gadget news and reviews

FM Radios To Become Standard In Mobile Devices? 1

When one thinks of smart phones, FM Radios aren’t generally the first thing that comes to mind. FM Radio’s are rarely used on smartphones since users can stream most content through the Internet. Recently, however, there has been a push by certain groups to revive the medium by utilizing the popularity of smart phones. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in coalition with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has put forth a proposal that would make it mandatory for all mobile devices in the U.S. to come equipped with FM receivers. While it might initially seem like a simple issue, the involved parties have conflicting interests making the proposal subject to a fair amount of debate.

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SanDisk Announces Smallest 64GB Embedded SSD 1

Size is one of the most common themes in the tech industry. Usually, the smaller a device can be made without sacrificing too much performance, the better. This is especially true with regards to memory, as the physical size of memory can make or break the user experience. The memory business is also subject to rapid change, as physical size, speed, and capacity are never at a stand still. Following that trend, flash memory manufacturer SanDisk has released the fastest embedded Solid-State Drive (SSD) in its size.

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How Google Is Trying To Redefine Net Neutrality +

The fight over net neutrality legislation currently being waged has many key players, of those, Google has on numerous occasions come out in support of net neutrality. On the other hand, Verizon, as well as other telecom companies, oppose the regulations. Now, in a surprising turn of events, both Google and Verizon have negotiated an agreement on broadband policy that undermines efforts from net neutrality advocates to keep the Internet fair. Read More

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (Preview) 1

In the expansive Star Wars universe, a numerous amount of fantastic games have been released, all contributing extensively to their respective genres. One such game was released about two years ago, for the Xbox 360, was Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (TFU). TFU took concepts from previous 3^rd person action adventure Star Wars games and expanded on them greatly. Now, following in TFU’s footsteps is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (TFU2), which promises players more Jedi induced havoc than even the first one. Read More

New Rulings on DMCA Exempt Several Copyright Violations +

In the world of tech policy, things just got really interesting. Every three years, the U.S. Copyright Office (part of the Library of Congress) reviews the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and renders its verdict on potential copyright violations involving many forms of digital media. Of the cases involving digital media discussed, many are ignored, some may lead to new laws prohibiting specific activities, and even fewer result in exempting certain practices. In a rare occurrence of events this year, the Copyright Office has revealed six new exemptions to the DMCA, all of which have sparked an interesting amount of dialogue. Read More

Infinitec Opens Up Its ‘Infinite’ USB Drive For Pre-Order 3

When one normally thinks of a USB flash drive, a few beneficial characteristics like portability and convenience come to mind. Unfortunately, using a USB drive can often be a pain, especially due to storage constraints. At times, even a 60 GB drive may not be enough to transfer everything you want to. Then there’s the problem of the drive being full already, meaning you have to delete unwanted stuff first. One drive, however, might soon solve any problems associated with regular flash drives. At CES 2010, the folks from Dubai based company Infinitec revealed the world’s first “infinite USB flash drive.” Now, Infinitec has opened up pre-orders for the device, stirring up a fair amount of chit-chat.
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Redbox Now Offers Blu-Ray Rentals +

Although Blu-Ray won the format wars with HD DVDs several years ago, widespread adoption of the format had yet to be seen. At the time, Blu-Ray players were still on the expensive side, and many saw buying devices like the PS3 a decent alternative. Of course, since then much has changed. Now, it’s fairly easy to find a Blu-Ray player in the $100-200 range. As Blu-Ray is becoming more prevalent, services that rent and sell them are as well. On that note, popular DVD rental kiosk provider Redbox has just announced it has started rolling out Blu-Ray titles. Read More

Apple Refreshes iMac Lineup +

Apple is usually never short of new products to release and market. Even when there is an occasional lull in activity, the Cupertino based company is always upgrading or hyping something new. The iPhone 4 of course has been the latest of the company’s ventures, though the negative press it has been receiving the last several weeks have revealed weaknesses in the company’s PR strategy. Perhaps some of the latest news from the company will draw attention away from iPhone 4’s issues. Today, Apple officially announced a refresh of its iMac line of desktop computers boasting power, simplicity, and of course aesthetic brilliance.

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ADATA Announces the N909 Thumb Drive +

Ever get frustrated when trying to quickly transfer files because USB 2.0 crawls rather than runs? I’m sure many have been victims of the bus’ relatively slow transfer rate, especially when trying to read and write data containing videos or music. Until USB 3.0 becomes the standard, there are ways to get around USB 2.0’s inefficiencies. One alternative is to use eSATA, an external SATA interface which is much faster than USB 2.0. On that note, Taiwanese memory manufacturer A-DATA has just come out with the N909 thumb drive, the first in the industry to combine eSATA and USB 2.0. Read More

FIFA 2011 (Preview) 1

Ever since the FIFA World Cup ended, many fans, including myself, have found themselves exhibiting signs of soccer withdrawal. As a substitute to watching soccer on its grandest stage, there’s of course the option of playing FIFA ’10 from EA. The title was one of the most complete sports games to come out for 2010. The introduction of in-depth game modes along with attention to many of the sport’s subtle aspects gave the FIFA series a sense of realism that seemed to be lacking in previous titles. Now, EA is stepping up the ante with the upcoming release of FIFA ’11. Not only does the game appear to build well on previous ones, but it also promises to change the way soccer games are played altogether.

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