August 2007 Archives

Apple has never been big on two-buttoned mice. Ever since the Lisa in the 80s, they have always shipped a one - button mouse with their desktop computers. Apple admirers claimed it was for simplicities sake, and critics said it was because Macs were for idiots, and as such they could only use one-buttoned mice. However, Apple recently announced a new mouse. They jumped the gap and went straight from one button to four, surprising everyone.

The OoBE (or 'Out of Box Experience') is typical Apple - small, stylish and very nice. There's not really a lot to say about the packaging; it has some pictures of the mouse and an Apple logo on it, and thats it. Opening it up reveals the Mighty Mouse tucked away in a cardboard holder.

The Mighty Mouse utilizes USB 1.1 or 2.0, and has an 800dpi optical sensor (with a red LED underneath). However, there is a wireless version available which uses Bluetooth and has an invisible laser sensor instead (this review applies to both models since the wireless version is virtually identical)...

The Chromatone CT-312 is a Wholetone sythesiser with 312 keys, instead of the standard register of 88. These are not 312 separate pitches however, but uses the Uniform keyboard paradigm to replicate notes across the board. The advantage of this is not having to stretch awkwardly to reach a key, as it will be replicated in a slightly more convenient location. It was a layout developed by Paul von Janko in 1882, called the Janko Keyboard.

This helpful chart assists in the explanation of the layout, and I've included a decipher of it below.

The video after the break shows one gentleman showing his skills with 312 keys, performing the Super Mario Bros theme with bewildering ease. Last time I saw that being played was on an 11-string bass, so it evidently has some reputation amongst extreme musicians...

The N800 is described by Nokia as an 'Internet tablet' - its a handheld touchscreen device capable of browsing the Internet through WiFi. Unusually for Nokia, it isn't a mobile phone, althought it is capable of making calls over the Internet.

The specs of the N800 include a TI CPU, two SD slots, 128 MB RAM, 256 MB flash storage, 4.1' 800x480 touchscreen, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack and mini-USB port. The device sports an integrated pop-out VGA webcam, a kickstand and a slot for the stylus. It also came with a 128mb miniSD card (and SD adapter), protective pouch, mains charger, USB data cable (not for recharging), spare stylus and earphones...

Acorn Studios have created the ultimate accessory range from old computer media and peripherals. Floppy disks, keyboard keys, circuit boards and scratched CDs have been transformed into clocks, notepads, jewellery and other gifts. Check out this pair of cufflinks available for $14.95.

Click on for some more pictures...

ShockGadgets has been pretty quiet for the past couple of months, mainly due to some of our staff being in-between real-world jobs. However, all is not lost. We are expecting to be able to reboot ShockGadgets and get back up to pretty much full speed in the next week or two, with quite a bit happening in the world of gadgets and a number of reviews being written. We're looking forward to being up and running again.

We are looking for a couple of Contributing Editors to work as part of our team. The job involves posting news and reviewing gadgets, and is possible to do on evenings/weekends. No specific experience is required, but you need to be able to prove you can write near-perfect English without plagiarising, and that you have a love of gadgets/computers. Please email jobs[at]shockgadgets[dot]com with your information and sample news/reviews, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

We're also exploring the idea of operating a gaming site separate to this one, so if anybody is interested in contributing to that, copy the above instructions. There would also be a couple of Editor positions available for those willing to proofread and perform administrative and managerial tasks. As I say, this is not a confirmed venture but a concept we're toying with.

Lastly, discussions about advertising on ShockGadgets have been floating around, so if any gadget-related companies (including computers and games) would like to purchase some ad space on this site, let us know at advertising[at]shockgadgets[dot]com.