The Bleeding Edge 005: TiVo KidZone, Apple’s Fun New Things, Origami Project, Xbox 360 Repair Woes

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, Misc. Tech, Portable Audio / Video, Product Reviews, Video Games, Videocasts,

In this episode we talk about TiVo’s parental control initiative, Apple’s “Fun New Things,” Origami, and more - plus, we have a couple of giveaways to announce:

THE WIRE
TiVo KidZone
Wikipedia on iPod
Apple Fun New Things Announcements

OFF THE DOME
Origami
Xbox 360 Repair Experience

GIZMATIC
Eton’s American Red Cross Survival Radio
Stashcard
OHSO Marko Toothbrush

GIVEAWAYS
We mention a couple of giveaways that we will be doing on The Bleeding Edge over the next few weeks. Watch the show to find out how you can enter to win your own OHSO and Xbox 360.

Here’s how to get the show:
|iTunes| - Subscribe to our iTunes video feed
|RSS| - Subscribe to our video RSS feed

|Download| - iPod-formatted H.264 (Mirror)
|Download| - XviD
|Download| - MPEG-4 (Mirror)
|Download| - PSP
Length: 30:08

IMPORTANT: We are surveying the viewers of our show to see what it is that people like, and more importantly, what they don’t like. It is anonymous, and just takes a couple of minutes. If you have the time, we would appreciate it! As always, feel free to let us know what you think in the comments.

Office 2007 Gets Facelift

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Microsoft, Software,

Earlier this morning at CeBIT, the Microsoft Office team revealed the new user interface of Office 2007. Now, while the screenshots of the various Office programs do look pretty sweet, they just look so Apple-esque to us. I mean, look at the background of the Microsoft Word image above. One of the new additions is the ‘Office button,’ which is to provide access to all of the document and system-level functionality within whichever Office program you are using. According to Microsoft, this is where you head to start and finish a document. Hey - it’s like a start menu, but for documents. And it gets its own corner radius, which throws things off from our view. Still, it is nice to see Office 2007 coming along.

Read More | Jensen Harris

Eleksen Fabric Keyboard

Posted by John Goulden Categories: Corporate News, Handhelds, Microsoft, Peripherals,

Be prepared for what will surely be an onslaught of peripherals for Microsoft’s Ultra-Mobile PC platform.  Eleksen, makers of fabric-based interface devices, has introduced a trio of products aimed at users of the new UMPCs.  Bluetooth and USB-equipped keyboards will be available, as will a carrying case that has a keyboard and other controls integrated into it’s soft exterior.  The keyboards are designed around Eleksen’s ElekTex technology, which allows touch sensitive interfaces to be placed in a variety of textiles.  The Bluetooth keyboard even has drivers to allow its use with smartphones and PDAs, further broadening its usefulness.

Flexible keyboards may be nothing new, but with Eleksen’s products being incorporated into textiles, the possibilities are just about limitless.  In fact, the company also has their interface technology designed into jackets (the Kenpo iPod jacket), backpacks and other items that have controls for audio players built right in.

Read More | Eleksen

Modding The Xbox 360 Controller Into A Duke

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Mods/Hacks, Xbox, Xbox 360,

While we don’t agree, we know many a gamer who absolutely loved the original Xbox “Duke” controllers. You know, the ones that were about the size of a Gamecube? Well, one guy loved them so much that he refused to play his Xbox 360 using the standard controller. Instead, he opened up his 360 wireless pad, removed the joysticks, and replaced them with the more round Duke sticks from an old-school Xbox pad. Not being satisfied with that alone, he replaced the 360 directional pad with the more comfortable S-Type pad. He now says that gaming on the Xbox 360 is pure bliss - and he sent us two images to show off his work. Gotta hand it to the guy. We have one more image after the jump.

(Thanks, Rick!)

Click to continue reading Modding The Xbox 360 Controller Into A Duke

NVIDIA Quad SLI Systems Available

Posted by John Goulden Categories: Corporate News, PC / Laptop, CES 2006,

Introduced to the public at CES 2006 in the form of a Dell XPS 600 Renegade system, NVIDIA’s Quad SLI technology is designed to provide smooth gaming performance at resolutions up to a whopping 2560x1600 pixels.  The Quad SLI systems incorporate NVIDIA’s new 7900 series GPU and offers up 32X anti-aliasing and 16x anisotropic filtering, as well as support for Microsoft DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 3.0 and NVIDIA PureVideo.  If Dell’s Renegade is any indication, the systems will require a minimum of an 850-watt power supply, with the daughter cards using external power supplies of 150-watts each.  So, not only will the systems put out extreme gaming goodness, but with over 1-kilowatt on tap, potentially enormous amounts of heat (and noise) as well.

To spot-check pricing on one of the new monstrosities, we checked both Dell and Alienware.  As of this writing, Dell has yet to release their Quad SLI machine, but Alienware’s configuration page is up and running.  With a base configuration price of $6,923 USD the Alienware Aurora ALX easily pushes the $10,000 USD envelope when loaded to the gills.  That almost makes a Dual SLI system seem cheap and affordable.

