mail2web.com Blog

Today’s New York Times has an article on extended service warranties, and the concomitant dilemma faced by gadgetmaniacs everywhere. And, that dilemma is the question of whether or not to pay an extra ten to thirty percent of a gadget’s purchase price in order to extend the regular warranty by a few years. The article tries to present a balanced approach, but seems to side with Consumer Reports, who suggest that buyers should generally avoid these service contracts. Interestingly, CR makes 3 exceptions to their no-extended-warranty rule, in the case of notebook computers, treadmills and plasma TV’s. To Buy or Not to Buy: The Quandary of Warranties - NYT August 27, 2005

Posted in General ~ No Comments

Samsung continues to best itself in the area of DLP HDTV. Its new model, the SVP-71L8UH measures 71-inch, thus beating out its previous world’s biggest DLP, the HLR6768W at a mere 67 inches. $7,300 gets you a 10000:1 contrast ratio and a 1920×1080 resolution. Samsung Electronics to launch world’s largest rear-projection TV

Posted in General ~ No Comments

Strategy Analytics has released a new report that compares the Apple iPod to the music capabilities of some cell phones, namely the Samsung E720, SEMC V800, 02 XM and the Orange SPV c500. In summary, the iPod continues to be the best in terms of usability, at least when compared to music phones. (It would have been fairer to compare Apples to non-Apple apples i.e. dedicated MP3 players from other manufacturers). iPod Blows Away Mobile Music Challengers - Strategy Analytics 3 Aug 2005

Posted in General ~ No Comments

This came as a surprise to me: Some elevators can be made to bypass intermediate stops and go directly to the floor of your choice. How? By pressing and holding the Door Close and Floor number buttons simultaneously. Apparently, this feature works on most Otis, and some Dover elevator models. Hacking Elevators 101!

Posted in General ~ No Comments

Forbes Magazine has published their list of the world’s coolest gizmos. It’s not a bad selection, and we’ve made note of some of the items previously.

• Sony Clie VZ90
• Mostitech Security Robot
• iHouse Innovative House home networking system
• Nokia 6280 slider phone
• Audio Technica EC7 earbuds
• Sony Libre eBook
• Samsung SCH-B100 sat phone
• SegaToys iDog
• Siemens SK65 Burlwood cell phone
• Toto Otohime toilet flushing sound emulator
• Solid Alliance USB Sushi Drives

If asked to choose the best of the bunch, we’d go for the [ you're never going to see one, let alone own one ] now defunct Clie VZ90, followed by the Nokia 6280. Here is a nice, albeit marginally off topic, shot of 2 of our favorite gadgets: the Clie VZ90 and the PlayStation Portable. World’s Coolest Gadgets - Forbes July 26, 2005

Posted in General ~ 1 Comment

Here’s more cool-ish stuff, this time courtesy of ComputerWorld Singapore. Their list of the best gadgets for July consists of the following:

• iRiver U10
• Kenwood HD20GA7 20GB Music Player
• Hitachi PDP TVs
• Sanyo Voice Recorder
• Samsung Thin Cell Phone model SCH-V740
• Olympus Pendant-type m:robe music player
• Hitachi DVD Multi camcorder

July’s coolest gadgets - ComputerWorld Singapore Jul 15, 2005

Posted in General ~ No Comments

LG indicates that it will produce about 200 three-door refrigerators that are destined for the luxury market in Korea. The fridges come with door handles that are embedded with Swarovski crystals. Dubbed the “Swarovski French Dios”, they will sell for about $4K. Too bad the phrase “Bling bling” has fallen out of favor. LG Electronics sells luxury refrigerator encrusted with crystals - Yonhap News

Posted in General ~ No Comments