Computer Hardware

Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard

December 10, 2008

Logitech today introduced what they deem a "Game-Changing Gameboard" called the Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard. Hyperbole aside, the Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard is an interesting concept. It sports a naturally contoured design, on-board memory, customizable backlighting, and programmable keys. A keyboard with memory?

Posted in Accessories, Computer Hardware, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, TMCnet, Video Games & Gaming

Gadget Prices Falling This Holiday Season!

December 8, 2008

Ho ho ho!

'Tis the season for steep discounts on gadgets goods on the Internet. According to this article in Electonista, online shopping sites such as Buy.com, HP.com, SonyStyle.com, Newegg.com, OnSale.com and RefurbDepot.com all are offering big savings.

Buy.com has cut prices on everything from MP3 players and digital photo frames to GPS units and notebook computers. Prices are slashed on everything from wireless routers and printers to wireless mice and Bluetooth stereo headphones at HP.com.

SonyStyle.com is offering deals on notebooks, iPod docks, game consoles, digital cameras, HDTVs and more as well as gift cards this holiday season.

Until December 31st Newegg.com is offering specials on their HDTV collection and until December 11th enter to win a $5,000 Newegg gift certificate in the Holiday Wishlist Sweepstakes.

Posted in Accessories, Computer Hardware, Digital Cameras, GPS, Gadgets, Headsets, MP3 Players & Digital Audio, Video Games & Gaming, Wireless

Not Even Half of Old PCs Get Reused ... Sad

December 1, 2008

Worldwide demand for used PCs is greater than supply, yet less than half of PCs entering the secondary market get reused.

Only one in five PCs targeted for reuse find their way from a mature to a developing economy, tech consulting firm Gartner said in a report.

Of those machines that actually make it, only 44% get used. Major hindrances include export tariffs and high transportation costs.

"The secondary PC market offers great opportunity to specialized intermediaries, resellers, or vendors, but it is a highly fragmented and competitive market," Gartner analyst Meike Escherich said in a statement.

Refurbished PCs typically offer equal or better profit margins than new PCs, ranging from $10 to $50 for a 3-year-old machine.

More at InformationWeek.

(And thanks to freegeekchicago.org for the photo.)

Posted in Computer Hardware

Gadgets Help Drive Black Friday Sales

December 1, 2008

Despite one of the worst economic climates in decades, consumer spending on Black Friday hit $10.6 billion, 3% higher than the day after Thanksgiving in 2007, according to researcher ShopperTrak.

Gadgets accounted for nine of the top 10 most popular Black Friday products, PriceGrabber said.

Data from PriceGrabber.com shows that online consumers are taking advantage of promotions on popular electronics, including LCD and plasma TVs, Blu-ray disc players, digital SLR cameras, laptops and video game consoles.

The most popular products on Black Friday:

Nintendo Wii Console
Ugg Australia 'Classic Short' Boot (how about that!)
Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player
Samsung LN52A650 52" LCD TV
Nintendo Wii Fit
Panasonic TH-42PX80U 42" Plasma TV
Sennheiser HD 555 Headphones
Canon EOS Rebel XSi Black SLR Digital Camera Kit
Acer Aspire One AOA110-1295 Notebook
Canon PowerShot A590 IS Black Digital Camera

And while we are at it, here are the Top 10 categories and percent growth over Black Friday 2007:

Women's Boots - 203%
Watches - 202%
Blu-ray/HD-DVD Players - 147%
Women's Sleep & Lounge Wear - 415%
Games & Puzzles - 151%
Women's Jackets - 110%
Music - 96%
Headphones - 103%
Women's Dresses - 107%
Women's Casual Shoes - 143%

More at PriceGrabber.com and The Washington Post.

Posted in Computer Hardware, Digital Cameras, Gadgets, Headsets, Video Games & Gaming, Video Hardware & Software

Black Friday Results are in!

December 1, 2008

It appears it just might be a Merry Christmas even with the doom & gloom surrounding the economy. I guess President-elect Barack Obama must be the Messiah, since he's already creating miracles and he hasn't even been sworn in yet. Or it could just be that credit card loving Americans just don't know when to quit spending & charging.

