2012 April | Thats Bad Ass! Tech News and Reviews

Archive for April, 2012

BlackBerry Curve 9220 hands-on

April 30th, 2012 |

We’re just beginning our sojourn through this year’s BlackBerry World, and we’ve already found a rare gem that may not get a lot of face time here in the States: the Curve 9220. This little 3G-less beaut takes advantage of BlackBerry OS 7.1, but it isn’t going to attract the spec-hungry folk — it packs a 2MP camera and features a 2.4-inch non-touch display with 320 x 240 resolution. It very well may, however, gain the favor of anyone looking for a budget-friendly BBM device. Seeing as this is the phone’s major selling point, we made sure to take a few minutes to play with its keyboard. Compared to the QWERTY-laden legends that have graced BlackBerry devices for years (the Bold 9900 and Tour come to mind), the 9220′s keyboard has some big shoes to fill, but unfortunately you won’t be blessed with the same kind of experience that you’d have when using one of its elder brothers. Due to the phone’s petite size, the individual keys — arranged in standalone formation and without frets — are a bit cramped and felt a little too slick for our taste. Of course, this isn’t poised to be the latest and greatest that Waterloo has to offer, but for the low price of 10,990 rupees (about $ 210), it’s still a pretty sweet deal for messaging lovers on a shoestring budget. Head below to view the phone from every angle.

Gallery: BlackBerry Curve 9220 hands-on

Joseph Volpe contributed to this post.

BlackBerry Curve 9220 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 01:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LEGO New Creator Rescue Robot 5764, 3 in 1: Rebuilds Into a Laserbot or Robocat

April 30th, 2012 |

Author:

58 styles Plastic Gears All The Module 0.5 Robot Part for DIY

$1.98 (5 Bids)
End Date: Saturday May-25-2013 3:15:02 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

WIRELESS RC SPIDER ROBOT #18144 ACADEMY SCIENCE MODEL KIT w/IR REMOTE CONTROLLER

$47.00
End Date: Sunday Jun-23-2013 14:41:20 PDT
Buy It Now for only: $47.00
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NEW VEX Robotics Design System Transmitter and Receiver Kit - with torn box.

$39.99
End Date: Sunday Jun-2-2013 5:38:52 PDT
Buy It Now for only: $39.99
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Glimpse shows you the fashions of Facebook (hands-on)

April 30th, 2012 |

Author: Jamie Colby

glimpse 1020 stock

When Pinterest launched last year as part of a new wave of social curation tools it simplified sharing what you were into by “pinning” stuff from around the web to your personal site. As a Pinterest user you can see what other people are sharing and follow individuals with similar tastes, allowing you to discover new stuff that would be inaccessible without a group of sufficiently arty friends to draw from. Now shopping portal TheFind brings us Glimpse — crossing Pinterest’s approach to discovery with the tyranny of the Facebook Like mob. However, despite the novel idea, what Glimpse has on offer looks a lot more like the Top 40 than Pinterest’s eclectic record collection.

Once you enable the Glimpse app on your Facebook account, a…

Review: Pritect Sensor Cover

April 30th, 2012 |

Author: Charity Woods

Review: Pritect Sensor Cover
Some time ago we received an offer to test a new accessory for the Xbox Kinect. It was unique from the rest of the accessories that the Kinect has out already such as magnifying the area in which it sees or stands to hook onto the back of your TV.
Read more on Gadgetsteria

Feds Want Way to Hack Xboxes and Wiis for Evidence
By Kim Zetter DHS is looking at ways to extract data stored on gaming consoles like the XBox Kinect. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired Think twice if you live outside the US and plan to sell your used gaming console. The Department of Homeland Security has …
Read more on Wired News

Xbox 360 sales down by almost half
This in turn resulted in a fall in revenue for the Xbox business of 33 percent, down to $ 584 million. Sales of the Kinect motion controller were also down, but Microsoft did not state by how much. The only part of the Microsoft's Xbox business that saw …
Read more on ZDNet (blog)

Hands-On With the Jawbone Big Jambox: 2.7 Pounds of Audio Fury, Available May 15 for $299

April 30th, 2012 |

Author:

Bigger isn’t necessarily better but in the case of Jawbone’s Jambox, it might actually work out. Typically known for their Bluetooth headsets and the ill-fated-but-not-quite-dead UP band, Jawbone has figured out what their “cool kids” product is and it happens to be a tiny portable speaker.

