LG Display has announced that it’s developed a 480Hz LCD TV panel which it will showcase at the upcoming CES 2009. Great – I’m still using a 60Hz LCD display and barely thinking about upgrading to a 120Hz display!!

Technically, the new “Trumotion 480Hz” display utilizes a 240Hz panel with a scanning backlight which turns on and off rapidly – thereby inducing a 480Hz refresh rate.

Eddie Yeo, Executive VP and Head of LG Display’s TV Business Unit said “The world’s first Trumotion 480Hz LCD TV panel is planned to hit the market in the second half of 2009”.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: LG Display, Trumotion 480Hz LCD Display

Anyone who’s played a first person shooter can attest to this – walking around the corner in a video game only to find yourself actually tilting your head or body as if you were really in the virtual world itself. Why not accentuate the experience a bit with the LumiSource BoomPod. Designed especially for kids ages 6 to 12, the BoomPod features a rounded bottom which provides a multi-directional tilt to any gamer sitting on the pod. The BoomPod also includes built-in 3 inch 2-way speakers, fully adjustable volume control, an illuminated control knob, RCA input jacks, plush two-tone microsuede surface, a breathable mesh padded surface, audio cords, and a built-in handle. The BoomPod is powered by 4 AA batteries, comes in either red or blue and measures 19 x 14.5 inches. You can purchase the BoomPod at Target now for $35 dollars.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: LumiSource BoomPod, Gaming Chair

If you’re looking to stay in touch with status messages and location updates no matter where you are, then check out the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger device from SPOT LLC. This tiny “personal messaging device” allows users to notify friends, family, or an international 911 emergency call center with status messages based on their situation and need.

The device comes with four function keys that transmit messages based on varying levels of need:

• ALERT 911 – sends emergency response center your GPS location
• Ask for Help sends a request for help and your location to your friends and family
• Check In – lets your contacts know where you are and that you’re OK
• Track Progress – sends and saves your location and allows contacts to track your progress using Google Maps

Specs include:

• Measures 44 x 111 x 69 mm and weighs 209 grams
• Floats on water
• Humidity Rated MIL-STD-810E Method 507.3, 95% to 100% condensing
• Vibration Rated Per SAE J1455
• Uses AA lithium batteries with SPOTcasting tracking mode – 14 days of battery life and 911 mode – 7 days of battery life

You can purchase the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger for under $170 with annual service fees coming in at $99.99.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger, GPS

We here at Krunker Media would like to wish all of you a very safe and happy holiday season. As you can tell, it’s been quiet around here lately – we’ve been on a short vacation – enjoying time with family and friends (not to mention attending some weddings too!). But never fear – we’ll be back up and running soon enough and guess what? CES 2009 is just around the corner and we’ll be there too! CES coverage will begin next Wednesday and will run well into the weekend and I’m sure the following week.

And finally, enjoy the last day of 2008 and have a wonderful New Years. Here’s hoping 2009 will be a far better year than 2008!!

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[Reprinted from NetbookTech.com]

Just what is Sony up to exactly? Over the weekend, Engadget spotted a teaser webpage pop up on the Sony New Zealand website here. Unfortunately the page is no long around but it does confirm that Sony will be making a big laptop announcement at CES on January 9th. The real question for us is – is this the long awaited Sony netbook? Could this be the device that the FCC recently approved? OR.. is this just something totally different?

Of course everyone knows that both Sony and Apple are noticeably absent from the netbook market. Yet -  is this a market that they absolutely have to enter? As seen by others in the market, entering the netbook industry could result in lower profit margins as well as cannibalization of higher end notebook/laptop system sales.

Sony and Apple are two companies which focus on substance and style when it comes to their products – resulting in devices which are often more expensive than competing products. This holds true for Sony’s notebooks too – so the real question is – would Sony be willing to part with that model and offer an inexpensive netbook?

Our guess here at NetbookTech is no. If Sony is going to make a statement such as “On the 9th of January, you will change the way you look at laptops. Forever.” then a new netbook model wouldn’t justify such a statement.

So what would? I guess we’ll just have to wait.

