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Lowrance's iWay 600C navigates highways and waterways
We've been searching far and wide for the perfect navigation system to install in our new Aquada transformer car, and just in the nick of time, Lowrance hits us up with the iWay 600C that's equally at home on land or at sea. Followup to the well-received iWay 500C, this model improves upon its little brother by jacking the 5-inch screen's resolution up to 640 x 480, increasing hard drive capacity from 20GB to 30GB (though storage space for MP3s has actually been cut from 10GB to 5GB), and most importantly for our Aquada, adding shoreline and contour maps to the popular NAVTEQ road database. Other nice features include a built-in FM transmitter, both Windows and Macintosh support, and the usual suite of vocal prompts, automatic course rerouting, and the option of a 3D birds-eye view when traveling on land. Best of all, this new model -- available immediately -- retails for the same $800 as the 500C did when it first came out. More features, same price: that's what we love about modern technology.
The InSync twisting, turning hard drive
Is every external hard drive starting to look the same to you? Well, chances are you've never seen a one-touch, er, one-twist, storage device like this. The InSync external HD blends style with functionality by displaying the synchronization status via ambient visual cues. The drive initiates a sync with just a twist from the user, and the progress is represented by the degree of (mis)alignment of the cube's face with its base -- the less overlap between the two file structures, the more the hard drive morphs until the cube form is restored. So if watching numbers on a screen slowly tick by just doesn't provide the motivation you need to back-up your rig, the Insync HD might just provide the motivation necessary to get the job done. Too bad it's currently only Oren Horev's final project at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea -- any drive companies out there want to buy this design and put out a run? [Via Infosthetics]
Rumors: Jaffe's episodic crying adventure & streaming PS3 media
The Kotaku Rumor Mill has churned out some pretty nifty PSP rumors. Here they are, bullet-pointed for your reading pleasure: We knew that David "God of War" Jaffe is developing a PSP game that would make you cry (something that porn can't do). However, the Rumor Mill suggests that his new adventure will go all Half-Life on us, becoming an episodic adventure. Each "episode" supposedly comes in at a whopping 700MB! Well, if each episodic download is 700MB, that would be much too large for most Memory Sticks. It seems like Sony might be making a hard drive for the PSP. Kotaku and myself don't seem to think that'll happen. The PSP will be able to stream music and video from the PS3 via any wi-fi connection, a la Location Free Player. Sounds a great bonus for PSP owners, especially if they're paying $600 for the system, a price which might be too cheap. Remember kids, these are just rumors, so that means that they might not come true. But if they did come true, which one fancies you the most?
Apple Introduces $899 Education Configuration for 17-inch iMac
Apple has decided to show the EDU market even more love and has unveiled a slimmed-down 17-inch iMac for all y'all eating reheated Ramen noodles for breakfast in your dorm room right now. This model sells for a mere $899 (down from $1199 for the next model up) and includes a 1.83 Intel Core Duo CPU, as well as the typica 1440 x 900 resolution. However, the main specs that took a step down from the base retail version are a Combo drive, an 80GB Serial ATA hard drive and an Intel GMA 950 graphics with 64MB of shared memory, instead of the Radeon X1600 in the other retail versions.Students and EDU sys admins who have been pinching pennies can rejoice, for this model is shipping within 1-3 business days.
RCA's H116 6GB DAP reviewed
Considering that exactly zero people were interested enough in the new hard drive-based RCA MP3 players we brought you last week to actually leave a comment, we doubt that even a glowing review from Cnet would convince you to pick up one of these models -- but that's a moot point, because Cnet really doesn't have many positive things to say about the 6GB H116 they put through its paces. As you'll recall, RCA is clearly targeting the low-end of the market with its new DAPs, as evidenced by their black-and-white screens, rather generic-looking designs, and most tellingly, their complete lack of extra features that might sway folks away from the iTatorship. In fact, the only real compliment Cnet is able to muster about their unit is the fact that it does what it advertises: play music -- but not very well it seems. Combined with the buggy controls and poor quality of the FM transmitter, the sub-par audio would seem to indicate that even for the low-low price of $170, you're still not getting what you pay for.[Thanks, Jen B.]
