[GadgetRatty] tag: expensive

Canon releases firmware update to solve black dot problem in 5D Mk. II

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:58:17 +0000

Canon has acted quickly to solve the issue of tiny black dots appearing on images taken with the new and expensive EOS 5D Mk. II, which CG reported on last December. A new firmware update, dubbed 1.0.7, not only fixess the “black dot” phenomenon but also addresses the issue of vertical banding noise when writing pictures using the sRAW1 format.

Users are encouraged to go here for instructions on how to download and install the update. Follow them step by step, and make sure you pay special attention to the following:

* Use a fully charged Battery Pack or dedicated AC Adapter Kit (Optional) ACK-E6 for the firmware update.
* Do not shut off the power during the firmware writing operation.
* Do not open the CF card slot cover during the firmware writing operation.

Last thing you need is to miss a step and have a $2500 paper weight!

Hat Tip - Engadget

Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ Canon releases firmware update to solve black dot problem in 5D Mk. II copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Kodak OLED picture frame hands-on

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Totally over the top and ridiculously expensive, Kodak's 7.6-inch OLED picture frame is still a serious want. The image was every bit as beautiful as we expected but surprised us with the frame's ability to playback HD video in such a fluid manner. The touch-controls along the bezel did what we wanted with little thought, albeit, with some lag. Not horrible but certainly annoying if we ever decide to hand Kodak $1,000 to take one home.

Gallery: Kodak OLED picture frame hands-on

Filed under: CES, Displays

Kodak OLED picture frame hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES 2009: for HDTVs, Thin is the new Big

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:37:55 +0000

The trend has started last year, but at CES 2009, none of the major TV makers were claiming to have the largest TV. In short, size has become “good enough”. Instead, the shift has turned to being the slimmest. In electronics, like in life, “slim” tends to help the overall esthetics, but in this economy one has to wonder if consumers are ready to pay top dollars for the TV’s profile trimming.

Either way, TV makers will continue to improve their products, but it seems less expensive to add better image processing (a chip) than making TVs much slimmer. Which one should they focus on? Better image quality or better silhouette? Or maybe you think that both are good enough and you just want what’s out today at a lower price. Drop a comment!

Permalink: CES 2009: for HDTVs, Thin is the new Big from Ubergizmo (US, FR) | Good deals | Hot: CES 2009, Jan 6-11

3D TVs Grab Curious Eyes at CES 2009

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:54:58 +0000

LAS VEGAS -- In the not-too-distant future, people on our television screens could be standing in our living rooms.

Several TV manufacturers at the Consumer Electronics Show are exhibiting prototypes of 3D televisions. Donning dorky glasses, attendees are crowding the booths for Sony, Samsung and Panasonic to gaze into these concept TV sets, with the dream that one of these could end up in their homes.

Sony stressed that its 3D TV is a concept product and therefore refused to comment on the technical details or even make a price estimate. But from our understanding, it appears to be stereoscopic 3D technology, which uses a combination of very expensive software and infrared emitters to enhance the visual depth perception.

People can keep dreaming though. Currently, if these babies were to go to market today, they'd cost around $20,000. That's the estimate provided by other manufacturers working on similar devices, at least.

See Also:

Photos: Jonathan Snyder/Wired.com

(Staff writer Jose Fermoso contributed to this story.)

spps200 portable power station:the bmw m6 of battery packs

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:40:44 +0000

Let it be known that I am not the one responsible for that analogy. Battery Geek Inc., makers of said battery pack, are to be commended for such an exquisite and refreshing figure of speech.

So why is the SPPS200 200 Wh Portable Power Station the BMW M6 of battery packs? Because its little brothers, the 118 Wh and 130 Wh models, are the BMW of battery packs, that’s why. So why are they the BMWs of battery packs? Because they’re expensive. So why are they expensive? Because they can power your laptop, for up to 30 hours. Vrooom.

The SPPS 200 can power PC laptops for 20-30 hours, while MacBooks owners can expect 16 hours of extra runtime. BMW of runtimes if you ask me.

And that’s not all: As you may have guessed from the picture, you can adjust the output voltage of the PPS so that aside from giving your laptop the BMW of battery lives, it can also power and recharge your cellphone, your PDA, your PSP, your iPhone, your iPod and other mp3 players.

And that’s not all: You don’t even need to bring the chargers for any of those devices because the PPS comes with adapters that will fit with your gadget. You can check out the link to Battery Geek below for the BMW of supported laptops and mobile devices. And that’s not all: while Macbooks are supported, Battery Geek charges an extra $20 for the Macbook/Macbook Pro adapter. G4 and Powerbook adapters are already included with the PPS.

