Product Pr0n: Earbud Headphones

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor painful prompter miscues can stop G4’s intrepid tech correspondent: Wil O’Neal. In this week’s Product Pr0n segment I took a look at four after-market earphones: the super.fi 5EBs from Ultimate Ears, Etymotic Research’s 6i Isolators, Westone’s UM1 Earphones, and Sennheiser’s CX300s. While they’re all vastly superior to the shitty earbuds that ship with MP3 and personal video players, they’re not all created equal. Watch the segment and let me know what you think.

ViewSonic VP2330wb 23" Widescreen LCD Display ($1,249)

Today was one of those crazy days where I spent the morning editing a segment that’s gonna air on Thursday, while simultaneously preparing to appear on Attack of the Show. In a word: stressful. At lunch I returned to my desk to see which fires would be waiting for me in my Inbox. Imagine my delight at being met not with angry emails from everyone and their mother, but rather, the ViewSonic VP2330wb 23" Widescreen LCD Display!

This baby rocks two inputs: standard VGA as well as DVI. I attached my janky-ass desktop machine to the VGA port and this smoking new Falcon Northwest gaming laptop to the DVI port. The monitor’s native resolution is an enormous 1920x1200 which means that you can have two full documents or two independent applications next to each other. It’s also HDTV-720p compatible. Of course, with an optimum resolution like that I was worried that it would suffer some during gameplay – since most games don’t run at 1920x1200.

I fired up the Battlefield 2 demo on the Falcon laptop and the game looked great. I played the game at 1600x1200 and the screen scaled perfectly. In the past, I’ve used LCDs that, when used at a resolution other than its optimum, looked like shit.

The VP2330wb boasts a detachable base which makes it easy to mount to a wall and users can adjust the height (obviously) as well as the tilt. Oh yeah, and it also pivots so that you can view your documents vertically. Pretty cool eh?

iGoatse skin for your iPod

If there’s one word that perfectly sums up everything that’s bad about the internet, it’s “goatse.” If you don’t know what I mean, whatever you do, DO NOT Google “goatse.” Now that we got that out of the way, everyone knows how much I despise the iPod and everything Apple-related. However, having come across the iGoatse skin for the iPod, I’m may unwrap my brand-new 30GB iPod Video if no other reason, so that I can rock this most-awesome-est of iPod accessories.

Shure E3c Sound Isolating Earphones

($199)

Lately I’ve been on this high-end after-market earphone kick. You know what I’m talking about – those earbuds like the ones that ship with MP3 players (the exceptions being that they don’t suck and cost damn near as much as the MP3 players themselves). Anyway, I put together a segment last week that will air tomorrow (Tuesday, March 28th) on Attack of the Show where I put five pairs of noise-cancelling earphones through their paces. Unfortunately, the Shure E3cs didn’t arrive in time to make the roundup. That said, I’ve been playing with these $200 babies and they’re amazing.

As far as audio quality is concerned, they’re definitely on par with the $200 super.fi 5EBs from Ultimate Ears that I go into more detail about in the segment. However, the super.fi 5EBs handle the low-ends that are so prevalent in the hip-hop and R&B that I listen to better and they’re also more comfortable. That said, the Shure E3cs come with a ton of extra sleeves so finding a fit for your particular ear(s) shouldn’t be a problem. Additionally, I handled the bass problem by turning on the Bass Boost on my Creative Zen Vision:M.

Of course, if you’re about to plunk down $200+ dollars on a set of earphones I’d suggest trying some out before you buy. While the super.fi 5EBs are my current favorites, the Shure E3c may better fit your musical tastes – and ears.

Product Pr0n: Portable Video Players (PVPs)

In this week’s Product Pr0n segment I got to download (and watch) a ton of teh pr0n: in the name of research of course. Of the four devices that I looked at: the vaunted Video iPod 5G from Apple, the 100GB Archos AV700 Mobile DVR, and the Cowon A2, I had to give the nod to the Creative Zen Vision:M.

