Right on schedule, Gateway has set free its P-7811 FX gaming laptop, and we got our hands on one right before you can get your own.
Our test unit shipped with the aforementioned Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.26GHz with a 3MB L2 cache, Windows Vista Home 64-bit, Intel PM45 Express Chipset, NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS with 512MB of GDDR3 discrete video memory, a 17-inch WXGA screen, 200GB 7200 SATA HDD, 4GB DDR3 800MHz RAM, HDMI, 9-cell battery, and 1.3MP webcam. We're pretty pleased with the performance of the machine, although dialing up Crysis to its max settings made it choke a bit. We're still not sold on the computer's stylings, but in a dark room of gaming goodness, who's paying attention to gaudy lights and overly-shiny carbon anyway, right? Peep the hands-on pics and a brief video of Crysis in action after the break. And yes, we know we suck at the game.
August 13, 2008
Gateway P-7811FX gaming laptop unboxing and hands-on
Touch Sight camera for the blind displays photos using Braille
http://geek-seeker.blogspot.com/ for the visually impaired are nothing new, but the Touch Sight camera is one of the most unique we've seen. Designed to be held against the forehead, the camera doesn't have an LCD, but instead displays a three-dimensional representation of the image on a built-in Braille screen and records three seconds of audio to assist users in locating and managing shots. Just a concept for now, but let's hope it makes it to market -- it seems like it'd be a fun toy for the sighted as well.
3-Alarm fire burns at Apple's Cupertino campus
Uh oh. At about 10pm pacific time, a 3-alarm fire (about 66 firefighters responding) was reported at Apple's Valley Green Six building on Apple's Cupertino campus. The site which is just down the road from the Infinite Loop HQ is said to be an R&D building by Apple personnel -- Apple has not confirmed this. The fire seems to be under control with no reported injuries although it's too soon for any kind of damage estimates. As surreal as it sounds, The Mercury News reports that, "Some Apple employees stopped by to look at the scene and snap pictures on their I-phones." And fiddle, presumably. Hit the read link for a local news video report.
Sony expects to launch its 11-inch OLED TV 'XEL-1' in Europe
SEOUL, Korea (AVING) -- 
Us too, after all, it's been on sale in Japan since December of 2007 and was recently caught slumming the big box outlets in the US. It only seems natural then, that Sony would ramp production to the point that by 2009 they could meet the minimal, European demand for a $2,500-ish TV measuring just 11-inches -- million:1 contrast or not. Still, it's all a bit late if you ask us (you did right?) seeing as how Sony plans to be producing medium to large OLED panels as early as April 2009.
The Aliens is coming!
UFOs...what are they? Unfortunately, by definition, we can never know. Because, as the genius author Isaac Asimov pointed out, once you know what a UFO is, it ceases to become a UFO (as you have no identified it). Well, guess what? We know what UFOs really are - and we know how to make them. Flying discs with weird glowing orbs are a ThinkGeek specialty, and now we offer this technology to you. 
All you have to do to make your own UFOs is to pick your favorite colors of glow tube. Activate them and plug them into the holes on the Flying Disc. If you need a longer tube, you can easily connect two or more with the aptly named "connector piece." When you are done with your creation, it will look something like a mad scientist's Easter bonnet. But all you have to do is throw it to see the transformation - each line of color will become a 3D solid as it spins. You will be able to get some exercise at night, freak out your neighbors, and have fun all at the same time. Because remember, you can't spell "UFO" without "fun!"
Glow and Throw UFO Flying Disc
August 12, 2008
Upgrade Your Stubby Fingers
Ever notice how your iPhone screen only responds to your finger... or any other small appendage you have handy?
his is because it uses a technology called capacitive touch which measures the flow of electrons through your skin. The iPhone Japanese Touch Pen Stylus emulates your finger and allows you to gain precise control while using your phone. This sleek metal stylus is imported from Japan and features an angled spring loaded tip for easier on-screen dragging. The removable cap on the back unscrews to reveal a SIM eject tool. It's perfect for those of you with long fingernails or simply oversized stubby man fingers.
Product Features
Luxeed Dynamic Pixel LED Keyboard
Sure we've seen illuminated keyboards before, but then we saw the Luxeed Dynamic Pixel LED Keyboard and stopped looking. With 430 LEDs the Luxeed is capable of individually lighting each key in your choice of color. What's more it can do some amazing tricks like an animated rainbow across all the keys, or make each key light when you press it.
You get four "preset" buttons above the arrow keys you can use to instantly choose between different customizable lit skin presets. Set-up a glowing skin for your favorite game with different colors to indicate each key action... or create illuminated patterns and designs. Hey, the Luxeed doesn't have a tiny screen on each key like the legendary Optimus Maximus, but it's a hell of a lot cheaper.
Pick your Luxeed flavor of black or white. The keys of the white Luxeed have a
semi-transparent look and light up more brightly than the black. However the black Luxeed has a stylish treatment with only the letters being illuminated. Both keyboards look the best in dim lighting of course. Optionally you can pick up the matching numeric keypad to match your Luxeed, but we do warn you that the keypad is functional only, its keys do not light up. Gotcha?
States may tax iTunes, other digital downloads
If you enjoy buying music from iTunes, movies from Amazon.com's Unbox, or computer software from anywhere, be warned: the halcyon days of tax-free digital purchases may be over.
With retail e-commerce sales now estimated to exceed $130 billion a year, and iTunes song purchases topping 5 billion, state politicians and tax collectors have begun to levy new fees on digital downloads
The push stems from an odd legal quirk: because most states' tax laws were written long before the Internet existed, they may accidentally immunize downloads from taxation. This is the case even in otherwise high-tax states like California, where physical CDs are taxed heavily but iTunes downloads remain tax-free for now.
Tech industry groups like NetChoice, which counts eBay, AOL, and Yahoo as members, have been lobbying against the rise in so-called iTaxes--with limited success.
Including Nebraska and Tennessee, there are 17 states, plus the District of Columbia, that tax digital downloads, according to our earlier research: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Washington. (For more details, see our special report from 2006.)
The new Tennessee law (PDF) that taxes "the retail sale, lease, licensing, or use of specified digital products transferred to or accessed by subscribers or consumers" takes effect in January 2009. The Nebraska law, which taxes "sales of digital audio works (music), digital audiovisual works (movies, music videos, TV shows), and digital books," takes effect in October.
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