Numark NS7 Turntable: Spin Digital Records With A Full-Sized Rig

Want to hone your turntable skills but can’t stand the pile of vinyl the job entails?  Haul your musical ass right next to a Numark NS7 Turntable and be free from the trappings of physical records.

That’s right – it’s an all-digital turntable that puts pro-DJ controls at your fingertips.  Sure, you can probably put on the same performance using just a turntable software, but having a full rig affords you a much wider range of movement.  Not to mention, of course, it gives gawking audience members something to look at (face it, you’ll find it hard to attract groupies holding nothing but a laptop).

Sure, it’s a bit of a cop-out compared to those working with real records.  In fact, I’d be surprised if viny veterans don’t give you flak about it.  Screw them, though.  Digital files are easier, cheaper and more convenient to work with that any physical media.

The NS7 uses the Itch software to communicate with your computer, managing ten times the speed you’d usually get with a MIDI-based setup.  It supplies all the controls you need to mess around with WAV, AIFF, MP3 and AAC music files, with very responsive, motorized 7-inch turntables.  You won’t even have to touch your keyboard to navigate files, as the rig provides for the necessary controls.

Of course, you can also throw in actual vinyls on the thing, so traditional turntablists won’t have any issue (actually, they will, since the disc mechanism isn’t the best).   For strictly digital musicians, though, the thing’s as good as gold.  Price is pretty fair at $1,600.

Mini-Ninjas For The PC: Stealth-Attack Gets Painfully Cute And Fun

Mini-Ninjas is a cute but fun combat title from developer IO Interactive, who are best known for their Hitman series of games.  Despite hitmen and ninjas being somewhat related, this one is a decidedly different adventure, though.

Clad in a vibrant and charming art style, the game follows the Hiro and his sidekick Futo.  The duo embark on a journey, trying to find their four missing ninja friends putting an end to the evil samurai warlord’s plans of taking over the world.   The narrative (however brief) is funny and entertaining, the cinematics are beautifully made and the graphics are just plain adorable.

While the game proceeds in a linear manner, the design of each level allows for plenty of exploration, making it feel less structured than it normally would have been.  There are always a variety of ways to get from one point to another, along with several options of waging battles.

Each character will have various attacks, as well as special moves that are unique to their weapons and personalities.  You can unlock spells, use various objects within the world and purchase new weapons to bring plenty of variety to the stealth-attack combat ninjas are usually more inclined to do.  Do note that most “effective” fighting techniques you will find are limited and, as such, can feel repetitive as the game furthers on.

AI is pretty good, with your enemies attacking in swarms and fighting more stealthily as they thin out.  The graphics style sometimes makes it hard to notice enemies, which, I guess, plays into the fact that they’re covert “mini-ninjas”.  Controls are awesome and silku smooth, flowing like butter from one to the other, although the camera view can be a pain in the ass (you’ll need to adjust it regularly).

Overall, Mini-Ninjas is a fun game with plenty of promise.  Sure, this first title has some drawbacks.  Once those are ironed out, though, I have no doubt this can turn into a franchise and an excellent one at that.

Windows Mobile 6.5 Review: A Minor Update To An Old Platform

Did you hate Windows Mobile 6.1?  Prepare to remain in the same position with version 6.5 of the platform, as it remains the same OS, albeit with a few shallow improvements.  If you found 6.1 critical to business use and passable for everything else, then you’ll appreciate the few touch-ups that found their way on this new iteration.

So, what’s new with Microsoft’s attempt to scale back the demise of its dying mobile platform?

