Remember way back when when consoles came in black or gray? Then amazingly consoles with color appeared, and all was good. We love the Nintendo DSi with its nifty dual cameras and coming DSi Facebook integration. We are curious though why Nintendo has only released two colors here in the US, black and blue when so many other colors and even special edition versions are available in Japan? Normally we wouldn't complain about the cool toys the Japanese get that we never do (like these PSP accessories the US will never see) but in this case we feel like complaining a little. Play-Asia has all the special edition DSi handhelds you could ever want to import but beware, they are region locked which means you're stuck playing Japanese games only. Boo. Red Nintendo DSi Play-Asia Many more special edition Nintendo DSi systems Play-Asia Extremely Limited DSi Colors in the US Amazon
Ever wonder what Imperial Stormtroopers do in their spare time? Inflicting pain and terror, killing Jawas, and keeping the Death Star running in tip-top shape is only what they do while on duty. Just like anyone else Stormtroopers like to have fun once they get off work too! One photographer has been exploring the secret life of the Star Wars Stormtrooper and has discovered that dancing, picking flowers, and even playing Pacman are a few of the activities they like to partake in. YMCA Stormtroopers Flickr Posted on June 05, 2009, Related tags: Office Toys
Unless you were asleep all day you're probably aware of the big announcements from Apple at the WWDC 2009. While Steve Jobs was noticeably not present the new iPhone 3GS was announced, as well as a $99 iPhone 3G and a new 13" MacBook. So what's the big deal about the iPhone 3G S? "Improved performance," better battery life, a better 3MP camera with video capability, voice control, and a compass. Wait...a compass? Apple iPhone 3G vs 3G S Smackdown Chart
Amazon is running a special on the "Watchmen" Director's Cut Blu-ray bundled with a digital copy of the film for viewing on PC or otherwise compatible portable player for $20.99. The extended director's cut version of the film includes an additional 24 minutes of action and dialogue including an important scene with Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl. (For those not into "Watchmen" but into Blu-ray, Amazon is also running a "Buy Two, Get One Free" on non-Watchmen BR discs.) Watchmen (Director's Cut) (Amazon Digital Bundle + Digital Copy and BD-Live) [Blu-ray]
At first we considered making sarcastic comments about paying the same for a miniature 7" monitor that you would for a monitor three times the size. Then we took a closer look at the Mimo Mini USB monitor and realized it is powered entirely via USB, no external AC adaptor or video card needed. This miniature display marvel also runs in landscape or portrait mode and also comes in a touchscreen version. Mimo Mini, we think we love you - full specs after the jump. ThinkGeek.com Small monitor runs completely off of USB, giving you an extra mini display whenever and wherever you need it. No extra power needed. The Mimo monitor is powered by USB. No extra video card. The Mimo has a built in video card that runs over any USB 2.0 connection. Rotating Portrait or Landscape view. Go vertical for notes and spreadsheets, horizontal to watch a movie. Great for laptop use. The Mimo stores easily in your bag and is ready to go simply by plugging it in 740 Model offers touchscreen abilities for control with a finger or stylus Mac and Windows driver support (intel Mac only). Additional drivers required for touchscreen use of the 740 monitor on Mac OS. Display size - 7" Display resolution - 800 x 480 Brightness - 350 cd/m2 Contrast ratio - 400:1 Connections - USB 2.0
There's nothing quite like the sensation of unboxing a new product from Apple. Today we picked up a new Product Red 16GB Nano from our local Apple store and are providing you with a unique unboxing video from the Nano's point of view. Click to embiggen and watch in glorious HD.
* 8GB or 16GB flash drive2 * Holds up to 2,000 or 4,000 songs in 128-Kbps AAC format3 * Holds up to 7,000 or 14,000 iPod-viewable photos4 * Holds up to 8 hours or 16 hours of video5 * Stores data via USB flash drive
Accessibility
* Spoken menus allow listeners to hear many of the names of menus, song titles, and artists without viewing the screen. * An alternative large font can make menus easier to read. * A high-resolution LCD display with adjustable contrast and backlight settings makes it easier to read in low light. * Captions in video are displayed when they are present using a legible, high-contrast white-on-black font.
