scattered technology news

foneGEAR Mini Blu Headset (Review) - Saturday, November 10, 2007

Every bluetooth headset hitting the market today seems to be getting new wild features, for example an LCD display for Caller ID. All the average consumer honestly needs is the ability to talk. foneGear has taken this approach with their Mini Blue (fG876) lightweight headset with no unnecessary extras. The Mini Blue isn’t exactly the most innovative feature-packed unit, but it’s simple and it works!

foneGear Mini Blu (fG976) Specs:

• Battery: 4 hrs talk | 75 hrs idle
• Range: 30 foot wireless range
• Wireless: Bluetooth 2.0 EDR+
• Weight: 0.4 oz (11g)
• Charger: AC Adapter

The layout of the Mini Blu is as simple as it can get. It’s got a multi-function button on the front which acts as the talk/end button as well as turns on/off the unit. On the side, you’ll find a plus and minus button to control the volume level. The volume down key doubles as the redial button as well as the mute control. Even after testing the headset with multiple phones, we still had issues getting the redial and mute functions to work properly. An LED indicator can be found on the front, which lights up red while charging and flashes blue while it’s on. The audio quality was decent, but not too great. The audio would crackle and the listener would also have a hard time hearing us if we turned up the volume too high. Despite this, the quality of voice calls on the Mini Blu is more than enough for most consumers.

The headset can be worn on either ear and was quite comfortable. The actual speaker portion is surrounded by a soft rubber, therefore will be easy on the ear even after hours of use. The headset is fastened to your ear with a thin plastic around-the-ear hook. With this hook, it is close to impossible for the headset to fall off even if you are actively moving. This can not be said for other headsets we’ve reviewed such as the Samsung WEP200, which is quite hard to keep in place. Read More

March 07 Wii/PS3/Xbox Games - Sunday, March 4, 2007

This month Wii owners will rejoice with the arrival of four highly anticipated games. We are looking forward to how games like The Godfather: Blackhand Edition will work with the Wii controls. The PS3 will face some great games like Oblivion and Rainbow Six: Vegas this month, but unfortunately rather than MotorStorm they are all ports from the Xbox 360. Finally on the Xbox 360 we are looking forward to Armored Core 4.

Wii:

• Medal of Honor Vanguard - EA
• Prince of Persia: Rival Swords - Ubisoft
• The Godfather: Blackhand Edition - EA
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 - EA

PlayStation 3:

• MotorStorm - SCEA
• F.E.A.R - Vivendi Games
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Bethesda Softworks
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas - Ubisoft

Xbox 360:

• Def Jam: Icon - EA
• Virtua Tennis 3 - SEGA
• Armored Core 4 - Sega of America

Game Lists: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Related: Upcoming PS3, Wii, & 360 Games: Feburary

Proporta - iPod Shuffle Cases - Sunday, December 3, 2006

Apple released the new 2nd generation iPod Shuffle last month. Many have complained that the unit is too small, making it quite easy to drop. Although the shuffle has been proven to withstand occasional drops, since it is an item that is constantly handled, we still would recommend purchasing a case. Proporta was generous enough to provide Skatter Tech with three of the iPod Shuffle cases they recently released: steel sleeve, crystal sleeve, and silicone sleeve. (continue reading for a 10% off coupon code)

Protection:
All three of the cases protect the front and sides of the iPod Shuffle. In addition, the crystal and silicone sleeves protect the top and bottom. The silicone sleeve is the only one of the three that also protects the click-wheel. The steel sleeve has an inner lining of foam to prevent scratching the unit and is the strongest. Despite this, we would still rate the silicone sleeves to offer the best protection for your iPod Shuffles.

Read More

Upcoming PSP Games: November - Thursday, November 2, 2006

The following is the Offical list of games, as published by SCEA, that will be released for the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) in North America for November 2006. Note: This was the accurate list of games as of 11.01.06, games may be removed and new ones may be added later.