Seagate's leaking hard drives for 10x the fun
The wild and wacky frontier of hard drive technology is always full of surprising new ways to keep those drive capacities growing, and this new patent for leaking nanotube-housed lubricant onto disc platters is no exception. Apparently, a heated hard disc is capable of cramming more data into closer quarters, but the method hasn't been implemented in current drives since the heat evaporates the lubricant that allows the recording head to travel smoothly over the disc, causing a fatal disc crash. Seagate's new patent addresses the issue by storing lubricant in a special material made from millions of carbon nanotubes and embedded in the drive housing. As the disc spins, lubricant is slowly leaked out, and the disc can be kept safe for its whole lifetime. The upshot of all this is that Seagate can use the heat-assisted recording to cram several terabits per square inch into a drive -- 10 times as much data into the disc than is currently possible. We guess there'll be a bit of a wait for this to make it to market, but we greatly look forward to an educational video on the subject all the same.[Via New Scientist]
Military-grade "Guard Dog" hard drive degausser
When even a $13,000 hard drive degausser leaves you a little worried that someone, somehow might still be able to pick out a few bits of top secret data, you might want to turn to these guys at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, who developed a fool-proof drive destroyer dubbed the "Guard Dog" that works without electricity. Like most drive wiping devices, the Guard Dog employs massively powerful magnets that not only render hard drives useless, but VHS tapes, DAT tapes, ZIP drives, and any other magnetic media to boot. Of course, they didn't just use any old off the shelf magnet, instead designing custom neodymium iron-boron models that produce just the right magnetic field necessary to make that hard drive completely useless. The Guard Dog also speeds things up by letting you crank drives through a mechanism that'll wipe them as they pass through, even if they're enclosed in metal cases. The system was developed in conjunction with defense contractor L-3 Communications Corp who foresees producing hundreds or thousands of the devices for both government agencies and private companies, but probably not for individual use -- if you know how much 125 pounds of neodymium magnets cost, you'll know why.[Via Digital World Tokyo]
RCA releases H100 and H116 HDD-based DAPs
RCA's got a new pair of hard drive-based MP3 players for those folks still grieving over the death of the iPod mini, complete with 4GB and 6GB hard drives, black and white screens, and even a little bit of design flair in the form of chrome accents. The only real difference between the H100 (pictured) and H116 (available at Target as the H106), besides the size of their drives, is the fact that the more capacious H116 ships with a combination car charger/FM transmitter -- oh, and the non-touch-sensitive scroll wheel is black instead of green. Both models feature 1.5-inch displays with white on black text, 16-hour rechargeable batteries, PlaysForSure and Windows Media Player 11 compatibility, and Media Transfer Protocol (MTP support). You're certainly not getting a lot of extras here, but then again, you won't be paying much for these models either; $139 will score you the H106, while two more gigs and the car kit will set you back thirty bucks more.
Laptop Vista Premium certification will require hybrid HDDs
Far from being a niche technology that just happens to fully thrive in Windows Vista, it turns out that those hybrid hard drives we've been following for some time will actually be required equipment for laptops wishing to sport the Vista Premium logo. TG Daily caught up with Microsoft's Windows Client Performance program manager Matt Ayres at TechEd 2006 to pin him down about recent updates to the Windows Logo Device Program Requirements, and sure enough, Ayres confirmed that the new wording does indeed mean that hybrid drives will be part-and-parcel of Premium-labeled mobile systems released after June 1, 2007. As you may or may not recall, these so-called ReadyDrive HDDs manufactured by Samsung, Seagate, and unnamed others offer up to 256MB of on-board flash memory for faster boot times and better battery life thanks to buffering that reduces the amount of necessary drive spinning.[Thanks, Mack S.]