A new Today screen. Basically the screen that pops up anytime you want to go anywhere on the phone, the Today screen has received a much-needed facelift, closely resembling the same experience on the Zune HD.
A new Start screen. The placeholder for apps and shortcuts, the Start screen has been updated to reflect modern aesthetics.  It’s gorgeous, making for a nice replacement to the tired menu system of old.
Improved Internet Explorer. Compared to the previous browser, this one is a full turnaround.  The engine was revamped, the UI was improved and support for full HTML standards has been fine-tuned.  It works, for the most part, although it still takes a backseat to browsers on other phones.  During various tests, speed proved to be a tremendous change, although the rendering is still hit-or-miss for many complex pages.
Better finger-tapping support. Mmmm…not really.  Sure, the updated Today and Start screen work perfectly well for tapping actions without the aid of a stylus.  Here’s the problem: you still can’t use the rest of the phone with your finger (it’s impossible).  Even the built-in keyboard remains a pain in the ass without a stylus, which is, honestly, unthinkable nowadays.
A thoughtful lock screen. I love 6.5′s lock screen, giving you multiple entry points back into the device.

That’s it.  Everything from the core functions to the inner pages remain the same as Windows Mobile 6.1.  Honestly, it’s like taking a shitty, old but running car and putting spoilers on it.  With, maybe, new headlights.  By the way, the Windows Marketplace comes with the OS by default, too.

Sony CyberShot TX1: Fast, Compact And Powerful

Noticeably slim and posting fast operations, the compact Sony CyberShot TX1 stands shoulders above the competition with a killer 10.6 mm Exmor R CMOS sensor.  More than the usual camera capabilities, it adds powerful low-light sensitivity, high-speed shooting and motion-detection talents, making it extremely useful for difficult shooting situations.

Specifically, the TX1 makes for an excellent camera for shooting pictures inside dark clubs, outdoor nighttime scenes and other poorly-lit, fast-action situations.  Whether you’re trying to take snaps of your friends on the dance floor, performing covert paparazzi work inside a dimly-lit bar or capturing the movement of small animals rustling behind the trees in the middle of the night, the device should manage it better than your standard pocket shooter.

The follow-up to the T90 from February, the new point-and-shoot brings the same looks as its predecessor – a range of vibrant colors, sleek slide-down front and very slim frame.  Most of the specs mirror the T90, although Sony decided to drop the resolution from 12.1 to 10.2 megapixels.  Don’t worry, though, as the new sensor and improved speed (six photos in a snap) more than make up for it.

Despite the minuscule size, it fits in a bright and responsive 3-inch touchscreen display.  While designed for stylus use, it responds to finger-tapping just well (no need to bring the stylus along, really).  The features remain pretty souped-up, with plenty of shooting and editing options, along with the introduction of a new Sweep Panorama mode that manages stitching action that rivals the results of capable hands working with Photoshop.

My only real beef, again, is Sony’s insistence on using the Memory Stick media format as storage expansion.   Other than that, though, it’s the kind of camera you can gladly leave a bulky DSLR home for.  Sure, the Sony CyberShot TX1 won’t manage the same top-shelf shots, but it works excellently.  You can get it for $380.

Full Flash On Smartphones By Mid-2010, Except The iPhone

Adobe has announced their upcoming plans for Flash 10.1 on mobile devices, effectively defining the future of Flash support on smartphone platforms.  According to the company, full Flash is coming to browsers on Android, Blackberry, Symbian, WebOS and Windows Mobile phones beginning in the middle of 2010.   You read that right – there’s no iPhone on that list.

As it is, Apple is choosing to keep the iPhone a closed platform.  That means no full Flash for Safari users, although Adobe has been granted some leeway on the applications area.

For the rest of the smartphone roster, beta versions of full Flash support will begin rolling out by the end of the year.  Windows Mobile and webOS users get first crack, followed by Android and Symbian handset owners early in 2010.    Blackberry is last in on the action, having only joined Adobe’s Open Screen project as of late.

What, exactly, can you expect with full Flash on your phone?  You get full-featured execution of Flash videos and apps, HTTP streaming and support for mobile input models, including multi-touch, gestures and accelerometer movements.  The prospect this creates for future Flash games is quite the event to imagine.

Even better, the new implementation lets you process streaming HD videos using the hardware GPU, which should put an end to the spotty playback currently available on the current crop of smartphones.  Is mobile YouTube playback finally going to tip over this side of excellent?  That’s what Adobe is gunning for.  We’d know if it works soon enough.

via Gizmodo

PSP Go: Good-Looking And Pocketable, But Raises Plenty Of Issues

The PSP Go has received a lot of flak ever since Sony first introduced the device, along with its planned pricing.  Now that it’s out, that tune hasn’t changed.  It’s still overpriced, and Sony’s marketing hats aren’t doing enough to change that perception.

