Eclectic Electronics » News

Logitech M515: The couch mouse, for use with soft surfaces

blued888 — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:00:33 +0000

Logitech’s always churning out mice every few months and now they’ve come up with the M515 which works on “soft” surfaces like a bed, a couch (hence the name Couch Mouse). The bottom surface of the mouse is constructed differently in that it is sealed, which makes it easy to glide on fabric compared to other mice which might get fibers or whatnot caught up in unwanted areas of the device (particularly the sensor area).

The Logitech M515 Couch Mouse features a so-called hand-detection sensor, which only turns the mouse on when your hand is on it and supposedly turns it off or lets it go to sleep if not. This type of mouse would ideally be used for HTPC purposes. It also features Logitech’s ever-so-lovable hyper-fast scroll wheel but click-to-click scrolling mode is also available if the need arises.

Its receiver is of the Unifying type which is the same as the ones used by the Anywhere and Performance MX mice, along with other Logitech mice/keyboards.

[via BLogitech]

See also:

Where to buy Micro-HDMI Type D cable?

blued888 — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:00:43 +0000

Micro-HDMI Type D to Type A cables are readily available via Parts Express, Amazon or Monoprice. Monoprice also has Type A to Type D conversion cables on this page.

Below are some additional helpful information I managed to stumble on via Wikipedia and HDMI.org. Just a friendly reminder, type C is mini-HDMI while type D is micro-HDMI:

From Wikipedia:

Type D

A Micro connector defined in the HDMI 1.4 specification keeps the standard 19 pins of types A and C but shrinks the connector size to something resembling a micro-USB connector. The type D connector is 2.8 mm × 6.4 mm, whereas the type C connector is 2.42 mm × 10.42 mm; for comparison, a micro-USB connector is 2.94 mm × 7.8 mm and USB Type A is 11.5 mm × 4.5 mm.

From HDMI.org:

HDMI Micro Connector

In addition to the three connector types already defined in previous versions of the HDMI standard, the HDMI 1.4 specification introduces a new “Type D” connector designed for cell phones, pocket cameras, and other portable devices where space is at a premium. Roughly the size of a Micro USB connector, it packs all the power and functionality of an HDMI link into a tiny form factor. Featuring a full nineteen-pin array like other HDMI connectors, the HDMI Micro Connector can handle video signals up to 1080p, bringing state-of-the-art HD resolutions to the realm of handheld devices. This new connector is approximately 50% smaller than the size of the existing HDMI Mini Connector.

What kinds of products will use an HDMI Micro Connector?

Mobile phones, portable media players, digital cameras, or any portable device where space is at a premium and HDMI quality is desired.

See also:

Saving Private Ryan to set ashore on Blu-ray’s shingle on May 4th

blued888 — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:00:05 +0000

Saving Private Ryan, is without a doubt, one of Steven Spielberg’s great movies. Sure, it has a mediocre filler for the middle part of the movie but the start and climax of the film more than make up for it. It’s set to accompany other Sapphire Series releases on Blu-ray such as Forrest Gump, Gladiator, Braveheart and the Godfather Trilogy.

Although Amazon hasn’t specifically stated the May 4th 2010 release day, they’re already taking pre-orders for $27.99. Can you almost imagine those D-day bullets traversing from your front speakers to your rear surround speakers in possibly DTS-HD MA lossless audio format?

Hopefully, they don’t screw up the high-definition transfer like they did with Gladiator.

[via Blu-ray.com]

See also:

ASUS NX90 Bang & Olufsen notebook features dual trackpads, quad-core, USB 3.0 and huge border speakers

blued888 — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:00:09 +0000

ASUS and Bang & Olufsen are collaborating to make an ultimate media-centric device called the NX90. The ASUS NX90 features dual trackpads (one on the left-hand side of the keyboard and one on the right-hand side, each with its own two buttons) along withi other powerhouse notebook features such as an Intel Core i7-820QM quad-core processor, 12GB of DDR3 memory, nVidia GT335M GPU. The device utilizes a 18.4-inch 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution screen.

Connectivity includes possible USB 3.0 support along with eSATA and HDMI. The speakers protruding on the sides don’t look that pretty to me. They should’ve still aligned it with the lower portion of the device.

The ASUS NX90 is priced to sell (to people with fat wallets) at $1,799 and $2,499 and is expected to be available starting February.

[via Nexus404 and TestFreaks]

See also:

Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut (DVD/Blu-ray) to be released on November 3, 2009

blued888 — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:30:10 +0000

More concrete details for the 5-disc DVD/4-disc Blu-ray release of Watchmen: Ultimate Collector’s Edition has been released by Warner.

