Computer Advice

OK, it’s all true. The Xbox Elite in it’s ‘Good Guys Wear Black’ outfit has been confirmed by Microsoft and everything you read here on Gizmodo and elsewhere prior to this has come true, like a Fairy Godmother’s wish.

It features an in-built HDMI port, a much needed 120GB hard disk drive, black headset, black wireless controller and more, importantly, a range of bundled cables designed to embarrass Sony. Top of the list is the bundled HDMI cable which Sony has taken some flak for not bundling with the overpriced PS3. Instead, Sony wants an extra £18 for it’s ‘official cable’. Microsoft is also throwing in component and composite cables, as well.

The new system goes on sale in the US from April 29 for $480 – just $80 more than the existing high-end model. Microsoft will also be offering the 120GB hard drive as a standalone peripheral for the rest of the Xbox 360 users who have needed a bigger HDD for some time. Asking $180 for it though seems a bit steep.

No UK availability or prices yet but I’ll keep you posted. Full details of what you get with Xbox Elite after the jump.-Martin Lynch

Xbox Elite Key Features

* Xbox 360 Elite console: The Xbox 360 Elite is equipped with a premium black finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in HD entertainment (up to 1080p, like any Xbox 360), 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, HDMI output and DVD playback with upscaling capabilities right out of the box.

*One-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold: An Xbox Live Gold Membership provides a complete online entertainment experience. Subscribe to this premium service and engage in competitive online multiplayer matches, tailor your matchmaking via feedback and accomplishments, chat with more than one person at a time, and take advantage of unique privileges in Xbox Live Marketplace and Xbox Live Arcade.

news technology gadgets games xbox console PS3

For the past two weeks I have being waking up to the cheerful sound of birds chirping, followed by Stephen Fry intoning perfect vowels and ego-boosting messages. And it’s been great fun. No, he’s not a house guest but his voice has been staying for a fortnight now, and it’s a welcome thing, indeed. Housed in the Voco Clock, Stephen Fry doing his amusing Jeeves the Butler routine has been my alarm call each day. So much more civilised and, less traumatic, than BEEP-BEEP-BEEP….

The clock arrived well packaged and once the battery was in, there really was nothing else to do but to set the alarm, which required the simplest flicking of a switch. Of course, I spent the next 5 minutes cheating, setting and re-setting the alarm hand to hear the next message. There are 50 messages in all that rotate automatically and there’s even a relaxing 90-second countdown to help you nod off in the evenings.

The audio quality is surprisingly good, with each perfectly enunciated message from Jeeves preceded by some cute birds singing a dawn chorus and a little, polite ‘ahem’. The messages are amusing and nearly always leave me with a little smile, as much to do with Fry’s tone and delivery, as with the messages themselves.

For instance we have:

“I am delighted you have survived another night. May I add my own congratulations to the roar of the world’s approval? Thank you, sir.”

OR

“I’m afraid the staff has absconded sir. And it is my day off. I trust it will not be onerous for you to make your own exquisitely sliced toast and perfectly made breakfast.”

The clock costs just under £30 including P&P and it’s worth every penny. For yourself, or as a gift, everyone who’s been around has been impressed by this novelty.

The Voco Clock is possibly the only clock I don’t hate. In fact, I’m rather smitten with the blighter. Find out more here. -Martin Lynch

news technology gadgets clock home shopping geek

With every peripheral and its mom operating via USB, a lack of ports can actually be a problem. The Ritek Yego is a fairly standard USB flash drive, but the shape allows two other USB devices to be plugged into it with the help of a little hot pass-through action. So it is really just a USB flash drive hub. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Real Tech News]

OK, get the salt out, it’s RumourTime. Not content with gate-crashing Sony’s various PS3 launches, a Microsoft employee seems to have confirmed a new version of the Xbox 360 with a HDMI port. On the official Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express forums a XNA Framework Developer answered the following question:

Q: “Will the HDMI output on the revised 360 require any code changes. I am hoping some developers have a beta unit and can answer this question.”

A: “No changes required.”

Now, I understand that this is at best, a very roundabout way of maybe/kinda/sort of confirming something that has been rumoured for quite some time but, assuming Microsoft Xbox developers have some inside knowledge, it’s worth noting. It would tally with all that other unconfirmed information about a Xbox Elite version which will come in cool black and sport a 120GB hard disk drive.

