FdmNews

Nothing matches the raw badassery of drifting a sports car with a six-digit sticker price through a white-knuckled hairpin turn. But, here's the reality: Unless you have an enormous bankroll and a good lawyer, that's probably not a great idea. This is why the FSM invented videogames and steering-wheel controllers. Playing Need for Speed: Shift with Logitech's deluxe G27 steering wheel is about as close to mashing a Bugatti Veyron you can get without leaving your couch — and with the Logitech, there's much less risk of property damage or a wrongful-death lawsuit. Like the G25 before it, Logitech designed the G27 with precision in mind. The 11-inch wheel sports 900 degrees of rotation, simulates tire grip through force feedback, and comes wrapped in buttery smooth leather. When cornering through high-speed, g-heavy turns it felt like we were actually at wheel of a sports car. Logitech made some sensible upgrades from the G25, too. There are now six programmable buttons (three left, three right) located on the wheel itself, sturdier shifting paddles, and a nifty rpm indicator. But unfortunately, not all additions are solid. The included pedals and gear shifter are less "home run," more "hit and run." To be fair, these components have fantastic build quality. The gas, brake and clutch pedals not only look great, but have a satisfyingly weighty feel when pressed...... View the full article

Don't get us wrong -- we love subwoofers -- but honestly we've been pretty satisfied with the formula that combines a driver, strong box and large amplifier into a more or less (we prefer less) inconspicuous cube. Changing the physical design always looks kind of strange, even when the results are great. Horses for courses, however, as KEF has introduced its HTB2SE-W subwoofer that has us thinking of one George Jetson. That impression is only enhanced by the wireless connection (hey, it was futuristic a few years ago) that promises "CD-quality sound," which is probably more than sufficient for even.... View the full article

Just when you thought it was safe above 60-inches, Samsung's showing off a new LCD at CEDIA with the best old-school CCFL tech has to offer. It may not have the sexy side profile of its edge lit-LED brethren or the cachet of certain plasmas but with the sheer size of the LN65B650, even shrouded by foliage in Samsung's booth setup, we're more than ready to catch a game on this baby. View the full article

Canon's seemingly imminent EOS 7D DSLR may still not be fully official just yet, but there's certainly no end to the leaks these days, with the camera's complete video specs only the latest to surface. Assuming this latest rumor is on the mark, it looks like you can expect to get your choice of 24, 25 or 30 fps video at full 1080p, or 50 or 60 fps at 720p, along with an external mic, full manual controls (though not continuous focus, it seems), some in-camera editing options and, of course, and HDMI out port for some big screen viewing. What's left to know? A price and release date, for starters -- but hopefully Canon itself will clear those details up (and confirm the rest) before too long. View the full article

Whooo. (Not Wooo.) Amazing how a few well framed PR shots can reignite gadget lust, just when it seems extinguished. Sure, LG's 15-inch OLED HDTV will probably follow the path of Sony's $2,500 11-inch XEL-1 to the land of ridiculously overpriced trinkets that few can or will purchase and eventually falls by the wayside when larger, cheaper options become available. Still, checking out that ultra bright screen in these photos has us checking our bank account for an extra few grand, refreshing the feeling last experienced when we checked it out in person at CES. The appearance of these on LG's Flickr stream would appear to support the summer mass production-December launch we've been promised, who else is wishing the 30-inch version wasn't delayed until 2012? View the full article

Even before Sony's big unveil earlier this month at Leipzig GamesCom, it felt like we already knew the PlayStation 3 Slim quite intimately. A leak from back in May gave us a glimpse of every angle of the hardware's exterior, and even the final retail box. At that point, we didn't know what to make of it, and the change in logo font definitely threw us off. Three months, thirty seconds of video, and a dash of legal paperwork later, and we're looking at that very same leaked device, now taking up space adjacent to our hefty 60GB "Classic" model from launch day. Unquestionably, it's smaller and lighter, but how else has Sony's Blu-ray-playing console evolved -- or regressed -- over these past few years? Read on to find out! Gallery: PS3 Slim vs. PS3 original vs. Xbox 360... fight! Continue reading PlayStation 3 Slim review View the full article

If Lord Byron had been hip to this newfangled computer thing way back in his day, this might just have been the sort of peripheral he'd have been sporting. Made from a real sheep's skull -- and real brass, though that's somehow less interesting -- this mouse has everything a megalomaniacal world conqueror needs to feel at home: fine ornamental detailing, the soothing texture of real bone, and the enticing mental image of crushing skulls every time you click. There's not much wiggle room here, you'll either love it or loathe it, but don't fret about the sheep, it died of natural causes. More pics after the break. View the full article

