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    Sam Sheffer

    Sam Sheffer

  • Turtle Beach Ear Force PX5 review

    You like video games, right? If you're the type that takes game-playing more seriously than your average Joe, the PX5 might have caught your eye when we previewed this headset at CES this year. Now they're available for purchase, and we've been playing our hearts out, cans on ears. Is this gaming headset worth shelling out $250 for? Hit the review and find out! %Gallery-113309%

  • Desk Phone Dock review

    With every passing day, more people are ditching their landlines in favor of using their cellular phones as a combination device. Smartphones are no doubt excellent means of contacting other humans and managing our lives, but some of us miss the simpler days -- when a phone was just a phone. If you're a proud owner of an iPhone but looking to head down the retro road, Kee Utility would like to point you in the right direction. When we first saw the Desk Phone Dock, we were pretty intrigued by its looks but had questions about its practicality. What you see here is the $150 answer. Keep reading to see how well we got on with it. %Gallery-122057%

  • iOS and Android continue chipping away at mobile gaming market, consoles remain strong

    Let's face it -- smartphones (namely, iOS and Android devices) are slowly chipping away at the portable gaming market. If you recall, Apple took a nice slice of the market-share pie -- and as you'll notice in the picture above, we're seeing the same trend this time around. According to data from Flurry and NPD Group, iOS and Android are earning a sizable chunk of the revenue in the portable gaming software sphere, with the Nintendo DS's dominant market share dropping from 70 percent in 2009 to just 57 percent in 2010 to accommodate the newcomers. We may be seeing the decrease in relative revenue because the PSP and DS are on the way out to make room for the NGP and 3DS -- however, this chart speaks only of the current-gen portables. But hey, it's easy for almost anyone to spend a single buck on a full-fledged game, right? Head past the break for some more videogame revenue stats, if you please.

  • Kyocera Echo available right now for Sprint Premier customers, tests your patience

    If you're a Sprint Premier customer and are planning to purchase the company's eccentric dual-screen Android smartphone, listen up. Yes, it's due to launch in just three days, but the wireless company is now offering its loyal customers a chance to order the Echo right now. If you decide to jump the gun, you'll be happy to know that Sprint is waiving upgrade fees and will ship you the device for zero bucks. So, if this offer sounds tempting -- and you qualify -- hit the source link to get a 72-hour advantage on everyone else. [Thanks, Eric]

  • Conceptual 'Fujitsu Lifebook X2' folds into quarters, makes regular notebooks look lame

    Being that doomsday and the robot apocalypse are nearing quickly, now seems an appropriate time to gaze into the future of laptop design, right? Well, maybe those anomalies aren't actually around the corner, but you know us -- we always fancy a warm cup of concept tea. Designer Park Hyun Jin over at Yanko recently posted some renders of the Fujitsu Lifebook X2, a laptop-like invention of his fervent imagination that allows for two orientations thanks to its four folds. The design features a full QWERTY keyboard that can be used when the notebook is folded out in full, as well as a half-folded option with an onscreen keyboard. Naturally, we'd love for this concept design to become a reality, but we can't wrap our brains around the seam between the two screens. Well actually, we could probably get used to it. Update: We got a request from the designer to pull this prototype, which was submitted to a competition and leaked. To be nice, we're complying.

  • Engadget interviews Dwyane Wade: the technology behind the Fly Wade (video)

    It's not all that difficult to peer at some gadgets without fully understanding the wizardry and magic that assists in driving them from concept to reality. Did shoes ever cross your noggin as being technologically eye-opening? Sure, a few pairs of kicks have caught our attention over the years, but could a pair of sneakers be more than just that? To answer that question, we sat down with NBA star Dwyane Wade and Jordan Brand designer Mark smith to figure out what goes in to a modern pair of kicks. Read on to introduce your brain to the latest in shoe technology. %Gallery-120428%

  • Nu-Screen HD polishes your screen, doesn't moisturize your lips

    If you've ever been concerned about fingerprint smudges compromising your smartphone's password, this might just be a viable solution. Nu-Screen, a company little known around these parts, has launched the Nu-Screen HD polish stick which promises to leave a "slippery smooth, non-greasy surface" on your screen. How certain are we that smearing this mystery substance on your device will prevent smudges? Well, let's just say we'd rather pat some baby powder onto our hands. But hey, if you're willing to give this a go, hit up the source link to purchase the $26 jank stick -- just make sure not to confuse this with your cherry ChapStick.

