LG aiming to ship 'a couple' of Windows Phone 7 devices by year-end
The company's not committing to any US carriers just yet (
ahem), but LG is already puffing up its chest and
talking big about its impending
Windows Phone 7 release plans. To date, all we've had to go on was Microsoft's vow of seeing WP7 devices on store shelves before this
holiday season, but now Ken Hong, an LG representative in Seoul, has offered a wee bit more insight regarding his company in particular. To quote: "We have a deep relationship with Microsoft so expect to have a couple [of Windows Phone 7 handsets] by the end of this year." That aligns rather nicely with what
we heard ourselves back in Feburary, and given that LG's mobile division has seen some rather unsightly losses in its most recent quarterly earnings, we're guessing the company's more than eager to push out the next big thing.
Permalink |
PC World |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Aircord Lab's N-3D concept turns an iPad into world's second least practical 3D display (video)
Think giant
active-shutter glasses are a roadblock to 3D adoption? Wait until you get a load of this, the N-3D from Aircord Labs, a glass pyramid with semi-reflective sides that allows you to peer through while reflecting the image of a screen above. In this case the screen is provided by an
iPad which, as you can see in the video below, separately renders three sides of an object. Each slab of glass reflects a different rendering and, hey presto, changeable perspective as you move from side to side, reducing the usable screen real-estate on the iPad by at least a third and producing an effect slightly less compelling, but slightly more portable, than that
Time Traveler arcade game that used to take four whole quarters to play. No word on whether there will ever be a take-home version, but get yourself a sheet of plexiglass and you could probably make your own.
Continue reading Aircord Lab's N-3D concept turns an iPad into world's second least practical 3D display (video)
Permalink 
3D-Display-info.com |
Aircord Labs |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Carnegie Mellon's robot snakes converge into creepy hand-like wargadget
President Eisenhower, in his famous farewell speech in 1961, warned against the the acquisition of unwarranted influence by the "
military industrial complex." If he had given those remarks some sixty years later, he might have worked academia into the phrase -- especially if he knew about the
snakes! Certainly one of the more viscerally unnerving wargadgets we've encountered over the last few years, the creepy-crawly automatons of the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute are a big hit at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, where three of 'em have been arrayed onto a circular base to form the Robotic Tentacle Manipulator, a hand that could be used for opening doors or handling IEDs, possibly while mounted on the
iRobot Warrior. The "opening a door" problem, as it is called, has perplexed the field of robotics for quite some time now -- and it might one day be solved using technology like this. Until then, it looks like doorknobs are still the terrorist's best friend.
|
US Army |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Best Buy to offer free invisibleSHIELD 4fix to aggravated iPhone 4 owners
It's hard to say for certain what exactly this flyer means, but it sure looks as if at least some
iPhone 4 owners will be able to snatch a free invisibleSHIELD 4fix (valued at $9.99 or so) from their local Best Buy. Based on a number of tips that we've received, we're getting the impression that the yellow-tagged retailer could be handing out (and installing) completely free side coverings for
any iPhone 4 owner that waltzes into a store, presumably as a proactive measure to fend off returns or to upsell consumers on an entire invisibleSHIELD / separate case. Nothing about this notice makes clear that you actually have to buy your iPhone 4 from Best Buy in order to take advantage, but we probably wouldn't waste a lunch break giving this a go without a verbal confirmation from your local store manager. Until it's made official, of course.
Update: We've heard from another tipster that the deal is indeed legitimate, and it's for any human with an iPhone 4, not just those who purchased their phone from Best Buy. We'd recommend calling your local store to double check, but things are looking up.
[Thanks, Anonymous]
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Samsung unveils WiFi-enabled ST80 camera, swiveling-lens HMX-E10 pocket camcorder
Camera releases are somewhat a by-the-numbers thing with so many different variations being released by numerous companies throughout the year.