When a tip comes in touting video of another so-call YouTube "musical genius" it's hard to fight through the blasé glaze in which we find ourselves entombed. Still, one indifferent mouse-click later and we're treated to Moldover's Awesome Edition CD. The awesome part is the custom-designed circuit board that accompanies the CD and lists the tracks while doubling as a theremin instrument with headphone jack -- all in a standard-size jewel case. Hit the on button and start making 'music' by waving your hand in front of the light sensors. Sure it sounds a bit like you're releasing air from a pinched balloon and it costs $50 ($10 for CD-only or $25 for a Pocket Edition), but hey, give this guy some credit for innovation. Check the video after the break, you will believe at the 1-minute mark. View the full article

One of the challenges for companies trying to build across the "three screens" of the television, PC and cell phone is adapting their distinctive technologies to those platforms. Apple showed strong early momentum on the Mac with its widget architecture, but is falling behind some rivals in bringing glanceable utility to other platforms. Introduced with Mac OS X Tiger, Dashboard widgets (or "gadgets" as Google and Microsoft call them) are small, simple applets intended to convey quick bits of information or provide a quick change of settings. Veteran Mac users recognized them as the reincarnation of desk accessories, which provided functions such as an alarm clock and note pad when the Mac could run only one program at a time. Apple aggregates thousands of widgets on a special web page, and Leopard brought a new feature called Web Clips to provide an easy way for consumers to create their own widgets from part of a Web page in addition to the more traditional Dashcode development tool. Dashboard earned its own button on the Mac keyboard. It drew some criticism due to its modal nature, but its ability to quickly display or hide a screenful of widgets without having to mess with window arrangements made it more convenient than the gadget implementation in Windows Vista and even Windows 7, which has freed gadgets from the Sidebar and now displays them on the desktop -- a throwback to the Active Desktop feature of Windows 95.Continue reading Switched On: Apple wanes in the widget wars View the full article

More than a few people have been interested in Onkyo's x07 receiver updates, and now the newness has come to the TX-SR707 and TX-NR807 models. The outgoing TX-SR706 and TX-SR806 models are well-specced to begin with, and thankfully Onkyo didn't mess with that formula. As you can guess from the "NR" designation, the $1,099 TX-NR807 adds in network streaming (including Pandora, Rhapsody, DLNA and Windows 7) to the 135-Watt/channel output. If you can do without the networking and only need 100-Watts, the TX-SR707 will save you a couple hundred bucks. Both models are THX Select2 badged, Faroudja scaling, and let you pick how to use your rear surround outputs by including both Dolby ProLogic IIz and Audyssey DSX processing. Like we said, Onkyo knows how to fill up the spec list, so head past the break for the full PR details.Continue reading Onkyo TX-NR807 and TX-SR707 receivers keep the updates rolling View the full article

MAV-VUE MIT professor Missy Cummings used to fly F/A-18 Hornet fighters for the Navy. “I spent whole time complaining — who was the moron who designed this thing?” she recalled. If you’ve ever peeked inside a fighter cockpit, you’ll understand her gripe. Dials, displays and controls pack every nook and cranny. It’s the farthest thing from ergonomic. The problem stuck with Cummings, after she got out of the Navy. She went on to get a Ph.D. in “cognitive systems engineering” before getting hired at MIT, where she heads the Humans and Automation Lab, or HAL. “There’s a joke in the name,” she pointed out. Her crew of 30 grad students and undergrads is chasing a number of new ideas and technologies, all aimed at easing the sometimes unwieldy interactions between machines and their human masters. As an example, she refers to the complex, suitcase-sized controller that soldiers must haul around to control hand-thrown Raven unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. Cummings wants something simpler. And what could be simpler than an iPhone? Actually, using an iPhone was her undergrads’ idea — because experimenting with it as a basis for a new robot controller meant she’d have to buy them all iPhones of their own............ View the full article

C'mon, say it with us: "phew!" Considering that just about everyone has been shipping "802.11n" wireless kit since draft 2.0 was put into play two summers ago, we couldn't be more relieved to see the Wi-Fi Alliance confirm that it won't change the baseline requirements of its 802.11n certification program when the format gets certified this September. Just as we'd heard, the WiFi standard will leave its stagnant draft status and sashay into the wondrous realm of officialdom in merely two months, with the updated test program to "preserve interoperability with more than 600 Wi-Fi certified 802.11n draft 2.0 products released since June 2007, while adding testing for some optional features now included in the standard." Good thing, too -- can you imagine the uproar if your forthcoming 802.11n dongle wouldn't play nice with that draft-N router you snagged last June? View the full article

If you would've told someone back in 1984 that Alexey Pajitnov would become world renowned, they would've likely laughed you right out of Russia. But on June 6th of that very year, said individual created what's easily the planet's most recognizable puzzle game: Tetris. We mean, who didn't have a childhood obsession with playing this very title on a TI-83 calculator while professors figured you were toiling away on classwork? Ah, good times. Feel free to share your best memories in comments below, and remember, there's no shame in tearing up. Or longing for a "T" to come along and fill that one last gap there on the right. Click to play View the full article

VIA's Nano processor may have been making the rounds of netbooks and nettops lately, but the company isn't overlooking the processor's potential for more traditional laptops, and it now has a pretty impressive example of the latter in the form of Tongfong's new S30A thin-and-light. In addition to that sporty paint job, this one packs a 13.3-inch display, a 1.3GHz VIA Nano U2250 processor, discrete S3 Chrome 435 ULP graphics, a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive, an ExpressCard slot, and a built-in DVD burner -- all of which still manages to fit in a 1.3-inch thick, three-pound package. Unfortunately, there's no word on a price or release date just yet, and there's a good chance it'll be showing up under something other than the Tongfong brand whenever it is actually released. Head on past the break for a quick video hands-on from VIA itself. View the full article

Little Black Box Streams HD Content Like a Flash Flood Practically every device in my house (save for the counter-top fryer) doubles as a media streamer, blasting movies, music or even photos from one side of the house to some screen on the other. The SageTV HD Theater is different, though: It's smaller, cheaper, quieter and in some ways more versatile than most media streaming appliances. At roughly 7 inches wide and 6 inches deep, the HD Theater is smaller than a teacup poodle in a trash compactor. In fact, it's so small that it might even have trouble standing up to its own remote, if the two ever came to blows. Once the HD Theater was patched into my 42-inch plasma, it became clear that it's really two devices in one. Its first function is as an extender for viewing media stored on a computer. Like the HD100 Media Extender reviewed last year, the crux of this function is SageTV's included DVR software. Getting the software installed and converting my favorite home theater PC into a de facto media server was a cinch. Surfing through my networked media was easy enough using SageTV's plain (but customizable) interface, and even full 1080p playback was both brisk and clear. Also, since the HD Theater supports a ton of audio and video formats, it had no problems even when I threw it some tough file formats (MKV anyone?). The HD Theater's second major function is as a web video player. Included in the interface is access to YouTube and array of video podcasts. Hulu was curiously missing, but SageTV has assured us that support is on the way. Thank goodness -- the only thing that gets me through my day is an ample dose of Tracy Jordan. In terms of clarity, the HD Theater matched the quality of most devices that bring web video to the big screen: Playback was occasionally choppy and grainy, but generally passable. The device curiously lacks Wi-Fi, as it means you have to tangle with an Ethernet cable to get YouTube on the big screen. These setbacks relegate the web-video feature to 'bonus' status rather than 'killer addition......... View the full article

Years after the HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) suit first debuted, it seems that Cyberdyne's pride and joy is about to get really real. According to a report over at HPlus Magazine, the company is linking up with Daiwa House in order to "begin mass production" of the cybernetic bodysuit. You already know what it does -- inflates the ego, boosts your strength and scores you loads of nerd dates -- but here's the crucial part: $4,200. Of course, there's no hard date on when the first of the 400 annual units produced will be made available, but we'd probably get up with someone about a pre-order if you're serious about going bionic. View the full article

Ginormous Gaming Board Is Finger Clickin' Good Whether you spend your days hunched over a desk pounding out verbiage or prancing through Khaz Modan in search of Monkey Gauntlets , the tool you wield can make all the difference. Sadly, the science of keyboard design seems to have fallen by the wayside in recent years. Aside from vaporish blowhards like the Optimus Maximus, most of today's keyboards are essentially thin slabs of spongy key meat riding low on the totem pole of the peripheral hierarchy. The G19 is one of those rare exceptions: A hulking retro-licious beast of a board that'll satisfy WoW adherents and desk jockeys alike ... for a price. As the successor to Logitech's G11 and G15 , this huge hunk of plastic comes with gaming hardwired in its DNA. Like its relatives, it has a blocky aesthetic that harkens back to the days of the Model M. There are, however, a handful of very modern flourishes that make this latest G-board a distinctly modern marvel. One of the returning features is the popular "G-Key," which can be programmed to send any combination of keystrokes you want. This time around, there are three sets of programmable keys laid out vertically in 2 x 2 grids along the left side of the board (twice as many as the current G15). And with three settings per key, that means you'll get an extra 36 individual key presses or complex macros. But let's not kid ourselves: The big selling point here (and the reason for the G19's two-hundred dollar price tag) is the swiveling, full-color LCD planted firmly in the center of board. This screen not only allows you to display in-game information for more than 60 titles, you can use various applets to view YouTube, VoIP, IMs, and, yes, even Twitter........ View the full article