  • Elgato updates EyeTV iOS app, does the AirPlay dance

    If you've been longing to use your EyeTV HD to sling content from your AirPlay-enabled iOS device to your designated Apple TV 2 setup, listen up. Elgato has pushed an updated version of the EyeTV iOS app (version 1.2.3) that enables Apple's wireless streaming technology to play nicely with your ATV2 or third-party AirPlay device. Remember, the app costs $4.99, but wouldn't you rather watch Seinfeld reruns on the living room 74-incher? Yeah, us too.

  • Sony kills A33 DSLR production, auctions off unused birthday cake

    If you didn't jump on an Alpha A33 when you had the chance, you'll probably be disappointed when your eyes glaze over the next few words -- Sony has discontinued production of the translucent mirror-packed shooter. On its site, the company has noted that production has halted in Japan, without specific reasoning as to why -- though some might say that overheating sensor was just too much to bear. It's not often that a seven month-old DSLR gets canned, but if Sony's got a refined sensor waiting in a doubly refined successor... well, that'll put a plug in the waterworks real quick.

  • Visualized: eBay's iPad 2 sales, thus far

    Although eBay figures don't exactly correlate with Apple's sales numbers, it's interesting to note who's buying what, and where. Last year, for example, in the first two weeks after the Apple iPad hit shelves, 65 percent of all iPads sold on eBay went abroad. This year, in the same timeframe, the percentages have been flipped -- 65 percent of iPad 2s sold on eBay remained in America, or around 7,800 tablets. Perhaps we're just seeing higher demand or maybe people don't like waiting in line. Peep the source link to dive deeper into the comparison.

  • Nanogenerators produce electricity by squeezing your fingers together, while you dance

    It's been a while since we last heard about nanogenerators -- you know, those insanely tiny fibers that could potentially be woven into your hoodie to juice up your smartphone. Dr. Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology has reported that he and his team of Einsteins constructed nanogenerators with enough energy to potentially power LCDs, LEDs and laser diodes by moving your various limbs. These micro-powerhouses -- strands of piezoelectric zinc oxide, 1 / 500 the width of a single hair strand -- can generate electrical charges when flexed or strained. Wang and his team of researchers shoved a collection of their nanogenerators into a chip 1 / 4 the size of a stamp, stacked five of them on top of one another and can pinch the stack between their fingers to generate the output of two standard AA batteries -- around 3 volts. Although it's not much, we're super excited at this point in development -- imagine how convenient to charge your phone in your pocket sans the bulky battery add-ons. And that's only one application of this technology. Yea, we know.

  • Carbon nanotubes used to more easily detect cancer cells, HIV

    Cancer's not slowing its march to ruining as many lives as it possibly can, so it's always pleasing to hear of any new developments that act as hurdles. The latest in the world of disease-prevention comes from Harvard University, where researches have created a dime-sized carbon nanotube forest (read: lots of nanotubes, like those shown above) that can be used to trap cancer cells when blood passes through. A few years back, Mehmet Toner, a biomedical engineering professor at Harvard, created a device similar to the nano-forest that was less effective because silicon was used instead of carbon tubes. Today, Toner has teamed up with Brian Wardle, associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, who together have redesigned the original microfluid device to work eight times more efficiently than its predecessor. The carbon nanotubes make diagnosis a fair bit simpler, largely because of the antibodies attached to them that help trap cancer cells as they pass through -- something that's being tailored to work with HIV as well. Things are starting to look moderately promising for cancer-stricken individuals, as hospitals have already began using the original device to detect malignant cells and ultimately prevent them from spreading -- here's hoping it's qualified for mass adoption sooner rather than later.

