Hasta La Gadget!

Hammacher Schlemmer has started selling the Wireless Smartphone Photo Printer. Priced at $219.95, the printer connects wirelessly to iOS or Android devices and prints vibrant color photographs without ink cartridges. It uses a special patented photo paper that has yellow, magenta, and cyan dye crystals embedded. It prints 4″ x 6″ borderless photographs at 300 dpi resolution in up to 256 gradations and 16.7 million colors. You can also buy replacement cartridges for $24.95 each. [Product Page]

If you live in a home or work in an office where Wi-Fi network doesn’t quite cover the entire building, Western Digital is a product that will help expand your wireless network. The product is called the My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender. The device is designed to work with Western Digital’s range of HD dual band routers.

The Wi-Fi Range Extender features a 3 x 3 multiple input multiple output antenna array design. According to Western Digital, most competing products use a smaller 2 x 2 design antenna. By using a 3 x 3 MIMO antenna, Western Digital is able to extend the Wi-Fi signal further than other products. The device is designed to support bandwidth intense activities such as streaming video, online gaming, and video calls.

The range extender promises to be easy to install requiring only a two-step process with no CD or software needed. The device supports Wi-Fi Protected Set up to connect the extender to the existing home network with a single button press. The device has Wi-Fi signal strength indicator lights on the front and a gigabit Ethernet port for devices that don’t have Wi-Fi built in.

The device has a switch on the front allowing you to choose support for 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz networks. Western Digital says that the range extender is compatible with all Wi-Fi certified routers and gateways as well as all Wi-Fi standards from 802.11a to 802.11ac. The My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender is available now for $89.99.

Western Digital unveils My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I’ll admit that when Porsche first announced that it was coming up with an SUV called the Cayenne, I was rather irritated that a sports car company was pandering to the SUV driving masses. Once the SUV hit the market and I saw that it was as quick as many sports cars I felt a little bit better about Porsche offering an SUV. Porsche has unveiled the new Cayenne Turbo S and this is one SUV I would really enjoy owning.

Porsche claims that the Cayenne Turbo S has advanced active chassis technologies that allow it to surpass the driving performance of many sports cars. At the same time, the SUV still preserves its off-road capability, ride comfort, and towing ability. I can’t see anyone driving one of these off-road, but I have seen people towing with a Cayenne before. Naturally, the guy was towing a 911 GT3.

The Cayenne Turbo S gets a 50 hp bump compared to the normal Cayenne Turbo. The Cayenne Turbo S also gets a extra torque with a rating of 553 pound-feet of torque compared to the normal Cayenne Turbo 516 pound-feet rating. The extra horsepower and torque allows the Turbo S version to accelerate quicker and have a higher top speed.

Porsche claims that the Cayenne Turbo S can hit 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and has a top speed of 175 mph. That is a seriously quick SUV. The Turbo S comes with the Sport Chrono package standard that includes an analog and digital timer in the center of the dash. The package also shows total driving time, lap distance covered, and individual lap times along with latitudinal and longitudinal acceleration. Clearly, Porsche expects people to take this big SUV on the track. Pricing for the Turbo S starts at $146,000.

Porsche unveils new Cayenne Turbo S is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Best Buy will match online pricing during the holiday season, so as to reduce the impact of “showrooming” where would-be buyers play with products in-store but then order them from cheaper internet vendors. Meanwhile, free home delivery will be offered for products currently out of stock, sources speaking to the WSJ claim, though it’s possible that Best Buy may exclude some items from the price matching program, which is still being worked out.

Like other retailers, Best Buy has seen a growth in shoppers who come to brick & mortar stores to browse through and play with the physical products on display, but then fail to actually complete a transaction. Instead, having used that hands-on experience to settle on a specific product, they buy it online at reduced rates from retailers without the costs of maintaining stores and sales teams that Best Buy must cover.

The process is known as “showrooming,” though Best Buy has argued that it is not such a significant problem as analysts have suggested. The company’s own estimates suggest that the number of “showrooming” customers using its stores are in the mid-teens, having seen a rise of roughly 3-percent over the past 24-months.

“We have a tremendous opportunity to increase [our] close rate” Best Buy spokesperson Matthew Furman said, referring to the roughly 40-percent of shoppers who browse the store but leave without making a purchase. Back in July, the company revealed plans to borrow store strategy from Apple with, among other things, a “Solution Central” help desk in the center.

Nonetheless, Best Buy VP of consumer insights Bill Hoffman insists that showrooming is “still very low” in terms of the risks to overall profit. “We need to pay attention to it” he concedes, however, and the online price-match policy will go some way to addressing it. It’s unclear whether the scheme will be a one-time promotion during the holidays, or if it will continue.

Best Buy battles “showrooming” with internet price-matching is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Trust me when I say this new ThinkGeek gadget has nothing to do with dancing or rivers. The Mega Stomp Panic might be the perfect complement to that Halloween costume you’re going to be sporting in a few days. This device is a little box that attaches to your belt and creates sound effects to go along with your every step and stomp.

The device creates sound effects that are synchronized with each step you take making it sound like one of nine different creatures. You can see all nine of the sounds in the image below, but I’m particularly fond of the gigantic monster and the giant robot sound effects. You don’t have to wear a costume to get some enjoyment out of this device.

However, if you’re dressing up as a zombie for Halloween, this could be the perfect accessory for your costume. As you take normal steps, smaller sounds are produced by the little box you wear on your belt. A big stomp makes a larger sound. For instance, if you’re using the Rainstorm effect, each step sounds like you’re walking through water, and stomp makes it sound like you jumped into a large puddle.

Both the main box in the mini box have embedded LEDs that glow. Power for the device comes from for AAA batteries, which aren’t included. This device is available now for $39.99 in limited quantities. If you order one up right now and pick quick enough shipping, I bet you can get it in time for Halloween.

ThinkGeek Mega Stomp Panic isn’t a Celtic dance team is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.