Hasta La Gadget!

News flash #1: Razer hasn’t run out of snake names yet. News flash #2: The gaming peripherals powerhouse is releasing a new mouse just for notebook users.

The Razer Orochi includes a 4000dpi laser sensor and can work either wired or wirelessly. In wireless mode, it connects with Bluetooth 2.0. Connect with a wire for better gaming response. It also has 7 programmable buttons and an ambidextrous design. Since it’s designed for portability, it comes with a carrying case.

Razer has also introduced the Kabuto gaming mat, with an ultra-thin profile and a microfiber tracking surface. A rubber base prevents it from sliding.

The Orochi will be available in mid-August for $79.99 and the Kabuto the same month for $19.99. Look for them on Razerzone.com.

The folks behind the Viliv brand of consumer electronics don’t ever stop swinging, it seems. They hit us with the beloved X70, the keyboard-sportin’ S7, and before we have a chance to blink they’re back in the ring with the X70 EX Premium. Currently on sale in Hong Kong, this bad boy features optional 3G (in which case you should ask for the X70 EX Premium 3G) and sports a 1.3GHz Intel Atom Z520 processor, 1GB RAM, a 32GB SSD, and an SDHC slot for extra storage. As you’ve probably guessed, the display is your standard 7-inch with 1024 x 600 resolution. Throw in Windows XP, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, and a GPS, and this guy is yours for $6,898 in Hong Kong bucks (roughly $890 US). No word yet on a Stateside release.

Update: Hello! You can get this badboy in the States, courtesy of Dynamism. The site is offering the device at $599.99 along with a bundle of free accessories. So, if you absolutely must have it today… you know where to look.

[Via Gadget Mix]

Filed under: Handhelds

Viliv X70 EX Premium 3G on sale now in Hong Kong originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our wildest, most frenzied dreams are coming true, airline by airline. As Aircell steps in to infiltrate yet another legacy carrier here in America, US Airways has finally caved to the pressures of being an airline in 2009 by announcing its intentions to get Gogo on a select few of its planes. Starting in early 2010, Gogo in-flight internet will be added to its fleet of 50 A321 aircraft, and while that’s certainly not a jaw-dropping amount, it’s better than zilch. Of note, US Airways also has plans to let consumers see if their proposed flight will have WiFi when booking online, and while we can’t help but celebrate such an achievement, we’re also mighty fearful that this will lead to yet another fee for the privilege of riding on a WiFi-equipped plane. You know — considering that this airline once refused water to passengers on a 6.5 hour flight last August.

[Via Gadling]

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

US Airways launching Gogo in-flight internet next year, to show WiFi logo when booking originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not sure what kind of laptop your student needs for the back-to-school season? Walmart today announced that it has increased its assortment of affordable laptops, including the first-ever $298 Compaq notebook with 3GB of memory. The Compaq Presario CQ60-419WM also offers a 160GB hard drive, CD/DVD drive, and Windows Vista preinstalled. You can snag this notebook beginning July 26 at 8 a.m. in all Walmart stores and on Walmart.com while supplies last.

Also available July 26 is the popular Acer 15.6-inch AS5810-4657, with a $50 price drop to $548. It comes preloaded with Windows Vista Home Premium (qualified for free Windows 7 upgrade), 3GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive, and a claimed 8-hour battery life. Its Intel Display Power Savings Technology reduces backlighting, making this laptop up to 40 percent more efficient than the typical laptop.

Find out what Walmart plans to offer in August, after the jump.

You may be able to make much better sound without auto setup.

(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)

Auto speaker setup and calibration is a popular feature on almost every receiver and a lot of home-theater-in-a-box systems.

Sure, it sounds like a peachy idea, but the accuracy of auto setup is hardly a sure thing; and at their worst, auto setup systems sound worse than no setup at all.

Ideally, the setup system automatically determines speaker sizes (large or small), measures speaker-to-listener distances, sets the volume levels of all of the speakers, determines the proper subwoofer volume level, checks that all the speaker wires’ “+” and “-” connections are properly oriented at the speaker and receiver ends, and calculates the subwoofer-to-speaker crossover point. Some receivers also employ EQ (equalization) curves to correct for speaker and room acoustic anomalies.

What’s not to like? Well, it the auto setup worked perfectly, nothing.

But they’re mostly flawed: Subwoofer calibrations are almost always off. Auto calibration systems boost the sub volume much too high, and overestimate the sub distance to the listener by a factor of two (so a 10 foot distance becomes 20 or more feet).

Worse yet, auto setup systems rarely set the subwoofer-to-satellite speakers crossover frequency to the optimum point. That is, they tend to set the crossover too high, say 150 Hertz, which unnecessarily restricts the speakers’ bass response. The speakers might sound better with a lower crossover setting. I recommend 80Hz for all speakers with 4- to 6-inch woofers; 100Hz for 3-inch woofers; and higher settings of 120Hz or 150Hz only for the tiniest speakers.

Accessing the measurement data post auto setup can be tricky on some receivers. Then you really don’t know what you have.

Thing is, manual setup isn’t all that difficult and will likely be more accurate. And chances are you wouldn’t muck up the distances as poorly as the autosetup would. Running the test tones over the speakers and manually adjusting the sound by ear or with a Radio Shack meter isn’t so hard to do.

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Originally posted at The Audiophiliac