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Explosions! Car crashes! Kanji Ken!
Mentioning Kanji Ken earlier this afternoon prompted us to make a beeline for the Japanese game's official site, scrounging its pages for any new developments on the kanji trainer/brawler. Amidst a pile of nonsensical videos, we were able to unearth a pair of magnificent downloadable wallpapers of incalculable value. Just seeing them will blow your mind right out your ass. Keeping with the game's kung-fu theatre theme, the desktop decorations parody martial arts movie posters with cliches like city skylines in the background and uh... a man screaming for no visible reason. Needless to say, they're every bit as zany as Kanji Ken's cover art! Sweep kick right through the post break for the new trailers and previews of the wallpapers.
Desktop of the Week for 4/22 - 4/28/07
This week's TUAW Desktop hails from Flickr user brianpunx and makes use of a number of Mac OS X software and icons which brianpunx was kind enough to list (hint: that makes my job easier when picking a TUAW Desktop of the Week, though it doesn't influence my decision). First, it's running a ShapeShifter theme by the name of Amora Pearl by well-known Mac OS X icon and desktop artist David Lanham. Now I couldn't track down the wallpaper, but the album art/iTunes controller in the bottom left is CoverSutra (which we've mentioned before), and the date/time display at bottom center is the work of Panic's excellent Stattoo. You have to view the larger version of brianpunx's desktop, however, to really take in the view and clever placement of icons in relation to the wallpaper.If you'd like to see your unique, functional or otherwise interesting desktop featured in our TUAW Desktops of the Week series, check out past featured desktops as well as the original post for the rules and to get an idea of what we're looking for. Then, upload your desktop screenshot to our TUAW Desktops Flickr group. We'll feature one or more desktops each weekend, giving credit to the desktop owner, wallpaper creator and any apps featured in the screenshot (if available). Keep those desktops rolling in!
HP gets busy with new desktops: the s3000, a6000 and m8000 series
So HP's trying to get all lifestyle-friendly with a few new desktop PC designs, and while the looks and form factors aren't a huge departure for HP by any means, the prices are right, specs are decent, and the looks aren't too shabby. The real looker of the bunch is the relatively tiny HP Pavilion Slimline s3000 series, which starts at $500 with an AMD processor and 1GB of RAM, or $550 if you're going the Intel route. You can configure the desktop with a TV tuner, a couple low rent video cards, and there's a Pocket Media Drive bay option if you're into that kind of thing. If that's still too spendy for you, you can grab from the a6000 set, with prices starting at $330 for an Intel processor, 512MB of RAM, a Pocket Media Drive bay, integrated graphics and not much else. Finally, the m8000 desktops get "fancy" with options for HD DVD drives, beefy dual core processors from AMD or Intel, and prices starting at $950. All of the computers come with Vista preloaded -- which might give these limited specs a bit of a work out -- and are available now.%Gallery-2639%
Intel intros quad core 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6800
Intel's been on a tear when it comes to announcing new products lately, and while the upcoming McCaslin UMPC platform and new Core 2 Duo ULV CPUs will appeal mostly to road warriors, the 2.93GHz QX6800 Core 2 Extreme quad core beast is targeted squarely at power users. As with the step up from the dual core E6700 to E6800, though, you're paying more than double the price ($999 $1,200 versus $530) when moving from the Q6700 to QX6800, but getting less than a 300MHz bump in speed. Our advice? Leave this new chip for the boutique gaming manufacturers, and put the extra money towards a motherboard that'll let you overclock a less expensive model hassle-free.
Desktopple on sale for $9.95 at MacUpdate
Well shiver me mousies - it's a good thing I haven't quite convinced my wife why I need yet another piece of software, because Desktopple, the powerful desktop hiding and management app from FoggyNoggin Software that I just mentioned, is on sale at MacUpdate for a mere $9.95. That's 41% off its regular price of $17.00, and a great deal on what is probably the most powerful and easy to use app in its class for podcasters and desktop clutterbugs alike (oh yea, just like the car commercials - I went there). Check out my previous post for a refresher on what Desktopple is capable of, or snag a demo and take it for a whirl yourself, but don't forget that MacUpdate's sale is a one-day-only deal.
