Best Gadgets News

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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  Hope you didn’t forget about HP’s huge notebook giveaway (note: the notebook’s are huge, but so is the giveaway). This week seven more sites are starting their drawings, each of which will end up with a reader getting a $4500 HP HDX Dragon notebook. JKontheRun kicked things off on Monday but there are six other sites where you can visit and register for your chance to win. 05 May - 12 May www.jkontherun.com 06 May - 13 May digitalmediaphile.wordpress.com 07 May - 14 May www.bostonpocketpc.com 08 May - 15 May www.the-gadgeteer.com 09 May - 16 May www.thedigitallifestyle.com 10 May - 17 May www.digitalhomethoughts.com 11 May - 18 May www.windows-now.com Geek’s contest starts on May 21 but the notebooks are all identical, so the more times you enter the better shot you have at winning one. (Read the full post about ‘HP HDX Dragon Notebook Giveaway Update’…)

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Those of you looking forward to the release of EA/Bioware’s Mass Effect on PC will have to make sure you have an Internet connection when playing the game. The reason being the game is protected by SecuROM, which requires access to the Internet once every 10 days to ensure your CD/DVD key is still legitimate.

That same anti-piracy protection was used on BioShock by 2K and caused a number of problems for gamers. BioWare have pointed out that the same system has also been used on Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire without issues.

Those of you concerned about the use of SecuROM in the game can head over to the Mass Effect forums where there are details of exactly what the system is and a FAQ.

To be honest, I was concerned when BioShock came out because of its use of this anti-piracy measure.

(Read the full post about ‘Mass Effect on PC uses SecuROM, requires ‘Net connection’…)

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In what is a great first, Rock Port, Missouri became the first US town to be completely powered by wind energy. They now have 4 wind turbines generating 16 Gigawatts of power annually (they require about 13). Granted that Rock Port is a relatively small town with a population of under 1400, this move demonstrates that alternative energies are not just talk and dreams.

via Slashdot

Posted in Miscellaneous

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Most folks might think that MovieBeam is dead, but there is a remote possibility that it may be hitting a TV screen near you sometime soon. After all, Movie Gallery has asked for bankruptcy court approval to sell their VOD service to Dar Capital Limited at a $2.25 million price tag. Movie Gallery pulled the plug on its-on-demand movie service, called MovieBeam, in December as part of its restructuring under Chapter 11 protection. Dar Capital Limited has agreed to buy MovieBeam, which had about 1,800 subscribers at the time it was shut down. The service required customers to purchase a television set-top box that allowed them to order films for between $1.99 and $4.99. (Read the full post about ‘MovieBeam Ressurected?’…)

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May 8 is the date you should circle in your calendar if you plan on picking up the new Nokia E71, a high-end busoness smartphone which will come in a flat, square form factor. At least, that’s the rumblings that we have been picking up from folks in the industry. Some of the more interesting features found crammed into a 112mm x 57mm x 10mm body are :- 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera GPS navigation WiFi and HSDPA connectivityNo idea on how much this will cost, but I’m really looking forward to it. (Read the full post about ‘Nokia E71 in 2 Days’…)

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by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted May 6th 2008 at 9:57AM We had a little thumb-print orgy with the new HTC Touch Diamond immediately following its launch. Light and small, the Touch Diamond comes off as a unit with promise. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a while to get our hands on this via a US carrier, but Orange users in the UK will no doubt be pretty happy with this new handset, the first of its kind to use Windows Mobile 6.1.Check out the gallery below, complete with comments and interface walk-through. (Read the full post about ‘HTC Touch Diamond hands-on’…)

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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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With the Yahoo! deal still fresh in everyone’s memory; it is thought Microsoft are now talking to Time Warner about acquiring AOL.

The history behind how the talks with Time Warner started are unclear, but it is thought discussions were underway before the Yahoo! deal fell through. Microsoft may have started the talks in order to try and stop the deal Yahoo! were discussing with them to help stave off the Microsoft bid. Now it seems Microsoft are interested in AOL for other reasons and as a backup plan to Yahoo!

AOL’s revenue last year was US$5.2 billion making it a significantly cheaper potential target for Microsoft than Yahoo!

(Read the full post about ‘Microsoft now in talks to acquire AOL’…)

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