"Dare to be different," the saying goes, but the LG Dare is really Verizon Wireless\'s attempt to fit in, to offer a phone that\'s more like the AT&T LG Vu and Sprint Samsung Instinct, not to mention Apple\'s similarly priced iPhone 3G. The truth is, the Dare may not be as glamorous or well-priced as the Instinct, but it has a better browser, a motion sensor and some cool software tricks that make it a fine phone for people who choose to remain in Verizon\'s walled garden. And it puts Verizon\'s previous iClone attempts, the LG Voyager and the Samsung Glyde, to lowdown dirty shame.
As I think we\'ve firmly established, we call these iPhone clones because they are made superficially with the look and feel of the iPhone in mind. They are not direct competitors to the iPhone, as they don\'t run on a smart, open platform like iPhones—or Blackberry and Windows Mobile phones—do. The Dare, like the Instinct, is closed and proprietary, geared to customers who like much of what the carrier has to offer, and would just like a better way to make use of it. And after spending some time with the Dare, I can safely say that, much like the Instinct, it really does let you do that.
Easier Access
For starters, Verizon has done away with its dependence on unchangeable, annoyingly deep menus. With the Dare, you can drag any app or function directly to the desktop for one-click access. You can add key people to the Favorites launcher, where you simply drag their face to the phone or message icons to call or launch a new SMS.
Even those cryptic notification icons always seen at tops of phones are clickable on the Dare.
E-mail and Web
Let me get this off my chest first: The Dare browser is WAY better than the Instinct\'s, both in rendering speed and page layout. You can navigate Taranfx with very little trouble, especially if you\'re going read-only. My only complaint was that there was no way I could find to speed-scroll through so many blog posts without giving my thumb a callous.
Verizon\'s E-mail app is basically the same as it\'s been for about six or eight months. I do not recommend it for business use, as it\'s not very full featured, but I was able to get the Dare to notify me whenever any mail from three different accounts came through, and the iPhone-like QWERTY keyboard with pop-up letters really helped when typing. The only trouble I had sending e-mail was due to a funky POP3 account with ambiguous recommended settings. (One negative: You can\'t edit POP settings once you\'ve configured them, so I had to keep deleting and adding the same account over and over again.)
Premium Unlimited-Use Plans
The good news is, unlimited use of e-mail and web are included in Verizon\'s new premium price plans, along with unlimited text messaging, unlimited use of basic V Cast clips and ACTUALLY USEFUL stuff like the ESPN MVP sports and WeatherBug web apps. Though it seems at first glance that pricing is a tad higher that Sprint\'s, the difference is negligible:
$80/month - 450 primetime talk minutes
$100/month - 900 primetime talk minutes
$120/month - 1350 primetime talk minutes
$140/month - Unlimited talk minutes
And yes, there are family premium plans that give you these perks for multiple (compatible) phones. The phone itself is $200 after a mail-in rebate.
Lighter Features
In our introductory walkthrough video, we showed you some awesome traits. After a revisit during our review, here\'s how those features held up:
• Slow-mo video cam - It\'s a bit grainy, but with decent light, it could make some interesting videos at 120 frames per second. The 3.2 megapixel camera is decent, but nothing to write home about.
• Full photo editing - Speaking of camera, the editing feature is not as "full" as we first thought. There\'s no red-eye reduction or shadow/highlight or color adjustment. Most of the options are actually novelty, and even for being silly they are not very useable.
• Music player - Good: Plays MP3s and even iTunes Plus DRM-free AACs that you drag to the "My Music" folder of the MicroSD card (up to 8GB); Bad: Still has issues with tags, and appears to count image metadata as additional song files, so browsing by Artist or Album is fine, but browsing "All Songs" is messy.
In addition to that the video player reads standard MP4 (but not H.264), and pauses songs when you switch to video playback, only to pick up where it left off once you\'re done.
Hardware
Like the Sprint Instinct, there\'s a 3.5mm jack for universal headphone fit, but unlike the Instinct, the Dare has a motion sensor inside that tells whether you\'re holding the phone horizontally or vertically. Videos, photos and the music browser all automatically adjust, as do keyboards and web pages. It\'s a nice touch, though I\'ll be honest, you don\'t really miss it on the Instinct.
The Dare\'s touchscreen leaves something to be desired. It\'s not as snappy as the Instinct\'s, and even after calibrating the screen, I found myself resorting to fingernail tapping to gain some precision.