Razer Pro|Type desktop gets a price, release date
We've been given vague promises about this not-too-very-exciting keyboard / mouse / iPod dock combo for more than a year now, with the first product shots showing a 4G iPod nested in the dock. But Razer has finally come forward with a release date and price, so if you've been unable to operate your computer for the past year or so due to your lack of input devices, have no fear. The Razer Pro|Type Keyboard will be out on April 6th for $130, features media buttons, 10 programmable keys with backlights, two USB ports and a line-out jack, and 10 customizable "profiles" for setup switching. Yeah, sorry, a whole year later that's just not doing much for us, but if you're a Razer fan, don't let us stand in your way.%Gallery-2433%
Desktopple - powerful desktop hiding utility
For podcasters and clutterbugs alike, there are a number of tools that help you hide your desktop, briefly change its wallpaper and digitally stuff all your icons in the closet to help your screencast shine and impress the boss with your ninja-like file management skills. Desktopple from FoggyNoggin Software (what a name for a software company) is just such a tool, and I'm an inch away from buying a license as it goes above and beyond merely hiding my messy desktop habits. As you can see, Desktopple still gives you easy access to your desktop files while hiding them, and it offers 'Window Cleaning,' the ability to automatically hide certain applications after a specified period of inactivity. It can also be set to hide your desktop when you start certain applications, and even restore it when you quit said apps. Toss in support for separately configuring the hiding of multiple desktops, ignoring Exposé (so your desktop remains hidden) hotkey and Automator support, and you can consider me sold as soon as I can explain yet another software purchase to my wife.Desktopple costs $17, and a free 15-day trial is available from FoggyNoggin Software.[via simongate's TUAW Flickr Desktops Pool submission]
Hasee intros low-cost F200D all-in-one PC
Chinese computer manufacturer Hasee looks to be bringing some relatively low-cost all-in-one PC action to its home country, recently announcing its F200D model, which just manages to squeeze under 3,000 yuan mark (about $388). Of course, that much yuan only goes so far, netting you only a 15.4-inch widescreen display, an Intel Celeron M 360 processor, 512MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, Intel GMA 900 integrated graphics, a DVD drive, and six USB 2.0 ports to satisfy your expansion appetite. There doesn't appear to be any word on an exact release date, or any indication if it'll be available outside of China, though we wouldn't bet on it.
Dell announces cheap desktop for China
While it's never going to compete on price with the ultra-cheap, homegrown $203 desktop we saw late last year, Dell's new 2,600 yuan ($335) entry into the Chinese PC market certainly has a chance to make a few waves in a country where the average machine costs almost twice that. Reports thus far are pretty light on the specs (unnamed Intel CPU, up to 512MB of RAM and 80GB of storage, XP Home Edition), but obviously the real story here is not some five-year-old tech but the fact that Dell is making aggressive moves against entrenched players Lenovo and Founder, with the former manufacturer claiming over a third of the market at present. Still, Dell is already number three in China, and assuming that consumers have forgotten about that CPU switcheroo mini-scandal from last summer, it looks like the battle will be heating up once again to see which company can be the first to offer its hardware completely free.Read - ReutersRead - BBC
Microsoft's new Wireless Laser Desktop 4000 for the Live and Vista types
Microsoft seems to have a keyboard / mouse bundle for every day of the week, but this Wireless Laser Desktop 4000 setup (the Wireless Optical Desktop 4000 is pictured) has some promising buttonry for making your Windows Vista and Windows Live experiences a bit easier. The bundle includes a Wireless Laser Mouse 5000 and a Comfort Curve keyboard, which features keys for zoom, favorites, Windows Gadget, Windows LiveCall and other hot keys. The mouse does the tilt wheel thing for four-way scrolling, and the pair will be retailing in April for $80.Update: Added the official Laser Desktop 4000 pic, see if you can spot the difference! (Hint, we can't.)
