Gadgets | Appleaddiction

Roundup of Thunderbolt Hard Drives

By Luke On Apr 13, 2012 Apple | Gadgets 0 No Comments Tags: Hardrive, Thunderbolt

No affiliate links here, just trying to provide a good resource for those looking to pick up a Thunderbolt drive. Don’t forget to tack on an extra $49 to each for a shiny new Thunderbolt cable.

1TB Lacie Thunderbolt Little Big Disk – $449

180MB/s
Dual 2.5″ 500GB disks
Aluminum enclosure

4TB Lacie 2big Thunderbolt – $599

327MB/s
Dual 3.5″ 2TB disks
Aluminum enclosure

4TB Western Digital My Book Thunderbolt Duo – $549.99

225 MB/s
Dual 3.5″ 2TB disks

4TB Promise Pegasus R4 – $1,149

500MB/s
4x 3.5″ 1TB disks

6TB Promise Pegasus R6 – $1799

800MB/s
6x 3.5″ 1TB disks

G-RAID with Thunderbolt 4,6,8TB - $700,850,1000

280MB/s
Dual 3.5″ 2,3,4TB disks
Aluminum Enclosure

As more drives become available we will continue to update this post.

iPad Gift Guide – The Best Gifts for iPad Owners!

By Luke On Nov 28, 2011 Apple | Gadgets 0 No Comments Tags: Accessories, Gifts, iPad, iPad 2

Our four favorite gifts for iPad users!

Artisan iPad Skins – These high quality skins allow you to truly personalize your iPad with free matching wallpapers! Each skin is covered with a clear laminate layer (in gloss or matter finish) to protect the design and the device from minor scratches and abuse. DecalGirl has skins available for both 1st and 2nd gen iPads. – $19.99

iPad Solar Charger – This USB based solar charger works with all kinds of gadgets, although it was specifically designed for the iPad. 6 inter-linked solar panels fold and unfold for ultimate portability. – $179

DODO Case – A hand made, book-bound iPad case made in America. Made from black Moroccan cloth and constructed using traditional bookbinding techniques. $59 – $89

Virgin Mobile MiFi – It’s prepaid 3G internet for your iPad, but it works with up to four other wifi devices as well. The MiFi itself runs $149, and plans start at just $10 for 10 days and goes up to $50 for one month unlimited service.

Solar Charger for your iPad 1 & 2

By Luke On Sep 14, 2011 Apple | Gadgets | iPad | iPhone/iPod 0 No Comments

The SunLeaf Pro is an iPad Solar Charger. We tested it out on an iPad 2. It brought our dead unit to 80% in just under 6 hours. That’s the better part of the day, but if you are miles away from any power outlets, it’s a small price to pay.

There are six inter-linked solar panels that provide up to 15 Watts on a sunny day. The included voltage regulator converts the 15v down to 5v for USB charging. The SunLeaf is capable of charging any device which charges via USB, not just the iPad.

Thinking about picking one up? Use coupon “promoaa” for $20 off.

The iPad 3 and the Future of Mobile Graphics

By Luke On Jul 12, 2011 Apple | Gadgets | Hardware 0 No Comments

With consumer desktop CPU’s reaching 8-cores per CPU, we can expect to see similar tech find it’s way into our upcoming tablets and mobile CPUs. Playstation’s Vita for example features a mobile GPU with 4 cores! It’s called the SGX543MP4. It’s little brother, the the SGX543MP2 is a dual-core variant and it is at work in Apple’s iPad 2.

In OpenGL benchmark tests (3D Graphics and User Interface) the iPad 2 is 4x faster then the original iPad and 3x faster then the Motorola Xoom. 1.

SGX543MP2 – 2 cores -iPad2 – 67M polygons – 2Gpixels/sec @200MHz
SGX543MP4 -4 cores- PS Vita- 134M polygons – 4Gpixels/sec @200 MHz

The PS Vita as mentioned early has a 4-core GPU and a 4-core CPU. That’s double the power in half the size of an iPad 2. It’s only logical assume that Apple’s next iPad will be at the very minimum 4x faster than it’s predecessor. I don’t think it is out of the question to expect a 4, or possibly even 8-core A6 chip in the iPad 3.

iPhone 5: Dual-Core A5 Chip, 8MP cam, 1080p video

By Luke On Feb 16, 2011 Apple | Gadgets | iPhone/iPod 0 No Comments Tags: A5, Apple, iPhone, iPhone5

Apple’s A4 chip is starting to show its age as it moves even closer to it’s 2nd birthday. Apple has something new in the works and we will likely see it in the iPhone 5. The new processor, dubbed “A5″ Will essentially be a multi-core version of the existing A4. The A4 processor is actually a re branded ARM Cortex-A8. The upcoming A5 processor is said to be based on the ARM Cortex -A9 CPU, which is a dual 1GHz CPU.

