For us, DigitalLife began on Wednesday evening with Pepcom's "An Evening in Tuscany" DigitalFocus event. We were served wine at a bar made entirely of ice, and we got to play with the long-awaited PS3 among other tech toys. The graphics on the PS3 are amazing--it looked like we were watching a real basketball game. You gotta see it.

The PS3 is also on display at Digital Life this weekend--and it's not behind glass like the Xbox 360 was last year. So come to the Javits Center this weekend to get your hands on the PS3--your friends will be so jealous!

As always, we just couldn't resist the Tivo dolls (right).

CHECK OUT OUR PLAY BY PLAY OF THE EVENT.

VIEW PCMAG'S CONTINUALLY UPDATED DIGITAL LIFE PHOTO BLOG.

Aren't Mr. and Ms. PAC-MAN so darn cute?!?!

I just had to stop by the Namco Games booth because it really brought back the 80's for me!

Now you can enjoy PAC-MAN while on the go with your Cingular phone! Whether you love to bowl with PAC-MAN, gamble with PAC-MAN, or tease MS. PAC-MAN, you can enjoy 9 PAC-MAN-filled mobile games!

Download any of the following games by texting the game's keyword to 386 on your Cingular phone:

PAC-MAN -- Keyword: pacman
MS. PAC-MAN -- Keyword: mspac
SUPER PAC-MAN -- Keyword: super
PAC-MAN PUZZLE -- Keyword: pacpuz

PAC-MAN mobile games are also available on select phones from the following wireless carriers: Alltel, Amp'd Mobile, Bell Mobility, Boost Mobile, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless.

CHECK OUT SOME MORE OF THE PAC-MAN MANIA AT THE SHOW!

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE.

The PS3 in all its splendor.

I'm better at this than I thought!

Close-up of NBA 07's muscles

Logitech's gaming peripherals.

Logitech diNovo Edge Thin wireless and lightweight keyboard.

Belkin's case for the Samsung K5 music player, with integrated speaker. (the player, not the case)

Belkin's Pocket Top keeps your lap safe from your laptop's heat.

Before I began working as a slave at the DigitalLife show yesterday, I was able to walk around the show floor to check out what the other companies had to show off. I found myself walking in circles--the show is so much larger this year!

One of the booths to catch my eyes was Steffi Thomas, Inc.'s Swapsets. They are interchangeable headsets and headphones attached to--get this--headbands! I know I know, they're rather girly-looking, but I kinda dig 'em.

I tried one on, and suprisingly the headband felt pretty comfortable. The attached earbuds felt a little weird in my ears though. The company is going to send me a review unit, so I'll let you know how well (or not) they sound!

Go to Swapsets.com to mix and match your headband (30 styles to choose from), headphone (12 styles to choose from), headset (12), and dangle (16). Below is some price info:

• Headband ($25.00-$30.00)
• Headphones ($34.00)
• Headset ($30.00)
• Dangles ($8.00-$12.00)

Even if you're not famous enough to have a full-blown entourage, you too can have a trusty sidekick – even if it is just your T-Mobile phone. And unlike those slacker hanger-ons, the new limited edition T-Mobile Sidekick has style.

Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, who is best known for her signature jersey wrap dresses, and Lifted Research Group, the maker of chic streetwear, have both partnered with T-Mobile to roll out these specially branded Sidekicks, which will be available in stores beginning on October 30.

The devices will include all of the usual features available on the T-Mobile Sidekick 3, including access to e-mail, instant messenger and text messaging on a full QWERTY keyboard, along with iconic imagery from the designers. And what's a better way to express your individuality than with a limited edition device that even Paris Hilton will want!

[via T-Mobile press release]

Post by Peter Suciu

Wanna Be Tech Fabulous? You know you wanna! Monster.com is running a contest to win a "Tech Fabulous Office Makeover" package. Five winners will get a laptop, color printer, PDA, foot massager, and a mini fridge. Not bad! (Although they didn't name the specific models, so who knows what you're gonna get)

Sign up for the contest on Monster.com. Cube Fabulous, one of the sponsors, has a great Web show where a designer will come to your office and trick out your cubicle, and you get the pick out the theme. So stay tuned: I'm hoping to get them in to PCMag's offices to duck up my cube with accessories like the Pirate and Ninja ducks.

