New Roku models unify design and spruce up the midrange

New mid-range models drive down the prices of some premium options.

via Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com

Livescribe 3 smartpen appears in FCC filing, can't wait to digitize your doodles

Now that we've got those naming suits out of the way, it's time to get down to brass tacks. With "brass tacks" involving a new smartpen, in this particular instance. The Livescribe 3 has just made itself known in a public FCC filing today, showcasing a svelte writing utensil whose main purpose in life is to digitize your handwritten notes. It's equipped with Bluetooth in order to pair with your iOS device and the accompanying Livescribe+ app, and once you start doodling in your Livescribe notebook, those very scribbles will appear in the app. There's a micro-USB connector on top for recharging it, and a handy twistable handle that turns the unit on. (Oh, and if you're curious, we're told that "more supported devices" will be added soon.)

For the power users, there are Pencasts -- said to be "interactive documents containing audio that is synchronized to your handwritten notes." As is always the case with FCC reveals, pricing and availability are nowhere to be found; that said, an FCC submission generally signals that it's just about ready for store shelves in the US. We'll watch as you attempt to digitally write about the art of containing your excitement.

Filed under: Peripherals

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Source: FCC

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Microduino: An Arduino clone nearly as small as a quarter, for $20

Arduino Uno capabilities divided into two small boards for extreme portability.

via Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com

U.S. raids highlight terror threat in Africa

Two U.S. raids in Libya and Somalia that apprehended a major catch on the terrorist most-wanted list highlight how the growing terror network in the region is able to operate freely.

via airforcetimes.com http://www.airforcetimes.com

U.S. forces conduct twin raids in Libya, Somalia

The suspected al-Qaida figure nabbed by U.S. special operations forces in a dramatic operation in the Libyan capital had been living freely in his homeland after his return there three years ago, his family said.

via airforcetimes.com http://www.airforcetimes.com

MakerBot Digitizer eyes-on

This ain't the same Digitizer we saw back at South by Southwest. The prototype that was unveiled in Austin back in March looked an awful lot like those early generation MakerBot printers, borrowing heavily from the plywood aesthetic that seemed to imply that its creators had built the thing with their own hands. The version the company showed off at SXSW was in keeping with the company's mission statement of building things themselves, featuring a laser-cut wood frame and 3D printed parts. But the Brooklyn company's come a long way since those simpler RepRap days, growing into the leading light in the world of consumer-facing 3D printers.

The Replicator 2 really drove the point home with a solidly constructed black frame that eschewed its predecessors' wood finish, and the Digitizer can easily be viewed as part of a matching set. "The MakerBot Digitizer started because I really wanted a 3D scanner to go with our 3D printer," said CEO Bre Pettis at today's event at the company's office in Brooklyn, "and they were all too expensive." The 3D scanner joins the Replicator, MakerWare and the online community Thingiverse as the major missing piece of the MakerBot ecosystem puzzle, an attempt to create the most user-friendly 3D-printing ecosystem available. Now you can download, create and scan your way into the 3D-printing world, from the comfort of your own (admittedly sizable) desktop.%Gallery-slideshow89888%

Filed under: Peripherals

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Hyperkin Retron 5 combines ten consoles into one on December 10 for $99

We love what the Hyperkin Retron 5 brings to the table, namely compatibility with ten classic gaming system cartridges: NES, Famicom, Super NES and Famicom, Sega Master System, Genesis and Mega Drive, and Game Boy original, Color and Advance. The problem is, Hyperkin's played coy about it's price and availability... until now. It'll be available on December 10th, and it'll be on sale in both Europe (for €89.99) and in the US ($99.99). And, it turns out that the Retron 5 that'll go on sale will have a few more tricks up its sleeve than the prototype we played with back at E3. The exterior's been modified to better cool the internal components, and it'll pack a Sega Power Base Converter that lets you play Sega's Master System games. So, now you can officially start carving out space in your entertainment center for the Retron 5 -- which shouldn't be difficult once you've cleared out all the elder consoles it replaces. Less is more, people.

