Since January 1st you’ve been able to request your free $40 voucher for a digital-to-analog converter for grandma’s old CRT TV. Well, Crave is saying don’t act so fast. You still have plenty of time and market logic states that you’ll get a better converter for a lower price over the next year or so. […]

Since January 1st you’ve been able to request your free $40 voucher for a digital-to-analog converter for grandma’s old CRT TV. Well, Crave is saying don’t act so fast. You still have plenty of time and market logic states that you’ll get a better converter for a lower price over the next year or so. Right now the choice is rather limited — I’ve seen a few models from Zenith but that’s about it — and you could conceivably pay a bit over that $40 if you’re not a particularly savvy shopper.

Personally, I’d just get grandma a new plasma and leave it at that. You’ll never get to see In Treatment in HD on an on Trinitron from 1988.

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The first news is trickling out of CTIA and we’re actually quite impressed with this little bugger. It’s called the Cell Ranger and it’s a USB-powered cellular repeater that improves cell reception nearly anywhere. The Cell Ranger line includes two products: the Cell Ranger STIX is powered by a standard automotive 12 volt power supply; […]

The first news is trickling out of CTIA and we’re actually quite impressed with this little bugger. It’s called the Cell Ranger and it’s a USB-powered cellular repeater that improves cell reception almost anywhere.

The Cell Ranger line includes two products: the Cell Ranger STIX is powered by a standard automotive 12 volt power supply; the Cell Ranger PORT is powered by a computer’s USB port and does not require software or drivers. Neither product requires physical connection or “pairing” with the phone. Users simply plug the Cell Ranger unit into the power source and properly place the magnetic antenna. Cell Ranger then automatically detects the closest handset. Cell Ranger can also be used by multiple handsets simultaneously for added convenience.

These tiny buggers should sell for about $149. We’ve done quite a few posts on cellular repeaters and I’ve found that they markedly improve most “dead zone” situations and even speed up EDGE in some cases.

Via [crunchgear]

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I’ve been playing Ubisoft’s “Lost: Via Domus” for a few minutes and so far it’s not too shabby. But, then again, I’m a massive fan of the show so I may be playing favorites. The game begins with you on the plane experiencing the crash from the perspective of survivor of Flight 815. You wake […]

I’ve been playing Ubisoft’s “Lost: Via Domus” for a few minutes and so far it’s not too shabby. But, then again, I’m a large fan of the show so I might be playing favorites. The game begins with you on the plane experiencing the crash from the perspective of survivor of Flight 815. You wake up in the jungle and can’t really remember too much of what happened. I’ve run into Kate and she’s sort of uncooperative thus far and doesn’t seem too keen on answering any questions or helping. There’s also some woman that randomly appears but as I get closer she disappears. It’s creepy and scary. It appears that when you encounter other characters you go through a Q&A phase. When you think you know them you revert to a flashback of the plane where you snap a photo for future reference. It’s kind of weird, but makes sense. I’ll be sure to complete this game when I get back from CTIA.

Has anyone else played this?

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Testing on BMW’s Hydrogen 7 Mono-Fuel prototype by the U.S. DOE has concluded that the hydrogen-powered engine surpasses the most rigorous of emissions performance standards. The BMW finds itself beyond the super-ultra low-emission car (SULEV) level. “The BMW Hydrogen 7’s emissions were only a fraction of SULEV level, making it one of the lowest emitting […]

Testing on BMW’s Hydrogen 7 Mono-Fuel prototype by the U.S. DOE has concluded that the hydrogen-powered engine surpasses the most rigorous of emissions performance standards. The BMW finds itself beyond the super-ultra low-emission vehicle (SULEV) level.

“The BMW Hydrogen 7’s emissions were only a fraction of SULEV level, making it one of the lowest emitting combustion engine automobiles that have been manufactured,” said Thomas Wallner, a mechanical engineer who leads Argonne’s hydrogen automobile testing activities. “Moreover, the car’s engine actively cleans the air. Argonne’s testing shows that the Hydrogen 7’s 12-cylinder engine actually shows emissions levels that, for certain components, are cleaner than the ambient air that comes into the car’s engine.”

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The crew at Yanko reminds us today of the awesome power of the cone, the preferred shape of bullhorns and other sound-emitting devices. Yes, that seems plausible. With that in mind, take a look at Aura, a Jetsons-esque speaker that sorta looks like a blender and “aims to fill a room with sound using resonating […]

The crew at Yanko reminds us today of the awesome power of the cone, the preferred shape of bullhorns and other sound-emitting devices. Yes, that seems plausible. With that in mind, take a look at Aura, a Jetsons-esque speaker that sorta looks like a blender and “aims to fill a room with sound using resonating glass.” She was designed by one Paul Scarfe, who also has a laptop render you might be interested in.

