So much in love with shiny new toys, it's unnatural.
NEW YORK, 8:15 PM, TUE MAR 4
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EDITED BY BRIAN LAM | tips@gizmodo.com
Dubai

Dubai Artificial Island City Mixes Mythic Past and Future With a Death Star 3D Neighborhood for Kicks

From afar, Dubai is the most exciting place on earth, almost every day shaping up to be more like the utopic sci-fi fantasy city we had in our heads growing up. Its latest architectural stuntwork/masterpiece is the 1.5-billion-square-foot Waterfront City designed by Rem Koolhaas, an entire self-contained city resting atop an artificial island that mixes inspirations from ninth-century mosques to Koolhaas's own ideas about the THX 1138-esque generic city. more »

8:00 PM ON TUE MAR 4 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
0 views, 3 comments

Latest by ripfire4: See that first brick on the lower east side of the island? That's when I drove from L.A. to Chicago last year. more »

motorola_log.jpg motoruhroh

Motorola CEO Looking for Fresh Blood to Lead Battered Handset Division

A month after he personally seized the reigns at Motorola's beleaguered handset division, CEO Greg Brown is already looking to hand off the responsibility—and maybe the flack?—to someone from outside. Maybe a new perspective is what it needs, all those RAZRs start to look the same after a while. Oh wait. [Into Mobile]

6:00 PM ON TUE MAR 4 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
531 views, 15 comments

itcone.jpg Home Entertainment

$25,000 ITC One Theater in a Box Fills the Naked Void With Blu-ray

When we last saw the $25,000 all-singing, all-dancing ITC One, the one component it mysteriously lacked was a Blu-ray player, throwing in its lot with an Xbox 360 HD DVD setup. Stepping to the times, it's been updated to support our new optical overlords with a standalone Blu-ray drive. It's a little bizarre they didn't go with a PS3—it's the most futureproof Blu-ray player on the market since it'll support the 2.0 spec that most won't, plus hello, games. But if you were opening your wallet before that sentence, it's not like it matters to you anyway. [Crave via Kotaku]

4:40 PM ON TUE MAR 4 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
1,370 views, 7 comments

Latest by MagnoliaBoy: I want to smash this thing sooo BAD!!! Can't...Stop...Hammer... Ahhh, that feels better. .....Oh Crap, that was my work 'puter, NOOO!!!!! more »

gymnike.jpg ipod+nike

Nike + iPod to Jack Directly Into Gym Equipment

Nike + iPod is great for running, not so great for most other stuff in the gym. So, Nike and Apple are teaming up with most of the major gym equipment makers—Life Fitness, Precor, Star Trac and Technogym—to make their cardio equipment Nike + iPod-friendly. You'll be able to track workouts on stair steppers, ellipticals, bikes and treadmills and upload them to NikePlus.com, like the standard Nike + iPod. Of course, this all requires to your gym to either buy new equipment or upgrade what they've got, so you might have to wait a while to get on board. [AppleInsider]

2:20 PM ON TUE MAR 4 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
1,937 views, 15 comments

Latest by Xavoc: @b33g33: Hrm, that's odd. I tend to believe my iPod has better sound quality than an FM radio. I just use my own headphones instead of the ones that came with it. more »

Dell

Dell Latitude XFR D630 Will Stop a Tank Shell (Almost)

Dell's first fully ruggedized laptop is the Arnold of notebooks: A massive block of a machine that can withstand a SWAT team assault while blowing up Cyberdyne Systems. The D630 meets Department of Defense MIL-STD 810F standards for operation in extreme temps, moisture and altitude with a solid magnesium chassis, sealed keyboard, SSD and shock protection for its delicates. Dell also says it stomps out Panasonic's ruggedized Toughbooks like girlie men with 23 percent better performance. more »

1:20 PM ON TUE MAR 4 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
5,742 views, 50 comments

