Author: Ali

Love it or hate it Ed Hardy has released a bunch of new iPhone cases. They range from gel cases to faceplates, and protective sleeves. Each one features their signature tattoo designs from Skulls to tigers. Prices range from $27 to $39 and are available from the Ed Hardy Shop directly.

While everyone is still drowning in Apple announcements and iPad fever, Creative has quietly announced the release of the Creative ZEN X-Fi Style and the Creative ZEN Style series of portable media players. The Creative ZEN X-Fi Style and Creative ZEN Style series of portable media players are now enhanced with new designer looks. The players specs haven’t changed all that much but their new bodies are kind of snazzy.

The Creative ZEN X-Fi Style portable media player is an updated player with a stylish form factor with the built-in X-Fi technology as music tracks are restored to replace audio quality lost in compression. The Creative ZEN X-Fi Style is currently available for pre-order and will be available from April 14th, 2010 onwards at retail prices of $79.99 (8GB), $99.99 (16GB) and $169.99 (32GB).

The Creative ZEN Style series of portable media players comprises the Creative ZEN Style 100 and Creative ZEN Style 300. The Creative ZEN Style 300 has all the features of the Creative ZEN Style 100 and is further enhanced with a built-in speaker and FM radio and bright 1.8-inch TFT display. Available in black is the Creative ZEN Style 300 which is 4GB. Creative Zen Style 100 versions are available in white and blue and come in 8GB and 16GB capacities. The Creative ZEN Style series is currently retails for prices of US$49.99 (4GB), US$59.99 (8GB) and US$79.99 (16GB)

[Via PR Web]

We are always a sucker for cool computer sitters and the latest to join Yoda and Darth Vader is none other than Batman and Wonder Woman. From Funko we got a hold of a rendering of what they should look like when released in June. You’ll be the talk of your cube with these awesome superheros perched on your monitor but even they won’t be able to help you if you get the blue screen of death. The Wonder Women and Batman Computer Sitter Bobble Heads will retail for $9.99 from Entertainment Earth.

We where waiting and Incase didn’t disappoint – today Incase launched their new accessories and cases line-up for the iPad. Nothing launched is too overally abstract in design, but I assume over time the cases will get a little more snazzier like its iPhone/iPod Touch cousins. Check out the list of what is out and available now from Incase for the iPad.

The Grip Protective Cover for iPad is a durable, silicone rubber case with enhanced grip and comfort when holding your iPad in landscape position.

The Protective Cover features the same durable, silicone rubber construction and a flat back surface for added stability when using your iPad on a desktop. Both the Grip Protective Cover and Protective Cover feature custom cutouts for direct access to all iPad features and come packaged with a viewing stand for your iPad.

The signature Incase Neoprene Sleeve is now available in two styles for iPad: Neoprene Sleeve Plus and Neoprene Slip Sleeve Plus. A protective interior border runs the length of the Neoprene Sleeve Plus’ seams, giving it added structure and providing increased protection to the periphery of your iPad.

The Neoprene Slip Sleeve Plus features a slip entry opening for easy device access while maintaining complete iPad coverage. Both the Neoprene Sleeve Plus and Neoprene Slip Sleeve Plus feature have faux-fur lining for scratch protection and come packaged with a viewing stand for your iPad.

The Convertible Book Jacket is a multifunctional portfolio-style case that secures your iPad during travel and when on display in landscape position. Opening the Convertible Book Jacket takes it from carrying case to viewing stand with multiple angles.

The Nylon Travel Kit Plus provides protection for your iPad and accessories with its durable nylon construction, three-sided zippered, tons of storage pockets and a faux-fur lined iPad compartment. The Nylon Travel Kit Plus comes with a viewing stand designed with a cord management feature.

Lastly, the Combo Charger and Car Charger have been redesigned to now work with the iPad, iPhone and iPod. So when you need to read that eBook on the road – won’t have to worry about iPad going dead right before the ending.

Those good old boys are at it again over at Computer-Choppers and have just unveiled a another game console decked out in 24kt Gold, the Xbox 360.  Of course the PS3 was an aching beauty when it got the gold treatment, but this latest golden beast is pretty awesome as well. And in typical Computer-Chopper style you can add a variety of plating and custom jewelry. We can only imagine what this is going to cost. But wouldn’t a diamond encrusted X have gone nicely on this?

