Archive for June, 2008

Surround sound is pretty awesome. Watching any war or action flick is about ten times better when the explosions are going off behind you in your living room.

But setting up those tiny speakers everywhere isn’t for everyone. Mitsubishi has the cure for those of us who want a surround experience, with less hassle. Their new 149 iSP series LCDs have a 16-speaker sound bar to recreate that movie theatre aural assault.

The 46” model will run you $3300, while the 52” version (out soon) is $3700. While it won’t be as great as actual surround, if you’re in the market for a new set, this may be a good choice.

We all know that our beloved electronics are energy hogs. So what if your PS3 costs more to run than your fridge? It’s got Metal Gear Solid 4!

It appears that Sony Ericsson is doing what it can to save the world, winning Greenpeace’s Greener Electronics Guide award for most environmentally-friendly electronics company.

The company was the only to score more than 5 out of 10 on a scale that factored companies on recycling programs, use of harmful chemicals and energy waste. Microsoft and Nintendo both scored below a three on the scale. At least Sony is winning one aspect of the video game console war!

Itunes competitor and music subscription service, Rhapsody has shoveled a little more dirt on the coffin of DRM.

DRM, for those who don’t know, is what prevents you from actually owning the iTunes tracks you pay for – which is totally awesome, by the way.

Well Rhapsody has just launched a new version of its service that is DRM-free. Tracks run the standard $.99/song and albums cost $9.99. But wait, there’s more! The first 100,000 sign-ups before July 4 get an album for free. Getting a sweet deal and sticking it to the man? Sign me up.

Big TV displays are stuff of geek dreams. Who can have the biggest, baddest, best TV/monitor is king.

Just stop trying now because NASA will end you.

The hyper-wall 2 is the (awesome) name given to NASA’s crazy visualization set-up. It’s 128 screens and has 1,024 processor cores. It also has 74 teraflops of power – which is as much as 600 last generation gaming consoles – and is 23’ by 10’.

But NASA doesn’t use it to play GTA IV (at least during work hours), they use it for things like storm and weather monitoring and looking at black holes. Borrrring.

Hey NASA, I am coming over with Cloverfield on DVD. Get ready.

Combining two things can turn out great. Peanut butter and chocolate. Cookies and milk. Canes and fishing poles?

That last one has become a reality thanks to some enterprising inventor or lame-legged fishing enthusiast. It’s available for $39.95, is 35 inches high, and has a reel and line to go along with the traditional rubber foot and metal handle.

Father’s Day is past, but it’s not too late to get your old man one of these. Although I am skeptical of how good each of the individual parts of this are.

Possibly spoiling one of Microsoft’s announcements at the upcoming E3, a K-Mart scan has shown an Xbox 360 price drop.

The $299.99 price for the 20GB version is down from the $349.99 price point, which may be enough to sway gamers who’ve been afraid of the dreaded red ring of death.

Await Microsoft’s official announcement at E3 this July 14-17 in Los Angeles and be prepared to not be surprised.

So far, Nintendo’s WiiWare service has been a bit of a mixed bag. It’s somewhere between the established and pretty great Xbox Live Marketplace and Sony’s still infant PS3 service.

Well Japan is taking a different angle, bringing comics to Nintendo’s machine. Sun Denshi plans to release a new, original manga via WiiWare and hopes to expand to anime and various other forms of similar entertainment.

While there hasn’t been any pricing announcement yet, they had better make it worth people’s money to discourage them from, you know, actually going out and buying comics.

During a press conference today Sony showed off PS3’s new weather and news features (dubbed “Life with Playstation”) and a bit of info about their video download service.

While the big N already has a weather channel for the Wii, Sony’s looks a bit more sophisticated – featuring a more life-like globe that actually shows the weather instead of the cartoony display on the Wii.

Sony also had a bit of info on a video download service that is due sometime this summer.

As gas prices top $4 a gallon and people are becoming more and more eco-friendly, cycling to get around is increasing rapidly.

But biking in the city – especially at night – can be dangerous. And hand signals are for lame-o’s. Well Leah Buechley’s LED signal sweatshirt/jacket is the perfect solution.

There are step-by-step instructions on how to make your own possibly life-saving coats. Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best one.

Traditional “headphones + ignorance” just not getting it done when you want some technology privacy? Well the Ovei isolation pod will take personal geek privacy to a whole new level.

Designed by Lee McCormack and made by Mclaren Applied Technologies, the $100,000 (!) pod will be custom built to tailor your specific needs – be it gaming or media – including color exterior and can be hooked up with a PS3 or 360.

Forget questions about where you’d put it in your apartment or explaining it to guests (“It’s an entertainment isolation chamber…”) as they look at you funny and just drop the coin. Your Halo 3 rank will thank you. Your wife/girlfriend, not so much.