On the hardware side, the Cowon A2 and the Creative Zen Vision:M both kick much ass. The Cowon A2’s vibrant 4-inch display is bigger, brighter, and subsequently better than that of the Creative Zen Vision:M. That said, the Zen’s superior user interface and Windows DRM (Janus) compatibility means that I’ll be inclined to use the Vision:M on a daily basis. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Rhapsody To Go. Oh yeah, and the Zen Vision:M is only $300.

Of course, with its enormous 7-inch screen, 100GB hard drive, and its ability to record TV directly from an external source (like a digital cable or satellite TV box) the Archos AV 700 was promising. The thing is, the screen, while plenty big, is kind of washed out and grainy. Adding insult to injury, the interface and controls are about as unintuitive as anything I’ve ever had the misfortune of trying to figure out. And that whopping $700 price tag means that the device would have to be damn close to perfect to justify the purchase.

Anyway, watch the clip here.

It’s official, Dell buys Alienware and can now sell AMD-powered rigs...

After weeks of speculation, the Dell-Alienware deal is now official. I brought this up in an earlier blog post (Has Dell “Officially” Purchased Alienware?) a couple of weeks ago after originally reading about the rumors on Rahul Sood’s (the founder of Alienware competitor Voodoo PC) blog. According to a report on Reuters, “Alienware will operate as a separate unit and keep its product development, marketing, sales and technical support staff as well as its brand.”

In not-so-surprising news, Dell has started taking orders on its $9,930 XPS 600 Renegade gaming computer that rocks a 4.26GHz Intel Pentium 965 Extreme Edition processor as well as Nvidia’s QUAD-SLI graphics solution.

As far as implications are concerned, it may be too early to tell. Of course, this now gives Dell an outlet to sell AMD based computers, including enterprise servers. Stay tuned…

NEXT Generation's “THE HOT 100 GAME DEVELOPERS”

If your name isn’t Samantha Ryan, CEO of Monolith Entertainment, NEXT Generation’s list of “THE HOT 100 GAME DEVELOPERS” says one thing and it says it quite clear, “If you’re a woman – or a man of color who isn’t Japanese – don’t expect to make it as a big-time game developer.” Of course, this isn’t NEXT Generation’s fault. I suppose it’s simply the nature of the business. On the development side, the video game industry is the domain of white and Asian dudes. Of course, if not for brothers, Madden wouldn’t be the juggernaut that it is. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve met plenty of the people on the list and many of them are great guys who are super-talented. It’s just strange to look at a list that’s so…um…homogenous. I think it’s time for Jason Hall to make a comeback

“Walking, stomping in my big, black boots!”

Lumumba Carson, better known as Professor X from the X-Clan died over the weekend after battling meningitis. While X-Clan was huge for about a minute, who could forget 1990’s To the East, Blackwards, the group faded away, and I don’t know anyone who listened to, not to mention purchased, their follow-up joint, 1992’s Xodus. Last year there were rumors that the group, which consisted of Brother J, Paradise, Sugar Shaft, and Professor X, was set for a reunion.

L'il Wil's Discount Warehouse

Sometimes here on G4’s “Attack of the Show” we get bored. And when that happens we put together goofy skits like “L'il Wil's Discount Warehouse.” You see, we got our hands on a few high-end gaming laptops and rather than say, perform a bunch of boring ass, arbitrary benchmarks, we decided to put me in my best Mars Blackmon getup and have a little fun “checking out” some goodies. Watch the clip here.

StreetWars: A 3 week long, 24/7, water gun assassination tournament

There’s some cool shit in the world. Jeremy, one of the Production Assistants on “Attack of the Show” (the show that I work on) is in LA’s StreetWars tournament. The other day he came to work and told us the harrowing tale of almost being taken out by his would-be assassin. Knowing that he was being stalked, Jeremy decided to leave for work at 6:30AM (thinking that his assassin wouldn’t be after him that early). He was wrong. He noticed a strange white pickup when he realized that someone was hiding behind it. Jeremy snuck around the front of the pickup and squirted his would-be assassin before the hit man could get a bead on him. Jeremy won the day.

According to the site:

At the start of the game you will receive a manila envelope containing the following:

• A picture of your intended target(s)
• The home address of your intended target(s)
• The work address of your intended target(s)
• The name of your intended target(s)
• Contact information of your intended target(s)

Upon receipt of these items, your (or your team's) mission is to find and kill (by way of water gun, water balloon or super soaker) your target(s).

