Casio just released two new cameras from its Exilim series in the form of the EX-Z280 and EX-Z33. The EX-Z280 is a 12.1-Megapixel pocket camera with a 26mm lens, a 4X optical zoom, a 35.7MB onboard memory (upgradable via SD/SDHC slot), and a 2.7-inch LCD display with 114,960 pixels. Priced at $179, this camera is also able to record 720p video.

Available in black, light pink, vivid pink, silver, and blue, the EX-Z33 provides only a 10.1 Megapixel CCD, a 3x optical zoom, a 2.5-inch LCD display with 230,400 pixels, and a 16.9MB onboard memory (expandable via SD/SDHC slot). The Casio Exilim EX-Z33 is priced at $119. [CrunchGear via Digital Camera Blog]

Posted under Cameras, Computers, GPS Navi, Gadgets, Monitors, Notebooks, PC Accessories, Printers, Scanners, iPod

Here’s the latest addition to Taxan’s DLP projector series, the KG-PH1004XS. Measuring 312mm x 250mmx 100mm and weighing 3.7kg, the projector provides an XGA (1024 x 768) resolution, 2,000:1 contrast ratio, 3,000 lumens brightness and is capable of producing 76-inch images from 1m distance. In addition, it also comes with several connectivity ports including HDMI, DVI-I, USB and RS232C. The KG-PH1004XS is now available in Japan for $2,600.

[CrunchGear]

Posted under Cameras, Computers, GPS Navi, Gadgets, Monitors, Notebooks, PC Accessories, Printers, Scanners, iPod

Filed under: Software Update, Mac mini, Mac OS X Server

After the big upgrade to Snow Leopard last weekend, Apple has posted three new updates, fixing various OS and firmware issues.

The first is Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.2. This update "improves compatibility with the latest Apple memory kits on Mac mini computers." This update is only needed for Mac minis introduced in March 2009 or later.

Next, there's an update to Mac OS X Leopard Server, Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 Update v.1.1, which includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for a few other issues. This update is available as a Combo or Standalone update.

Finally, there's a firmware update for SuperDrives. This update "will eliminate the noise made by the optical disk drive during system startup and wake from sleep on your Mac." This update is only needed for iMacs and Mac minis introduced in March 2009 or later.

As always, these updates are available through Software Update on your Mac, or you can download them from Apple's Support Downloads page.

TUAWApple posts three new updates originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Gears of War geeks over at Gearspedia describe Imulsion as “a phosphorescent, highly volatile, low-viscosity fluid originally discovered by an oil exploration drill on the planet Sera.” They go on to say “direct exposure to Imulsion for any length of time will cause Locust subjects to transform into Lambent forms, making them, amongst other things, highly explosive when killed. In extreme cases, Imulsion exposure will cause the subject to mutate uncontrollably…”

So why not turn Imulsion into an energy drink? Sounds yummy to me.

That’s what the guys over at Boston America have done with this sticky sweet yellow concoction being sold under the GOW brand name. I bet if Marcus and the Gears had been drinking this stuff all day long, they would have been much more efficient at curb-stomping the Locust Horde. But the Gears’ loss is your gain, and you can buy a case or two for yourself.

Imulsion Energy Drink is available over on Amazon for $2.99 (USD) a can. Drink up.

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I’m not sure how I missed these when they hit the Japanese tech circuit earlier this year, but these little doggy speakers were just too kitschy for me to pass up.

Made by the wacky folks at Japan Trust Technology, these puppy dog speakers will almost certainly evoke an “ooh” from those who think they’re too cute for words, or an “eeew” from those of you who wouldn’t be caught dead with these on your desktop. I’m pretty certain I fall into the latter category.

But if your grandma has just gotten her first computer, they’ll look perfect alongside her Lladro figurines and portraits of crying clowns. As a matter of fact, they sorta look like those ceramic dalmatians you might have bought with your last scrap of money when you were shopping Wheel of Fortune before they switched that show to a cash-only proposition.

If you’re just dying to pick up a pair of these, you’ll have to head on over to Amazon Japan and get out your Japanese-to-English translator and plunk down your ¥2980 (appx. $32 USD).

[via ITmedia]

Posted under Cameras, Computers, GPS Navi, Gadgets, Monitors, Notebooks, PC Accessories, Printers, Scanners, iPod

We already featured Jon Jandran aka Hailrazer’s awesome Dreamcast portable mod, the dreamtrooper. He originally wanted to paint the dreamtrooper’s case black and call it the DarthCast, but he decided to stick with the original console’s white color. But he also ended up stuffing a Nintendo 64 into a Lazer Doodle – a gadget that I have never heard of until now btw – and this time painting the case black made much more sense. 60 hours, One Lazer Doodle case, a Horii Nintendo 64 controller, a PSOne controller, a PSOne LCD screen and of course one whole Nintendo 64 later, Hailrazer finally had his Vader-themed portable console: the Darth64.

It really does look like an upside down Vader helmet. I think Hailrazer should have called it NintenDarth64, but what the hell, it’s an awesome and highly polished mod. He can call it whatever he wants. The system also packs a couple of 5000 mAh rechargeable batteries good for about 3 hours.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The Evil Emperor Hailrazer sure sounds a lot like Jack McBrayer. “Everybody knows plumbers can swim. Especially fat little plumbers.” I don’t know why, but that cracked me up.

[via i am handheld]

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Nearly three years after the introduction of the original budget-busting PlayStation 3, Sony has put both the system and its price tag on a diet. The appropriately named PlayStation 3 Slim shaves over an inch off the width of the previous system while keeping the same processing power intact. Sony also drops the price by $100 from the previous model, and bumps storage up from 80GB to 120GB. But the PlayStation's distinctive piano black shell also disappears, along with the ability to run third-party operating systems. Has Sony cut too deep and turned the caviar of the console world into a tuna fish sandwich? Let's have a closer look and find out.

Read | Permalink | User Reviews | Linking Blogs | Gaming & Accessories

Posted under Cameras, Computers, GPS Navi, Gadgets, Monitors, Notebooks, PC Accessories, Printers, Scanners, iPod

Filed under: iTS, Rumors, iTunes, Surveys and Polls, Music

So, Apple has confirmed that there will indeed be an event next Wednesday, September 9th. The image on the invitations indicates iPods, or at least "music", will be the focus of the shindig.

Will we see new iPods with cameras? How about iTunes 9 with some whiz-bang new social networking features? And what about that bright yellow underwater elephant in the room?

While the date is almost too tasty to pass up, I can't imagine (pun intended) that The Beatles will even be mentioned during the event. Why? The slogan the iPod silhouette girl is rockin' to is "It's only rock and roll, but I like it." Now, I'm a little younger than the relevant time period, but I've heard that neither The Rolling Stones nor The Fab Four would be thrilled with the mix up.

So, what do you think? What kind of magic are we likely to see next week?

View Poll

TUAWWhat new goodies await us on the 9th? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted under Cameras, Computers, GPS Navi, Gadgets, Monitors, Notebooks, PC Accessories, Printers, Scanners, iPod

Posted under Cameras, Computers, GPS Navi, Gadgets, Monitors, Notebooks, PC Accessories, Printers, Scanners, iPod

Filed under: Hardware, Multimedia, iPhone, iPod touch

Last night I received an email from a friend who was irate. He's been using his iPod touch as a portable video solution with a dock and video out cable. The iPod and the cable got along famously until he updated to iPhone OS 3.0.1 OS 3.0 [sorry, there isn't a 3.0.1 for the iPod touch]. Now, the iPod refuses to recognize it. Same cable, same dock, same iPod.

We looked around and found that he's not alone. There's a thread on Apple's Discussion Boards reporting the same thing. It's affecting both the iPod touch and the iPhone. Apparently 3.0 is specifically designed to reject 3rd party cables, strictly on the premise that they fail the "Made by Apple" test. One poster on the discussion board notes that the original Apple Component AV cable and dock work fine. Sure, you could restore and downgrade, but that seems silly.

Of course, no company has a responsibility to support 3rd party devices, so my friend is out of luck. But we're sympathetic. If you're affected by this issue, all we can say is it's probably time to pony up for a cable from Apple.

TUAWiPhone OS 3.0 breaking video out originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted under Cameras, Computers, GPS Navi, Gadgets, Monitors, Notebooks, PC Accessories, Printers, Scanners, iPod