Digital Technology for Digital Living.
August 31, 2004
Apple iMac G5 Announced.
Apple has announced the new iMac G5. Starting at $AU2199 the system, designed by the Gods that gave us the iPod, is a standalone 17″ or 20″ LCD monitor with the computer embedded, with 1.6 or 1.8GHz G5 processor. It comes with a built-in Superdrive or Combo drive, 80GB or 160GB hard drive, a “new headphone jack that’s also a mini-optical plug”, NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics card, two FireWire 400 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, mini-VGA output, built-in modem, Ethernet, or optional Airport Extreme, built-in speakers and microphone, and optional Bluetooth. All in all a very neat system that’ll fit nicely into anyones home.
In retrospect, the Cult of Mac artist impression wasn’t far off.
Cult of Mac describes how the design was conceived. Makes us want to throw off our shoes and run through the forest hugging trees and espouse all that is Zen.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General
Broadband Subscribers Crack A Mill In Australia.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released the latest figures for broadband subscription in Australia, and we’ve finally cracked a mill. 1,047,800 broadband connections across Australia at the end of June. 228,500 new connections since April, which is a pretty good sign that finally the price has begun to reach reasonable levels. DSL makes up 710,200 of the number, a 246% increase in one year.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Broadband
Skype For OS X.
Skype for Mac OS X (Beta 0.8) has been released today. Now they have a Windows, Linux and OS X version. It includes the new SkypeOut service which allows you to call mobile phones and land lines at lower rates that most telcos. Check out our last post about the pricing for a bit more detail.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Broadband, VOIP
August 30, 2004
Vodafone’s Future.
Vodafone has a fun site exploring what some devices might be like in the near future. Vodafone Future Site has not-yet-invented devices like personal communicators, visual bracelets, robotic cleaners, virtual billboards, location based digital maps showing a friends location, electronic paper that’s connected to the network, and a heads up display for those ever important family gatherings. It’s a Flash based site that allows you to experience some of the possibilities. Most of this technology isn’t too far off with some of the technology already in the labs, and others that we already own.
Thanks to we make money not art for the link.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General, Mobile Phone, Music, Wireless, Portable, PDA, Video, VOIP
Burnt Powerbook.
| The burnt flat. | The burnt PowerBook |
|---|---|
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According to Gizmodo, it still works. The PowerBook, not the flat. More photos here.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Portable
August 29, 2004
PerfectDraft.
There are only a few things that we at Gadget Lounge love as much as gadgets. One is beer. So when some genius comes up with a beer gadget, all we can say is “Brilliant!” Interbrew, soon to be InBev, and Philips have come up with a home draft beer dispenser. Due in Belgium in mid-November, PerfectDraft has a “tap handle, internal cooling system, pump and 6-liter light metal keg. PerfectDraft keeps beer at the optimal conditions at a constant temperature of 3° C. Once installed, the beer stays fresh for four weeks. PerfectDraft is suitable for a variety of different brands in Interbrew’s portfolio.” We just pray for an Australian release early next year, summer beer on tap. The price in Belgium will be about $AU340 (€199) and replacement kegs will be $AU25 (€14.99), which’ll be much more when shipped down under.
Link thanks to Gizmo.
Gadgetman | Comments (15) | General
HP’s Announcements.
What exactly the product announcements from HP will mean to Australian consumers we are yet to determine. We imagine that they’ll all be available via their current resellers like Harvey Norman, Myer, David Jones, etc. Overall the announcements aren’t a great range of innovative products that we hoped for, in-fact they really isn’t anything new. An iPod with tattoos, LCD and plasma TVs, a wireless photo/music player, projector with built-in DVD and 5.1, printers, cameras, media laptops, XP Media PCs, DVD writers, but nothing outstanding. ChaitGear has more detail on the whole lineup.
Update : (August 30, 2004) SmartHouse has the HP iPod Australian release date set for October.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Music, Wireless, Portable, Video, Digital TV, Digital Camera
Microsoft Marketing Impresses Themselves With A New Museum-Quality Mouse.
