Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

When Dell started pre-loading digital copies of Iron Man in new systems for $19, we didn’t think that was very enticing, but at least it was a pretty good movie, right? Quite possibly encouraged by thousands of accidental purchases (we kid, sort of), Dell’s announced two new content pre-loading partnerships — Universal Music Group and CinemaNow. The music comes in 50 and 100 song bundles starting at $25, but at least it’s DRM-free, so if you don’t mind a mega mix chosen entirely by Dell it’s not all evil. CinemaNow, though, offers $25 and up bundles including (among other flicks) world-renown classics like The Fast and the Furious and the Matrix sequels. Fear.

Read - Universal Music Group
Read - CinemaNow

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Source:Dell preloading music mixes, CinemaNow movies, world again asks "Why?"

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Unlike certain other Chinese devices, the Aigo Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP5 personal media player is actually a working, fully-featured PMP with support for FM radio, eBooks, and an adequate variety of audio and video formats — it even outputs 720p content, though its own display is limited to 480 x 272. While Aigo’s sponsorship of the McLaren Mercedes Formula One car is this thing’s excuse for existence, it’s technically also under the company’s Patriot name (it’s called the Patriot MP5-MK3510) but we’re guessing the F1 theme will be more attractive to the Y chromosome than Winnie the Pooh.

[Via PMP Today]

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Source:Aigo "revs up" Formula One-themed PMP with 720p output

Filed under: Cellphones

Microsoft’s Robbie Bach feigned an uninterested yawn at Apple’s 6.9 million iPhones figure in an interview with BusinessWeek the other day. He wasn’t particularly insulting of the product, but didn’t think the number means too much in the long run. “Apple had a big launch of a new product, and they launched at scale in a lot of new countries with a lot of new [wireless] operators. This quarter, RIM is having its big launch, and at some point we’ll have our big launch. We’ll have to see where things normalize.” While that statement is encouraging for the fact that it semi-implies that Windows Mobile 7 is supposed to be released at “some point,” we’re not sure we’re picking up what Robbie is putting down — 6.9 million of a single device seems to imply a bit more than “launch buzz.” Things devolved quickly when Bach started spouting about how carriers want a balanced ecosystem. That may be true, but consumers are the ones that buy the phones, and if their RAZR buying habits are any indication, “ecosystem” isn’t their top priority.

[Via Electronista]

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Source:Microsoft waves dismissive, bloated hand at iPhone sales figures

Filed under: Home Entertainment

If you’ve always though the idea of Home Automation was cool, but thought it was too expensive, you should head over to Engadget HD as they check out the first affordable Home Automation in-wall touch panel from Embedded Automation — of course we use the word affordable very loosely around here, as there’s nothing cheap about a $1000 7-inch touch screen, but compared to the $7000 panels out there, it’s a steal. To find out what we liked, other than the price, ease of install, openness, and out of the box experience, click on through to the HD side.

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Source:Engadget HD delves into Home Automation with mPanel review

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

We first caught wind of a slightly revamped PSP months ago, and the long-awaited handheld — complete with a new, fancier and in some cases more dreadful display — finally hit US shelves this month. For those that picked one of these up and have spent some quality time digging into the latest firmware, how are you liking things? Particularly for those that upgraded, are you pleased with the new build? Are you being plagued with those mysterious screen problems features? Could you stand to see a few more things tweaked for the PSP-4000? We suspect there will be quite a few mixed messages flying in this one, so let’s get those comments rolling.

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Source:How would you change Sony's PSP-3000?

Filed under: Digital Cameras

You may think you know everything there is to know about Canon’s marvelous EOS 5D Mark II, but have you heard of this tidbit? Hailed as the first DSLR to “manage” multiple batteries, this here camera includes technology to read up to six separate LP-E6 batteries and display data about them right on the rear LCD. The LP-E6 cell includes an embedded microchip with a unique 8-character serial number; after it’s installed once and “registered” in your EOS 5D Mark II body, the camera then displays each cell’s serial number, the last time it was charged, the number of shots taken since the last charge, its remaining capacity in 1% increments and its recharge performance. It’s a small inclusion, sure, but for pros who go 18+ hours on a single set, we can imagine this coming in handy when trying to select which battery to use on the next excursion.

[Thanks, Peter]

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Source:Canon's EOS 5D Mark II displays multiple LP-E6 battery capacities

Filed under: Storage

Make no mistake, it’s been a hot minute since we’ve heard a good word from Hammer Storage, but the outfit is back and better than ever with an all new pocket-friendly hard drive. The morespace Portable weighs in at less than 5-ounces and houses a 2.5-inch HDD with capacities ranging from 160GB to 750GB. The USB 2.0 device can also be customized with your own protective skin, giving data thieves one less reason to pick off your drive versus one that’s not plastered with your ex-girlfriends face. Pricing is available “upon request,” and just so you know, the 160GB - 500GB units are available now, but the 750 gigger won’t be around ’til January of next year. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Hammer introduces skinnable morespace Portable hard drive

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Source:Hammer introduces skinnable morespace Portable hard drive

Filed under: Displays

Kodak has already managed to impress with its use of existing OLED technology, but it looks like the company isn’t about to rest on its laurels, and it’s now promising that a new OLED material it has developed will make future products even better and more OLED-y. The key to that material, dubbed EK-GD403, is its used of so-called “green dopant” technology which, when used in combination with Kodak’s equally mysterious EK-BH109 OLED material, apparently allows for luminous efficiencies greater than 31 cd/A and lifetimes “in excess of 65,000 hours,” among other OLED-improving measures. Of course, there’s no indication just yet as to when that material may show up in some actual products but, from the sound of things, it doesn’t seem like something that’s years away.

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Source:New Kodak OLED material promises longer life, better colors

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Household

Sure you can go crazy and drop a few hundred bucks on a high-tech door lock, or you can follow the lead of the folks from Makers Local 256 and build this USB-authenticated deadbolt, which should set you back just $60 — or no doubt less if you can scavange up some spare parts. The setup is based on Arduino’s slightly lesser known cousin the Freeduino, and effectively turns any standard USB thumb drive into a key, which can be just as easily lost or misplaced as a regular key but not as easily duplicated. What’s more, it’s not the data on the drive that gets read by the lock, but rather the serial number on a chip, which leaves the rest of the drive free for you to use as you please. Head on past the break to check it out in action.

Continue reading USB-authenticated deadbolt lock promises to only let geeks pass

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Source:USB-authenticated deadbolt lock promises to only let geeks pass

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

If we had our way, all our military tax dollars would go to DARPA. Whether it be nano planes, robot arms, or high-resolution sniper scopes, it always has something interesting cooking, and today’s defense-minded gadget is no different. It’s called a DBAC device, for Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation; basically a portable ultrasound wrap that can identify wounds (”bleeders”) and reduce their severity. It uses Doppler waves to find an internal leak, then turns up the frequency and amplitude on that location to stem it, all in a completely automated fashion able to be managed by any Joe in a hot zone. Okay, so perhaps it’s not as cool as a remote-controlled zombie shark, but this cuff has the potential to save many lives and limbs on the battlefield — assuming it works. DARPA hopes to have a functional prototype ready in 18 months. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via CNET News]

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Source:DARPA's latest: a wrap that stops bleeding with sound