Environmental requirements
* Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C) * Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C) * Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing * Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)
Environmental Status Report
iPod nano embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:
* 2.2-inch (diagonal) TFT display * 240-by-376-pixel resolution at 204 pixels per inch
VoiceOver Kit
* Chinese (Cantonese) * Chinese (Mandarin) * Czech * Danish * Dutch * English * Finnish * French * German * Greek * Italian * Japanese * Korean * Norwegian * Polish * Portuguese * Russian * Spanish * Swedish * Turkish
Audio
* Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz * Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV * User-configurable maximum volume limit
Headphones
* Earphones * Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz * Impedance: 32 ohms
Languages
* Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese (Traditional Chinese), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, and UK English * Additional language support for display of song, album, and artist information: Bulgarian, Serbian, Slovenian, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese * iPod nano supports 20 VoiceOver languages: Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Mandarin), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (U.S.), Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish; other languages are available with the purchase of a supported third-party text-to-speech engine * iPod nano supports 20 spoken menu languages: Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Mandarin), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (U.S.), Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish; other languages are available with the purchase of a supported third-party text-to-speech engine
Video Capture
* H.264 VGA video, 640 by 480 pixels, up to 30 frames per second with AAC audio * 15 real-time special effects: Sepia, Black and White, X-Ray, Film Grain, Thermal, Security Cam, Cyborg, Bulge, Kaleido, Motion Blur, Mirror, Light Tunnel, Dent, Stretch, and Twirl
External buttons and controls
* Hold switch * Click Wheel
Input and output
* Dock connector * 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
Battery and power6
* Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery * Playback time o Music playback time: Up to 24 hours when fully charged o Video playback time: Up to 5 hours when fully charged Audio: 24 hours. Video: 5 hours. Recording Video 1.5 hours. * Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter (sold separately) o Fast-charge time: about 1.5 hours (charges up to 80% of battery capacity) o Full-charge time: about 3 hours
Mac system requirements
* Mac computer with USB 2.0 port * Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later * iTunes 9 or later7 * iPhoto 6.0.6 or later recommended for use with Mac OS X Tiger8 * iPhoto ’09 recommended for use with Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard8
Windows system requirements
* PC with USB 2.0 port * Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later * iTunes 9 or later7
In the box
* iPod nano * Earphones * USB 2.0 cable * Dock adapter * Quick Start guide
What's In The Box Stealth Binoculars Instruction Booklet (5 AA batteries NOT included) Pros: See in total darkness up to 50 feet Two night vision display modes Two night vision amplification modes Stereo vision Sturdy & durable construction, neck strap Cons: Slightly pricey ConclusionThe EyeClops Night Vision 2.0 infrared stealth binoculars are an improvement over the original, and tons of fun for kids wanting to play with 1st gen night vision that actually works. Available on Amazon: Eyeclops Night Vision V2
Fans of the original "Die Hard" are loyal to the very end - just like Joseph Takagi. Why not display your corporate loyalty proudly by wearing a "Nakatomi Plaza" t-shirt? Just be on the lookout for terrorists - wearing this shirt in the "Die Hard" universe is the "red shirt" equivalent. ThinkGeek.com
This tiny five-inch lightsaber is perfect for the hamster Jedi in your life. Hidden in the cap is a whopping 1GB of storage! You might require more space to store your files on, however considering how often hamsters are seen using computers this is probably all the storage they will ever need. "These are not the sunflower seeds you are looking for..."*waves tiny paw mysteriously*