Windows XP on an Intel-powered Mac. Holler!

It was only a matter of time but someone successfully installed and booted Windows XP on an Intel-powered Mac. Colin Nederkoorn created a contest where the first person to successfully boot Windows XP (as well as be able to show how it's done) would win some prize money. Well, today he announced that two dudes from California are gonna walk away with the whopping $13,854 prize. Read about it here.

Power Chord Academy

Last night I met guy in Hollywood who runs what’s basically a punk rock band camp called Power Chord Academy. How awesome is that? The director, Bryan Joseph, used to play in a punk band in Chicago with my asshole friend Jason Buhrmester. If you’re a kid between the ages of 12 and 18 who wants to learn how to be in a band this is probably the camp to attend. Havasu!

Product Pr0n: Smartphones

In this week’s Product Pr0n segment I take a look at three very capable smartphones: the Treo 700w from Verizon, the RIM BlackBerry 8700c from Cingular and the Cingular 8125. While the Treo 700w is a whopping $500, I gotta admit to liking the device. Of course, anyone who knows me knows how much I love Windows Mobile 5. Anyway, watch the clip here and don’t be afraid to send praise my way.

Miss Deaf Texas struck by train, killed (Wil says, “Thanks CNN!”)

In the most depressing story of the day, CNN was more than happy to let us know that Miss Deaf Texas, Tara Rose McAvoy, was hit by a train and fucking killed. Wow! What a great way to start the day. But wait, it gets more wors-ter. Hours later, fearing a power vacuum in the ranks of hot Texas deaf chicks, her successor, Johanna Valenta, was appointed the new Miss Deaf Texas. I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen both “Miss Congeniality” and “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous.” Can you say, “foul play?”

Has Dell “Officially” Purchased Alienware?

A few weeks ago the always-opinionated founder of boutique gaming manufacturer Voodoo PC, Rahul Sood, wrote a blog posting where he speculated that a Dell/Alienware marriage was in the cards. Well, he may have known more about the so-called “deal” than he let on, as the Internet is rife today with news, rumors and speculation that Dell has in fact acquired the Florida-based company. Hell, even my thrice former employer CNET has jumped aboard.

What this means to PC gamers and the boutique gaming PC market remains to be seen. That said, it says good things about the future of PC gaming. When Dell first got into the gaming PC market with their XPS line of gaming machines, it sent a message that PC gaming was legitimate. Of course, there’s bound to be more to this story than us “regular folks” will ever be privy to. Stay tuned as this will no doubt get interesting.

The Sixth Annual Weblog Awards (The 2006 Bloggies)!

The Sixth Annual Weblog Awards (also known as The 2006 Bloggies) were announced and one of my favorite sites – PostSecret – won. If you’ve never visited PostSecret, I suggest you run over now to check it out. In a nutshell, visitors write out their secrets on post cards and send them to the site where they’re scanned and posted online. The secrets are amazing. It’s one of those sites that sometimes makes you want to cry while at others giving you hope in the fate of mankind.

Product Pr0n: LCD TVs

I’m back ladies! That’s right; it’s time for this week’s Product Pr0n. In this segment I managed to finagle four LCD TVs. Now, all four of the TVs that I looked at kicked ass. The thing is, I’m partial to the Dell because it’s not only a great TV, but it’s super-affordable. Last I checked you could score one of these for $1500. Check out the clip here.

The Virtually Indestructible Keyboard ($24.99)

I just got my hands on the Virtually Indestructible Keyboard (VIK) from Grandtec, what the maker calls “a silicone-based flexible computer keyboard.” Besides the obvious joke about the VIK being impervious to the hazardous effects that downloading (and using) porn can have on a keyboard, it brings to mind the laptop that I recently destroyed by spilling a pint of Sierra Nevada on the keyboard. Had I been using the VIK, I’d still have my Media Center laptop. Pour out a little liquor. Oh wait, on second thought…

Anyway, adolescent male jokes aside, a rubber keyboard does have some practical uses. For one, you can roll it up and take it with you. Also, because it’s waterproof you can clean it. And we all know how disgusting keyboards can get.

