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Intel’s SSD Toolbox, firmware update promise boost in performance

wizTEQ Staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:06:52 +0000

We won’t say that we love products leaving the oven before they’re completely done, but we do adore gratis firmware updates that better a product even after you’ve purchased it. That being said, we’re actually stoked that Intel has decided to out its second major firmware update for the second-gen 34nm X25-M SSD, and unlike the first, this one has the potential to put smiles on lots and lots (as opposed to a few) faces. The newfangled SSD Toolbox includes an SSD Optimizer for the aforementioned device, which promises to help users “more effectively monitor and manage the SSD’s health.” It also offers a performance boost to sequential write speeds by delivering up to 100MB/sec on the 160GB model, which represents a rather substantial 40 percent uptick over the existing firmware. The best news of all? Intel’s doing more than just blowing hot air, as the benchmarking gurus over at Hot Hardware found out. Hit the read link for their eye-opening analysis.

Intel’s SSD Toolbox, firmware update promise boost in performance originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kids Guard USB stick is guaranteed to frustrate, encourage circumvention

wizTEQ Staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:06:51 +0000

The concept here is far from new, but that doesn’t mean that the latest iteration isn’t way more frustrating. For kids just looking to “discover themselves” somewhere on the world wide web, the Kids Online Guard USB Stick is a nightmare of the worst kind. Designed to keep your offspring away from files, websites and folders that you deem inappropriate, it seems to work by triggering limits when plugged in, and when unplugged, the whole PC likely locks everyone out. Of course, we’re guessing that this is just the thing to train your kid to become the planet’s next great circumventer / hacker, so if viewing this as a “training tool” makes you sleep easier, you can get one headed your way for $21.69.

[Thanks, Frank]

Filed under: Peripherals, Internet

Kids Guard USB stick is guaranteed to frustrate, encourage circumvention originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eviGroup’s Pad is a 10-inch 3G tablet with personality

wizTEQ Staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:06:51 +0000

Time to freshen up the old netbook market with a dash of Windows 7, a pinch of touchscreen functionality, and a generous helping of… Seline10? eviGroup, the crew responsible for the attractive 5-inch Wallet MID, has announced the 10.2-inch Pad, whose pièce de résistance is the Seline10 artificial intelligence software that’s been in development for a decade, if you can believe it. Its purpose is to act as your secretary / assistant, and while the novelty’s good, we all know how well Clippy worked out. Fret not though, it’s just an optional extra and shouldn’t detract from the appeal of a device that offers 3G and a/b/g WiFi connectivity, one VGA and three USB ports, multicard reader, webcam, microphone, and the old faithful 1.6GHz of Atom power. A price of under €500 is being touted, with further details set to emerge over the coming days.

Filed under: Handhelds

eviGroup’s Pad is a 10-inch 3G tablet with personality originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ReNu solar panels announced for iPhone charger, sound dock, LED desk lamp

wizTEQ Staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:06:51 +0000

Sure, we’ve been frustrated by solar-powered iPhone chargers and amused by the irony of solar-powered lamps in the past, but that doesn’t mean we’re not looking forward to the day when we can meet our gadgets power needs without relying on fossil fuels. That’s why we’re pleased to note that a company called ReNu has just announced a solar panel that can be used to charge your iPhone or iPod, power the device’s sound dock, or even keep your desk light shining sans mains power. Featuring a modular design, the panel can dispatched to your window to soak up the rays for 10 or 20 hours (depending on the amount of sunlight it receives) and then returned to your dock for about nine hours of music playback, recharge your iPhone (twice!), or provide about four hours of light with the LED desk lamp. Of course, most people are going to hang this thing in the window once, forget about it, and then spend the next several years powering their devices with the included AC adapter — but at least they’re trying, right? Available for pre-order now, the ReNu solar panel ($199) and the Renu panel / iPod dock combo ($249) both ship in February 2010, while the Side Light desk lamp ($89) ships in next March, and the Sound Dock ($149) should see the light of day sometime in April. Hit the read link to place that order, but not before peeping the galley below.

Gallery: PR shots for Renu’s solar powered iPhone charger, desk lamp

[Via TreeHugger]

Filed under: Cellphones, Household

ReNu solar panels announced for iPhone charger, sound dock, LED desk lamp originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brother, NEC look to invade your retinas next year

wizTEQ Staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:06:51 +0000

Brother may spend a big chunk of its time on things like printers and sewing machines, but it’s also quietly been working on some decidedly more futuristic products, and it may just be set to deliver on one of them. While it wasn’t offering much in the way of specifics the last time we heard about its retina display technology, Brother now seems to have a fully developed, fully functional prototype (pictured above), and it says it plans to commercialize the glasses sometime “next year.” Naturally, there are a few considerable limitations compared to more traditional displays, but the company’s as yet unnamed goggles do promise to beam an 800 x 600 image directly into your retina that’ll appear as a 10-centimeter wide image floating about one meter in front of them — which is certainly no small feat, even if it may not be the most practical one. Slightly less specific, but also working on a retina display of its own is NEC, which apparently hopes to incorporate a microphone into their display and use it as a real-time translation device that would quite literally display subtitles as you talk to someone. Ambitious, to be sure, but NEC is also saying it hopes to get it on the market in 2010.

