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Get caught up in technology with InterrupTech: October 26, 2009

by Iyaz Akhtar on Oct 26, 2009 at 07:00 AM

Welcome back to InterrupTech.  Catch up on the week’s most important tech stories in a hurry.  We cover the Barnes & Noble Nook, Windows 7, Moto’s Droid, Apple’s latest computers, Dell’s new Adamo XPS, RIM’s new BlackBerry watch, VW’s new iPhone app, and Google’s music service. 

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Details on the first USB 3.0 external hard drives by Dane-Elec

by Iyaz Akhtar on Oct 23, 2009 at 08:01 AM
Details on the first USB 3.0 external hard drives by Dane-Elec

Plenty of people halted their purchase of a new PC in anticipation of Windows 7.  Microsoft officially launched Windows 7 yesterday, but there may be another reason to hold off on that purchase.  USB 3.0 is just around the corner.  With a theoretical speed of 5Gbps, USB 3.0 will be able to handle incredibly fast data transfers. 

Dane-Elec has several new USB 3.0 hard drives that will launch on December 11, 2009.  There are three different models:  a 2.5-inch, bus-powered hard drive with capacities of 500GB and 640GB for $179.99 and $199.99, respectively.  Desktop models with 3.5-inch hard drives will come in 500GB at $149.99 and 1TB for $199.99.  Additionally, there will be SSD versions available if retailers desire.  These will be more expensive with the 80GB model at a whopping $399 and 160GB for $799. 

The hard disk based drives are capable of write speeds at about 75-88MBps which is about 600Mbps.  While this is lower than the theoretical maximum of USB 3.0, it still about twice as fast as USB 2.0 speeds.  The SSDs were capable of 250MBps which translates to 1.56Gbps—in other words, some seriously fast transfers.

Dane-Elec also plans to launch a pair of adapters for older computers: a PCIe card for the desktop and an ExpressCard/34 USB 3.0 capable card.  Unfortunately, neither adapter will be able to bring you the maximum speeds of USB 3.0, but you still get very fast transfers.  The ExpressCard/34 maxes out at 1Gbps. 

Company Site: [Dane-Elec]

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Read Kindle books on your Windows machine

by Iyaz Akhtar on Oct 22, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Read Kindle books on your Windows 7 machine

With the ebook reader market getting bigger and bigger, Amazon is trying to keep relevant.  You could access Kindle books on your Kindle and on the iPhone app—now there is the Kindle reader for Windows so you can read on your laptop.  Sure a computer screen is usually hardly optimal for long reading periods, but having the option to read your books on multiple machines may be of interest to some.  Maybe this kind of thing will help out the new tablet PCs that are coming out.  With Windows 7, the Kindle reader can zoom in and out using the pinch gesture.  Turning pages can be done using a finger swipe. 

Right now you can head over to the Kindle for PC site and sign up for a notification when the software is available.  It’s a free download that will be available next month and it will be compatible with Windows 7, Vista, and XP. 

Notification Site: [Amazon]

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Gadgetell Review: Maximo iMetal iM-590 earphones

by Iyaz Akhtar on Oct 21, 2009 at 12:00 PM

In the world of headphones, there are really cheap ones that come with music players that sound horrible and there are others that make you do a double take at the price tag.  The Maximo iMetal iM-590 earphones are “enhanced definition isolation earphones” with a MSRP of $59.99, but you can find them online for cheaper.  The real question is how do these mid-range headphones perform?  Gadgetell tested them out to see if you should get a pair. 

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Get caught up in technology with InterrupTech: October 19, 2009

by Iyaz Akhtar on Oct 19, 2009 at 07:00 AM

Welcome back to InterrupTech.  Catch up on the week’s most important tech stories in a hurry.  We cover Amazon’s new delivery service, a brand new PS3, an offline version of Wikipedia, the great Sidekick meltdown, and Snow Leopard eats your data.

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Gadgetell Review: i2i Stream

by Iyaz Akhtar on Oct 16, 2009 at 08:00 AM
Gadgetell Review: i2i Stream

The i2i stream is a pair of devices that lets you wirelessly stream audio from one device to another that has a list price of $119.95, but you can find it online for lower.  Wireless audio devices are usually quite iffy.  Gadgetell tested it out to see if the i2i Stream lives up to its claims. 

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All weather Satsports GPS aims to be the GPS for all sports, also introduces WinMo and Android apps

by Iyaz Akhtar on Oct 15, 2009 at 09:54 AM
All weather Satsports GPS aims to be the GPS for all sports, also introduces WinMo and Android apps

These days if you’re introducing a GPS, you’ve got to have a hook.  Satsports is bringing its Satsports GPS to North America and wants it to be the GPS for all sports.  It runs Windows CE 5.0, has an internal speaker, some built in memory with 256MB or storage, Micro SD slot for real storage, weighs 125g, and has a 2.7-inch QVGA screen (320 x 240).  This GPS also has apps made for golfers, runners, street nav, and skiing. 

What do these apps do?  “Pocket Caddy” lets you see golf courses in a fly over mode so you can see the hole before you hit the ball.  It will even tell you yardages so you can figure out how hard to swing.  You can also record data like what kind of club you used so you can learn from your mistakes.

“Satski” gives you ski maps, real time data on speed, and rescue services data.  “Satsports Log” will probably have the most wide appeal as it it is for cyclers, runners, and hikers.  You can find out altitude, distance, and speed.  Data for both Satsports Log and Satski are sycnable to your computer. 

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Gadgetell Review: Belkin Powerline AV+ Starter Kit

by Iyaz Akhtar on Oct 15, 2009 at 08:00 AM
Gadgetell Review: Belkin Powerline AV+ Starter Kit

Home networking is a strange place.  You can wire up your house with actual Ethernet cable or go wireless with Wi-Fi.  Sometimes these options just don’t cut it because you have one spot you can’t get coverage to.  That’s where powerline Ethernet adapters become interesting.  Today, we’ve got the Belkin Powerline AV+ Starter Kit.  Belkin claims speeds of up to 200 Mbps.  Gadgetell tested it out to see if you get what they claim. 

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Gadgetell Review: DXG-Riviera HD camcorder

by Iyaz Akhtar on Oct 14, 2009 at 08:00 AM
Gadgetell Review: DXG-Riviera HD camcorder

The DXG-Riviera HD is from DXG’s Luxe collection of camcorders.  It shoots 720p video onto SD cards and has a MSRP of $149.99.  Unlike a lot of other pocket camcorders, this DXG is designed to be a fashion accessory.  The real question is, “How well does it shoot video?”  Keep reading for a full review.

 

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Talking about the Nokia Booklet 3G on TechVi

by Iyaz Akhtar on Oct 13, 2009 at 05:23 PM

The details on the Nokia Booklet 3G have finally dropped and they are interesting to say the least.  The Intel Atom powered laptop will cost $299 if you get it with a two year contract from AT&T.  It will run Windows 7, has GPS, Nokia Ovi store access, Wi-Fi, and, as the name says, 3G.  Buying the computer outright will cost $599.  Even with its 16-cell battery (and 12 hour battery life), computers with better stats can be had. 

Randall Bennett, Clayton Morris, and I talked over the Nokia Booklet 3G.  Who exactly is this for and is this a good idea at all?

Read: [InformationWeek]
Watch More: [TechVi.com] http://techvi.com

 

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