Safe Gadgets

In Fracture, "players are equipped with an arsenal of futuristic weaponry to strategically reshape their surroundings on the fly."

Every action they perform dynamically reshapes the earth in ways no videogame has ever seen. When Briggs throws a tectonic grenade on a level battlefield, the ground blasts upward to provide access to an otherwise unreachable area.

Source- http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/fracture-trailer

It's pretty tough to wrap your melon around, but MSI's Wind has not yet officially launched per se. That being said, it has still managed to end up in the hands of quite a few eager subnote lovers, and Laptop Mag is no exception.

Shortly after the UK branch of CNET posted up their initial impressions, along comes yet another mini-review to get you even more worked up about June 3rd. Here's the skinny so far:

the screen is amazing, keyboard is as well, the trackpad is simply too cramped and the port assortment is very respectable. All in all, critics were left "seriously impressed,"

and they even threw together a video and image gallery for checking out afterwards.

Source- http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/31/msi-wind-gets-terse-pre-release-review/

At first, we were all stoked at the realization that it took HTC shy of two months to go from announcement to availability of its US-flavored Touch Dual, but then we had this wet blanket thrown on us when we reflected on the fact that it's been like six months since the European model was first shown. No bother -- at least the US model will be among the very first devices anywhere to ship with Windows Mobile 6.1 out of the box, which is kinda cool.

Best Buy will be offering the phone starting this weekend for $549.99 unlocked, available on its website or directly from "select" Best Buy Mobile locations around the country, so try not to let those visions of Diamonds distract you too much while you're whipping out the credit card.

Source- http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/23/htc-touch-dual-launching-in-the-us-this-weekend-courtesy-of-best/

In the Xbox 360 version of Age of Cona, "Funcom has implemented even more brutal fatalities into the game, including a melee slash."

Though it wasn't on display, Funcom informed us that an updated graphics tech has been implemented into Age of Conan, called Cheetah 2, which they claim drastically improves framerates.

Source- http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/age-of-conan-trailer

After slipping past their original spring release date, Panasonic's PZ850 series of plasmas are no longer the only ones with YouTube support, but those desiring internet features, high contrast ratios and easy-access calibration settings can expect them on shelves this summer.
The 46-, 50- and 58-inch versions should all be available in mid-June, with the 65-incher rolling out in August. Other than the IP features (Picasa access is also part of the package) the THX-certified PZ850s support h.264 playback from the SD card slot, RS-232C, 24p native playback, and a variety of display modes and settings to get the picture just the way the director intended, the way you like it, or anywhere in between.

Source- http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/20/panasonic-vieracast-internet-enabled-plasmas-due-this-summer/

Microsoft says- No new Xbox 360 in 2009.

Sounds like that rumor about a new, smaller Xbox 360 coming next year might have a shorter life than a red-ringing console. Specifying the release of "slimmed down SKU in 2009", Microsoft representative let us know today that "While we don't normally comment on rumors like this, we can tell you that we have no plans to release a new console in 2009". Yep, rumor assassinated, just like that. Of course, there still exists the possibility that Microsoft's just playing coy to prevent a little bit of Osborne effect from creeping in during their heated battle with the PS3 -- but they did go out of their way to directly comment on the rumor, so take it as you will.

Source- http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/13/microsoft-says-no-new-xbox-360s-in-2009/

If you have ever lost sleep thinking about what military labs the world over are cooking up to shoot up, blow up, or otherwise maim their enemies (and sometimes innocent civilians), you may want to skip the list of the world's "spookiest" weapons collected by Pop Sci. Many of the 20 we are already familiar with, like nuclear weapons, the cornershot, Metal Storm guns, "Scream" beams, Rail Guns and the infamous Puke Flashlight. However, there are other technologies on the list that you may not be familiar with.

Some of the most interesting of these include "The Rods from God"—a satellite system that uses sophisticated targeting mechanisms and gravity to drop large metals rods to the earth (at speeds approaching 36,000 feet per second) and the MK-ULTRA mind control experiments conducted from the 1950's through much of the 70's. All in all a decent list, but I would like to humbly submit the compressed air knife and the potential behind a one-petawatt laser.

Source- http://gizmodo.com/390158/the-worlds-most-terrifying-weapons

The OS updates are coming fast and furious these days, and the latest off the block is Fedora 9 Sulphur. Improvements include better KDE Desktop 4.0.3, better Bluetooth support, a revised Anaconda system installer, support for persistent Live USB key installations, and lots more.

Source- http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/13/fedora-9-sulphur-makes-its-way-into-the-world/