New Grahics Processing Unit as well for iPhone 5. The SGX543 is a GPU upgrade from the existing SGX535, which can can be found in the iPhone3Gs, iPhone4, and the previous and current gen iPod Touch. This next gen GPU will purportedly also allow for OS X’s OpenCL tech to be introduced into the iOS. This means even better gaming and system performance for all upcoming iOS devices (Think awesome Apple TV and iPad Gaming.)

Also, news has come forth sitting a 8MP OmniVision sensor could power the iPhone 5 camera. The new sensor includes improved hardware that would bump video resolution up to 1080p and offer digital image stabilization and decreased rolling shutter effects as well as 20 percent improvement in peak quantum efficiency in all color channels, a 35 percent improvement in low-light.

I’m impressed overall, is it silly to want a micro-sd card slot too?

Source: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/02/new-8mp-omnivision-sensor-could-power-iphone-5-camera.ars

VLC Media Player for iPad now available!

By Luke On Sep 20, 2010 Apple | Gadgets | iPhone/iPod 0 No Comments Tags: app, iPad

VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework, that plays most multimedias files and various streaming protocols. VLC has all codecs built-in. It comes with support for nearly every codec there is.

Requires: iPhone OS 3.2+

8.9 MB

Download and learn more about VLC Media Player for iPad here.

Apple TV gets major refresh, Finally does Netflix streaming

By Luke On Sep 1, 2010 Apple | Gadgets | iPhone/iPod 0 No Comments Tags: Apple TV

At $99, it is hard to be upset with the new Apple TV. Especially with the fact that you can stream HD Netflix, YouTube, and iTunes TV shows and movie rentals right from the Apple TV. You can also stream content from any iOS device (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad) right to the Apple TV.

The HD streaming is made possible by built in 802.11n WiFi and a HDMI port. It’s all powered by Apple’s revolutionary A4 chip. The step away from purchasing and storage to a pure rental system is something I’m not overly thrilled about,
however the fact that I can wirelessly stream my data from my Desktop to my Apple TV kinda makes up for it.

A huge price drop and increased streaming compatibility finally make the Apple TV a viable option for those looking to cut the ties with their monthly TV bill.

iPhone 4 insides for your viewing pleasure

By Luke On Jun 23, 2010 Apple | Gadgets | Hardware 1 1 Comment Tags: gadget, iPhone4

Courtesy of iFixit we present you the inside of Apple’s newest iPhone!

The iPhone 4′s design is a dramatic departure from the aluminum and plastic drenched days that have plagued the iPhone in the past. The rugged stainless steel bezels around the iPhone 4′s perimeter double as both structural supports and antennas to boost reception.

Budget friendly HD video: The Sanyo Xacti VPC-ZH1R

By Luke On Apr 13, 2010 Gadgets 2 2 Comments Tags: HD, Sanyo, VPC-ZH1, VPC-ZH1R, Xacti

sanyo The Sanyo Xacti VPC-ZH1R is an HD camcorder that is worth every penny. I was able to grab mine from woot.com for just under $140. It came with an extra battery, 1GB SD card, and case. I seldom come across products that are actually a really good deal, so when I got my hands on this camera I though I needed to let you all in on what I found so impressive about it.

What I liked:

Solid construction. Doesn’t feel cheap at all. Easy to hold
Direct recording of video to SD+SD HC cards. (32GB Max)
Awesome recording structure. The 720p video is captured at ~9Mb/s and is stored into a convenient h.264 MPEG-4 file.
3″ WideScreen TFT screen looks amazing. Video is crisp and the colors are vibrant.
HDMI out via mini-HDMI port. (HDMI cable included)
Long battery life. Good two hours per battery. Two batteries included.

What I didn’t like:

Auto-focus didn’t always work the best. Your HD video becomes fuzzy if the lens isn’t focused.
No optical image stabilization, the digital version lacks much, but at this price point you can’t expect more
Quality of video drops significantly as the light decreases.
2MP CMOS sensor means your stills are capped at 1200×1600. That means nothing bigger than 5×7

If you can get this camcorder for less than $170 I suggest you go for it. It works seamlessly with YouTube HD as well as iMovie. It sells in a bonus pack that comes with a case, extra battery, and 1GB SD card.

I have also posted a quick HD video of some trains on YouTube to test the quality. You can see it here. (Sanyo Xacti HD test video)

The New Apple Remote

By Luke On Oct 22, 2009 Apple | Gadgets 0 No Comments Tags: Apple Remote

appleremote Is over innovating a possibility? If so, the new Apple Remote is a victim of it. Apple’s Last remote was perfect. Simple, stylish, and functional. Yet Apple managed to completely ruin the svelt feel of the Apple Remote by introducing this new overly designed product.

It starts out at the same price point, $19 so I can’t complain. But other than the price there isn’t much else to love. It features the same 5 buttons, but this time they made it look like there are three buttons instead of two. The remote itself is just as thin and a bit taller and longer than its predecessor. A silver matte finish coats the entire device except for the buttons which have a black matte finish.

Not digging the new remote either? Well head to your local Apple store and stock up as it seems they haven’t pulled the old ones yet.

Fancy this one? you can pick it up online @ the Apple Store.

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