Guide To Buy Gadget's Blog

Call of Duty: Black Ops- XBOX 360

2010-08-14T08:27:00.003+07:00

"Treyarch is a 100 per cent Call of Duty studio" explains Mark Lamia, head of Treyarch - the devs tackling Black Ops.

Before World At War, they were very much seen as the second-tier Call of Duty operatives, but following its success, Treyarch have finally been awarded the same perks as their sister Infinity Ward studio: two years of development time, their own choice of setting, and a dedicated multi-player team.

The subsequent leap in quality between Black Ops and their previous work is more of an eye-opener than a live grenade in your camo-trousers. Treyarch chose their setting well. According to Treyarch Community Manager Josh Olin, the studio plumped for a Cold War setting because it was a 'fertile' breeding ground of gameplay ideas, but it's their decision to focus on the War's underbelly that enables Black Ops to take even a series as well-travelled as Call Of Duty to places it has never been before.

"To take it one step further we decided not to do the conventional wars - the things at the surface - but we went below the surface to Black Ops," explains Lamia. "What that means is you do the operations that couldn't be talked about, that countries had to deny knowledge of."

Some of the real-life covert missions that have been dramatised within the game were so secretive that they actually had to be declassified by the US government before the paperwork for Treyarch's could be released. "We must have tripped every government red flag in existence", laughed Olin. "I'm sure they have a file on us somewhere".

UNLIMITED RESOURCES
Money was no object to the original Black Ops soldiers - they told the government what weaponry they wanted for their next mission, and they coughed up whatever the price - and since these elite soldiers had unparalleled experience in more or less every field of combat imaginable, you'll never know what skill you'll be forced to call upon next. "Once you're given your mission you're then given permission to go to the armoury and outfit you and your team with whatever you need," Lamia tells us, talking about the real life Black Ops crew. "It's not a huge army of people, it's you and your team. When you hear about this you can't help but be in awe of it. But as game designers we think about it and we're like, 'awesome'." It's given Treyarch ample opportunity to push in-game realism to its limits, without compromising the subject matter. You're a badass in the game because you're based on genuine, real-life badasses. It's perfect.

Playable segments of the game we've seen so far have taken us from cold to sweltering (abseiling down a Soviet mountain range one moment, storming through the Vietnamese jungle the next) and from high to low (commanding ground troops from the air in a section which play almost like a strategy game one moment, crawling through an underground catacomb filled with rats and assassins with only a torch for company the next). There certainly isn't much time to stop and moralise or wonder what's for dinner.

CHANGE OF PACE
"We're always thinking about where, psychologically, we want you to be" enthuses Lamia, as a knife enters our torch's cone of vision and exits through the back of a squad mate's skull. "We're not just talking about differences between levels. We want players to feel the change of pace from 'beat-to-beat' - to always wonder what's around the next corner". And with that, we emerge from the underground tunnels and immediately set about attempting to steal a chopper. "You're not going to have to go through a five minute training session to fly that helicopter - that's not what Call Of Duty is about," says Lamia. "The best way I can explain it is much like a weapon. You 'feel' it. Regardless of what weapon you pick up in Call Of Duty it doesn't take you long to get the feel of it - the same will be true of the helicopter. In seconds you're flying it and it is a weapon of massive destruction".

It's classic Call Of Duty, true to the script Infinity Ward originally wrote back in 2003. But Treyarch are now confident with it, able to slot in their own unique flourishes and really make the game their own. "Every single time we get an opportunity to make a game in the Call Of Duty franchise... that's a huge opportunity for the studio" says Lamia. Judging by what we've seen so far, this certainly won't be their last.

Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G, 9.7" Display, Graphite, 3G Works Globally – Latest Generation

2010-08-13T22:34:00.005+07:00

All New, High Contrast E-Ink Screen: Our graphite Kindle DX uses our all new, improved electronic ink display, with 50% better contrast for the clearest text and sharpest images

Beautiful Large Display: The 9.7" diagonal E-ink screen is ideal for a broad range of reading material, including graphic-rich books, PDFs, newspapers, magazines, and blogs

Read in Sunlight with No Glare: Unlike backlit computer or LCD screens, Kindle DX's display looks and reads like real paper, with no glare. Read as easily in bright sunlight as in your living room

Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines

Books In Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered wirelessly in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

Free 3G Wireless: No monthly payments, no annual contracts. Download books anywhere, anytime

Long Battery Life: Read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for two to three weeks.

Carry Your Library: Holds up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents

Buy Once, Read Everywhere: Kindle books can be read on all your devices. Our Whispersync technology saves and synchronizes your Kindle library and last page read across your Kindle(s), PC, iPhone, Mac, iPad, Android device, and BlackBerry device

Share Meaningful Passages: Share your passion for reading with friends and family by posting meaningful passages to Twitter and Facebook directly from your Kindle

Global Coverage: Enjoy wireless coverage at home or abroad in over 100 countries. See details.

Built-In PDF Reader: Carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go. Now with Zoom capability to easily view small print and detailed tables or graphics

Auto-Rotating Screen: Display auto-rotates from portrait to landscape as you turn the device so you can view full-width maps, graphs, tables, and Web pages

Read-to-Me: With the text-to-speech feature, Kindle DX can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book's rights holder made the feature unavailable

Large Selection: Over 630,000 books and the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read, including 109 of 112 New York Times® Best Sellers, plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs. For non-U.S. customers, content availability and pricing will vary. Check your country.

Out-of-Copyright, Pre-1923 Books: Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are available to read on Kindle, including titles such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice, and Treasure Island. Learn more

Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases from $9.99.

Free Book Samples: Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy

Dock Connector to USB 2.0 Cable for iPod and iPhone (White)

2010-08-12T16:10:00.000+07:00

Product Description

The iPod Dock Connector to USB Cable offers high speed data transfer for quickly loading an entire music library on iPod or iPod mini and convenient charging. The cable can also be connected to the iPod USB power adapter for charging on-the-go. Compatible with iPod models with dock connector. Supports either USB 1.1 or 2.0. iPod Compatibility
iPod nano 1G, iPod nano 2G, iPod mini, iPod 3G, iPod 4G (Clickwheel), iPod Color, iPod 5G/5.5G Video

Maximize the performance of your iPod and your docking connector with Apple's handy USB 2.0 interconnect. Compatible with Windows PCs only, the cable offers up to 480 Mbps data transfer for lightning-quick loading, or synching, of your entire music library to your iPod portable music player. Connect the FireWire end to the iPod power adapter to charge the unit while synching. The cable is compatible with iPods with dock connectors only.
Technical Details

Compatibility: iPod nano 1G, 2G; iPod mini; iPod 3G, 4G, 5G, 5.5G
Extra USB Cable for charging and syncing your iPod to your PC
Compatible with iPod models with dock connector
Supports either USB 1.1 or 2.0
Works with both Mac OS and Windows computers

Garmin nüvi 205W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

2010-07-18T23:44:00.007+07:00

You have most likely heard of the many different brands of GPS devices for your vehicle.
The little machines you place on your dash or windshield that tell you exactly where you are and how to get to where you are going.
However, did you know that manufacturers also made a unit for the sea? The Garmin marine GPS is just such a device.
It works much the same as a vehicle based unit but instead of mapping streets or cities, this one tells you about waterways.
Features

5 inch display
4000w maximum
640 x 480 resolution
GPS map 545S
Upgradeable

Pros
What good is a display that is not easily visible from different areas of the boat? This Garmin marine GPS has a full five-inch QVGA display that you will easily be able to see from across an average size boat.
It has a wonderful 640 x 480-pixel resolution and over 800 nits of brightness. With a high speed, processor on board this unit also offers an extremely fast redraw rate and the best photo enhanced cartography in the business.
The point of having a device like the Garmin marine GPS is to be able to know where you are at all times. This unit fulfills that need beautifully, with WAAS/ EGNOS enabled antenna you will know within 3 meters exactly where you are.
Add to that the built in and satellite enhanced worldwide base map and off shore Blue charts you have very little to worry about when it comes to getting lost.
Electronics are always changing and new offerings come down the pike as soon as you purchase one. With this Garmin marine GPS, you can add some new and optional features through the SD card slot.
Add the Blue chart G2 Vision card to increase your devices mapping features. Things like aerial reference photos and 3D mariner’s view or fish eye underwater perspective are all included with this upgrade.
The Garmin marine GPS is easy to install and simple to use, and will offer you accurate information from US harbors to the Bahamas and points in between. This is a very useful device if you are a serious boating enthusiast.
Cons
Unless you add in turn by turn navigation this unit will draw the course in a straight line. Very frustrating if you are navigating a complicated harbor or sound.
You can purchase an optional chip that will give you a guided map, but you would have thought this feature would have been included.
GPS devices for your vehicle are priced up to several hundred dollars, but do not expect to get off that cheap for the Garmin marine GPS, it retails for between $800-$1300 depending on where you shop and the season.
Bottom Line
The Garmin marine GPS is a great tool for boating enthusiast worldwide. With the extensive mapping capabilities and optional features, this could well be the last marine GPS you ever need to purchase.
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Bobble Reusable Filtered Water Bottle

2010-07-17T23:20:00.005+07:00

Product Description
Bid farewell to wasteful and expensive bottled water, and say hello to bobble. The Bobble filtered water bottle is a revolutionary step in achieving filtered water in a convenient, efficient, and environmentally friendly way. Utilizing a high quality, patented carbon filter, bobble's water bottles help you save money by offering a system that filters your tap water as you drink, and eliminates the need to purchase costly single-serve bottled water. With aesthetics by renowned designer Karim Rashid, this bottle is of an easy grip, squeezable design, with a filter that is a direct extension of the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece snaps open and closed, much like a plastic sport's drink nozzle, and an oval plastic cap protects it from dirt and contaminants when not in use. bobble is made from FDA approved recycled PET that is free of BPA, Phthalates and PVC. Due to these properties, it's handy on-the-go filtration, and the entire product being completely recyclable, bobble is featured as one of Oprah's favorites for eco-friendly products. Before first use, simply rinse one bottle full of water through the filter to remove any loose carbon. The filter is recommended to be replaced every 2 months or after 40 gallons of water have been used (roughly 300 refills). 3" diameter x 8-1/2" H, 18-1/2 ounce capacity
Product Features

High quality carbon filter filters water as you drink; bobble is made from FDA approved recycled PET - that is free of BPA, Phthalates and PVC
Entire bottle is completely recyclable; Oprah recommended eco-friendly product
Should not be used on water that is not microbiologically safe or unknown quality; Filters are carbon based
Hand wash bobble in hot soapy water; follow package instructions to refresh filte
No more lugging home expensive little water bottles!