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    Unboxed: Sparkle Calibre X560 Ti DF

    Gadgets Team
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    Unboxed: Sparkle Calibre X560 Ti DF

    A month ago Sparkle announced that they’ll be releasing six upgraded versions of its hi-end Calibre graphic cards that presumably will cater to a range of needs, from gamers with money to burn to the more sensible enthusiast. Well today we just got one of their newly released cards in the form of the Calibre X560 Ti DF, which came straight from the HQ of the firm in Taiwan.

    Right off the bat this particular card exudes an air of luxury that other, similar cards lack. The box has a huge logo of the Calibre brand, with the words Professional Graphics Card written across it.

    That simple, luxurious air translates to the packaging, and ultimately to the card itself. While physically not the biggest nor the most imposing graphics card we’ve seen (we’ll give that title to the monstrous, dual-GPU deals we’ve seen in the past), the Calibre X560 Ti DF still looks intimidating in its own right.

    For one, it doesn’t use the gaudy purple fans of Sparkle’s other product offerings, and the metal and black construction of the card makes it more menacing that it actually is.

    But don’t think this card is a pushover – we haven’t managed to stick it into a system yet, but Sparkle promises that it delivers a 22% increase in performance in 3DMark 11 over a reference design, and is factory overclocked right from the box.

    We’ll get a review up as soon as we finish evaluating it.

     

    Protect those eyes from the outdoors with Speedo

    Gadgets Team
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    Protect those eyes from the outdoors with Speedo

    In case you still find that there’s more to life than the one you’ve got online and you still manage a little sunshine on your face and exercise on more than just your typing fingers, you may find these to be helpful to keep those baby browns in tip-top shape.

    Introducing Speedo Xenith sunglasses designed for those who lead an active, sporty lifestyle. Not only does it give you 100% (yes it says 100% on the box) from harmful UVA and UVB rays, it is also made of shatterproof polycarbonate polarized lenses so you’re sure of its durability. The sunglasses also wrap around your face to ensure performance fit and maximum field of vision.

    Available at Speedo stores nationwide in either black or white for Php 4,888.00.  Other lenses which include polarized (Php 2,388), low light (Php 1,188),, and hydro (Php 1,488) lenses are sold separately.

     

    Source: Speedo

    Gmail now has a Preview Pane for your inbox

    Gadgets Team
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    Gmail now has a Preview Pane for your inbox

    Checking your inbox in Gmail just got a whole lot easier.

    Although I value my Google account, sifting through a heap of emails reveals the rather counter-intuitive interface of Gmail. Now, with the new Preview Pane, breezing through emails is much quicker.

    This new feature can be found by clicking on the cog icon located on the upper right corner of your Gmail account. Simply select “Mail Settings” and once the page is open, click on the “Labs” tab and then scroll down until you find “Preview Pane” (the Lab features are arranged alphabetically).

    Once you’ve located Preview Pane, all you have to do is select “Enable”, then scroll all the way down and “Save Your Changes”. After that, Google will automatically redirect you to your inbox.

    You might notice that nothing has changed – that’s because you still need to select the mode in which Preview Pane will display your messages. The toggle button is located on the right.

    There are three options available: No Split, Vertical Split and Horizontal Split (obviously you’re going to choose one of the latter two). Once you’ve selected your orientation preference, simply click on your inbox, select a message and witness Preview Pane in action.

     

     

    Source: The Official Gmail Blog

    Control your DSLR with your smartphone

    Gadgets Team
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    Photography just keeps getting better and better. Now, an Android app is available to those who both love their DLSRs and smartphones. The DSLR Controller app developed by Chainfire allows you to control your Canon EOS DSLR camera from your smartphone or tablet. With just the right USB cable, a compatible camera and phone, you’re one your way to becoming one very high-tech photographer indeed.

    The DSLR Controller App is still a Beta version and is available in the Android market for Php 361.08.