Desktops of the Week for 3/11 - 3/17/07
Our TUAW Desktop of the Week is a triple play this time around, and we have a little bit of everything to show. The first of this week's three featured desktops is at the top of this post, and it hails from Flickr user jcsizmadi. We dig it both for the subtle style of icon organization and use of the iStat app, but also because the wallpaper is home-grown. Jcsizmadi runs Dangergraphics.com, and this image is freely available in two different resolutions.
TUAW Desktop of the Week for 3/04 - 3/10/07
Our TUAW Desktop of the Week didn't make the cut because of some wild assortment of applications or montage of interestingness. No, this week we decided to keep it simple and old school with think different from Flickr user 1000things (though the roaming ladybug is a nice, yet weird, touch). The old-school Apple logo is keeping it real front and center, while the 'think different' writing actually belongs to 1000things herself. Don't adjust your ColorSync settings, however - the black appearance of the menubar and iTunes are courtesy of Unsanity's Shapeshifter, an app that can skin Mac OS X with new colors, icons and styles. If you'd like to see your unique, functional or otherwise interesting desktop featured in our TUAW Desktops of the Week series, check out past featured desktops as well as the original post for the rules and to get an idea of what we're looking for. Then, upload your desktop screenshot to our TUAW Desktops Flickr group. We'll feature one or more desktops each weekend, giving credit to the desktop owner, wallpaper creator and any apps featured in the screenshot (if available). Keep those desktops rolling in!
MiniPC GF800 brings dual displays down to size
Japanese manufacturer MiniPC (not to be confused with AOpen's MiniPCs) has introduced yet another build-to-order PC for those who consider size to be a top priority, this one particularly notable for its dual display capabilities. That comes courtesy of the box's dual DVI and VGA ports, which are unfortunately tied to a relatively underpowered Intel 945GM integrated graphics card -- meaning you likely won't be taking one of these to your next LAN party. Otherwise, the system's about as configurable as the space will allow, with anything from a Celeron to Core 2 Duo processor, up to 2GB of RAM, and as big a 3.5-inch hard drive as you can get your hands on. Of course, you'll pay a bit of a premium for all that compactness, with the bare bones unit setting you back 71,400 Yen ($590), and a decently configured box with a Core 2 Duo T7600 processor, 1GB RAM, and a 250GB hard drive running you 190,500 Yen, or just under $1,600.[Via Akihabara News]
Desky: drag and drop to change desktop wallpaper
A while ago we found an Automator action that lets you drag and drop images to set them as your desktop background. No fuss, and no clunky System Preferences pane. I didn't notice it at the time, but TUAW reader Tice commented with a link to his little app, named Desky, that can do the same thing without any of the Automator setup work involved (sorry Tice!). Fortunately, Desky is finally getting its time in the TUAW spotlight, as I caught an update in my RSS feeds that adds the ability to set Desky as a button in the Finder toolbar, as well as Universal Binary goodness. Desky is freeware and available from Tice's site.
