Dixero - Technology Channel

Admit it: you've been sitting around all day waiting to hear tell of the latest Joybook offering from BenQ , right? Well, have we got the story for you! BenQ's just dropped word of its newest -- the Joybook Lite U102. While we don't have full specs, we do know that this 10. 1-inch baby boasts a 16:9 WSVGA backlit LED, an Intel Atom CPU, and a 250GB HDD, with a 90 percent-sized keyboard. Pretty generic netbook specs, but its super-shiny black shell also makes it decently attractive. The BenQ Joybook Lite U102 will be available any day now in Taiwan, Thailand, and China. [Via FarEast Gizmos ]. Filed under: Laptops . BenQ shocker! Joybook Lite U102 outed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments .

Electronic musicians are always looking for new ways to do the same old things. Case in point: OTTO, developed by Luca De Rosso at the IUAV University of Venice for a master's thesis. Based on an Arduino and Cycling '74's Max / MSP software, you can drop an audio loop in it (via USB) and manipulate it in real time by moving your hands around the touch surface. Sure we've heard these kind of edits before, but never on a device that somewhat resembles the old Simon memory game. That has to count for something, right? Suffice it to say: we want one. Be sure to check it in action after the break. Continue reading OTTO slices beats, has no effect on tin cans . OTTO slices beats, has no effect on tin cans originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments .

The Fitness Fairy just dropped off the Perfect Pushup V2 , from Perfect Fitness. So consider this a quick hands-on, not a full review. (Give me a few days for that. ) My first thoughts, compared to the mobile unit I reviewed a few months ago: my God the handles are a lot more comfortable. So yeah, the main differences here between the first version of the Perfect Pushup (and the mobile one I reviewed) deal with the comfort of the handle and the "spinnyness" of the twisty part. (Technical jargon, I know. ) I used it a few times today and the handle is wider than the aforementioned models. It's pretty helpful, believe me; I've been using the mobile unit for months now, and having a wider handle makes grabbing it much easier. The handle itself is softer (like a foam-type material) with grooves, like a Pringle. Now your hands, theoretically, should slip less (but that was never an issue for me). The other big difference is that it's a lot more "spinny" this time 'round. That taps into the whole idea behind the Pe

Old NES controller, meet iPhone. An enterprising individual over on the iPhonefr. com forums (careful, everything is in French!) has turned one of the most iconic controllers of all time into something that holds one of the most iconic electronic gadgets of the present day. It actually doesn't look like it'd be all that complicated to produce. Clear out the innards of the controller, make a little slit for the iPod connector to fit into, and glue everything in place. Voila, as the French say. Forum iPhone [iphonefr. com via Geeky Gadgets ].

It all seems a little bit early for Ars Technica's fall release prediction , but according to the Economic Daily News, Sony has awarded two companies contracts on the PS3 Slim for shipments starting this July. The report claims that Hon Hai won a majority of the production contract with Foxconn scoring a bit as well. But details are scarce on the new PS3, describing it only as "smaller" and "lighter. ". Unless the Slim were to be released in July (or maybe August), the "early July" shipments from Economic Daily News seem way too early for the console. Sony would need to announce the Slim next week, otherwise where would they hide all the new consoles?. So either the Economic Daily News is wrong about July shipments, Ars is wrong with the "fall" release, Sony is wrong about the best way to announce a console without it leaking or we're all wrong and the PS3 isn't ready for miniaturization. Fun stuff! [ UDN via Engadget ].

Really interested in what kind of nuclear rocket capability North Korea has? The Bulletin does a really in-depth analysis of the latest launch, based on released and carefully reasoned interpolated data. It's quite interesting, with well-thought-out logic that points to NK obtaining parts and knowledge from Russia. In short, they probably don't have quite as good a capability for delivering the payload as previously thought. [ The Bulletin ].

