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After bigger, thinner and brighter, Samsung planning even faster LCDs for IFA
The jury is still out on whether 200 / 240hz motion technology (last year's prototype pictured above) provided an appreciable difference but that won't stop Samsung from bringing 400 / 480hz (PAL / NTSC standards) LCD HDTVs to IFA 2009 next month. This is the second time we've heard rumors of a spec bump in motion technology, using black frame insertion instead of more complicated (& expensive) tech to create new frames from existing ones. LG has already demo'd its 480hz LCDs and the two will surely race to get a bigger number on store shelves, but we'll need an eye-on before determining if it's an upgrade worth waiting for.[Via GadgetCrave]
Sonnet FireWire dongle gives your MacBook Pro the gift of FW400
When Steve Jobs announced the new MacBook Pros, Apple received a lot of criticism for excluding a FireWire 400 port, despite the addition of FireWire 800. While most people were sitting around and griping, one company actually did something to reconcile the situation. Sonnet has created a dongle that allows you to use FireWire 400 devices in your MacBook Pro's FireWire 800 port. The Sonnet Simply Fast dongle works with standard 6-pin male FW400 cables. This dongle can be bought from the Sonnet online store, or from other retailers (i.e. Amazon) for around $14.24US. You can visit the Sonnet website for more information about the FireWire adapter. If you are looking for solutions to this FW 400/800 mystery then you might also want to check out FireWire 800 to 400 cables which are very plentiful, and might be slightly cheaper.
Garmin Oregon 400t gets reviewed
Garmin's Oregon 400 nav comes in a few different flavors depending on how you like to experience the outdoors, but the essential 3-inch touchscreen package is the same, and it looks like it's a winner -- the folks at PC Magazine just put the 400t variant through its paces, and found that it's an "excellent hiking companion." Of course, for six bills you'd damn well better get a sensitive GPS receiver with quick acquisition times, but the 400t also impressed with solid battery life on just two AAs and easy set up. Of course, as an outdoor-centric PND, the highway guidance features are a bit lacking compared to devices like Garmin's Nuvis, but if you're looking to tromp around the woods in style and you've got cash to spare, it sounds like the Oregon series is worth a look.
iPhone to cost only $300-400 with contract?
If the iPhone's prices of $500 and $600 with contract were a little too much for your wallet to stomach, you might take solace in some new info allegedly leaked from a Cingular AT&T consumer survey (Wait: do wallets really have stomachs?). Engadget has the details on the possibility of the iPhone actually costing a full $200 less, putting the price points at $300 and $400 (for the 4GB and 8GB models, respectively) with a contract, meaning that the $500 and $600 prices could ultimately be for out-of-contract purchases.Now take this all with a grain of salt; this info and the accompanying image would be easy to fake, and the designer in me says it could be exactly that. Nevertheless, a romp through iPhone dreamland couldn't hurt, and more realistic prices of $300 and $400 would put a lot of smiles on the faces of iPhone hopefuls. Heck, at the least, it would mean Steve Ballmer has a little less to say about Apple's first mobile phone.
