Crave

Sound ID 400

(Credit: Sound ID)

We've been fans of Sound ID headsets in the past, and so have many of you, so we're pleased to see the company come out with its latest and greatest headset, the Sound ID 400.

Taking the form factor of the Sound ID 300 but combining it with the high-end technology of the Sound ID SM100, the Sound ID 400 is quite possibly the company's best headset yet. It has a rather slim and nondescript appearance, but underneath that are quite a few features. They include up to three "Personal Sound" listening modes that promise to improve speech clarity without volume, and "Environmental Mode" so you don't have to take the headset off to hear sounds around you.

Last but not least, the Sound ID 400 is compatible with an optional Sound ID CompanionLink Remote Microphone. This yet-to-be-released CompanionLink device can be clipped on to a sound source--say another person--so you can hear it better. It essentially acts as a single focus hearing aid, which seems especially useful in noisy environments.

Other features include NoiseNavigation, which is the company's noise-canceling and DSP technology, and multi-point technology that lets you connect up to two devices at once. Both the Sound ID 400 and the Sound ID CompanionLink Remote Microphone will be available later this year for $129.99 and $79.99 each.

The T400s: it may not look exciting, but it sure feels nice to use.

(Credit: Lenovo)

Although Lenovo has been reinventing itself as of late with its IdeaPad and Netbook lines, it's still a company known for boxy, business-end ThinkPads. There's no shame there: the ThinkPad was revolutionary in its time, and the iconic (if plain) design defined the modern business laptop. It also put Lenovo on the map after taking the brand over from IBM.

Despite having similar looks to its predecessor, the new 14-inch T400s is markedly thinner and lighter than the original T400, creating a highly portable machine that still packs a full-powered Core 2 Duo processor under the hood, unlike the ultrathin X301, which uses an ultralow-voltage (ULV) version.

Lenovo claims that the T400s can withstand a truck running over it (or so the company has advertised in some viral videos). While we haven't run over our test unit, we can say that it feels great in a backpack, is thinner than it looks, and if it weren't for its lack of discrete graphics, it could be one of the best all-around mainstream laptops we've encountered.

One major drawback, though, is price; starting at $1,599, it's about twice the price of other ThinkPads, and makes MacBooks seem like budget laptops by comparison: the $1,199 13-inch MacBook Pro has superior graphics and a few more ports for a lot less. Of course, the T400s does include Lenovo's suite of business and security-minded software and hardware--which is a must for many business buyers (and often rules out consumer-level laptops from consideration).

Read the rest of our review.

Lenovo ThinkPad T400s

The new Lenovo ThinkPad T400s

(Credit: Lenovo)

(For more hands-on impressions, make sure to check out our review of the T400s.)

ThinkPad laptops from Lenovo (formerly made by IBM) are among the most ubiquitous PCs found in offices around the world. Of course, most of those systems are boxy 14- and 15-inch models, which aren't usually the sharpest-looking machines in the coffee shop.

To keep up with the increasingly design-conscious consumer, Lenovo is taking some cues from its own popular X300 laptop --a slim, upscale 13-inch--and incorporating them into the new ThinkPad T400s, a reasonably svelte 14-inch mainstream business laptop that's 0.83 inches thick and starts at less than 4 pounds.

Helping keep the size and weight down are an LED display, solid-state hard drive, and carbon-reinforced fiber frame. Making it a viable choice for a wide range of business environments are configuration options that seem more flexible than what we're used to seeing in ultraslim systems (which are often limited to low-voltage CPUs and no optical drives). According to Lenovo, the new T400s will offer:

• Choices of Intel 2.4GHz and 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processors (standard voltage)
• Choices of solid-state drive storage up to 128GB, or 250GB hard drive storage
• 9.5mm slim DVD burner or Blu-ray player
• Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and optional WiMAX3, WWAN, Bluetooth and ultrawideband connectivity
• 34mm Express Card slot or 5-in-1 multimedia card reader
• Support for Lenovo's ConstantConnect and Protect technology that allows users to maximize integration of their BlackBerry smartphone and ThinkPad laptop
• Nearly six hours of battery life
• Supports up to two monitors via a display port and VGA connector
• Meets the Energy Star 5.0 criteria for energy efficiency
• Built-in USB/eSATA port

A few other promising-sounding tweaks went into the T400's design. Lenovo claims internal studies have shown that the Esc and Del keys are the most used, at 700 hits each per week, so the company simply made those keys a little larger. Spaces between keys were minimized to keep food and debris out, and the touchpad is now flush with the wrist rest, delineated by a textured surface. For Webcasting and VoIP use, the onboard speakers are louder than the previous (nonslim) T400, and there's a physical mute button above the keyboard that can mute just the built-in mic.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T400s is available now, starting at $1,599.

Light for Life uses ultracapacitor technology.

(Credit: 5.11 Tactical)

Last year, 5.11 Tactical, which makes clothes and gear aimed at law enforcement officers (but sells to civilians), announced a new high-tech flashlight called Light for Life. Only recently, however, has it become available to order.

What's special about it? Well, the flashlight uses three LEDs, but its key component is Flashpoint Power technology, an ultracapacitor energy storage system from Ivus Energy Innovations.