      

If your iPod looks anything like mine, you might be thinking that it needs a little cleaning.  Evidently DLO has some funky iPods too, because today they announced their surface restoration kit for iPods new and old.

DLO (Digital Lifestyle Outfitters) will start shipping the three-tiered cleaning kit today, and it includes bottles entitled "Daily Cleaning," "Fine Scratch Removal," and "Heavy Blemish Repair." As if you need the explanation, DLO suggests you use the daily cleaning bottle every day (wow really?), the fine scratch removal bottle when you have fine scratches (huh, never would have thought that), and the heavy blemish repair when your iPod looks like it was run over by a tank. DLO claims the repair kit will restore an iPod to like-new condition and keep it that way as long as you use their daily cleaner. On top of the cleaners, the kit also ships with four different heavy-cleaning cloths and one micro-fiber cloth to rub the iPod with for a final shine.

DLO is entering a market where companies make quite a few promises, but few have been able to come through in the clutch. But judging by how ugly my iPod looks after about 9 months of use, and the fact that the DLO Cleansing Kit is going for a well-priced $29.95 on DLO's website or at iPod retailers worldwide, this kit might be just what the iPod ordered for its much-needed makeover.

Post by Don Reisinger

Get the Sansa Sandisk e250 2GB flash player for only $90 on Dealhack. (List price is $139.99) We reviewed the e260, and our audio expert, Mike Kobrin, gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Mikey liked it! What he said about the e260:

"The SanDisk Sansa e260 is a seriously sexy MP3 player that represents a very strong effort on SanDisk's part to compete in the premium market against Apple's iPod nano. The e260 is a 4GB flash-based player (also available in 2GB and industry-first 6GB configurations) with tons of extra features, a microSD slot, an impressively stylish design, PlaysForSure support, and a user-replaceable battery. The e200-series players are also a bit cheaper than their Apple counterparts."

Sandisk e250 specs:

•2GB storage

•1.8-inch TFT screen

•Backlit controls

•microSD slot

•removable/rechargeable battery

Have you ever woken up to an alarm clock that plays an annoying little tune or (even worse) sends you straight to fake helicopter noise and a traffic report? Well I have, and I have had enough! I want to wake up and feel good. I want to feel like I'm a champion, like I'll keep fighting until the end, because I am a champion.

Alright, alright, make all the jokes you want about some of my favorite gadgets like the Flowbee and the DVD Rewinder, but can you really make fun of me for wanting a "We are the Champions" alarm clock? No you can't, and I'll tell you why: because you want one too. Who doesn't want to wake up to the sweet melodies of Queen as they belt out the third verse or jump around like a wounded duck because they were given a champion's wake up call? No one, that's who!

The alarm clock stands at a respectable 7-inches tall, and tips the scales at well, who cares? It plays Queen! This behemoth of alarm clock goodness does require two AA batteries, but I think that's a small price to pay for such an important and useful gadget.

I've already ordered three – you never know when one of these sweet, fragile flowers will break on you only to leave you with the dull sounds of commercials to wake you up. Make fun of my choice in gadgets if you'd like, but never make fun of my choice in music! Queen is King Queen, and I can't live without them.

Get yours now for about $23, and I promise you your days will be better and your nights pure royalty.

Post by Don Reisinger

CLICK TO ENLARGE THE PHOTOS.

A SLIGHTLY CREEPY TOMBSTONE. . .

BOO!

I'M READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP. MWAHAHA!

What do you do when you've run out of creative ways to decorate your room or office for Halloween? Get your hands on a dead rat and turn it into a cool throwie toy! Woohoo! Instructables gives you all the directions you need to turn a creepy rodent into something useful.

Note to metrosexuals, PETA members, and girly-girls: This site shows some mouse and rat taxidermy. So if that bothers you, go here instead.

