gadget news and reviews

Agent 18 Nano Shield v2 8

Skatter Tech had done a review of the Agent 18 Shield for the Apple iPod Nano back in November 2005. The case was one of the first hard cases for the iPod Nano at the time. The case actually did have a few defects, so Agent18 created a new version of the case. The original version was composed of three pieces: back, top, and bottom. The new case only has 2 pieces: a top and a back piece which snap together. The shield no longer has two lines across the screen, making it look a lot better. The iPod Nano no longer moves around in the case as it did before. Agent18 also includes a adaptor so that the iPod Nano can fit into the Apple Universal Dock while it is still in the case. (will not work with the Nano dock when in the case)

Overall this is a great case and will only cost $20, which is a good investment to protect your $200-250 iPod Nano. There are many new cases that resemble this one. Some include the iSee from CountoureCase and the iClear from Griffin. Both have recieved great ratings, but we never could get a handson review. The only problem with the Agent 18 shield is the fact that it doesn’t cover the click wheel. Anyways the most important part of the the Apple Nano is covered, the screen.

Links: Agent18 Nano Shield v1 Review | Agent18.com
Related: Apple Store | Free iPod Nanos

Upcoming PSP Games: February 3

The following is the Offical list of games, as published by SCEA, that will be released for the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) in February 2006 in North America. Note: This was the accurate list of games as of 01.28.06, games may be removed and new ones may be added later. Check PlayStation.com for any future updates. Also search our archives for previous release dates.

• Bust a Move - Majesco
• Exit - UbiSoft
• FIFA Street 2 - Electronic Arts
• Fight Night Round 3 - Electronic Arts
• Generation of Chaos - NIS America
• MX vs. ATV Unleashed: On the Edge - THQ
• Neopets® Petpet Adventuresâ„¢ - SCEA
• SpongeBob Squarepants: The Yellow Avenger – THQ
• Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX - Capcom
• Street Supremacy - Konami
• World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 - Konami

Related: PSP Games Released in December 2005
Recent: The PocketStation | Get a Free PS3

The Sony PocketStation 52

The PlayStation Portable (PSP), which was launched in March 2005, was not Sony’s first attempt to create a portable gaming device. Sony had launched another device called the “PocketStation” in December 1998 to compete with Sega’s VMU for the DreamCast. The unit was originally released in Japan, but because of its unpopularity it was never released in the United States or other countries. The main reason the unit failed might be the fact that the PocketStation never had any type of game cartridge media to insert into the unit. To play games on the unit you were required to own a PlayStation One. Then to get games onto the Pocket Station you had to plug the unit into the memory card slot on the PS1 then transfer games over. (also serves as a Memory Card) Another reason for failure was the fact that there were only a handful of PS1 games that actually included “mini-games” for the Pocket Station. Because of this design, the unit was absolutely pointless for the majority to purchase.

[Thanks for the pics, lipanz]

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Skatter Tech Widget 2.0 1

We have just released v2.0 of the Skatter Tech Widget. It displays the latest 5 stories from this site. It requires Yahoo! Widgets (aka Konfabulator) to run. (Mac + PC Support) This widget, as well as the previous one, are available for download in the Widget Gallery. The previous Skatter Tech widget was downloaded over 1000 times! This new widget has the same theme as our site does unlike the previous version. Some other features it has include setting update intervals to check for new stories. It also checks for new stories when the “X” button is clicked. (default 2 hour interval) The widget also has a search field so that all our archives can be searched though the widget. Please download a copy and leave it on your desktop for easy access to the latest stories from Skatter Tech.

Download: Skatter Tech Widget
Links: The Old Skatter Tech Widget
Related: Install Yahoo! Widgets

Autofill v0.3 Offically Released 1

Autofill v.3 has been officially released on autofill.mozdev.org! There has been no working edition of Autofill since late November (2005) since Firefox 1.5 was released. This was very basic extension, but was a necessity! I’m amazed that Mozilla still has not decided to include a form filler as a part of Firefox already. Anyways this new edition, v.3, is 100% compatible with Firefox v1.5.

Skatter Tech had released a temporary edition of Autofill called v.25 a week after Firefox 1.5 was released. This extension worked for all Firefox users who had previously installed Autofill, but required tweaking of files if no previous edition of the extension existed. The problem was that the “OK” button didn’t work when creating new profiles. So v.25 fixed it for some users, but others needed to manually enter data into the .js files.

This is a must-have extension and is great because of its simplicity. Other form fillers like RoboForm exist, but are cut down in features unless you pay. They are also bulky and look awful. Autofill on the other hand is just simple and with one click all the highlighted forms will be filled.

