Saturday, August 30, 2008

Latest Picks from MakeUseOf Geeky Fun

Latest Picks from MakeUseOf Geeky Fun
Check out the top picks from MakeUseOf ‘Geeky Fun’ during the last week. As usual, thanks to everyone who emailed us the links, this wouldn’t be possible without your contributions. 1. W. Bush & Bill Gates Meet at Olympics - What REALLY Happened (Pic) 2. The Apple “i” (Video) 3. Steve Jobs and Calvin (Cartoon 2) 4. School For [...]

Check out the top picks from MakeUseOf ‘Geeky Fun’ during the last week. As usual, thanks to everyone who emailed us the links, this wouldn’t be possible without your contributions.

To keep up with all ‘Geeky Fun’ additions subscribe to Geeky Fun feed here. To subscribe by email click here. It takes 10 seconds.

More from MakeUseOf.com :

- MakeUseOf Directory : Read about up-to 5 truly useful web apps on a daily basis.
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iPhone factory worker is newly Internet famous

Filed under: Odds and ends

Last week you may have caught some photos going around of a cute Foxconn factory worker flashing peace signs. The photos were found on a UK man's brand-new iPhone, and posted at MacRumors.

The mystery girl's identity is being protected by Foxconn, and a company spokesman said that her job is not in any danger. Taking pictures with the camera is a normal part of the testing procedure done before the phone is shipped out.

As with other Chinese internet celebrities, identities are hard to come by. Second Brother on the Right, who was part of the Olympic torch procession through many countries, is still anonymous.

[Via Reuters.]

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My favorite iPod touch apps: Mike R.'s picks

My favorite iPod touch apps: Mike R.'s picks

Filed under: iPod Family, App Store

In contributing my share to our ongoing series of favorites for Mac and iPhone apps, I think I'm the first of our crew to focus on the iPhone's sleeker sibling. The iPod touch may not have the communications and GPS capabilities of the motherphone, but what it lacks in circuitry it makes up for in panache. I've found apps that are kid-pleasers, apps that leverage the touch's native WiFi location capability, and apps that challenge the brain. (All links are directly to the App Store.)

Comic Touch from Plasq. Although the iPhone's camera is absent, the ability to edit, annotate and humorize synchronized photos on the touch is a delight. Comic Touch may not be the only app in this space but it's proven its worth to me during evenings out or when traveling, as my daughters derive endless fun from captioning family snapshots with thought balloons.

Pandora Radio. Making the portable device into a full-featured internet streaming tool is a work in progress, but a WiFi-connected iPod touch with Pandora is an astonishingly fun and surprising music source, a glass-front Airport Express. I love the Pandora web app, so I was prepared to like the miniaturized version -- what I didn't expect was how connecting it to a stereo and letting it play would lead to "Wow, who's this?" moments. Lacking a microphone, I can't run Midori or Shazam on my touch -- but I can make iPhone users want to use those apps to find out what Pandora is playing through my speakers.

Scrabble. Yes, I know that Facebook users have dartboards covered with pictures of Hasbro's legal team -- I still enjoy the EA version immensely. It's colorful, easy to play and has the feel of the tabletop game and the tactile letter-dragging fun you expect. Shaking the device to shuffle the rack aside (it feels gimmicky and I never do it), all I really want to add is a copy of the Scrabble dictionary for training and reference.

Location-aware touch. Even without the GPS of the iPhone, I've been pleased that so many location-aware apps work just fine on the touch. Where To?, Twitterrific, Urbanspoon and Now Playing -- assuming there's a WiFi network around -- behave just as they would on the iPhone, and whether it's due to the solid location frameworks or thoughtful work by developers, I'm appreciative.

Honorable Mention: Simplify Media, Dot Game, City Transit NYC, and Facebook.


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Sony introduces PMX-U55 PMP for China

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video


As we've seen, Sony sure doesn't hold back on its exclusive-to-China line of PMX PMPs, and it's just tossed yet another new model into the mix, with the PMX-U55 helping to fill out the low-end of the spectrum (and pick up where the PMX-U50 left off). This one apparently comes in only a 2GB version, and packs a decent enough 2.4-inch 320 x 240 display, a built-in FM tuner, and support for all the usual audio and video formats, not to mention a 7.5mm slim form factor. Of course, like seemingly every other entry in the line, there's no word of a release outside of China, but those there can apparently pick one up right now for 498 Chinese yuan, or just over $70.

[Via PMP Today]
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Toshiba's Resolution+ ZF LCD in the flesh

Toshiba's Resolution+ ZF LCD in the flesh

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment


We're still pondering the difference between Toshiba's Cell-based Resolution+ technology and its "good enough for everybody else" XDE tech, but we got a look at Resolution+ today -- featured in Toshiba's new ZF575 Regza TVs -- and it seems to work well enough. Unlike XDE, which is designed with DVDs in mind to mess with contrast and colors, in addition to sharpness, Resolution+ just focuses on sharpness, for a multitude of SD inputs, and seems to do a decent job of it. Comparison shots up ahead, don't poke your eye on any jaggies!
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Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X1 delayed to end of the year

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds


It's a little difficult to delay a device that hasn't gotten a more specific release window than "the second half of 2008" (from official sources, at least), but Sony Ericsson is doing its darnedest. The scuttlebutt at IFA is that the XPERIA X1 has been delayed to the end of the year, and a Sony rep confirmed to us that it's looking like December 2008 or January 2009. To blame is the software, specifically Windows Mobile 6.1 (or perhaps SE's implementation of it), which appeared to be actively destroying the display units Sony has on display at IFA -- of the three devices, one had some green status lights, one didn't work at all, and one turned on briefly, only to crash hard and never return again... a pretty poor showing for day one of the show. Some hands-on shots are below, glaringly void of actual device usage.
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Friday, August 29, 2008

Philips intros the CinemaOne iPod / DVD soundbar

Filed under: Home Entertainment

We suppose it was just a matter of time before iPod docks and HTIBs achieved some sort of unholy union, and their demonic lovechild has appeared at IFA -- say hello to the Philips CinemaOne. Essentially a mashup of an iPod speaker system, a DVD player, and a soundbar, it's designed to plug in to your flatscreen via HDMI and provide surround audio through five DSP-driven speakers and 4-inch sub, all in a package about the size of a football. The DivX-compatible DVD player seems decent, with 1080p scaling and Dolby Digital and DTS support, but even though the speakers use the same soundbar tech found in Philips' Ambisound line, we've got our doubts that this thing sounds any good -- most soundbars we've heard require a separate large sub to be effective. No pricing or release date yet, but we'd wait to actually hear this thing in person before we started to set aside spare change. Action shot after the break.

Continue reading Philips intros the CinemaOne iPod / DVD soundbar

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