by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 24th 2008 at 3:28PM
AMD has already gotten its official business with its new Radeon HD 4850 series out the way, and it now looks like the flood of various iterations is in full swing, with at least three manufacturers already pushing cards out the door. Among the first out of the gate is relative upstart Force3D, which has not only let loose a Radeon HD 4850 card, but a Radeon HD 4870 as well, the latter of which AMD still seems to be staying mum about. As HEXUS.net reports, however, this particular version will boast a core frequency of 750MHz, along with 512MB of GDDR5 memory and an effective clock speed of 3,600MHz. According to DigiTimes, Asustek also has a pair of similar Radeon HD 4870 cards set for release, along with a pair of HD 4850 cards packing 1GB and 512MB of DDR3 memory, while GeCube seems to be content to launch just a single 4850 with 512MB of DDR3 memory. Hit up the links below for the full rundown of specs, which unfortunately doens’t include prices just yet.

Read - HEXUS.net, “Force3D jumps the gun, launches its Radeon HD 4870″
Read - DigiTimes, “Asustek and GeCube launch ATI Radeon HD 4850-based graphics cards”

[Via TG Daily, thanks Kris120890]

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 24th 2008 at 11:18AM
So there’s really no telling what’s up with Helio as an MVNO, but there’s plenty going on with the Ocean 2 handset. Just yesterday we noticed a spy shot of the elusive mobile, but unfortunately, the video in which it was captured from had been conveniently removed. Today, however, a whole host of new vids have surfaced over at HelioCity, one of which actually shows the unit while gaming. Check ‘em out while you still can in the read link below.

[Via phonemag]

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Gas prices worldwide are out of control. In the U.S. prices recently peaked above $4/gallon. Relative to the rest of the world these prices are even considered wimpy in comparison. It’s no question that oil is on its way out as the major fuel commodity. It can only maintain its lasting power for so long. Eventually people are just going to get fed up with the prices, possibly even before the reserves run dry.

The Flo N’ Go Duramax is a portable 14 gallon gas can and fuel siphon which dispenses gas without any spillage or pesky flammable gas leaks. You can use the Flo N’ Go for much more than automobiles. Any gas powered gadget or vehicle can be filled or emptied with the Flo N’ Go Duramax’s siphoning system.

Made with a high-density polyethylene, the Flo N’ Go is both durable and rust-proof. Not to mention extremely unlikely to dent. With a flow rate of 2 gallons per minute you can fill up a 10 gallon gas tank in a matter of 5 minutes, which is pretty quick, even compared with gas stations.

While the Flo N’ Go isn’t made for shady purposes, we’re sure there are some frugal people out there who are already planning their great gas heist. Siphoning your neighbors gas tank has never been so easy. Just hope they use the same gas quality as you. Grab your own Flo N’ Go Duramax for $170.

Product Page via The Green Head

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 24th 2008 at 9:08AM
Sirius’ Starmate 5 stopped by the FCC last month, so it’s only fair to see a portable player from the “other side” mentioned as this month draws to a close. Orbitcast has it that a new handheld satellite radio is floating around the labs with a codename Phoenix. Early word suggests that it is “slightly smaller than the existing Inno with a much slicker interface and a rotating wheel that functions similar to the SkyFi 2.” There’s also a microSD slot for external music (and external music alone), a screen size larger than that of the Inno and a small possibility for WiFi. The unit should be loosed on the general public this fall, but we’ll be sure to keep an ear out for more details as the run-up continues.

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T-Mobile offers a service called HotSpot@Home, which allows T-Mobile subscribers with compatible phones the ability to make unlimited, nationwide calls over an accessible Wi-Fi connection. What makes the availability of this service even better is the fact that two new phones, also compatible with the HotSpot@Home service, are now being offered. These include the Nokia 6301 and the Samsung t339.

The Nokia 6301 is said to “provide the style of a home phone with the look of a mobile“. Helping to give the phone its “home phone” look is a stand-up charger it can be docked in.

