Hasta La Gadget!

Astro Gaming’s A40 headset and Mixamp Pro have generally gotten yearly revisions, but the portability-inclined A30 hasn’t received the same love since its inception. That’s officially changed this week, as the company’s announced its 2013 PC editions (standalone versions) of the A30 and A40 stereo headsets are now available. Although the new units began shipping with the company’s Mixamp-packing Audio System bundles last November, this is the first time it’s really blasting the airwaves about the A30’s revision. Both editions feature re-tuned drivers touting better response for bass and cleaner output, along with a re-tooled approach to the quick disconnect cables and a new media cable with a revised inline remote and mic. The revised cabling setup allows 3.5mm cables to plug directly into the headsets, making for easier replacements and swapping (previous versions had you connect to a short cable hung from the earcup, with a dual-pole connector).

Perhaps best of all, the A30 is now priced thirty bucks less at $100 (finally!), while the A40’s been reduced to $149 (down from $199). If you recently purchased one, don’t fret either — Astro also let us know that orders placed the 11th of this month have shipped out with the 2013 editions. Hit up the press release after the break for more info while deciding if one of ’em might be your new ticket to supreme gaming sound.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

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US-born mobile payment methods like PayPal Here and Square haven’t had much traction in Europe, due in no small part to the continent’s frequent reliance on chip-and-PIN credit cards over North America’s (slowly outgoing) magnetic stripes. PayPal is getting around that technical barrier through the most direct method possible — replacing the reader altogether. PayPal Here’s UK deployment swaps out the triangular US reader for a considerably bulkier Bluetooth peripheral that takes the newer payment method. Other elements will be familiar to anyone who’s used Here on an Android or iOS device in another country, minus the obligatory changes in currency. PayPal is partnering with a handful of UK businesses before launching Here on a wider scale in the summer — not soon enough for some, but it might save a few Brits from scrounging through their wallets just to buy some ice cream.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: PayPal

Well, someone had to offer a counterpart to the giant donut. NVIDIA has decided that its ongoing success in 3D graphics and mobile processors merits a suitably geometric new headquarters, so it’s upping the stakes among oddly-shaped offices: it’s planning to construct a triangular pair of buildings a stone’s throw away from its existing Santa Clara campus. Like its upcoming parallel at the Fruit Company, the NVIDIA facility will focus on both eco-friendly design and wide open spaces that, officially, are meant to reflect the company’s loves of art, collaboration and science. Of course, the Tegra creator is quick to admit that it really needs the buildings to accommodate its growing staff count — and we imagine that “make it look cool” was also part of the proposal. NVIDIA hasn’t said just when the new headquarters will be ready, although it will have to make up for lost time if it wants to have Silicon Valley’s star attraction.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, NVIDIA

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Source: NVIDIA

Is it possible to remember all of one’s passwords without the aid of a biometric Bluetooth flash drive? Possible, sure, but it’s certainly getting harder and harder as the number of services we depend on continues to increase exponentially. Arkami has been floating its solution around for a bit, showing off its progress at CES and the like, and now the company is ready to get the public involved (or, the public’s money, rather) by way of a newly opened Kickstarter campaign for myIDkey. The thumb drive stores passwords across various services, letting you take ’em on the run. There’s a fingerprint scanner on-board, which unlocks the device, and a microphone, which lets you search for specific ones by voice. Plug the drive into your PC and it will autofill your passwords as needed, and if you’re unlucky enough to lose it, you can instantly deactivate its contents.

Peep the source link below to check out — and, perhaps, support — the company’s $150,000 campaign.

Filed under: Peripherals, Internet

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Source: Kickstarter

For a company whose launch event revolved around a singular device, HTC had a lot on its plate when unveiling the One. After all, the occasion was as much to showcase software as it was hardware. Not to fret — we’ve bundled all the relevant stories in one place so you can relive the event proper, what it’s like to use the One and our conversation with HTC chief Peter Chou. Hop past the break and you’ll have a primer on what to expect on store shelves in roughly a month’s time.

Hands-on posts, interview and the liveblog:

• HTC One hands-on: design and hardware
• HTC One software hands-on: Sense 5, BlinkFeed, Sense TV and new Sync Manager
• HTC One imaging in depth: UltraPixel camera and Zoe Share
• HTC’s Peter Chou: ‘We’re confident consumers will appreciate our innovations’ (video)
• HTC One early hands-on!
• Live from HTC’s 2013 launch event!

Hardware and availability:

• HTC One unveiled: 4.7-inch 1080p display, 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600, UltraPixel camera, Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5
• Visualized: HTC folding and ‘double-dip’ colored cases for the One
• HTC One vs One X, One X+: what’s changed?
• HTC One coming to Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T in the US, arriving in UK on EE, Vodafone and O2
• Verizon won’t carry the HTC One, Droid DNA will have to do for now

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile, HTC

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