New Home Gadgets

Good news for those not quite ready to take the plunge to purchase the new Nikon D700, but tiring of some of the problems they may have been experiencing with their D3 or D300; Nikon has made some more adjustments. The latest in the D3 firmware upgrades include some nifty function button customization options, although before you get too excited… no these are not the same ones featured on the D700.  There were also some adjustments to the AF and white balance mode, as well as the playback mode. A major concern for many users of both the D3 and D300 was one that has come to be known as “Dead Battery Syndrome”, wherein the battery indicator would incorrectly register an empty battery. (Read the full post about ‘Nikon D3, D300 see firmware fixes’…)

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AT&T announced details regarding the availability of the new iPhone 3G. The iPhone 3G is scheduled to be available beginning on Friday, July 11th at 8am local time at AT&T stores. The 8GB model will retail for US$199 while the 16GB will retail for US$299. Those prices will be available to iPhone customers who purchased an iphone before July11th, customers activating a new line with AT&T or customers eligible for an upgrade discount at the time of purchase.

If you are an existing AT&T customer, but are not eligible for an upgrade discount, then you can purchase the 8GB model for US$399 or the 16GB model for US$499 with a new two-year service agreement.

(Read the full post about ‘AT&T to offer iPhone without contract’…)

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Almost everybody has played air guitar one way or the other; especially while watching some rock band’s music video, but what about an Air Piano? Omer Yosha has created the Air Piano, which is an electronic piano of sorts, but allows users to play it without physically touching the piano itself.

The Air Piano uses infrared technology to detect the user’s hand movements over it, and plays the appropriate note based on where the movement came from, including the height. The Air Piano is even able to detect if the hand is hovering over the same spot, and will sustain the note.

(Read the full post about ‘Air Piano’…)

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HP has announced that they will begin deploying more than 7,000 HP Mini-Note PC’s to K-12 students in the Fresno United School District in California.

“The HP Mini-Note is a powerful laptop that is small enough to fit on students’ desks along with their textbooks and papers, allowing them access to the Internet and educational content from around the world without leaving their seats,” said Kurt Madden, chief technology officer, Fresno United School District.

Certainly a nice perk for students in that district, it seems like they will be given regular access to the computer, which should in turn make them a little more computer literate, especially at the younger ages, but also be able to be used as a tool to aid in their education.

(Read the full post about ‘Fresno United School District to receive 7,000 HP Mini-Notes’…)

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Owners of the 40GB Sony PS3 might find the lack of USB ports irritating, never mind the fact that that problem can be solved simply by throwing in a third party USB hub. Nyko wants to make sure everything is color-coordinated in your living room though, hence the Nyko Media Hub that offers another three USB 2.0 ports and an SD/Memory Stick card reader. It is able to snap on seamlessly on all PS3 SKUs, working just fine in either horizontal or vertical positions. The Nyko Media Hub is relatively cheap at $20 when it is released this August.

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Motion Computing has a couple of new devices in the form of the C5 mobile clinical assistant (MCA) and the F5 semi-rugged tablet pc. The former boasts integrated mobile broadband and solid state drive (SSD) options that will certainly help it go the distance in the environment which it is used, while the latter comes with improved capacity thanks to the inclusion of an 80GB hard drive without you having to fork out an additional penny. More information on both devices will be available after the jump, so read on.

The C5 features optional integrated mobile broadband that enables mobile clinicians to improve productivity by accessing important patient information such as digital images and patient history details on-the-fly.

(Read the full post about ‘Motion Computing launches new models’…)

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For people who like to take stealth shots of things from a distance, the Prowler Stealth Cam might just be the thing. This device is designed for hardcore hunters, and sports a 5 Megapixel camera for daytime shots, along with a 2 Megapixel infrared-capable cam for black and white shots in the night. This device is set to shoot on motion, and features an SD card slot, 42 infrared emitters which are good for up to 50 feet, and has time, date, moon phase and temperature stamp on each photo, along with a video setting which is adjustable from 5 to 90 seconds.

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They’ve been rumored for a while, but it appears that they will actually be in existence in a couple of months: laptop bags that can get through airport security while your precious laptop remains snug within. If you carry your machine in one of these bags, you won’t have to remove it in order to pass X-ray inspection, according to the New York Times.

Two major makers, Targus and Pathfinder Luggage, have already announced models that will be available by fall. Half a dozen other manufacturers are said to be scrambling to catch up. Targus is planning 4 models, priced from $39 to $100. Pathfinder’s offerings, a briefcase and a wheeled model, will be more expensive, about $150.

Since the bags don’t yet exist, there are no photos.

(Read the full post about ‘On the way: Laptop bags that get through airport security’…)

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FROM APPLETELL - If you still don’t know what you’re going to do with your old iphone once you upgrade to the iPhone 3G, convert it to a Wi-Fi enabled ipod.
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We received the above screenshots from a Best Buy employee (they have access to see inventory coming) from their internal tools. Looks like T-Mobile switched around the misspelling of “Gecko” and are calling it the Sidekick Gecco. There’s not a whole lot of details other than the name of the device, the size and weight of the box, and the release date of July 27th that we knew about long ago. Oh wait, what’s that? $299? Is that the price of the Sidekick Gecco? Hmm.. Needless to say, this is exciting and only a couple weeks away! (Read the full post about ‘T-Mobile Sidekick Gecco is coming!’…)

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