Microsoft have released a “Museum-Quality Mouse”, what ever that means. It looks fairly funky, as good as an Apple one, but we won’t see one in a museum for another 20 years. As usual Microsoft talk up the history they played in the humble mouse, how exactly they “guided the evolution of the mouse from its origins as a simple, utilitarian tool to its modern incarnation” only Microsoft’s marketing department will know. It’s an optical mouse, with another marketing coupe of a “unique, curving hemisphere” and a scroll wheel. All in all a very standard mouse with fantastic marketing.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General
August 27, 2004
ACCC Backs Multi-Channelling.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has backed the Seven and Ten networks request that the government allows multi-channelling on digital television channels. Currently it’s against the law for the networks other than ABC and SBS, designed to protect the pay-TV industry. Multi-channelling allows the use of the extra channels that are available using digital broadcasting to send programs other than what we currently receive. Exemptions exist in areas like sport where an event lasts longer than intended, and the network can run the scheduled program on one digital channel, while continuing the broadcast on the other. Unfortunately consumers are being robbed of potentially many new features that the extra channels will allow, like multiple angles or extra programming. We’ll see what clout the ACCC has in the coming months.
Details over at The Age.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Digital TV
SMS Gr8 4 Trvlrs.
Last year the trend for travelers was email. Duck into a grubby Internet Cafe to send home the details of the trip. It seems that in only a short time SMS may have taken over. Telstra today have announced that “97,000 SMS messages sent from Telstra customers to Telstra mobiles roaming in Greece” since the Games began. It’ll be interesting to look back on how short quick message technology will effect the way we live in the future. Gadget Lounge is looking forward to a much shorter attention …. oooh look another gadget.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Mobile Phone
HPod And Other Goodies.
Tonight is looking to be a big gadget news night as far as HP goes. Yesterday speculation around the traps was that they would be announcing the HP iPod on September 5. Today it seems they plan to announce this and other products today, U.S. time. According to ZDNet they will be announcing the normal array of printers and cameras, but much more exciting is their television, entertainment hub and digital projector. It’s possible that not all these will filter down to Aussie stores, like the TV, but given their global presence we’re sure to see much of it hear hot on the heels of the U.S. release.
Jump on the webcast if you’re a night owl. 11.40 p.m. AEST or 9.40 p.m. WST for those lucky enough to live on the west coast of Australia.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | PVR, Music, Video, Digital TV, Digital Camera
Jamm’in To A Jammed In EarJam.
Given the improvement in the ability to acquire iPod accessories in Australia over the last few months, we’ll no doubt see Griffin Technologies new additions. Some might say that if you want real earphones for the iPod you need the in-ear variety. Given some of these cost in the hundreds, they aren’t for everyone, but the standard that come with the iPod have been critisied by many. That’s where you might see the EarJams getting a hold in the market, for sale online now, and no doubt in stores next to other Griffin stock around Australia soon, they only cost about $AU27. As snap-on additions to the free headphones, they improve base, but for a smaller dollar value. Not for the audiophiles amongst us, but still a neat gadget.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Music
August 26, 2004
Sneak Peak At Nokia 9500 Communicator.
All About Symbian has a sneak peak at the soon to be released Nokia 9500 Communicator. This new smart phone is the next release of the much talked about Communicator series. It seems either people love the idea or people hate it. Is it too big, or just a very function mobile PDA/Phone? Ewan definitely likes it in his preview.
There are also rumours that Nokia will announce a new smaller model numbered 9300 in the coming months. It’ll exclude the camera and WiFi.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Mobile Phone, Wireless
TViX Media Player.
DVico, a Korean digital video and multimedia storage vendor, has released a home entertainment PC known as the TViX to the Australian market. The device has Component, Composite, S-video, Scart, and Optical Audio specifically so you can connect it to your home entertainment center. It’ll play DiVX, AVI, MPEG1, MPEG2, MP3, WMA, and Ogg Vobis. It has recently added the ability to rip a DVD so you an play it later. However, it seems to lack a network connection and a tuner for recording TV. Seems like a no-brainer adding these features if you’re serious about making it in the market.
The TViX is available through Lako Pacific resellers, who’s list you can find here. Smart House has it listed as having a RRP of $AU449.
