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Nokia E90 Communicators have a week-old firmware bump waiting for them, but if you use BlackBerry Connect, you’ll want to hold off on this one. Version 300.34.84 will do away with support for BB Connect, although it does offer some new features that might interest you enough:

• Faster screen orientation switching
• Nokia Maps 2.0
• Download! application updated (v 3.1.736)
• Update for Flash Lite 3 and Flash video
• Wi-Fi improvements
• New baseline for VoIP
• FLV format support in RealPlayer

If you can do without the BlackBerry support, the addition of Maps and Flash improvements might be worth it. You’ll need a PC running Microsoft Windows XP or Vista to make this happen through the Nokia Software Updater.

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Tags: Baseline, Blackberry, Communicators, Flash, Hello, Improvements, Maps Download, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows Xp, New Features, Nokia, Nokia Download, Nokia E90, Nokia Software, Realplayer, Screen Orientation, Wi Fi, Windows Xp

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Those of you who use the search bar in Vista or Windows Search in XP know the strength of powerful searching from the command line.  You may even have wished that you could search for text within your Office 2007 documents to find that nugget of information you know exists.  If that describes you then go get the Microsoft Filter Pack which allows document content searching in Vista and XP.  There are full instructions for getting this functionality at the Microsoft download site.

(gHacks via Lifehacker)

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Tags: Document Content, Document Contents, Download Site, Filter Pack, Functionality, Ghacks, Lifehacker, Microsoft, Microsoft Download, Microsoft Search, Nbsp, Nugget, Search Bar, Search Document, Vista, Windows Xp

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Let’s get the sub-$300 netbook party started! Pereira just pinged me to share this Best Buy link which shows the white Asus Eee PC 900A available for $299. This is basically the same model as the 900, but the "A" stands for Atom. As in 1.6 GHz Intel Atom. So it still comes with Linux pre-installed on the 4GB SSD drive and includes 1GB of RAM which is more than plenty. My original Eee PC was pretty zippy when running Linux with just half of that.

At one point, there was discussion of netbooks being an impulse purchase right off the shelf. At under $300, that becomes much more of a likely reality if you can find them on the shelf to begin with. I just checked stock at the nearest five Best Buy locations and sure enough, they all have ‘em. Thanks for the tip, Pereira!

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Tags: Asus Eee Pc, Atom, Best Buy, Ghz Intel, Impulse Purchase, Intel, Linux, Netbook, Netbooks, Price Barrier, Quot, Running Linux, Ssd, Stock

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Just a conversation starter here because this is one of those topics where the only right answer is the one that’s right for you. Still, I think it’s worth some discussion because we’re witnessing a trend towards smaller and lighter (and cheaper!) notebooks. Of course, that brings other compromises into play as well. For example, the smaller and lighter a notebook is, it generally follows that the battery tends to offer less power. At least until we have batteries that run forever and take up the size of a pin-head. We compensate for that by configuring notebooks with CPUs and other components that are more energy efficient as a result. And so on… it’s all about compromises with mobile tech, right?

(image: Crave)

So in terms of size, display and weight, what’s optimal for you in a
notebook? I have a fairly powerful MacBook Pro that unfortunately
doesn’t leave my desk much. Why not? With the 15-inch display and a
weight of over 5.5-pounds, I just don’t like to tote it. So I
compromise with a device that offers less horsepower, but handles 90%
of the same tasks. Currently, that device is the MSI Wind with the
10.2-inch screen and weight just under 3-pounds. But maybe that’s too
small. Sometimes I wish that 1024×600 screen resolution were just a tad
higher.

I’m thinking that for me, a 10-inch display with a higher res might
do the trick. A 12-inch display might be the sweet spot and I had that
in 2004 with my Toshiba M205 Tablet PC. Maybe that’s why the new Toshiba Portege A600
jumped out at me earlier this week. It has a 12-inch display, but the
overall device weight is 3.2-pounds and the price starts at under $1,400. Of course you have to factor in
the svelte machines like the Lenovo X301 I’m looking at too. It offers
the low weight advantage plus a nice screen size and resolution, but
the footprint itself is still that of a bigger machine.

