(Credit: Verizon Wireless)Most push-to-talk phones are of the rugged variety, but there are also those that are slimmer and more compact. Verizon Wireless and PCD have released the CDM8975, which is exactly that.
This push-to-talk device also features a 1.3-megapixel camera, a speakerphone, a microSD card slot, Bluetooth, …
(Credit: Olympus America)Update: Now with preview video after the jump.
Filling another hole in its dSLR product line, Olympus takes on the Canon EOS Rebel XSi and Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 with the new E-620 (Nikon’s D80 and D90 are cheaper and more expensive than these models, respectively.)
Let’s take a look at the basic specs:
| Canon EOS Rebel XSi (with 18-55mm IS lens) | Olympus E-620 (with 14-42mm lens) | Olympus E-30 (body only) | |
| Sensor | 12.2-megapixel CMOS | 12.3-megapixel Live MOS | 12.3-megapixel Live MOS |
| Color depth | 14 bits | 12 bits | 12 bits |
| Sensitivity range | ISO 100 – ISO 800/ 1,600 (expanded) | ISO 200/100 (expanded) – ISO 3,200 | ISO 100 – ISO 3,200 |
| Focal-length multiplier | 1.6x | 2x | 2x |
| Continuous shooting | 3.5 fps 53 JPEG/6 raw | 4 fps n/a JPEG/5 raw | 5 fps n/a JPEG/12 raw |
| Viewfinder | 95 percent coverage 0.87x magnification | 95 percent coverage 0.96x magnification | 98 percent coverage 1.02x magnification |
| Autofocus | 9-pt AF center cross-type | 7-pt AF all twin; 5 cross-type | 11-pt AF all cross-type |
| Live view | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LCD size | 3 inches fixed | 2.7 inches articulated | 2.7 inches articulated |
| Mfr. price | $799.99 | $799.99 | $1,299 |
…
A large number of MacBook owners have reported cracks appearing in their notebook cases.
The cracks are mostly occurring in the palm-rest corners of the earlier generation, plastic MacBooks. The defect has occurred in enough MacBooks that a Flickr gallery is documenting the problem with over 180 photos to date.
Though the issue only appears to be affecting a small percentage of MacBook users, it’s still a questionable defect coming from Apple — a company most famous for its meticulous, premium design.
iFixIt’s Luke Soules, who performs repairs and disassemblies of Apple products, pointed at the design of the MacBook as the root of the problem. For MacBooks, the bottom part of the notebook is the box that holds the guts of the computer; the top part, where the cracks are occurring, is just a flat sheet.
Soules noted that cracks weren’t an issue with the older iBooks, because the design was flip-flopped: The top part had sides, so it was essentially an inverted box; the bottom part was a flat sheet.
Affected MacBook users might view this as a design flaw on Apple’s part. Some users have reported the defect is fully covered by Apple warranty. Of course, the new unibody MacBooks aren’t experiencing this issue (since metal doesn’t crack).
MacBook cases still cracking up [Macworld]
Photo: Robplusjessie/Flickr
It’s been nearly a year since DVD Jon made some noise about doubleTwist by promising to “liberate” iTunes purchases from their DRM, and while that’s no longer particularly relevant in light of Apple’s decision to go DRM-free, we’re actually really digging this newly refocused public beta of the doubleTwist app, which promises to seamlessly manage all your devices from a single interface. Think of it as iTunes meets Windows 7 Device Stage with a dash of social network integration and you’ll get it: you just tell DT where you want your media to go — your phone, Facebook, your PSP — and it’ll handle all the encoding, conversion, and uploading steps for you. Sadly, the iPod, iPhone, Zune and Windows Mobile aren’t supported yet, but the rest of the device list is pretty decent: it includes the BlackBerry Pearl, Storm, and Curve, the G1, Sony Ericsson Cybershot and Walkman phones, the Kindle, Nokia N and E-series phones, and most digital cameras and flash-based camcorders. Of course, iTunes video is still wrapped in DRM, so we’ll see if DVD Jon has any tricks left up his sleeve to make it play nice with non-Apple devices, but for a first shot out of the gate it looks like extremely promising — too bad it’s Mac-only for now.