Day Two of CTIA Wireless 2009 was marked with little news -- most of the big stuff hit yesterday -- but that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty to see. We wrote a bit about Motorola's surprisingly awesome Evoke, LG's and Samsung's latest contributions to AT&T, and a couple of watch phones that you may (or may not) want on your wrist -- so if you haven't had a chance to catch up on the day's festivities, read on, won't you? NVIDIA's Franken-Mini is half HP, half Tegra, no Intel And now, a little visit to the "Why not?" department. Motorola Evoke QA4 hands-on with video When you look at the Motorola Evoke QA4, the last thought that springs to mind is RAZR, and that's such a good thing. Sony Ericsson's T707 hands-on with video Sony Ericsson's presence at CTIA this year is a rather quiet thing, but we did catch up with them at Ericsson's booth as we were hell bent on seeing its newest, the T707. Samsung Propel Pro video hands-on, now with more keyboard A number of folks wanted video of AT&T's Samsung Propel Pro and a better view of the keyboard. Neutrano's Nutec WristFone watch phones at CTIA If this guy looks serious, it's because he is -- serious about bringing you some awesome watch phones Also check out: Sanyo SCP-2700 hands-on LG Neon and Xenon hands-on View the full article

How does it work? Spec Sheet Bigfoot Networks™ technology is optimized for online gaming and real-time communications applications. The EVGA Killer Xeno Pro uses a 400MHz Network Processing Unit (NPU) to offload all networking operations. The NPU acts as a co-processor dedicated to running the networking portion of games and other applications. This NPU, along with Bigfoot Networks™ patented software algorithms, accelerates, prioritizes and shapes the packet stream that goes to and from the computer, thereby allowing EVGA Killer Xeno Pro to bypass the Windows Stack and allow the NPU to handle all the network functions. This results in the CPU being able to run at full speed, while checking for and receiving network data as fast as possible. * This Process: Optimizes and speeds network operations * Prioritizes game network traffic to ensure game data is always injected into the game the instant it arrives. * Offloads packet processing for latency intensive applications, like VoIP, to provide clear and clean communications * Frees up the CPU to do more game logic and other computations. As a result, gamers see less lag, better frame rates and smoother, more responsive gameplay during intense action. In fact, on average, gamers see from 10% to 20% increase in frame rate! Performance Bigfoot Killer Network Processing Unit (NPU) 400 MHz NPU 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Memory 128MB DDR2 266 MHz (effective) Interface PCI-E 1x (PCI-E 2.0 Compliant) Port RJ-45 Ethernet USB 2.0 3.5mm audio input and output Features Smooth Gameplay During Fast Action - Bigfoot Networks Network Processing Unit (NPU) frees up vital CPU resources to boost frame rates and smooth out gameplay experiences during the even the most intense action. Hardware-Accelerated Voice Chat - Hardware-accelerated voice chat is fully offloaded from the CPU, processed on Killer Xeno’s dedicated audio chip and accelerated through Xeno’s NPU. Killer Xeno is bundled with TeamSpeak 3 Lite and TeamSpeak 2, the #1 Voice Chat program for online gaming. Killer Xeno also supports Mumble, a free and open-source, cross-platform voice application. Optimized for Gaming - Killer Xeno is the only network card that delivers an ideal online experience, with 128MB of onboard RAM, a dedicated network processor, an audio processor for online voice chat and a PCI Express interface. Faster Frame rates - Smart packet optimization sorts and accelerates time-sensitive Internet traffic, bypasses the Windows® Network Stack and transfers packets directly to and from games, improving game responsiveness and frame rates for that competitive edge. Bandwidth Control - The Killer Xeno’s Hardware Bandwidth Control technology serves as a Network “Traffic Cop” that smoothes the online experience across all Internet applications – VoIP, streaming video, downloads and web surfing – even while gaming. Optimized for Applications - 128 MB of onboard RAM allows more Killer technology applications like voice chat and Bandwidth control to be run on the card simultaneously enabling better system performance. Plug and Play - Delivers Plug-&-Play compatibility with all online games. The Killer Xeno works with all online games for improved performance right out of the box.