I suppose I’m too fussy because like everyone else, I want it all
and I want it for few dollars. What are your thoughts, i.e.: what do
you look for in terms of size, weight, footprint, screen size and
resolution? If you change one of these factors more to your liking, you
tend to suffer in another area. What fits you best?

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Tags: A600, Batteries, Compromise, Compromises, Conversation Starter, Footprint, Horsepower, Laptops, Lenovo, Macbook, Notebook, Notebooks, Pin Head, Size Doesn, Sweet Spot, Tablet Pc, Toshiba, Toshiba M205, Toshiba Portege, Weight Advantage

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I have written about the importance of creating a virtual cubicle anywhere to maintain both a high level of productivity as well as a professional image for clients and coworkers.  Those two things are even more important to consider for those lucky enough to work at home.  It is very easy to let home affairs intrude on the office environment that needs to be maintained to keep you focused.  The Digital Nomad has written an excellent article that explains the iron-clad rules that must be followed to keep the home life and work life separated.  I follow many of them myself, especially the "do not disturb" rule when I am in my office.  Give the article a peek and see if you home-workers can do some things more productively.  I’ll bet our friends at WebWorkerDaily will agree with these rules.

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Tags: Bet, Coworkers, Cubicle, Digital Nomad, Friends, Home Affairs, Iron Clad, Office Environment, Peek, Productivity, Professional Image, Quot, Working At Home

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My friends over at NewTeeVee must have caught Om sleeping because they absconded with his T-Mobile G1 just long enough to make this short video. They dive into the native YouTube app on the Android handset and show you the greater amount of detail you find in the software when compared to that "other" phone with YouTube functionality. It’s also a great example of the "press and hold" touchscreen feature offered by Android.

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Tags: Friends, Functionality, G1, Handset, T Mobile, Youtube

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The EEE PC hit the scene a year ago.  Seldom do we see a single gadget create an entire genre of computer but the EEE PC started the netbook genre all by itself.  In celebration of the EEE PC one year birthday the geeks at Laptop Magazine threw a party, with hats a birthday cake and everything.  They have lots of photos and a video that will show forever that they are the biggest geeks on the planet.  I mean that respectfully, of course.  Take a look at the party and you’ll be an even bigger geek than they are.  What’s geekier than throwing a party for a laptop?  Attending the party virtually, of course.  Happy birthday EEE PC.

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Tags: Birthday Cake, Celebration, Eee Pc, Gadget, Geek, Geeks, Genre, Happy Birthday, Laptop Magazine, Party Hats, Photos, Throwing A Party

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I’ve been noticing that it’s starting to get earlier and earlier and that even I, someone who’s lived in Canada and the frozen north of England, need a jacket these days.

Yup, winter is on its way.  Thoughts of keeping warm spring to mind.

Want a rather bricky radiator?

How’s about a LEGO radiator?

It’s colourful, funky and you can’t ignore the geek-factor!

As expected it’s called the Brick and it’s a real radiator designed by architect Marco Baxadonne for radiator maker Scirocco.

Interestingly the LEGO pieces are pretty efficient at spreading the heat owing to their surface area. Inside you’ll find that the plumbing inside allows you to snap them together just like LEGO.

I wonder if you can build extensions coming out of it using ‘oners’ to create an airer for towels and clothes.

Either way it looks pretty cool

Trendir

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Tags: Airer, Architect, Brick, Canada, Clothes, Colourful, England, Geek Factor, Lego Pieces, Plumbing, Radiator, Scirocco, Surface Area, Towels, Warm Spring

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There’s something quite militant about Apple users.

There can be something amazing but if it hasn’t be touched by Apple it just wont be good enough and will look odd with all the other iGadgets.

The designer, Mac Funamizu (no, really!), loves the look of the Nokia Aeon but gave it a bit of a tweak.

He’s added Apple’s standard livery and design ideology.

It would utilise a tactile feedback technology and the surface adapts to different purposes while the e-ink screen envelops the phone in graphics and information.

If this is what a Nokia and Apple partnership could birth I say get it on!!

Designer: Mac Funamizu via Yanko where you get more pics

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Tags: Aeon, Apple Users, Igadgets, Livery, Nokia, Nokia Aeon, Odd, Partnership, Phone Graphics, Tactile Feedback Technology, Tweak, Yanko

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I love retro hi-fi’s and I’d love to bring the days back when your sound system was also a piece of furniture in its own right.