Oh that Paul Frank and his Julius iPhone and iPod Touch cases, they have just charmed us again with new additions. For the 3D fanatics there is the 3D Julius hard plastic case that only supports the iPod Touch. Julius is depicted wearing 3D glasses on a red hard shell case and retails for $34.95 and is an online exclusive. Next up is the Bunny Ears Julius – a perfect treat just in time for Easter Sunday. Available for iPhone and iPod Touch Julius sports pink bunny ears on a green hard shell case a perfect compliment while doing an egg hunt. The Bunny Ears Julius case retails for $34.95 too.

April 3rd is only a few days away now and everyone is drooling over getting their iPad, if you ordered it in time. So anyone and everyone is jumping on a story about it. So oddly enough an online voucher code site out of the UK made this interesting summation to see how the iPad’s 2010 price compares to previous new Apple product launches – accounting for inflation in an infographic. The results that they came up with are really interesting, for example, the first Apple Portable computer would cost a whopping $11,358.59!

If you are in withdrawal from the lack of Snooki and the rest of her peeps from the Jersey Shore – no fear you can soon have them in your home 24 hours a day in the form of a bobble head! So why did we bother even mentioning this? When have bobble heads ever been considered techie? Well because they talk of course. Some of the phrases you can expect her to say are
“Pickles is my thing.”
“The Snooks…is out.”
“I’m not trashy…unless I drink too much.”

There will also be versions of Mike “The Situation” and DJ Pauly D. So expect them to also say  “This is ‘The Situation’ right here…my abs are so ripped up, it’s…we call it ‘The Situation.” Or “Nooo way I’m goin’ to Jersey without my hair gel; can’t leave without my gel.” Right now the images are just caricature renderings of what the bobbles are anticipated to look like, but hey isn’t this whole cast a bunch of caricatures. Yes as you can see classy….certainly a great addition to your desk at work. Expect the Jersey Shore bobble to land around July and retail for $12.99. Just in time for you to take it to the Jersey Shore with you.

Where can the iPhone take us next? Recently it has turned into a terminal for credit card swiping and it looks like now it’s transforming into a universal remote control. The Rē is the latest accessory from NewKinetix for your iPhone and iPod touch that unleashes a brand new way to interact with your phone and your entertainment equipment around you.  We had reported about it way back in December and finally now it has been released. It is a full featured, activity based IR remote that comes with a built-in upgradable IR database. This means less time having to have this accessory learn from your other remotes. The Rē iPhone & iPod Universal Remote Control is so simple to use,  you just might feel the need to throw away all your remotes and replace it with this one accessory.

What’s in the Box:
The packaging is simple yet effective. Its’ a very clean design and when opened reveals the Rē device as well as a green velcro carrying case and two simple instruction pamphlets. The design of the Rē is not a case for the iPhone or iPod to slip into like the POWER A Universal Remote for iPhone accessory that we reviewed recently, but an accessory that attaches to the 30-pin dock connector.  The Rē is a small attachment that doesn’t add much weight or bulk to your iPhone or iPod Touch either.

 

Setup:
Setting up the Rē accessory took all of ten minutes in its entirety, if not less. Just attach the device to the bottom of your iPhone/iPod touch and immediately you get a message indicating that you need to download the software so that the attachment will work. The Rē software is available in the App store and as a free download. Once the application is downloaded, that is when the device starts to work. You click on the Rē icon and then your iPhone or iPod touch turns into a remote. From there the application flips 180 degrees and you are forced to turn your iPhone/iPod touch all the way around so the attachment faces the TV and the home button faces you.

Software:
The Rē application is incredibly simple to use and the simple instructions included will help you find your way, or there is an ‘i’  that you can press in the top left corner for you to find help. After a few taps and swipes you easily could list the different equipment that you would be using the Rē with. The built-in IR codes made my life extremely easy and from my whole plethora of home entertainment equipment I didn’t need to have the Rē learn anything. You can also add many rooms to Rē Remote and then several remotes for each room. Basically you can control every remote controlled piece of audio or video equipment in every room in your home or office using the Rē.