Xbox 360 HDD cache clear code discovered [update 1]
HEXUS.gaming reports that a cache clear code has been discovered for the Xbox 360 hard drive via the dashboard's system blade. To perform the function, access 'memory' in the system blade, and then highlight the hard drive. Now press: Y, X, X, LB, RB, X, X. The following message should appear: "Do you want to perform maintenance on your Xbox 360 storage devices?"If you initiate maintenance, the hard drive's cache will be cleared, including all software updates. Theoretically, this function could be used to un-update Oblivion in order to regain access to the unlimited gold and item duplication glitches. Note: we have not tested this function.Update: corrected code.See also: Oblivion patched for PC, 360 tomorrow
SimpleTech external HDDs designed by Pininfarina
We've never really felt the specific urge to have the plastic casing that houses our data be designed by a company like Pininfarina -- the same people who designed cars such as the Ferrari 575M Maranello, Jaguar XJ-S and Volvo C70. If, however, such design standards strike your fancy, SimpleTech is offering up some portable USB 2.0 drives that could do the trick. They range from the $110 40GB version to the $180 100GB version, and all spin their disks at 5400RPM with 8MB of cache.[Via The Gadget Weblog]
Record more HD on your SA8300HD DVR with a new HDD
Anyone who listens to the HD Beat podcast knows how Ben feels about the Scientific Atlanta SA8300HD DVR cable box, but we're sure even he would like it a little better if it had a lot more hard drive space. Some friendly Canadians have worked out a foolproof method for adding capacity with a standard hard drive to record many more hours of high-def programming. All you need is an SATA HDD, SATA 1 to SATA II HDD cable, an external HDD enclosure, and you will be in ready to go.[Via PVR Wire]
SavitMicro's Dueple: HD media player with DVD
We've seen Korean manufacturer SavitMicro a few times before, once with a hub for multi-cam recording and another time with a media-playing drive enclosure, and now they've popped up once again at Computex with yet another device that promises to simplify your digital life. Like their drive enclosure, the new "Dueple," as it's known, also accepts swappable 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drives for multimedia playback, but throws in a DVD player as well for spinning any of those old-fashioned discs you may have laying around. The Dueple features DVI, component, S-video, coax, and digital audio outputs for hooking up to your home theater gear, Ethernet and USB ports for data transfer, and lets you watch/listen to MPEG-1/2/4, MP3, DivX, WMV, WMA, and OGG files, including high-definition content. There are probably better ways of getting your digital swag onto a TV than this particular solution, but if it sports a reasonable pricetag when it comes out within the month -- from e-tailer GeekStuff4U -- we imagine that it will draw some interest.
Mount a Box.net account on a Mac
Box.net is an iDisk-like service that allows you to mount an 'internet hard drive' on your desktop (they offer both free and paid accounts). Great for easily and securely backing up, syncing and sharing files between computers. Previously, they apparently only offered a client for PCs, but UNEASYsilence has published a simple tip for logging in and mounting your Box.net account on your Mac OS X desktop - no extra software necessary. Using the simple power of the Go > Connect to Server menu from the Finder, you too can have your very own WebDAV online hard drive. 1 GB is free, while 5 GB is $4.99/month, and 15 go for $9.99/month. Enjoy.
Possible fix for the iPod 'click of death'
JC at Mac Geekery has come across a potential solution to the iPod hard drive's 'click of death' that many owners will likely experience at some point or another (After all it's a hard drive and you walk/run/snowboard around with it all day. It has to throw in the towel some day).After hurling a dead 4G iPod off a 3rd story balcony to test an iPod case, JC discovered that his iPod was suddenly working again - but only for an hour at a time or so. This odd turn of events prompted him to investigate by opening up his iPod, in which case he discovered that his click of death (not necessarily everyone's) was a result of nothing more than an unseated hard drive cable. After putting everything back in its place, JC's 4G iPod is back on top and jamming again.Check out JC's post for more details, but just in case you're in a similar boat, remember: I'm pretty sure opening your iPod is like tossing your warranty out the window and then running it over repeatedly with an SUV, so attempt this stuff at your own risk. If your warranty has already r-u-n-n-o-f-t, however, then you don't have much to lose.[thanks William!]
