Hasta La Gadget!

Ben Heck’s Steam box will soon be a legitimate Steam Box. The avid PC gamer can build his Steam Box, the console gamer will be able to buy a Steam Box, everyone can have a Steam Box! That’s all in the near future – hopefully not in Valve Time – with the announcement of SteamOS, a free Linux-based operating system “designed for the TV and the living room.”

According to the teaser page, Valve has progressed far enough with SteamOS Valve to have “achieved significant performance increases in graphics processing”, and now they’re working on “audio performance and reductions in input latency at the operating system level.” Valve also claims that developers are already working with the standalone operating system, with “hundreds of great games” already running natively on SteamOS. In the event that your favorite game doesn’t have a SteamOS version, Valve says you’ll be able to stream a game from a PC or Mac running the Steam client to the machine running SteamOS.

Valve also said that they’re working with media providers to tie in to Steam and SteamOS. Add in Big Picture mode, cloud syncing and the propensity of Steam to drop prices like it’s hot and you could have an all-conquering entertainment machine.

Can Valve finally bring about the rise of the PC-console hybrid? A machine with the idiotproof user interface of a console, but with the futureproof software and hardware options of the PC? Is Valve saving Half-Life 3 for the SteamOS? The bastards?

[Steam via Joystiq]

Microsoft was late to enter the tablet wars and paid for it dearly. But the company isn’t giving up just yet. Today it unveiled Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, the updated versions of its Surface – formerly known as Surface RT –  and Surface Pro tablets. The most significant change hardware-wise are their new and more power efficient CPUs that lead to a significant increase in battery life. On the software side, the tablets will come with their respective variants of Windows 8.1 when they launch on October 22.

Microsoft hopes to improve the reputation of its cheaper tablet by boosting its battery and display. Surface 2 has a 12-hour battery life – thanks in part to its 1.7GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 4 CPU – and a 10.6″ 1080p display. In comparison, its predecessor only has an 8-hour battery life, a Tegra 3 CPU and a 1366 x 768 display. Watch Microsoft’s video to find out the other improvements to the Surface 2:

Sadly, Surface 2 still has its Achilles’ heel: it will only run Windows 8.1 RT, not the full version of the operating system. That means, among other things, that you won’t be able to run desktop programs on it. You’ll have to rely on what’s offered on the Windows Store for apps. If you want a more complete device, you’ll have to go for the more expensive Surface Pro 2.

Surface Pro 2 gets the 1.6GHz Haswell Core i5 CPU with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400 GPU. That helps give it a significant boost in battery life: 7 to 8 hours compared to only 4 to 5 hours in the original Surface Pro. Surface Pro 2 also has more storage and RAM configurations. There’s one with 4GB RAM that can have either 64GB or 128GB storage, and there’s one with 8GB RAM that can have either 256GB or 512GB of storage. The stylus featured in the video above will be included on all configurations of the Surface Pro 2.

The price for the Surface 2 will start at $449 (USD), while Surface Pro 2 starts at $899. You can pre-order both tablets from Microsoft starting tomorrow, but as I said they won’t ship until October 22. You should check out the Surface website or Wired’s coverage for more on the tablets.

I’m not sure why Microsoft is still selling the gimped Surface 2. Worse, they’re going to keep selling the first-generation Surface RT at $349. If it were up to me I’d cut down on the cost and confusion and just focus all my efforts on the Surface Pro 2. Because that is a very capable device. It’s a hell of an expensive tablet until you realize it’s also a decently priced laptop.

[via Microsoft & Wired]

I always loved playing with Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots when I was a kid. I also have always loved electronic gadgets. Thanks to the power of technology, I can now play with both at the same time.

Japanese toy-maker Takara Tomy has created this set of boxing robots which are operated using Wii-like motion controllers. The robots are called “BattroBorg 4G” – which means there were three generations of these robots before, and somehow I never owned a set.

The latest generation of miniature boxing robots offers more attacks than prior versions, and improved limb strength to deliver the ultimate robotic knock-out punch without actually breaking the other one.  They also offer interchangeable parts so you can mix and match their body colors.

They’re not officially available outside of Japan, but if you dig around on eBay you might be able to find a pair for around $75(USD). If I don’t beat you to the punch, that is.

[via Toy People]

Having lots of devices can be fun, but it’s a pain when you run out of juice. I’ve had to scramble to find a power plug more than once, and the external battery that I have usually doesn’t last that long. Lugging around a large battery in your backpack makes sense if you’re heading outdoors.

The SOOT Electropack is supposed to be able to power your devices for up to two weeks without having to plug it in. Now that’s what I call self-sufficiency. The bag is made up of three modular bags, which can be combined to suit your needs.

Each one contains a 10,000 mAh battery. The pack can charge up to four devices at once, from smartphones to tablets. A single battery pack can charge a typical smartphone up to seven times, or an iPad once. Get the version with an extra battery pack to double that for up to two weeks of capacity for your smartphone.

The SOOT Electropack has got 34L of storage, so you can still lug around a lot of gear while keeping your devices fully juiced up. It was launched as Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, which ends on October 17th. You’ll have to pledge at least $239(USD) with one battery pack. $279 will buy you a the version with the extra battery pack.

[via Yanko Design]

I don’t have an audiophile grade bone in my body. As long as there’s bass and I can understand the words in songs and in my favorite movies, I really don’t care what my speakers sound like. There are many people out there who are audiophiles and have ears good enough to hear the difference between cheap speakers and good speakers. If you can really discern the difference between high-quality sound and normal sound you’ll appreciate the KEF X300AW Wireless speakers.

The speakers are based on the well-reviewed X300A, and have two class AB amplifiers inside each one. A 50-watt amplifier drives the midrange and low end sound, while a 20-watt amp handles high frequencies for best sound quality overall. Their 802.11 b/g wireless capability allows the speakers to support streaming from mobile devices that are Airplay or DLNA compatible.

The speakers are also designed to connect directly to your Windows or Mac computer using a USB cable. When connected via USB the speakers support 96 kHz/24-bit HD audio and have a built-in digital analog converter. The manufacturer also equips the speakers with a 3.5 mm analog input. They’re available in either gunmetal or white cabinets.

If you think these sound like the speakers for you, get a load of the price. The speakers are available for $999.99(USD), which is a whole lot of cash for computer speakers. If you don’t need the wireless capability, the X300A speakers can be had for $200 less.