Samsung's pair here does have some interesting standout features, but one at a time. The 14.2 megapixel ST80 point-and-shoot boasts WiFi capabilities for email / direct upload of images (DLNA supported, to boot). It's also got 3x optical zoom, a 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen, 720p 30fps H.264 video recording, and Sammy's "Smart Crop" feature for taking angled shots and "straightening them up" (i.e. a banner that is fixed to look straight on). This one's due out September 2010 for a penny under $250. Then there's the HMX-E10 pocket camcorder with an impressive 270-degree swiveling lens and 1920 x 1080 30p H.264 HD video recording. That touchscreen you see is a 2.7-inch LCD, the lens has 2x digital zoom, connectivity is HDMI and USB (also used for charging), and release details are September as well, for $199.99. You know the drill: product shots are below, press releases after the break.
Continue reading Samsung unveils WiFi-enabled ST80 camera, swiveling-lens HMX-E10 pocket camcorder
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Super Talent's dual interface UltraDrive MX SSD does SATA II and mini-USB
She
ain't the first solid state drive to ship with a keen understanding of both SATA II and USB, but in the case of niche storage devices, the more the merrier, right? The newest member of the
UltraDrive family (that'd be the UltraDrive MX, if you're curious) has given
Super Talent its first two-faced SSD, complete with a dual interface that enables it to be used as an internal or external drive. The company claims that this makes laptop drive swaps a lesson in simplicity, as you simply mount it via USB in order to clone your existing drive, and then connect it via SATA once you're ready to take it beneath the surface. We're told to expect read and write speeds as high as 250MB/sec and 180MB/sec, respectively, with capacities of 60GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB being available. Oh, and speaking of which -- these bad boys won't actually ship until September 1st, so we'd suggest pinching those pennies in the meantime.
Continue reading Super Talent's dual interface UltraDrive MX SSD does SATA II and mini-USB
Permalink Hot Hardware | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Hori's mesmerizing PS3 Slim LCD dock now available for import
Love at first sight may be debatable, but we had a feeling we'd be into Hori's
PS3 Slim LCD dock just as soon as we laid eyes on it. A few months after first appearing overseas, the simplistic device -- which mounts an 11.6-inch LCD atop your
PlayStation 3 Slim console -- is ready to be imported into these great States of America.
Play-Asia is coming through in the clutch once more, offering the gizmo to those situated far, far from the Land of the Rising Sun for $259.90. It's in stock and ready to ship within 24 hours, so we'd get it on it if you were planning to get on it. Just sayin'.
[Thanks, Craig]
Permalink |
Play-Asia |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Synaptics shows off multitouch screens for multitouch tablets up to 10.1-inches
If there's one thing the world needs it's a few more
tablets, tablets with fancy multitouch screens, and that's exactly what
Synaptics is helping to spread. The company has announced a suite of touchscreens called the ClearPad 7200 series in sizes up to 10.1-inches, each offering the 10-point multitouch capacitive juju we've
come to expect from the company. All support Windows 7 as well as Android and other Linux-based OSes, meaning they could start showing up all over the place. Speaking of, the screens appear to be available to OEMs nowish ahead of products using them coming to retail by the end of the year. No word on cost, but if you were looking to buy a couple-hundred thousand of them Synaptics would surely be happy to make you a deal.
Permalink |
SlashGear |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Kensington's Laptop Locking Station is a thief's worst nightmare... maybe
Make no mistake, this one's no
docking station -- rather, it's a
locking station.
Kensington, which has somehow managed to get a self-labeled lock slot embedded into nearly every modern Windows-based laptop, has just introduced a new duo meant to keep your lappie locked down and unavailable for thieves. The Kensington Laptop Locking Station ($79.99) boasts an all-steel backbone (one that resists cutting, drilling or prying), and ideally you'd mount it onto the desk or table where you typically leave your machine for extended periods of time. If you're in need of a little extra reach, there's an optional Tether Kit ($29.99) that keeps things secure regardless of where you're at. Specific details on both -- along with a video demonstration -- are embedded after the break, with the whole shebang capable of handling laptops from 13.3- to 17-inches.