The body of the Dare is a tad chunkier, but shorter too, with a slightly stubbier screen.
Dare vs. Instinct
The Instinct is, inside and out, a more elegant device. I preferred Instinct\'s e-mail app, and its included news, sports and weather web apps were great. Verizon is promising some unlimited-use apps like ESPN MVP and WeatherBug to compete with that, and while they\'re pretty nice programs, they were not ready to be used on the Dare at the time of this review.
The thing I can\'t stand about the Dare is VZ Navigator. I have tried to appreciate this, and since unlimited use of it comes with the premium plan, it can be considered a feature of the phone. Still, it\'s the worst GPS UI I\'ve ever played around with, and Verizon would do much better to kill off their own licensed app and go with Telenav, which Sprint and AT&T both use.
Still, after playing with both, I have to say that the Instinct\'s aesthetic assets don\'t fully make up for the Dare\'s key advantages, one of which happens to be Verizon\'s network. In the northeast at least, there\'s no substitute.
Conclusion
Like the web apps, there are a few more wait-and-sees: Visual voicemail isn\'t in effect yet, and may or may not come via over-the-air update. Rhapsody is just launching today, and for $15/month extra you will be able to sideload the Dare with Rhapsody-to-Go tracks, though a Windows PC is required for that.
I am very content to say that this is Verizon\'s best attempt at a customizable, user-friendly touchscreen phone, and that, if you are into buttonless touch interfaces, you could do a lot worse across all the carriers. I think the $200 iPhone trumps the $200 Dare if you don\'t care which carrier you\'re on, but for those of you who are sticking with Verizon, you might, um, venture to pick up a Dare. [LG Dare at Verizon Wireless]
Gary at HD Guru probably puts TVs through the most insane, obsessive test gauntlet of anyone. He just stacked one of Panasonic\'s latest, the TH-50PZ850U, against a Pioneer Kuro, once and future King of Plasmas. Basically, while Kuro is blacker (courtesy of its screen\'s darker tint) and brighter, Panny\'s color reproduction is much deeper, you get better dark detail, more accurate gamma, it uses 30 percent less power, AND it\'s cheaper ($3500 to $4600). Everything else is about even. For more grisly details, head over there: [HD Guru]
The prospect of a PSP phone looks even more likely now that we\'ve seen Sony\'s patent for a touchscreen handheld. The patent describes a device with "digital tactile pixels" that respond to touch and give feedback via vibration. This patent was submitted by Sony Computer Entertainment, the group behind PlayStation, and not Ericsson, like the last alleged PSP phone patent. The mystery device is covered to play games and music and browse the web, but also make phone calls, so what else could it be? [patent via Tech Digest]
ZDNet\'s come up with a software-based app to overclock processors on the Intel 5000 and 5400 chipsets, which (as of right now) is the Mac Pro and Xserve. Apparently ZDNet Clock is so good, the cheapest 2.8GHz Mac Pro outperforms the 3.2MHz Mac Pro, saving you $1600. You\'ll have to fiddle with the slider to get it customized for you, so don\'t think you can just drag it to the right and not have a crashfest on your hands. Hit up ZDNet to see the details. If you can get this to work right (and have enough cooling), it could be fantastic for heavy computational tasks. [ZDNet via Wired]
What better way to bring your childhood into the present with these Nintendo Famicom business card holders. Your $8.80 will get you one random cartridge or controller, which may or may not be a that really horrible knockoff one made by that one lousy company in the mid \'80s. We\'re looking at you, Ice Climber. If you\'re lucky, you\'ll get Zelda, Ballon Fight, or Mario instead. [GameAsylum via Nerd Approved]
According to Kilmatec, their Base 1 AirWater Machine can extract up to 20 liters (around 5 gallons) of water from the air in a 24 hour period. Unlike a common dehumidifier, it also makes that water suitable for drinking by running it through a carbon filter and ultraviolet light chamber to eliminate any pollutants or bacteria. It can even dispense the water hot or cold. So, in essence, the Base 1 is like a water cooler that never needs refills.