But for the second generation version, simply called Big Jambox, the company is cranking up the volume from 10 to 11. While it retains some portability, the Big Jambox is really meant for those instances where you have 20 people posted up near the bonfire or you’re looking for a no-fuss micro system for your home entertainment center. At less than three pounds — 2.7 pounds to be specific — it’s still portable but everything else is on steroids. Jawbone says the built-in battery will last up to 15 hours for continuous playback and 500 hours of standby.

A couple of new features sweeten the deal, including a dedicated pairing button and the ability to pair two devices at once. Expect epic DJ battles to commence with friends and loved ones. The Big Jambox will remember up to eight devices and will actively pair itself with the two most recent devices if they’re available over Bluetooth.

The other big feature is LiveAudio, which was made available for original Jambox owners via an update last year. Jawbone explains it as a three-dimensional listening experience. The easiest way to explain it is that there’s varying levels of sound or depth. They also managed to eliminate Crosstalk, so you hear completely different sounds between the left and right side.

While my time with the bigger, badder Jambox was limited, I walked away impressed by this particular feature because it offered a different listening experience. It’s directional and you have to be planted in its direct path to get the full experience. Otherwise, you wouldn’t know the difference if you’re somewhere else in the room.

We’ll have a full review in the coming days.

Pre-orders begin May 1 with units in store by May 15 with a $ 299 price tag.

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Dorm issue, again, please help!?

April 30th, 2012 |

Author: Stefanie Jenkins

Question by Gabrielle: Dorm issue, again, please help!?
Hi, I asked this question before, but I didn’t really get any answers that led to anywhere. Does anyone know of a website that definitely carries organic twin xl sheets? It is really hard to find apparently, and I really need them! Please let me know, thanks!

I would also be open to bamboo, but I prefer organic cotton because I know for sure it’s managed better

Best answer:

Answer by Daisy
go cheack out pbteen.com
they have great dorm stuff .
sorry idk what age you are so i cant tell you what site to look on exactly .
poterybarn.com is pretty good too ! xx

What do you think? Answer below!

LED Fiber Optic Box

April 30th, 2012 |

Author: Stefanie Jenkins

LED Jewelry Box, Fiber Optic, Candle Circuit, Flicker, Flame less Candle. Box is made from ceder fence boards. The circuit is from a flame less LED Candle. The circuits pulsates 3 LEDs to drive the fiber optic stars and makes them twinkle. Ive had this idea in my head for a long time. I wanted to create something organic and rustic looking like an artifact from lord or the rings, upon opening the box you find a starry night and in mysterious woods. I like the idea of technology and wood. My first jewelry box and my first circuit project. Next project will use more knotty burly wood to make the box look more wicked. I learned allot with this project. Miss you Mandy every day. I am sorry for acting like a fool. This box was supposed to wipe it all clean. Love Steve Credits:~~~ Thank you Dave from Discovercir.com for awesome advice and working with me during the holidays. Hope you are fat and happy. Go to www.discovercir.com for more circuit diagrams, plans and projects. Thank you Paul from the Fiberopticstore for great advice and help with this project. Go to www.TheFiberOpticStore.com for Fiber Optic parts for your star project.