Mushroom Networks has been in the "broadband bonding" business for quite a while now , but we're guessing they're going to find a few more fans with their new wireless broadband gear, which promises the fastest cellular-based internet connection to date. Like the company's previous PortaBella device (pictured above, not exactly to scale), its new rig can combine up to four different cellular data cards into a single high-speed connection, but this one is fully portable (just over a pound) and, perhaps most importantly, it has an optional battery pack that'll let you be truly mobile with it. That, Mushroom says, makes the device ideal for a whole range of applications that can be a bit tricky with a single modem, like mobile TV broadcasting or temporary offices set up in a disaster area. Unfortunately, there's no word on pricing just yet, but it doesn't exactly take much guesstimating to figure out that it's likely not the most cost-effective solution around. Filed under: Wireless . Mushroom Networks announces

AMD has recently cooked up a little something they like to call the Phenom II X4 TWKR Black Edition, a hand-picked, limited edition processor that is designed to be overclocked "to the extreme. " Currently labeled "Not for Sale," with no serial numbers and only one hundred of these bad boys in existence, just a few lucky folks have got their hands on one, so we've dug up some reviews (and previews) so you can see what the fuss is all about. According to the company, one of these guys could be pushed by 100MHz with air cooling, which doubles to about 200MHz with "extreme cooling. " As far as impressions go, the reviewer at Neoseeker quickly decided that the units aren't meant to be overclocked on air only, and that dry ice isn't much better. Hot Hardware says pretty much the same thing. Though they weren't able to test with liquid nitrogen or liquid helium (the only way to get real speed) they did put a Koolance LN2 pot (and about 20lbs of dry ice) to the test for a 4. 73GHz overclock. For best results, accord

It looks like Dell is expanding the Alienware brand. First there was the OptX AW2210 monitor and now the TactX Headset. Judging by the specs of 16 Hz - 16kHz and -38 dB, it's your standard gaming headset. That doesn't mean there aren't a couple of cool features. First off the mic is retractable so it's not sticking out when you're playing solo. Also, the cord is only three feet long, but it also ships with a 7 foot extension just in case. Expect to pay $79 for the headset and it's shipping right now from Dell.

Flickr has just released their long awaited feature for posting photos to Twitter. It's been in beta over the past few weeks, but now it's live for everyone. It's not exactly like other photo tweeting services like TwitPic , which lets you sign-in using your Twitter account. To use Flickr2Twitter, you first need to sign-in to Flickr, and then authorize the service to post to your Twitter account, which can be done from your settings page. Then, you'll be able to use the "Blog This" button that accompanies each photo to post it to Twitter, along with a customized tweet. Like an increasing number of other services, Flickr2Twitter uses its own URL shortener: flic. kr. You'll also be able to use Flickr2Twitter from your mobile, with a new custom email address that's generated once you authorize Twitter posting. The new address is the same as your old one, but appends a "2twitter" to the alias. Just send a photo from your phone to this address and your photo will be posted both to Flickr and Twitter . Essentially,

It's five dollars. It has half the functionality of Twittelator Pro. But Birdfeed just became my default iPhone Twitter app. It's fast . The fastest Twitter app I've seen since Twitterfon (which isn't that fast anymore, once it started inserting ads. ) The user interface is even cleaner and more spare than Tweetie's—the app it will inevitably be compared to the most. For instance, the "load more" button at the bottom is gone—you just keep scrolling down, and it keeps loading new tweets. Gone, even, is the ubiquitous row of buttons that line the bottom of most Twitter apps for one-touch access to mentions, direct messages and other features. You have to slide back to a list-style menu to reach any feature besides the one you're currently looking at, meaning it's at least two taps to get from a timeline to mentions or vice versa. It solves this problem in part by making it so that you only have to do that when there's a reason to—a number pops up in the back button whenever you have new mentio

Amazon's Kindle DX , a wireless ebook reader with a 9. 7″ display, has sold out due to heavy customer demand. However, according to blogs the reason that the Kindle is sold out is that manufacturer E Ink may be having problems supplying Amazon with screens for the devices. The Kindle DX was sold out a couple of weeks ago , but it only took Amazon around two days to trace additional stock. The Kindle DX will begin shipping again in 4-6 weeks.

