There have been many boxes in history and democratic culture . I think of the box that Adobe used in itsCS3 marketing safari ; Apple ’s cleverly designed production boxes ; the loge you canhide under inMetal Gear Solidgames ; and the mysterious box mentioned on the most recent sequence ofLost , from which one can apparently produce anything one desire , presuming of course that what you desire is an elderly eccentric player .
None of these , however , is quite the elusiveGadgetbox . For one affair , the Gadgetbox is quite large : think ship container size . Secondly , it ’s constructed of pureadamantium . But I digress . Let ’s see what titbit the box seat comprise this week .
Paint it black: Xbox 360 Elite is official
Last calendar week , we take place on the scoop that Microsoft was plan on unloosen a bleak edition of its Xbox 360 console , and lo and behold , such a console has now been officially foretell . While the car is for most intents and purposes identical to the current crop of 360s , it does append two authoritative features : a high - definition HDMI connector and a 120 GB difficult drive . The console table will run for $ 480 and be uncommitted on April 29th .
There was some murmuring that the Elite would be a throttle - variant , but that come out to not be the case . Rather , the Elite will engross the gamy end of the 360 line , with the Premium and Core remain in the standard and low stove . No damage drop were announced for the exist fashion model , which retail for $ 299 and $ 399 respectively . opprobrious accessories like controllers , battery , and charge packs will also be rolling out at the same time as the Elite .
For those who long to bring the Elite ’s increased capacity to their existing 360 , have no fear : Microsoft is relinquish the 120 GB drive as a stand - alone accessory on the same day as the Elite . But with a retail price of $ 180 , adding the gravid hard movement is an expensive proposition .
One illustrious deletion from the Elite ’s specs is a HD - DVD drive , which is still only available as an $ 199 attention deficit disorder - on ( which willnotbe sold in black ) . Could this be a sign that Microsoft is backing away from the HD - videodisc standard ? Theoriginal Game Informer piecequoted a Microsoft exec as saying “ the data format ’s not prove . ” Meanwhile , Casino Royaleis tracking to be the first Blu - Ray titleto top 100,000 unit shipped , which would mean that the standard would pass that milestone in two month less than it took standard DVD . HD - videodisc titles have been available for more or less long than Blu - Ray and have yet to touch the same point in time . Then again , perhaps it can be chalk up to people merely loving the Daniel Craig .
While the Xbox ’s lack of eminent definition optical drive may not be a huge reversal to the 360 , which still has a high saturation than either the PS3 or the Wii , it does n’t bode well for HD - DVD ’s future .
[ viaKotaku ]
Solid state drives are flashy, but cost a pretty penny
Rumors of Mac notebooks with newsflash - based memory board have only intensify after Samsung this weekannounced its highest capacity whole state driveway ( SSD ) to engagement . The 64 GB drive actually surpass some unwashed laptop drives , such as the MacBook ’s standard 60 GB ride .
While SSDs promise lower index uptake and fast access metre , they come at a significant premium . Fujitsu , for example , will be offer 16 GB and 32 GB Samsung SSDs at $ 700 and $ 1200 severally . I ’d expect the 64 GB to cost at least $ 1500 , which is more than three times the damage it would be you to build - to - order your MacBook with a 120 GB standard hard drive .
That say , flash memory is obviously experiencing tremendous growth in both engineering and sale . Prices of solid state drive will in all likelihood level off and drop in the next few years , but do n’t expect to see them received in Macs in the near time to come . Samsung ’s 64 GB parkway is due to ship in Q2 of this yr .
How to cheat at “Name that Cable”
This retiring weekend , I had to fawn under my desk so I could throng up my gaming PC . While I was on my hands and knees , staring in repugnance at the tangles of wire and the nonionic dust bunnies , it come about to me that I needed a secure solution for cable direction .
ID Pilot Wire Identification Labelswon’t assist with the tangles , but theywillhelp me figure out precisely what secure in my overladen surge defender belong to which opus of equipment . They may be low - tech , but you know what , that ’s usually the best way to battle the problem cause by an abundance of high engineering .
The packs descend in three base : Office ( 22 computer label , 10 equipment labels ) , Household ( 8 kitchen basics , 8 gourmet kitchen labels , 24 household labels , 8 workshop labels ) , and Electronics ( 16 household computer labels , 16 A / V equipment labels , 8 battery charger label ) . Each pack will go you $ 6 , or you may purchase one of each nip for $ 15 . Of course , should you be so inclined , you could always make your own with a sheet of paper of label and a Sharpie , but be true : will youeveractually get around to doing that ? Buy the label and be done with it .
[ viaUber - Review ]
That ’s it for Gadgetbox this calendar week . Tune in next Wednesday when we land you more on the contraption and gizmos that , well , make life worth populate .
