AT&T’s new Android based Motorola Backflip is shocking the geek scene by setting Yahoo as the default search provided instead of Google. It only seems natural that a phone based on a Google OS would have their own search engine incorportated in to it. This is practically like Microsoft releasing a version of Windows with Firefox as the default browser.

Of course, if you’re not a big yahoo fan(who’s search queries are actually handled by Bing) you could always switch the provider back to Google.  Google themselves didn’t have much to say about it except for “this is not a Google-branded product, so talk to the carrier and Motorola”.

Read more @ Businessweek

Clevo has proudly announced the most powerful gaming notebook ever (supposedly). The X8100 has an 18.4 inch screen supporting Full HD resolution(1920X1080), a 2MP webcam, five integrated speakers and COULD be powered with an Intel Core i7-920XM(it’s an option). You’ll also have the option of getting dualie nVidia GTX 285M’s and 8GB of DDR3 ram.

If you really want to go balls to the wall, you could also snatch up three hard drives that could be set up in either RAID 0 or 1. Of course a laptop of this caliber will also sport HDMI, DVI and VGA outputs as well as USB 2.0, FireWire, eSATA, gigabit ethernet, audio in/out, S/PDIF, expresscard and a tv tuner antenna. Naturally, any “real” gaming laptop will also have a plethora of programmable LED’s.

This little bad boy will start off around $2500, but expect to pay about double that once you put all the fun stuff in.

Check it out  @RJTECH

If you’ve grown up in the inner city or just like to shop at the corner mom and pop electronics store, you should be pretty well versed with Coby. Coby, very well known for their relatively cheap but OK sounding headphones, has stepped away from their headphone/cheap portable electronics game and stepped in to the laptop arena.

In this case, they’ve stayed true to their roots and set free an $85 SmartBook sporting a 7 inch screen, Windows CE and a 624MHz Marvell PXA303 processor. It also has 2GB of flash storage to boot! So all said and done, if you don’t care for anything else but checking your email, sending an IM and casual browsing on the internet, this might be for you.

Via Technabob

Instead of paying ridiculous amounts of money to send people “gifts” through facebook, you can now send cold hard cash! Using Buxter, you’ll be able to send money in Euros or US dollars to just about anyone.   It’s “free” to send and receive money, but they’ll charge you a 1.9% commission if you want to move the money to a bank account.

There are already over 13 million people currently using the app designed for small payments. Transactions can only be made amongst people who are friends on FB.  This totally takes social networking to a whole new level. People will be able to collaborate in advance when they’re going to have an outing and get all the finances out of the way. NO one is skipping out on the bill this time .

Heck, you gold digging tramps could even get yourself a sugar daddy or two. Maybe you’ll get your rent and electric bill paid for a change.

Via BBC

Everyone’s been talking about the iPad, but the question that they’re asking themselves is actually NOT about the size of the hard drive…its more related to the radio inside. Should you snatch up the WiFi model which is being served up in a few weeks or should you wait a bit longer and get the 3G model? AT&T’s CEO Randall Stephenson doesn’t seem to have high hopes. During a conference call he mentioned that most people will probably be a bit more interested in the WiFi model simply due because of cost.

My take….Most of the customers that will grab an iPad will probably already own an iPhone. Most of these people hate seeing a 100 dollar a month phone bill for ONE phone, a $140 bill won’t fly. The saavy folks out there will end up saving their money and use tethering options instead. The truth of the matter is, the iPad is not something you could fit in to your back pocket. you’ll need to carry it around in a backpack regardless of how thin/light it is. Should you have a 3G version and get an e-mail alert, are you really going to unpack it then and there if you’re on the go?

Via Reuters

Check out this ultimate man cave with a kick ass entertainment center. The sports den will allow you to watch nine programs at the same time.  Everything is well hidden down to the A/V rack. He has Niles speakers all around and Marantz and RTI to handle the back end.

It must be nice to have money!

Read more here

Corsair’s brilliant team of engineers has created a USB 2.0 flash drive that beats the pants off the competition. Using a super fancy quad channel architecture, the Flash Voyager GTR can achieve read speeds of 34MB/s and write speeds of 28MB/s….over six times faster than the competition. Now the question is do we really care since USB 3.0 is right around the corner? double digit read/write speeds are crap compared to the possible triple digits we will see in the near future with 3.0. My money will stay in the bank for now.

Read more about it here

Similar to AT&T’s MicroCell that we discussed earlier, the WiEx zBoost cellular booster will get you a stronger signal inside your home. Now here is the difference… The MicroCell connects to your broadband router and actually creates a cellular hotspot. The WiEx zBoost on the other hand is more of a “relay”. It will take a strong signal and will “repeat” it somewhere inside your home.

What does that mean? If you live in a dead spot you are SOL no matter what.  However, if signal strength in your area is pretty good, but you just have that one really annoying dead zone in your basement, WiEz zBoost is exactly what you need. Best of all, this device will work on ALMOST every provider in the USA except for phones that use iDEN technology(Boost/Nextel). AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon are covered. So one device will cover just about everything, where as if you had several different carriers in use in one household, you would need to buy multiple microcells from the carrier.

For about $300, you’ll get an outdoor antenna, 50FT of RG6 coaxial cable,  and an indoor station repeater. Set up is relatively simple. The hardest part will probably be keeping the wires “neat”.

Read more about it here

So you’re girlfriend/mother/wife/boyfriend/sister/ex caught a cold? Thinking about getting him/her something nice yet practical to make her feel better? Look no further than this Swarovski encrusted tissue box.

Have the ill experience luxury to a whole new level with 1190 pieces of tissue paper packed in a very fine tinted glass and stainless steel tissue box. The box itself is covered with CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements. Talk about thinking outside the box

430 EUROS is all it takes.

Check it out here

The Sony Dash is now available for pre-order for $199.99. You’ll get a 7inch WVGA touchscreen with WiFi, USB 2.0 support and compatibility with all types of neat Chumby widgets. You’ll be able to watch Netflix, Youtube, facebook, etc on this little bad boy!

With over 1500 applications available for download, the Dash would be the perfect compliment to your kitchen or bedroom. Punch in your ZIP code and it’ll automatically setup the date/time and sync up all the local internet radio stations! That’s sooo cool! This is like a Sony “Dream Machine” alarm clock radio on steroids. Now unfortunately one advantage that the classic dream machines had over the Dash is that the classic had a battery back up just in case the power went out. This is not the case with the Dash . No big deal though, plug this little booger in to a cheapie $40 UPS and you should be fine. Heck, if the thing had a battery, the price probably would’ve gone up $40 anyway.

Expect your pre-order to show up on April 15th.

Read more about it here