Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!
TViX HD - Bring Your Hi-Def Content To The Living Room
Posted by Sparky Categories: Home Entertainment, PC / Laptop,
For those not yet able to afford both the Hi-Definition TV and a good media center to go with it a company called TViX has the perfect solution for you. The TViX-HD M-5000U not only features a tongue twister of a product name, but also the power to display 720p and 1080i content from a portable USB hard-drive of from a share on your network on your TV via component video or DVI/HDMI connection. The small cylindrical device is capable of playing WMV9 hi-definition content, and can play .TS files directly that have been downloaded from a cable box or satellite provider for delayed playback. The M-5000U will also work as an HDTV tuner with an added tuner box. Supporting WMV9, DivX, XVid and MPEG 1/2 as well as AAC, MP3, WMAM, PCM, OOG and every common static image format this seems to be an all in one wonder that can bridge your living room with your office. The only things missing from their website are a launch date and a price, although I’m sure it will be cheaper than a Windows Media Center - the only real competition when it comes to getting your computer based Hi-Def content on your screen.
Read More 
| TViX HD-5000U
Griffin Introduces Chameleon Skins for iPod mini
Posted by Sparky Categories: Accessories, Portable Audio / Video,
Griffin just introduced some sweet cases for the iPod Mini: the Chameleon. These are thin PVC sleeves that help protect your mini from scratches while adding a beautiful splash of color. I particularly like that the design goes right over the click wheel giving a very unique look to the mini. The PVC over the click wheel is thin enough to operate the iPod through it, while still offering protection to the touch sensitive surface. The Chameleon cases feature a removable clip for use on your belt of a lanyard, and includes a 21” lanyard. With more than 16 wild and crazy designs to choose from you are sure to find one that fits your style. The Apple and Kiwi ones are my favorites - what are yours?
Read More | Griffin Chameleon
Advertisement
Really want to scare your boss at the Network Operations Center tomorrow at work? Make and bring in one of these. Fiftythree.org proudly presents a number of network and computer hacks sure to bring a spark of excitement whenever they are used. The site features similar hacks to CAT5 cable, serial cable, and creative ways to really get a HDD going.
Read More | Etherkiller
Latest Gear Live Videos
Windows Longho… Vista will have a feature offering a secondary display on some laptops. The display will allow instant access to information such as the next appointment in the owners calendar, or access to contact information at a glance. It’s a really innovative idea that will change the way people make use of their computers and reduce the number of times that they have to actually boot a laptop to get that quick piece of information. MAKE Magazine has a great feature on how to add a (somewhat cumbersome) auxiliary display to your laptop now using a PocketPC and some creative software hacking.
Read More | MAKE
If you are always questing or a truly creative and unique piece of art, DNA11 has a solution for you. They take a sample of your DNA, and then sequence it into a work of art. The DNA is photographed and then digitally manipulated to create an abstract masterpiece that really is a part of it’s owner. The scientific and technology community is going to love this piece of art that has a story and technology behind it - a great conversation starter. It’s also a great way to send a far away yet geeky loved one a creative way to remember you.
Read More | DNA11 via Gadgetry Blog
Get a chance to play one of our favorite racers right now by heading over to Best Buy and snatching the free demo disc. According to one Joystiq reader, Best Buy stores are handing out these demo discs free of charge. Run down to your local Best Buy before they are all gone.
Read More | Joystiq
The rumored HTC Wizard has just emerged with a grainy image from a French website. The Windows Mobile 5.0 powered device would have a QVGA screen, 1.3MP camera, and feature GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and Wifi. I was a little surprised to not see Bluetooth on the list, but it is early yet and the specs might change. It looks like this PDA phone will be sized much more like a wide candy bar style phone rather than a large bulky PDA with a supposed size of 4.2 x 2.2 x 0.9-inches. Without Bluetooth or UMTS I’m not sure if this will be a winner or not - but its certainly worth keeping an eye on for a fully featured QWERTY phone.
Read More | HTC Wizard
Myfanwy Ashmore Makes Mario Even More Harmless
Posted by Alex Grahmann Categories: Mods/Hacks, Retro,
Myfanwy Ashmore, a conceptual artist, has unveiled a ROM version of the original Super Mario Brothers for NES with almost everything removed - including enemies, structures, and power-ups. Basically what this means is that, as Ashmore describes it, “all you can do is go for a walk.” This idea of a “walk” might be so foreign to the average gamer that the download site even includes directions on the ultra-limited controls, presumably to make it clear that nothing else is possible.
Perhaps it’s the pure manic nature of such outrageous reductionism, but the idea of this game seems very intriguing. As a parody of the current trend toward open-ended environments in videogame design, it really is pure genius. Make sure to notice the mention of Ashmore’s previous piece on the download site, a controversial project involving two-way communication between a viewer and a network of decaying grapefruits.
Read More | Year01
Snood Solitaire version 1.0 has been released for the Mac OS. Featuring characters from one of the most popular shareware games of the past decade, Snood Solitaire lives up to its title by featuring over 30 different solitaire-based games. While this may be a draw for the hardcore solitaire fans out there, for the rest of us this seems to be no better than what comes free with our computers, with the strange addition of the ugliest characters known to man. Maybe someday, if not here then in the bizarro world, Snood characters will enjoy the same cross-category video game success as the Mario characters.
Read More | WomGames
Pheedo, a weblog marketing company, has released a few choice points of data about the way readers use RSS. Highlights from their report include:
- RSS is most active on Tuesdays and least active on Saturdays.
- The most content is viewed early in the morning.
- The most click-throughs occur late at night.
- Bloglines is the most popular RSS reader, with only 5 programs being used to read 70% of RSS feeds.
Pheedo’s posted information represents only an initial analysis of the data they’ve collected over the course of their work with their blogging clients. Pheedo is promising a follow-up program of more formalized reports called “Pheed Reads.” Check back here for more insights as these reports are released.
Read More | Pheedo