If you are concerned about how much power something like this would consume, Kilmatec has answered that problem as well with a solar power option that can keep the water coming even in the harshest conditions. Five gallons in 24 hours may seem high—but that is actually a fairly common feat for a dehumidifier. Pricing information has not been made available. [Kilmatec via TRFJ via DVICE]
TiVoremote, the iPhone / iPod touch Telnet TiVo Remote app, was finally updated a few weeks ago with an ooey gooey GUI, and some really useful new features. Now at version 0.23, the app can now detect TiVos on your home network, allowing for easy selection of the TiVo you want to control. What\'s even better is the app now has the ability to download the Now Playing list data from the TiVo, allowing the iPhone to show what\'s been recorded and display each recordings data info. The app can also use the NPL data to start playing the recordings automatically. So if you\'ve got a Jailbroken iPhone / iPod touch, and a Series 3 TiVo, I would suggest giving the app a try, it\'s surprisingly useful. [TiVoRemote]
Thanks to the uppityness of internet users, Netflix is keeping their profile scheme. Brian will be able to keep his Blaxploitation movies separate from his girlfriend\'s "morbid documentaries," which should keep both of them happy enough to not kill each other. Who says signing internet petitions is the nerd equivalent of throwing a hot dog down a hallway?
For the most part, I wouldn\'t consider a police officer or military personnel riding down the road on a scooter as intimidating. However, if that scooter happens to be Lamperd Less Lethal\'s new T3 Mobile Defender, there is definitely something to be worried about. The vehicle comes equipped with a powerful air gun that is considered non-lethal in a body shot, but could potentially kill someone if they were to take a synthetic bullet to the head. That is why the gun utilizes a holographic sight system to ensure accuracy.
"An eyepiece shows a red target dot, and then transmits an image of the target to a monitor, which relays the information to the gun." According to creator Barry Lamperd, if the holographic sight is on target, you can\'t miss. Let\'s hope so—because the company plans to sell the scooter to the US Army to use in crowd control situations (presumably in Iraq), and it will probably make its way down to local law enforcement somewhere down the line. [Lamperd Less Lethal via Sarnia Observer via Danger Room]
It\'s been only a month since the 10.5.3 update hit, but 10.5.4 is here now to fix a handful of issues you might have. It\'s a "stability, compatibility and security" update, which also improves camera RAW image support, VPN connectivity, AirPort reliability issues with 5Hz networks (oooh, we might have experienced this), and fixes some iCal bugs, some Safari bugs, and some Spaces/Expose bugs. Hit up the full list here, then download the update with your Software Update. [Security stuff]
This crazy video is the test of some new video software that had a clip "digitally manipulated by fragmenting it into horizontal lines and then combining lines from different frames in the display. The result is a distortion of the figures caused by their motion in time, or, as Brazilian researcher Arlindo Machado calls it: chronotopic anamorphosis." My money is on this becoming a plugin on the next generation of Photo Booth, because it\'s certifiably badass. [Vimeo via Kottke]
Netgear\'s new WGR614L is an open source 802.11g router, able to run lots of firmwares already built by the community. So do many other routers. The sell here is that they\'ve beefed up the usual specs beyond what\'s necessary for the usual packet direction. I suppose that most of these router firmwares are getting so feature heavy that the original hardware is the bottleneck. [Netgear via Myopenrouter]
features a 240 MHz MIPS32® CPU core with 16 KB of instruction cache, 16 KB of data cache, 1 KB of pre-fetch cache, and incorporates 4 MB of flash memory and 16 MB of RAM. In addition to an external 2 dBi antenna, the WGR614L integrates a second internal diversity antenna to provide enhanced performance and range.
NETGEAR Launches Open Source Wireless-G Router Enabling Linux Developers and Enthusiasts to Create Firmware for Specialized Applications
Open Source Wireless-G Router (WGR614L) Delivers Higher Processing Power and More Memory for a Wide Variety of Customized Applications and is Supported by a Dedicated and Responsive Open Source Community
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – June 30, 2008 – NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking solutions, today announced the launch of the Open Source Wireless-G Router (WGR614L), a full-featured wireless router designed to serve as a reliable, high-performance platform to support a wide variety of applications created by the open source community.
The high-performance WGR614L, which is “Works with Windows Vista” certified, The router supports free open source Linux®-based Tomato and DD-WRT firmware and will soon support OpenWRT.
The WGR614L is supported by a dedicated open source router community, www.myopenrouter.com, which provides open source firmware downloads, forums, blogs, articles, source code, and user guides, and provides users with dedicated and responsive support by open source experts.
