Filed under: GPS, Transportation

Sure, the higher-ups in Switzerland aren't exactly fond of GPS devices that sniff out speed cameras, but that's not stopping France's own GPSPrevent from kicking out a rendition of its own to fight The Man whilst driving. Presumably similar in function to Cobra's own forthcoming (and controversial) red-light camera / radar detector, the G200 integrates a GPS receiving into a typical detector in order to warn drivers about "fixed radars, danger zones, and mobile radars" throughout France and Europe. In an effort to get extra fancy, it even informs the driver of the distance until a zone is reached, what the authorized speed limit is, what type of radar it is, and how frequent the given camera looks for victims. The device signifies that you're coming up on a speed trap by beep or robotic yelps (read: male or female vocal cues) from up to 600-meters away, and the volume can be adjusted depending on how frightened you'd like to be when this fel...

Filed under: HDTV, Peripherals, Networking
Sony announced last month that they would be releasing products including their new Internet Video Link capabilities, which will allow users to stream free standard and high-definition content through their broadband connections directly to the television, bypassing any set-top boxes or computers. Providers will include AOL, Yahoo!, Sony Pictures, and Sony BMG music, along with user generated videos and RSS feeds. Now we've got more detail on the IVL box, along with a glimpse at the first sets to support it. Apparently the unit will display its wares in Sony's XMB Xross Media Bar format, as seen on the company's PSP and PS3 consoles. The IVL module will be sold separately for $300 starting in July, and it attaches to the back of a "majority" of Sony's 2007 BRAVIA sets. Looks like a regular ol' USB plug will do the honors, and the IVL saps power from the TV while sipping internet off of an Ethernet plug, so added cable clutter will be fai...

Sony's best LCDs in today's announcements are disappointingly not in the top of the line XBR series of Bravias, but additions to their still high-end V-series of LCDs. The 1080p models come in 40 and 46-inch sizes, dubbed the KDL-40v3000 and KDL-46v3000, respectively. They get many tricks, including upscaling from standard def sources to full HD, and the ability to control devices via HDMI cable. But the most remarkable upgrades are the "Xross" media bar UI ripped from the Playstation 3, 10-bits per pixel processing for much finer color, native support for the real frame rate of almost all modern films, and internet video. That's enough to make me forget my beloved XBR..
Before I get onto explaining those last three, let's go over the rest of the line.
The S-Series Bravia LCDs are 1366 by 768 sets that will handle 720p, but won't do more than that natively. That's fine for the 26 and 32 inch models (KDL-26s3000 and KDL-32s3000) but the 40 and 46 inchers (KDL-40s3000 and KD...

We've taken a glance at Wolverine Wolverine ESP Multimedia players before, but none have had the ability to store 160GB of data on an internal hard drive, the largest amount of storage space available on a portable player. We've had a chance to spent some quality time with the Wolverine ESP, and found it to be a bit clunky but impressive nonetheless.
With its 7-in-1 flash memory card reader, it's a great dumping ground for your digital photos when you're in the field, backing up those cards so you can wipe them clean for another round of shooting. Meanwhile, that 160GB of storage space on its internal hard drive gives you a fast cornfield onto which you can load lots of video. We tested it with DivX and AC3 files, which it played back flawlessly on its 3.6-inch 320x240 LCD screen. Here's more about our hands-on experience:
galleryPost('wolverine', 8, 'Wolverine ESP Multimedia Storage Player ');
Boot up the Wolverine ESP and you can immediately tell there is a spinn...

i.Dear enters a crowded field of wooden electronics with its 1.5-watt keychain speaker. The market for uselessly small speakers must be a burgeoning one. It works with any audio source that has the standard audio out jack, while its Korean designers laud its ability to output sound from devices like the all but failed PSP and music-friendly cellphones. After all, who wouldn't want to hear hottt ringtonez from today's latest RIAA-approved "artist" bellow out of a small wooden speaker?
Come to think of it, portable speakers rarely do anybody any good. Firstly, show me someone who wants to listen to Fall Out Boy for the thousandth time (and makes me listen to it, too) and I'll show you a member of the Communist Party. Secondly, portable speakers often sound like wet mud, to use only the most scientific terminology. You're better off investing in a solid pair of headphones. Not only will they sound better, but the people around you will be grateful. – Nicholas Deleo...

If you're one of the dozen or so people out there looking to buy a PSP rather than a DS, now you can get a model that'll really show off your love for the red-headed stepchild of the handheld gaming world. The new gold PSP is available now for $200, and while it's made for Japanese audiences, you can still read the menus in English and play US games. You won't be able to watch US UMD movies on it, but come on, were you really planning on doing that in the first place? –Adam Frucci
Product Page [via UberReview]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals

While it won't do your laptop any good, this new Freeloader gig from Solar Technology should be able to provide juice to just about every other gadget in your repertoire. The device contains its own li-ion rechargeable battery, which it can fill up from your laptop or desktop's power via USB, or using its 120mA crystalline solar cells. From there you've got a master cable and eleven adaptors to get the electricity into your phone, camera, PDA, GPS, gaming handheld or DAP. Solar Technology seems to have most of the big brands covered, and claims it can fuel an iPod for 18 hours, a mobile phone for 44 hours, PSP for 2.5 hours and a PDA for 22 hours -- not too shabby for the 6.5 ounce unit. Sure, we've seen plenty of similar chargers before, but the combination of device compatibility and relatively low price (£30, about $59 US) makes this a decent option for those sun-drenched road warriors out there. 
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Filed under: Storage
We love when lofty claims actually get put to the test, and while we know that an iPod can't hold its own in a blender and an unshielded PSP is no match for a katana, neither of those actually touted any form of defense to begin with. Not so with Pretec's iDisk flash drive, which actually goes so far as to claim that it's "bulletproof," spurning a few shooters at a gun club to grab a few pistols, a camcorder, and give it a go. Initially, the battle-tested drive brushed off a 9mm round, .357 shot, and even a .44 slug without too much damage to the enclosure, but the little fellow didn't fare so well against the mighty .500 Magnum, which practically obliterated it in one fell swoop. Of course, a data thief desperate for your information isn't likely to destroy the very bytes he or she is after, but if you're frightened that Pretec's offering isn't quite macho enough for your needs, we're sure the "nuclear proof" Iron Drive could fit the bill -- until it meets the...

Remember that Nvidia smartphone we spotted at 3GSM? Well, the girls at Shiny Shiny have gotten some video of what the phone's interface could look like. The video essentially shows you the kind of horsepower the new chip can harness. As for the UI itself, it kinda reminds me of the PSP's interface, excect a little easier on the eyes. What do you guys think? – Louis Ramirez
Nvidia Next-Gen Mobile Phone Interface [Shiny Shiny]

Filed under: Gaming

After years of acting as the mortal enemy of PSP users the world over, Network Update is finally giving back to the community with this latest hack, which allows you to use the nefarious bit of software to update your homebrew-happy Dark_Alex firmware. Of course, to pull it off you'll have to install a plugin from Xandu and Team 280, which involves fiddling with your BIOS and possibly bricking your system, and apparently the plugin is only working with about 2/3 of users so far, but we deem those risks a small price to pay for the sort of moral triumph involved in this hack of hacks.

[Via PSP Fanboy] 
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