But does it work? Initially the VIK feels strange and it takes some time to get used to, but there’s something about the rubber keys that’s comfortable to the touch. Also, because it lays flush with your computing surface, you don’t need a wrist pad if you’re to avoid RSI issues like carpal tunnel.

Ultimately, if you’re worried about germs, the VIK is a no brainer. Also, if you travel with a laptop and would like to have a full-size keyboard that can easily be stashed in a bag then you’ll no doubt love it. Also, since it’s only $25 it’s not too expensive to warrant just trying out.

In a word: Awesome!

Apparently banner ads do work. While reading an article on a right-wing website I noticed a banner ad for this company that sells right-wing-themed t-shirts: “ThoseShirts.com, where conservative humor, superior quality, and professional artistry come together.” While many of the shirts are offensive to my Berkeley-raised left-leaning sensibilities, others are just plain awesome. I’m no republican, but rocking a Che Guevara t-shirt is just plain dumb. The guy was a fucking murderer. And the irony of me wearing a Reagan or Ann Coulter t-shirt is just too rad to pass up.

Belkin Wireless Pre-N Router ($150)

Some products are just plain better than others. I recently set up a wireless network using some piece of crap no-name 802.11g router and it barely worked. The hardware sucked, the software sucked, hell, the user interface on their web-based configuration utility looked like it had been designed by an eight year-old. “This is bullshit,” I thought to myself. Thankfully, a week later the Belkin Wireless Pre-N Router showed up and I was more than happy to give it a whirl.

Now, I’m not gonna get into all the specs cause that kind of shit bores me. If, however, specs and shit gets you hot, than go to Belkin’s product page and read to your heart’s content. What I will share with you is how easy it was to setup. Since I’ve been setting up wireless networks for years, I decided to take this from the standpoint of someone who’s never done this before. You see, with the router that I was using, I’d be willing to guess that a good percentage of system administrators couldn’t get the fucking thing working. It was that shitty a product. I inserted Belkin’s setup disc and followed the instructions on the screen (down to using the included color-coded Ethernet cables). Within minutes the router was connected to my cable modem and I was up and running. Additionally, configuring the security settings were also a cinch.

Without sounding like I’m on the take I’ll go out on a limb and say that this router was the easiest wireless product to setup that I’ve ever used.

Logitech G7 Laser Cordless Mouse ($99.99)

Videogaming is so lucrative that everyone wants a piece of that pie; and what better way to jump on the bandwagon than by simply labeling something a so-called “gaming device.” Case in point, the Logitech G7 Laser Cordless Mouse. A visit to Logitech's website and you'll see that the device lives in two places: under Logitech Products > Mice and Trackballs > Cordless mice as well as under Logitech Products > Mice and Trackballs > Gaming mice. You see, the G7 is just a good mouse; and as any PC gamer knows, nearly all “good mice” make good “gaming mice.”

Anyway, the G7 rocks a massive list of cool techie sounding features that mean nothing to me: a 2000 dpi laser engine (huh?), a 2.4 GHz wireless connection (am I downloading porn?), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) gaming feet (does that mean plastic?), and three sensitivity levels (400, 800, and 2000 dpi). What does this all mean to you? It means nothing. But I can tell you this much, I've been playing a ton of Battlefied 2 with the G7 and I'm still kicking ass.

There are two buttons below (next to, due south, who knows, just look at the picture) the scroll wheel that allow you to adjust the mouse's sensitivity from within a game. While this is nothing new with Logitech mice, it's a great feature that I'm glad to see made it into the G7. Additionally, the G7 has a ton of customizable buttons, and what's really cool is that it ships with two rechargeable batteries that plug into the wireless USB port transponder thing-a-ma-jig (each battery lasts about two or three days).

As with most Logitech mice the G7 is super-comfortable. That said, if you're a southpaw you're fucked. But hey, that's your problem. At around $100 the G7 is kind of pricey for a peripheral that ships with every computer but it's a great gift item.

Who gives a shit? I don’t.