The Ultimate release of Watchmen also includes Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic which can be purchased separately in DVD or Blu-ray format.

What your essentially getting with this Watchmen release is a longer movie, with the animated Tales of the Black Freighter woven seamlessly into the movie for added depth to the plot/story, and a couple of additional features here and there.

The DVD release will come in 5-discs while the Blu-ray will come in 4-discs. Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut is scheduled for release on November 3, 2009 which is a full month early from the initial December 2009 announcement in the flier.

[via Warner Home Video]

See also:

Apple revamps the whole iPod family for 2009

blued888 — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:30:15 +0000

After doing some price cuts on its now previous generation iPods, Apple has updated its iPod family for 2009.

The 5th generation iPod nano looks similar to its previous generation, with a slew of new features such as: FM tuner (an iPod first!), built-in camera for video recording only, slightly larger screen and integrated pedometer software for use with a Nike+ kit.

The latest iPod nano is available in seven colors (silver, black, purple, blue, green, orange and pink) plus two Apple Store-exclusive colors: yellow and red — 8GB costs $149 while 16GB costs $179.

Practically the most versatile iPod to date is the touch. It can serve as a portable media (music and video) player, pocketable mini computer — it has WiFi and a great application pool, and portable gaming device.

– 8GB for $199, 32GB for $299 and 64GB for $399.

What makes the iPod touch extremely popular is that it uses the same operating system as the iPhone. You can practically refer to the iPod touch as a crippled iPhone.

Also, the iPod touch comes with iPhone 3.1 software pre-installed. For a list of features, read here.

The diminutive 3rd generation iPod shuffle which if you remember, unfortunately has a proprietary control chip but Belkin has gone through loops and found a way around it.

The iPod shuffle now comes in five colors (black, silver, pink, blue and green) — 2GB for $59 and 4GB for $79; plus a special, limited edition, fingerprint-scratch-magnet polished stainless steel edition that’s only available via the Apple Online Store or Apple Retail Stores — 4GB for $99.

The classic-looking iPod, available in black or silver) has been updated to feature 160GB of storage instead of 120GB for the same price tag of $249.

See also:

Apple iPod touch, classic and nano receive silent price cuts

blued888 — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:00:09 +0000

Soon-to-be-previous-generation Apple iPods are silently getting price cuts amidst the forthcoming announcement of a newer generation of iPods. All iPods except the shuffle, will have new low prices.

The 32GB iPod touch is now $279 — down from $399, the 16GB iPod touch is now $249 — down from $299 and the 8GB iPod touch is now just $189 — down from $299.

The 16GB iPod nano is now $149 — down from $199 and the 8GB iPod nano is just $129 — down from $149.

There have been reports that the iPod classic will be phased out once inventory runs out. The classic now runs $229 — down from $249.

[via CrunchGear]

See also:

Microsft Zune HD release date delivery: Free for Amazon Prime members

blued888 — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:45:45 +0000

Amazon is offering “Release Date Delivery” when you pre-order Microsoft’s Zune HD. You have to be an Amazon Prime member for it to be free though, otherwise you have to pony up $5.58 to get it exactly on September 15th.

See also:

Buffalo USB flash drive with integrated microSD card reader: Insanely small!

blued888 — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:30:30 +0000

If you think the 5mm thick Buffalo RUF2 USB flash drive is amazing for its sheer small size, think again because the same company came up with something else. Buffalo has made a RUF2-sized USB flash drive with built-in microSD card reader on the opposite side of the USB plug!

It’s available in flavors of 2GB, all the way up to 16GB via GeekStuff4U.

The RUF2 and this one with an integrated microSD card reader are definitely nice creations by Buffalo but I personally wouldn’t want one because it can be easily lost. Another thing is that it might just be inconvenient to remove from the USB port.

On the normal size of things, Maxell will also be releasing a regular-sized USB flash drive with integrated microSD card reader.

[via GeekStuff4U]

See also:

How are USB flash drives made? An inside look at a Kingston production plant

blued888 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:30:06 +0000

USB flash drives, almost everyone carries one nowadays, but have you actually thought about the process it undergoes before it ends up at a retailer?

The video below, courtesy of Netbooknews, shows the inner workings of a Kingston automated production plant for USB flash drives. The facility is based in Taiwan. The video, overall, is quite alright but the host seems uninterested about the subject.

I never thought the employees still have to manually stick those sticker labels onto the USB flash drives themselves. I would’ve thought that the stickering process was automated.

[via Netbooknews]

See also: