GadgetReview

The T3 Gadget of the Year went to none other than the Humax Foxsat HDR, a gadget that even got me doing a double take when I first read about it.

The Humax Foxsat HDR is a set-top box for your home theater, allowing you to access Freesat, a satellite TV network where there are a hundred and forty television and radio channels available entirely for free.  There is a downside to this box, though–the HD channels are unavailable ot current users, and when the HD programming (like ITV HD and BBC HD) actually becomes available, users will have to get an entirely new settop box.

I hadn’t even heard of Freesat before this–mostly because it seems like this thing’s big only in Great Britain and possibly only Europe–and the thought of largely free television is definitely an appeal.  Here’s a channel listing if you’re considering overthrowing your cable or dish provider for a crack at Freesat.

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If you’re looking for media streaming on a very, VERY tight budget, then the Patriot media streamer is EXACTLY what you had in mind.  You’ll need to bring your own hard disk drive, but each Patriot comes with a remote, three USB slots, Ethernet support and support for several different file formats.

Sure, it’s not that great that you have to provide your own hard drive before this thing will actually work, but given the price of the unit and the hard drive itself, chances are you’ll be doing all right.  They provide everything else–all you have to do is bring your picnic basket and enjoy.

And when I said, “very, VERY tight budget”, I meant it.  This sucker retails for a downright reasonable $130.  Of course, you’ll have to tack on a little extra for the hard drive, but new ones aren’t so pricey these days.

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Remember how the digital TV switch left most portable TVs useless?

Well, the folks at Flo TV have developed a portable television device that laughs at the digital divide, the Flo TV  Personal Television.

No waiting.  No buffering.  No nothing–just start watching and use your fingertip on the touchscreen to move the image back and forth.  Even better, the Flo TV gets fifteen channels, including Comedy Central, MTV, MSNBC and NBC News.

Of course, this doesn’t come free–you’ll have to shell out a whopping $8.99 a month with a three year commitment, and the device itself will run you an extra $249.99.

Pricey, but if you’ve ever wanted to easily carry cable content around with you, this is exactly the device you want.

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Being fond of several Griffin products I couldn’t help but notice how cool this one looks.  It’s been awhile since I’ve seen screens on Airplane seat backs but I know they still exist.  If you are an iPhone/iPod owner seeking a bigger screen during air travel then the Griffin exPort In-Flight Video Cable will help you get there.

Using the Panasonic developed exPort cable standard to connect to the airplane’s entertainment system, it allows you to view all your media/content from your iPhone/iPod on the aforementioned separate screen.

This cable connector type is now being licensed to Airlines to hopefully we’ll soon start seeing these in action across all Airlines.  Right now the only Airlines that have this connector type installed is in 1st class through United Airlines and on the Continental Airlines’ new Boeing 777s.  No word on price or release.

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Aren’t we excited!  Video game to movie translations can be an iffy thing at best, but it appears as though Activision is looking to take it’s hugely successful franchise to the silver screen.  Do we think it will be comparable to other video game movies?

News of this had recently been contrived from Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling’s Twitter feed stating:

First round of meetings in Paris wrapped. Grabbing lunch with Xavier Gens, director of the Hitman film while in town. Talking game films.

Take what you will from that,  nothing has been officialized yet but is has the blogs surmising for sure.  How will they translate multi-player into the movie I wonder?

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In a move that is entirely all things Sony,  some featured Blu-Ray releases will contain a free digital copy for your PSP.  The catch is that you will need a PS3 to do the transfer.

For example, Sony Films will be releasing the Blu-Ray version of Godzilla on November 3rd that will be bundled with a separate DVD-ROM that provides access to the digital copy.  From there you just jam the disc into your PS3 and download the digital version of the Godzilla.  After that all you have to do is transfer it to your PSP via USB and you are good to go.

Essentially you will have all this Sony stuff to make this a worthwhile deal.  But do you really care anyway?  If you are going out and actually buying Godzilla on Blu-Ray do you really need to watch it again on your PSP?

Again, another nice move by Sony but will it go largely unnoticed?

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If there’s one thing I love–positively LOVE!–about gadgets, it’s their great potential to make my life better, easier, and more entertaining.  And now that I’ve found a possible way to shatter a cable bill by the judicious use of Netflix, DSL and a Roku video device, I’m more inclined to express my love of gadgetry.

Here’s the rundown: a DSL subscription can run about twenty three bucks a month, depending on where you live and what plans are available.  A subscription to Netflix that includes unlimited downloads starts at a measly nine bucks.  The Roku?  Another ninety nine.

So for a hundred bucks to open and thirty two bucks a month, I can essentially get access to a wide-open commercial free library of movies and television shows.  Why would I get cable when this is a possibility?

And now, thanks to this coalition of gadgets, you can overthrow the cable company.  Sounds like a plan to me.

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Big news out of the CEDIA Awards down in Atlanta–the D-Box GPH-120 just took home a big win as their EXCITE award winner for the home theatre division.

Just in case you’re not familiar with a D-Box GPH-120, they’re motion controllers.  They’ve actually been installed in some movie theatres, like those inside the Mall of America, and are available for home purchase at various home theatre stores throughout the country.

What these things do is they essentially provide movement for your home theatre chair in tune with the action on the screen.  If you’re watching Top Gun, and Maverick jinks right to dodge a Soviet MiG, you’ll jink right too.  Rather, your chair will.   This is actually a pretty sweet development in gadget tech, and the EXCITE award probably went to the right guys.

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Sharp has recently developed a new technique that has allowed them to stretch the capacity of a Blu-Ray Disc to 75 and 100Gb’s.  Pretty cool eh?  Through changing the way the discs are manufactured and improvements made upon the laser, Sharp is waiting for approval from the Blu-Ray Disc Association.

In an attempt to explain the tech specs in basic jargon,  Sharp has pioneered a new laser that reads a new aluminum oxynitride film (dielectric is the old one) coating that allows the disc to have up to three and four layers instead of the current two, allowing for more storage. …Continue reading: Blu-Ray Disc Capacity Now Maxes Out At 100GB

As the Tokyo Game Show approaches, chatter involving a 250GB PS3 has begun to surface.  Talk about future proof.  Sources indicate that this ‘beefcake’ version of that PS3 could be part of a new movie bundle that would include the Sony Blu-Ray remote, a Blu-Ray movie, and Sony’s new PlayTV attachment, which turns a PS3 into fully functional freeview TV recorder.

The Tokyo Game Show starts on September 24th so we’ll hopefully get some solid answers then.

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Sounds