Continue reading Kensington's Laptop Locking Station is a thief's worst nightmare... maybe
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Apple releases Safari 5.0.1, Extensions Gallery now open
23diggsdigg Safari 5's extension support just got a whole lot more useful this morning, as Apple's just released Safari 5.0.1, which enables the feature for end users, and opened its official Extension Gallery. Extensions can be installed from anywhere, but you might think of the Gallery as the App Store for browser add-ons -- and it seems decently stocked at launch, with notable entries from Amazon, eBay, Bing, MLB.com, the
New York Times, and Twitter. We'd expect that number to grow over time, as extensions are apparently quite simply built in HTML5, CSS and JavaScript. PR after the break.
Update: We're also told Safari 5.0.1
fixes that nasty AutoFill vulnerability, so that's good news. [Thanks, Robert]
Continue reading Apple releases Safari 5.0.1, Extensions Gallery now open
Permalink |
Extensions Gallery |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
HP's 30-inch ZR30w IPS LCD monitor reviewed: exceptional performance, reasonable price
The
market for
30-inch monitors is
growing, but that's not the same as saying that your options are plentiful. You'll have a far easier time finding high-res 24- and 27-inch screens to toss together, but if you've got your mind set on a single LCD workspace, HP's
ZR30w has to be on the short list. Coming in at an altogether respectable $1,299, this panel offers oodles of pixels (2,560 x 1,600) and top-shelf image quality. Critics over at
Hot Hardware were thoroughly pleased with the results, keeping in mind that this was designed for the creative professional. They
did knock the lack of ports (only a DisplayPort and DVI connector are included), but the lack of inputs was just about all they could kvetch about. Performance was deemed "exceptional," color reproduction was said to be "superb" and it even managed to hold its own while gaming. You may not be a big fan of the plain styling, but those source links are definitely worth a look if you've been teetering on this here fence.
Permalink |
Hot Hardware, AnandTech |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Modu's T-Phone captured in the wild chilling with Android? (video)
Look everyone, it's the littlest handset come to deliver Android cheer. Last month we got word that Modu was working on a touchscreen device dubbed the
T-Phone, featuring full 3G and microSD expansion, also referred to as the
Modu 2. Now we have video of what looks to be the same phone out in the wild, running an early version of Android (possibly 1.6) and looking rather fit next to an
iPhone and an
HTC G2. Curiously, this is said to be lacking 3G data entirely, only pulling data over WiFi, but we have to think that's just an issue with this prototype and not something that will be a feature of the retail release. It also sports FM tuning and, curiously, a stylus -- resistive ahoy? We'll have to wait and see.
Continue reading Modu's T-Phone captured in the wild chilling with Android? (video)
Permalink |
Phandroid |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
iPod touch becomes iPhone using Yosion's Apple Peel 520?
Oh sure,
VoIP on the iPod touch is hardly breaking news these days, but what if you could actually slap on a regular SIM card and make calls on said device? That's what Yosion's appropriately named Apple Peel 520 claims to do. Powered by an
Infineon baseband chip, this adapter not only offers voice calling and text messaging (presumably requiring a jailbroken iPod touch for the apps; GPRS not possible yet), but it also doubles up as an 800mAh battery and provides 4.5 hours of call time or 120 hours of standby juice. We're told this cheeky hack's coming out in China as early as this week for somewhere between ¥300 ($44) and ¥500 ($74), although the lack of an official website, full spec sheet
or compatibility list means we'll have to remain skeptical with this potentially vaporware company. Maybe the demo video after the break will keep us believing.
[Thanks, Bong]
Continue reading iPod touch becomes iPhone using Yosion's Apple Peel 520?
