Space-age design: The mPower Emergency Illuminator is set to hit stores in March, 2010.
(Credit: mPower)Flashlights are becoming more and more sophisticated, as well as rather expensive. Case in point: the upcoming mPower Emergency Illuminator, which made its press debut this week at an event in New York. Designed by the Porsche Design Studio to be "a stylish product with emergency utility, it will cost somewhere between $250 and $300 when it comes out in March of 2010.
Aside from the fetching design, the mPower Emergency Illuminator boasts some innovative battery technology. One battery "tube" stores two CR123 batteries, while the other has what's called an OnCommand Reserve Battery that the company says has a minimum 20-year shelf life and will deliver "power on command when and where you need it."
While the special reserve battery isn't rechargeable and will wear down if you use the flashlight a lot, it will never degrade just sitting around in its tube. In other words, you could never turn this torch on for years, and it would still work the moment you need it--according to mPower. Replacing the backup battery will cost you around $25, though that price may go up with inflation over the years.
It's also worth noting that the flashlight has a built-in USB port for charging cell phones and other gadgets. If there's juice available from the CR123 batteries, your device will draw power from them; if not, it will charge up via the backup battery.
Comments? Would you rather have this model or the battery-free LED quick charging flashlight from 5.11 Tactical?
The $99 Chumby One ditches the plush look of the previous model and gets a performance boost.
(Credit: Chumby Industries)The Chumby One (which is technically Chumby No. 2) officially made its way into the manufacturer's online storefront Wednesday, priced at a tantalizing $99.
For those who didn't catch the Chumby phenomenon the first time around, the gist of the thing is a do-it-all, hardware host for Internet widgets. You can use it to check the weather, update your Facebook status, browse your photos on Flickr, tune in to Internet radio, play games, and more. The original Chumby was a blast (I still use one at home for listening to Pandora), but it was a bit of a rich-kid novelty at $179.
Chumby One represents a leaner, faster, cheaper take on the original. Aside from ditching the plush Italian leather and beanbag shape of the original for the clean lines of ABS plastic, the new Chumby benefits from a faster processor (454MHz), a built-in FM radio, a dedicated volume knob, 2GB of microSD memory, and a single USB 2.0 port. They've now made it portable, too, with an optional rechargeable lithium ion battery good for an hour of use.
Many features haven't changed, which is surprising when you consider the big price drop. You still get a relatively spacious 3.5-inch resistive LCD touch screen, a 3.5mm stereo output, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, accelerometer control, and an AC adapter. Let's hope you can still play Quake on it.
Also, is anybody else thinking this thing is just a camera away from working as a Skype video phone? Come on developers, there's a built-in microphone, a USB 2.0 port, a reasonably fast processor--make it happen, OK?
New 3D games are available for Zune HD owners, and they're all free.
(Credit: Microsoft)Zune HD owners have something to smile about today. The latest firmware update, version 4.3, not only brings a handful of general fixes (including accurate playcounts), but also ushers the Zune HD into a proper 3D gaming device.
To celebrate the new capability, six new games have been added to the Zune Marketplace software, which users can download to their updated Zune HD at no cost. Games include PGR: Ferrari Edition, Lucky Lane Bowling, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, Piano, Checkers, and Audiosurf: Tilt. We're not exactly jumping out of our seat over Piano and Checkers, but the rest of the titles look genuinely fun--and did we mention they're free?.
Just like the existing games available for the Zune HD, the new titles also show a brief advertisement upon start-up.
A news release e-mailed to us from Microsoft also states "we will be delivering additional applications for Zune HD including Facebook and Twitter in the future."
Meet Yeti, a very real USB mic due out in December.
(Credit: Blue Microphones)From the company that brought you the Snowball, and the Snowflake, comes the Yeti--a $150 USB microphone destined to ravage and plunder desktop-recording studios this December.
The Yeti marks many firsts for Blue Microphones. It's the company's first THX-certified USB microphone. It's also the first time we're seeing a budget-priced microphone from Blue built around three 14mm mic capsules, allowing four recording patterns (omni, cardioid, stereo, bidirectional). Also, unlike the company's famous Snowball microphone, the Yeti offers a direct headphone connection for zero-latency audio monitoring.
The Yeti's USB connection gives it plug-and-play compatibility with both Mac and PC, with recording resolutions up to 48kHz at 16 bits.
Aside from a USB cable, the Yeti also includes a cool Yeti-shaped desktop stand to add some Abominable-Snowman design flare to your recording rig.
This week, Donald and Jasmine discuss the firmware fix to the Zune HD, which can now count itself a feature short of one-upping the iPod Touch, thanks to a new Gigaware remote that adds HD radio to the omnipresent king of MP3 players. We also get to spend a little one-on-one time with the slick-but-confusing Cowon E2 and the boring-but-shuffletastic Haier America Video MP3 Player. Plus, we direct you to a couple of how-tos you may find worth your while, and we address some listener questions about earphones, podcast management, and iPod speaker docks.
