Oh! Gizmo

By Evan Ackerman

Now that wireless routers are cheap and ubiquitous, there’s one way that a router can separate itself from the rest of the pack: features. The D-Link DIR-685 Xtreme N Storage Router takes this concept to the Xtreme (okay, sorry, no more of that) by including a 3.2″ LCD, room for a hard drive, and a whole bunch more. We’ve got a full review for you, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

Ghostbusters was one of those games that I really wanted to like, but honestly didn’t expect much from it. After all, I’ve played some really bad games that were based on the franchise. Seriously, have you ever played the Atari game? Anyway, I was rather surprised that this game was far from bad. In fact, it’s the best games associated with a movie franchise that I’ve played in a long time.

From the moment the game loads up, you have the distinct feeling that this is the long-lost third Ghostbusters film. Only this time around you’re actually a part of the story. When I watched the opening scene and it transitioned into the Ghostbusters theme song, I’ll admit to getting chills. Not spooky chills, more like nostalgia. They even opened up with the Columbia Pictures splash.

I won’t dive into the story too much, mostly because I hate reading about too much of the plot in a review. That said, the game takes place in 1991, roughly 2 years after the second film. The team has hired a new guy to help out with the work, which is where you come in. Your character is never given a name, which is said to be so that the team doesn’t get too attached for fear of any “mishaps.” Throughout the game you are referred to as “Rookie”, and you never speak. I think this is done rather well, letting you immerse yourself more into the story.

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This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

When it comes to gaming hardware the first things to pop into mind are generally the CPU/RAM and video card. It wasn’t until I set aside the trusty wireless mouse that came with my old Logitech keyboard to review the OCZ Behemoth Laser Gaming Mouse that I realized just how much this device plays into the gaming experience.

Right out of the box my first impression was that it appears rather bulky, I say appears because once it was plugged in and in my hand it felt very comfortable. The extra width comes from the erganomic design which provides a comfortable rest for the ring and pinky fingers. This had a impact during a long gaming session with the new Ghostbuster’s game. One requirement in the game is to target and wear down ghosts which on harder difficulty settings can take a considerable amount of time. The lack of fatigue in my hand afterwards was noticeable.

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By David Ponce

I think Ford CEO Alan Mullaly said it best: “The new Taurus rocks!”

After spending a day with the car in a snaky mountain drive from Knoxville to Asheville, I came away impressed and with a new outlook on a vehicle I wouldn’t have thought about even twice just a few years earlier. For its target market, the Taurus hits a sweet spot; an engaging mix of class-leading technology, muscular and elegant design, and exceedingly civil road manners. While there are some minor issues that I’ll address in the body of this review, Ford may just have hit on a product that could allow it to pull ahead of its rivals. After all, simply “still being around” isn’t quite enough. With the Taurus, they seem to be bringing their A-game.

In this review, I’ll mainly focus on the plethora of gadgets and technological features that make the Taurus not only an enjoyable drive, but a treasure trove for any gadget lover. OhGizmo! is, after all, a gadget site. But let me spend at least a little bit of time telling you about the car, the engine and how it feels on the road.

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This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

We’ve seen a lot of LEGO video games over the last few years, most of which have been a lot of fun. Well the guys in charge decided it was time to branch out from the RPG games that they’ve been so focused on of late and bring us LEGO Battles. This real-time strategy game for the DS lets you take command of pirates, wizards, spacemen and more. But does it deliver the fun?

The game has several different campaigns to play through, each from a different LEGO theme. Each campaign is broken up into three acts, which get progressively harder. The game is great for those unfamiliar with RTS titles, and walks you through every little step at the beginning. After a couple of battles you’ll be building towers and commanding your men like a pro.

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By Evan Ackerman

As loyal readers who care about my safety, sanity, and well being might remember, my laptop was stolen about a month ago. Yeah, that sucked. It’s been replaced (I’m writing this review on it, can’t you tell?) but I needed to get myself a new case for it, so I thought I’d try out a new case/tote from Uniea called the Omniverse. I’ve got a review for you, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Chris Scott Barr

Talking on the phone while driving can be something of a hassle when you don’t have any sort of handsfree device. I have had the opportunity to check out one of the latest offerings from Parrot in this department. The Minikit Chic is a sleek little device that clips to your sun visor and offers a little more than some similar products on the market.

The first thing you’ll notice (other than the floral pattern) is that there really isn’t much to this little device. It’s roughly the size of my iPhone, only a bit thicker. You’ll find two buttons, a knob, a USB port and a clip. The clip is obviously for attaching it to your visor, while the USB port is used for charging and interfacing with your computer if needed. All of the functions you’ll use are controlled by the knob and two buttons, which seems rather simple for all it can do.

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By Chris Scott Barr

Last year I reviewed Scosche’s passPORT iPhone adapter, which helped me to charge my iPhone when I was in my car. Well earlier this year they released their home version of the passPORT, which did the same thing, only for the iPhone docks that you have sitting around your house. I got my hands one of these, and put it through our grueling review process.

Much like it’s mobile cousin, there really isn’t much to this device. It fits any dock that uses the standard iPod dock, so as long as you’re not using the iBoo or iPanda (which have really funky docks) you should be good. Just remove the dock insert from your device, insert the passPORT Home Dock and put the dock insert into the passPORT. That’s really all there is to it.

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By Ian Chiu

Elgato - a long time Apple peripheral maker - has been making FireWire and USB TV tuners since 2002. Its EyeTV Hybrid USB TV has now received a third update, bringing Clear QAM, reportedly improved HD reception and better EPG to Mac couch potatoes. Despite being called a hybrid, the EyeTV is not a “dual” tuner, meaning you cannot watch analog and digital channel at the same time. Its software fortunately supports a second tuner if you get a EyeTV-compatible model.

Everything USB in its recent review has tried to watch two live 1080i HD streams on a 2Ghz Core Duo MacBook just fine, but ironically, switching both tuners to analog resulted in lack of USB 2.0 bandwidth error due to the uncompressed video format used by EyeTV Hybrid. The USB gadget site also praised the hardware quality; improved TV recording software; and Wi-Fi streaming capability to iPod touch & iPhone. Though, be prepared to come up with 7.5GB of HDD space for every hour of 720p HD program.

[Elgato EyeTV Hybrid 2009 Mac TV Review @ Everything USB]