Latest by racermd: This thing looks like it was lifted from Panasonic's warehouse and got a bunch of Dell stickers. Seriously - there's only so many ways a truly rugged computer can be configured in a compact package, so there's bound to more »

amd45.jpg Amd

AMD Finally Shows Off Its 45nm Processors

At CeBit today AMD finally showed off the fruits of its 45nm labors—one server and one desktop chip, a far cry from the 16 Intel launched with Penryn's debut back in January. But, given AMD's woes lately, on the technical and biznass fronts, we're just glad to see 'em. more »

11:41 AM ON TUE MAR 4 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
3,962 views, 28 comments

mokodesign.jpg OpenMoko

Design and Make Your Own OpenMoko Phone

OpenMoko is taking its open philosophy a step beyond its Linux soul and has released the CAD (computer-aided design) files for the Neo1973, allowing you to design and create your own body for the phone. The catch for selfish bastards is that it's under a ShareAlike Creative Commons license, so you've gotta make w/ the show and tell if you whip up a pocket-size Second Coming. [OpenMoko]

1:27 AM ON TUE MAR 4 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
3,134 views, 5 comments

ares.jpg Asus

Asus's First Gaming Desktop ARES CG6150 Looks Like a Decepticon

Alienware's iconic cases might have the X-Files fanboy segment of the gaming desktop market still swooning, but Asus is refreshing it with a little more evil styling for its first gaming PC that looks more like a Decepticon's head. It almost looks like it'll open up and tell you in a booming robot voice how hard you suck when you get your face rocked in UT3. more »

12:50 AM ON TUE MAR 4 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
8,382 views, 32 comments

Pioneer%2042%20Dead%20GI.jpg Rumor

Reuters: Pioneer Ending ALL Plasma Production, Will Outsource Panels to Panasonic

About a week ago it was confirmed that Pioneer was killing off its 42-inch plasmas to focus on sets bigger than 50 inches. Now Japan's Nikkei and Reuters are reporting that they're going to cease making plasma panels entirely, and will buy them from Matsushita (Panasonic). This follows a similar consolidation trend in the LCD market. But none of them went from putting out the best TVs in the world to effectively buying their heart and soul from their fiercest rival, either, which makes this a bit more shocking. [Reuters]

12:20 AM ON TUE MAR 4 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
3,390 views, 31 comments

Latest by Plasmatic: Pioneer, Panasonic and Sharp are not all the same company. Yes, it looks like if you want Kuro technology you better get it while its hot... would take a while to integrate the technology into anyone else's plant. Plasma definitely looks better more »

Gadgets

iPod Video Projector: Good for a Starry Night, Not Your Home Theater


This iPod video projector box reminds me of my non-existent Boy Scout days. There's no soldering, wires or any real "hax," just a cardboard box of mirrors and lenses. Since it's just reflecting off the actual iPod screen, as you can imagine it looks like total ass, though if you're out camping, it could have an endearing bootleggy, roughing it sort of quality to it. Something to do after you've finished burning the ticks off of each other's necks. [instructables]

5:00 PM ON MON MAR 3 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
1,628 views, 8 comments

Latest by daftrok: Or just get this: [electronics.pricegrabber.com] more »

monstervscoathanger.jpg monster cables

Audiophile Deathmatch: Monster Cables vs. a Coat Hanger

Whether or not Monster Cables are worth it is a war that has raged since home theater immemorial. A poster at Audioholics was put in a room with five fellow audiophiles, and a Martin Logan SL-3 speaker set at 75Db at 1000KHz playing a mix of "smooth, trio, easy listening jazz" that no one had heard before. In one corner, Monster 1000 speaker cables. In the other, four coat hangers twisted and soldered into a speaker cable. more »

2:30 PM ON MON MAR 3 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
41,608 views, 95 comments

