Phillip’s announces 21:9 LCD with no US plans…US weeps

Just look at that beaut!  That my friends is a TV.  The TV above is Phillips’ new 56″ 21:9 LCD.  Whats cool is that it is almost the exact same as movie theaters’ 2:39:1 ratio.  Theater are already starting to drool…I can tell.  Best close your mouth though and get a tissue because Phillips as absolutely no plans, I repeat no plans to bring this to the States.  Hopefully, with Phillips breaking the ice, othe manufacturers will f ollow.  The TV coverts the 16:9 format into 21:9 on the fly.  I’m not sure how good of a job it does, but if more manufaturers pick up and run with this format I’m sure they can work the kinks out.  We can only dream…

Source: Engadget, Zdnet

Se7en Blackberry theme is amazing!

As much as I knock windows and Microsoft, they do asthetically design some pretty cool things.  For example, Windows 7 looks awesome.  Sleek, modern, minimalistic.  Combine that look with a Blackberry’s messaging power and you have a golden medal.  I’ve seen a few Vista and Windows 7 themes before, but none as good as Hedone Design’s Se73n theme.  It looks simply amazing.  Blackberry theme making as come a looong way in just a few short years.  Head on over to the Crackberry Store *link is to the Bold version* to pick up a copy of this stunning piece of work!  Se7en is available in 81xx, 83xx, 88xx, and 9000 versions.  Click the link to see a video of the theme in action.

Source: Crackberry

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 RC coming…NOW!

Coming now in the sense that you’re a Microsoft tester.  However outlandish and crazy it sounds, there may be some individuals who won’t switch to Windows 7 and throw Vista to the curb once the new hotness comes out. (God help their souls).  I don’t know what would motivate them to do something so unspeakable, but to each his own.  Anyway, for those Vista lovers, Microsoft will appease the loyal few with a second service pack.  So what’s in Vista SP2?  Come on…keep going…

No more Windows 7 betas

Sadly that is the word from Redmond.  There won’t be another public beta of Windows 7 between the end of the current beta and the full public release of Windows 7 rumored at July.  With the speed that Microsoft has been moving with updates and such, July doesn’t seem that unreasonable.  Keep your fingers crossed.  If you haven’t picked up a copy of the beta yet, I suggest you get to it and stop procrastinating if you want to enjoy the 7 goodness before the beta ends.

Source: Gizmodo

Cheap 100,000 hour lightbulb…Soon!

Old incandescent light bulbs use a ton of energy.  The problem with that is that most of that energy is a wasted by product of heat.  Very little of the energy incandescent light bulbs use actually puts out light.  Sure we have compact fluorescents but those still don’t last as long these new bulbs developed by a Cambridge University research group.  The new LED lightbulb has a life of 100,000 hours, or 60 years!  The goodness doesn’t stop there.  Besides being extra frugal, the LED’s will light up instantly.  Just think of how much energy and money one person could save over a year…a lifetime of using just one of these.  Now imagine if the entire country adopted them.  The energy and money savings are staggering.  So with this new tech comes a high entrance fee right?  Wrong.  You will soon be able to pick these little beasts out for as little as $2.98!  Finally, being green will start to pay off!

Source: Engadget, Daily Tech

Verizon pinching pennies…getting cheap

Fans of Verizon’s “Test Drive” service and “New Every 2″ have a wide awakening coming to them.  On February 15th Verizon will discontinue the Test Drive period.  The Test Drive was a way for someone to try Verizon’s service for 30 days and if they didn’t like it they could walk away without paying.  ”Not anymore”, says Verizon.  Also on the chopping block is the New Every 2 feature.  Under the old rules plans of $39.99-$79.98 received a NE2 discount of $50 and customers with plans over $79.99 received a $100 NE2 discount.  Those prices have since fallen to $30 and $50 respectively.  What does this mean for you the customer?  If you were planning on joining or upgrading to Verizon, better do so before February 15th while you can still enjoy the deeper discounts.  It’s definitely a sad day for Verizon customers.  Big Red takes away another feature.  It’s ok to cry.  Continue on for a bigger picture of the flyer above.

New JPEG format, JPEG XR, coming this year.

JPEG has become somewhat of a household name the digital world.  JPEG XR was developed by “The Joint Photographic Experts Group” whom designed the original now aged JPEG.  Its relatively good quality combined with small size has made it a standard in many areas.  It’s not perfect however.  Since a JPEG is a lossy picture format information is removed from the picture.  Making editing it somewhat limited.  Though more hardcore photography and photo editors don’t touch JPEG with a ten foot pole, they use formats such as RAW that offer much greater detail (and file size).  The new JPEG format is set to be called “JPEG XR”.  The “XR” stands for “Enhanced Resolution”.  Duh!  What are the advantages of JPEG XR?