by Techno Witch on December 31, 2008
The day the 30GB Zune stood still - news reports of this particular Zune model just freezing up has spread far and wide across the Internet, and it shows no sign of stopping, regardless of where you are in the world. It seems as though some sort of unidentified bug has simultaneously attacked this portable media player with no particular reason, preventing them from booting up and freezing halfway in the process. While this isn’t as serious compared to a situation where its supposed rival (”supposed” is used since the Zune never came near that category after its launch, with the iPod pulling way ahead to leave the Zune biting its dust) breaks down in a similar manner, it is still groundbreaking news as it involves Microsoft of all people.
Initially, there was no word from Microsoft concerning this negative phenomenon that’s sweeping across 30GB Zunes worldwide, but good thing the company has since acknowledged the problem on its Zune support website. Too bad they have yet to post a fix, and Microsoft has issued a statement mentioning “Customers with 30GB Zune devices may experience issues when booting their Zune hardware. We’re aware of the problem and are working to correct it. The Zune Social might be slow or inaccessible.”
That bit of news brings little comfort to the affected Zune owners, but in due time Microsoft has finally pinpointed the reason behind all the ruckus – it seems that the Zune froze due to a leap year. Just when we thought Y2K problems were to bring the world to a standstill back at the turn of December 31, 1999, here we have a Z2K problem. Microsoft’s latest statement, “A bug in the internal clock driver related to the way the device handles a leap year affected Zune users. That being the case, the issue should be resolved over the next 24 hours as the time change moves to January 1, 2009.” Phew! At least there won’t be dozens of bricked 30GB Zunes lying around as part of the aftermath.
Source: Wired
by Techno Witch on December 31, 2008
Radio Flyer has been putting out toy wagons since 1917, and their model has remained, for the most part, unchanged. However, the company has recently released a concept model of the Cloud 9, a wagon like no other. I believe that this concept alone will change the world of toy wagons as we know it.
The Cloud 9 is the RV of wagons with two padded seats, cup-holders, and fold-out storage containers. It is also designed for safety as each seat has 5-point safety harnesses, as well as foot brakes.
The wagon is also technological. There are digital controls that include a dock for an MP3 Player with speakers. I’m even told that there is some type of digital readout in the handle that will give the time and temperature. This control will also give the speed of the wagon, and also has a built-in odometer.
Clearly, this is a wagon designed for kids like Richie Rich. There’s something about putting an iPod Dock in a wagon that crosses some line somewhere. I have children under the age of five, and I don’t think they really need an iPod in the wagon.
Since the Cloud 9 is still in concept form, there is no price as yet. In all honesty, I don’t really want to know how much it costs. I’m not certain if I should buy a wagon like this for my kids, even if I could afford it.
Source
by Techno Witch on December 31, 2008
It is New Year’s Eve, and you’re probably going to want to drink some cold beverages tonight. If there is one thing I can’t stand, it’s when you go to reach for a cold one and find nothing but warm cans. “Oh, why didn’t I take the time to put the cans in the fridge!”
This situation should never occur with modern-day technology. After all, we have microwave ovens that can make things hot in a short amount of time, but what we need is something that can make things cold, quickly. This is exactly what the Cooper Cooler Rapid Beverage Chiller is designed for.
All the user has to do is fill the Cooper Chiller’s compartment with ice and water and put the can in. The machine then does the work of spinning the can for about sixty seconds, which will cool it down to 43 or 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
The process can chill a can 40 times faster than leaving it in the fridge, and it can even work on bottles of wine. I am assuming that the user cannot close the lid, but I have no idea how large the Cooper Chiller actually is.
I don’t know about you, but the Cooper Chiller is the gift that wasn’t under my tree this Christmas. If someone had given me an Amazon gift certificate, I would gladly shell out $60 and order a Cooper Chiller. In fact, I think that every workplace and household that has a microwave should have a Cooper Chiller.
For more information about the Cooper Chiller and other quick-fix coolers, click here.
Source
by Techno Witch on December 31, 2008
by Techno Witch on December 31, 2008
I’m sure that we are all sick of the word “hybrid” when it comes to eco-safe vehicles, and now MSI has recently unveiled the U115, a hybrid netbook computer.
So what exactly is a hybrid computer? According to MSI, it is a computer that has a solid-state disk for most of the PC operation, coupled with a back-up spinning disk drive for extra storage. It comes with an Eco on mode will briefly disable the hard drive, and this can somehow extend the battery life.
Since the U115 has both a solid-state disc drive and spinning disc drive, this amounts to a lot of memory. The U115 has a standard 120GB hard drive and 8GB SSD, with the option of upgrading to a 160GB hard drive and 16GB SSD.
Other features include a 10 inch display with 1024×600 resolution, 1 GB worth of RAM, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, plus Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. It also has a built-in 1.3 Megapixel camera that can be upgraded to 2.0 on the user’s request. The user also has the option of adding Bluetooth 2.0 and a 6-cell battery (the U115 normally uses a 3-cell).