Latest by johnnyabnormal: @Xavoc: Wow, I'm sorry to hear that. (really, no pun intended) I can't imagine what I'd do if I had that kind of hearing loss. Is it mostly the high end of your hearing that was effected? more »

amazonmp3.jpg Amazon

Amazon MP3 Store Now Linux-Friendly

Amazon's MP3 store got officially Linux-friendly last week, adding support for Debian 4 Etch, Fedora 8, Open SUSE 10.3, and Unbuntu 7.10 Gutsy. So who's still locked out of the store? [Amazon]

1:30 PM ON MON MAR 3 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
1,823 views, 21 comments

explode.jpg Blu-Ray

Blu-ray Cannot Contain Metal Gear Solid 4's Awesomeness

The one technical advantage Blu-ray held over HD DVD is that Blu-ray discs hold more stuff, 50GB on a dual-layer disc. But that's still not enough for Metal Gear Solid 4 in all its glory, according to creator Hideo Kojima:
Kojima: For us, we're not still not satisfied with the quality we can do. You know, there's not capacity space.
more »

12:30 PM ON MON MAR 3 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
17,381 views, 95 comments

TomTom

TomTom Go 930 and Go 730 IQ Route Knows Best Way to Go On Monday or Saturday

The TomTom Go 730 and Go 930 are refreshes of their 720 and 920, with two new headlining features: IQ route and advanced lane guidance. Using data collected over the last year from other TomTom devices, IQ route actually tells you the best way to go depending on the day—like, the freeway on Saturday afternoon, but backroads on a Monday morning. Right now it's only by day, but as they collect more data, it'll be increasingly specific—morning vs. night, etc. Advanced lane guidance is basically a little movie demo of massive highway junctions and turnoffs, so you don't take the wrong one. Full specs below. more »

10:00 AM ON MON MAR 3 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
4,511 views, 21 comments

Latest by everzen: Garmin 800 series is the way to go guys. more »

atone.jpg informed-specurumor

Universal's Appropriately Final HD DVD Release: Atonement

After Paramount's remaining HD DVD schedule (to be generous) came out, we hit up Universal to see what their roadmap looked like. Unfortunately, it looks to be just as barren. Here's the response we got:
We have Atonement available on HD DVD March 18th—we have not announced anything additional.
more »

4:15 PM ON SUN MAR 2 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
3,782 views, 20 comments

iphone.jpg Cellphones

Cellphone Makers Have No Idea Why We Hate Their Phones

Cellphone makers like LG, Moto and Nokia are apparently laboring harder than ever over what we think about their phones (mostly not happy thoughts!). But guess what? Even with this newfound "concern" they still don't get it. Here's a couple of their ridiculous, out-of-touch ideas about how make us happy from a panel at MWC:
One panelist suggested that cellphone makers tap into consumers' "neural networks", while another said they should understand their subliminal needs.
WTF? more »

8:30 PM ON FRI FEB 29 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
28,214 views, 101 comments

Latest by Johnnyremix: I think what the manufacturers need to do rather then gunning straight to the consumer ( generally consumers dont know exactly what they want just have a general idea) is to poll a base of reps in the stores that more »

amazonhd.jpg Rumor

Amazon Unbox HD Rentals Coming Soon?

Amazon's Unbox service might finally get some HD action. This screencap is from a survey sent out to their customer panel—notice the $4.99 pricepoint to rent an HD movie is the same as iTunes. Where's the "cheaper, plz" option? They also asked whether there's interest in subscriptions—like to "hit movies," or say, indie flicks. What say ye? [Thanks Michael!]

7:30 PM ON FRI FEB 29 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
2,582 views, 11 comments

brmbp.jpg Rumor

Rumor: Apple Wants Sony Blu-ray Drives for MacBook Pros

AppleInsider says Apple is "actively" poking Sony (as opposed to other BR manufacturers) for slot-loading Blu-ray drives for MacBook Pros—Apple supposedly even wanted to offer BR SuperDrives with the new Penryn-powered machines, but "quality issues" meant Sony could only deliver combo drives. Apple said shno thanks for now. more »

6:30 PM ON FRI FEB 29 2008
BY MATT BUCHANAN
9,742 views, 25 comments

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