Light for Life recharges in just 90 seconds and shines at 90 lumens for 90 minutes per charge. The flashlight has three modes: bright (270 peak lumens), standard (90 lumens), and strobe, which is good for dance parties or scaring the neighbors' dog and kids (OK, I'm kidding, but you get the picture).

According to 5.11 Tactical, the 50,000-hour LEDs never have to be replaced and the flashlight is engineered to "offer 10 years of maintenance-free service under typical conditions." (You can recharge it up 50,000 times or one time a day for 135 years.)

I got a chance to play around with the thing at a recent event, and I have to say I was pretty impressed. It's lighter (16 ounces) than it looks, and it feels very durable. The one question I asked was: what happens when the power goes out and you have to recharge the thing? Answer: it comes with a 12V DC automotive charger, so you can use your car to charge it up in the event of a power outage.

The only drawback: Light for Life costs a whopping $169.99. But 5.11 Tactical says that when you add up the cost of all those D batteries over the lifetime of a battery-powered police flashlight, it's still a deal. And then there's all that good karma you get for not chucking those batteries into the garbage or landfill. It's hard to put a price on that.

Comments?

See one more photo after the break. ... Read more

The Nikon D300 is ripe for replacement

(Credit: CNET)

Right on the heels of a rumor about a new Canon Rebel, rumors that originally surfaced in November about a Nikon D300 replacement have also reappeared, this time with a screenshot, ostensibly from Nikon Germany's site.

According to the capture posted on Nikonrumors and translated by Gizmodo, it's a 15.3-megapixel model with sensitivities up to 6400 and support for "Full HD" video (which Gizmodo incorrectly assumes must be 1080p; 1080i is also considered "Full HD," which is defined as a spatial resolution of 1,920x1,080).

Although I've really been expecting an entry-level D60 replacement instead--that camera was annouced in January of 2008, and it's in a higher turnover, faster growing market segment--a new midrange model is certainly overdue as well, lending credence to the timing. And if it's true, look for price drops on the D300 over the next month that will make it an excellent deal for shooters who don't care about video.

The Selectable Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router WRT320N.

(Credit: Cisco)

It seems the transition to dual-band wireless networking is in full force at Cisco. The company announced Thursday three brand-new Wireless-N products that operate in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies.

Sharing the same marketing brand "Linksys by Cisco," these new media-enabled home products include a bridge, the WET610N, and two routers, the WRT400N and the WRT320N.

The WET610N Wireless-N Ethernet Bridge is designed to add high-speed Wireless-N connectivity to devices that have an Ethernet port. Examples of these devices include desktop computers, set-top boxes, game consoles, network printers, and certain models of TVs.

The new Bridge operates in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies and features built-in quality-of-service functionality that's optimized for streaming video, home theater, and gaming applications. It's available now and costs $99.99.

The WRT400N and WRT320N routers supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies. However, while the WRT400N offers connectivity in both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands at the same time, the WRT320N can only operate in one band, either 2.4GHz or 5GHz.

The WRT320N makes up for this by offering Gigabit Ethernet and a better price. It costs only $129.99, while the non-Gigabit WRT400N costs $150. They are both available for purchase now.

Apart from these routers, Cisco also released awhile ago the WRT610N, which offers simultaneous dual-band and Gigabit Ethernet.

We focus primarily on consumer laptops at CNET Reviews, but this week I looked at two well-designed models that target small businesses: the 13-inch Toshiba Satellite Pro U400 and the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad SL400.

Each configuration clocks in at just north of $1,000, stripping out some enterprise features that a small-business owner buying one laptop or even a handful probably doesn't need and definitely doesn't want to pay for. The Toshiba offers an interesting configuration, one that I feel cries out for more memory, which is an easy add. And the Lenovo includes a couple features not seen previously on ThinkPads.

Read the full review of the Toshiba Satellite Pro U400.

Read the full review of the Lenovo ThinkPad SL400.

A new wristband by biomedical device company HBI promises to let troubled sleepers skip the Ambien and still get a better night's slumber. The DreamKeeper 400 relies largely on acupressure techniques, stimulating the median nerves on the inside of the wrist through electrostatic pulses and adjustable vibration.

HBI says the drug-free device doesn't emit an electronic current or cause pain and tingling, and adds that it can be safely used by people with pacemakers.

(Credit: HBI)

Somnolence seekers strap the drug-free device on for 30 minutes prior to going to bed. In addition to stimulating a specific pressure point thought to be responsible for stress relief and sleep, the device's proprietary breath synchronization program guides users to slow their breathing. This reduces the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and prepares users for sleep. Basically, it's like a personal meditation mentor (and in fact, might be handy to have around the office for those stressful board meetings or run-ins with the boss).

HBI cites clinical studies showing that 70 percent of subjects using an early version of DreamKeeper reported improvements in the quality and duration of their sleep within three weeks. The suggested retail price for the product is $149.99, and it's currently available at Target.com, Amazon.com, and HBIUSA.com.

The DreamKeeper 400 isn't the first device to merge technology and acupressure points, however. The digital Aculife Magnetic Wave Therapist claims to bridge ancient Chinese medicine with modern technology by digitally locating your so-called acupoints so you can apply a "small amount of electricity" accordingly.