Our Picks:

• SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals Bravo 2 - SCEA
• Sonic Rivals - Sega
• NFL Street 3 - EA
• Superman Returns: The Videogame - EA
• Metal Slug Anthology - SNK
• Tony Hawk’s Project 8 - Activision

view full list

Sony also plans to release a pink, silver, and blue PSPs by Christmas along with the camera and GPS modules. Skatter Tech will also be getting a hold of some of these games early so check back for some reviews and more PSP updates. On another note, still PlayStation-related, Sony still plans to launch the PlayStation 3 on November 17, 2006 as originally planned.

Links: PlayStation Portable Upcoming Games
Related: Upcoming PSP Games: October | Killzone Liberation Review

Read More

(Product) Red iPod Nano - Sunday, October 15, 2006

Apple, in partnership with “(Product) Red”, released a special edition 4GB RED iPod Nano last Friday. (Product) Red is a new brand which makes partnerships with corporations such as Apple, Motorola, American Express, and Gap in which a percent of the “red” products sold will be contributed towards the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. In this case, $10 will be added to fund for every red iPod Nano sold.

The red iPod Nano will cost $199, which is the same price as all the other 4GB iPod Nano models. Apple also plans to sell (red) iTunes gift cards next month, which will also help contribute to the Global Fund. Overall the (Product) Red is a good deal since it costs the consumer the same price, gives us another color to pick, and helps fight AIDS.

“Now customers can buy the best music player in the world and do something to help the world at the same time,” Steve Jobs, CEO

Since we never got a chance to cover the release of the second generation iPod Nanos due to downtime, here is our quick briefing. The Nanos were announced in mid-September, and are slimmer and skinnier than the original Nano. The new Nano wears an aluminum case and looks very similar to the discontinued iPod Mini’s style. The iPod Nanos are also available in 5 colors and is available in capacities from 2GB-8GB. The unit also has an improved now 24hr battery life, a 40% brighter screen, and new software. All new shipped iPods will also include a set of newly designed headphones which are more comfortable to wear and are suppose to sound better.

Links: (Product) Red - iPod Nano
Related: Join Red | Apple iPod Nano

Super Bowl XL in HD - Saturday, February 4, 2006

The SuperBowl XL is going to be broadcast completly in HD by ABC. This is the first Super Bowl ever that a broadcasting company has decided to do this. Last year’s game had HD, but was only available to a very few amount of subscribers. If you do have a HD set here are three ways to get the Super Bowl XL in HD:

1. Cable - If you have cable, a HD reciever, and get ABC then you should be able get the game in HD. But there are many different cable providers, so you should check with your provider to be sure.
2. Satellite - There are two major providers Dish Network and DirecTV. If you have DirecTV, they offer ABC in HD in most areas. If you have the High Defenition service you will recive it on Channel 86 (Eastern & Central time zones) or Channel 87 (Pacific & Mountain time zones). You will need the a HD-Capable box for both networks. If you have Dish Network you are probably out of luck. Dish does not offer ABC in HD, which means no HD Super Bowl. But if you have an over the air antenna module facing major broadcast centers such as SFO, then you might be able to catch the game.
3. Antenna - ABC brodcasts free off air conent in HD in certain areas. Check your local listings to see if you are elligible to recieve the content in HD. You will need to have a HD tuner to retrive the content as well as a HD supported off air antenna.

Upcoming PSP Games: February - Saturday, January 28, 2006

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

NeWs Up^2-DaTe (30) - Sunday, January 1, 2006

ButMeNot | Gaim 2.0 | FeedIcons | Thunderbird | Google | Digg | Others

1) BugMeNot just got a brand new look and a new more powerfull interface. It also allows site admins to request to be blocked from BugMeNot’s service to prevent spamers. BMN also has ratings for reach username/password so it is easier to find logins that will probably work. The BMN Firefox extension no longer works because the site runs on a new API, but luckily the creators are working on a fix and are expected to release an even more powerfull extension soon.
Links: BugMeNot | BMN Firefox Extension

2) Gaim 2.0 is expected to be released soon. The creators are currently taking in tons of feedback and are willing to change or add anything requested. It is also expected have new protocols to support new services such as Google Talk. (along with aim, msn, yahoo, jabber, icq, and irc).
Links: Gaim 1.5.0 | Gaim 2.0 BETA (win32)