Brionvega has brought back the 60’s with the very far out groovy RR226 man.

The RR226/RR126 first took the stage in 1965 and was the work of Italian designers Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni.

The new version is faithful to that look.

Those speakers can be worn to the side or on top of the unit.  I am digging the ’smiley face’ controls and even the black trolley base - some how I think it all works

Being a 60’s throw-back you get the two-speed deck (33/45rpm) for your Beatles and Stones albums and the singles as well!

It has a built-in amp and radio but as we’re actually in the 21st Century, just like Buck Rogers, they bring you up-to-date with a CD/DVD player as well.

They’ve not gone as far as wireless/digital connectivity and they’ve surly forgotten the cassette deck.

Brionvega is currently pimping this around the design shows with no apparent signs of retail.

I’m guessing this retro-designer conversation piece aint gonna be cheap though!

Cool Hunter

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Tags: 21st Century, 45rpm, Achille Castiglioni, Amp, Apparent Signs, Beatles, Brionvega, Buck Rogers, Cassette Deck, Conversation Piece, Digital Connectivity, Giacomo, Hi Fi, Italian Designers, Piece Of Furniture, Smiley Face, Speakers, Speed Deck, Stones Albums, Trolley

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T-Mobile has finally announced that the official U.K release date will be the 30th October.

Pre-orders for the Google G1 have already notched up 25,000 in the U.K already!

It seems a global buzz is defying the predictions of some analysts.

The HTC manufactured handset is expected to notch up 600,000 sales by the end of the year, which will give the iPhone some stiff competition for the expectant busy Christmas period.

In the words of Harry Hill……..

FIGHT!!!!!

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Tags: Android, Buzz, Christmas, Christmas Period, Google, Google Uk, Handset, Harry Hill, Iphone, Release Date, Stiff Competition, T Mobile

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A tinkering at the local electronics emporium leads to the following conclusions about Sony’s new JS-series all-in-one desktop PCs.

• The $1,100 model played around was very responsive, even with multiple apps open. Getting 4GB of RAM in the base config is a good move by Sony, that area being the one computer makers often skimp painfully on to drive prices down.

• It was very quiet: no fan noise could be heard, though the store was quite busy.

• Lotsa inputs, with 5 USB ports (2 on the side of the display), a hardware WiFi on-off switch, S/PDIF an iLink connector and a a Memory Stick/SD card reader.

• The 500 GB hard drive, offered in all configs, is nice and expansive.

• The 20-inch, 1680 x 1050 display is pretty, but nothing fancy. Sound from the dual 3W speakers isn’t going to be enough for people who like their movies and music loud.

• The case, which looks aluminum in ads, is just silver plastic. It’s O.K., and doesn’t detract from the minimalist design, but does make it visibly less beautiful than, say, an iMac.

• Its mouse is nasty: small, plastic and wired. The keyboard is also curiously fat.

• You won’t be doing hardcore gaming, given the pairing of a E5200 Core 2 Duo CPU and Intel Mobile X4500HD video chip.

• Blu-Ray in an all-in-one desktop, especially a reasonably-priced one, is a killer. Though the Blu model is more expensive ($1,400) you also get a much faster CPU too. With an E8400, it should beat any iMac in productivity performance apart from the 3 GHz 24-incher, which is $850 more.

First impression: Sony’s JS offers very strong hardware fundamentals for the price, though the trim, including peripherals, aren’t perfect. Consider as an alternative to the iMac or HP’s own AIO if you want Blu or powerful specs without having to pay too much.

VAIO® JS Series Desktop PC [SonyStyle]

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Tags: Aio, Blu Ray, Computer Makers, Desktop Pc, Desktop Pcs, Emporium, Fan Noise, First Impression, Hardcore Gaming, Hardware Fundamentals, Js, Memory Stick, Minimalist Design, Pdif, Peripherals, Productivity Performance, Sd Card Reader, Silver Plastic, Usb Ports, Wifi

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David Galbraith of Oobject trained as an architect, which always makes his commentary on the design of gadgetry come at interesting angles to that of regular ol’ techdorks like me. I’m going to quote his latest write-up nearly in its entirety, but leave the actual Oobject gallery for you to go explore.

