Gadgetoid

The RMR500 from Oregon Scientific is dubbed a “weather and home environment station” and supports monitoring the temperature and humidity in up to four rooms, displaying this information on a large LCD display. I can’t help but think it would be far more interesting if the RMR500 could make realtime adjustments to your heating or air conditioning systems to keep humidity and temperature within desired levels, but alas it’s just a humble device for reporting the condition of your environment.

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Marking the migration of enthusiast features to a slightly more consumer market the STR-DG820 includes HD Audio decoding and full 1080/24P video support with Deep Colour and x.v. Colour compatibility.

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Review by Johnus Maximus

Hot on the heels of the cinematic release of Marvel Studios latest summer blockbuster comes the action packed video game The Incredible Hulk, developed by Edge of Reality and published by Sega, available on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC, PS2 and Nintendo DS.

The game sees you take control of the fierce destructive powers of the gamma-radiated wall of green muscle as he smashes, crashes and indiscriminately destroys his way round a sandbox version of Manhattan in this entertaining, yet short game.

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When reading through the press release for the Sony HD Handycam HDR-CX11E I encountered a concept so insane that I couldn’t help but check if I’d fallen through time and landed on the 1st of April.

The HDR-CX11E is no ordinary camcorder, far from it in fact. It features a unique feature called “Smile Shutter” that, believe it or not, snaps a 7.6 megapixel photo when someone smiles. It can do this during movie recording, or even in between takes. To further add to the pure ridiculousness (or, perhaps, genius) of this concept the HDR-CX11E even has a “Smile Sensitivity” setting that allows it to capture anything from a gentle smile to a beaming grin. Finally, regular facial detection software ensures that every smile captured is taken with appropriate settings by fine tuning focus, exposure and colour balance.

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Trek Technologies LLC was formed in 2004 after identifying a market need based on personal outdoor experience. Their idea? To create a sturdy, lightweight, convenient, multi-purpose device with the functionality of both a tripod and trekking pole or hiking staff.

The result is the TrekPod, a lightweight, height-adjustable walking/hiking staff, with a fully integrated tripod, and a quick-release, mount-demount system called MagMount.

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Taking mobile media that one step further, DivX and Advanced Micro Dynamics have signed on the dotted line and intend to bring DivX-decoding to AMDs Imageon application processor. This technology will find its way into next generation phones and portable media devices guaranteeing some drool-worthy gadgets in the near future.

The two companies will work together to achieve DivX Certification for the AMD Imageon A250 application processor which will undergo rigorous testing to ensure it delivers the sort of media experience we would expect from DivX.

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Normally I wouldn’t rush out to purchase 3.5 inches of rubber, but that’s all the CamGrip is. The CamGrip tackles a problem I didn’t even know existed by screwing into the bottom of your pocket shooter providing a big, rubberised grip that proclaims to add additional stability and control to your camera handling experience.

If the CamGrip had a trigger it may, perhaps, provide an excellent aid for physically impaired persons but I’m personally struggling to see just what exactly it would contribute to my photography experience. It’s not a bank-breaker at £6.99 though!

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If for some reason you lack a billion-in-one card reader built-in to your computer to handle reading and writing the dizzying (and still growing) number of available media card formats that every gadget-lover has to deal with on a near daily basis then you can’t go far one with this humble offering from Sandberg clocking in at just under £20, not looking too bad, and absolutely covered in supported media card logos.

It should also work with your PS3 or Xbox 360 letting you adapt spare storage media for your consoles or access any family photos, music and video that you might have kicking about; although one in glossy black or shaped like a toasted sandwich might suit the PS3 a little better.

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Professional Music Technology, winner of “Best UK Music Retailer Chain” for two years running has taken on Sound Control stores in Norwich, Leeds and Manchester Salford adding to their existing stores in Birmingham, Northampton, Oxford, Romford and Southend.

This is good news for our local Norwich store which will remain under the management of Giles Massingham and continue hosting the excellent Roland Planet and all the lovely music tech that comes with it.

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Warwicks annual limited edition bass model has arrived and this year it’s set to be the undeniably gorgeous envy of bass players the world over.

The humble sounding Warwick Streamer LX LTD 2008 boasts an impressive real-wood aesthetic with an exotic madrona burl top and matching burl pickup covers complemented by a swamp ash body that sports elegant “sandwich” ekanga-walnut-ekanga stripes, giving it a look reminiscent of a rally-stripe.

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