Permalink |
Yosion (1), (2) |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Sharp microchip enables dual-screen smartphones, e-readers and netbooks
Judging by the fact that our lovely planet is home to the
Libretto W100, the
Kno,
Onkyo DX and oodles of
prototypes that utilize
twin panels rather than a panel and a keyboard, Sharp's newest microchip is likely to draw some serious industry attention. Improving on an idea that began in 2008, the company has recently shown off a new chip (dubbed LR388G9) that can control
two mobile LCDs and can simultaneously display a pair of different 1,024 x 480 pixel clips on a pair of screens; moreover, it can output full 1080p to any source connected via HDMI. Since '08, Sharp has increased memory capacity from 16Mbits to 32Mbits while boosting the image processing speed, and the company now intends to hawk this new guy to outfits who manufactuer smartphones, e-readers, digital photo frames and even netbooks. If all goes well, the chip will ship within a 261-pin WFBGA package this September, with volume pricing pegged at around ¥2,400 ($27).
Permalink |
Tech-On |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Runco intros 3D-ready Signature Cinema projectors: $90k+, still require glasses
"
Runco" and "cheap" have never,
ever been used correctly in the same sentence before, but being elite apparently doesn't mean that you can just turn a blind eye to rambling bandwagons. With just about every other projection company flipping out
3D-ready alternatives, Runco has decided it best to follow suit. The company has just added a fanciful pair of PJs to its Signature Cinema line, with the SC-50d and SC-60d both offering 3D playback with support for Active3D (active shutter) or passive glassed-based solutions. The duo also packs a 3-chip system that outputs 1080p natively, and these are also the company's first projectors to include its Smart Lens system -- which offers a controllable motorized lens and iris that can be preset in memory. Hit the source links if you're interested in learning more about the Fall-bound pair, but be sure you're willing to pay upwards of $88,995 before wasting the bandwidth.
Continue reading Runco intros 3D-ready Signature Cinema projectors: $90k+, still require glasses
Permalink |
SC-50d, SC-60d |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
LG's Application Store launches in places you don't live for devices you don't care about
LG's official
Application Store -- not to be confused with an
App Store,
App World, or
App Catalog -- just went beta is 23 countries with the aim of serving up 4,000 apps to 33 countries (including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) by the end of the year. Sorry US netizens, you're seemingly out of luck for 2010. It launches with significantly less than 4,000 apps today (about 3,000) targeting LG feature and smartphones in countries that you, dear reader, likely don't care about. Oh, did we tell you that it's launching without any Android apps? Those won't arrive until sometime later this year.
Continue reading LG's Application Store launches in places you don't live for devices you don't care about
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
HP crams Fermi-based Quadro 5000M GPU inside 17-inch EliteBook
Gotta live up to
the name, right HP? NVIDIA's new pro graphics solution for mobile creatives, the Quadro 5000M, was unsheathed only yesterday but HP appears to have been first in line to get some of that new 40nm goodness.
Electronista reports that the world leader in PC shipments is readying a 5000M solution for its
8740w EliteBook, which will bring 320 CUDA cores and a jumbo 2GB of dedicated memory to the party. That comes replete with the latest DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.1 compatibility, naturally, as well as a bunch of pro-friendly computational enhancements. Dell's also going to be offering a 5000M-equipped rig, but lest you get too excited, bear in mind that getting the current best Quadro-equipped 17-incher from HP costs north of $3,000, so affordability is clearly not a priority here. Skip past the break for NVIDIA's joyous press release announcing the new Quadro chips.
Continue reading HP crams Fermi-based Quadro 5000M GPU inside 17-inch EliteBook
Permalink |
Electronista |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Indesit unveils smart-grid washer, thumbs nose at GE
General Electric may have a host of
smart appliances in the works, but looks like one Indesit may beat it to the punch -- at least on the washing machine front. The Italian home appliance firm just unveiled a ZigBee-compatible washer at the Freescale Technology Forum in Florida this week, capable of communicating with the smart grid and then timing its loads according to variable electricity cost. We can't find a single detail beyond that, except that it uses one of Freescale's ZigBee radio chips, and that this particular washer appears to be destined for Indesit's Hotpoint-Ariston label with the company's Aqualtis auto-detergent dosage technology built right in. We can tell you're on the edge of your seat. No word on pricing or availability, and no, we don't know if it will
tweet when your load is done. Press release after the break.
