scattered technology news

Review: Shure SE210 Earphones - Monday, April 16, 2007

Skatter Tech got a hold of the Shure SE210, an upgrade to the popular E Series, a few weeks ago and we have been quite pleased with the headset’s performance. The headphones included with most MP3 players, including iPods, are not exactly top notch. Purchasing a high quality set of headphones makes quite a big difference. Although the SE210 is at the bottom of their line of high-end earphones, it is still one of the best ones available on the market. (We reviewed the SE210-K Black)

Shure SE-210 Specs:

• Sound Isolating Earphones
• Hi-Definition Micro Speaker
• Frequency Range: 25Hz – 18.5kHz
• Included: Deluxe Fit Kit & Case
• Available in Black or White
• Price (MSRP): $179 $150

If you own the previous E2c model, the first thing you’ll notice is that the new SE210 earphones are much smaller and lighter. We felt the material also looked cheaper, but the sound it produced proved us wrong. Shure kept the headset in the Y-shape form factor instead of switching over to other styles such as “behind-the-neck,” which Sony uses in their headsets. Unlike its predecessor, which had a 56-inch cord, the Shure SE210 offers flexibility by including a 36-inch extension cord to go along with the short 18-inch headset. (54 inches total) Finally, Shure has improved the performance of the bass since it could barely be heard in the E2c’s. Read More

Samsung UpStage M620 – Sprint - Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Last week Sprint announced the availability of the Samsung UpStage (aka SPH-M620). Sprint was kind enough to provide Skatter Tech with a unit for review. The dual-sided UpStage is notable due to having a phone on one side and a iPod-like Mp3 player on the other.

Although the phone is extremely compact, at first glance, the front side of the phone looks dull due to the tiny LCD display. However everything changes after turning the unit around to the backside. In terms of basic features the Samsung Upstage features a 1.3MP camera, MicroSD, Bluetooth, and background Music Playback. As a bonus Sprint’s service allows access to 99 cent music downloads, Live TV, Internet Radio, Games, Web Browsing, and other Power Vision services.

Samsung SPH-M620 Specifications:

• Provider: Sprint Exclusive (CDMA)
• Form Factor: Dual-Sided Candy bar
• Dimensions: 1.73W x 4.07H x .37D inches
• Battery: Up To 6.3hrs Talk Time with Wallet
• Screen: Front 176×65 & Back 176×220 pixels
• Digital Camera: 1.3 MP with 5x Digital Zoom
• Storage: ~53MB Internal + MicroSD (2GB max)
• Sound: Standard Headphones with Adapter
• Others: Bluetooth v1.2 + 4hr Wallet Battery
• Price: $150 + Tax w/ New 2-Year Contract

UpStage Body: 5/5 stars
This phone is tiny, measuring only .37 inches thick, making it thinner than the Motorola RAZR. Although a bit larger, the phone resembles the shape and form factor of an iPod Nano. The front side of the phone has a Alpha-Numeric Keypad for making calls or text messaging. The back side looks like an iPod Nano, but with a large screen and an square touch pad. The phone is small enough to fit in most pockets and can be placed flat on its back or front. The phone almost doubles in size after placing into the battery wallet, which I assume most people plan to use. Although the case allows access to both sides of the phone, it still becomes quite tedious to keep switching back and forth. Despite the fact that the unit is harder to hold with the wallet, the flexibility of removing the case is an advantage. Read More

April 07 PS3/Wii/360 Games - Sunday, April 8, 2007

It looks as though if April is going to be another slow month for game releases. However there are three high anticipated games arriving. The Wii will be getting the Prince of Persia: Rival Swords, which now has better graphics, and Super Paper Mario, which brings back the popular traditional Nintendo characters. Finally, F.E.A.R., a popular PC and Xbox game will be hitting the Sony PlayStation 3!

