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Posts Tagged ‘phone’

Everything about Logitech’s new solar-powered keyboard screams “green” — except maybe its black and white case. Constructed of PVC-free plastic, packed in recyclable packaging with no included paper manual, and using only available light to power itself, it’s as friendly to the environment as a piece of computer hardware is likely to get.

Two solar panels at the top of the keyboard work to keep the internal battery charged, even in low indoor ambient light. When I took it out of the box, the battery was more than 50 percent charged after spending just 15 minutes in direct sunlight. After … [Read More...]

One puck to control them all

Square Connect’s SQ Blaster solves a problem we’ve been grappling with for some time now: Integrating control over the devices we manage using the Z-Wave home-control protocol (especially lighting) with control over the devices we manage using infrared, all with a single universal remote. The fact that this hardware/software combo is inexpensive is icing on the cake.

Inexpensive is, however, a relative term: The SQ Blaster’s $200 price tag is pricey if all you’re looking for is a basic infrared repeater (although some kits, such as $320 Niles Audio’s RCA-HT2, are priced a lot … [Read More...]

Yes, it looks like something out of a ’50s sci-fi flick. But its sound is the aural equivalent of a swimming pool filled with French vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate-dipped diamonds.

Go ahead and snort at the price — $600 is a lot of cheese for an iPhone dock — but the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air is simply the best set of multimedia speakers in its class. The quality and clarity of the audio that comes out of this monolithic oval is jaw-dropping, and anyone who’s serious about hi-fi gear will see this price tag as a bargain, … [Read More...]

Yes, it looks like something out of a ’50s sci-fi flick. But its sound is the aural equivalent of a swimming pool filled with French vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate-dipped diamonds.

Go ahead and snort at the price — $600 is a lot of cheese for an iPhone dock — but the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air is simply the best set of multimedia speakers in its class. The quality and clarity of the audio that comes out of this monolithic oval is jaw-dropping, and anyone who’s serious about hi-fi gear will see this price tag as a bargain, … [Read More...]

Even a basic telescope can deliver clear views of celestial regulars like Jupiter and its moons. But for NASA-worthy sights of, say, the Crab Nebula, you need serious gear—and serious coin. Enter the Meade MAX 20? telescope. Its optics are coated with nanothin layers of proprietary materials that help guide every cosmic photon into your eye or camera. And the focal plane is almost perfectly flat, so the edges of your shots won’t be too blurry. Press a button and the robotic mount points the 20-inch aperture (astronomers have discovered comets with less) at any of 140,000 … [Read More...]

As Sly Stone said, the nicer the nice, the higher the price.

The question is, is the more expensive Xoom nicer than the comparable iPad?

The experience is markedly different, that’s for sure. Anyone familiar with Apple’s market-leading tablet — and the Xoom invites the comparison — will face a few moments of disorientation when picking up the Xoom for the first time. A few details are unsettling to iPad users, such as the location of the power button (on the rear of the device), the lack of front-facing command buttons, and the unfamiliar location of the volume rocker.

Those … [Read More...]

This tutorial has been on my mind off and on for several months now. Joining the team here at Windows Guides has given me the opportunity to finally post it. After my son asked me a few weeks ago for a good proxy I thought maybe I dedicate this and the next tutorial to him.

This is a long yet not a really difficult tutorial if you follow along. I have done my best to simplify it as much as possible. May I suggest you read the whole thing and get your … [Read More...]

This little box delivers a mind-blowing audio experience

Audiophiles are frequently criticized as having more money than sense. This is especially true when it comes to digital audio components. “It’s digital,” so the argument goes, “it’s perfect because it’s all or nothing.” So when we tell you this combo DAC, pre-amp, headphone amp, USB device costs twice as much as the computer and 50 percent more than the receiver we used to test it ($1,895), some of you will label us fools for bestowing our Kick Ass award on it. Well, you’re wrong.

Granted, we probably didn’t experience the best … [Read More...]

Wireless music systems like the Sonos, Apple TV and Squeezebox have made it easier than ever to get music streaming wirelessly across your home or office. British hi-fi maker Naim built its UnitiQute to do just that, accepting audio from a variety of sources both wired and unwired, and producing clear, sharp sound in any setting.

This all-in-one music hub is heavy — around 13 pounds — but it’s small enough to easily fit on a desktop or bookshelf. The UnitiQute has an integrated 30 watt-per-channel amp that pumps out tunes from a slew of sources: FM and web radio, … [Read More...]

I’m not always sure where HTC draws its inspiration from. But the new Inspire, the latest top-tier Android phone offered by AT&T, definitely filled me with a sense of déjà vu.

Like HTC’s EVO 4G and HD2 before it, the Inspire is a hefty, slate-style smartphone. Below the huge 4.3-inch 480 x 800 WVGA touchscreen lies the usual strip of capacitive navigation keys. Centered on the upper portion of the phone’s back is the standard protruding camera lens. Everything else — from the brushed aluminum body to the recessed volume and power buttons — follows the same pragmatically drab … [Read More...]

Razer brings its B-game to Blizzard’s legendary RTS

It’s recently become popular for major PC game releases to be accompanied by their own line of branded peripherals, custom designed by big-name peripheral makers like Razer and SteelSeries. Frequently, these products are no more than a reskinning of a popular model, as is the case with the Call of Duty: Black Ops Stealth Mouse, which is essentially a rebranded Cyborg R.A.T. Other times, the tie-in is more substantial, as with the SteelSeries WoW mice, which feature unique, game-inspired designs as well as features and software intended to help you play the … [Read More...]

A new version of Rdio’s iPhone app is available, and if you’re a fan of the music streaming service, you should download it immediately. If you haven’t yet turned the corner on subscription-based streaming, this update makes it worth a look.

Some of Rdio’s best tools for discovering new music were previously only available on the website, but the new app now includes these tools, vastly improving the mobile experience. It’s also more stable and easier to use.

For those of you new to Rdio (“ar-dee-o”), here’s the deal: It’s an on-demand, cloud-based jukebox. You search for an artist, an … [Read More...]

The security screening procedure at the airport typically provides about as much enjoyment as a graduate-level macroeconomics lecture, so it was comforting to know I had one less hassle when I approached the conveyor belt at the TSA checkpoint the last time I flew: I didn’t have to remove my 15-inch MacBook from my backpack.

My notebook was stowed inside a Big Ben backpack, which is made by Victorinox Swiss Army, the same folks who make the knives, watches and other assorted travel gear. The Big Ben has a separate Security Fast Pass sleeve — basically, a laptop compartment inside … [Read More...]

Last Sunday, AT&T kicked off a special offer where you can buy an Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T and a Windows Phone (either a Samsung Focus or LG Quantum) for just $199.99 with new 2-year service agreement. It’s a pretty sweet deal for a Windows 7 PC and a new Windows Phone 7 device!

The AS1830T comes with some pretty nice specs: an Intel Core i3 Processor (1.2 GHz), an 11.6” backlit LED screen, and up to 9 hours of battery life. You can explore the capabilities of this PC from AT&T’s website here.

So if you’re looking at picking up … [Read More...]

If you are a long-time Wired subscriber, this is going to be hard for you to read — literally.

For the graying set that thinks these glasses are more Thomas Dolby than Harry Potter, reading anything is more difficult, because of presbyopia, the gradual inability of the eye to focus due to age. Even if you never wore glasses before, all of a sudden — or around age 45 — you are unable to clearly see the text on your computer screen, your iPad, Viagra prescription bottles or your Hoveround’s speedometer.

Until recently, this meant adding reading glasses or switching … [Read More...]