Read – Register Hardware, “Brother creates direct retinal imaging specs”
Read – Far East Gizmos, “NEC develops Worlds first retina-display translation Eyeglasses”

[Via Popular Science]

Filed under: Displays, Wearables

Brother, NEC look to invade your retinas next year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Police to auction off nitrous-fueled, motorized La-Z-Boy

wizTEQ Staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:06:51 +0000

We’ve seen plenty of strange motorized chairs in this space, including those controlled by Wii Nunchucks and even brainwaves, but rarely do they become available for sale. The handiwork of Minnesota resident Dennis Anderson, this La-Z-Boy mod features everything the manufacturer left out, including: stereo sound system, nitrous oxide booster, parachute, headlights, a steering wheel, and a sticker that reads: “Hell yeah, it’s fast.” The vehicle, which will reach speeds of 20 MPH, was seized by the state when the driver crashed into a parked car — he was on the way home from the bar (of course) and ‘fessed up to consuming “eight or nine” beers prior to the incident. Anderson may be roaming the streets with a two-year suspended sentence, but his chariot can be yours! Keep an eye out on eBay, where it’s due to appear this week with no reserve price.

[Thanks, Scooterde]

Filed under: Transportation

Police to auction off nitrous-fueled, motorized La-Z-Boy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sync only Address Book entriess with phone numbers to iPhone

wizTEQ Staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:06:48 +0000

I used to have a mobile phone which I synced all the time with iSync, where there was an option to only sync contacts with phone numbers. After getting an iPhone, I noticed this didn’t exist. So why not use a Smart Group to do the job? Because they don’t sync with the iPhone. But I also wanted everyone’s emails and other details.

So I wrote up an AppleSript that updates a regular Address Book group with only people who have phone numbers. This worked great, then after a while, I wanted some numbers to not show up (people you want to keep in your phone but will never call, or whose name you don’t want to see every time you scroll down your list). I created a group called Not Phone, and modified my script so that they are removed from the Phone group.

This script will create the groups for you. Warning: if you have a group called Phone already in existence, I suggest renaming the group (or changing the group name that the script uses…

Rally Master Pro 3D (US) (games)

wizTEQ Staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:06:48 +0000

Rally Master Pro 3D (US) 1.1.0

Category: Games
Price: $6.99 (iTunes)

Description:

Rally Master Pro™ is the ultimate rally experience for your iPhone! Race in amateur, professional and expert rallies on 27 ambitious and varied tracks, in any weather, with tough conditions, at top speed.

Experience how the driving behaviour changes based on the road surface, weather and condition of your vehicle and always pay attention to your co-pilot and his announcements. Only if you know what the road ahead looks like you will be able to drift smoothly through the curves and make it under the strict time limits.

Keep an eye on the damage model of your car and use the repair option between the races to get your vehicle fixed for the next race or you won’t get far.

Study your last race in the interactive replay with numerous vehicle and TV cameras to memorize each curve and perfect your driving style.

Features:

- Game modes: Career, Time Trail, Adrenaline

- 27 varied tracks with different road conditions

- 3D damage model with repair mini games

- Weather simulation

- Touch and tilt controls with individual settings

- Online Highscores

You know how to drive? Prove it and get Rally Master Pro™ now!

Not sure about it? Check out the official game trailer on YouTube in our “fishlabsgames” channel!
Rally Master Pro 3D (US)

Who’s Hotter? (entertainment)

wizTEQ Staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:06:48 +0000

Who’s Hotter? 1.00

Category: Entertainment
Price: Free (iTunes)

Description:

Do you wonder how hot you are? Are you sure you have the goods that can make heads turn? Then put yourself up and see how you rank up against other hotties like yourself!

Post your picture now!
Who’s Hotter?

Istanbul2Day (lifestyle)

wizTEQ Staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:06:48 +0000

Istanbul2Day 1.0

Category: Lifestyle
Price: Free (iTunes)

Description:

Istanbul2day is a new age reminder service for i-phone users. This basic application is targeting dynamic, urban population from all age groups and professionals, in need of a simple calendar of various attractions from movies to popular facebook organizations and events all over the cultural capital of Turkey, Istanbul. Istanbul2day will be sponsored by Denizbank Miles&More mileage program for 2009.

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Istanbul2day i-phone kullanıcıları için yapılmış yeni nesil bir hatırlatma servisidir. Uygulama, Türkiye’nin kültür kenti İstanbul’da yer alan sinemadan popüler facebook etkinliklerine kadar tüm etkinliklerini basit bir takvimde görmek isteyen her yaş ve meslek grubuna dahil canlı şehir nüfusunu hedeflemektedir. 2009 yılında Istanbul2day’in sponsoru Denizbank Miles&More mil programı olacaktır.
Istanbul2Day