Am I the only one who doesn’t care whether or not Barry Bonds used steroids? SI.com has a story based on an about-to-be-released book, Game of Shadows, which casts a brutal light on Barry Bonds’ so-called steroid abuse to which I say, “So what?” Professional athletes do a lot of unhealthy things to their bodies in order to enhance their performance. In order to become an NFL lineman, players have to gain unhealthy amounts of weight just to be able to compete “in the trenches.” At what price: chronic knee and joint problems, obesity, etc. Hell, Corey Stringer, from the Minnesota Vikings, basically died because he was too goddamn fat. But so what? If a player wants to fuck himself up and shorten his lifespan in order to be the best in his game and make a ton of money then so be it. That’s a problem that he and his family will have to deal with later on. Thankfully though, in the case of Barry Bonds, he’ll have millions of dollars with which to lay on when his knees no longer work. Besides, the motherfucker can hit a baseball.

UPDATE! The Raddest Phone You Can’t Can Get! ($300)

(UPDATE: Since I posted about the lack of availability of the Cingular 8125 I’ve since found out from my contact at Cingular that the shortages were simply due to the device’s popularity (which is understandable) and that Cingular should be receiving more units from HTC (the phone’s manufacturer) sometime this week. So rest-assured would-be smart-phoners. You’re in luck.)

Let me start off by saying that I love the Cingular 8125 (also known as the HTC 8125). You see, there are three devices that I always have with me at all times: cell (smart) phone, MP3 player, and digital camera; and the 8125 does two of these well (the smart phone and media player functionalities are awesome) and one good enough for most occasions (the 1.3-megapixel digital camera is decent but not great).

One look at the 8125’s laundry list of features and you can understand why I’m so excited about it: Windows Mobile 5.0, full QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, EDGE support, and a MiniSD slot for all of my media files. This thing is bad ass. I got a 1GB MiniSD card from Kingston and I’ve packed it with photos, videos, as well as music from Rhapsody To Go. Accessing the wireless web via Cingular’s EDGE data network is super-fast and the keyboard is great for sending text and email messages. Whenever someone sees me using the keyboard they inquire about the phone before immediately falling in love with it. Which begs the question: why isn’t Cingular selling the device in their stores or their website?

I visited Cingular’s web site and found the 8125’s product page. The thing is, while there’s a button that says, “Buy it online today!” you can’t actually buy the phone. Additionally, calls to a local (Los Angeles-area) Cingular retail store were likewise fruitless, as the sales person simply stated that they didn’t have the phone and didn’t know when they would.

If I uncover any more details ill be sure to keep you all posted.

Perplex City (crack for nerds)

About a month or so ago I met with the PR company for this puzzle game called Perplex City. Typically, I avoid card games: as they’re usually juvenile and uninteresting. The only reason that I even agreed to take the meeting is that a friend of mine, Bill Linn, is their PR rep and well…he’s never steered me wrong. Needless to say, I’m addicted. In a nutshell, Perplex City is an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) where you have to solve the puzzles on the game’s 200+ cards in order to find a cube that’s hidden somewhere in the world. By “the world” I mean, the cube is really hidden somewhere on Earth and the first person to find the physical cube wins $200,000. Not too shabby. If you’re into these sorts of games you’ll no doubt enjoy Perplex City. If, like me, you’ve always thought these types of games were stupid than you’ll no doubt be pleasantly surprised with Perplex City. It’s genuinely a lot of fun.

Product Pr0n: Multimedia Cell Phones

Just when you thought it was safe to go on the Internet(s), TV’s Wil O’Neal is back again with an updated episode of Product Pr0n. In this segment I take a look at a bevy of multimedia cell phones before anointing one with my special “stamp” of approval. Sort of… Anyway, you can watch the clip here.

Kicking it old school (and free)!

