New Home Gadgets

Tech seems to creep into our lives virtually everywhere, as evidenced by the hood.e. There is a soundtrack to life, and now it’s not just in your head. Throw on your hood.e, plug in your favorite mp3 player, and you’re ready to roll (and rock). The embedded speakers make it possible for you to share your latest favorite track without the awkward ties of a tethered earbud. After all, music should enhance your life, not shut it out. While some noise will still filter out to annoy folks within earshot, at least it isn’t as crude and intrusive as a boombox. (Read the full post about ‘Hood.e Clothing Speakers’…)

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HP’s MediaSmart TVs will soon be able to view YouTube videos straight on the TV without the need for a keyboard and mouse, as all one needs would be a simple remote control. Since the MediaSmart line has already made accessing digital media content from networked home PCs a snap through a single menu, this new alliance with YouTube will bring even greater functionality to the big screen in your living room. All you need to do is have a YouTube account and you’re good to go. Perfect for those frat parties where watching short crazy videos are the norm, but a more serious family will probably find something else that is more fitting and cultured. (Read the full post about ‘HP Partners with YouTube’…)

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Now that Microsoft has withdrawn its offer for Yahoo, rumors are flying about the company knocking on some pretty big doors of possible acquisition targets. One of those doors is AOL, while the other most recent addition is Facebook, according to AllthingsD.

What’s most interesting, though, is that Microsoft’s own Bill Gates is saying that the company is going to focus on its “independent strategy”.

My guess is that Microsoft is knocking on a bunch of doors just to see what options are out there. I was on acquisition teams for a couple of different companies in my past and a lot of times you just “knock” to see what might be there.

(Read the full post about ‘Is Microsoft still shopping?’…)

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In a continuing bid to branch out and maintain new business links, Microsoft has done a deal with car maker Hyundai-Kia to develop a new in-car entertainment system.

The deal seems to be a joint venture, with Microsoft investing US$113 million next to Hyundai-Kia’s larger US$166 million pot. The funding is to create a new auto IT innovation center that will form the hub of development for new technology specifically aimed at motor vehicles.

Martin Hall, general manager of Microsoft’s automotive business unit commented:

These new systems will redefine consumer experiences in the car … We’re now aligned to develop the next generation of in-car infotainment systems

Although specific details of the new system have yet to be announced, the new entertainment system is meant to bring together all the gadgets you commonly bring into a car.

(Read the full post about ‘Microsoft signs in-car entertainment deal with Hyundai-Kia’…)

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Dell’s boring Inspiron 1525 laptops have just gotten a touch of class, thanks to designs from Mike Ming. The two new designs have been dubbed “Bunch O Surfers” and “Sea Sky”, but unfortunately I think it would have done better if tacked onto some of the higher end Dell laptops. Still, for $699 a pop, you do get something not as drab as your colleague’s and 3GB of RAM is always a very welcome specification in my book - for the moment, at least. (Read the full post about ‘Dell Inspiron 1525 Gets Artsy’…)

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(Read the full post about ‘Ice Sculpture’…)

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Acer has introduced a couple of new display lines for the masses - the Business line will see both workers and home users enjoy a monitor that is flexible enough to tilt up 15 degrees or down by 5 while allowing 35 degree pivoting in either direction without adjusting the stand. You also get contrast ratios of 2,000:1 or 3,000:1 for most models, with a 5ms average pixel response time eliminating most ghosting. As for the Value series, the flexible arm is missing at the cost of a lower price and greater portability. The Value series will see users collapse the display flat and ferry it between rooms, although it does make me wonder just how often is somebody going to do that. (Read the full post about ‘Acer intros New LCD Displays’…)

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Yes, Minority Report–that Tom Cruise flick. Apparently, a collaborative project called the Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology (MAST) Collaborative Technology Alliance is developing spy robots inspired by the said Holloywood movie. Britain-based BAE Systems is one of the major collaborators for the project. In fact, the company just signed a 19 million deal with the US Army to develop surveillance micro-robots. And these micro-robots are not just ordinary robots–they’re to be designed in the makings of insects, arachnids, and small animals. The first design on the line seems to be the spider which you can see on the picture. Others include bees, geckoes, hummingbirds, and flies among others. (Read the full post about ‘MAST Microrobots Inspired by Minority Report’…)

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Gateway is now offering a new range of gaming and multimedia desktop PC from a cheap to pretty heavily price. The machines as follows : FX7026 * Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 CPU * Overclocked NVIDIA 8800GT graphics chipset * 4GB of RAM * 640GB hard drive * $1,099.99 * Available at retail locations GT5670, GT5674, GT5676 and GT5678 * AMD Phenom quad core, or triple core processors * 3GB or 4GB of RAM * 320GB to 750GB hard drive capacities * NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE or ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics chipsets * $549.99 to $849.99 * Available at retail locations FX541 * NVIDIA SLI-capable motherboard * Dual PCIe x16 slots with SLI support * $1,199.99 * Available online FX541XT * Factory overclocked CPU * NVIDIA SLI-capable motherboard * Dual NVIDIA 8800 GT factory overclocked video cards in SLI mode * $3,499.99 * Available online DX442 * Intel Pentium Dual-Core, Intel Core 2 Duo, or Intel Core 2 Quad CPU * Intel G33 chipset with GMA X3100 Graphics * 2GB or 3GB of RAM * 320GB or 500GB hard drives * $549.99 to $999.99 * Available online. (Read the full post about ‘Gateway To Launch New Line of Desktop PC’…)

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We recently saw the leaked images for the upcoming Motorola ZN5, however those came with very few details. Well the details are still limited, but now we have some more official looking images to offer up. These latest images appear to be authentic press style images would could indicate that we will be seeing an official announcement soon. Hopefully so, then we will be able to learn all the specs the ZN5 will be offering. Keep reading for some more pics of the Motorola ZN5… Via [Just Another mobile phone Blog] Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! (Read the full post about ‘Press photo’s: Motorola ZN5; Is the official announcement coming soon?’…)

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