Not that it’s a bad piece of tech.  On the contrary, the PSP Go is a great-looking and compact device, much better, in many ways, than its numerous predecessors.  The hardware is well-designed, with a smooth sliding mechanism, small but comfortable controls and responsive buttons.  Because of the size, it’s actually the first PSP Go that is actually portable, unlike the unpocketable slabs the previous iterations used to be.

The smaller 3.8-inch screen (compared to 4.3 inches from the 3000)  manages the same 480 x 272 pixel resolution as the previous PSP 3000.  Games, websites and movies look gorgeous on the display, with bright colors and sharp images.  Battery lasts for a good four and a half hours of continuous use, which is pretty acceptable.

Sony gave up UMD support in exchange for digital distribution.  While definitely a welcome change, it means you can’t play your old media on the device anymore if you’re upgrading.  Even worse, Sony isn’t providing a means for users to download games they previously bought on a UMD.  You’re basically out on your own, with no means to bring your favorite titles over.

Onboard storage is ample at 16GB, with support for Memory Stick Micro card expansion.  It also comes with Wi-Fi connectivity and Bluetooth support, but abandons the mini-USB, so that’s a mixed bag.

At a $250 price, the only reason to buy a PSP Go is if you find the reduced size an absolute necessity.  The larger PSP 3000, which can play both UMD and PS Store downloads, is only $170.  While hardware performance does appear to be a bit better, it’s not enough to warrant inheriting all the baggage Sony decided to burden it with.

X10 iconRemote RF: A Universal Remote For Home Automation

The X10 iconRemote RF is a universal remote that can handle more than your home electronics, equally managing both lighting fixtures and home appliances.  While it’s not as good at working your A/V gear as as the most high-end universal remotes, the X10 part makes it a rather compelling choice.

Programming the iconRemote RF works much like most easy-to-use universal remotes – just point it at the A/V equipment and stop cycling when it turns on.  This makes setup extremely basic, but the lack of deeper programming options might frustrate hardcore A/V enthusiasts.  Basically, if you have a complicated set-up, with multiple HDMI inputs and numerous components, it may not be enough to customize the controls to your liking.

Home automation, of course, is one of the device’s biggest selling points.  As such, the X10 iconRemote RF package includes one wireless transceiver, one lamp module and one appliance module.   If you’re serious about automating your home, you’ll have to purchase extra packages, which makes the $100 investment in the remote rather inconsequential.  The whole system works well enough, although you’ll be required to put one transceiver on the same circuit as the control module.  As such, you’ll need to install one for pretty much every room you want the remote to work in.

At its price, the X10 iconRemote RF is a good choice for a universal remote if you don’t have a complicated A/V setup and you’re looking to build up towards home automation.  It’s far from complete, but it comes with everything you need to get started.

Spotify Adds Offline Caching For 3,333 Songs To Desktop App

The desktop version of Spotify just got better.  Europe’s favorite streaming online jukebox just added offline listen to the desktop app.  That means, in a nutshell, you can now cache your favorite playlists and enjoy them without an internet connection.  Win!

Sure, the Spotify iPhone app already does this.  For those without Apple’s Jesus-phone, though, there has been no way to listen to anything from the service if you’re stuck in some godforsaken place with no web access.  Not anymore.

Just like the iPhone app, the desktop version now gets to store up to 3,333 tracks for offline listening.  That’s more songs than you can ever enjoy in one sitting, ensuring plenty of options for those who want a good rotation of tunes without having to clog their data lines.

Making the playlist available is as simple as punching a button on the right hand side of the interface.  Of course, you’ll need to be using the premium version for the feature to be available, so fork up that  €10/£10, you tightwad.

Seriously, this service just continues to get better.   With Spotify bound to debut in the US before the end of the year, expect all the other music services to get some worthy competition (including you, iTunes).  Beware!