Wii:

• Prince of Persia: Rival Swords – Ubisoft
• Bust-A-Move Bash! – Majesco Sales Inc
• Super Paper Mario – Nintendo

PlayStation 3: F.E.A.R. – Vivendi Games

Xbox 360: 2006 FIFA World Cup – EA Sports

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

Xbox 360 Elite (Black) - Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Yesterday evening, Microsoft confirmed rumors of a new black Xbox 360, when it announced the Xbox 360 Elite. The initial details on the device further confirm the rumors that this new version of the 360 will come equipped with a 120GB hard drive and a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port. However, besides those two additions and the fact that it’s black, there appears to be little else that’s new.

The 120GB hard drive will also become available, separately, to customers of the original Xbox 360 for an estimated retail price of $179.99. The average gamer will probably have to decide whether they’d prefer three more games or more storage capacity. I’d rather take the games, but of course this all depends on what else you might use the console for. Obviously, if you’re a customer of the LIVE Marketplace video store the need for extra storage is a no-brainer, but for those of us who only use the 360 as a gaming platform the extra $180 might be better spent elsewhere. Read More

Moto Bluetooth Headphones S9 - Sunday, March 18, 2007

This year at CES, of the cutting-edge gadgets, functioning bluetooth stereo headsets made their first appearance. Motorola had their “Bluetooth Active Headphones S9″ on display. The S9 is one of the first bluetooth headsets to function with any bluetooth device, that supports stereo profiles. The S9 is intended for music playback, however it also supports wireless voice calls. Also, unlike most other bulky wireless bluetooth headphones, these Motorola headphones are quite sleek, stylish, and light weight, weighing less than an ounce.

Active Headphones S9 Features:

• Crisp 1.3cm stereo speakers
• Compatible w/Bluetooth enabled devices
• Supports both phones and MP3 players
• Up to 6-hours of music playback
• Touch sensitive music & talk controls

The headphones have touch-sensitive talk/end controls on the left and play/pause controls on the right. Most initial reviews all seem to be giving the S9 a “thumbs up.” However if plan to purchase wireless headsets to use while driving, these are probably prohibited in most states since they cover both ears. In addition, they S9 headphones are quite pricey, current online retailers such as Amazon price it at $130. I’d recommend waiting for cheaper ones arrive since these are one of the first truly portable pairs.

Buy: Motorola Active Bluetooth Headphones S9
Links: Active S9 Headphones | Motorola Press

iPod Shuffle Giveaway - Friday, March 16, 2007

Since Skatter Tech is approaching our 300 post, we are offering all our readers a chance of wining a brand new Apple iPod Shuffle. The Shuffle can hold 1GB of storage (~240 songs), has 12hrs of battery life, is available in 5 colors, and costs $79. To enter our FREE giveaway contest you must meet all the requirements stated below and perform the following steps:

How To Sign Up:
1) Add Skatter Tech to your Technorati Favs
2) Leave a comment with the following info:

• a) Your Name (in the name field)
• b) Your Email (in the email field)
• c) Technorati User Name in the comments
• d) Color you want: Silver/Blue/Pink/Green/Orange

3) You are done!

Restrictions:
1) Must live within in the United States, Canada, or U.K.
2) Attempting to sign up more than once will result in disqualification.
3) You still may enter other future contests if you don’t win.

Other Info:
Contestants will be picked randomly until one is found that meets the requirements and has successfully completed instructions. We will not accept any entries made after 03/31/07. The winner of the contest will be announced on April 2, 2007. The winner will be announced here and contacted by the email address he/she has provided. Read More

TiVo Mobile w/ Verizon - Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Yesterday, after over six months of development, TiVo finally announced their new program “TiVo Mobile,” which allows recording shows directly from their mobile phones. Verizon Wireless customers can download a “Get It Now” application, which they can use to search for shows and eventually schedule them for recording. TiVo Mobile currently only supports use along with Series 2/3 models and will only be available through Verizon Wireless.

