Cable Spies

Here’s a great video of a user unboxing the new Samsung Omnia i900…enjoy!

-Ray

..you know that was funny!

Just in time for Labor Day another wave of HDTV price cuts is expected. Too much stock and slower than expected retail sales has caused many manufacturers to offer more HDTV price cuts. Many are offering up to a $300 discount on the latest 2008 models. Just in time for the 2009 TV, Baseball and Football seasons manufacturers from Samsung and Sony to Panasonic and Mitsubishi and more are expected to offer these discounts.

-Ray

[Source: HD Guru]

The newest addition to the Sidewinder Family of peripherals has just been announced. The SideWinder x6 is a breakaway keyboard that is highly customizable with the right price. Check out the press release:

Today at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, Microsoft Hardware debuted the SideWinder X6 Keyboard - the most versatile gaming keyboard on the market with the first-ever switchable key pad that can be attached to the left or right side of the keyboard for ultimate flexibility. To round out the SideWinder line, the Hardware team is also announcing the SideWinder X5 Mouse, a fast, powerful gaming mouse designed to give mainstream gamers a competitive edge.

The switchable key pad makes the SideWinder X6 Keyboard ideal for gaming as well as productivity, as the key pad functions as a standard num pad in normal keyboard mode, but becomes a programmable macro pad in game mode. Complementing the unique versatility of the keyboard are features specifically designed for gaming, including the capacity to store up to 90 macros per game and backlighting that helps users get immersed in the game.

“We know that consumers don’t want to pull out and set up a second keyboard for a gaming session, so we created a device that was perfect for both gaming and regular computer use,” said Kevin Flick, user researcher for Microsoft Hardware. “With the switchable key pad, gamers will have a fantastic, customizable experience whether they’re playing their favorite game or creating Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentations.”

Powerful Versatility
The SideWinder X6 Keyboard’s switchable key pad allows gamers to program up to 90 macros per game with the help of a set of dedicated macro keys as well as a fully programmable key pad. With mode switching, gamers can instantly go from Microsoft Office Excel to their favorite game - and place the macro pad on whichever side they prefer for gaming. The X6 also offers the following features to take advantage of its adaptability:
• Mode switching lets gamers manually toggle the keyboard from standard mode to either of two gaming modes. LEDs show the selected mode.
• Automatic profile switching detects the application that is running and applies the custom profile.
Designed for Gaming
The SideWinder X6 Keyboard is more than a standard keyboard with a few extra bells and whistles - it was built from the ground up with gamers in mind, to give them an edge up on their competition. To complement its versatility, the keyboard has the following additional features to produce the ultimate gaming package:
• New Cruise Control feature continues an action without having to hold down the key or keys assigned to the action. Gamers can use Cruise Control with up to four keys at a time.1
• In-game macro record button lets gamers record any sequence of keystrokes - even standard chat messages. Macros are stored on the PC hard drive and can be easily shared.
• WASD gaming keys, the most commonly used keys for gamers, have front-face lighting for enhanced visibility.
• Quick-Launch key gives one-touch access to Windows Vista Games Explorer, allowing gamers to quickly see the games in their PC’s game library.

Get Immersed
Gamers enjoy a heightened experience when adsorbed in the gaming world. Research shows many gamers like to dim the lights, and the X6’s two-color adjustable backlighting helps set the mood to achieve total immersion. The red backlighting indicates standard keys that are not programmable, while the amber color indicates custom-programmable macro keys in game mode that can be tuned to the gamers’ preference. The X6 also includes full media keys and volume and backlighting control dials to fine-tune the gaming experience.

SideWinder X5 Mouse
Today, Microsoft also announced the SideWinder X5 Mouse, a fast, powerful gaming mouse designed to give mainstream gamers a competitive edge. The nine-button gaming mouse is designed for handling with vertical side buttons, adjustable sensitivity switching up to 2,000 DPI, five customizable buttons, and a Quick-Launch button that instantly launches the Windows Vista Games Explorer.

SideWinder: It’s Only the Beginning
The SideWinder X6 Keyboard is the first keyboard to join the popular SideWinder family of gaming products. Established in 1995 and revived in 2007, the SideWinder line is known for its top-notch PC gaming peripherals, including mice, game pads, joysticks and steering wheels.