3) Feed Icons are now everwhere on the net. For many it is hard to to tell what each icon means, therefore a new standardized format has been created by feedicons.com. Mozilla was first to use this type of icon when Firefox was launched. Microsoft has agreed to implement that same icon into Internet Explorer 7.0 when it is launched (probably along with Windows Vista). Apple may also join in and use the same logo for their Safari browser, but there has been no offical announcement from them yet. But in the meantime all Website adminsitrators should download the source to the standard Feed Icon and modify it to their needs and use it on their websites.
Links: FeedIcons.com | digg story

4) Thunderbird 1.5 RC2 has been released. Thunderbird is still on 1.0.7, while Firefox got a major update to 1.5 just a while ago. Thunderbird 1.5 is expected to have plently of new features. Some include: live spell check, podcast RSS support, more powerfull search, and better spam filters. It is also expected that the interface will get a big change to include “tabbed emails”.
Links: Thunderbird 1.5 RC2 | Thunderbird 1.0.7

5) Google Zeitgeist 2005 has been published which is a comprehensive list of the Top Searches of 2005 in different categories. It also shows how different events that occured throughout 2005 triggered a lot of articles to be written on the web. (Katrina, London Bombing, CIA Leak, and Indian Tsuami) Some of the most searched items were Hurricane Katrina, Tsunami, and xBox 360.
Links: The 2005 Google Zeitgeist | The 2004 Zeitgist

6) Digg Spy was updated to “2.0″ and now includes a very powerfull LIVE view of everthing that is occuring on Digg.com. The interface can now filter everything occuring on digg. There is now a toggle for items being dugg, being submitted, being commented, and being marked. There are also three tabs: one shows all stories, items that have been on the homepage, and items in the digg queue. Digg has grown rapidly and now has over 100,000 registered users which all occured in about 1 year.
Links: Digg Spy | My Digg Profile (Top User #10!) | Digg Home

Others:
How To Color B&G Photos - [devLobby]
Offical X-Men 3 Photos - [USA Today]
Systm 5.0 Asterisk Released - [Revision 3]

TiVo WiFi Adaptor - Tuesday, December 27, 2005

TiVo has just released a “TiVo Branded” 802.11g wireless network adaptor aimed at Series2 owners. (compatible with 802.11b) This network adaptor enables users to use TiVo To Go (TTG), Multi-Room viewing, Music and Photo sharing, and Online Scheduling. This unit will cost $49.99 if purchased through TiVo. There are plenty of other units that offer same results, but are much cheaper such as Linksys or Netgear adaptors. (TiVo’s unit, however, ensures compatibility) Unfortunatley if you purchase this unit it will not function with PCs or Macs, just TiVos. Therefore, the advantage of purchasing 3rd party devices enables using the adaptor with units other than just TiVos (and is usually cheaper). Either way a 3rd party Wireless Router will be required for this to actually function unless you are only using your TiVo for local file sharing and multi room viewing.

Links: TiVo Gear | Linksys | Netgear
Related: Yahoo and TiVo Team Up
Recent: Yahoo Widget Engine | Agent18 Video Shield

Skatter Tech Widget - Sunday, November 27, 2005

Skatter Tech has just created a “Widget” for all our readers. To use this widget you must have Konfabulator installed. Konfabulator is a free tool that allows placing widgets on your desktop on either a Windows or a Mac machine. These widgets can display any type of information such as news, weather, time, stock quotes, and much more. This specific widget will show the latest five stories posted on this site. As soon as a new story is posted the widget will automatically update itself with the newest items. Clicking on the title of any item will directly open the story in your default browser. The arrow mark will take you to our homepage www.skattertech.com. This widget works on both operating systems, but is currently still in BETA. Please install and tryout our widget, it is available in Konfabulator’s Widget Gallery. Note: Konfabulator was recently purchased by Yahoo and their product is now called Yahoo Widgets. The service still offers the exact same features and has not been compromised with ads or anything else.

Link: Get The Skatter Tech Widget | Get Konfabulator
Related: Yahoo Widgets | Widget Gallery
Recent Posts: TiVo 2 Go 2 PSP + iPod | Top 10 Majors