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Are you the world’s biggest electronophiles?

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Does your significant other wake up to find you Twittering in the middle of the night from your iPhone? Have you been caught playing your DS at the family dinner table? Have you drained your children’s college fund to pimp out the family room entertainment center? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you may be suffering from electronophilia.

Ciao.com, a multi-million-strong online community that critically reviews and rates millions of products and services for the benefit of its members and users, is looking for the world’s biggest electronophiles to win cool prizes from Apple, Nintendo and Sony.

Ciao is challenging tech lovers to prove their electronophilia by submitting video reviews (as well as original text reviews) of favorite tech gadgets – anything from video games to MP3 players and everything in between.

A committee of professional electronophiles will be monitoring the Ciao.com community for extraordinary reviews. Entrants must include the word “electronophile” in the title of their video and text reviews in order to be eligible.

Three of Ciao.com’s “Electronophile” contest winners will receive one of the following prizes: An Apple 8G iPod Touch, an approximate $299 retail value; A Nintendo DS Light handheld gaming console, an approximate $299 retail value; A Sony Cybershot DSC-W120 digital camera, an approximate $179 retail value.

Originally posted on September 16, 2008 @ 9:27 am

Logitech unveils Mac-compatible webcam… better late than never

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To help you stay close to those who matter most, Logitech unveiled its first Mac-compatible webcam with premium autofocus technology and Carl Zeiss optics: the Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro webcam for Mac. The new Logitech webcam delivers image-perfect detail and clarity, and exceptional video calling with iChat and Skype.

To deliver image-perfect detail and clarity, the Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro webcam for Mac combines Logitech’s premium autofocus technology with Carl Zeiss optics. The new Logitech webcam uses a voice coil motor for its autofocus system, instead of a stepper motor. Focusing is fast and fluid – crisp even in extreme close-ups only 10 cm from the camera lens. Logitech’s autofocus system compensates for changes in image-edge sharpness and refocuses images in less than three seconds. And through its exclusive collaboration with Carl Zeiss, Logitech ensures that the lens meets the world-renowned Zeiss standards for design and manufacturing to achieve superior sharpness in a compact, lightweight design.

It will set you back, however, by $129.99. Also, why the need for a camera when most Mac machines have iSight included.

Originally posted on June 28, 2008 @ 1:44 pm

Toshiba pushing Web-enabled HD DVDs

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hd-dvd.jpgToshiba said today the next generation DVD format it backs – HD DVD – will begin offering new titles which offer Web-enabled network capabilities. The goal of this new feature is to offer a higher degree of interactivity for HD DVD users.

Folks who update the firmware on their Toshiba HD DVD players, the consumer electronics company said, will find their device now supports improved network connectivity for downloading web-enabled network content. Going through the Ethernet ports one will be able to download and store bonus features or unlock content on the disc which requires a downloadable key. HD DVD owners will also be able to upload content and interact with content providers.

Web-enabled network content became available on June 26 with the launch of Bandai Visual’s anime title “Freedom” volume 1. This title is the first HD DVD anime title available in the United States, the first web-enabled network content disc and the first “twin format” disc (featuring both HD DVD and DVD on one side of the disc).

Originally posted on June 29, 2007 @ 3:01 pm

iPhone research generates many searches

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As the final hours of an iPhone free world count down Internet research firm comScore released data related to U.S. search activity for the last few months about Apple’s hot gadget. This data in summary shows an average of 274,000 iPhone searches per week since the beginning of the year.

The study shows that through June 24 nearly 6.9 million searches were conducted which include the term “iPhone.” The most commonly searched for related topics included iPhone price and iPhone release date. When the product was first announced in January iPhone searches hit over 1.1 million during the first week alone, settling down to a smaller range in the weeks following. After Apple did a big advertising push earlier this month search results jumped back over 1.2 million for the week ending June 24.

“The iPhone launch is likely to be one of the biggest product launches in history, and the activity we’re seeing online clearly reflects widespread consumer interest,” said James Lamberti, senior vice president of search solutions at comScore. “This study also helps underscore the significant role search plays in both online and offline retail, since many of those researching the product online will be lining up at the bricks-and-mortar retailers to purchase their new iPhones.”

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Originally posted on June 29, 2007 @ 2:40 pm

Google launches Google Gadget Ventures

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Google Developer Blog announced the the launch of Google Gadget Ventures, “a new pilot program for distributing grants and seed investments to gadget developers and gadget-related businesses.”

Tom Stocky of Google Developer Programs explained the kinds of funding that they will offer:

The program will provide two kinds of funding. First, we’ll invite promising gadget developers (individuals or businesses) to apply for $5,000 grants to fund further development. These are not loans or equity investments; they’re simply grants for gadgets that already have a thriving user base and we think have potential for even more improvement. To be considered for a grant, your gadget needs to have more than 250,000 pageviews per week, and you need to provide a one-page proposal on how you’d like to improve your gadget. This is a no-strings-attached grant; we won’t ask for repayment of any kind. We simply ask that you work on your project in good faith.

Originally posted on June 28, 2007 @ 9:14 am