It’s hard, not to mention irresponsible, to pass judgment on something that only exists in 3D modeling software. It looks cool, which is our primary concern when it comes to these concepts.

To be honest, I’m slightly more concerned about whether or not David Beckham will get his 100th cap today. Don Fabio has hinted that it’s going to happen, so let’s keep our fingers crossed.

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Dancing… is… a primitive art-form… used in ancient times to express oneself with… the body! And communicate! This is my new favorite gadget (though the video, on the other side, is a tiny long). It’s called the International Dance Celebration and, in response to nearby dancing people, it goes off like the Fourth of July if […]

Dancing… is… a primitive art-form… used in ancient times to express oneself with… the body! And communicate!

This is my new favorite gadget (though the video, on the other side, is a little long). It’s called the International Dance Party and, in response to nearby dancing people, it goes off like the Fourth of July if Paul Oakenfold, Laidback Luke and Dave Seaman were Founding Dads. (I hear Madison liked drum and bass, like John Biggs did in a past life.) Computer-controlled (what isn’t?!), TDP has a blue siren on top and Fast and the Furious-esque undercarriage lighting. And there’s a built-in smoke machine, too, like so many overpriced clubs.

What you can’t see here’s that Peter is singing not just because he has the iPhone, but because there’s an IDP just out of frame.

Incoming college freshman, you wanna make friends? IDP, not to be confused with the slightly less cool ICP.

via Gizmodo

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Fortune is reporting that Microsoft might be eyeing the iPhone as a potential outlet for their warez teams, including programming Office applications and voice control for Apple’s joy box. “It’s really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone,” Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Specialized Devices and Applications Group, […]

Fortune is reporting that Microsoft might be eyeing the iPhone as a potential outlet for their warez teams, including programming Office applications and voice control for Apple’s joy box.

“It’s really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone,” Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Specialized Devices and Applications Group, told Fortune on Monday. “To the extent that Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we’re actually in the process of trying to comprehend that now.”

This comes fast on the heels of the SDK announcement and some rumors that Slilverlight might be coming to the iPhone before Flash.

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That nice big flat panel HDTV in your living room might become the video phone we’ve all expected of the future, if ooVoo and Quanta have anything to say about it. The video chat software maker and computer hardware manufacturer are teaming up to develop a set-top video phone solution. The thing is, video phones have been […]

That nice big flat panel HDTV in your living room might become the video phone we’ve all expected of the future, if ooVoo and Quanta have anything to say about it.

The video chat software maker and computer hardware manufacturer are teaming up to develop a set-top video phone solution.

The thing is, video phones have been trying to land in the mainstream for decades with no success. Even with popular computers now coming with built-in video chat gear and software, it appears to still be something people just aren’t interested in.

But who knows? Maybe this pairing can come up with a killer way to conduct video calls. Or maybe I’ll be thankful my mom can’t see what I’m doing every time she calls.

Quanta, ooVoo to take on HD conferencing [Yahoo! News]

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Apparently there’s some game called “Grand Theft Auto IV” coming out. I’ve never heard of such a game but so help me God if it’s violent or glorifies crime, I’m going to try to get on Fox News to talk about how bad it is for our nation’s youth. Maybe it’ll just be a courtroom […]

Apparently there’s some game called “Grand Theft Auto IV” coming out. I’ve never heard of such a game but so help me God if it’s violent or glorifies crime, I’m going to try to get on Fox News to talk about how bad it is for our nation’s youth. Maybe it’ll just be a courtroom style simulation where you play a lawyer who prosecutes people that steal cars. I’m guessing it’s that because Microsoft’s issued 500 Xbox 360 consoles with the game’s logo on the side and a briefcase containing various peripherals — much like a lawyer’s briefcase would contain various law-type things.

Xbox Drops 500 Limited Edition GTA IV 360s [Complex.com]

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Look what Master Chong (sweet name, by the way) found. It’s the A900 from Sony. Yum. It won’t be released until August or September but here are some of the specs; 24.6-megapixels, thumb and forefinger scroll wheels, and dedicated function buttons for things like ISO and white balance. There’s also a metering mode selection switch, […]

Look what Master Chong (sweet name, by the way) found. It’s the A900 from Sony. Yum. It won’t be released until August or September but here are some of the specs; 24.6-megapixels, thumb and forefinger scroll wheels, and dedicated function buttons for things like ISO and white balance. There’s also a metering mode selection switch, slow sync button, and a full-frame sensor. Hit the jump for a look at the backside.

PIE2008: Sony Showcased Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 [masterchong.com] via Photography Bay

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