[Via News.com, Engadget.com]

Technorati Tags: Sony Netbook Rumor, CES

Are you worried about how high the volumes are with your kids headphones? Pick them up the “Safe Volume Headphones” from the folks at iHearSafe.com. The designed for kids headphones come with a built-in volume limiter that prevents sound levels from exceeding 80 decibels. Other features of the Safe Volume Headphones include:

• Lightweight adjustable headphone designs
• Generous padding around the earphones and on the headband
• Suitable for all ages
• Works on all audio devices

The “Safe Volume Headphones” are available for $24.99 at iHearSafe.com.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Safe Volume Headphones, iHearSafe

Do you find yourself using your notebook outdoors a great deal? If so, then you’ll probably be interested in LG Display’s new “Backlight Data Signal Switching” Technology. Demonstrated in a new 14.1 inch LCD panel, the technology allows users to easily switch from backlight use (transmissive mode) to outdoor reflective mode with the touch of a button.

According to LG, “the use of selective reflection plates in existing backlight panels enables the switch from reflective mode in a high luminance setting (sunlight) to transmissive mode in a low luminance setting (indoors and at night)”.”

Utilizing sunlight instead of backlight technology enables the following:

• Reduce power consumption by up to (and maybe over) 75% during the daytime
• Resolves visibility issues with a contrast ratio exceeding 9:1 (displays typically have 2:1 to 3:1 for conventional notebooks)

LG plans on having the panel on display at CES so stay tuned for coverage.

Technorati Tags: LG Display, Backlight Data Signal Switching Technology

ThinkComputers has a review out for the MSI R4830-T2D512 OC Radeon HD 4830 512MB Video Card here on their website. I have loads of respect for those of you who review graphics cards (and motherboards too!). I used to review them here and there in the past and let me just tell you something – it gets utterly boring running benchmark after benchmark over and over again – reporting how one graphics card beats out another by a mere 50 3DMarks or something like that. In any case, luckily there are folks who can appreciate this so thank goodness for that! OK.. so I digress now.. here’s what ThinkComputers thought of the MSI card:

“The Radeon HD 4830 ends up being an impressive card, and MSI really did a good job with it.”

Meanwhile, Overclockers Online has published a review of the eStarling Impact7 WiFi Digital Frame here on their site. Here’s what they thought of the eStarling frame:

“eStarling has taken the digital frame and merged it with social networking features to help you connect with friends and families. The built in WiFi makes it a cinch to send pictures to the frame directly from your computer, through email or even from your cell phone.”

Here’s another review from ThinkComputers. This time it’s of the Booq Boa Slimcase M Laptop Bag – a pretty nifty sling like laptop bag with an utterly strange company name if you ask me. In any case, if you’re looking for a bag that doesn’t look like every other messenger bag, make sure to check out this case. Here’s a snippet from the review:

“This is another great bag from Booq. They really make some very unique bags and are one of the only companies that I know using the vertical design.”

EverythingUSB has a new review out for the Kingston Data Traveler 150 Flash Drive. Here’s their verdict:

“Sleek and slender, the Kingston Datatraveler 150 is well designed and functional USB flash drive with a good read and decent write performance, something you would expect from one the world’s leading memory manufacturers.”

Techware Labs has a new review out for the Ikonik Zaria A20 PC Case. Here’s a snippet:

“The Ikonik Zaria A20 is definitely a nice case. It’s got a lot of high end features, and plenty of room for installation.”

Technorati Tags: Review Roundup

Holding out for the next version of the T-Mobile Android based handset? Well if the rumors on the Net are correct, you won’t have to wait for long. One rumor being reported by the folks at Cell Phone Signal has the new G2 coming out on January 26th, 2009. Sounds a bit early? We think so too – especially since the G1 just came out a few months ago. The folks at the Boy Genius Report hear that the new G2 will be coming out in April (due to software issues).  April sounds a bit more palatable. So what’s in the new G2?

Here are the reported specs:

• Touch-screen display – no keyboard
• Trackball at the bottom
• Enterprise support
• Wi-Fi support
• 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash
• EDGE and GPRS support
• 3G networking
• Memory card slot
• VGA secondary camera for supposed video calling

[CellPhone Signal, Boy Genius Report via CNET]

Technorati Tags: Android, T-Mobile G2, Smartphone

Looking for a webcam for that basketball fan in your life?  Check out the Basketball PC Webcam (aptly named isn’t it?) being sold over at Free-Shipping.com for a mere $12.99. Yes, it’s somewhat cheesy and yes the technical specs are pretty weak.. but come on now – it’s a webcam shaped in the form of a basketball! You’ll get a CMOS sensor with a resolution of 100K pixels capable of producing an image resolution of 352 x 288. Frame rates are a mere 12 fps but then again the cam supports only USB 1.1. Ah.. but it’s in the shape of a basketball I tell ya!

[Check it out via Chip Chick]

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