The 6301 also includes a 2-megapixel camera with video capture, stereo Bluetooth and a music player. A speakerphone and FM radio are included in addition to a microSD slot, which will support up to 4 GB.

The Samsung t339 also includes a music player, a 1.3-megapixel camera and a speakerphone. Besides having a camera with lower resolution; the Samsung t339 is capable of only supporting up to a 2 GB microSD card. Both phones feature support for instant messaging from AIM, ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger and Window Live.

Read more from the T-Mobile press release.

Brian’s Opinion
The HotSpot@Home service being offered by T-Mobile is no doubt their way of competing with VoIP services offered by cable companies and companies like Vonage. The biggest limitation to T-Mobile’s service has been the type of phones that are compatible. That’s why new phones could mean new customers for them.

I love that you can also instant message people on the phones. The fact of the matter is that many people prefer to text one another then actually making a phone call. Sounds silly, but it’s true, so giving these phones the ability to instant message is one more way to make them attractive to subscribers, especially young adults.

The icing on the cake for these phones is the fact that they also include camera and music players. Talk about device convergence! With all of the features of these two devices its hard to imagine what else someone would need in a mobile phone.

Well, if a phone could make dinner than I suppose that would make it perfect.

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As part of Sony’s just released fiscal 2008 annual report it has outlined a major cost it may not be able to recoup. That cost, of course, is how much the company has spent on developing the playstation 3 console.

The report states that in 2007 they lost US$2.16 billion in development costs and a further US$1.16 billion in 2008. The statement accompanying these figures said:

In the past, large-scale investment relating to capital expenditures and research and development for the manufacture of key components, including semiconductors supplied for [PlayStation 3] was also recorded within the Electronics segment.

The huge costs involved were not only from the cost of manufacturing the hardware, but also from the R&D that had to happen before that. Sony see this loss as a risk and potentially won’t recover all of it back, even with the continuing success of the machine at retail.

I can’t see Sony not getting their money back and then some over the entire lifetime of the PS3. Costs will continue to go down and it makes a significant amount of money on peripherals and games sales as well. If it it as successful as the PS2 was, then they will surely make a significant amount of money.

Read more at Kotaku.com

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With companies like IBM and Intel pushing ahead with developing more efficient solar energy production, students at MIT have come up with a cheap and very effective solar solution. So effective in fact, that the heat generated can melt steel.

The construction used will remind many of the satellite dishes used for services such as Sky and is called a parabolic collector. The difference here being that it is a 12-foot wide dish consisting of an aluminium frame and rows of mirrors making up the surface. The mirrors focus the the sunlight by a factor of 1,000 to a single point, therefore creating an immense amount of heat that can then be used for power generation.

The demonstration video included below shows just how much heat there is as a piece of wood instantly burns when held up in front of the device. A practical application of such a system is the production of steam from water being boiled by the heat. This can then be used to either produce usable energy or as a heating system on its own.

David Pelly, lecturer at the MIT Slaon School of Management commented:

I’ve looked for years at a variety of solar approaches, and this is the cheapest I’ve seen. And the key thing in scaling it globally is that all of the materials are inexpensive and accessible anywhere in the world. I’ve looked all over for solar technology that could scale without subsidies. Almost nothing I’ve looked at has that potential. This does.

Confidence is very high that this new system can provide a very cheap and clean way to produce energy. A company has been formed, called RawSolar Inc, with an initial target of producing 1,000 units a year.

Read more at DailyTech.com and MIT News

Matthew’s Opinion
No cost details have been released, but when you look at the components used these devices can’t cost that much to make and must easily undercut solar panels. You also don’t get the degradation you do with solar panels. Keep the mirrors clean and the heat generation shouldn’t drop.

One area they need to focus on now is coming up with an add-on solution to ensure the dishes follow the arc of the sun and continue to produce the most heat and power throughout the day. Again, this is not going to be an expensive addition and should lead to a very efficient way of generating energy for your home.