     

    Source: Android Market

    Relive the 80s via the 8-bit, Saved by the Bell choose your own adventure game

    Gadgets Team
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    Relive the 80s via the 8-bit, Saved by the Bell choose your own adventure game

    Here’s a nice find from the interwebs that’ll make you nostalge hard if you grew up in the late 80’s or 90’s – The Fine Bros made an 8-bit, choose your own adventure game in YouTube featuring every kid’s favorite sitcom way back when big hair was king and grunge was making its mark. They 8-bitified the sitcom Saved by the Bell, and puts the player in control of heartthrob Zack Morris. Screech, Kelly and Jessie all need Zack’s help, and it’s up to the player to decide the route that the adventure takes. Whatever route you do take, you can be sure it’ll be filled with SBTB references and plenty of dark humour. You can start your adventure in the YouTube video we linked below.

    Via: Geek

     

    Smart’s Rocket Plug-it will be available tomorrow in selected stores

    Gadgets Team
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    3
    Smart’s Rocket Plug-it will be available tomorrow in selected stores

    Remember that Rocket Plug-it stick from Smart we saw a couple of days ago? Well we’ve finally got word that it’ll be available starting tomorrow at selected stores around the country. The new broadband stick promises to deliver 12Mbps speeds in areas covered by Smart’s HSPA+ network, though it’ll still work even if you’re just in a 3G area. It’ll carry an SRP of Php 3,995 and will come with an hour of free surfing. Regular browsing will cost Php 10 for every 30 minutes, and as far as we know there’s no data cap on this particular service.

     

    The week in review: August 1 – 5

    Gadgets Team
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    The week in review: August 1 – 5

    This week was an awesome week for tech and gadgets. Aside from the regular tech news and reviews that we do, we also recently concluded Pinoy Blogfest 2.0 held at the Trinoma Activity center yesterday. So if you missed some of the tech stories last week, we’re here to give you a quick recap of the juiciest stories to hit our pages.

    Reviews:

    Samsung Galaxy S II

    NEO Basic B5702

    News:

    TV5 and MMDA’s Traffic Navigator officially launches, mobile app will be available soon

    Globe drops the price of its Tattoo BB stick to Php 995

    Globe officially launches BB Playbook, deets inside

    Smart will also carry the BlackBerry Playbook, will be available for pre-order starting Monday

    Nido Discovery Center’s “i Play i Learn” hub officially opened to the public

    Android nabs almost 50 percent of smartphone market according to research firm Canalys

    Unboxed: Asus TUF Sabertooth 990FX motherboard

    Pinoy gaming team goes for gold in Germany

    Gadgets Magazine turns 11!

    Hackers can start your car, and overdose you with insulin without you knowing

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Hackers can start your car, and overdose you with insulin without you knowing

    If you’re a paranoid android, you might not want to read the following stories. With that little warning out of the way, researchers attending the Black Hat Technical conference (basically hackers getting together, hacking…stuff) have demonstrated that they can hack a car (a Subaru Outback to be specific) using an Android phone and a process they call war texting. The duo from the iSec Partners security firm set up their own GSM networked and snatched password authentication messages over the air.

    A more nefarious hack demonstrated by ironically, diabetic, researcher Jay Radcliff figured out how to hack an insulin pump hooked up to a wireless glucose monitor and potentially deliver a lethal dose of insulin. The most troubling part? If the attacker has a powerful enough antenna, they can do this while being half a mile away. Terrifying.

    Source: Engadget, Computerworld

    Smart will also carry the BlackBerry Playbook, will be available for pre-order starting Monday

    Gadgets Team
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    Smart will also carry the BlackBerry Playbook, will be available for pre-order starting Monday

    Seems like RIM’s been busy these past few days. A scant few days after Globe officially announced that they’ll be carrying the Canadian wünder-tablet, we’ve gotten word from Smart will also be carrying the BlackBerry Playbook. The Playbook will be available for pre-order from their site at www.smart.com.ph/bbplaybook from August 8 until August 17, and potential owners can grab with two different plans, both with free phones – a BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105 at Plan 3000 and a BlackBerry Torch 9800 at Plan 4000. Don’t worry if their pre-order page is down – it’ll go online as soon as they’re ready to process your pre-orders.

