The Sony Aibo (“partner” or “friend” in Japanese) was a huge success, but not in financial terms. Sony pulled the plug on the tech-adorable creation early 2006 after they filed their quarter 3 2005 report. Seems like Sony needed to streamline a bit, and the first thing to go was the dog. Typical.

I was not aware of the memory brand Team until a chance meeting with one of our partners brought it to our attention. Now it seems it was remiss of me not to research more into the brand, as it is setting record upon record in the hands of many enthusiasts who go after the ultimate speed crowns of the computing world.

                                             Team has seemingly come out of nowhere to claim multiple awards and performance firsts.

There are always some things that are indefinable when shopping for a product – it’s not always specifications, price, performance and brand that are considered by consumers. This train of thought came about after I set eyes on the Genius Ergo 555 Laser mouse.

Palit Microsystems is a veteran motherboard and videocard manufacturer, with an enviable length of tenure in the industry. With its latest board based on the new Nvidia 7100 chipset for the Intel platform, the N73PV; Palit is set to make waves in the motherboard front.

We’ve all seen or heard about those old “VR” concepts and movies, of which TRON is the best known. Of late a number of products claiming “VV”, or Virtual Vision, have been popping up on the technological scene. These products and the popular VR movie fodder of yore pointed to a concept of “full experience” in addition to the more traditional “vision-based” system of entertainment / experience.

Ever seen a viable car-based GPS system installed in one of our ubiquitous jeeps? Of course not, right? For one, the directions and ever-changing one-way streets are already installed onto their own experience and memorization-based navigation systems, and no technological solution will be able to keep up with constantly-changing landscape of our road network. But one has to start somewhere, yeah?

LG held a high-power event and product introduction on the night of November 27, 2007. High-power due to the sheer chutzpah of the roll-out, and the number of special guests who attended the event. The introduction of the LG KU990 Viewty candy-bar phone took center stage, underlining LG’s overall goal of re-affirming their commitment to the local market.

                                             A grand ballroom for a grand occassion.
 

AMD presented to a select few media partners the new Spider Platform centered around their latest technologies and releases, once again redefining what “performance” is and why AMD is still considered an technological leader, even after all the hoopla on its competitor’s products.

                                              The Spider platform shatters performance expectations, but in a different way than you think.

Although the streets of Manila are usually chock-full of cars everyday at rush hour(s), it is probably safe to say that based on population and living density of our cities, we are one of the most frugal commuters in the world, especially gas-wise.

                                             Where's the Mr Fusion?

The modding craze has come and gone, leaving behind it half-hearted examples of creativity and cooling prowess. Nearly all computer cases now can be had with at least one fan for cooling or for decorative purposes, although the owner is free to add more if so desired.

                                              Shouldn't it have fan grills or something?
 

Getting the upper hand in the computer chipsets field is hard work; companies like AMD, Nvidia, VIA and Intel sink millions of dollars into the always next-generation offerings designed for the best computers of the day, or even upcoming ones. So when a truly revolutionary piece of silicon comes along, it becomes the next benchmark aimed at by the chipset manufacturers, to achieve, or to surpass.

                                             With a cool industrial / techno look, the box itself is a treat.

Revisiting an old friend always bring surprises and reminds of nuances that trigger a good memory or two, or even three. Emaxx had a place in these pages a few months back, and now the INF7050-AVL takes up the Emaxx name in a blog review. Yup, still the same near-incomprehensible naming scheme.

                                             A marked diference from the previous review, the Emaxx INF7050-AVL.

HWM was one of the few publications invited to attend the exclusive unveiling of HTC’s new HTC Touch Dual at the Tower Club in Makati. Seemingly an update to the current HTC Touch, The Dual looks thinner and has a smaller screen, plus sports a front-facing camera for video conferencing, but otherwise everything looks the same.

                                             The Tower Club at the thirty-third floor of Philamlife Tower.

Who doesn’t have at least one gadget? If you’re reading this, then this is even more of a sure thing, in fact you most probably have at least three. The next question is, how many of these gadgets have a shiny, shiny surface that collects smudges and dust faster than the average Hollywood obsessed signature hound?

                                             A tongue-in-cheek app for the iPhone pokes fun at its tendency to collect..uhhmm..smudges.
 

The metrosexual movement means that the atypical geek is a thing of the past. Usually. For those who haven’t heard of any kind of movement, including movement in the fashion sense, then a high-tech closet can work wonders. Probably.

                                             Geeks hone their fashion sense while young.