over Wi-Fi. Time will tell.
Apple has also bundled Nike+ hardware and software directly into the iPod Touch 2G, leaving you to only need the Nike in-shoe transmitter hardware to activate the feature.
Apple rates the new iPod Touch at 36 hours for music (up from the first-gen's 22 hours) and 6 hours of video (unchanged), although mileage will vary based on screen brightness and Wi-Fi usage.
On Sale Now: $249.99 - $339.00
View the latest prices for Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 32GB)
On Sale Now: $229.99 - $279.99
View the latest prices for Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 16GB)
On Sale Now: $171.98 - $219.99
View the latest prices for Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 8GB)
Need a sneaky way to record high-quality audio? The Yamaha Pocketrak 2G is the gadget for you. Click to see our Crave photo gallery.
(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)We've seen a fair share of high-end portable audio recorders pass through our door, but the Yamaha Pocketrak 2G is far and away the smallest we've ever seen.
Unfortunately, the Pocketrak 2G's shrunken size is reflected in its modest list of features and limited recording capacity. Still, this tiny thing is a dream come true for concert bootleggers and undercover agents.
Curious? Check out our full review of the Yamaha Pocketrak 2G along with our Crave photo gallery.
The sequel is imminent--but what will it be called?
(Credit: Apple)There's near universal agreement that Steve Jobs is going to unveil the next iPhone at next week's Worldwide Developers' Conference keynote in San Francisco. Whether it's next week, next month, or next year, however, it raises a thorny semantic question: what will it be called? Most wags are dubbing it "the 3G iPhone," as it's certain to include the high-speed 3G (third-generation) wireless capabilities missing on the original model. But it's still going to be the second-generation iteration of the product--thus, "the 2G iPhone." Which one's correct?
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Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle
(Credit: CNET Networks)Plug-in electric cars have gotten a lot of column inches recently, thanks to the hoopla surrounding the unveiling of Chevy's Volt concept at this year's Detroit auto show. This week, the dream of AC-connected autos took a step closer to becoming reality as utility giant PG&E unveiled a Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology allowing two-way transfer of electricity between electric vehicles and the grid. The technology, demonstrated at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Alternative Energy Solutions Summit, would effectively turn idle electric cars into a source of electricity for homes and businesses, taking load demand off the grid at peak usage times.
PG&E's V2G Toyota Prius demonstration vehicle
(Credit: CNET Networks)PG&E suggests that the system could be used by businesses to harness the cars' electric charge in order to power air-conditioning systems on hot days, for example. In exchange for allowing their rides to be used as mobile generators, electric-car owners get to make a quick buck by charging their cars with cheaper off-peak electricity, then selling it back at a profit during peak demand hours. As an added benefit, the utility says that the bidirectional technology will reduce the need for it to purchase excess capacity from dirty fossil-fuel generators. Read the full story here on CNET news.com.
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