Links: Autofill v.3 (mozdev) | Full ChangeLog
Related: Autofill v.25 for Firefox v1.5

Software Up-Dates (4) 1

1) iTunes v6.0.2 was released on 01/10/05. (Mac and Win) The program mainly includes fixes for stability issues that existed in v6.0.1. The update can be found on either Apple’s website or can be updated using the Update Feature in iTunes. This new version also has a new iTunes mini-store which is visible in the bottom menu while viewing your library. It also allows converting videos in your library into an iPod Video compatible format, which eliminates the need for 3rd party programs.
Link: Get iTunes | iTunes Home

2) QuickTime v7.0.4 released on 01/10/05 as well. It comes bundled with iTunes if you udpated that, but you can also update the QuickTime program from Apple’s website or the Update Feature built into the program. 7.0.4 has many bug fixes and H.264 decoding and encoding performance improvements. Apple reccomends that everyone updates to this version as soon as possible. *This progam is required if you want to use the video transcoding features in iTunes.
Link: Get QuickTime | QuickTime Home

3) Two new Google Earth editions have been released. The first one is for Mac OS X. This is the first release for the Mac OS and is obvioulsy going to be in BETA editions for a long time. (requires 10.4 or above) The second release is for Windows and infact this release marks the end of BETA for the Windows edition of Google Earth. Google reccomends running Google Earth on win computers that have at least a 32mb Video Card, 512 MB of RAM, 1.2GHz Processor and a High Speed Connection.
Link: Get Google Earth | Google Blog Announcement
Related: Hurricane Katrina Satellite Images

4) Skype v2.0 with Video support released. A BETA edition with video features was available for a long time, but this has finally been done. The entire interface has been updated and looks much better. Ton of new features have been added. Skype has also enabled many new API features. The program loads up and runs much faster than previous versions. The video quality in the new Skype is just as amazing as the audio quality is. But if you have both running at the same time, the quality of the audio might be reduced.
Link: Get Skype | Skype Blog | ChangeLog

5) Mozilla Thunderbird v1.5 has been released at last. It has been over a month since Firefox 1.5 was released. (This is a major update) First most important thing is the fact that you will no longer need to download 6mb files each time you need to update your program after you upgrade to 1.5. Future updates will be done through the program as “patches” and will only be about 0.5mb. Thunderbird now has SpellCheck as you type, Search through Folders, better Phishing detection, Podcast support and more… Another neat feature allows deleting attachments from messages to save space. The program also has improved security, program stability, interface, and filters. If you use Thunderbird I reccomend getting this new version as soon as possible. All content in you client will not be touched if you just download the new version and run it over the previous program.
Link: Get Thunderbird | Release Notes
Related: Get Firefox

Google Personalized Mobile Homepages 1

Today, (01/12/06) Google released personalized homepages for mobile phones. It is just like google.com/ig for desktop computers, except it works for mobile phones. To get access to it just go to google.com/xhtml and it should work on most WAP enabled mobile phones. Once you get there press on “Personalized Home” and it will take you to your custom homepage. Just like the PC edition this will display all the items you have already set on your computer on your phone. It will display gmail, news, weather, stock quotes, movie times, and RSS feeds. This works great on the PSP since the standard custom homepages don’t function properly on it. The only problem with this is the fact that you can only set what content you would like to see on your computer, therefore it is currently not possible to add or remove content on the go.

Link: Google Mobile Info | Google Mobile | FAQs
Related: The Google Pack | NeWs Up^2-DaTe (30)

The Google Pack 4

Google released a new download manager program that will download and install a set of programs you choose from pack.google.com. Google’s goal is to make life easier to find and install clean programs when you purchase a new computer. The Google Pack will provide items from security to entertainment. On their website you can check the items you like and it will be added to a “shopping cart” and eventually all the items will be added to Google’s download manager (aka Google Updater) and will be installed. All the programs you download through the Google Pack will be the same exact prorgams one would find on the creator’s websites, there will be no Google Ads involved. Google also claimed that they are not paying or getting paid to create this set of programs.

Links: Google Pack | Google Blog Post

The Google Pack Includes: Read More

4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo +

Sony is displaying 4GB and 8GB models of the Memory Stick Pro Duo cards in the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show. These cards will work with most Sony products, including the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which will enable the unit to truly become a portable media player. They are expected to be released later this year, but no specific date is set yet. When this is released the the PSP will be able to hold just as much content as the iPod Nano. The only disadvantage with this is the price. The 1GB card currently costs around $75 and 2GB card cost about $150-200. The 4GB card is expected to cost around $400 when it is first released and to drop later on. And finaly the 8GB card might cost $800! Also the PSP is not the only type of device that can utilize this. Many Sony HI-RES cameras (Sony DSC-R1 10.3 Megapixels) support this so that there will be plently of storage space, since such large photos may take up over 10MB per shot. Sony Ericsson Phones that play Mp3s will also support these cards making them more powerfull than any iTunes Moto ROKR phones.

Link: Memory Stick Info (CES 2006 Products) | Sony Home

Jon Stewart to Host Oscars +

The Emmy winning Daily Show host, Jon Stewart, has now been choosen to host the 78th Anual Oscars. The deal was made sometime in December ‘05, but was only released to the press recently. Jon Stewart has previously hosted the Grammy Awards in 2001 and 2002. He announced on the Daily Show (episode 01/05/06) that he would be hosting the Oscars. He also mentioned that he is planning to use some of his Daily Show writers such as Rob Corddry, Ed Helms, Smantha Bee, and Stephen Colbert, who now has his own show The Colbert Report, to interview nominees. ABC hopes to have a higher viewer turnout this year compared to the 42.1 million viewers in 2004, which was 5% less than the year before.