October 1, 2008
I'm not exactly sure why I would ever really need a pair of night vision goggles, but I'm sure I could come up with something.
The EyeClops goggles uses IR technology for monocular night vision, allowing you to see up to 50 feet in complete darkness. The eye piece flips up so that you can see in normal light while still wearing them, and while they're on, there's two viewing screens, one in the classic creepy green, and the other in black and white. Also, the EyeClops comes with two different sensitivity levels. The first is stealth mode, where the goggles operate at partial power for close proximity viewing, and the other is the normal mode, which operates at full power, emits a barely visible ring of red light, and lets you see things at a distance.
The thing that really caught my eye about these, is that the goggles are only $89.99 over at the Think Geek site HERE. The guys at the site did try out the goggles, and said they work as advertised. Not bad at all for the price.
(via)
Posted by Ghostshark under Electronics, New | Comments (0)
September 24, 2008
Google's new phone, called Andriod, G1, or Gphone, has a few reviews out for it, and they've been mixed.
The phone is of course being compared to the iPhone, and so far most of the things I've seen are good, unless the reviewer really likes his iPhone, and then the Gphone just isn't that great. Though I hope you really didn't expect any website with Apple in it's name to tell people to start ditching their iPhones.
Regardless, here's some of the basics of what the Google phone has to offer over the iPhone. First, you can flip up the top to reveal a full physical keyboard, instead of an onscreen one like the iPhone has. The Google phone also comes with a 3.0-megapixel camera with photo-sharing capability, a memory expansion card slot, removable battery and voice dialing. A good comparison between this an the iPhone is that it has everything the iPhone does, plus all of the things that iPhone users had on their wish list.
The biggest difference between the two phones is the new Android operating system. Android is completely open, meaning that anyone can write software for it. This makes it totally different from Apple's approach of only letting you install applications from it's iTunes store that Apple has officially sanctioned. We'll have to see how the open approach works. It will more than likely mean a lot more applications than Apple has, and will add a lot of things that Apple won't allow, but without any controls on what gets onto the phone, it could lead to some bad situations after installing bad apps.
The phone itself has only been seen at trade shows, so no one has got their hands on one for a few days to really see what it's made of. The first Google phone to hit the shelves will be a T-Mobile version, cost $179.99 ($20 cheaper than the iPhone), and reports are that T-Mobile's plans are a lot easier on the wallet than AT&T, but also point out that T-Mobile only has a 3G network in 19 cities so far.
We'll have to wait and see how this plays out in the future. The iPhone may just keep it's dominance in the cell phone market, but remember, this has happened before. Once upon a time Apple computers were the thing to buy, and then someone came along and created an open computer platform (Microsoft) and it went badly for Apple. I doubt that history is going to repeat itself exactly like that, but only time will tell.
Posted by Ghostshark under Electronics | Comments (0)
September 19, 2008
Another interesting product to chill, pour and save your wine for up to ten days. Plus, you can see the bottle so you know exactly what you're getting. Here's more information about it from the site:
Our revolutionary Skybar Wine Preservation & Optimization System is the first wine bar for the home that perfectly chills and naturally preserves your favorite wines. An innovative pouring technique smoothly decants your preferred glass of wine, allowing you to enjoy all of its natural flavors and notes.
– Independently chilled chambers allow you and your guests to enjoy 3 different wines at one time
– Digital temperature readings for each chamber ensure wine is served at its ideal temperature
– Select from 9 wine type presets or use the manual temperature controls
–Sleek pouring spout smoothly pours directly into your glass without disturbing the natural sediment in the wine bottle
– Innovative vacuum technology preserves open bottles of wine up to 10 days
– Elegantly highlight your choice wines with a brilliant LED light in each chamber
– Each chamber holds 1-1/2 liter bottle
You can buy one for $999, read more about it, and see some more pictures, over at the Frontgate site HERE.
(via)
Posted by Ghostshark under Electronics, Furnishings, Wine | Comments (0)
September 17, 2008
The HTC Touch has somewhat quietly become the a contender for the coolest phone out there. The main reason is on paper, it does everything a little better than everyone else, even counting the iPhone 3G.
Since the iPhone is the reigning champ, it's of course what the HTC is compared to. Both run on 3G networks, have bluetooth and wifi, GPS, and touch screens. The HTC actually come out on top on a few things, such as a 3.2 megapixel camera (vs' iPhone's 2.0MP), a fully functional internet browser (iPhone can't do Flash) and a microSD card slot which allows you to switch out cards for more memory options. The iPhone does come out on top in the screen category, in that the HTC only has a 2.8-inch LCD that's square, with the iPhone having the landscape 3.5-inch display.
I don't think that the HTC Touch is going to replace the iPhone at the top of the heap, but if you're looking for a good phone that's not an iPhone, you should definitely take a look at the HTC HERE.
Posted by Ghostshark under Electronics | Comments (0)
August 28, 2008
Well, the Excalibur has installed some of the new electronic poker tables. VegasRex and a freind of his went over and checked them out. There was some interesting things that you could do at the table, such as paying $0.50 to rabbit hunt and see what the next few cards would be after you fold. I try never to do that, but sometimes you just want to know. Of course, it's always entertaining to read VegasRex talk about his time running around Vegas. Though, if you're German, you might want to skip it, or just please remember to send him the hate mail.
You can read his take on the new poker tables over at the VegasRex site HERE.