While it’s good to fantasise, I‘d like to think that all of this is true and not some ruse in the run-up to the dreaded April Fools Day.-Martin Lynch

[Xbox Scene News]

news technology gadgets games xbox console PS3

Nothing can aid your quest for the cessation of human suffering like the $35 Buddha Machine. So what does it do? It loops preloaded music tracks via one-button interface. Want more? You got it! Just check out this neat feature from manufacturer FM3’s site:

“I also hear that track9 is particularly good at keeping cats away :)”

I really do see the practical merit of this device to aid in meditation and cat annoyance, but somehow the packaging seems just a bit off topic. – Mark Wilson

Product Page [via boingboing]

Long battery life in an MP3 player is an important factor for me when I’m in purchasing mode – except for my last one, of course, which cost £25 and has a battery life of about 12 minutes. Only joking, it’s about 5 hours, which still sucks.

The successor to the entry-level T10 from iRiver, is the T50 which promises a whopping 52 hours from one AAA battery. Again, I’d wait for the reviews before endorsing that claim fully. I’m not sure if I like the ridges on the design but at 52 hours, it could be turd-shaped and I wouldn’t care.

It will come with 1Gb of storage, a 1in colour screen – that you can view photos on – a voice recorder and FM radio. It’s going on sale in Japan first in two weeks and will cost around £45.-Martin Lynch

news technology gadgets music MP3 audio

We all like Internet bargain-hunting for those ‘must-have’ gadgets but are we being ripped off in the process?

According to some alarming data from the industry online safety group, Get Safe Online, one in 10 people in the UK has been had online in the past year, to the tune of £875. Ouch!

The UK has 29 million Net users and the survey found that 12 per cent (almost 3.5 million) have experienced online fraud in the past year. Most were caught out while shopping online, while general fraud, bank account and credit card fraud made up the rest.

Importantly, it’s not just down to a wave of e-crime but also to user ignorance of basic online surfing rules. Less than half of UK surfers believe online safety is their responsibility, with many saying the banks or ISPS should do it for them. You know, right after someone wipes their arses for them.

You can read the survey highlights here and find some online safely tips here.-Martin Lynch

news technology online PC broadband internet crime

Anyone familiar with the Coke/Mentos experiments will know that these two mixed will produce some startling effects. There are even those stupid enough to eat the sweets and wash them down with Coke which brings on a massive internal reaction to create puking on an Olympic scale.

For those less insane, you can turn most bottles of fizzy drink into stunning rockets [see the movie above] by adding some Mentos but this can be a messy and unpredictable affair. Now, for £4, you can experiment safely [outdoors please] with the Mentos Geyser Tube which will provide you with 30ft volcanoes of fizzy drink.

Why you would want one is another matter altogether but if spending hours cleaning sticky pop off everything around you pops your cork, knock yourself out. -Martin Lynch

[Red Ferret]

news technology gadgets coke rocket science geek

With consumer flights into space from Virgin taking up some headlines these days, it’s good to remember that there are those out there that still believe we can all be Rocket Men.

For a mere £130,000, you can have your very own Rocket Belt from Mexican company, TAM, which will allow you to shuffle off the confines of gravity and buzz around your local park, scaring dogs and children alike. As long you weigh under 300lbs, this baby will get your ass in the air and allow you to move around using a couple of joystick like controllers.

Your money gets you a fully-tested and customisied rocket belt, 10-days of training including food and board at TAM’s base and a machine that lets you make up your own fuel.

Forget about using this for commuting to work though as this baby is built for short bursts of aero-fun, not Jetson-style traversing the globe. Visit the site to watch a video.-Martin Lynch

news technology gadgets flight rocket science geek

Panasonic just released three new LCD HDTVs and one of those, the tongue-twisting TX-32LXD70 is already basking in some reviews glory. First off though, the three TVs use something called IPS alpha design which results in you being able to watch the screen from most angles without the picture turning to mush.

They also sport the new Vreal2 image processing technology which pulls off lots of clever tricks. These include automatic adjustment of contrast and backlighting depending on the scene you are watching, a 50% reduction in after images or ‘ghosting’ during fast-moving video, a 1080p digital processing chipset for native high-def and 1080p digital remastering processor for upscaling standard definition content.

According to reviewers over at HDTVorg:

“First impressions indicate that the TX32LXD70 is a hugely accomplished screen. With a High Definition source colours are the richest we have ever seen on a 32in LCD, with a sharpness and vibrancy that is simply unmatched on any comparable flat panel. Colours are deeper and more natural than anything the other major manufacturers have to offer.”

Out very soon, it will set you back around £750.-Martin Lynch

news technology gadgets TV HDTV LCD home