Once your cable box, Stereo, TV, DVD players etc… are setup on the remote, operating them is as simple as if you were using the real remote control for the devices. When you use the Rē application as a remote control and press a button on your iPhone or iPod Touch, you feel a vibration almost like a haptic sensation, but not quite. There was no delay in response time between using the Rē on your iPhone/iPod Touch and the device being controlled.
Like with many highend remotes, you can also setup the Rē with your favorite channels along with corresponding logos. To set these favorites up was a little more complicated as you have to assign an activity to the device being used in a room and then select your favorite channels from there. It takes a couple of more swipes to get this to work. I don’t get why that part of the process couldn’t be more simpler, but alas I guess the Rē  couldn’t be perfect. What I did find amusing was that when I favorited SyFy, the Rē still had the logo as SciFi – I think an app update is in order.

Conclusion:
The Rē truly does convert your iPhone and iPod Touch into a highend universal remote control seamlessly and painlessly. Installation of the software was a breeze, and there was no need to have it learn remote functions because the IR codes that I needed were already there in the app and easily accessible. I was able to turn on/off and flip channels on my TV, and access my DVR’s features in a snap. However, the lack of control for the XBox 360 was bit of a disappointment. Notably, there are IR Codes for newer Blu-ray players built-in to the Rē application.  However if your devices are not listed amongst the preloaded IR codes, the Rē does have the ability to learn from new devices. Compared to other iPhone remote control devices we tested recently, the Rē came in heads and shoulders above the rest in terms of ease of use and functionality. In the case of the Rē, I actually could see more people in your household fighting to hog the remote more often now, just because it’s so easy and less complex than those fancier more larger universal remotes. The only downside I foresee is how many people will actually want to use their iPhone as a designated remote control? I suggest just getting a iPod Touch on eBay and using this accessory with it. It will actually be cheaper in the long run than an expensive color touchscreen remote or one of the many others out there that try to accomplish the same thing and are much more expensive. However, there are no bells and whistles here – this is just a device that does what it needs too and does it very well. Just be careful not to lose the accessory in your couch or you will be screwed… The Rē iPhone & iPod Universal Remote Control retails for $69.95.

The Good: Easy setup. Rē accessory is lightweight and doesn’t add much weight on to the iPhone or iPod Touch.  Lots of built-in IR codes with more on the way via updates. Software is intuitive, easy to use, responsive, and feels like you are using a real remote.

The Bad: Setting up favorite channels was a bit cumbersome. You will need the latest OS on your iPod Touch for the Rē to work. Lacks support for the Xbox 360.

The Epson PictureMate Show is not just a printer, but also a digital picture frame, as well as a portable slideshow system that you can take with you. When it comes to photo printers, I haven’t been personally blown away or even convinced enough to plunk down any money for one when my home’s printer can print decent enough images with the right paper and ink.  However the PictureMate Show gets the job done very well, even if it empties your wallet a bit, and it throws in the added benefit of working as a digital picture frame, which is pretty sweet.

In the box is the PictureMate Show, inside that box is another that includes instructions, ink, paper, software, a remote control, and power chords.  The design of the PictureMate Show is very compact and will only take up a small footprint on a coffee table, desk, etc.. it’s not intrusive and it actually is a very nice design concept that would fit in just about anywhere. Unfortunately, the included ink will only get you about 20 glossy prints which is a bit of downer, since the printer costs $299.

The PictureMate show can be connected to either a PC or Mac, or it can work as a standalone device. The option is yours. Setup initially is very easy. Just make sure you peel off all the tape that holds certain trays and joints in place and then insert the cartridge, plug the power into the wall and turn the printer on. After you do that, the printer will tell you it’s charging the cartridge. In addition, once the printer is turned on that is when the included remote turns on. Which means you will never have to replace the batteries inside of the remote, since there are none.