Continue reading Indesit unveils smart-grid washer, thumbs nose at GE
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Toshiba's latest Cell Regza LCDs are Slim, but don't go calling them 2D
Ready to climb Mount Fuji and see what the next top Japanese TV will look like? Toshiba has just outed its trio of flag-bearing displays for this fall: the Cell
Regza Slim 55XE2 and 46XE2, and the full-bloodied 55X2. Inch-based dimensions are already given in their model names, but you'll also want to know they offer 240Hz refresh rates, 1,000 nits of brightness and 9,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratios on the chunkier X2 (augmented with
local backlight dimming), and a 2D-to-3D conversion technology that'll translate your stale old 2D imagery into bodacious triple dimensionality. You're also keeping the 3
terabytes of storage and the capability of time-shifting up to eight channels at a time from the
older model, though you're no longer limited to a hard cap of 26 hours per channel. Connectivity is also rich, with options for DLNA and/or up to eight HDDs, while jacking in a Blu-ray recorder will permit you to record straight to the optical media the same way you can do to the Regzas' own storage. All these goodies won't come cheap, however, as the flagship 55X2 will retail for a well-rounded million Yen ($11,430) in late October, to be preceded by its Slim siblings with prices of ¥700,000 ($8,000) for the 55-inch and ¥600,000 ($6,858) for the 46-inch earlier that month. Full press release after the break.
Continue reading Toshiba's latest Cell Regza LCDs are Slim, but don't go calling them 2D
Permalink Engadget Japanese | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Microsoft Street Slide: it's electric! (video)
34diggsdigg Remember the first time you used Google
Street View? Amazing, right? Thing is, traversing a busy urban street in a 360-degree photographic bubble can be disorienting, especially when searching for a specific address or business. So check this: Microsoft Research has developed a rather nifty solution it calls Street Slide. Zoom out of your panoramic bubble and the street is presented as a dynamic, multi-perspective "strip" giving you an instant visual summary of the surroundings -- similar to viewing the entire street from a distance. Fortunately, Microsoft took advantage of what would otherwise be the unused letterboxed screen above and below the strip to add navigational and informational aids like clickable business logos and building numbers. Pretty impressive, and Microsoft is already working on taking Street Slide mobile with an iPhone port, and no doubt a version for the upcoming Windows Phone 7 series of devices. Unfortunately, don't expect this to be released anytime soon as the team has only processed about 2400 panoramas so far covering just 4 kilometers of streets. Check the video after the break, you'll be glad you did.
Continue reading Microsoft Street Slide: it's electric! (video)
Permalink MIT Technology Review |
Microsoft |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Android 2.2 upgrade for Droid X may already be trickling out, other Droids shortly?
We've already gathered that Verizon, Moto, and HTC all seem to be pretty well
committed to bumping most of their Droid models to
Froyo (as well they should), but things are starting to get real --
really real. First off, we've been fed a shot of a tipster's
Droid X that has apparently already been blessed with 2.2 over the air; the baseband version is a tick older than the one in a shot leaked over on
My Droid Life, but it's anyone's guess how Motorola is staging this and what the final gold binary really contains. We've also seen a 2.2 ROM for the
Droid Incredible leak recently (
and the Droid before that), so uncorroborated rumors we're seeing that three of the four retail Droids will be getting 2.2 by the 15th of next month aren't necessarily crazy. Remember: think positive thoughts.
[Thanks, Shane]
Permalink Droid Life |
xda-developers, My Droid World, AndroidSPIN |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Panasonic's new DMP-BDT100 is a cheaper, slimmer choice for Blu-ray 3D playback
Panasonic's not letting us know exactly how cheap it's going with the new DMP-BDT100 Blu-ray player, but with an
existing lineup that starts at $399 for the DMP-BDT300 it's not hard to see why it would need a mainstream option to compete with
Samsung, Sony and the rest. The DMP-BDT100 still promises high quality playback and Viera Cast features including Netflix, Amazon VOD and Pandora access, but it does it in a smaller, energy efficient package as Panasonic's first single-HDMI out 3D Blu-ray player. It will ship in August, but we'll have to wait for any pricing info or possible new
Blu-ray 3D pack-in deals (c'mon
Avatar.) Press release and one more pic from
HDTV.com.pl are after the break.