    Pinoy gaming team goes for gold in Germany

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Pinoy gaming team goes for gold in Germany

    Filipino gamers are a competitive bunch, and you only need to look at the Asus.Mineski team to see proof. The 5-man group led by Team Captain James Kenneth Valdez and comprised of Julius Sto. Domingo, John Jerick Roxas, Joshua Dela Sern and Jessie Cristy will be heading to Gamescom in Cologne, Germany to compete for the 2011 DoTA championship. Our boys will be going up against 16 teams from Europe, China, and Southeast Asia. Participating teams have to pass a group stage before entering a double elimination playoff bracket to determine the best players of the game.

    Up for grabs? A cool 1 million dollars sponsored by DoTA 2 game dev Valve. Yes the same Valve that made Team Fortress 2, Half-Life and Portal. If you guys want to drop the team a line and express your support to the lone Philippine representative to this event, you can visit them at their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/mineskidota. The tourney will happen from August 17-21.

     

    Alcatel launches Blaze series Android phones

    Gadgets Team
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    Alcatel launches Blaze series Android phones

    You’ve got to admire Alcatel because they’ve survived in a very tough market and are still going. In fact, the company intends to embark on an ambitious journey of launching 20 new phone models by the end of the year. Their current count is at 13, and it seems like they’re not stopping, especially with the release of 3 new mobiles in their Blaze series.

    All 3 mobiles come with Android Froyo 2.2 and feature the most commonly desired capabilities in  touchscreen phone: Wi-Fi, 3G+HSDPA, Bluetooth, G-Sensors, mp3/FM radio and expandable memories via microSD.

    The OneTouch Blaze 906 has a 2.8-inch TFT display, comes with a 2MP camera and supports up to 32GB of microSD extended memory. Some of the pre-installed apps include Facebook, Twidroyd, MY Track and PC Suit.

    Next up is the OneTouch Blaze Duo 890D, a dual SIM mobile with a 2.8-inch TFT display. It’s got a 2MP camera, GSM Quadband and EDGE. Memory can be maxed out to 16GB via microSD. The 890D also has Facebook, Twitter and Google Chrome.

    Lastly is the OneTouch Blaze 990, which has a 3.5-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen. Surfing the web is done with Google Chrome and photos are taken with a 5MP camera.

    Alcatel is holding a mid-year sale, and the mentioned prices below also apply to their other mobiles as well. The promo is in effect until the end of August.

     

    OneTouch Blaze Duo 890D: Php 4,999

    OneTouchBlaze 906: Php 6,399

    OneTouch Blaze 990: Php 9,999

     

    http://www.alcatelonetouch.com

     

    EVENT OUTTAKES:

    Review: NEO Basic B5702

    Gadgets Team
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    2
    Review: NEO Basic B5702

     

    Now that Sandybridge has been out for a good 9 months, it’s managed to find its way into all manner of devices and is now being used by a variety of manufacturers. NEO, a local brand that specializes in delivering affordable notebooks has come out with their own offerings based on Intel’s next generation chip. The NEO Basic B5702 is the biggest and baddest of the bunch – it packs a Core i7-2630QM processor at a price that’s hard to resist.

    The Basic B5702 remains true to its name. It’s a no frills device that eschews gimmicky designs for a familiar layout. Visually it’s not as stunning or as interesting as other notebooks. The display is a 14-inch LED screen, capable of resolutions up to 1366×768. It has a plain gloss black lid complimented by a faux-wood grain chassis.

    In keeping with the no frills theme, the Basic B5702 doesn’t have touch sensitive keys or media shortcut keys – just a large power button and the grill for the speakers are near the lid of the device.

    There’s a lot of connection options for the Basic B5702 – you get 3 USB ports (with one doubling as an eSata port), D-sub, Ethernet, HDMI and your usual audio connections. It also has an optical drive for you to use if you prefer. The keyboard layout is good, with the keys being spaced evenly.

    Like I said earlier, the Basic B5702 is equipped with an Intel Core i7-2630QM@2Ghz which is paired with about 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 640GB HDD. This particular processor is extremely powerful – it’s usually used in dedicated gaming machines and the like, so it’s capable of breezing through most applications like Adobe Photoshop without much issue. The screen size is big enough to watch movies on, and though the sound quality isn’t the best in the world, it’s good enough.

    One thing that potential buyers will need to be aware of when they consider the Basic B5702 is its weight – it’s about 2.4 kilos, so it’s probably a good idea to keep this thing on your desk rather than carry it around everywhere.