 

Once the PictureMate Show is turned on, so is its beautiful big 7″ LCD screen – this display is very impressive for a photo printer. Next comes the fun part. You have several options to choose from of what you would like to do with your photos. You can print them obviously, with options to fix red-eye or crop them. The default setting for printing pics is 4×6 but you can print wallet size photos which is just two of the same images printed on the same 4×6 paper. The PictureMate Show will accept many forms of media to print from: Compact Flash, (Type I and II) SD, SDHC, Mini SD, Micro SD, MMC, MMC Plus, MMC Mobile, MMC Micro, Xd Picture Card, XD Picture Card, Sony Memory Sticks (Duo, Micro, Pro, Pro Duo, Pro HG Duo) and MagicGate, USB Flash Drives, and Digital Cameras Via PictBridge. An optional Bluetooth adapter is available as well so that you can print your photos wirelessly off of other Bluetooth devices such as your cell phone.

After you insert the media you want the images to come from, then you can choose to print them all at a time, or you can select which ones you want to print specifically from a bunch. The manual included clarifies every feature and function that the PictureMate will do for you, but even if you were never to read it you could easily figure it out. We selected an image we wanted to print and we timed the printing speed at about 35 seconds – there was no lag, nor was there an abundance of noise – nothing dissimilar to a typical printer printing. The end result was a beautiful glossy photo that looked as if it were done by a professional photo processing center.

The colors on the prints are vibrant and they pop right off of the paper. The ink also dries right away, so you don’t have to be afraid of smudging. The details are so vibrant on the prints, that you can tell if you used a lesser quality camera for some of the photos, just by how the photo printed out. However, one thing that would have been nice was to prep the next picture to print while one was already printing – which you can’t. You have to let each picture complete printing and then you can go ahead and set the next one to print. This is only a problem if you choose to print images one by one.

If you don’t want to select specific photos to print, you can alternatively print a bunch at at a time. But since I had a limited amount that the cartridge would let me print, I wanted to choose wisely. Once pictures are finished printing, the PictureMate Show stores the images in the machine for you to print again at a later time on the fly. This is ideal  if you want to free up space on a media card that once had it. Once you are done with printing you can utilize the machine as a digital picture frame that will display images that were recently printed in unique transitions and animated themes. You can even print out photos with special effects from the slideshow area of the PictureMate Show.

So the PictureMate has it all, right? Well it would have been handy for the display to be touchscreen. I think having such a large screen almost screams “touch me” but alas all the functions of the PictureMate are controlled by the remote – so if you lose the remote, you’re in trouble. It also would have been nice to include a cartridge that printed maybe 50 instead, of just 20 before having to shell out $38 bucks for a replacement cartridge. And let’s not forget the printer paper. In the end when all is said and done; if you compare the cost of prints using the PictureMate Show to services like Kodak or  Snapfish, these services will cost you on average of .20 cents per pic or rather 200 photos for  $20 bucks – versus $38 for 150 images (that is the yield of the PictureMate Show cartridge) plus the cost of paper.

Conclusion:

So ultimately you’re paying more for the convenience of being able to print quality photos on the spot at home. Fortunately, the Epson PictureMate Show is an excellent compact photo printer that does print beautiful photos and the fact that it can do it as a standalone machine on the fly is dreamy. It also has a built-in carrying handle so that you can easily move it around your home or take it with you to show off your digital photo album –  this is the projector slideshow of the 2010’s if you will.  Whether people will be willing to hand over a large chunk of change for such convenience is another story, but the PictureMate Show would make an awesome gift for any birthday or holiday.  Overall, the PictureMate Show is truly a functional device that merges two devices together that really do make sense working along side one another. The Epson PictureMate Show retails for $299.99.

The Good: Excellent print quality. 7″ LCD display is bright and colorful. Slideshow section provides fun transitions and visualizations. Very easy to use and the remote control couldn’t be any simpler and portable. Setup was very painless and the device will support just about any type of media card. Perfect gift idea.

The Bad: Would have liked the display to be a touchscreen. Device does not let you multitask while printing.  Printer a bit pricey for a designated photo printer, but like they say you get what you pay for.

Who would have ever thought that a computer icon would be deemed fashionable. Icon watches and clocks by &design were inspired by the ‘on’ button of all things and pixelated dot clocks. Available for your wall or wrists these clocks come in colorful colors and add a bit of panache to any situation.  The watches retail for $70 and the wall clocks for $37.