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(Credit:
Troll Touch)
Sick of waiting for an Apple tablet? Tired of watching Windows 7 users show off their multitouch touch-screen programs? Well, Troll Touch is here to save the day, though you'd better be ready with a big wad of cash.
The Valencia, Calif.-based company sells resistive touch screens that can be installed on select Apple products and Dell monitors. These devices slip over the existing panels and connect to the machines via a USB port to impart some multitouch love. For those who prefer a complete package, Troll Touch also sells machines with a touch screen already installed.
The latest products from Troll Touch include touch-screen systems for the new 21.5- and 27-inch Apple iMac desktops and 13-inch Unibody MacBook laptops--all slated for delivery around December 1.
Retail pricing begins at $699 for the MacBook conversion up to $1,699 for the 27-inch internal iMac implementation that requires factory integration. You can purchase these products by contacting Troll Touch at its Web site. In the meantime, here are a few videos of touch-enabled iMacs in use.
(Source: Crave Asia)
Give your keys the sound quality they deserve with the iAudio E2 MP3 player.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)Proving that good things come in small packages, the 4GB Cowon E2 MP3 player ($64.99) delivers outstanding, iPod-crushing sound in a space no larger than a key ring. In fact, the big metal ring built into the top of the E2 can literally attach to your key ring. It can't clip, though, so fitness types will need to find a way to get the E2 on a necklace, wrist strap, or carabiner (none are included).
Aside from the lack of a built-in clip, the Cowon E2 further distinguishes itself from the iPod Shuffle by including actual buttons for volume and track skip control. The right edge offers a small square power button along with a rocker switch for track skip control. The same button configuration is mirrored on the left side, only the rocker controls volume and the small button toggles the shuffle mode with a long press and flips through JetEffect EQ presets with short presses.
The buttons are handy compared with the iPod Shuffle's headphone remote, but Cowon didn't exactly go out of its way to distinguish the buttons from one another. Beyond a few faint, gray icons, there's practically no way to tell the buttons on the left side of the E2 from the ones on the right. Without squinting directly at the device, something as simple as a change in volume has a 50 percent chance of turning into a track skip.
Compared with the iPod Shuffle, the inclusion of Cowon's phenomenal EQ presets (eight in total) offers a distinct advantage in sound quality. In a nod to the iPod Shuffle's VoiceOver feature, each EQ preset is announced in a pleasant recorded female voice. Unfortunately, the same voice feature doesn't apply to song information, so the track, album, and playlist navigation available on the third-generation iPod Shuffle (or any Sansa Clip) isn't available on the E2--tracks are either shuffled or played in sequence--that's it.
All in all, though, the Cowon iAudio E2 packs great sound into a stylish design that's sure to turn some heads when people see you listening to your key chain. A rated battery life of 11.5 hours is just about what we'd expect from a player this small. We have a slideshow below. Stay tuned for a full review.
(Credit:
Tyme Machines)
May the drive be with you.
Tyme Machines, maker of licensed USB drives, has released its Series 1 3D sculpted Star Wars USB thumb drives. The set, which includes replicas of Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Storm Trooper, and Yoda, comes in 4GB to 16GB capacities that range in price from $29.99 to $59.99.
At 3 inches tall and not exactly svelte, they won't be so easy to plug into a USB port, especially if you're using a laptop. But that's where a USB extension cable comes in handy.
So, are these the right characters to launch with? And what characters would you like to see Tyme Machines include in its next series?
Contrasting contrasts: The Kindle on the right is the new global-wireless model.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)When the Kindle 2 was first released, we reported on the small controversy over how dark the text and images appeared on the screen compared to the original Kindle. Held side by side, the original appeared to have better contrast and the text appeared slightly darker--and slightly easier to read.
Well, when we reviewed the new AT&T-powered version of the Kindle 2, which Amazon calls "Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)," we noticed that the text appeared darker on this model than on the older Sprint-powered Kindle 2. It's not a huge difference but it's definitely noticeable (see photo above).
While that's a good thing, we're not sure when Amazon made the transition to the slightly improved screen. It very well could have showed up on later revs of the Sprint-powered Kindle or it may have appeared with the introduction of the international AT&T-powered version. Alas, repeated e-mails to an Amazon PR spokesperson have gone unanswered, so we haven't been able to get official word from the company on what it did--or didn't do--to the screen.
When the initial controversy flared up, some Kindle owners wondered whether a firmware upgrade would remedy the contrast issue. We still don't know the answer to that, but we're hoping Amazon will clarify the contrast question for us (if it does, we'll update this post), especially with Barnes & Noble's Nook shipping within the month.
In the meantime, you can read our full review of the AT&T-powered Kindle and if you happen to have compared this model with the Sprint-powered Kindle and noticed a difference between the black levels, please post a comment.
The Zoom Q3 camcorder brings quality audio to the solid-state video camera market.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)As the audiophile's answer to the Flip camcorder craze, the Zoom Q3 ($249) takes a basic pocket video camera and bestows it with a high-quality stereo microphone and advanced audio-recording options. After a weekend playing with the Q3 and testing its audio and video capabilities against the Flip Ultra HD, I have a few initial observations to share.
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