And if you're wondering what to do with the meat from your rat, we've got that covered. Here's how to cook a rat! Mmmm....delicious! Rodent fricassee! Eat 'em up!

Blame Thanks to the very scary Jim Lynch for this post!

 

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Scarelog: Freak Out Your Friends and Coworkers, Remotely

Welcome to Scarelog: The Thirteen Days of Halloween

 

 

On Wednesday, October 11, Mazda delivered a dual-fueled RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicle, which can run on both hydrogen and gasoline, to the prefectural government of Yamaguchi in Japan. The Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE's dual-fuel system allows a driver to select either gasoline or hydrogen fuel with the flick of a switch.

The RX-8 Hydrogen RE was unveiled as a concept car at the 2004 North American International Auto Show. It features a rotary engine, a common type of aircraft engine used in the early years of the 20th century, where the entire cylinder block rotates around the crankshaft rather than the other way around. The Renesis Hydrogen Rotary Engine capitalizes on the advantages of the rotary engine to assure the same ease-of-operation and reliability whether the engine is running on gasoline or hydrogen fuel. Because it offers separate chambers for intake and combustion, the rotary engine is ideal for burning hydrogen without the backfiring that can occur in a traditional piston engine.

In February, Mazda revealed that it would start leasing a dual-fuel RX-8 to commercial customers in Japan, and in March 2006 announced its first two customers. Mazda has already supplied a RX-8 Hydrogen RE model each to two private companies as well as to Hiroshima prefecture and city government authorities in Japan.

To read about BMW's planned hydrogen-fueled vehicle, click here.

Welcome to Scarelog, Gearlog's 13-day Halloween celebration, which begins on the fateful day of Friday the 13th. To get things warmed up for you, we've got some remote-controlled tarantulas, the better to scare your arachnophobic co-workers and friends and make them squirm! Their eight legs move individually, making these arachnobots eerily realistic. When I think of a tarantula (and I really try not to), I picture them in black. In fact, these creatures come in many colors including cobalt blue and orange (as at left). The tarantulas come in sets of two, one in each color, for $48 from the National Geographic store.

If animatronic arachnids are too much for you, the Scary Sound Machine might be a spooktacular choice. The sound unit (4.25 x 3.5 inches) is small enough to hide behind furniture, a plant, or even outside your house. With the remote in hand, wait until your friends get close, then press the buttons to produce 7 terrifying sounds: moaning ghost, creaking door, howling wolf, evil laugh, blood-curdling scream, creepy laugh, and "Happy Halloween." (I'm not sure what the difference between evil laugh and creepy laugh is--this gadget is quite nuanced.) What's really cool is that your guests can be none the wiser as you can hide in the next room, up to 50 feet away, and still control the sounds--the remote, which runs on 4 Triple-A batteries, works even through walls. Super spooky. Your guests may have to pack an extra pair of clean underwear!

Did you know that a British study published in 1993 found that although less people drove their cars on Friday the 13th, there were more automobile accidents on this day? The number thirteen is so widely feared that many cities don't have a 13th St. (NYC does) and many buildings don't have a 13th floor (Ziff Davis does). Luckily, we at Gearlog are on the 11th floor. Those who fear this day are diagnosed with Paraskevidekatriaphobia.

Read our previous Friday the 13th post, which took place in January. It includes some amusing predictions about the year 2006. So, today, don't forget to steer clear of the black cats, the broken mirrors, and the ladders. And stay tuned for more spookiness tomorrow!

Related Links:

Welcome to Scarelog: The Thirteen Days of Halloween

At the close of Day 1 of DigitalLife, Dan Costa, Robyn Peterson, and Carol Mangis couldn't resist doing a rogue podcast (please keep in mind, we're all very tired) to tell you about all the cool stuff we saw today. We went hands-on with the Sony PS3 and Final Fantasy 12; Palm announced new, colorful Treo 680s; Dell launched sub-$300 widescreen monitors; we witnessed a burlesque show at the Napster booth; and Dan and Robyn had a "War Pigs" showdown with Guitar Hero 2.

Download the MP3 here.

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