Apple’s refresh of the Macbook line this fall is more evolutionary than revolutionary. In terms of design they have continued the trend, which started with the iPhone (see the drilled headphone jack hole on the original model) towards machining directly from block metal. This has lead to the latest Macbooks as being described as having monocoque structures, something which may not strictly be false but which is meaningless in the context.

A monocoque is a single piece shell structure, it is a nice sounding word and is often used in marketing literature because it sounds technical. Because of this, and because of the fact that things like commercial airliners are hybrids of frame and shell structures almost anything can be described as such. There is a perfect geodesic truss in the list below which is described as a monocoque shell structure (the opposite), while an ordinary soda can is a monocoque.

The use of machining for Apple parts has more to do with tolerances and finish and almost nothing to do with structure, so the term is not relevant.

Below we discuss the merits of things which are described as monocoque - but as for the Macbook, not really.

Mythbusting the Macbook monocoque from an architect’s perspective [Oobject]

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Tags: Angles, Architect, Commercial Airliners, David Galbraith, Gadgetry, Headphone Jack, Hybrids, Iphone, Jack Hole, Macbook, Macbooks, Marketing Literature, Merits, Original Model, Perspective, Shell Structure, Shell Structures, Soda, Tolerances, Truss

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I’m doing this conversational marketing campaign with Symantec. They’re going to give me a grand to build a gaming PC from parts, I’m going to write about my experiences, and then when it’s all said and done I’m going to auction the PC off for Child’s Play. (After politely breaking it in with a few games for a month or two, of course. Just common courtesy.)

Most of the posts will actually be over on the Symantec site — my first post is over there already — but I thought you guys might be interested in helping me pick out parts.

I’m going for gaming performance exclusively, so bigger hard drives or quad-core isn’t that important to me. I’d rather give up any nicety for pure speed.

I am going to splurge on one thing, though: That Antec Skeleton open-air case. It’s nearly $200, but it should make all the building and troubleshooting much less of a hassle. Plus, you know, it’s neat. And since it’ll be a gaming PC and not a multimedia workstation, I really don’t care if I can hear all the fans. It’ll be off when I’m not using it anyway.

Following the Ars Bargain Box guide I think I can squeeze in right under $1k if I ditch silly things like an outboard sound card. Vista will have to be my OS since this is a gaming box. And Intel and ATI seem to have the CPU and GPU market tied up in the low end. Just have to figure out motherboards and which CPU and GPU to actually buy.

For the record, I hate building PCs. I find it just a miserable experience. This is even worse: I’m going to build one, go through all the trouble of making it run, and then give it away. (Or maybe I’ll just donate $1k to Child’s Play. That might be easier.)

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Tags: Auction, Bargain, Build Pc, Experiences, Games, Gaming Pc, Gaming Performance, Hard Drives, Hassle, Intel, Marketing Campaign, Miserable Experience, Motherboards, Multimedia Workstation, Nicety, Pc Workstation, Silly Things, Sound Card, Splurge, Symantec

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At last week’s Tokyo Game Show, Level 5 announced their newest DS RPG, The Another World. The title’s obviously a bit of Engrish, but it’s forgivable: in a surprising move, Level 5 has teamed up with Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli, the animation house behind Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and My Neighbor Totoro.

There’s scant gameplay in the trailer, but the markings of a Studio Ghibli film are all there: the sweeping Joe Hisaishi orchestral score, the faded maps of strange fantasy lands, the strange dream-like tranquility of another world explored by a brave, wandering child. And the gameplay looks exciting: it appears to be based around drawing glyphs to cast spells, with each copy of the game sold having its own unique library of spells transcribed in a lovely custom spell book.

It’s probably worth while having modest expectations of this one: there’s only so much animation that can be crammed on a DS Cart. But an evolution of the Japanese RPG from the tired cliche of the Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest formula to something more approaching Miyazaki’s folklore-inspired dreamscapes would be very welcome right about now.