The Real Estate Agents – Promo Vid 1

April 30th, 2012 |

Author: Margo Tipton

The Real Estate Agents have come to rescue Cape Town music from pop mediocrity and bland, radio commercialism. From the good people that brought you such South African delights as Markus Wormstorm and Sibot; sSHADOWORKSs and African Dope Records proudly present the most real music in the leftfield; organic electronic glitch scratch; free music for free minds – The Real Estate Agents! The mergence of the two Cape Town mix maestros on The Real Estate Agents project has got to be one of the most exciting things to happen in the past decade for electronic music this side left of the mainstream. These two sonic scientists with a fetish for low-fi audio-visual property have both made deeply distinct impressions on the leftfield music scenes both on Cape Town home soil, all across South Africa and even abroad, where their disdain for conventional DJ or production laws has led them to be much hailed and critically acclaimed by the electronic music cognoscenti as more than able contenders in the scratch patch, with a sound that has been compared to a Prefuse 73- Mr. Ozio gang bang! Live, the dynamic duo own their audience, stepping it up a notch as they re-invent the art of performance with some creative DJing, scratching, sampling, tricky turntablisms and live beat manipulation, Sibot’s un-stable turntable adding weighty counter-balance to Markus’s 808-sequenced funky glitch grooves. Using an array of samplers, laptop computers, feedback units and of course, a stack of vinyl …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Jawbone unleashes Big Jambox, beefs up its Bluetooth ‘smartspeaker’ lineup

April 30th, 2012 |

Author: Matthew Wilson

We’ve had a shimmer in our eye for Jawbone’s $ 200 Jambox, the itty bitty Bluetooth ‘smartspeaker,’ ever since it was released back in late 2010. So, imagine our delight now that the company has just stepped things up to a larger level with its new $ 300 Big Jambox. Measuring in at well over double the size of the original, the 2.7-pound speaker is still very similar in design, featuring the familiar perforated metal grill designs by Yves Behar. The larger footprint helps it to be more functionally capable than its smaller brethren, yet it’s still small enough to carry in one hand. On top, the unit sports playback controls in addition to the requisite volume and talk buttons, while on the side you’ll find a USB connection, power input 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth-pairing button and a power button.

To pump out the jams, the Big Jambox features an airtight enclosure loaded with a duo of active neodymium drivers and opposing dual-passive bass radiators to handle all the wub wub you can throw at it. A 2,600mAh rechargeable battery will afford you about roughly 15 hours of totally wireless listening time, but — as is the case with the OG model — you still can’t share that juice with your other gadgets. On a better note, Android users can take advantage of the Big Jambox’s exclusive Companion app, which allows the unit to do tricks such as syncing up with your G-cal. Lastly, like the Jambox, the Big Jambox also features MyTalk voice prompts / app compatibility, along with Live Audio to give your sound an immersive “3D” feel. Curious to find out more? We were able to spend a full weekend with the new gizmo, and you can catch our full review by clicking here.

Gallery: Jawbone Big Jambox (press images)

Jawbone unleashes Big Jambox, beefs up its Bluetooth ‘smartspeaker’ lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boutique Ivy Bridge desktops available from Maingear, Digital Storm, Velocity Micro and Origin PC

April 30th, 2012 |

Author: Tiffany Shoman

ivy bridge desktops 1000

If building your own Ivy Bridge rig isn’t your thing, boutique desktop makers Maingear, Digital Storm, Velocity Micro, and Origin PC are all announcing that they can add one of the new chips to your next custom desktop order. Also, to coincide with the release of the new chips, Maingear is updating the design for its F131 tower ($ 1,468 with a 3.1GHz Core i5-3450 and 1GB AMD Radeon HD 7770 GPU), which adds the same VRTX Cooling Technology found in the company’s Shift rig ($ 1,552 for the stock version with the same processor and GPU). Maingear is also adding a new model called the Potenza, with a similar design and the same VRTX cooling, but built on a Mini-ITX motherboard for a svelte 7.4 x 9.25-inch footprint ($ 1,368 for the same config…

Archive for April, 2012

BlackBerry Curve 9220 hands-on

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LEGO New Creator Rescue Robot 5764, 3 in 1: Rebuilds Into a Laserbot or Robocat

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Dorm issue, again, please help!?

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LED Fiber Optic Box

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The Real Estate Agents – Promo Vid 1

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Jawbone unleashes Big Jambox, beefs up its Bluetooth ‘smartspeaker’ lineup

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