gadget news and reviews

Super Street Fighter IV (Preview) +

During CES 2010, I had to opportunity to play some highly anticipated titles at Capcom’s reception for the media. Amongst the titles present, I was most eager to try the new update to last year’s critically acclaimed title “Street Fighter 4″. One of the developers graciously showed me a few new features and challenged me to a few rounds to show off the new additions to the game.

I was first presented with the updated roster at the character select screen. According to the Capcom’s representative, there will be a gang of eight ‘new’ characters added into the mix from both previous titles and new ones. Despite a controversial decision, the game will now be a standalone installment instead of direct-to-download. There’s plenty of features to justify the decision including the healthy addition of new maps, new ultra combos (now selectable before the start of a match), a tweaked fighting engine, and new online modes. This game clearly would not have been feasible to market as “cheaper” downloadable content. Read More

Samsung Moment – Sprint (Review) 15

Earlier this quarter we had quite a show of Android based phones. Our previous reviews for the Sprint HTC Hero, Verizon Motorola Droid, and Verizon HTC Eris have definitely drawn in a lot of interest towards Google devices. The Samsung Moment is the latest addition to the growing trend. This smart phone sports Android OS (v1.5) with both a touch-screen display and a physical slide-out keyboard. There was plenty to like, but read on to find out if Samsung did the Android right.

The Hardware – 4/5 stars
I was quite interested with the Samsung Moment since I first noticed the large display and the physical slide-out keyboard when it was announced. Initially it does appear to be bulky, but once you get handle it for a bit, it’s not too bad. It’s actually not that bulky and relatively light weight too (5.67 oz.) The Moment is coated with a metallic chrome finish that complements the black trim well. Sliding the phone’s keyboard out feels solid, however it is a bit flimsy when slid-out. The two different pieces wiggle slightly. I’m not sure if it was just my unit, but other slide out devices such as the Motorola Droid didn’t have this issue. On the front face you’ll find a physical Call and End button. There’s also the Home, Menu, and Back keys right above a touch pad. It’s a well appreciated alternative to the trackball found on BlackBerry and HTC devices. The optical joystick registers your finger’s touch just like a regular touch pad. I found it worked well and at times more preferable to use than the touch screen. There is a dedicated button on the right side of the phone that brings up voice recognition as well as the camera. On the left side there’s a volume rocker. I was glad to see a standard 3.5mm headphone jack at the top and a flash included with the camera on back. Overall, the phone is definitely a bit larger than other smart phones, but won’t make much of a difference when carrying it around.

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Holiday Gift Guide: Netbooks +

Something that has been rocking the PC industry of late is the well-known device we now all own and love: the netbook. Seemingly being enhanced dramatically every few months we are also often sacking our older ones into photo frames and buying newer ones. If it is time to renew your netbook, look no further we have compiled a list of the best and the brightest available this holiday season!

Best Battery Life: Asus Eee PC (1005HA-EU1X)

One of the early companies to debut with the popular netbook market was ASUS and for the amount of time they have gained quite some experience in terms of their hardware designs and innovations. Enter: the Eee 10.1″ model available to customers in a spacious 160gb hdd. The display is a 1024×600 resolution WSVGA made for more ease in viewing your content. The core specs are similar to most other netbooks out on the market but perhaps what makes this netbook so popular today is the lightweight and professional looking design. The newly revamped keyboard is a great example of how far along their lineup of netbooks has come. This one also boasts a whopping 10.5 hr battery life!

Buy: Asus Eee PC 1005HA for $330

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Holiday Gift Guide: Blu-ray Players 2

2009 has been the year of high definition. When Blu-ray players first made their debut, they ran you nearly $1000. For some time the PlayStation 3 was the best deal. However today, Blu-ray players are available for under the $100 mark. While quality won’t be on par, it’s still a big improvement over DVDs for those on a budget. So here are a few of my picks:

Best Choice: PlayStation 3 Slim (120GB HDD)

No surprise here. I would still recommend the PlayStation 3 as the best Blu-ray player. It’s now slimmed down and cheaper than ever before. Other decent Blu-ray players will cost nearly half as much, but lack can’t match what the PS3 offers. A standalone Blu-ray player will require purchase of an expensive WiFi adapter to get online. The PS3 has WiFi built in, plus it’s a media center too. You can playback music, photos, and movies on your PC on the big screen with the PS3. You can even store a local copy on the whopping 120GB HDD. It’s entirely upgradable with software updates too. NETFLIX STREAMING TOO

Buy: PlayStation 3 Slim | Link: PlayStation.com/PS3

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Samsung Reclaim M560 – Sprint (Review) +

As living a “green lifestyle” has been on the top of the public’s mind, the tech industry has tried to create gadgets to appeal to the growing audience. Sprint has taken an active stance to promote the eco-friendly technology campaign. It’s rare to see corporations taking or at least trying to take responsibility to protect the environment. The Samsung Reclaim is one of those devices. Although it may not have all the bells and whistles a smartphone may have, it’s worth taking a look at since it’s made almost entirely from recycled materials and leaves a lighter footprint on our environment.