“The launch of the WGR614L is significant to the open source community as there has been a growing demand for more powerful platforms to support a rapidly growing segment of open source enthusiasts that are seeking to create more robust, commercial-grade applications for their wireless routers,” stated Som Pal Choudhury, senior product line manager for advanced wireless at NETGEAR. “In addition to adding a more powerful processor and additional memory to the proven Broadcom® platform, the most popular open source firmware, Tomato and DD-WRT, are available on WGR614L making it easier for users to develop a wide variety of applications. An important feature of our offering is the dedicated and responsive open source community which enables users to easily exchange ideas and troubleshoot issues. New applications currently being developed by this community include traffic shaping applications, redirections to captive portals for hotspots, guest access via a separate SSID, upstream and downstream QOS, and intelligent bandwidth monitoring.”
The NETGEAR Open Source Wireless-G Router (WGR614L), which features one 10/100 Internet WAN port and a four-port 10/100 LAN switch, incorporates an 802.11g access point to support wireless connectivity at speeds of up to 54 Mbps. The WGR614L supports static and dynamic routing with TCP/IP, VPN pass-through (IPSec, L2TP), NAT, PPTP, PPPoE, DHCP (client and server), and Bigpond. A Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewall protects the network from intruders, and the wireless connection is secured with support for 40-, 128- and 152-bit WEP encryption, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), WPA2-PSK, and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). Additional security features include: Exposed Host (DMZ), MAC address authentication, URL content filtering, logs and e-mail alerts of Internet activity.
The NETGEAR Open Source Wireless-G Router (WGR614L) is backed by a one-year hardware warranty and is available now via select retailers, direct marketers, e-commerce sites and value added resellers at a retail price in the U.S. of $69.
Jim Dougan wanted to install an Airport Card in his wife\'s MacBook. He realized that a normal screwdriver wouldn\'t open the case to allow him to do so. A Google search would have shown him that he required a Torx Wrench #8. He did not make a Google search. Instead, he made a fool out of himself in the Apple Store, yelling and screaming at the Genius Bar employees. He was clearly in the wrong, but to make himself feel better and get internet sympathy, he made a comic about his experience.
Really dude, I know it must have been annoying to see the wrench you needed behind the Genius Bar, but when they say they can\'t let you repair your own stuff at the bar for liability issues, they aren\'t just messing with you. They\'d lose their jobs.
I know the comic would have been way more boring if you had Googled, ordered the wrench and then made a legit complaint about the non-standard screws on the MacBook, but then again you also wouldn\'t have made a spectacle of yourself in public. [The Chemistry Set]
The “Tyrant” concept by designer Alice Wang is the latest in a growing line of alarm clocks designed to torture their owners into facing the day. Instead of loud alarms, helicopter attachments and early-morning feats of hand-eye coordination, the Tyrant doles out punishment by hijacking your cellphone contact list and making random calls every three minutes until you get up to turn it off.
Again, this device is just a concept, but I think that Alice is on to something here. The only thing that it needs to be truly effective is message playback. Something like automated drunk dialing—only more devastating. For example, record: “Hey sexy, it\'s me. Listen, I had to call because I had another dream about you last night. I can\'t get you out of my mind.” The horrifying thought of that message being delivered to your father at 6:00 in the morning is enough to get anyone out of bed. [Alice Wang via Josh Spear]
J Allard, who most recently helped give the Xbox and the Zune a really, really good user experience has gotten a promotion to "Chief Experience Officer" of the Entertainment and Devices devision. The E&D devision, for those of you who don\'t know, encompasses Xbox, Games for Windows, Mobile Communications (including Windows Mobile), Zune, Connected TV, Microsoft Surface, Mac Office, Microsoft Auto and Windows Embedded. Now that Allard is essentially going to have his fingers in all these pies, you can expect a Zune/Xbox 360-level of UI polish that projects like Windows Mobile haven\'t seen before. You can\'t see it, but we\'re doing a fist pump now. [ZDNet]
Tesla\'s following up their $100,000 super-electric roadster model with a four-door, five-passenger sedan. It\'s called the Model S and will go on sale for about $60,000 in 2010. The Arnold (CA Governor) was on hand at the announcement because he\'s giving an incentive package to Tesla to manufacture the car in California, and will probably be in the Bay Area where we are. Perhaps a Telsa manufacturing plant visit is in our future? [SFGate via Jalopnik]
Update: Jalopnik says it\'s going to have 225 miles per charge. Wowzers!