While not the fastest USB drive in existence (read 12MB/sec, write 7MB/sec is slow, actually) as of this writing it is one of only two USB drives in existence that actually transform. While there are 2GB and 4GB versions of this drive that have been around for some time, this is the only 8GB version we've seen. Full specs after the jump. (Thanks JJ!) Transfomers USB Flash Drive - 8GB Specifications: * 8 GB Memory Sitck Pen Driver* Host Interface: USB 2.0 Compliant (USB High Speed)* Hot Plug and Play instantly * Reliability: 100,000 Read / Write Operations Speed, Read 12MB/sec, Write 7MB/sec* Suspend Current: 250uA ± 20% (Compliant to USB Specification, 500uA)* Operating Current: 25mA ± 30% (Compliant to USB Specification, 100mA)* Operating Temperature: 0℃ ~ 50℃* Relative Humidity: 5% ~ 95%* Acoustic Noise: 0 dB @ one meter* Operating system compatibility: Windows XP Professional / Home Edition, Windows 2000 Professional / Windows Me / Windows 98, Windows Vista
Super 8 cameras were released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement over their standard 8 mm format. Many memories were captured on this silent format and one can almost spot the distinct look of Super 8 a mile away. Superheadz in Tokyo have designed a digital video camera that shoots "Super 8 like" videos in 640x480 format - the Digital Harinezumi 2. The designers of this camera intentionally removed audio from the recording format and there's no live view when shooting still photos! This unique toy camera isn't for everyone but for those who loved the Super 8 format or a warm retro look it is right up your alley. We've dug our own homemade Super 8 movies out of the archive from 1982 and encoded them for your enjoyment below. As soon as we're able to get our hands on our own Harinezumi 2 expect a full review and comparison to the original format. Full camera specs and product link after the jump.
Specs: Resolution: 3 MegaPixelRecording resolution: still picture: 1600×1200 or 320×240, video: 640 × 480Film sensitivity: 100/800Lens: Normal : about 1m to infinity Macro: about 10cmFile Format: Still Picture: JPEG Video: AVI (25fps)Memory: Micro SD Card (Up to 2GB; Sold Separately)Display: (Width) 3.3cm (Height) 2.5cmBody: (Length) about 9cm (Height) about 3cm (Width) about 3.5cm Digital Harinezumi 2 Special Box
Even though we've never reviewed them here (what's wrong with us?) we actually own and use both the Powermonkey eXplorer and the Solio Magnesium Edition Solar Charger and find both of them quite satisfactory. However either of these solar chargers run upwards of $100 to own. ThinkGeek has the budget conscious in mind with the Pico Freeloader Solar Charger, a compact and lightweight wonder that according to the specs provides power of 35 hours on mobile phone, 14 hours on iPod, or 1.5 hours on GPS on a single ten hour charge. What's particularly nice about the Pico is that you can recharge its internal lithium ion via USB in case of eternal winter (no sun). Oh, did we mention it's only $39? ThinkGeek.com
At first glance, these USB light up warming labels seem....silly. Why obstruct your USB port with a silly light up sign? Then we had a closer look at the available warnings: On Air (written in english) Fasten your seat belt (logo) SOS Operation in progress (written in japanese, red colour) Do not use fire (written in japanese & english) Empty bus (written in japanese, white colour and blue words) It's Warm (written in japanese) Safety first (written in japanese, yellow colour) No smoking (written in japanese and english, white colour) Exit (written in japanese and english, green colour) Yep, still silly. Although the "On Air" one might not be so bad.
Remember way back when when consoles came in black or gray? Then amazingly consoles with color appeared, and all was good. We love the Nintendo DSi with its nifty dual cameras and coming DSi Facebook integration. We are curious though why Nintendo has only released two colors here in the US, black and blue when so many other colors and even special edition versions are available in Japan? Normally we wouldn't complain about the cool toys the Japanese get that we never do (like these PSP accessories the US will never see) but in this case we feel like complaining a little. Play-Asia has all the special edition DSi handhelds you could ever want to import but beware, they are region locked which means you're stuck playing Japanese games only. Boo.