Check this out:

NRF Survey Finds Black Friday Gets Holiday Season Off to Energetic Start
-- Great Bargains, Pent-Up Demand Drove Shoppers to Stores, Web

Though the holiday season is far from over, retailers across the country are breathing a collective sigh of relief after shoppers headed to stores and websites in droves over the weekend. According to the National Retail Federation's 2008 Black Friday Weekend survey, conducted by BIGresearch, more than 172 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 147 million shoppers last year.*

Shoppers spent an average of $372.57 this weekend*, up 7.2 percent over last year's $347.55.

Posted in Computer Hardware, Computer Software, Digital Cameras, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, MP3 Players & Digital Audio, Mobile Phones, PDAs & Handhelds, TMCnet, Video Games & Gaming, Video Hardware & Software

Force Skype HQ Video Mode with any webcam

December 1, 2008

So you want Skype High Quality (HQ) video, but aren't willing to shell out for a nice dual-core processor and a high-end Logitech camera, eh? Well, no worries - Nodewave has a Force 'Skype' HQ Video app that allows you to Enable/Disable (and even configure) High-Quality Video in Skype, and even High-Definition Video regardless of your camera or processor.

So if Santa doesn't stick a high-end Logitech Orb AF webcam (my favorite webcam) in your stocking for Christmas, then this hack might just be the way to go!

Posted in Computer Hardware, Computer Software, Digital Cameras, Gadgets, Skype, TMCnet, Video Hardware & Software, VoIP, p2p

Killing off Vampire Power for Good!

November 28, 2008

It's been called both "vampire power" and "phantom load" -- likened to the power-hungry HAL 9000 computer (at left) in Stanley Kubrick's classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

It's the little unblinking red light on the television set that is silently drawing energy from the grid; studies have shown it can add 10% or more to a household energy bill.

Now Spanish entrepreneurs claim to have invented a way to end the problem that has bedeviled energy regulators, environmentalists and appliance manufacturers. They have patented an algorithm that can detect when an appliance is in standby mode and automatically switch it off completely.

The standby-mode killer has yet to be proven commercially and must contend with other new products designed to tackle the same problem. But, despite some doubters, the Spanish inventors say theirs is the only product able to completely do away with a large, and growing, world-wide problem.

Now how about that!

Get more at the Wall Street Journal.

Posted in Computer Hardware, Computer Software, Gadgets

Need more Terabytes this Christmas?

November 26, 2008

Looking for a faster, bigger hard drive this Christmas? (Two days till Black Friday sales by the way) Well, I came across this funny Youtube video of the day - filmed at famous Mac Store Tekserve in Manhattan, New York and paid for by drive manufacturer Seagate. It's a tad long, but it features a hip-hop office drama and the desire for "A new disk drive. 1.5 Terabytes...." (don't let that little jingle get stuck in your head) Just in time for the Christmas holiday season.

Also, if looking for some sweet terabyte hard drive deals, check out this list on Amazon.

Via 9to5mac.com

Posted in Accessories, Apple, Computer Hardware, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Video Hardware & Software

HP Debuts First Multi-touch Notebook -- Yes HP, Not Apple (Now That's a Surprise!!!)

November 19, 2008

From the first time Steve Jobs demonstrated "the pinch" -- the two-finger gesture used to zoom in and out of photos and Web pages on the iPhone -- some Apple observers assumed it was just a matter of time before a multitouch-enabled screen showed up on the Mac.

That hasn't happened yet. But now Hewlett-Packard has beaten Apple to the punch, announcing the first multitouch-enabled notebook PC, the tx2.

We are all wondering -- aren't we -- why Apple couldn't get this out to market first?

The tx2 is a convertible notebook, meaning its screen can pivot 180 degrees to show someone else what's on it or lie flat and act like a tablet PC.

The first convertible notebook aimed directly at consumers, the tx2 sports HP's version of multitouch technology, which lets you use two fingers at once to manipulate images on the screen or make on-screen gestures that signify specific commands.

Posted in Computer Hardware

PC Magazine Stops the Presses - Online Only

November 19, 2008

I grew up reading PC Magazine and I looked forward each couple weeks to picking up my copy of PC Magazine at the local grocery store. But today, Ziff Davis has announced that the legendary PC Magazine print publication is shutting down its print publication and focusing exclusively on online content. This is truly a sad day... Hold on while I grab some tissues...

PC Magazine started the whole in-depth comparative reviews of PCs and Microsoft software.

Posted in Computer Hardware, Computer Software, Gadgets, Home Entertainment, Microsoft, Mobile Phones, News, TMCnet, Video Games & Gaming, Video Hardware & Software

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