Update 2: Tesla head Elon Musk also made statements that they want to get prices down to $30,000 within four years, but Jalopnik says take that with a grain of salt. It doesn\'t seem like a $60k to $30k drop in four years is out of the question if you strip out some luxury items, but we\'ll see.
The YSP line is my favorite soundbar because of the sonar-inspired tech it borrows from cold war subs. The YSP-3050 is a new 23-driver model, second best compared to the 42 driver YSP-4000. The upgrade from the 3000 now has a front mounted minijack in, and HDMI upscaling. Like the higher end models, these will provide glorious surround, but unless you wall mount, the speaker blocks a few inches of your TV. [Yamaha]
YAMAHA INTRODUCES THE YSP-3050 DIGITAL SOUND PROJECTOR,
ITS LATEST SINGLE COMPONENT SURROUND SOUND SOLUTION
—New model to its market-leading line offers HDMI, video upconversion, iPod and XM Satellite Radio compatibility, FM tuner and advanced listening settings —
BUENA PARK, Calif.—Yamaha, the innovator in home theater and digital audio and video reproduction, today unveiled the YSP-3050, the latest in its award-winning line of Digital Sound Projectors which focus audio signals into precisely controlled and directed "beams" that provide true multi-channel surround sound from a single component. The YPS-3050 fits neatly underneath a flat-panel television and gives consumers a space-efficient option to installing multiple speakers throughout a room for immersive audio for watching movies, television and sports programming.
The new YSP-3050 features 21 beam drivers, and two woofers, 23 corresponding digital amplifiers, three Cinema DSP programs (movie, music and sports), analog to HDMI video upconversion, high definition video upscaling to 1080i/720p and a 1080p (24Hz and 60Hz) compatible HDMI interface with two inputs and one output to facilitate pure digital connections with the latest home theater components.
The YSP-3050 is XM Satellite Radio ready with XM HD surround sound powered by Neural Surround. The YSP-3050 also offers iPod compatibility via the new optional YDS-11 dock (more information on the YDS-11 below). Once docked, the iPod can be operated (song selection, play, etc.) via the YSP\'s remote control and on-screen display. Yamaha\'s proprietary Compressed Music Enhancer technology compensates for the lost detail of audio that is compressed during the "ripping" process, recapturing the essence of the original recording. An integrated FM tuner further broadens the user\'s entertainment choices.
The YSP-3050 creates a wide soundstage designed to fill the whole room with convincing surround sound regardless of where listeners are seated. Sound settings include 5-Beam, 3-Beam, 3-Beam + Stereo, 2- channel Stereo, My Beam, 5-Channel Stereo and My Surround modes. My Surround mode delivers surround sound to even the most difficult installation environments where walls may not be present or are covered with unsuitable materials. My Beam mode focuses the sound at a specific listening position, so the listener can hear all program audio clearly, including dialog, without disturbing others in the room.
Yamaha\'s proprietary IntelliBeam™ automated system calibration enables users to quickly and easily set up each system for the optimal listening experience and intuitive, multi-language on-screen displays.
The YSP-3050 offers full support for surround sound standards, including Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS Neo:6, as well as CINEMA DSP technology, to create realistic soundscapes in any room. For late night movie and music enjoyment, a Night Listening Enhancer mode allows dialog and quiet passages to be heard clearly, even at low volumes. The TV Equal Volume mode prevents sudden startling bursts of sound from TV programs and commercials. The model also features SRS TruBass technology to provide exceptionally deep and rich bass response.
The YSP-3050 is currently available for a suggested retail price of $1,399.95.
My iPhone broke. Yes, the JesusPhone broke in Jesús\' pants. Or somewhere else, because I can\'t remember exactly when it happened. I just found it that way in the morning.
It\'s just the screen. It still works. Anyway, I was still going to bitch and bitch and bitch about it breaking just in time for iPhone 3G. And then I couldn\'t decide what to whine about. I mean, I was sitting on the fence between "why do these things always break a week before a new version comes out? Isn\'t that too much of a coincidence? Are they made for that? Why oh why did it break now?" and the second option: "Why don\'t these things break the day before the new version comes out, so I don\'t have to live with this imperfect iPhone classic for any more seconds than are absolutely necessary?"
So as you can see, looking at the stupidity of my own internal debate, I decided not to whine about anything, and will just wait until the 3G version comes out. NEXT WEEK!