There are probably a billion cases (no joke) for the iPhone, but what about the little old Nexus One! The amount of accessories is like 1% of that –  if that much.  Well Case-Mate has come up with an interesting case that doesn’t take away from the slim sexiness of the phone. The Google Nexus One ID Credit Card Case is perfect for those folks who just want to grab their phone, minus the wallet when they go out. It stores the bare necessities—ID, cash, debit or credit card. It’s perfect for when your little black dress that has no pockets – just be careful not to lose your phone!  The Google Nexus One ID Credit Card Case is available in black and metallic silver and retails for $29.99.

We had reported earlier in the year about HP’s influence in this year’s season of Project Runway, and tonight fashion truly met technology in a most interesting way. Using HP TouchSmart computers, designers were challenged to create fabric patterns using the PCs and then transform them into clothing suitable for the runway. Later on in the episode the contestant’s designs were printed onto fabric to help create the look of the challenge. In addition to HP computers making an appearance – the designer behind the HP Digital Clutch also made an appearance – Vivienne Tam. She was on hand to help judge the final looks and there could be no one better to judge such a challenge, since Vivienne uses HP computers when she is making her own runway collections. However, I was honestly waiting for someone to pop up wearing Monster headphones too… Anyway, if you haven’t caught tonight’s Project Runway episode, then I highly suggest you do, if anything just to watch how the designers engage in this new way of creating their designs.

HP and Project Runway are also collaborating off-screen and will be doing a giveaway for fans of the show. Just visit www.projectrunway.com/hp and predict the final top three designers that will show their collections at New York’s Fashion Week; those that guess correctly will be entered to win a premium HP Envy 15 notebook PC with the new smart 2010 Intel Core processor.

Update 03/26/10: HP, Intel, Vivienne Tam and some of Project Runway’s contestants got together in New York City on friday to celebrate thursday night’s episode. At the event, Vivienne spoke about how she uses technology to create her fashions, and that she hopes that this episode will inspire other designers to create their own prints. The top fashions from the challenge were on display, as were the HP Touchsmart PCs that were used in the challenge, and the TM2 tablets that are used on the show by the contestants when they create their designs. It’s worth mentioning that the software that the contestants use on the TM2’s, actually ships with the TM2’s, so anyone buying this tablet can use it like they do on the show. HP also let it slip that they’re working on a collaboration with the Sex and the City 2 movie. Does that mean Carrie isn’t going to be a Mac anymore? We can’t wait to find out!

iRobot is having a birthday – they’re turning 20!! In the 90’s two MIT grads, Colin Angle and Helen Greiner, and their MIT Professor, Rodney Brooks, joined forces to make practical robots a reality and 20 years later they are still at the forefront of technology with new and exciting ways to not only help us in our homes but in healthcare, research, and education.  It all started by them winning the NASA Group Achievement Award from designing a behavior-controlled rover for NASA. This led to the Sojourner exploring Mars in 1997. In 2002, iRobot launched two robots that would ultimately cement them into our culture, the Roomba floor vacuuming robot and PackBot tactical mobile robot. Five million robots from the household line of vacuum robots have sold worldwide, making it the best-selling consumer robots in history. 3,000 units of the PackBot have also been dispatched to the military and as well as civilians worldwide.

So what does iRobot plan on doing in the future. Well taking over the world no doubt – just kidding, actually they are going to be ramping up their education initiatives in robotics. They will also be taking a new direction into incorporating robots into assisted living situations for seniors, making them a fundamental member of a family or caretaker at the very least.

Personally we are hoping for a Roomba refresh – it’s time for one and there are certainly quite a few companies out there that are currently nipping at their heels looking to take over iRobot’s robotic vacuum spotlight.

Looking ahead, the company will explore the potential of robotics and drive innovation in other arenas, including:

•    Healthcare:  iRobot believes that next-generation practical robots have the potential to extend the time that people can live independently in their homes. Robots may be capable of assisting in senior care in a variety of real-life situations, including household chores and the on-time administration of medication. This could ultimately lower the cost for care.