[Spotify]

HP Envy 13: Looks Great, Runs Well, Too Pricey For Its Own Good

There’s no mistaking the HP Envy 13.  One glance and you know it’s an upscale piece of electronics.  It looks and feels like an expensive status symbol, with a very slick, very modern design.  Beyond the facade, though, it is a very good piece of hardware, with features and performance that serve to impress.

Clad in an aluminum and magnesium chassis bearing a number of visual details, there’s no mistaking that it’s a premium machine.  It features a beautiful edge-to-edge glass over the screen, to go along with the large touchpad and attractive keyboard layout.  Surprisingly, it’s pretty heavy for how it looks.

Hardware suite consists of a 2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics, 3GB of DDR2 RAM and a 250GB HDD.  It’s a decent set, made even better by the Windows 7 pre-installed on the machine.

The 13.3-inch widescreen LED display manages a native 1,600×900 resolution and is easily one of the notebook’s highlights.  It offers great colors, sharp images and excellent viewing angles.  The keyboard is well made, with full-size Backspace, Tab and Shift buttons, making for very easy typing.  While I appreciate the touchpad’s size, some of the multi-touch gestures are confounding and requires a bit of a learning curve.  Audio performance is excellent here, better even than most machines in the same high-end category.

System performance is great, striking a great balance between processing power and energy use. This leaves the thin-and-light laptops in the dark, while managing to match (and, in some instances, surpass) the performance of the 13-inch MacBook Pro.  Launching multiple programs and running games (thanks to the combo integrated and discrete graphics) wasn’t a problem at all.

Additional features include two USB ports (yep, only two), HDMI out, stereo speakers, an SD card reader and the usual networking set (no WWAN, though).  Honestly, I’m surprised there aren’t more, since this isn’t a thin-and-light.  It ships with an external Blu-ray burner.

Overall, the upscale HP Envy 13 is an interesting machine.  However, the pricing, which is more at par with thin-panel laptops like the MacBook Air, makes it a tough purchase, especially considering that it’s more comparable to the cheaper 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M20: Decent Phone, Great GPS, Screen Too Small

The title of the “best GPS-phone” is still up for grabs, with no clear handset taking the cake, so far. Not that there’s any lack of competing units, though, with Nokia having a couple of models out there, HTC with the Cruise, Pharos and, of course, the Garmin-Asus partnership.

Garmin-Asus’ first phone, the Nuvifone G60, was a decent effort, although the Linux base (which they are abandoning) makes it very unattractive. Their second release, the Nuvifone M20, marries the same built-in navigation favors, along with Windows Mobile 6.1 at the helm.

In truth, the G60 is probably the better in-car GPS, with its larger display. While the M20 fits in the same GPS radio, software, maps and dashboard mounts, the device comes with a relatively small 2.8-inch screen, making excellent vision a primary requirement when used inside a vehicle. For what it’s worth, the navigation suite is excellent, with a powerful turn-by-turn navigation and a comprehensive POI database.

Physically, the M20 has a very attractive candybar form factor that’s compact and slim. The touchscreen display is sharp and bright, making for an excellent screen when performing regular phone functions. Fonts and icons are a tad too small, though, making the use of a stylus an absolute necessity.

Voice calls are topnotch, although the speakerphone adds a bit of noticeable echo. OS performance is decent, but not super fast, even with the installed 528MHz processor and 288MB of RAM. The 920mAh battery, if you keep the GPS radio turned on, should require frequent charging, at least once every day and a half.

Connectivity suite is quite complete, with HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Browsing, like much of the phone, is largely average, with quick page loads, but some delay with the set of functions (e.g. zoom). Being a Windows Mobile handset, it comes with one of the complete messaging capabilities around, along with being highly-extensible due to the wide number of available apps. The onscreen QWERTY is a problem, being too cramped for comfort. Other features include 4GB of onboard storage (no expansion options), a 3.0 megapixel camera (average quality, but unusable in poorly-lit settings) and decent multimedia capabilities.

Overall, the Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M20 is a decent phone that fails where it matters most: being a usable in-car GPS. While I love the phone design, the small screen is really quite the deal-breaker.