[Ed Note: I lost one two weeks ago. I think it\'s the same subconscious phenomenon going on.]
I don\'t know about you, but I can never get enough of the next obsolete movie format. So I\'m probably going to do a little shopping during Best Buy\'s 2-for-$30 Blu-ray movie sale. Sure I already have Total Recall and Terminator 2 on DVD. But DVD isn\'t HD. And I don\'t know that HD looks like crap yet because no commercial has told me so. Best Buy has over 30 movies in this promotion and some of them are actually decent. Buy \'em now before it\'s too late! [Best Buy via PS3Fanboy]
You\'ve gotta feel sort of bad for people who get all of their gadget news from places like the Today Show. I mean, they did a section on future gadgets this morning, and what did it feature? A $700 doorbell! A $430 water filter! A $1,200 microwave that cooks entire turkeys! Nothing any sane person would ever buy and not even anything that uses technology that gives us a glimpse at future gadgets. Instead, it\'s just normal items with gimmicks and ridiculous price tags. For shame, Today Show. For shame. [Boing Boing Gadgets]
Don\'t worry about it too much, I phoned it in this weekend to go see Wall*E too. Twice. Here\'s the best of Taranfx\'s weekend gadget coverage, all in one place:
• If the Iranians are going to attack anything, they\'re going to need a better clock.
• A self-contained one-person rollercoaster ball is called the BuzzBall? More like barf ball.
• A $30 cardboard bike is a great ride anywhere—except in the rain.
• There\'s gender confused and there\'s OS confused. This MSI Wind running Mac OS X is the latter.
• Motorola discovered vowels with the new Blaze touchscreen handset, but is it too little, too late?
• Hands up! This guy\'s packing Lego heat!
• Addy profiled the fairer Gates, Melinda, with a Sunday send-off that recognized who\'s the real force in that relationship.
• The Canadians got screwed on iPhone pricing, so they retaliated—with an angrily worded letter.
• You mean you can\'t really curve a bullet? Wanted\'s special effects secrets, revealed!
• Go into a fight with these DIY Iron Man repulsor gloves and you\'ll just get your ass kicked.
We are starting to butt up to Sony\'s flagship a900 DSLR\'s release date—August or September, though Sept. strikes me as more likely—so it makes some sense it\'d be spotted prancing about in the wild. It\'s hard to be certain it\'s an a900, but the spotter says three things made it stand out from other Sonys: the optical viewfinder, the thumb rest, and the side ports. (Compare with the a350 and a700.) Either way, we\'ll be seeing more of this full-frame 25MP monster soon. [Dyxum, Thanks Dario!]
Since the desktop version of Opera 9.5 officially launched just a bit ago, you\'d figure the mobile version would be close behind. You\'re right: Opera Mobile 9.5 Beta (for Windows Mobile) goes live July 15. It\'ll bring a lot of the desktop version\'s features down to your smartphone, including the same browser engine. Enjoy your few weeks left to gloat, HTC Touch Diamond owners. [Opera via via Phone Scoop]
Lenovo is preparing to release a fancy new desktop, the IdeaCentre K210. Featuring specs up to an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, 3GB of RAM, optional Blu-ray drive, multicard reader, webcam with VeriFace recognition and anti-bacterial keyboard, none of the specs will scream ultimate gaming machine, but the PCs start at just $379 (with the 22-inch monitor costing an extra $299). As for the style, it\'s pretty much how I picture a sci-fi movie from the early \'90s depicting computers of the future—shiny, but with the same basic shape they had when Sandra Bullock could pass as a hacker. Read on for the entire spec rundown.
Lenovo Enters Global Consumer Desktop Market With ``IdeaCentre\'\' Brand
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Lenovo has announced the launch of the IdeaCentre K210 desktop, marking the company’s global entry into the consumer desktop market outside of China. This announcement follows the recent debut of Lenovo’s IdeaPad series of notebooks, which signaled Lenovo’s dramatic jump into the worldwide consumer notebook business outside of China earlier this year.
Lenovo’s IdeaCentre and IdeaPad introductions are timely, as IDC forecasts worldwide consumer PC demand to grow by nearly ten percent a year between 2007 and 20111.
The IdeaCentre K210 is designed for user comfort and convenience. For example, Lenovo is the only worldwide PC maker to offer the cutting edge “Bright Vision” technology2, which actually detects how far the user is from the monitor and adjusts the brightness accordingly.