First Footage of The Another World [DS Fanboy]

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Tags: Cliche, Dragon Quest, Engrish, Fantasy Lands, Final Fantasy, Gameplay, Glyphs, Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese Rpg, Joe Hisaishi, My Neighbor Totoro, Orchestral Score, Princess Mononoke, Rpgs, Spell Book, Spirited Away, Strange Dream, Studio Ghibli, Tokyo Game Show, Wandering Child

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The Minoru 3D Webcam isn’t just another wonderful example of robo-pareidolia: unlike most web cams, it features two separate lenses, mixes them together in its elongated, pod-like skull and then beams the resulting three dimensional erection across the internet to jut out of the screen at some random Craigslister, clad in red-and-blue cellophane glasses… and nothing else.

Minoru [Official Site via Crave]

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Tags: Blue Cellophane, Erection, Glasses, Pareidolia, Pod, Skull, Web Cams, World Webcam

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Martyr by the Play Coalition: possibly the world’s first suicidal night light.

Martyr [Play Coalition via Crunchgear]

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Tags: Crunchgear, Martyr, Night Light

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This is awesome entirely because they didn’t try to make it look anything like a backpack at all.

It’s $65, plus shipping.

R2-D2 backpack catalog page [FredFlare.com] (Thanks, Kleer001!)

Previously • The ultimate LEGO Star Wars diorama
• Star Wars Shaggin’ Wagon for Sale on eBay
• Sexy Star Wars stormtrooper boots
• Official LEGO Star Wars AT-AT Walker
• The Star Wars musical floppy
• Star Wars Toys That Were Not to Be
• Video: The making of original Star Wars’ computer graphics
• Drivable X-34 Landspeeder replica by Star Wars modder Daniel Deutsch

Update: John also wrote this up but I beat him to the punch because I barely wrote anything.

Ever since I dumped my first girlfriend during a preschool Star Wars play session by telling her that she was no longer pretty enough to be Princess Leia and must now be Chewbacca, I have felt an affinity for Luke Skywalker, and this affinity only grows as I stand upon the threshold of my 30s.

Like Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back, I am a mop headed blond with a shrill castrati’s voice and a once attractive face mangled by incompetent reconstructive surgery. Like Luke, I have strange psychic powers: under my penetrative stare, I have caused watch pots to boil, to name only one of my great works. Like Luke, I have made out with my own sister; like him, I am advised by a tiny green creature with strange, backwards speech patterns who clings to my back and exhorts me to kill my own father. It all fits.

One thing is missing, though: my own R2 unit. This R2-D2 backpack isn’t a functional astromech droid, of course, but it does look as though it would store a mini-keg beneath its padded dome. I can’t actually recall if Luke ever strapped R2D2 to his back, but I wouldn’t be surprised: as far as I’m concerned, only Episodes IV - VI are canon, and all that Phantom Menace crap about R2 being able to fly is just guff. I’m sure Luke had to piggyback poor R2 from time to time: that droid was not meant for traversing Dagobah.

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Tags: Astromech Droid, Backwards Speech, Castrati, Chewbacca, Drivable, Ebay, First Girlfriend, Landspeeder, Lego Star Wars, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Psychic Powers, R2 D2, R2 Unit, S 65, Sexy Star, Speech Patterns, Star Wars Diorama, Star Wars Stormtrooper, Star Wars Toys

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For $78 dollars, one would hope that this cute little Space Invaders alarm clock — endorsed by Taito itself — is something you can actually play the titular game upon. Otherwise, what’s the point? But unfortunately, it doesn’t appear as though the Space Invaders alarm clock allows you to play Space Invaders at all! What a disappointment: I envisioned groggy 5am mornings defending Terra from descending pixel squids to turn off the alarm’s cochlea-shredding bleeping.

Space Invaders Alarm Clock [Kilian Nakamura via Oh Gizmo!]

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Tags: Alarm Clock, Cochlea, Disappointment, Game, Gizmo, Little Space, Nakamura, Space Invaders, Squids

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The “Magneat” is a simple little wire management system that uses a magnet to clip to your shirt. By winding your headphones’ excess cable around its post, you’ll be less likely to catch them on things. Or that’s the pitch, anyway.

You can only buy them in Iceland at the moment, though, so you’ll have some time to consider how much you want them before you make the flight over. Oh wait — you can buy them online and have them shipped over.

Honestly, the wire shortening I get, but I’m not quite sure why you’d want to attach it to your clothing.

Magneat product page [Magneat.com]

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Tags: Cable Management System, Headphones, Magnet, Pitch, Wire Management System

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