Continue reading Panasonic's new DMP-BDT100 is a cheaper, slimmer choice for Blu-ray 3D playback
Permalink HDTV.com.pl |
Panasonic |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Panasonic will offer interchangeable 3D lens for Micro Four Thirds by year's end
Like Panasonic's new 3D-capable
HDC-SDT750 camcorder but don't want to shell out $1,400 for a brand-new kit? Get a load of this
Micro Four Thirds lens. That's right, Panny's just announced an interchangeable 3D lens that affixes to the standard Lumix G-series mount, meaning any of the company's new sub-DSLR shooters could see in stereo with a firmware
hack update. Sadly, compatible models are still "to be announced" and even the lens pictured above is just a prototype, but we won't have too long to wait for the real deal -- the Japanese manufacturer says it'll be on sale by the end of the year. Press release after the break.
Continue reading Panasonic will offer interchangeable 3D lens for Micro Four Thirds by year's end
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
AT&T claims it will be 'the premier carrier' for Windows Phone 7
Without question,
AT&T's wireless growth these past few years has been largely based on
iPhone -- and with apparently good reason, if you
look at the numbers. As far as other platforms go, however, it's not been as rosy.
Android's relation with the carrier, for example, is a story woven with years of
hesitation, some
questionable releases, and
a rival that's fully embraced it to
notable success (releases like the
Captivate and
Streak suggest a stronger future). So with all that in mind, what we're hearing from AT&T in the wake of
Windows Phone 7 is decidedly more committal. Here's what a spokesperson told PC World this week: "We'll be
the premier carrier for Windows Phone 7" (emphasis ours). Strong words, but we still haven't heard concrete plans from anyone, including Microsoft, on what's going on with the release. Whispers care of our friend Michael Gartenberg suggest AT&T has "signed up for 8 million" phones and our own eyes have
espied some launch materials, but we'll just have to see. Your move, Ma Bell. Assuage our doubts, k?
P.S. It's also worth noting that,
after the Kin debacle, Microsoft and Verizon aren't exactly BFF, meaning rival AT&T's "premier" claim isn't likely to be contested by the one carrier with more subscribers.
Permalink |
PC World |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Panasonic reveals HDC-SDT750 3D camcorder, is super proud of itself (updated with video)
Never mind the
extensive leaks, Panasonic, you've got a right to be proud about the HDC-SDT750. After crowing about its end-to-end 3D experience, Panasonic has finally made its HDC-SDT750 camcorder official, which looks like it will be the first of its kind to hit the market. Sure, this is just a baby step: the 3D mode is enabled by snapping on an included 3D conversion lens that splits the image in twain to be recorded as right and left images by the standard 1080p sensor. That means each side will only be 960 x 1080, so you can't quite shoot Avatar in your backyard just yet, but it should look fine on standard 3D televisions. Unfortunately, you can't do much more with the 3D video right now other than pump it out over HDMI straight from the camera -- at least with the 3D stills that you can snap you can load them onto an SD card and play them off of AVCHD-compatible Blu-ray players. Still, these are exciting times to be alive, and you can always shoot in 2D with the no-doubt great 3MOS camcorder underneath (which seems to be very similar to the HDC-HS700) while you wait for the rest of the planet to catch up. The SDT750 will be out in October for a hefty $1,399 asking price. PR is after the break.
Update: The "after the break" lounge has now also been enriched with some video of the SDT750's official unveiling [Thanks, Jan].
