Archive for June, 2004

• Thursday, June 24th, 2004

  Bluetooth Bar Code Laser Scanner With Fuzzy Logic

  <% rating = 5 %>I use a CCD barcode scanner to enter my DVD collection into DVD Profiler. I’d love to be able to enter in the codes wirelessly… so I will be ordering Socket Communications Cordless Laser Bar Code Scanner. The Cordless Hand Scanner features a powerful Class 1 Bluetooth radio, so you can stay connected to your laptop or desktop at the maximum possible range, even when connected to the weaker Class 2 Bluetooth radios found in many mobile devices. The laser scanner is 50 times faster and 10,000 times more accurate than manual data entry and offers Fuzzy Logic which enables the reading of damaged or poorly printed bar codes. This handy device will be available in July.

  
  

  Posted in Electronics | 1 Comment | Read On

• Thursday, June 24th, 2004

  2005 Dodge Magnum Police Car

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  We’ve seen the Lamborghini Police Cars, but Dodge is upping the ante in the law enforcement market with a new rear-wheel drive Dodge Magnum police car powered by the legendary HEMI V-8 engine. The 2005 Dodge Magnum SXT model will be available this fall for police special service use. For 2006, Dodge will introduce a police package which will be offered on the Dodge Magnum model. I bet it will even make the thieves not want to out run the cops, so they can get a better look at the car. [via PRNEWSWIRE]

  
  

  Posted in Offbeat | 3 Comments | Read On

• Wednesday, June 23rd, 2004

  Why The Slow Adoption of DVD Recorders?

  <% rating = 2 %>JupiterResearch announced that, according to its recently released report, “DVD Recorders: Assuming the Functionality of the VCR,” consumers do not fully understand the benefits of the standalone DVD recorder and this will lead to continued slow sales.

  Based on a JupiterResearch consumer survey, 6% of online consumers currently own a standalone DVD recorder with 7% planning to buy a DVD recorder over the next year. Despite low consumer interest, new standalone DVD recording devices are coming to market at a rapid pace. Device manufacturers stand to lose market opportunities if consumer awareness of the benefits of DVD recorders is not addressed.

  “Consumers don’t see the value in DVD recorders relative to the features they deliver over analog devices like VCRs, such as a built-in hard drive. If device manufacturers don’t begin to educate the mainstream market, we will see adoption rates continue to be slow,” said Michael Gartenberg, Vice President and Research Director, JupiterResearch. “Consumers indicate that they want only the similar functionality they have in a VCR: to record straight to disc and to re-record on that disc, leading to lack of interest in DVD burners with their more sophisticated and less understood features and higher prices,” continued Gartenberg. [via HiddenWires]

  P.S. I’m not really surprised at the research results… I don’t find a compelling enough reason to burn movies or other things to DVD. I’d rather buy the video on DVD or store it on my hard drive. The only time I find burning a DVD useful is if I shoot a home video and what to share it with others.

  
  

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• Wednesday, June 23rd, 2004

  DIY: RC Car Laser Lap Counter

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  Home Theater and Automation gadgets are my passion… but I’m also a hobbiest. I’ve built a few model airplanes and own a couple nitro powered RC cars. GeekFreaks.com has a DIY Laser Lap Counter that will cost you less than $400 (in parts). A bit pricy, but it’s very cool and you can learn a lot about IRDA and the ZiLOG dev boards. If I were doing this, I’d ditch the lasers and use RF transmitters to capture data… it would also be cool to add GPS to the cars so you can track speed and driving skills. I’ll add this project to my ever growing list… ETA: 2 years.

  
  

  Posted in DIY | 6 Comments | Read On

• Tuesday, June 22nd, 2004

  Are All LCDs Created Equal?