Systems will be available later this month from a wide range of system builders, with some ready to start shipping systems today.

Read More | nVidia

All About Origami (aka UMPC) On Channel 9

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Handhelds, Microsoft, PC / Laptop,

Okay, so we were waiting for Thursday to arrive so that we could get the full scoop on Origami, and that time has arrived. From this day forth, Origami devices will be referred to as Ultra Mobile PCs - or UMPCs - and Channel 9 has posted a great piece showing off the platform. Robert Scoble sat down with Otto Berkes, the General Manager of the UMPC division, to get all the deets. The video is about 40 minutes long, and goes in-depth into what exactly brought the UMPC to fruition, and what we can expect from the platform in the future.

From our perspective, these first-generation devices may not have lived up to the hype that was generated across the Internet over the past couple of weeks, but we can see the potential going forward - especially once we have the Windows Vista-enabled UMPCs hitting the market. We do have to wonder, with Microsoft expecting pricing to range from $599 to $999 USD, where does DualCor stand in all this? Their device is a bit smaller, but they expect to hit retail at $1500 or so. This will certainly be an interesting one to watch.

Read More | First Look At Ultra-Mobile PCs

Microsoft Launches Windows Live Search Engine

Posted by John Goulden Categories: Corporate News, Google, Internet, Microsoft,

Microsoft, in their continuing quest to dominate Google, has made available the beta of their new search engine dubbed Windows Live.  With functionality similar to that of its arch nemesis, Windows Live is able to search for images, news, RSS feeds, e-mail (Windows Live Mail and Hotmail) and more.  For better or worse, some things have been spiced up a bit such as the Image search feature.  When you hover your mouse pointer over a search result it increases in magnification and provides detailed information about the image.  On the flip side for you minimalists, a nice feature is the ability to disable or hide just about everything on the page short of the search box. 

What good would a search engine be anymore without a corresponding toolbar?  Microsoft delivers on that angle as well with the Windows Live Toolbar.  In addition to the standard search capabilities, it offers protection from phishing and pop-ups. 

Read More | Windows Live

Petito: ATP’s Super Fast And Super Tiny USB 2.0 Flash Drive

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, USB, Storage,

ATP is announcing their new USB 2.0 flash drive, which they are calling ‘.’ The new drive is primarily designed for mobile professionals, but as we all know, these days everyone wants larger storage capacity in a smaller device. This is where Petito shines, featuring 30 MB per second transfer rate and storing up to 1 GB of data. The drive measures in at 1.65"x0.8” and weighs less than 8 grams, making it small enough to

carry on a keychain without it being awkward. Petito is available in gold and silver colors, with dark blue and titanium coming in April. Storage capacity ranges from 256 MB to 1 GB. ATP will exhibit the Petito at CeBIT 2006 in Germany.

Read More | Petito Product Page

TiVo’s New Pricing Plans = Elimination of Lifetime Subscription

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Home Entertainment,

TiVo has just let their intentions be known in regards to their pricing model. It has been rumored that the lifetime subscription might be eliminated, and today TiVo confirmed that fear. Instead, TiVo will be offering three pricing plans that will include both the TiVo service and an 80-hour TiVo box. The worst part is that the subscriptions are basically like cell phone contracts, but without the credit check. You have to choose a one-, two-, or three-year commitment. The plans are as follows:

• One year: $19.95 a month or $224 prepaid.
• Two years: $18.95 a month or $369 prepaid.
• Three years: $16.95 a month or $469 prepaid.

If you cancel before your service is scheduled to end, you are charged an early termination fee. Wow.

“Over the past several months, we have done extensive research on our pricing strategy and distribution model with a focus on finding the simplest and most efficient way to increase sales and drive penetration of the TiVo service among consumers,” said Tom Rogers, CEO of TiVo. “After extensive testing and evaluation of various pricing and packaging approaches, we will launch a subscription option that combines the sale of the TiVo service together with the TiVo box.”

The new pricing model goes into effect next week, and will not have any bearing on current TiVo customers. Any new TiVos sold at retail will come with the option of choosing your subscription term, as will TiVos ordered directly from the company. No word on how this will affect the cost of the TiVo Series 3 once it hits retail.

Read More | Yahoo!

Square Eclipse Limited Edition Light

Posted by John Goulden Categories: Design, Smart Home,

The Square Eclipse is a wall light that uses a series of LEDs to provide illumination.  Control is exerted over the lighting scheme with a micro-controller, which can cause its cluster of 24 full spectrum LEDs to display a dizzying array of colors for your enjoyment.  The lights move in a pattern suggestive of an eclipse and to quote Orange22, “shift the focus from the center of the object to it’s perimeter.”  Considered to be a Limited Edition, each light is signed by the designer and carries a price tag to reflect the intended eliteness.  $3000 USD of eliteness to be exact.

Read More | Orange22 via Luxury Housing Trends