Sotec's e-three HA3000 laptop and HC5010 desktop keep it simple
It's not like we really rely on Sotec to spice things up on the PC front, but we're still a little disappointed in the distinct lack of interestingness going on here in Sotec's new "e-three" series. The HA3000 laptop sports a 1280 x 800 15.4-inch LCD, Windows Vista (Home Basic or Business) and ExpressCard/54 slot -- and that's about it. There's a VIA VN896 chipset for integrated graphics, WiFi and gigabit Ethernet, but it's only certified for Vista Basic, so don't plan on squeezing much Aero action out of this unit. The rest of the laptop is BTO, and while prices start at a commendable 96,390 yen ($808 US), you'll only be getting a 1.46GHz Celeron M processor, 512MB of RAM, a 60GB HDD and a DVD / CD-RW combo drive. There's room for up to a Core 2 Duo T7400, 2GB of RAM, a 120GB HDD and a DVD burner, but it'll cost you. The HC5010 (pic after the break) takes a similar approach, but does it in a slim desktop form factor. Starting at a Celeron D 331 2.66GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 80GB HDD and Intel 945G Express integrated graphics, you can pick one of these up for 64,800 yen ($543 US), but there's plenty of room to grow on specs and price. Both of these should be available in Japan on March 1st.[Via Impress]Read - HA3000Read - HC5010
Parallels Desktop for Mac Release Candidate 3
The Parallels team today issued Release Candidate 3 of Parallels Desktop, their virtualization software that we've mentioned once or twice. While their announcement blog post only touts two major new features (the ability to seamlessly upgrade a WinXP VM to Vista & a more secure file sharing process between OSes), the beta testing page has quite a bit more to say. A lot of features have been enhanced in RC3, such as better Boot Camp support, ever-enhanced USB support and a new Transporter bundle, but one hidden gem is of particular interest: Parallels Desktop is now ready for the upcoming Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. To be clear: this doesn't mean you can virtualize Leopard in Parallels Desktop - you can run Parallels Desktop on a Leopard machine. Head on over to the beta page for all the details and to grab a copy of the new release.
Modder stuffs a Wii in a PC and leaves it at that
With as much creativity as Wii modders have shown so far, especially with using that Wiimote to interesting effect over Bluetooth on a PC, we would've thought that Wii modder thef1ea could've found something a tad more interesting to do with this "Wiiputer" of his, but it's kind of neat all the same: the mod routes the Wii's video out to an internal video capture card, allowing you play the Wii in a window on your desktop or maximized for the full-on experience. Of course, with the Wii stuck inside that case, there's no way to get at the GameCube plugs, but hopefully between the Wii and this box's own Windows XP gaming prowess, you should be able to keep those itchy trigger fingers of yours occupied. Plus, thef1ea is tossing in a modded USB NES controller with the eBay auction of his creation, and will add in WaveBird wireless controllers to the captured Wii for $25 a pop if that's really a hangup for you.[Via Wii Fanboy]
Faith-go's Inspire X does quad-core AMD style
Lest we forget, Intel's QX6700 isn't the only quad-core game in town, and while AMD's Quad FX platform might've been edged out by Intel in benchmark land, there's still plenty to love about the power chompin' beast. Faith-go is putting those cores to good use in its stylish new Inspire X FX70XN/DVR-88GTX setup, which sports an Athlon 64 FX-70 processor, along with GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 10k rpm 150GB HDD, and a super multi-DVD drive. All of this (literal) hotness resides on a NVIDIA nForce 680a SLI chipset, with the chutzpah to support up to four graphics cards. Considering the bleeding edge components on display here, the $3,253 pricetag doesn't sound too ridiculous, though we're not positive this box will be making its way to the US anyways, so perhaps the point is moot.
Halo 3 documentary broken down into itty, bitty pieces
89 of 'em to be exact. That's really making the Et tu, Brute? documentary last a little while longer, and moves things up to a whole new level of fanaticism. It also proves that Halo fans are hardcore, and are probably going through Bungie's trash bins on a nightly basis. Let us know if you find anything good, but if you find Frankie's chewed gum ... spare us the dental records. Check out all of the photo-remnants from the chop-job on YouNEWB.com, and try to find new tidbits about the upcoming Halo 3. At the very least, you've got all new desktops for your computer, and at the worst, you've wasted 15 minutes of your life. Blame us or love us, it's your call. [Thanks, Billy Bob]
NEC recalls 14,600 desktop power supplies after a pair of explosions
You know, ever since Sony got all responsible on us and started recalling those exploding batteries of theirs, things have been pretty quiet on the whole "OMG my computer is on fire" front. That's why we're happy to report that NEC is recalling fire-starting power supplies in 14,600 of its Valuestar desktops, which were produced between November 2003 and June 2004. Two computers have already esploded due to overheating PSUs, but luckily nobody has been hurt yet. It's a Japan-only problem, and we're not quiet sure how to go about getting your power supply replaced or how much the total cost of the recall will be for NEC, but we're really just glad to be back in the swing of things.