All in all, the MSI U115 measures at 260 mm x 180 mm x 19-31.5mm, and weighs about a kilogram. There is no word on a availability of the MSI U115, nor any word on price.
Source 1, Source 2, and Source 3
by Techno Witch on December 31, 2008
Seems as 2009 draws closer more sad news hits the net waves as 2009 signals even more job losses hitting Motorola as they plan on cutting yet an extra 400 job on top of the previously announced 1500.
But is this a sign of thing to come? Will 2009 bring with it more job losses from other mobile phone companies who are beginning to feel the pinch of today’s economic downturn?
It’s always hard to say what the future holds, and even analysts can’t predict spot on every time. It would be sad indeed to see other mobile companies shed workforce to remain afloat, so let’s all hope that 2009 will bring about an upturn in fortune for all.
Here’s to a Happy New Year.
by Techno Witch on December 31, 2008
by Techno Witch on December 31, 2008
Christmas might have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t find that as an excuse not to gift your little one another educational toy! The Spark Talking Globe is a full color 3D spinning globe that features seven touch-sensitive areas, where each touch will kickstart the computer within to provide more information about the selected area narrated by a cheerful character. You (or rather, your child) will find a total of 10 activity buttons to get the little ones started, and with hundreds of facts concerning people, music, clothing, customs, geography, food, animals, inventions and languages, this is a treasure tome of interactive information! The integrated LCD display makes it easier for visually reinforcement when learning. The Spark Talking Globe can be yours for $49.95 - and you save a whole lot of moolah in the process without having to travel around the world in person.
by Techno Witch on December 31, 2008
I suppose somewhere along the industrialization process, we forgot about sustainable production and decided that profits were the bottomline regardless of the huge environmental cost. This has resulted in unprecedented levels of pollution that has adversely affected our ecosystem, no thanks to the proliferation of plastic bags, while disposable products like diapers, eating utensils, paper plates and underwear all contribute to our landfills just because we want to feed the convenience monster within us. Granted, some efforts have been made to make these from recycled material, but most of it ends up polluting our environment even more. Today we have the Songbird flexfit hearing aid that is touted to be “the world’s first disposable hearing aid” to add to the growing list, and was specially designed to be an over-the-counter solution for folks who suffer from moderate hearing loss and require part-time hearing assistance.
This one-model-fits-all design not only caters to a wide range of ear sizes, it is also meant to be packaged at an affordable price point, and all of it is made possible thanks to a clever design featuring a miniature flexible flat cable from Cicoil. Cicoil is a highly flexible, miniature flat cable that runs from the back of the ear to the microspeaker earpiece, and is user-adjustable for ideal length and fit. This silicone-jacketed, high flex flat cable allows for comfortable placement inside the ear, which is where its extreme flexibility comes in. Cicoil’s 2-conductor cable relies on finely-braided copper wire, with base stranding of just 60 AWG, to create the high flexibility required while being strong enough to mechanically hold the earpiece.
No idea on how much these will cost, but they ought to make an appearance in retail stores as well as drugstores in the near future.
Press Release
by Techno Witch on December 31, 2008
Acer has grown up from being an awkward child on the playground to a pretty decent jock whom any mother would love to have their daughter date. After all, the Acer brand has grown by leaps and bounds over the years to end up as the third largest PC company in the world at the moment. This time round, they have unleashed yet another notebook for the masses, packing in some serious processing power to keep you entertained on-the-go after a long, hard day at work. The Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 notebook ain’t too shabby when it comes to design either, so let us take a closer look at its specifications right after the jump.
- Intel Core 2 Quad Mobile Processor Q9000 (6MB L2 Cache, 2.0 GHz, 1066MHz FSB)
- 18.4″ WUXGA Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD (1920 x 1080)
- 4GB DDR3 1066 MHz Dual Channel Memory
- NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GT with 512MB dedicated video memory
- 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
- Blu-ray Disc/DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive
- 6-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
- 802.11a/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
- Acer Crystal Eye Webcam
- Dolby Home Theater
- Windows Vista Premium 64-bit
Judging by its specifications, the new quad-core mobile processor ought to offer more than enough firepower for all your productivity needs as well as times when you need to wind down after a long, hard day at the office by popping a Blu-ray movie inside, provided you decide to opt for the Blu-ray drive option instead of being content with the DVD Super Multi drive. Nice to see a dedicated video card thrown in for good measure - at least you don’t have to rely on irritating Web-based games to kill time, but if you’re going to spend some quality gaming time with the Aspire 8390G, then make sure you’re sitting near a power outlet or else the battery’s going to get drained real fast. Prices start from $1,799.99 upwards, depending on the configuration.
Press Release
If you’re a sucker for convergence devices, then the