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Nokia has announced its intention to acquire the Berlin, Germany based social networking start-up Plazes.

The small company, employing just 13 people, offers a combination of social networking with location-based services making it an ideal fit for Nokia. Niklas Savander, head of Nokia Services & Software said:

This acquisition helps Nokia to accelerate its vision of bringing people and places closer together, in line with our broader services strategy … In addition to the key assets, through this acquisition Nokia will bring on a visionary team with an advanced understanding of social-activity services, as well as the technical ability to further develop this area.

Nokia intends to utilise Plazes to offer location and time based social services. These include being able to plan activities with your friends, make people aware of where you are now, where you were and where you will be in the future. On top of that they also plan to incorporate the more common aspects of social networking including being able to share your experiences and communicate with friends.

All 13 staff will retain their jobs and the deal is expected to be finalized by the 3rd quarter of this year. Plazes will become part of the Nokia Services and Software division.

Read more at Nokia, found via The Guardian

Matthew’s Opinion
This is an interesting move by Nokia that shows it is really pushing into offering services alongside and complimentary to its main hardware business.

One advantage mobile networks have over standard web-based social networking is the portability of the devices being used. This opens up a world of new opportunities to add location-based features and, more importantly to the companies involved, a lot more potential for marketing tie-ins and advertising.

Another social network we reported on earlier in the year has also added location tracking to social networking. That service is Gypsii and I can see that company probably getting a lot more interest now that Nokia have made a move with what is surely classed as a competing service.

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Logitech announced this Mac-compatible Quickcam Vision Pro webcam that, unlike its PC counterpart does not need a control panel to tweak camera settings. Logitech did this by integrating the control panel functions directly into the webcam, thus making all the adaptive behavior of the webcam fully automated and transparent to the user. There’s a downside to this: users cannot hand-tune the image settings. Depending on your particular place of use, that could be useful, as Logitech’s “Rightlight” algorithm isn’t always coping well with very bright environment. Head to our Quickcam Pro 9000 review to see how it performed on PC (9000 specifications).

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The FreeCharge Weza does not have an OLED screen, or a 3G network and it has a zero megapixel count.  But it can manually recharge all the gadgets that do have those features, earning it a little green cred as one of the most interesting under-the-radar gadgets out there. It might even have enough juice to help out a few communities in need in Africa. 

The Weza is a portable power charger that outputs 12V DC (through a ‘cigarette lighter’ plug), and generates power by stepping down on its treadle repeatedly. (Its rugged material should prevent overexcited users with crazy rabbit legs from breaking it.)

Each pedal crank pushes out about 25 to 40 watts of NRG, lasts up to 500K charging cycles, and the generator is made out of a gearbox that pushes the power to the main battery (that can also be charged by solar, wind, or regular AC power.) Basically, the Weza is a more powerful version of the Potenco Pull-cord Power Generator for the OLPC, and just like that cord, it’s mostly useful because it’s so easy to use.

As expected, the Weza is being promoted as an agent of impact in communities that don’t have access to affordable power, as seen in the video below. You could be a cynic and say that placing the Weza in a tough, impoverished area will help product development and looks good on the PR front, but the truth is that Freeplay didn’t need to send it to Africa to figure out how it would perform — the market for affordable power is large enough here for it to be profitable.

Interestingly, the most popular and growing gadget market in African communities are cell phones, and the demand is growing still. A poor family could save money on electricity by cranking up their Weza to charge those phones, and in an emergency, even power up a small car or other appliances. Still, the one thing that’s separating the useful Weza from many families is what should change if it really wants to make an impact: Its relatively high price.

At $300, it’s a too-expensive option for people who don’t see that high price as a line item on their monthly energy bill. But if it is used consistently for many months, it will likely be a good deal, on top of its value in an emergency preparedness kit.

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