The Gadget Blog

Fallout 3 50% Off on Steam for This Weekend

Rico Mossesgeld — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:00:10 +0000

Thanks for punishing the early adopters once again Valve! I kid of course, but I imagine those who bought Fallout 3 at $50 (when it first came out) are probably cringing at today’s $20 price, available under Steam’s Weekend Deal program.

What’s Fallout 3 you ask? Are you ok? It’s the best solo RPG to come out in recent memory, features a relatively massive gameplay world worth weeks of losing sleep over. Owners of the game will also enjoy free access to current or future downloadable content packs. Over five have been released or are about to be released, and they all represent additional gameplay and new ways to waste time.

Get Fallout 3 for only $20 at Steam. Today’s the last day this Weekend Deal lasts, so you’d better get going!

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Last Week’s Top Posts

Rico Mossesgeld — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:30:16 +0000

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Anti-Paparazzi Device Looks Real Effective

Rico Mossesgeld — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:30:06 +0000

Simply put, the flash purse sets off its own flash when it detects flash coming from other cameras. Perhaps the best anti-Paparazzi device that’s a also a gadget, the purse ruins the shot by using its apparently bright light to blind both camera and photographer, leading to useless washed-out celebrity shots.

Courtesy Cool New

No word on when this device will ever see the market, or if there will be a version for the guys, but it seems like a very sound concept. The Paparazzi have no choice but to use their flash at night and under low-light conditions, to prevent the blurring ruinous to a potential money-making shot.

On the other hand, with their living at stake, will the paparazzi come out with a counter-measure? Even worse, will they resort to drastic measures to get the visual scoop?

Thanks Cool News!

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What the Nokia N97 Lacks

Rico Mossesgeld — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:28:52 +0000

As Technograph asserts

Aside from a better case, Nokia should’ve included the N97 into its Comes With Music program (currently unavailable for this phone, much less in the Philippines). The phone isn’t as hip or youth-oriented as the 5800, but purchasing a flagship Nokia model always represents brand loyalty and a significant investment for the buyer. Why not reward that kind of devotion?

All things said, each Nokia N97 comes with a lot of useful items. At the very least, the USB data cable, hands-free kit, charger adapter, and the phone’s built-in 32GB of memory means you don’t have to buy accessories to maximize the N97. The bundle is good, but pretty much standard for a high-end phone.

As far as I know, the N97 isn’t under Nokia’s Comes With Music program, which allows new phone owners to purchase as much music as they want within a year from the Nokia music store. Nokia can easily change this, and even make it available retroactively to early adopters. That will definitely provide more value for the N97.

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How to Use a UPS

Rico Mossesgeld — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:30:42 +0000

The benefits of a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) are clear. We all need, after all, enough time to save that important report or close that game properly, brownouts or blackouts be damned. Straight from the Tom’s Hardware Forums comes some sound advice.

Courtesy Aspstation.net

“Never plug any surge suppressor or power strip into the load side of a UPS. [They] can cause the UPS to drain its battery faster than expected, or cause the UPS to shut down or trip a circuit breaker.”
“Never plug any device into a UPS’s battery-protected outlets that… draws a high amount of power when first turned on. This includes most printers, especially laser printers; the power they draw at start-up exceeds what the UPS can deliver.”
“[M]ake sure the load doesn’t exceed the UPS’s real or apparent power ratings. Most UPS’s have some type of total load indication or at least an overload indicator light to let you know that the UPS is overloaded.”
“Different models of UPS may have the same apparent power rating but a different real power rating… UPS designs are different and one can handle more real power than the other. A prime example is the APC Smart-UPS 750 vs. the Smart-UPS 750 XL. Both are rated 750 VA, but the XL model can handle 600W while the non-XL model can only handle 500W.”
“Different models of UPS may have the same apparent power rating but vastly different run times. The power rating is determined by the size and design of the inverter, while the run time is determined mainly by the battery size. The APC Smart-UPS 750 and Smart-UPS 750XL are both rated at 750VA, but when powering a 300W load, the XL model can run it for over 45 minutes, while the non-XL model has only 10 minutes of run time.”
“Your computer power supply rating is much greater than the amount of power your system actually draws. Many computers today have a 600W or higher power supply, but actual draw from the line is generally 300W or less, so you don’t need to spend the money on a 1500VA UPS. To find out the actual amount of power your computer is using, use an inexpensive watt meter like the Kill-A-Watt.”

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The Nokia E75: Designed for Idiots

Rico Mossesgeld — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:40:49 +0000

Take the Nokia E75 out of the box, and you’ll see a transparent sticker plastered over the display. Apparently, Nokia received too many complaints, from people who couldn’t figure out that on some phones, the red End Call key doubles as the power button! The side-effect of this noobishness? You have to take off the display cover to start using the phone, wasting the sticker’s screen protector potential.