Filed under: Gaming, HD

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Sony's PlayStation 4 upgrade program gets detailed: $10 for a next-gen copy

Back at Gamescom 2013, Sony made it known that select cross-generational games, like Call of Duty: Ghosts, purchased for the PlayStation 3 would be upgradeable for its forthcoming PS4. At the time, Sony kept general pricing details for the program under wraps, although Activision did announce its qualifying CoD title would set PS4 users back $10 bucks for the next-gen upgrade privilege. Now, Sony's coming clean with the full spate of its limited run upgrade program, adding Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, Battlefield 4 and Watch Dogs to the list -- all for $10.

So how does it work? Well, for those gamers that insist on purchasing a physical copy of any of the above games, they'll receive a redeemable pack-in code which they can enter into the PlayStation Network for a digital copy of the PS4 version. That's not all though. In order to unlock that next-gen copy, the physical disc has to be in the console to activate it. The process is much simpler for those that opt for the all-digital route, as a PS3 purchase made on PSN will automatically qualify gamers for the discount, at which point the game will be available for download. You have to hand it Sony: with news of this expanded upgrade program and the PS4's Gaikai-powered PS3 backwards compatibility, it seems the company's well learned from the lessons of the previous gen's past.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony

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Source: PlayStation Blog

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Republic Wireless to offer Moto X for $299 off-contract, plans starting at $5

Republic Wireless' low-cost, WiFi-driven phone service has proven tempting. The rapidly aging smartphones attached to that service, however? Not so much. The carrier will soon improve that device selection, as it has just revealed plans to sell the Moto X for $299 off-contract -- roughly half of what it costs at other providers. Service is also expanding beyond the original $19 plan (now limited to the Defy XT), with steep discounts if you don't depend on cellular service. Rely solely on WiFi, and you'll pay just $5 per month for unlimited access; a $10 plan will be available if you need cellular voice and text messaging. There will also be more traditional plans with unlimited 3G and 4G data that respectively cost $25 and $40 per month. Republic Wireless hasn't said when its extra-cheap Moto X will be available, but the new rates should take effect in November.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Google

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Via: Laptop

Source: Republic Wireless

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Phiaton launches new Fusion and Chord headphones for the audiophile set

Sennheiser, Klipsch, Phiaton... what is it about audio brands that don't easily roll off the tongue? It's the latter that interests us today, of course, after announcing two new sets of headphones for those who are serious about sound. The Chord MS 530 is a pair of beautifully designed Bluetooth 4.0 apt-X cans that pack active noise cancellation alongside dual microphones and 40mm titanium drivers. Rated for between 18-30 hours of battery life, the Chord will launch on October 8th for $350. If, however, that's a bit rich for your blood, then the company is also launching the Fusion MS 430, which has been cast in lightweight carbon fiber and offers a pair of tangle-free leads and 40mm drivers, and a foldable design. The Fusion will launch on October 1st for $180, and so while you wait for Autumn to set in, check out the press gallery below. %Gallery-slideshow88672%

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

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Sharp's 70-inch, THX-certified Aquos Ultra 4K TV goes on sale in the US for $7,500

We are well past mid-August, which is when Sharp initially estimated its new 70-inch Aquos 4K Ultra HD LED TV would begin hitting shelves. Despite the late arrival, however, something tells us folks will still be glad to have yet another choice when shopping for their next 4K television set. To make things better, Sharp's super high-res, THX-certified Smart TV is set to be carrying a $7,499.99 MSRP here in the States, making it about $500 cheaper than when it was originally announced. Those of you interested shouldn't have trouble finding one, as Sharp says it'll be available at many regional and major retailers across the country.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Sharp

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With 30 tuners and 30 TB of storage, SnapStream makes TiVos look like toys

Houston company's monster DVRs power Colbert, The Daily Show, and other big TV names.

via Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com

Music Video: Abide With Me

The video below is a beautiful musical arrangement of the LDS hymn “Abide With Me; ‘Tis Eventide” arranged by Jerald Simon. The song is on his new album Hymns of the Heart on iTunes, Amazon, and online music stores. Jerald didn’t compose or arrange this hymn ahead of time, but played it in the recording studio extemporaneously “from […]

via LDS Media Talk http://ldsmediatalk.com

ASUS ROG G750 Gaming Laptop Hands-On

ASUS has a legendary lineup of gaming gear called Republic of Gamers (ROG). If you are looking for gaming desktops, laptops, headsets, keyboards, mice, motherboards, or even high performance SSD storage ROG has you covered. In this article I’ll share my first-hand experiences with the ASUS ROG G750JX gaming laptop.