Last night I was trying to update DTE (that’s short for “Designed to expire…”) on my laptop when I realized that I never installed an office suite on it: I pretty much use it exclusively to listen to music, surf the Internet and play games. “Shit!” I thought. “What’s a nigga to do?” And then I harkened back to my days as a Linux geek and decided to check out StarOffice. Back in the day (that would be the mid to late ‘90s) StarOffice was a free office suite that worked with Linux. Sun Microsystems has since acquired StarOffice and they’re now charging for it. Bitches! That said, you can still download a free version of it called OpenOffice that’s available for Windows, MacOS as well as Linux. The download is big (nearly 90MB) but it’s worth it. Ha ha! Get it? It’s free. So it’s worth it. Don’t worry; I’ll keep my day job. Anyway, the cool thing about OpenOffice is that it pretty much does everything that Microsoft Office can do, and you don’t have to pay for – or steal – it. If you’re bored, or just feel like thumbing your nose at the big guy I highly recommend visiting the official OpenOffice site and checking it out. It’ll make you feel all hardcore and shit.

Help a sister out!

So my friend Lynn is going to compete in a triathlon to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Noble indeed. Anyway, not only is Lynn super-hot, she's smart, funny, likes to have a good time, and is a cool person all-around. That said, if you’d like to do something decent for once, go to her training site and make a donation. You stingy bastards!

Product Pr0n: Bookshelf Stereos

In case you’re new to G4’s “Attack of the Show,” I’ve recently began doing a weekly segment called “Product Pr0n” where I do a quick roundup of products of my choosing. On the segment that aired this past Wednesday I covered bookshelf stereo systems. You can check out the segment here.

Does using this phone make me gay? ($600)

I recently got my hands on the Nokia 7380, one of three models in Nokia's so-called "L'Amour" line. I've been using this phone for weeks and well...I'm not really sure how I feel about it. On one hand, other than my Cingular 8125 smart phone, it's the only other phone that I use. You see, this thing is the essence of form over function. That said, the form is so fucking compelling that I'm willing to forgive it's lack of practical functionality. Nah'mean?! It doesn't have keys and you have to either use the dial-wheel (think iPod) or voice features to call people. And sending text messages is a pain in the ass.

Now, for all its shortcomings, the 7380 is one hell of a conversation starter. Which brings me to my original question, "Does using this phone make me gay?" The thing is accented in gold and leather and it has flowers etched into it. OK, the thing is made for women. But hey, I'm plenty confident in my masculinity so I'm not afraid to rock it. Oh wait! There's more! I recently took it to a house party in Venice, CA and the chicks wouldn't stop playing with it. They were using its 2-megapixel camera to take photos of each other and seemed to be having fun using the dial-wheel to input their names and numbers in the address book. So, I guess it doesn't make me gay. Not only did I walk away with a ton of new numbers I got some dope-ass picks of chicks in hot pants and leggings to boot.

Tell me I’m not alone!

Ok, I wrote about this a cupla years ago when I was the Technical Editor at Ziff Davis’ Computer Gaming World magazine and since things haven’t changed I’m gonna say it again: but this time with bad words. Fuckers! Why won’t motherboard manufacturers and PC case makers develop a universal plug that enables system builders to easily connect a motherboard to the front panel controls on a motherfucking case? Would it be that hard a thing to do? I’ve been building systems for years and the most annoying part of the process is connecting the front panel controls to the motherboard. If I’m wrong, and some such thing exists, please, holler at your boy.

“Latrice Barnett, I think I may be in love with you!”

Holy shit! I just came across Latrice Barnett’s debut album “Illuminate” on Rhapsody. It’s like an entire album of – what her publicist calls – “R&B-inspired, soulful house.” I fucking love it! She’s on iTunes but since I hate Apple I’m just gonna go ahead and buy the physical album. If you’re a Rhapsody user I strongly suggest that you check out. Great, now I want to go dancing.

Logitech Wireless Headphones for MP3 (129.99)

I just got a set of the Logitech Wireless Headphones for MP3 and I gotta admit that I like them. They use Bluetooth technology and according to Logitech can work from as far away as 30-feet. I found the sound quality to be pretty good with the exception that they didn’t get loud enough for my tastes (I’m black, what can I say). That said, you can control the volume on the headset itself and I like being able to toss my player in my bag and not have to pull it out to adjust the volume. One knock against them is that they’re that annoying wrap-around style, so before plunking down $129.99 I’d try em on to make sure that they’re comfortable.

Logitech also makes a set specifically for the iPod but I one: don’t own an iPod and two: hate Apple and everything about that company.