[Via Daring Fireball]
Read – doubleTwist website
Read – Supported device list
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
DVD Jon’s DoubleTwist device-management software enters public beta originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Swiss auto design house Rinspeed, the company behind last year’s sQuba diving car, will reveal an electric car concept vehicle that can be controlled by an iPhone at the Geneva Motor Show next week, Macworld reports.
The iChange uses an iPhone in lieu of car keys. The iPhone clips into a holder on the dashboard to either side of the steering wheel, the report said. “Once connected a green “start” button appears on the iPhone’s display and one push brings the iChange automobile to life. When you’re driving the car the iPhone can also be used for other control functions, such as switching on and off the headlights.”
Looking for the perfect geek-friendly fashion accessory to wear to your next LAN party? Something to complement your Heart Meter Shirt, on-trend laptop sleeve, and USB Engagement Ring? Consider the Keybag.
Created by Portuguese designers Joao Sabino and Mario Belem, each Keybag is clad in 393 randomly arranged old keyboard keys. The high-tech handbags come in four different colors and seem particularly apt for for toting your portable gadgets around.
Keybags are available in black or white for approximately $165 each and red or pink for approximately $185 each.
Diesel enthusiasts can rejoice: after a year of significantly higher prices, the average cost of a gallon of diesel fuel has fallen back below the price of premium gasoline, according to Autoblog.
Diesel now averages $2.18 per gallon, compared with $2.19 for premium gas and $1.96 for regular. Now that we’re finally beginning to see some clean diesel vehicles that match gasoline cars for clean emissions and beat them on EPA fuel economy estimates, the falling cost of diesel fuel could help spur sales of cars like the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the BMW 335d, and the various Mercedes BlueTEC models.
I’ve driven both the 335d and the Jetta TDI recently. Both cars are solid options for environmentally-minded enthusiasts, and have a much greater cruising range than their gasoline-powered counterparts. The 335d is also ridiculously quick; Car and Driver clocked its 0-60 time at 5.7 seconds, and the 425 lb-ft of torque makes it feel even faster from behind the wheel.
For those of you who think knowing the miles per hour of each pitch is the best part of a baseball game — and sometimes, it really is — Clemson University civil engineering professor Scott Schiff and his students have created a system that’ll measure the force of the dunks and display it on the overhead screens instantly. In one game against East Carolina, Clemson forward Raymond Sykes managed a dunk that measured 30 G’s — which we’re told is mighty impressive, but really, we don’t have much comparison at this point. The team hopes its system gets adopted for other venues, and for sake of having more excuses to stare at the giant TVs and not the court, we hope so, too. Hit up the read link to see video of the system in action.
[Via PhysOrg]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Clemson develops ballin’ system to measure slam dunk intensity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The incredible shrinking computer is about to reach a lower limit in size, with a new computer that’s contained entirely within a wall-wart. Any smaller than this, and the computer would disappear inside the electrical outlet.
Called plug computers, Marvell’s new gadgets will resemble cellphone chargers but pack a hefty punch.
Plug computers would draw just about 5W of power, come with a 1.2-GHz CPU, a USB port and internet connectivity. They won’t have a display, but the devices can be used as a home server or a network attached storage for vacation photos and music downloads.
The wall-wart form factor allows companies and consumers to get a low-cost computing system, says Marvell. As a plus, the unassuming-looking plugs would likely remain plugged in long after thieves cleared out other, more valuable-looking electronics.
The plug computer will be based on Marvell’s SheevaPlug platform, which has an embedded 1.2-GHz CPU. It would also come with 512
MB of flash memory and and 512 MB of DRAM. The device would connect to the home network by ethernet and have a USB 2.0 port.
The platform will support Linux distributions allowing PC makers to create Linux-based systems off them. And the entire device has been designed to draw less than a tenth the power of a typical PC being used as
a home server, says Marvell.
Marvell will offer the development kits for plug computers at $100 through its website and with enough demand, prices could drop further, it says. It will also include design details and software needed to develop applications for the platform.
Already some startups are using Marvell’s platform to launch new devices. At the Consumer Electronics Show last month, Cloud Engines debuted the Pogoplug. The $100 box connects a user’s external hard drive to the internet so they can easily share and access their files from anywhere.
LG's watch phone could carry a hefty price tag.
(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)
LG pretty much owned the first day of CES last month when its chief technology officer popped up onstage and casually took a call via the LG watch phone on his wrist.
But those …
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