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  I’d say, no… but if you are willing to pay $6500 for a report from DisplaySearch, you can get the real answer and a bunch of stuff you probably don’t even care about. The report provides comparisons of four TVs supplied by leading consumer electronics brands: Philips, Samsung, Sharp and Sony and against two TVs from traditional company brands: Dell and Gateway. “The panels were manufactured in three countries, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, but the results show that the performance can be enhanced significantly by the choice of display controller and other electronics added by the set assembler.” For more info or to order a copy of the report check out their website.

  
  

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• Tuesday, June 22nd, 2004

  HDTV Coming to a Hotel Near You

  <% rating = 3 %>I found this interesting, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
  regulations that are requiring all TVs to include digital television (DTV) tuners by 2007 applies not only to consumer sets, but also to TVs installed in hotel rooms. So that means you’ll be enjoying HDTV while on vacation too! I think this may also be the catalyst needed for the average Joe to purchase a HDTV set. Usually, hotels have worst television sets than the average household and now, people may start seeing the benefits of a better picture. The DTV tuners, which receive HDTV broadcasts, will be phased-in starting next month with 36-inch and larger TVs.

  
  

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• Monday, June 21st, 2004

  HP Releases MCE With Integrated Storage Bay

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  I’ve got a Windows Media Center and a TiVo, it’s like having two kids… loving them both the same, but you know one of them hasn’t shown all their potential. That’s how I feel about Microsoft’s MCE PC’s. I think that will all change with the next update to their Media Center OS. So, what kind of hardware would you need for the ultimate entertainment center? The new m1000 by HP… the best feature about this machine is that it allows you to slide up to 160 gigabytes of additional storage into the machine (more if you swap out the removable drive). This is a much needed feature since everything is going digital and space is at a premium. When you need more space just slide the HP Personal Media Drive into the front of the m1000 chassis or plug it in as an external USB hard drive with. To give you some perspective on how big a 160GB drive is… you can store up to 2,600 hours of high-quality digital music recording, up to 180,000 digital photos, or up to 160 hours of standard-quality TV. That’s probably more media that you can ever look, listen, or watch in a life time, but who cares. The estimated street price of the m1000 series Photosmart PCs are expected to start at $899. The slide in drives will be around $220. Both will be available starting July 18.

  
  

  Posted in Home Theater | 1 Comment | Read On

• Monday, June 21st, 2004

  Will Your Next Gadget Be Fuel Cell Powered?

  <% rating = 5 %>Have you ever wished that a particular device run a few hours longer? I know I have, especially my iPod… MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc. is aware of this problem and has introduced a new technology called Mobion. Mobion is based on patented direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology that will some day power portable devices 2 to 10 times longer than an equivalent size battery pack. They debuted the technology integrated into two concept models, a handheld entertainment system and a PDA/smart phone (pictured). The integrated Mobion power pack is less than 40cc in size which makes it a perfect match for all these new pocket sized gadgets that are coming out. Now the questions is… can I mod my iPod to use their fuel cell technology?

  
  

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• Monday, June 21st, 2004

  CMYK Based Displays

  <% rating=3 %>The basic color elements of television has not changed much since 1954… the RGB system used then is still in use today, but a Israeli company called, Genoa Color Technologies has added one to three more primary colors such as yellow, cyan and
  magenta, that expands the visible color gamut from 55 to 95 percent. The end result of this multi-primary color technology is a television picture that is truer, more vibrant color and brighter that rivals images of film. No pricing yet, but Genoa will be shipping the first MPC-enabling chips some time this year.

  
  

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• Friday, June 18th, 2004

  User Ratings Added To Mavromatic

  I didn’t think it was fair to only have my ratings for a product… so in addition to the “Mavromatic Rating”, I have added the ability for all you to rate the product or entry as well. This feature is still in “BETA”, since I don’t know how it will scale. All you need to do is mouse over the “Rate It” stars (located at the end of each entry) and click on which ever rating you think the post deserves. Once you submit your rating, it will be stored, averaged and displayed with all the other user ratings.

  
  

  Posted in Announcements | No Comments | Read On