Gadgetman | Comments (1) | Music, Video
August 25, 2004
Swiftbroadband Releases VOIP In NSW.
We mentioned on Monday Telstra’s plans for VOIP next year. Well Swiftbroadband must have listened to our advice to other ISPs and have launched their service to NSW. They recommend their 512/128 or 1500/256 ADSL connections because of at least 128 upstream data rate, which they claim is needed for the voice quality. The fees are $5.50 a month, on top of the ADSL and Telstra line rental charges, free calls to other SwiftvoiceIP customers, 15 cent local calls, 6 cents per minute nationally, 30 cents per minute to mobiles, with varying rates internationally. If you’re a heavy phone user it might be compelling. You can order online today. We’ll see more announcements from other ISPs soon.
Link via Whirlpool.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Broadband, VOIP
Hard Drives, The Portable Media Device Of The Future.
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, oh, and less impressively co-founder of Broadcast.com and HDNet, an all high-definition television network on DIRECTV, has a nice piece on why he believes that Hard Drives will rule the portable content race over DVD. Here at Gadget Lounge we’ve found that other than for backups, an Apple Powerbook is great for moving media around, including music, movies and TV shows. Mark’s use of keychain and external Firewire drives makes for some more compelling discussions on where the shrinking of drive technology is taking us. Given many believe that the next iteration of the iPod will be able to plug directly into a TV it seems feasible that Apple know exactly what Cuban is talking about.
Link thanks to Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research.
Links of Interest: Data Recovery Fast recovery from drive failures disasters and accidental data loss. Provides data recovery service on a full range of storage media.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Portable, Digital TV
Giant Hamsters, Ah, Actually, More Micro-Helicopters.
Richard Outred has kindly dropped us an email regarding the Epson µFR-II micro-helicopter, and pointed us to a smaller one, the Pixelito which has been around for some months. It doesn’t have the same bluetooth support, but it’s lighter. The page gives some details on how the device was created, and points to the reduction in battery size in a factor for reducing the size of his designs over the year. We’d like to see the hamster in a flight outfit though.
Thanks for the tip Richard.
Gadgetman | Comments (2) | Motorised, Toys
August 24, 2004
Photon, Straight To The Web Photo Publishing.
Anyone with a digital camera, an Apple Mac and the interest in publishing their photos from iPhoto to the web should consider Photon. Just out of beta the software is a plugin the the Apple standard OS X photo software, allowing the user to publish straight to a Movable Type or Typepad “publishing platform”. Gadget Lounge was privy to an early release of the software to test, and we were very impressed. It’s got the normal ease of use Mac affectionado are used to, making it as easy as exporting the photo, but with the benefit of it publishing the image and a thumbnail straight to the Internet, for the small price of about $AU14.73.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Digital Camera, Software
Caching PVR From Philips Soon In The U.K.
Philips in the UK have announced several new DVD PVR devices. Given the similar broadcast standards Gadget Lounge thinks we’ll see the devices available down under soon. The beauty of the device is its buffer. Up to 6 hours of TV can be buffered automatically, meaning that even if you forget to press record you’ll still be able to go back and start watching. As with other DVD recorders you’ll be able to do forms of time shifting and record it to the DVD+R/RW.
Pocket-lint and Tech Digest have the scoop. “The HDRW720 will cost £550 ($AU1,400), the DVDR725H £650 ($AU1,650), the DVDR520H £450 ($AU1,150), the DVDR615 £280 ($AU710), the DVDR610 £250 ($AU640), and the DVDR630VR £400 ($AU1,020), all the models will be available in the next couple of months.”
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | PVR
August 23, 2004
Media Center To Launch At Melbourne’s Intelligent Home Show.
As we reported a few weeks ago, Microsoft’s Media Center is due to be launched in October, now known to be at the Intelligent Home Show in Melbourne on October 15. As well as a speaker they’ll have at the event they also plan to have a large stand. HP will also be launching their hardware for Media Center, according to Digital Connect News. A couple of important ingredients for the release will be simple hardware, like a set top box that plugs and plays, which unless HP do something different, doesn’t look like the case, and as discussed previously, an Australian Program Guide. I’m sure we’ll get more reports before the day.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | PVR, Software
