New Home Gadgets

The legal team at Research In Motion (RIM), manufacturer of blackberry handhelds, has another patent infringement fight on its hands. According to an Associated Press report, RIM is accusing Motorola of violating 9 RIM patents. Unfortunately for RIM, the company didn’t fire the first shot.

Motorola a day earlier filed a lawsuit against RIM, accusing it of violating patents. Motorola’s lawsuit seems to have come as a result of the inability of RIM and Motorola to come to terms regarding an extension of a 2003 agreement.

(Read the full post about ‘Motorola and RIM battle over patents’…)

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With today’s announcement that the hobbled format has finally been put out of its misery, there have been a slew of price slashes on HD DVD players. Go ahead, check ‘em out. Amazon particularly has some sweet deals but so do New Egg, and Tiger Direct. Toshiba players especially have been cut down in price. Tempted to buy one? Don’t! Well, don’t do it without thinking first. Yes, the siren call of $20, $50, $100 bucks off might be too much for the most hardcore bargain hunter to resist and many of these players can act as upscalers for regular 480p DVDs as well — which means that an HD DVD player is potentially useful for playing ordinary DVDs and making them look really good on your high-def display. (Read the full post about ‘With HD DVD Dead, Players Are Cheap — But Steer Clear’…)

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Earlier today Engadget posted a few images and some information about an upcoming UMPC. This wouldn’t normally qualify as very big news, especially with the large number of these devices on the way but this one is from HP.

The HP Compaq 2133 looks like a pretty exciting device actually. It is not exactly revolutionary, but from a casual glance it seems like someone got a titanium PowerBook and crossed with with an Eee PC. That is to say, it looks quite cool and would stand out in this growing category.

The highlights include a 8.9″ display at 1366×766, a keyboard that is 95% of full size, optional SSD, and a starting weight of 2.5lbs.

(Read the full post about ‘HP’s 2133 UMPC Revealed’…)

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Posted Feb 19th 2008 2:48PM by Nilay PatelFiled under: Desktops, Laptops, Peripherals Although the macbook air’s multitouch trackpad is pretty nifty, it looks like Apple has even grander plans in store — a recent patent filing describes the MBA’s current features as “Basic Multitouch” and contains descriptions of “Advanced” touch operations like system control, file management and browser navigation. While the filing details using a combination of the thumb and two fingers to cut, copy and paste — something that seems awfully relevant to that little iphone thing Apple sells — what we’re most intrigued by is the description of the “side pinky swipe” to control system functions like volume and screen brightness. (Read the full post about ‘Apple patent hints at “advanced multitouch,” iPhone copy / paste’…)

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I guess exoskeletons that enhance our strength will be the future when it comes to the construction industry. Scientists hailing from Nagayo University in Japan has unveiled a prototype Robotic Muscle Suit that will help carpenters fit ceiling boards in place - a task that is not easily accomplished as it requires a whole lot of Hulk-level strength. The robot suit is capable of taking most of the load, leaving the customer breathing less heavily. (Read the full post about ‘Robotic Muscle Suit’…)

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This could be the first time since the introduction of the next generation movie formats that its truly safe to buy a next-gen player. Toshiba has made their official announcement and “will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders.” Not much left to say, its finally over! According to Toshiba this move comes from “recent major changes in the market.” They do plan to maintain full support and after-sales service for all current Toshiba HD DVD owners. Shipments of hd dvd players and recorders will be reduced effective immediately and are expected to end by the end of March 2008. (Read the full post about ‘Breaking News: Toshiba makes it official, the format war is over’…)

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Posted Feb 19th 2008 12:04PM by Ryan BlockFiled under: Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment Finally, hd dvd users now have the empirical evidence they’ve been looking for to prove that the universe really is conspiring against them. We figured we’d make ourselves useful over here and give you a list of things you can do with your poor, obsolete HD DVD player — starting with taking it out to dinner, excusing yourself to the bathroom before the check comes… then getting the hell out of there.Gimmes eBay Doorstop Entertainment center cup-holder Destroy it. Office Space style. Oh, the humanity Mail it to the office of Howard Stringer in protest of Blu-ray’s victory. (Read the full post about ‘Top ten things to do with your now-defunct HD DVD player’…)

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Calling all three of you Dick Tracy fans! Here’s the Epoq Quad-Band GSM wristphone for you to chat away on a timepiece while looking daft. At least it doesn’t look as corny as previous iterations, featuring the hands of an analog watch on its OLED display. You don’t have to worry about running out of juice anytime soon, since the Epoq EGP-WP88 boasts a built-in kinetic recharge system that converts the wearer’s motion to energy. The EGP-WP88 won’t come cheap though, retailing for $529.95 when available at the end of this month. I’d recommend getting a Bluetooth headset to go along with it. (Read the full post about ‘Epoq Quad-Band GSM Wristphone’…)

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Thanko is at it again - this time with a USB Vacuum mouse. Since there is no data transfer, the Vacuum mouse is still stuck in the USB 1.1 era, featuring an 800dpi sensor while looking like any other standard three button mouse at a retail store near you. There is a small switch on the side that turns on the vacuum cleaner though - perfect for folks who subsist on a diet of pizza and crackers at their desk all day long and don’t want to trouble the office cleaning lady. I wonder if it can vacuum keyboards as well… (Read the full post about ‘USB Vacuum Mouse’…)

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Posted Feb 19th 2008 8:12AM by Darren MurphFiled under: GPS We’re not exactly sure what makes a navigator one that women swoon over, but hooking it up with a pink or zebra striped faceplate is probably a good start. The Carrera S350 is pretty neutral right out of the box, sporting just a white frame, a 3.5-inch LCD, integrated mp3 player, camera alerts and 2D / 3D maps of the UK and Ireland. But this piece gets all kinds of wild when the aforementioned fascias take over. (Read the full post about ‘Binatone’s Carrera S350 navigator is nail friendly’…)

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