By Andrew Liszewski

Today Logitech announced an updated version of their Wireless Guitar Controller Premiere Edition for the PS3. In addition to the new glossy black finish, the guitar incorporates some minor improvements in the build and design based on feedback from Guitar Hero players over the past few months. But fans of the original version need not worry, the new model still has the heft and high-end features of the original like real metal frets and a touch sensitive neck slider and star power buttons to justify the $200 price tag. Look for it to be available sometime in May in the US, and in Europe beginning in June.

[ Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller for PS3 and PS2 ] VIA [ BLogitech ]

By Andrew Liszewski

In a press release dated June 19, 2009, Sanyo has seen the future, and it’s a new LCD projector that happens to be the first with built-in 802.11n wi-fi. Using its “Video Streaming Function” the LP-WXU700 can stream video across a wireless LAN (supporting MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, and WMV files) or take advantage of Vista’s ‘Network Projector Function’ making it particularly easy to setup. Other notable features include WXGA resolution (1280×800), 3,800 lumens, picture-in-picture, a 1.6X optical zoom lens and an HDMI connection in addition to the standard projector hook-ups.

The LP-WCU700 will ship on June 19 in Japan for about $6,400.

[ PR - Sanyo LP-WXU700 ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Now you can teach your kids about the birds and the bees – well at least the birds part – without all that awkwardness. (Human babies hatch from eggs right?) This nest box comes with an IR camera pre-installed inside that transmits a video image, night and day, to a base station that can be connected to any display with an RCA input, revealing the secrets of the circle of life. The transmitter’s got a range of about 328ft and 4 different broadcast channels in case you get interference from another device, but you’ll need to run a power feed out to wherever the nest box gets mounted since even the optional 9V battery pack is really only good for about 2 hours.

You can order the kit from Pro-Idee for about $211, which isn’t cheap, but do you really want your kids learning where birds come from on the internet or on the street? I didn’t think so.

[ Nest Box with IR Camera ]

By Andrew Liszewski

When you think about it, handing people a small paper card with your contact info in this age of wireless communications is a bit old-fashioned. But I’ve yet to find an easier, or as universal a solution as the business card, so as antiquated as they may seem, I don’t think they’re going to be disappearing anytime soon.

Thankfully the WorldCard Ultra serves as a handy middle-man for getting the contact info from a business card into your contacts database. It’s a palm-sized scanner that’s actually powered via the integrated USB cable, making it particularly convenient for business travelers who have to deal with a new stack of cards every day. And not only will the WorldCard Ultra produce a full color scan of every business card (allowing you to ditch the originals) but the included WorldCard software will automatically OCR and add the contact info to your databases in Outlook, Lotus Notes or pretty much any other application. At $179.95 it isn’t cheap ($199.95 for the Mac-friendly version) but it’s probably well worth the investment if you’re on the road a lot.

[ WorldCard Ultra ] VIA [ Acquire ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Have you checked out the Windows 7 RC yet? If you’re the early-adopter type, I’d definitely recommend it. I just wiped off Vista from my main PC  this past weekend and am typing this up on Windows 7 as we speak. So far, it’s been great, with no hiccups to speak of yet. Installation was quick and painless, without the need to even run off and download any drivers whatsoever.

As for the official release of Microsoft’s latest OS, we’ve heard rumors that point to October 23rd. Now a statement from Redmond has at the very least confirmed that it will indeed be out in time for the “holiday shopping season.” That being said, I still think it is very reasonable to think that October 23rd will in fact be the official date. We’ll just have to wait and see.

[ Microsoft ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Socket wrenches and ratchet screwdrivers are a couple of the best tools around. They make your life easier by allowing you to just keep twisting, instead of lifting off of the screw or bolt and reposition every half-turn or so. That’s all good and well until you come across something that uses a hex key (or Allen wrench if you will). Those little suckers are a pain in the ass to use. I used to work at a retail store that sold furniture, and I’d get stuck putting together chairs and such for display, and every stinking one of them required a hex wrench. By the end of the day my fingers would hurt from turning them. Thankfully ratcheting action has come to the hex wrench.

The Ratchet Allen Keys set is an awesome tool. The tool has 9 different sized keys that fold out, much like some other sets I’ve seen. The big difference is in the handle, which has full ratcheting action. This could certainly make just about any job using hex wrenches much easier. You can get these in both Standard and Metric sizes for about $17 each.

[ GarretWade ] VIA [ RedFerret ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It seems like Buffalo decided to cast a big net when they designed this miniature iPod speaker, in order to appeal to as many users as possible. First, there’s the iPod users who think that everyone else wants to hear what they’re listening to. The OTOKORO speaker connects to your iPod (iPod Nano 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Gen. / iPod 4th, 5th Gen. / iPod Classic 80/120/160GB / iPod Mini 1st, 2nd Gen. / iPod Touch 2nd Gen) via the dock connector which not only allows you to blare your tunes, but also control the volume via a set of + and – buttons. (Even though the iPod’s own volume controls should still work fine.)

Also, I guess since the speaker is cube-shaped and has a couple of round buttons, Buffalo figured they could go the whole nine yards and make it look like a single die, appealing to the problem gamblers. And finally, instead of leaving a single dot on one side, they replaced it with a heart graphic, which should appeal to teenage girls and those who can’t wait for Valentine’s Day to roll around every year.

You can get it from AudioCubes for $39.99, and it apparently comes in 6 different colors that each feature a different ‘special mark.’

[ Buffalo OTOKORO Mini iPod Speaker ]

By Shane McGlaun

The first Android smartphone to hit the market was the T-Mobile G1. The device was met with enthusiasm by many fans of open source phones, but there were some teething problems with the new OS. It took Google and T-Mobile a bit to get things sorted and other smartphone makers and mobile carriers watched to see how the G1 did before jumping into the Android waters.

Now that the kinks are mostly sorted out of the Android OS, more and more new smartphones are being announced that would run the operating system. Strategy Analytics says that in 2009 Android will be the fastest growing smartphone OS with a predicted growth rate of 900% for the year.

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By Shane McGlaun

One of the features that I like about my DirecTV DVR is that I can access it via my iPhone and set shows to record from anywhere I can get a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. The DVR doesn’t even have to be connected to my Internet connection to use the app.

Dish Network has announced its own remote access program called simply Remote Access. They even offer an iPhone App just like DirecTV. The service allows users to access their DVR from anywhere in the world and schedule recordings. The catch with the Dish Network app is that the DVR has to be connected to the Internet.

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