Alas, I have no spawn of my own. So when LeapFrog mailed their new Tag Junior, a handheld device that reads special LeapFrog books to children, I had to call in the big guns for the review. Err. little guns. My 18 month old niece Rysa (with the help of her mother Katharyn Wheeler) put the Tag Junior through the paces. Their collaboration:. Tag Junior 'book pal' . Let's just say that the Tag Junior looks a bit like an alien, a happy alien, but an alien nonetheless. It was actually difficult to keep the reviewer interested in the book because the Tag Junior book pal was so interesting in comparison. By touching the pal to pictures throughout the pages, everything from animal sounds to the specific names of colors play back on the pal's speaker. The audio quality is pretty decent for such a small device, and all voices are clearly audible. The biggest problem with the book pal is that the power button is available to the child. The second biggest problem is that the power button makes noise when it is turned on

The secrecy over the PS3 Slim continues to unravel with news that Foxconn have been contracted to manufacture and ship the updated model starting next month. The report from UDN does not explicitly say that the smaller version of the current platform will be sold anytime soon, but it falls in line with what Ars's Mole leaked over the weekend. However, UDN states that an updated PS3 will be launched in the Spring. Me thinks they're just referring to the motion control system and not a brand new console revision. Previous PS3 Slim coverage:. We got a C&D from the Chinese PS3 people as well . Alleged photos of PS3 Slim have surfaced . via UDN .

Dell's prepped a killer 1080p monitor that should be great for gaming. Well, it should be. The OptX AW2210 is afterall an Alienware product. (read: it's overpriced, but loaded). Alienware OptX AW2210 . The 21. 5-inch monitor comes packing a 1080p screen with a 2ms response time. Plus, it sports an 80,000:1 contrast ratio and a brightness of 300 cd/ms. To be honest though, we really don't see how this monitor is worth a $100 more than the SX2210 . That monitor has nearly the same specs - only 50,000:1 contrast ratio - but it also has a webcam and an analog video input. But maybe you're willing to spend $300 on this monitor just for the Alienware brand. That's fine. Apple owners understand the feeling.

The only time people visit arcades these days is when they're waiting for the 8:30 showing of Transformers to start. Whether it's convenience of quality of games, people just aren't going. But what if it came to YOU?. Games2U puts PS3s, Wii and Xbox 360 games inside of a van and delivers it, letting 20 people play no matter where you are. We can imagine it being useful for kids' birthday parties , tailgating parties or funerals; especially since the company also offers laser tag and giant hamster balls. And if you think this is a good and viable business opportunity, they even offer franchise options to set one up where you live. [ G2u via Kotaku ].

While there's a place for USB hubs that double as a mousepad and calculator , it's sometimes best to just keep things simple, which is what Elecom has thankfully done with its new U2H-TC410B "wall socket" USB hub. Contrary to what that name might suggest, however, this one doesn't actually plug into a power outlet, but is instead designed to be mounted on a wall or the side of the desk and become a wall socket of sorts itself. Apart from that, it's basically just your standard four-port USB 2. 0 hub and, as you can see above, it's available in your choice of black or white. Unfortunately, it's not priced like a run-of-the-mill USB hub, with this one running a somewhat hefty $39. 99. [Via OhGizmo! ]. Filed under: Misc. Gadgets , Peripherals . Elecom keeps things simple with U2H-TC410B wall socket USB hub originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments .

We've been toying with a VholdR ContourHD helmet cam for a few weeks now, seeing how well it blends in with our adrenaline-fueled lifestyle. We've mounted it on various helmets, tried it with some moderately extreme endeavors, and, now that we've had a chance to refill our asthma inhalers, we thought we'd share a few of those adventures and give our impressions of this helmet-mounted HD shooter. Gallery: ContourHD unboxing and hands-on . Continue reading VholdR ContourHD wearable HD camcorder hands-on and impressions . Filed under: Digital Cameras . VholdR ContourHD wearable HD camcorder hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments .

If you're sick — SICK! — of all these new Apple fanatics and you want to show them all that you've been a diehard fan since the early days, even sticking by the company through Newton and Pippin, then this thumb drive made out of an old Apple keyboard is for you. Ingredients: an old Apple keyboard, a thumb drive you're willing to destroy, some workbench-y tools and whatnot, time. The basic process then involves gutting a regular thumb drive, carving out a notch for it to fit into inside an old Return key, and grabbing the Apple logo from another area of the keyboard. Sand, cut, glue, solder, slice, etc. and you'll eventually have yourself a nice retro USB thumb drive. Please observe the detailed directions at Instructables . My directions were NOT very helpful and may result in massive bleeding.

When it became clear that HTC's oh-so-pretty Sense UI wasn't going to make it to the G1 by any official means , we figured it wouldn't be too long before the goods leaked and an unofficial port was made. Hell, we outright said so . It's been less than a week, but the work is already well underway.