    Speaking of mobility, if you do choose to carry this thing around, you’ll be happy to know you’ll have about 4 hours of battery life available to you if you ever find yourself in a place without power plugs.

    I used PCMark Vantage to come up with a rough performance estimate of the Basic B5702. PCMark Vantage tests everything from viewing and editing photos, video, music and other media, gaming, communications, productivity and security. It managed to score 6365, which is pretty decent.

    No gadget is ever perfect, and the Basic B5702 is no exception. Aside from being pretty bland visually, the keyboard of the Basic B5702 is a bit stiff and takes a bit of getting used to. And while it’s totally capable of entry level gaming, this isn’t the machine for gamers, owing to its lack of a discrete GPU.

    But those things may not be as important as the unit’s price tag, which is a measly Php 34,999. It’s one of lowest price notebooks we’ve seen so far that’s equipped with a Core i7 processor, and for people hunting for a bargain machine might want to give the Basic B5702 a try.

    What’s Hot:

    Low price

    Powerful processor

    What’s Not:

    So-so design

    No discrete GPU

    Stiff keyboard

    Bottomline:

    At Php 34,999, it’s one of the best value for money Core i7 equipped notebooks out there.

    Buymeter: 8.4

    TECH SPECS

    • Screen Size
    • 14-inch LED, 1366×768
    • Memory
    • 4GB DDR3
    • CPU and chipset
    • Intel Core i7-2630QM@2Ghz
    • Wireless used802.11 b/g
    • Warranty
    • 1 year warranty on parts and service

    Man makes Augmented Reality version of OutRun, makes us want to drop tokens again

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Man makes Augmented Reality version of OutRun, makes us want to drop tokens again

    Sega’s arcade hit OutRun holds a special place in the hearts of all the kids who grew up in the 80’s. Aside from letting you drive a friggin’ Ferrari, it made our 9 year-old self feel extremely bad-ass. One man’s taken that feeling of nostalgia and has taken it upon himself to bring the radness of the 80’s back by creating an extremely cool mod using an OutRun cabinet and a golf cart. Here’s how it works: cameras in front of the hybrid carcade take road information in front of it and incorporates it into the 8-bit arcade game. So basically if you’re rolling down a track that has a left-hand corner or bend, you’ll see a representation of that bend rendered into the game. You can check out the video below to see it in action.

    Source: Concept Lab

    RIM releases new BlackBerry 7 devices

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    RIM releases new BlackBerry 7 devices

    Seems that Research in Motion has been keeping busy – after the official launch of the BlackBerry Playbook last night, we’ve gotten word that they’ve launched a couple of new BlackBerry 7 devices on the other side of the world. The Canadian company is rolling out with two new BlackBerry Bold models and three new BlackBerry Torch models, all of which will be running the BlackBerry 7 OS.

    The new devices under the Bold line are the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the 9930, which is skinnier that RIM’s previous offering. The new Torch lineup meanwhile includes the Torch 9810, 9850 and 9860.

    Also shipping with these smartphones is the latest version of the BlackBerry OS. RIM promises the new version is faster, and is more fluid when browsing the web. Combining the dramatically improved performance of the advanced WebKit browser engine together with the powerful hardware enhancements found in the BlackBerry 7 based smartphones delivers browsing  results that are up to 40% faster than BlackBerry 6 based smartphones and up to 100% faster than BlackBerry 5 based smartphones.

    Sadly, there’s no word on how much these devices will cost once it lands on our shores, but it wouldn’t be too far fetched to think that they’ll be offered by Globe in different plans when they do.

     

    Gadgets Magazine turns 11!

    Gadgets Team
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    25
    Gadgets Magazine turns 11!


    After a decade of keeping you up-to-date on the latest technology and gadgets as well as lifestyle products, services, and trends, Gadgets Magazine continues to serve you up a monthly dose of tech-lifestyle info with no signs of holding back. So to usher in Volume 12 and our 11th anniversary issue, we give you a taste of the high-life and lavish excess. With the ever-beautiful Angel Locsin gracing our cover and the equally charming Isabel Oli to show you the beauty of opulence, the Gadgets Magazine August issue is one must-have copy for those who wouldn’t mind a little Luxe to go with their Living.

    Grab your copy now!

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