-Jameson

[Source: Engadget]

Apparently, Intel’s upcoming amazing processor dubbed Nehalem, will have a feature which will essentially allow it to go into turbo mode.  This feature will be called “power gate”, and what it does, is it turns off cores that would otherwise be left idle when they’re not in use, and reroutes the power budget that normally would be applied to those cores to the active cores, which promises to further boost their performance without wasting power. According to Intel, that’ll be a standard feature across the entire Nehalem family, including the first mobile versions of the processor that’ll be at the center of the Calpella platform, which is on track for a launch sometime next year.

-Jameson

An interesting article was posted on CEPro brought up an interested question, are built-in Blu-ray players the future? Blu-ray disc sales have been increasing a lot lately and it seems like there are new stand alone Blu-ray players hitting the market every week. The author makes some very good points. One being that companies who offer the option of a built-in player will differentiate their product amongst all the other HDTVs out there.

Another point being made is that you have one less component you would have to buy and in turn save cost. All these are valid arguments, but I personally don’t see HDTVs with built-in Blu-ray players taking over the market. The Playstation 3 has been selling phenomenally well as a Blu-ray player even though its main function is a gaming console. HDTVs are also selling well by themselves. There are a few HDTV and Blu-ray combos hitting the market soon, and while it’s a great idea that will make things easier I just don’t think they’ll over take stand-alone players.

-Ray

[Source: cepro.com]

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) says that a new study from IMS Research shows that households without HD video broadcasts will start switching from analog to digital with a increase 90% a year till 2013. The study also shows that Blu-ray disc drives on PCs are expected to grow by 117% a year till 2013 as well. IMS Research thinks Blu-ray discs will be used a lot more in PC’s in the next five years and will generate about $46 billion dollars in revenue for Blu-ray. The growing popularity of Blu-ray is expected to help boost sales of HDTVs which are essential for the use of Blu-ray players and discs.

-Ray

[Source: bigpicturebigsound]

Panasonic is claiming their new line of 1080p Viera plasma HDTVs last up to 100,000 hours before reaching half of its original brightness. They based this on the average TV viewing time in the US of 6.5 hours. That’s 42 years of viewing time before you notice any loss of brightness. They’re trying to combat all the misinformation about plasma TVs that are usually told to customers by retail salespersons who don’t enough knowledge about improvements companies like Panasonic has made to newer plasma screens.

“There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about plasma HDTVs and longevity, and we’re happy to once again set the record straight on the durability of Panasonic plasma,” said Robert Perry, senior VP, Panasonic display products. “Quite simply, our plasma TVs are built to last a very long time — as much as 100,000 hours to half their brightness.

Plasma HDTVs have a very strong track record of exceptional durability and lifespan,” said Perry. “Despite what consumers may hear from misinformed sources, plasma is the right choice for educated consumers looking for stunning picture quality and the ultimate big-screen viewing experience.”

-Ray

[Source: twice]

I don’t think I’m alone, when I say that I had my own arcade. Luckily nowadays this dream is much easier to realize via companies whom specialize in creating throwback arcade cabinets with high quality hardware, capable of playing all of your favorites. There isn’t a set price yet, but based on it’s looks I would range it somewhere in the $2,000 range. The main thing I like about this cabinet, is that it is small in size, and would fit well against a wall. Mid-life crisis anyone?

-Jameson

[Source: Engadget]

Even though Toshiba lost the format war with it’s HD-DVD to Blu-ray, the company is still being defiant of reality and attempting to cut into Blu-ray with it’s new up-converting DVD players. This new player is called the Toshiba XD-E500, and uses various video rendering technologies to make DVD’s appear clearer and better quality. While it doesn’t give you HD quality, it is still a worthy rival to the Blu-ray if you don’t feel like dropping $300 and buying a whole new collection of disc’s. For only $150 it doesn’t hurt too much, and might be worth the dough.

-Jameson

[Source: Engadget]

Amazon has some great deals on Blu-ray movies this week with some titles being cut as much as 45% in their latest promotion for Blu-rays. Titles like Rush Hour 3 and Ocean’s Thirteen to name a few are being included in the price cut. Other Blu-rays will be offered in 3 for the price of 2 sale as well with popular movies such as Casino Royale and Spider Man 3, none of the bargain bin junk. New titles like Iron Man are set to hit Amazon and other retailers soon with pre-orders already pushing the movie into the best sellers list.

-Ray

[Source: punchjumpblog]