Rumor has it that AT&T's gearing up for yet another door-busting, riot-inducing summer filled with new iPhone hardware, which would certainly jibe with everything we've heard in the past few months (never mind the fact that June is officially Apple's iPhone release cycle these days, and indeed, AT&T's apparently saying that the June cycle is becoming "a tradition"). That's not terribly interesting at this point -- what is interesting, though, is how AT&T plans to play it. Apparently, the carrier wants to ramp up its -- ah, how should we put this in a politically correct way -- "integration" with Apple's hardware, including a U-verse app that we're guessing will approximate the functionality to be offered by Verizon's FiOS. What really has us worried is not so much the U-verse app specifically, but the possibility that AT&T's sick and tired of having its crapware left out of its highest-profile device, leading to non-removable garbage like Cellular Video on a future iPhone's home screen. It's still a bit early to sound the alarm there, but you know, we're paranoid types around here. It's said the new device will be faster, though the exact meaning of that is a little unclear; the iPhone 3G's chipset is already 7.2Mbps-capable, so we're not sure if the carrier is simply referring to its ongoing infrastructure upgrades. Finally, it's said that a $99 netbook running something other than Windows (don't suppose that'd be Linux?) will be launching this summer, following on the 3G-enabled Aspire One that hit Radio Shack late last year. Heads up, though, AT&T: give us an iPhone with your Mobile Email app on the home screen, and let's just say we can't be held accountable for our actions afterwards. We know you wouldn't do that, but just sayin'. View the full article

Not thrilled with the value proposition presented in Apple's newest iPod Shuffle? Why, have a look at this! The 2GB ICOO V616 DAP ain't much, but it does sport an OLED display and probably plays nice with a whole gaggle of file formats. Really, the bottom line is that this thing is just 99 yuan (around $14), so there's no doubt it's worth the asking price. Doubly so if it comes bundled with those Band Of Brothers dog tags. View the full article

Future Parc Hall, an out-of-the-way palace where we spotted Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's iPoint 3D yesterday, was also home to two of the baddest, most sophisticated robots we've ever had the pleasure of watching. Tattooed DESIRE (the orange guy) and Rollin' Justin (the blue fellow), these two humanoids were built with the hope of one day being available for sale to elderly and single individuals who need another being around the house to take care of things. DESIRE seemed mighty great at picking up random cans and tossing 'em in the garbage, while Rollin' Justin listened intently to commands from his master, spoke aloud to confirm them, and then obeyed. We captured everything on video for those who couldn't make it to CeBIT, so hop on past the break to have a look. View the full article

Logitech's G13 gameboard turns it up to level 80 Check it PC and Mac gamers, Logitech just announced its G13 Gameboard. With a trio of game modes, built-in 160 x 43 pixel LCD for stats and messaging, 25 programmable keys, and a programmable joystick, Logitech says that the G13 "offers up to 87 ways for you to control your game." It comes with pre-configured settings for World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare to name a few. Otherwise, you can setup custom button-profiles as you please and even create macros on the fly without having to pause your quest. Available in US and Europe sometime this month for $80.

Mach V Screams, But Is Overclocking Worth the Price? No expense was spared for the Mach V: Its 3.2-GHz processor is overclocked by 800 MHz, and the machine packs three Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 cards running together for screaming performance. While media files live on the 1-TB hard drive, programs have their own pair of 64-gig solid-state drives. That way, when the CPU comes knocking, it reaps the benefit of the SSDs' read and write speed. Falcon Northwest Mach V View the full article

Put down that money order and step away from the Internet, sir. You could blow your kid's college fund on computer security doodads: biometric password protectors, remotely erasable hard drives, GPS tracking — every day, there's some new and irresistible offering for the paranoid. But what do you really need to protect your computer? Less than you think. The gospel is familiar: An antivirus program paired with anti-spyware/malware measures will shield your PC from just about anything. In fact, the marketing of those products is so good that security apps are about the only software people still expect to pay for. But the best stuff doesn't cost a dime. Programs like AVG and Ad-Aware are free, and they won't hit you up for upgrades like the big security suites. Those guardians are fine for Grandma's Gateway, but the truly savvy eschew them altogether. Even the most well-meaning program bogs down your box. And it's not hard to dodge infection; just abide by the basic tenets of Internet common sense: Don't click on mysterious email attachments, don't bother with the free pr0n, Ch3@p Vi@gr@, and Nigerian millions, and never open .exe files. Email is still one of the biggest infection vectors, so be cautious and use a good webmail service like Gmail, which automatically scans your messages. Don't leave your computer online when you're not on it. Beware of anything that immediately asks for personal information. Don't reuse passwords.......................... View the full article