And that’s not all: The PPS weighs only 4.4 lbs. and is just over an inch thick. What’s the catch? The BMW M6 of battery pack prices, of course. The list price of the SPPS 200 is $800 (USD). Fortunately, you can buy it straight from Battery Geek for the BMW of discounted prices of $500. And that’s not all: when you buy the SPPS 200, you’ll get the BMW of freebies, a free leather & canvas travel case.

And that’s not all: Here are the BMWs of introductory videos for battery packs:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Now you know the BMWs and the BMW M6s of the tech world. Next time we’ll take a look at the Scot Pollard of rap.

SanDisk G3 SSD Memory Blows Away Hard Drives' Performance

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:39:34 +0000

SanDisk today unveiled its third-generation family of solid-state drives (SSDs). Using multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory technology, SanDisk's G3 Series of SSD memory has incredible performance benchmarks. The G3 SSDs are more than five times faster than the fastest 7,200 RPM hard disk drives and more than twice as fast as SSDs shipping in 2008, clocking in at 40,000 RPM and anticipated sequential performance of 200MB/s read and 140MB/s write. Even the fastest hard drives I've seen to date, which I have installed on serveral servers at TMC, currently max out at 15,000 RPM.

They were designed as drop-in replacements for hard-disk drives (HDDs) in notebook PCs, the initial members in the SanDisk G3 family are SSD C25-G3 and SSD C18-G3 in the standard 2.5" and 1.8" form factors, respectively, each available with a SATA-II interface. Available in capacities of 60, 120 and 240GB*, the unit MSRPs are $149, $249 and $499, respectively. The G3 SSDs provide a Long-term Data Endurance (LDE) of 160 terabytes written (TBW) for the 240GB version, sufficient for over 100 years of typical user usage. Using such fast memory instead of a hard drive in a netbook, laptop, or even PC desktop should make these computers nearly instantly boot. Sweet!

Three key features developed by SanDisk enable this new design: a new SSD algorithm called ExtremeFFSTM allows random write performance to potentially improve by as much as 100 times over conventional algorithms; reliable 43nm multi-level cell (MLC) all bit-line (ABL) NAND flash; and SanDisk's new SSD controller, which ties together the NAND and the algorithm.

The SanDisk G3 SSDs will be available in mid 2009, in a 2.5" PATA configuration. Now we just need SSD RAID5 or SSD RAID10 using multiple SSD cards and then we can finally say goodbye to current expensive RAID5/10 server configurations that require expensive hard drives and RAID controllers! Wow, servers would also be blazingly fast using multiple SSD cards working in parallel in a RAID configuration.

Tags: ExtremeFFSTM, RAID, SSD, SanDisk, memory, solid-state drives

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50% off Coupon Code on ZAGG invisibleSHIELDs

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:01:40 +0000

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Panasonic hoping to launch 64GB SDXC card

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:16:00 +0000

SDXC may have a theoretical capacity range of 32GB to 2TB, but Panasonic has already confessed that it's hoping to launch a 64GB card as soon as feasibly possible. Regrettably, pricing and availability is still yet to be determined, but we're going to go out on a limb here and guessing it'll be somewhere between "pricey" and "crazy expensive."

Filed under: CES, Storage

Panasonic hoping to launch 64GB SDXC card originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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C-130 Navigator Chair For Aviation Nerds

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:54:49 +0000

Moto Art has brought out another fine piece of aviation furniture, this time it is an office chair that has been built from the seat of a C-130. They have added a few nice touches to it as well, including “red racing upholstery” and an adjustable incline.

Price: On asking, which means that it is expensive. [MotoArt via Born Rich]

ColorWare Now Offering BlackBerry Storm Customization

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:39:00 +0000

ColorWare has added a new device to their lineup of awesome case customizations. You can now send in, or buy a brand new BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Storm from ColorWare! The customization options are many. Choose from many metallic and solid colors… and select any combination of colors you’d like on the back, top, bottom, frame and sides of your BlackBerry Storm.

As you can see by the image above, I had a little fun with the BlackBerry Storm Design Studio, prepping a BlackBerry Storm in IntoMobile colors. I want one!

You can choose to either send in your BlackBerry Storm, or have ColorWare pull one from their own stock (attained from a certified dealer). Of course, buying the device outright from ColorWare is much more expensive (starts at $919) in comparison to sending in your own device (starts at $129). ColorWare will take the device, disassemble it…paint it.. re-assemble… and then send it on its way back to you. I’ve seen a few devices first-hand that were worked on by ColorWare. They were awesome. If you’re willing to spend a few $$$ to make your device (in this case the BlackBerry Storm) look completely unique, then ColorWare is the ultimate option.

For more info, hit up ColorWare.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

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