$40 XBL Vision camera & UNO bundle detailed by MS source along with prices & dates for other 360 accessories
Our friendly anonymous source at Microsoft has provided us with a few more details concerning the 360 accessories announced back at E3.Perhaps the most important involves the bundling of the Xbox Live Vision camera with a wired headset, the popular Live Arcade title UNO, and a month of Live Gold service for $39.99 when it releases in the States on September 19, 2006.Granted, this is still an unofficial report (based on a leak of "official" info), so understand that you're probably not gonna get much confirmation from MS until they're good and ready to give it. If you'd like information on what other peripherals are coming out "Holiday 2006" (so sometime in the 4th quarter) and at what price, read on for more.
Gaming products dominate top tech list [update 1]
PC World's list of top 100 tech products of the year praised our sister blog Engadget and gave Apple lots of love but the categorical winner of the list is undoubtedly gaming. The following products aren't all directly gaming related (you could use some of them to run spreadsheets) although there's a quite clear video gaming subtext underlying many of the choices. Lets just say that they're as close to being gaming technology as Uri Geller is to being locked up in an asylum. 1. Core Duo - the first chip to enable desktop level performance in games on laptop computers.2. Athlon 64 X2 - for that ultimate gaming rig you always wanted (but couldn't, and still can't, afford).10. Boot Camp - Apple's Mac gaming solution.16. GeForce 7600GT - hits that price/performance sweet spot.19. Guitar Hero - we think that this is some kind of video game.55. Raptor X - 10,000RPM Hard Drives were invented for gaming.58. X1900 XTX - ATI's biggest, baddest GPU. Stupid name though.63. A8N32 mobo - it's all about the SLI, baby.89. Xbox 360 - we've heard of this! Isn't it designed to hold your lunch?92. GeForce 7900 GTX - nVIDIA's biggest, baddest GPU. Stupid name though.I personally own several products identical or similar to products on this list (a MacBook with a Core Duo CPU running Windows via Boot Camp is being used to write this post - I'm off for some Eve Online in a sec). Do you agree with these choices? What's missing?P.S. If anyone from PC World is reading this, I apologize for desecrating your logo.[Update: "top tech," not "top ten tech". Thanks Ahms!]
Widget Watch: miniStat2 v1.81 adds Intel Mac temp, more
While I'm still a bigger fan of the iStat pro widget, miniStat2 definitely wins points for compactness, creativity and for quickly incorporating a monitor for Intel Mac temperatures. Other updates include the ability to change the currently monitored network interface right from Network tab of the widget, the storage tab only displaying physical hard drives (as opposed to including .DMG files and the like) as well as a Spanish localization.A demo of miniStat 2 is available from ShockWidgets, and a license will cost $5.
Widget Watch: iStat pro and nano updated
Two of my favorite system monitor widgets have been updated: iStat pro 2.3 and iStat nano 1.5. The main new additions are drive filtering, as in: CDs, DVDs and .DMGs will no longer appear in the drive list, and support has been included for MacBook Pro batteries. Unfortunately, it looks like the temp and fan monitors don't support the MacBook Pros just yet.Both of these widgets are available from iSlayer.net, apparently for free, as I can't even find a donation link. Also: their download links do point to these new versions, so don't pay any attention to the versions listed on their site, as it seems they haven't updated it to reflect these new additions just yet.
Macworld goes inside the MacBook
Macworld does what most of us won't: they void their MacBook's warranty by opening up the battery compartment and removing the RAM and hard drive. And as a special treat for us all, they posted the video on YouTube. Thanks guys! Wow, easily removable drives on an iBook MacBook? Wow, how many Dell engineers did they have to hire to pull that one off? Personally, I'm just happy the battery on the MacBooks will no longer have those ugly seams around the battery visible while the machine sits on my desk. The iBook looks great, but I never understood why the seam had to extend up the side of the machine... Apparently Ive didn't see why either.And for the record, the mere act of doing what Macworld did won't automatically void your Apple warranty. But, according to the terms, if anything goes wrong (like, in the future even), they can always negate your claim because you did the swap. So those of you looking to save some bucks by ordering a lower-capacity model and upgrading should consider the warranty and its restrictions first.