•    STEM Education:  iRobot is a leader in supporting STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education in schools to revitalize the foundation of American innovation and competitiveness. With its SPARK (Starter Programs for the Advancement of Robotics Knowledge) program and leadership role in organizing National Robotics Week (April 10-18, 2010), iRobot is devoting its time and resources to use the wonder and genius of robots to inspire in students K-12 a curiosity and interest in STEM-related subjects.

•    Government Research & Development: iRobot’s Research Group performs cutting-edge robotics research, funneling the resulting next-generation technologies into iRobot product lines that cover a wide variety of mission profiles. Research projects awarded through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have led to state-of-the-art products that revolutionize how consumers and the military use robots to complete tasks.

So it will be exciting to see what iRobot has in store for us in the next coming years. If it comes close to what they have already achieved, I’m sure we will all be impressed.

Remember the Samsung Pebble? Well the Coby should have named their latest micro MP3 Player the beetle, because it sure looks like one! The Micro MP3 player has no discernible display or even controls and comes with an integrated flash memory of 2GB. It will play both MP3 and WMA files and recharges through its included USB adapter. Pricing and availability is TBD. How you play this thing is another story.

Technology has not only been a big influencer in our day to day gadgetry, but our music as well. Britney, Cher, Kanye, Coldplay, Bjork, Madonna, and even Lady Gaga are all known for getting a little help from software, synthesizers, or even a Macbook Pro here and there. Retrevo has an interesting blog post up that breaks it down from the early adopters like Hendrix and The Who who took full advantage of the new technologies that was available to them at the time and incorporated it into their music.  Then they flash forward to today and lists software, computer equipment, and gadgets that help make today’s artists songs sound so good. Weirdly enough, Retrevo is a site that specializes in selling electronics, yet took the time to actually come up with an interesting article that is relevant – go figure.

Well it looks like ThinkGeek is ready for April Fools Day already by announcing their latest gadget – TV Poltergeist. Piss your friends off by suddenly having the TV go off right when the secrets of the island on Lost are about to be spilled. Just program the TV Poltergeist to turn on and off any TV at random intervals every 5 to 20 minutes. If you are really determined to drive someone insane, you can have it happen 24 hours a day, for weeks at a time. All you need to do is hide the device somewhere near the TV but be sure to aim the LED toward the TV for it to work. The best part? It’s cheap enough device (only $12.99) that you could buy several and prank someone who has multiple TVs, but I would anticipate that you probably won’t be invited back to their house ever again.

Soon one of the leading causes of accidents will not be drunk driving, but texting while driving. Key2SafeDriving is hopefully a solution that helps stop this widespread problem. Currently available for the BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Symbian cellphones, Key2SafeDriving uses software and a plug-and-forget Activator that installs in your car without needing a wrench or screwdriver. The Key2SafeDriving automatically starts working when the car is started. Before handing over the keys, put the drivers phone into Safe Driving Mode, and it disables its ability to send or receive calls or text messages. It monitors, reports and regulates mobile phone activity while driving. Incoming calls go directly to voicemail and incoming text messages are sent an automated reply indicating the recipient is driving and will respond later. The only function that works is 911. Key2SafeDriving is available now for $99.95. I’m not sure how many teenagers or even adults will appreciate their phone being deactivated while driving but if it saves just a few lives – its worth its weight in gold.

I for one have lost my cellphone on more than one occasion and I especially love it when I get hustled for cash in order to get it back. If this has happened to you, then you will be excited to learn of a new service called iTag. Its an innovative new mobile Lost and Found application that supports Android only handsets – take that iPhone. iTag additionally announced that it will offer free Premium lifetime service for the first 10,000 people to register at iTag.com. iTag is a FREE service that gives you the ability to locate and protect lost or stolen phones. iTag can literally view the location of your phone on a map. Consumers can also make their phone ring from iTag.com, even if it is set to silent or vibrate.

Other features available at iTag.com include:

• Locking the keys so no one can use the device

• Backing up and restoring the phone’s address book

• Ensuring security of private and confidential information by permanently deleting all the phone’s data

• Sending a message to a friend that is closest to a lost phone, allowing them to help retrieve it

• Permission based mobile social networking features allows a consumer to see the location of friends and family