The ASUS G750 gaming laptop showing the Windows 8 Start Screen

The exterior of the G750 has some great lines which were inspired by stealth fighters, a very bold and cool look for a serious piece of gaming gear!

ASUS ROG G750 – notice air vents that are reminiscent of stealth fighter jet exhaust ports (click/tap to enlarge)

Graphics and Gaming

ASUS ROG laptops are built to be great gaming rigs, so I thought I would share some information about the graphics hardware and some of my experiences gaming on this PC. The ASUS G750JX-DB71 laptop that I used ships with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M dedicated graphics. Here are the specifics for this graphics setup as seen in GPU-Z:

With 960 cores and 3GB GDDR5 memory, this is a powerful graphics setup. In order to see how this setup would do with DirectX 11 games, I ran BF3 with settings on high and screen resolution set to 1920x1080. BF3 ran great at these settings with frame rates in the 50-60fps range.

BF3 running on the G750 (click/tap to enlarge)

I was happy with this performance, and could tell that the G750 is setup for serious gaming! With an Intel Core i7 CPU, powerful dedicated graphics, and included dual-storage configuration I could envision using this laptop for almost any task in my daily work (and play).

Exterior Features and Ports

The ASUS ROG G750 has a lot of great features on the inside, but it’s also very well designed on the outside. Here I’ll walk through the main features on the exterior of this laptop.

Left side, from left: security port, USB 3.0 ports (2), DVD writer, card reader (click/tap to enlarge)

Right side, from left: Analog audio ports, USB 3.0 ports (2), Thunderbolt port, HDMI port, Ethernet port, VGA port, power jack (click/tap to enlarge)

One of the nice details that I liked about the ASUS G750 was the offline charging capability that’s included with one of the USB ports. Below you can see my Nokia 920 charging while the computer is turned off. Nice!

With offline charging you can charge devices via USB even while the laptop is asleep or turned off (click/tap to enlarge)

Another detail that I like on the outside of the G750 is the ROG logo which is on the lid of the laptop. It’s a great example of a quality detail that reflects the overall pride in craftsmanship for this laptop.

ASUS ROG logo – this tells everyone that you’re a serious gamer (click/tap to enlarge)

Highlight: Dual Storage

When it comes to storage, you can’t have it all in one package. I really like to put my OS and apps on an SSD for blazing fast app launches and system boot times. I also like to have a lot of storage for videos, photos (RAW + JPEG at 30MB per shot!), and other bulk data. The ASUS G750 comes with a dual storage solution (SSD + HDD) which addresses these tradeoffs and is perfect for my mobile storage needs. Here you can see the partitions in Windows Explorer:

Drive partitions on the G750 that I used

For editing video, this would be a great partition arrangement with OS/apps/scratch on SSD, and project files on HDD.

Specifications – ASUS G750

• Model tested: G750JX-DB71
• Operating System: Windows 8 x64
• Processor: Intel Core i7-4700HQ 2.4GHz
• GPU: NVIDIA GTX 770M, 3GB dedicated memory
• Memory: 16GB DDR3L 1600 MHz SDRAM
• Display: 17.3” at 1920 x 1080 resolution
• Storage: 1TB HDD + 256GB SSD

Full specifications HERE.

My experience with the G750 was great, the only thing I didn’t like was giving it back! Hardcore Windows gaming laptops are great all-purpose mobile workhorses, and if you’re looking for portability and power, check out the ASUS ROG laptops!

Find me on twitter here: @GavinGear

via The Windows Blog http://blogs.windows.com/b/

Straight Talk now accepts AT&T-compatible LTE devices

To date, Straight Talk's LTE support has been limited to a warmed-over Sprint version of the Galaxy S III. Now there's a much better option: the prepaid carrier has started selling SIM cards that support unlocked devices with AT&T-compatible LTE. The upgrade potentially offers a better bargain than AT&T's own Aio Wireless, giving customers unlimited LTE data, voice and text for $45 per month versus Aio's $55. It's not quite paradise, however. Straight Talk is known to throttle data, which could prove all the more frustrating at 4G speeds.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, AT&T

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Via: Droid-Life

Source: Straight Talk

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