Your face is your password
Among the new technologies the IdeaCentre K210 utilizes is VeriFace™3 facial recognition technology that allows the user to log in by having the camera recognize his/her facial image. The K210 is the only desktop PC to offer this distinctive feature. Additionally, The K210 features an anti-microbial keyboard that uses special material to inhibit bacterial growth. This is especially helpful for families that have numerous people using the same keyboard and are concerned with “keyboard germs.”
For ease of use and system recovery Lenovo offers the Lenovo Vantage Technology (LVT) menu. With just a single touch the user can more easily recover from system crashes or viruses. The File Management feature helps save critical data on a special system partition in the event of system failure. And for the “easy open” experience, Lenovo has built in its tool-free design which allows for easy expansion, serviceability and modifications.
Industry leading system specs include:
* Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Processors
* Intel® GMA 3100 integrated graphics
* Blueray HD-DVD Combo accommodates home theater
* High definition audio 5.1 for reverberating sound
* Gamers will love the optional upgrade to ATI Radeon 2600 XT (512MB)
Pricing and Availability
The IdeaCentre K210 is available on Lenovo.com, at various retail outlets in the United States and through Lenovo business partners. The starting price is $379 (after mail-in-rebate). The L195W, 19-inch monitor is priced at $229 (after mail-in-rebate). The L222W, 22-inch monitor is priced at $299 (after mail-in-rebate).
My wife—who has never browsed for power tools in her life—was greeted with this page on Amazon this morning. So does a store know my wife\'s hobbies and interests better than I do? Meh, wouldn\'t be the first time. Won\'t be the last.
While it\'s not uncommon to get a glimpse into the intricate inner-workings of fine watches, it\'s rare that we get the same opportunity to see what\'s under the hood of classic cameras. Here\'s a bilateral slice of a Leitz lens that was part of a 1930s Leica camera—sitting over a plain red backdrop, its stoic mechanics border on high art. Taken from the Deutshes Technikmuseum Berlin, Wired has a whole gallery of gorgeous photography photography. Hit the link and enjoy. [Wired and DTMB]
Sure, a Knight Rider GPS system is cool if you\'re in your 40s and remember watching the show when it was first on, but what about people looking for a GPS navigator with a more contemporary cultural reference? How about GLaDOS from Portal, one of the best games of the last few years?
Sure, you might be worried that GLaDOS will trick you into thinking you\'re heading towards Six Flags or the bakery, all while directing you to drive into the gaping maw of an active volcano. But you\'ve just got to keep telling yourself that it\'s just a voice on an otherwise-reliable Garmin Nuvi. It\'s actually not an official voicepack; it\'s a pet project of Ryan VanMiddlesworth. But if you own a Garmin Nuvi, you can go ahead and download it now. [Project Page via Engadget]
Dash navigator\'s latest update rolls out today, allowing for a few key improvements.
• My Route records your local paths between two points (or locations within 1/2 mile of those points) and recommends the route along side traditional GPS routes next time you make the trip.
• Searches for points of interest "along the way" return listings with distance from current location and distance from destination.
• Road closures will be highlighted in black.
• Using SiRF\'s instantfix tech, the GPS will lock on sats on resume within 3 seconds
• The GUI is about 50% snappier
• Street names are easier to read because of better contrast.
We\'ve already seen two videos of Sony\'s latest 2.4 firmware for the PS3 (that hits July 2nd, incidentally), but sometimes the story is easily told in good old fashioned photography. So here are some direct feed shots of the new firmware, including plenty of material on the new achievements trophies. There\'s nothing jaw-dropping going on here, but the integration looks simple and clean. And that\'s certainly worth something. [GameLife and PS3Fanboy via Kotaku]
What are 35,310 Lego Star Wars Clone Troopers mini-figs doing together, apart from planning a planet invasion after breaking out of the giant Lego storage cathedrals? Raising awareness and funds for autism, that\'s what. So if you wondered where all those helmets at the Lego stormtrooper cloning machine go to, check the gallery for some amazing high resolution shots.
A Lego employeegroup of Lego UK employees built the Clone Trooper army in just six and a half hours to raise money for The National Autistic Society. The National Autistic Society is a British organization dedicated to helping "people with autism and Asperger syndrome live their lives with as much independence as possible."