“TiVo Mobile scheduling gives Verizon Wireless customers unprecedented control of their television experience and provides that control wherever they are.” Jim Denney, VP TiVo Marketing

The service does have a few downsides. First off, the Get It Now application will cost customers $1.99/month, which is in addition to their TiVo service cost. Second, it is only available on three phones at the time, one of them being the LG Chocolate. This will probably never catch on unless TiVo figures out a way to offer this for free. I would rather prefer access to a “TiVo Mobile” webpage, which works on mobile browsers.

Demo: TiVo Mobile “Walk Though”
Links: TiVo Mobile Info | TiVo Press

Sony UX Micro PC Reviewed - Tuesday, March 13, 2007

At first glance, Sony’s UX Micro PC is noticeably bulky. The first thing most people notice other than the touch screen include the fingerprint reader and the Motion Eye Camera on top. The buttons on the side of the screen function as the left-click, right-click, and mouse thumb pad. Due to the nature of the small touch screen, the other buttons allow access to the zoom function and the on-screen keyboard. Also included are hard-keys for disabling WiFi to save battery life as well as a power button. The bottom of the UX has a standard line in and line out (headphone and microphone), a power supply jack, and an expansion slot. The only other port on the machine is a USB 2.0 slot on left, however access to more USB and a Ethernet ports can be made available using the mini port replicator, which plugs into the bottom. In addition a button for snapping photos and a Memory Stick Duo slot are found above the unit.

Functionality
The HDD-based model we tested was quite fast for its size. It took roughly 50 seconds to reach the login screen after booting up, which is quite slower than a standard laptop. (runs Win XP) However the all new flash-based models will probably be much faster, in addition to being power efficient. The unit can have a max of 1 GB of RAM and a CPU of up to 1.33GHz (Intel Core Solo). Switching back and forth between the stylus and the keyboard can get quite annoying after a while. The battery life on this HDD-based unit is quite horrible, I could only get around 2hrs out of it with the WiFi enabled. (at least +4hrs needed) The device also has Cingular Wireless Internet (paid service) to compliment the Bluetooth and WiFi. The included features are quite powerful, but lacks true functionality. Read More

Sony’s 07 Cyber-Shot Cameras - Sunday, March 11, 2007

Over the past two weeks, Sony has announced their lineup of Cyber-Shot cameras for 2007. Each of the four camera series that were announced includes a unique specialty such as WiFi and internal storage. Unlike the last generation, all the new cyber-shots support displaying photos on full 1080 HDTVs using component cables. In addition they all now use a whole new GUI and support even support editing photos within the camera.

Sony DSC-G1

Sony’s first WiFi-enabled camera allows wirelessly sharing photos with other cameras and computers. The cyber-shot features a high-res 3.5″ LCD display, 6 megapixels, 3x optical / 6x digital zoom, and a new interface. The unit accepts Memory Stick Pro Duo media, but has 2GB of memory built in. (~600 full resolution pix) The G1 will begin to Ship in April 2007 for $600.

Sony DSC-T100 / T20

The T100 features a 5x optical zoom and a 3-inch LCD while the T20 has 3x optical zoom and a 2.5-inch LCD. Both cameras are 8 megapixels and support outputting the images to HDTVs via component cables. Both cameras have a new “face tracking” technology to allow detecting faces and automatically adjusting multiple settings for a “perfect” image. The T100 will be available this month for $400 and the T20 in April for $330. Read More

Spring Forward, Fall Back - Saturday, March 10, 2007

For United States residents only – Due to Daylight Saving Time, be sure to set all your clocks ahead an hour tonight. This year daylight saving time will begin on March 11, which is three weeks earlier than last year’s, and end five days later than last year on November 4th.

Most Windows XP / Vista and Macintosh OS X computers should not be an issue. Both Microsoft and Apple have released special daylight saving time patches. Just to be safe be sure to run either the Windows Update or the Apple Updater to retrieve the fix. Cell phones will automatically jump to the proper time at around 2:00AM, when they receive the new time from the cell phone towers as long as the service provider don’t run into any problems. Atomic clocks will automatically update themselves. Other devices such as TiVos should be patched in time, since most companies are taking this new daylight saving time issue seriously.

Links: U.S. NAVY