Body Design: 4/5 stars
Keeping with the environmental theme, the Samsung Reclaim is available to customers in two colors: “Ocean Blue” and “Earth Green”. Although the colors are quite bright and standout, it has a nice glossy feel and texture. Plus, it stands out and is a nice change from the standard black and silver trimmed phones that most phones have today. The Reclaim has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, which is great for texting. Although they keys were somewhat narrow and cramped, it should be fine after some getting used to. There are dedicated left/right soft keys and send/end buttons. A speakerphone key, okay, and back key are also included. The large size and color almost reminded me of Fisher Price toys, but they are solid and comfortable. There’s also a volume rocker and a camera shutter key on the side. I was also truly surprised to see a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, which even some smartphones launched earlier this year didn’t offer. There’s also a standard microSD card expansion and an micro USB port concealed under a plastic cover. Other than that, sliding out the keyboard reveals a 2 megapixel camera on the back. The device is fairly compact to fit into just about any pocket.

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SanDisk 16GB microSDHC & MobileMate +

While the famous iPhone doesn’t offer storage expansion, just about every other smartphone on the market support microSDHC cards. SanDisk recently sent us a 16GB microSDHC card. Although there was only about 14.8GB of usable space due to formatting, it’s still remarkable how small flash memory has become. This specific model is now even included with popular phones such as the BlackBerry Storm2 and the Motorola Droid. At the moment this is the largest capacity available, however 32GB microSDHC cards are supposedly just around the corner.

The second item SanDisk sent us was the MobileMate Duo, a MobileMate Micro USB card reader and a SanDisk SD card adapter for microSD cards. Although most modern gadgets should allow a mass storage mode to allow copying data over, the MobileMate Duo kit offers direct access to the microSD card. The USB card reader worked right out of the box on Windows 7 and OS X Snow Leopard. No extra drivers were needed. Using the SD card reader adapter is self-explanatory. Read More

Sprint HTC Hero (Review) 9

As a long time Sprint user, I had been deciding on a new phone to upgrade to. I’ve had the Motorola Q for over a year and although it might have been a decent device at the time, both the hardware and the Windows Mobile OS are truly outdated. After a long debate between the Palm Pre and the HTC Hero, I decided to go with the Android powered device. The future of Windows Mobile looks shady and there’s a reason why. After just a minute of use, I was in awe about the ease, speed, and power of the Android OS. With HTC’s excellent hardware and Sprint’s network with affordable data plans, the HTC Hero has been amazing. There’s a lot this phone offers to help organize and centralize all the data in your life.

The Hardware: 5/5 stars
Although the HTC Hero shares similar elements of style from it’s European predecessor, this model has a new and revised body. The distinctive bottom lip (Jay Leno chin?) that characterized the original Hero has been replaced with a more traditional rounded edge. I never spent much time handling the chin-ed version, but I’m satisfied with the comfort the new HTC Hero offers. There’s a large illuminated trackball centered below the display. A send and end button are on the far left and right of the bottom portion, respectively. A Menu and Home key are on the left of the trackball while the search and back key are on the right. The mini USB port is on the bottom, the camera is centered on the top portion of the back side, and the headphone jack is on the top of the phone. The trackball was quite responsive and the inclusion of physical keys for answer and ending calls suited my taste. The phone isn’t the most fancy device on the market by any means, but it’s smoke gray coat with gun-metal accents look elegant. The phone’s also has a great grip to it and feels durable enough to survive a few small drops.

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Jabra Halo (Review) +

I’ve always wanted a pair of wireless headphones, but I have never had a compatible device and plus the technology just wasn’t ready yet. When the Jabra Halo showed up at our doorstep, I had also just upgraded my phone to the brand new Sprint HTC Hero. A perfect match. It paired up quickly and I was finally untangled from my phone. The Jabra Halo, appropriately named for its unique, thin, and sleek design, strays away from other traditional bluetooth headphones. They look great and are aesthetically appealing, but how do they hold up in other distinguishing areas? Read on to find out!

Body Design: 4/5 stars
As the name suggests, the Jabra Halo simply resemble a halo. As I removed it from the packaging, it struck me a luxurious gadget. They felt quite lightweight as I picked them up and the black trim was elegant. After skimming through the product info sheet, I looked at the quick-start guide for directions before trying them on. Ok, easy enough, just unfold and snap in to lock the headphones into position — wait… ’snap’? Although I was a bit worried, I realized that the headset actually had a joint to fold. This wasn’t just to make the device more compact for travel, but it was actually what turned it on and off as well. It’s unique, new, and the sharp look definitely certainly got me a few glances.

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Proporta Acer Aspire One Case Review 3

Proporta has done a solid job with its line of Acer Aspire One protective cases. These affordable premium cases are a perfect companion accessory to be used with the popular netbook series. My initial reaction to the unassuming packaging the case came in was followed by reassurance as soon as I felt the smooth quality of the case material.  I’m fairly recent to the world of netbooks and I have to admit case accessories weren’t high up on my wish list. But this case in particular is invaluable in both its aesthetics and ability to protect your netbook from potential damage.

The delicate yet durable feel of the case is a good blend of classiness and strength of protection you would find in any premium quality protective cases. However this particular product boasts a neat little innovative design. The design allows the ability to use your system while still in the case! The workmanship is excellent and seems quite durable. The white stitching works with the black color of the rest of the case, especially since my Aspire One was also white. The case is held together by a magnetic clasp which is a lot nicer than alternative mechanisms such as zippers and velcro straps. The designers of the case were thoughtful when it comes to functionality since they even created pores on the bottom to allow the laptop to “breathe” meaning maintaining cooler temperatures. Although, I wasn’t to wild about the appearance of the ventilation pores, it servers a purpose and in the end goes pretty much unnoticed.

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