Reg Hardware

12th March 2008 Archive

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  • Steve Jobs rescues freetards from BBC iPlayer wilderness (for now)

    iPhone streams start DRM-free download party

    Enterprising Linux hackers have built a new way to download BBC iPlayer programmes that lets online viewers store shows indefinitely - and it's all thanks to Steve Jobs. Last week, Auntie launched the streaming version of iPlayer for the Jesus Phone and iPod Touch. It's meant transcoding shows to the H.264 format used by Apple …

    HD 12 Mar 07:02

  • iPod Nano electrical discharge sparks new battery fear

    Japanese player goes 'fzzzt'

    An original first-generation iPod Nano shot out sparks while being recharged in Japan back in January, the country's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry revealed today. The incident took place on 8 January, and was duly reported to Apple, which finally got round to letting the Ministry know about the matter on 7 March. …

    Media players 12 Mar 10:17

  • Thumb-ring accessory points to handset harmony?

    A TAD silly?

    If the condom-like iPhone Phone Finger passed you by then check out the latest phone-oriented finger-enhancing accessory, the TAD. TAD: Choose a colour, then pick a pointer Each TAD compries a silicone ring that can take one of three different plastic pointers. These can be selected according to device and function: for …

    Gadgets and Gizmos 12 Mar 10:26

  • iPhone emulator firmware jailbroken

    Paves way for unlocked iPhone 2.0?

    Apple iPhone owners worried that the release of an official software development kit (SDK) for the handset will mean an end to attempts to 'jailbreak' the device need fear not. Hackers have opened up version of the iPhone firmware that comes with the SDK. A screenshot posted by a member of the iPhone Dev Team, a band of …

    Phones 12 Mar 10:48

  • Boffins demo OLED-on-a-roll production process

    Cheaper flat-panel TVs coming

    General Electric scientists have worked out how to manufacture OLED displays on a roll, a process that they hope will one day allow panels to be punched out cheaply and cut to size like cloth. So far, GE's researchers have simply demonstrated such an approach is possible. But they believe that, with further development, the …

    HD 12 Mar 11:17

  • Palm Centro smartphone

    Review Treo goes mainstream

    Palm's been making its smartphones less like a clunky PDA and more like a regular, slim handset with each new model. The big step forward was the Treo 600. Now comes the latest version, this time with a new name as well as a new look. Superficially, the Centro looks like Palm's other 'new design' smartphone, the Treo 500 - …

    Phones 12 Mar 12:02

  • Nyko beats Sony to PS3 rumble controller release

    Zero ships ahead of DualShock 3

    The impending Western release of Sony’s DualShock 3 controller has been overshadowed by accessory maker Nyko, which has unveiled a shockingly similar looking rumble controller for the PS3 just weeks before Sony’s official offering goes on sale in the US. Sony has already confirmed that the long-awaited DualShock 3 will be …

    Consoles 12 Mar 13:43

  • Samsung kills second-gen Blu-ray, HD DVD combo player

    No release for the BD-UP5500

    Samsung has knocked its dual-format HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc player line on the head. In a statement, the Korean consumer electronics giant said: "In light of recent announcements, Samsung will not introduce the BD-UP5500 Duo HD Player." Recent announcements include those from major studios who'd previously backed HD DVD but …

    HD 12 Mar 13:44

  • KontrolFreek pimps up Xbox 360 controller thumbpads

    Thumb-twitching fun

    If you’re constantly crashing into barriers driving Project Gotham Racing 4 for example, then perhaps your Xbox 360’s dual thumbpads just aren't right for your particular opposable digits. KontrolFreek's FPS Freek: adds height to your Xbox 360's thumbpads Fortunately, help is at hand from peripherals specialist KontrolFreek …

    Consoles 12 Mar 14:01

  • Beeb's DAB failfest 'costs £25 per set'

    20th time lucky?

    The New Year has seen another BBC TV campaign to persuade radio listeners to move to digital. This means moving to DAB, the obsolete broadcasting technology the world has snubbed, and Britain has, too. Thanks to Steve Green, we can begin to gauge the extent of this campaign. The latest salvo is the corporation's 20th effort …

    Media players 12 Mar 14:58

  • Devolo preps satellite TV-over-mains kit

    Coax out, powerline Ethernet in

    Networking specialist Devolo has come up with a new gadget that'll let you stream a satellite TV feed around your home's mains wiring to TVs and PCs in other rooms. The dLAN TV Sat sits between the link from a satellite dish and the mains. It has a built-in 200Mb/s HomePlug AV powerline Ethernet adaptor that connects to …

    Networking and Wireless 12 Mar 16:07

  • Camera gets camcorder, MP3 player features and more

    Picture the Picto

    Carrying a number of devices will stretch your pockets, so manufacturers have begun incorporating devices into single gadgets. Korean firm Digix is the latest and has created the multi-function Picto DigiArt i90. Digix's i90: camera, camcorder, MP3 player and a dictaphone The i90 is mainly sports a seven-megapixel CMOS …

    Cameras 12 Mar 16:12

  • Apple fans roast Apple fans

    Fix for overheating MacBook Airs

    Apple has issued a software update for the MacBook Air, following reports of overheating. The update, released on Monday, "fine tunes the speed and operation of the internal fan" in the MacBook Air models. This should enable the fan to correctly regulate the temperature and stop the notebook locking up. Released in January, …

    Mac 12 Mar 17:37