Archive for January, 2008
Apevia has existed now for almost a decade, in one form or another, and has the reputation of building solid, well designed cases. The X-Jupiter Jr. is no exception to this rule. While the Jr. denotation refers to the fact that this is a budget case the entire thing comes out as anything but. With a case designed around the clear window in the side wire management is a breeze. But that is not to say that the case is without the flaws of being overly heavy and an odd placement of headphone and USB jacks.
The first thing that is rather easy to notice about the case is that it is very heavy, weighting in at just under 20 pounds. While the case does manage to benefit from this by being super stable and durable it also is probably not going anywhere once fully assembled. Given the price of the unit it is nice to see that the case is this durable as many cases in the same price bracket seem to be made out of some kind of super soft foil.
Who would have ever thought that Zelda would punch a hole in your Wii? Well presumably he did just that. Using a copy of Zelda: Twilight Princess you can crash your Wii and run homebrew on it without the use of a modchip. The exploit is quite hard to follow right now, but we will have more information as it develops.
So we have been getting flooded with tips that the secret sdk key for Apple’s iPhone has been leaked and posted on several websites. After checking the links provided it seems that those tips were in fact true, as we found the SDK sitting available for download at two sites. No need for us to post links, as I am sure a simple google search will bring your desired results.
So what does this mean? In order for an application to run on the iPhone and for iTunes to process them they must me properly signed. Having the key will allow hackers to sign their homebrew applications and allow the iPhone to play them perfectly.
Apple stated this week that they have high hopes for the media market and is planning on taking it to new heights by allowing iPods to support WiFi. They wouldn’t go into detail – but they did state that wireless communication would be apart of that future. A spokesperson was quoted saying, “The iPod market is bigger than just for simple music players, one of the iPod’s future direction is to be one of the first WiFi mobile platforms.” The fact that they have already created the iPod touch proves that they are capable of it. Although for now they haven’t made any deals with anyone - at least not that we know of.
Microsoft has released the Zune 2.3 software update (not the 2.3 firmware update) – which is (not surprisingly) disappointing. It is more of an update that is used to fix things up instead of adding cool features that we have been dying to see. The new update will fix all of your podcast and Marketplace problems, setup, UI, and sync issues that have been making people mad for some time.
We have heard people mention about creating a display keyboard but we had yet to see anyone actually make them. United Keys has been trying to show off concept of their different versions of ‘Display Keys’ since 2005 and has finally landed a break and signed the deal with FoxConn.
They will be building gaming keyboard that will sport many OLED buttons. The new keyboards – which we are sure will be all the rage – will be shipping out this summer. Even with United Keys’ two US patents and many foreign patents they will still be facing some serious competition if the right people decide to take the plunge into the new world of display keyboards. Apple and Elkin Acevedo have already have patents for their own unique keyboards. It’ll be interesting to see how popular they will become.
The new LOOK U50XN (called the U810 in the U.S.) is about to get better for users in Japan. Residents in Japan now have the ability to get a 64GB SSD for the computer. Of course now that you can use this you first have to come up with the $887 it costs to purchase it. Those in the U.S. who are starting to get jealous don’t be too upset. Rumor has it that we will be receiving the part in March.
It looks as if Microsoft is already working on creating the next best program – which we are hoping will turn out to be better than Vista. The new program – which is only a rumor at this time – is said to be called Windows 7 OS. If rumors are true than Microsoft has already shipped out the first version of the program to the important ‘key partners’. The new version is planned on being released within the next three years though there are more rumors that say it will be released in 2009.
We have seen the ability for iPods to download music off of computers – but never before have we seen them be able to download them off of vinyl records. Numark has created the TTi turntable to do just this. It is built with a ‘Universal Dock’ for USB audio interface, iPod, pitch control, and metal platter.
Numark has taken the technology of the iPod and USB connectivity and brought them together to transfer the music from the vinyl record onto the iPod. The transition is smooth and will get rid of any unwanted noises – like pops and clicks – that are common on many old vinyl records. (more…)
Everyone needs a good lounger to come home to after a hard days work. So why not do that with the ultimate Hoverit LTD. “Lounger” – which at first glance doesn’t quite look comfortable – but what is comfort when you can hover in the air?
The Lounger is made up of permanent magnets that are located in the base and the chair – which help to hover it a few inches. Hoverit says that while most chairs give the feeling of floating on air this one actually gives you that feeling and gives you the real thing. (more…)