Based on the attended product briefing, Nokia’s pushing the E75 as email-centric, highlighting the QWERTY keyboard that slides out from underneath the otherwise candybar-looking smartphone, as well as the email-friendly messaging app. Functionality-wise compared to the E71 however, the E75 is pretty much the same, with a different form factor and a newer version firmware to set it apart (and I was told that the same firmware is being prepared for the E71).

The complete data sheet is here, courtesy of Philippine affiliate Technograph. More pictures and a review to follow soon.

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Free Windows 7 Upgrades for OEM PCs

Rico Mossesgeld — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:00:55 +0000

Basically, if you’ve bought a PC that came with certain versions of Vista installed, from June 26, 2009 to January 10, 2010, you get an upgrade to Windows 7 for free! According to the Microsoft Press Release:

“There is a lot of excitement for Windows 7 in the marketplace today. However, many consumers need a new Windows PC for school, work or home before October 22,” said Brad Brooks, corporate vice president, Windows consumer marketing at Microsoft. “So starting June 26th, any customer who buys a PC from a participating computer maker or retailer with Windows Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate will also receive an upgrade to the corresponding version of Window 7 at little or no cost.”

In other words, only Vista Home Basic users are exempted from this program. Micro Center has compiled a list of manufacturers included in the program, with relevant links:

Windows 7 OEM Upgrade Info

Acer
Upgrade Info

Averatec
Upgrade Info

Compaq
Upgrade Info
Support Info

Dell
Upgrade Info
Support Info

eMachines
Upgrade Info

Fujitsu
Upgrade Info

Gateway
Upgrade Info

HP
Upgrade Info
Support Info

Lenovo
Upgrade Info
Support Info

Retail Box Upgrade
Upgrade and Support Info

Sony
Upgrade Info

Toshiba
Upgrade Info

Velocity Micro
Upgrade and Support Info

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GSM Palm Pre Details to be Available July 7

Rico Mossesgeld — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:30:03 +0000

Well, Palm promised the British press that a July 7 on the Palm Pre is forthcoming, but word on the street is that the event will be a launch—and that we’ll finally see a GSM version of the Palm Pre go official! Other rumors making the rounds: O2 will enjoy exclusivity, and a European market launch will increase units sold for Palm (Unless, of course, the company doesn’t fix its supply problems).

Courtesy Palm

I can see why: the (hopefully) inevitable debut of the Palm Pre on GSM networks will vastly increase the potential market, allowing use of the smartphone in many more countries throughout the world, in the hands so much more people. Especially since the Pre is easily jailbroken.

At the very least, we’ll finally see just how popular Palm’s last-stand play becomes. No details yet on specs (will they be similar to the CDMA version’s or even surpass it?) nor pricing in the UK. Stay tuned for updates!

Thanks Electronista!

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How Long Does the Nokia N97 Battery Last?

Rico Mossesgeld — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:30:39 +0000

So how long does the battery of the Nokia N97 last on a full charge? Turns out much longer than the N96 and N95: “For now though, one thing is clear: based on my (admittedly undemanding) usage, the Nokia N97 almost lasted for two days. A definite improvement over the N96!”

A complete log of the phone’s usage over two days, accompanied by frequent updates on remaining battery life, is available on Philippine affiliate Technograph.

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Before The Pirate Bay Sold Out (Interview)

Rico Mossesgeld — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:30:10 +0000

Yes, the three founders of popular torrent tracker The Pirate Bay (and a rep from their ISP) were each sentenced to a year in prison and slapped with a $3.6 million fine. Luckily, they were able to sell the site off to a Swedish gaming company (Global Gaming Factory) for $7.8 million.

Below is a video recorded a week before The Pirate Bay closed the deal. It’s an interview between BBG’s Xeni Jardin and Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde. Of interest: “Peter’s explanation of why he believes filesharing and anonymity are good for democracy”.

The LA Times has an article summarzing the entire situation, including details on what the seller and buyer plan to do with their new acquisitions:

As noted on BoingBoing, the Pirate Bay’s blogger said the proceeds from the sale will be used for “projects about freedom of speech, freedom of information and the openess of the [Internet].

Convincing Pirate Bay’s reported 20 million users accustomed to getting content for free into paying customers will an extremely difficult task, but Pandeya said he plans to make an enticing offer.

“To compete with free file sharing, you have to beat it,” [Hans Pandeya, CEO of Global Gaming Factory] said. “What’s better than zero? Well, that’s paying somebody $1.”

Global Gaming Factory plans to pay Pirate Bay users to let their computers be part of a worldwide peer-to-peer system that can transmit data for Internet service providers like AT&T and Comcast. Theoretically, it could vastly reduce the bandwidth costs of ISPs, which are struggling to keep up with the rapidly growing amount of traffic moving through the ‘Net, much of it because of illegal piracy.

Participating computer owners could use the money deposited into their account to buy and download songs, TV shows or movies.

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