Gizmo Cafe

HD DVD, Blu-ray and HDMI 1.3 – Soylent Green is PEOPLE!

Wayde — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:59:00 GMT

Hype and misunderstanding follow the new HDMI v1.3 and how it relates to high resolution audio formats found on HD DVD and Blu-ray discs. Many believe that in order to take advantage of the audio formats, you have to buy all new supporting products. That’s not necessarily true. Consumers are being bombarded with new products like HD DVD and Blu-ray players that carry new standards in audio and require new protocols to make everything work. HDMI (High Definition Multi-media Interface) is a new interface...(read more)

Home Theater on a Budget – Digital Surround Sound Receivers

Wayde — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:14:00 GMT

After buying that brand new HDTV you just want to get home and enjoy your new gear. But don’t forget the sound system. Hopefully I’ve convinced you not to buy a home theater in a box system, but if not, read my last post . Let’s take a quick look at the centerpiece to any home theater audio system, the receiver. Home Theater Receiver The receiver acts as a bridge between everything in your home entertainment system, and it powers your speakers. In short it connects everything together, which is a...(read more)

Nokia Cell Phone Recall - What to do about Your Overheating Battery

Wayde — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 14:59:00 GMT

If you own a Nokia cell phone with battery BL-5C, it’s at risk of overheating. But don’t worry; the overheating cell phone batteries are not exploding, starting fires, squirting acid into the eyes of its users or razing villages to the ground. In fact, the problem is really quite mild and Nokia is firm that this is just a voluntary recall . The battery has been overheating while recharging. Nokia is playing down the effects of the overheating by saying it may only swell slightly and cause minor damage...(read more)

Home Theater in a Box, Cheap Audio Systems and Why to Avoid Them

Wayde — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:59:00 GMT

Getting chintzy after spending big on a big-screen TV is definitely not the way to go. Chances are, after spending upwards of $3,000 for a new 50-inch flat panel HDTV, you’ve got an amazing display device and are well on your way to an amazing home theater system. But don’t – and I can’t stress this enough – back it up with a $300 Home Theater in a Box (HTiB) audio system. Granted, not many of us are audiophiles pursuing the perfect sound, which will require us to fork over tens of thousands of dollars....(read more)

Premium Xbox 360 Still Lacks 65nm Chipset

Wayde — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:20:00 GMT

You'd expect cooler, new 65nm chips dubbed “Falcon” to lurk within the new HDMI version of Xbox 360, wouldn't you? But it’s not to be, at least not yet. According to a Neogaf forum user that goes by the name of Wonderkins, the new Xbox 360 Premium has only the old “Zephyr” chipset . The new quieter BenQ DVD ROM drive is a nice plus but you’ll have to wait on the cooler chips. Speculation from Wonderkins is that this early run of HDMI Xbox 360s doesn’t include the Falcon chip yet, but later runs will....(read more)

Bioshock Deep, Emergent AI for a First-Person Shooter

Wayde — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 14:28:00 GMT

Bioshock, the game publishers called “just another f****** PC FPS,” is now available as a downloadable demo on Xbox Live Marketplace. The full version will be available on both Xbox 360 and PC on Aug. 24. Reviews for the upcoming science fiction first-person shooter are good. Official Xbox Magazine has it rated it at 100 per cent. Here’s an excerpt from Metacritic.com . What’s so special about Bioshock? Bioshock has been called a spiritual sequel to System Shock II. The team that developed SSII turned...(read more)

Myths in HDTV: Viewing Angle

Wayde — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:25:00 GMT

Myth: HDTV looks horrible when viewed from an angle. Debunk: Cover your angles before heading to the local electronics stores. Here is a fragment from a question I was recently asked by someone looking into buying a new HDTV . The potential buyer innocently mentioned swiveling as a feature he was looking into on his upcoming flat panel purchase. This raised alarms about viewing angle and some of the misconceptions people often have when it comes to HDTV. I am thinking about that HTDV I’ve always...(read more)

Wi-Fi Router Profiles: D-Link Air Xtreme G

Wayde — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 17:37:00 GMT

Wireless networking at home starts with a good router. In our Beginner’s Guide to Wi-fi we’ll go over a few good choices in wireless router starting with a D-Link offering. There are a few popular choices on the market when seeking out a quality router. In case you’re unfamiliar with the task your router performs, it essentially takes the information fed through your telephone line and transmits it, through the air, to your network card. Don’t ask us how’s it done (this isn’t physics 101). Just know...(read more)

Google, Universal Build gBox to Assassinate Apple iTunes

Wayde — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:15:00 GMT

Universal really wants to slap Apple across the face and stick it to iTunes in a big way. After recently declaring it wanted to punish iTunes for its success , Universal is ready to go to war. So, how does an old-school music industry dinosaur like Universal deal the too-cool-for-school, #1 US online music retailer a black eye? By teaming up with the top Internet search engine on the planet; Google. The proposed business arrangement was announced last week, but a few details have since come to light...(read more)

Sprint Delivering 4G WiMAX and Nokia N800 Internet Tablet to US

Wayde — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:58:00 GMT

Sprint is not only working on a nationwide 4G mobile network for continental US, it’s also bringing a new toy to run it on. Sprint Nextel has been planning to build its 4G mobile network via WiMAX for at least a year . It seems right after delivering its 3G network, EVDO (Evolution Data Optimized), the company almost immediately started development in the next frontier. Sprint hopes to have it available to 100 million Americans sometime in 2008. The WiMAX 4G (IEEE 802.16e) network will start in Chicago,...(read more)