  • Sprint begins Kyocera Echo reservations, challenges you to a 'dual'

    Surely you remember the Kyocera Echo, that dual-screen Android 2.2 phone that Sprint unveiled way back in February. Well, if it managed to pique your interest, then you'll be glad to know that Sprint's thrown up quite the unique reservation page that will let you reserve the phone now for $200 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) to ensure you'll have it on its April 17th release date. The company warns that there'll be limited quantities, so if you want to be the only one in town rocking a dual-screen smartphone, hit the source link and punch in your info -- and don't forget to try your hand at a game of Bottle Bustin' Bandits while you're there for a chance to win one of these phones.

  • Twimal the Twitter reader reads your tweets, looks adorable while doing so (video)

    If you fancy using Twitter as much as we do, you'll probably scream like a pre-teen when you lay your eyeballs on what toy maker Takara Tomy has conjured up in Japan. Dubbed Twimal, this loveable Pokemon-esque desk companion plugs into your Windows machine via USB and has one reason for its existence -- to read your tweets. Available in blue or white (male or female voice, respectively), these little bots are able to read all sorts of tweets (replies, lists, user-specific, etc.), in what appears to be Japanese only. If you're interested in getting your 140-character messages read in the cutest way possible, look for these toys on digital shelves in Japan on March 31 for ¥2,480 (around 30 bucks). And do yourself a favor; watch the video after the break. You'll thank us later.

  • Hanwha unleashes HDMI / USB adapter for iPad, iPhone 4, and fourth-gen iPod touch

    Feel the desire to watch your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch (fourth gen) videos on the big screen, but looking for something with a little more girth than Apple's HDMI solution? Hanwha's latest dongle might do the job. As you can see above, in place of the original adapter's dock connector port is a USB 2.0 socket -- compatible with cameras supporting mass storage connection -- alongside the 720p-friendly HDMI port, but you'll have to use the switch to toggle between the two modes. And that little mini-USB port on the far right? Well, it's there to provide some juice to "reduce battery drain," but probably not enough to charge up your iDevice. If you're still interested and have a friend in Japan, Hanwha's charging ¥5,980 (around $73), which is almost double that of Apple's $39 connector. Is USB support worth such a price jump? Your call.

  • Scientists improve blue OLED efficiency, don't promise everlasting light

    Although this is not the first time we've seen an efficiency increase in blue OLEDs, it's worth noting that their proposed cap of productivity up to this point was a lowly five percent. It's exciting to learn, therefore, about a breakthrough by professor John Kieffer and graduate student Changgua Zhen from the University of Michigan, which has resulted in them successfully increasing azure diode power efficiency by 100 percent. The duo, accompanied by some bright minds in Singapore, manipulated performance controllers by rearranging OLED molecules in a computer model, improving material characteristics. In simple terms though, we're still looking at a measly ten percent efficiency, so we'll see where they take it from here.

  • Pioneer debuts new Sound Wing HVT speakers, novel tech touted within

    There's a ton of gadgetry that goes into speakers, but the notable thing here is that the Pioneer folks have begun using HVT, or Horizontal-Vertical Transforming technology -- but more on that in sec. This beauty is engineered to reduce unwanted vibration and preserve bass caliber while outputting 100W of sound. Featuring a double diaphragm packaged close together, the Sound Wing gives off omnidirectional sound -- that's 360 degrees of noise. And thanks to HVT, the coils within the speaker have been rearranged to reduce the wasted space in traditional speakers -- though for some reason this particular unit still measures a portly 109mm thick. Seeing that the tech Pioneer has implemented here is novel, we're interested to see how this thing will sound in the real world. You'll find the Sound Wing in Japan for ¥41,000 (about $507) come June.