Creative's new headset keeps WoW gamers engrossed in all-night raids

It's a little late to be jumping on the World of Warcraft bandwagon, but it's safe to say that there are still quite a few addicted dedicated players out there in dire need of a headset. You know, to keep their roommates from going batty as they stay up all night congregating with digital friends and "leveling up." Anywho, Creative Labs has just put its latest headset up for pre-order on Amazon, with a wired version listed at $119.99 and a wireless rendition priced at $40 more. According to the product listing, the latter relies on a 2.4GHz signal, and both of 'em utilize THX TruStudio PC technology in order to split your mind wide open with pure aural bliss. There's nary a mention of a ship date just yet, but you know you're fixing to get your pre-order in now to avoid missing out. Er, you will right after you slay one... more... enemy....












Article Source : Engadget

Kingmax Power Case for the iPhone

Different folks have different needs, but when it comes to the iPhone, the most common need is more battery life. If you’re one such person, and are willing to sacrifice aesthetics, then Kingmax might have the solution for you.

Called the Kingmax iPhone Power Case, this curious looking iPhone accessory serves a dual purpose – besides being a hardcase for your iPhone, the Power Case also provides a much needed battery boost of 1500mAh. This part isn’t stated in the press release, but we figure that by using the Power Case, you can also significantly reduce the risk of having your iPhone stolen since the design of the casing itself is somewhat of an acquired taste.

But who are we to judge, right? No word on the official pricing for this case, but if it does indeed tickle your fancy, hop on to the official Kingmax website at http://tinyurl.com/yg7pu6k to find out more.

Article Source : Lowyet.net

Apple iPad: the first review

Apple iPad is finally shown off. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Like everything Apple designs, the iPad is intended to satisfy our cravings for simplicity and clarity. Steve Jobs had already sneered at the idea of ­netbooks, labelling the cheap, low-powered ­laptops that have proved phenomenally popular with consumers slow and clunky – but it's clear that this is the ­market the iPad is aiming for.

On the surface it appears to be little more than an oversized iPhone, a flat, black screen with a single button but underneath it wants to be a laptop.

As one of a small group of people given a sneak, hands-on preview of the iPad, my first impressions were good: it's hefty but not heavy, feeling solid and responsive in the hand. The screen is about the size of a large paperback, but it's just half an inch deep. That big, glassy screen does leave it vulnerable to breakages, but could also prove ­liberating for people who are used to toting a laptop around with them.

Using it will be familiar to anybody who has tried an iPhone: it uses the same combination of swipes, pokes, jabs and sweeps of the finger of its smaller cousin. Sweep your hand across its reactive 9.7-inch screen, though, and everything feels more satisfying and natural.

The big problem I had was in trying to understand what the iPad was for: the answer, it seems, is everything.

It attempts to do almost everything that your laptop can, while also offering almost everything your smartphone can do as well. Surfing the web was a breeze, while it plays video smoothly and ­handles a variety of games pretty well. You can use any of the existing iPhone applications straight away, though it is disappointing when you realise that they become blocky and almost childlike when expanded to fill the larger screen.

Switched into ebook mode, the way the iPad emulates the printed page feels fairly natural, if not entirely on a par with rival ebook readers such as Amazon's Kindle. The backlit screen doesn't come anywhere near the clarity of electronic ink, which means it's going to prove a lot harder on the eyes of bookworms(it's great for reading in bed, one Apple flunky told me, keen to stress the positive side). But what it loses here, it makes up for with the addition of ­colour and even video. When you get down to business, the iPad might not be enough for heavy users. The on-screen keyboard will take a little getting used to: unlike the thumb-driven flash of text messaging, typing on the iPad requires either a single finger stab or putting it down on a flat surface. But for casual entertainment, it manages to do plenty very well: the sort of thing likely to tempt customers who want a ­lightweight laptop but doesn't really need it to do any heavy lifting.

For anyone who loves new technology, getting the first touch of a new Apple device is a little like laying hands on the Shroud of Turin, or seeing a unicorn: the first experience of a mythical object imbued with miraculous properties.

Jobs trumpeted it as exactly that, a magical device that will change the way we use computers in our everyday lives. And while playing with the iPad was not exactly a religious experience, it's not hard to see that the gadget, or at least the ideas it contains, will be with us for a long time to come.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jan/27/apple-ipad-tablet-first-review

PlayStation 3 exploit released, hackers rejoice

In case you ever doubted his feat, or you simply wanted to recreate for sport, iPhone hacker extraordinaire George "Geohot" Hotz has released the exploit code he devised for properly hacking the PS3. This should give any aspiring minglers full memory access, and while he's only tested it with firmware version 2.4.2, he "imagine[s] it works on all current versions." A guide might follow sometime in the future, he says, but if you're really antsy to get your coding kicks, we wouldn't wait up.


Article Source : http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/26/playstation-3-exploit-released-hackers-rejoice/

Recent PS3 updates prompt more complaints of console failures

Well, we heard a raft of complaints of Blu-ray drive failures and other issues when Sony rolled out the 3.0 and 3.1 firmware updates for the PlayStation 3, and it looks like things may have taken another turn for the worse with the recent 3.10 and 3.15 updates. While it's a bit early to call things widespread, some forums are once again starting to heat up with reports of various problems that mostly seem to have occurred after the 3.15 update rolled out last month -- although some folks also seem to have had trouble with the earlier 3.10 update. As with last time, the issues being reported vary a bit, but the 60GB PS3 seems like it may be the most affected, with one completely unscientific poll on the official PlayStation forums finding that 27 users of the 60GB model had no issues after the 3.15 update, while 35 users had either some "bad" issues or a complete system failure ('course those with no problems aren't that likely to be seeking out threads about problems). So, anyone notice that their PS3 isn't behaving like it should? Let us know in comments.










Article Source : engadget