Posted by Ghostshark under Electronics, Poker, Vegas | Comments (0)
August 18, 2008
The Sooloos is an all in one music storage and playback device, all housed in a single unit controlled by a touchscreen. This isn't anything new, as there has been a couple of systems out that already do this sort of thing, but the Sooloos system takes it a step further with a built in backup system to make sure you don't lose anything. The systems comes in several different configurations, and it looks as though you could buy the basic system, and then add on other modules as you go. The touch 17-inch screen allows you to run the system with their software that can do all of the basic things such as creating playlists, and general organization of your music. The system is also set up so that it can be networked through your home, so you can listen to your music where ever you are. Since it's networked, it can also be controlled from your PC, or iPod Touch and iPhone.
The system is said to be expensive, costing around $13,000, but hardware wise is pretty impressive in my opinion, making it one of the better ones out there.
You can read more about it at the Sooloos site HERE.
(via)
Posted by Ghostshark under Electronics | Comments (0)
August 13, 2008
The SLIMstage40 is only 3.3-inches wide by 3.4-inches high, and 39-inches long. Even with it's small size, it pumps out 170-watts from eight internal amplifiers. The device has four Linear Magnetic Drive main/satellite speakers and three Extreme-Energy subs that are assisted by six mass radiators. The device comes with three digital audio inputs (two optical, one coaxial), three analog inputs, a headphone jack, LED-backlit panel, an RS-232 port and an IR remote. The basic system sells for $899 or $1,199, if you add the SUBstage100 subwoofer to the package.
The SLIMstage40 is set to debut at CEDIA 2008 this year, and I'm a date on when this will hit the shelves will pop up around then.
(via)
Posted by Ghostshark under Electronics, New | Comments (0)
August 11, 2008
Not that I can see spending this much on a projector, but if you have the money, I don't think you could better than this:
For over ten years, leading UK-based luxury home entertainment manufacturer Meridian Audio Ltd has been developing and manufacturing award-winning video products - from DVD players to projectors - that, together with the company's advanced digital audio components, create the Meridian Digital Theater, offering the highest quality reproduction of both image and sound.
Now, Meridian takes the next step towards perfecting the home viewing experience with the introduction of the Meridian 810 Reference Video System. The 810 system comprises two primary elements: the 810 Reference Video Projector, an entirely new D-ILA-based digital projector offering a previously impossible 10 megapixels - exceeding the resolution even of commercial digital cinema projectors - and the 810 Reference Video Scaler, a special processor designed to optimize the imaging of HD and standard resolution inputs for the vast new possibilities offered by a 10 megapixel projection environment. The result is a system that, Meridian believes, represents the most realistic home theater performance in the world.
Using a brand new light engine, the Meridian 810 Reference Video Projector offers an effective resolution of 4096 x 2400 pixels, or 10 megapixels. In comparison, a conventional HDTV image at 1080i represents just 1 megapixel, while full-spec HD (1080p) is still only twice that. The Meridian 810 Reference Video Projector also has extremely high light output capability. Powered by a PKI Xenon lamp, it is capable of delivering up to 4000 lumens, enough to light even the very largest screens to the Hollywood reference level of 16 foot-lamberts. In addition, the projector has a native contrast ratio of 10,000:1, ensuring that even in the most difficult scenes, such as those combining bright light and shadow, detail is never lost. Trained staff at Meridian's state-of-the-art headquarters near Cambridge, UK, individually calibrate each projector in a procedure that takes over four days to complete.
To display an image with a resolution of 10 megapixels requires some very special scaling. To meet this requirement, Meridian has developed the 810 Reference Video Scaler. A brand new design, featuring Marvell's powerful, award-winning, Qdeo
video processing technology, the scaler converts any digital source (480i to 1080p) up to full 10 megapixel resolution. Its quiet and natural video processing produces images that are free from noise and devoid of artifacts whether operating in 4:3, 16:9 or 2.35:1 modes.
The Meridian 810 Reference Video System will be available as a package consisting of both projector and scaler, which will not be available separately. Four different packages will be available, featuring lens systems with differing throw lengths. Short, Medium and Long-Throw packages will include a special motorized 2.35:1 (Cinemascope®) lens assembly, while a Very Short Throw package, designed for back-projection and simulator applications, will also be available. All four packages will be the same price: US$185,000 (US retail).
The Meridian 810 Reference Video System is expected to begin shipping in limited quantities by the end of Q3, 2008, with full availability before the end of the year.
Posted by Ghostshark under Electronics | Comments (0)
August 4, 2008
This might come in handy for your next trip to the beach. The mask comes with a built in 3.1 or 5.0 mega-pixel digital camera with 16MB of built in memory. It also has a Micro SD slot that will let you pop in up to a 2GB card.
The camera has two buttons above your right eye, one to turn the camera on and off, and the other to take a picture. A small LCD screen is set just behind the camera lens in the center of the mask to tell you all the important information. The mask is good up to 30m (about 100 feet) deep, depending on the model you buy.
You can read more about it, and see some pictures taken with the mask, at the Liquid Image site HERE.
(via)
Posted by Ghostshark under Electronics, Water | Comments (0)
July 3, 2008
I've been looking around for a program that would track my winnings (and the damn times I lose) for me, rather than the pencil and paper process I have at the moment. I've found two that are pretty much at opposite ends of functionality and price, and though I would share.
TrackMyPoker.com has a simple program that let's you type in what you won or lost, and then gives you a basic bar graph of where you are. Simple, but the program is free to download and use. You can find it HERE.
If you want to get really serious about tracking everything, then the PokerTracker might be for you. It does come with a hefty price tag of $89.95, but it does a lot. It has a heads up display for when your playing online, can track multiple tables, it graphs your winnings, lets you replay hands, it'll even let you track your opponents winnings too. You can find it HERE.
Posted by Ghostshark under Electronics, Poker | Comments (0)