Continue reading Panasonic reveals HDC-SDT750 3D camcorder, is super proud of itself (updated with video)
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
The nose knows... how to let quadriplegics move and speak (video)
We've seen quadriplegic transportation directed by
brainwaves,
speech and even the occasional
Wiimote, but your best bet might be to follow your nose. Israeli nasal researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science unveiled a "sniff controller" this week, that measures nasal pressure to control a wheelchair joystick with surprising precision (see a video after the break) and a specially-developed typing interface. The latter is likely the more important advancement, as
Discover heartwarmingly reports at the source link, by giving patients with locked-in syndrome (a la
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) the long-lost ability to speak. Best of all, the technology is inexpensive compared to alternatives on the market; while a
Stephen Hawking-esque eye-tracking system can cost tens of thousands of dollars, Weizmann scholars reportedly pieced the prototype together for $358. The device is already being considered for public availability by the institute's technology transfer company, Yeda R&D -- find out just how it works in the full study at our more coverage link.
Continue reading The nose knows... how to let quadriplegics move and speak (video)
Permalink |
Discover, Weizmann Institute, Yeda R&D |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Apple's 24-inch and 30-inch Cinema Displays on the outs
Now that
Apple's unleashing a
27-inch Cinema Display in September, what's to become of its
24-inch and 30-inch bookend brethren? Straight from the mouths of Apple execs and disseminated by way of
Macworld's Jason Snell -- a man who would most definitely be in the know -- the dynamic duo is being discontinued. End of the line is when supplies run out, so better place your orders now if you aren't hip to monitors with diagonal lengths divisible by 9.
Permalink |
@jsnell (Twitter) |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Panasonic's new HM-TA1 and HDC-SDX1 'budget' camcorders attack the concept from very different ends
Let's just put it out on the table: the Flip-inspired HM-TA1 ($169, left) and the ultra traditional (though delightfully mini) HDC-SDX1 ($499) are very different cameras. But are they $330 different? You be the judge. The 1080p-shooting TA1 is nothing surprising if you've seen any recent portrait-style pocket camcorders from
Flip or Kodak, though it has a quality build and friendly interface. It also records to Apple's 960 x 540
iFrame format, and can double as a USB webcam. As an added bonus, it's rather small for its category, a distinction shared by the flip-out-LCD ultra zoom HDC-SDX1, which Panasonic calls the world's lightest full HD AVCHD camcorder. Outside of that fancy codec and the 2.7-inch flip-out LCD, the SDX1 actually sounds a lot like the TA1 on paper, with the same webcam and iFrame features -- both cameras also are bring-your-own-SD-card for storage. Obviously the image quality should be a decent step up, and the 23x zoom (paired with optical image stabilization) bests the TA1's 4x digital zoom easily, but we're wondering how consumers will feel about these widely disparate price tags when the TA1 lands in August and the SDX1 follows in September. PR is after the break.
Continue reading Panasonic's new HM-TA1 and HDC-SDX1 'budget' camcorders attack the concept from very different ends
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Amazon Kindle listed as 'temporarily out of stock,' Nook and Sony Reader smile coyly
Amazon's
Kindle may have the
price advantage when it comes to its e-reading competitors, but right now it's sorely lacking in the availability department. Looks like the device is out of commission and has been for at least 24 hours as of this writing. In the past, CEO Jeff Bezos and company have written us
apology notes and / or provided a
timeframe for its return. This time, however, we're left with nothing but a bold red "Temporarily out of stock" notice and nary a word on when that sales restriction might lift. Not to worry, though: if you're really jonesing, the Graphite
Kindle DX is still available and shipping immediately. We've pinged Amazon and will let you know what we hear.
Permalink |
Amazon |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Apple iOS 4.1 beta 2 now available for developers
Developers, developers, developers:
Apple is now seeding the second iteration of the
iOS 4.1 beta your way. It's been just shy of two weeks since
beta 1 hit the scene, which is about on par with the
pace of revisions for previous beta releases. We haven't had a chance yet to dive in and see what changes are afoot, but we're downloading now and will be sure to let you know if we notice anything.
[Thanks, Brad]
Permalink Redmond Pie | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Netflix Watch Instantly title search flips on for all PS3 users
Being tied to a disc hasn't made for the easiest
Netflix Watch Instantly experience on the PlayStation 3, but it has its benefits, and now that includes the ability for all users to search its library directly on the console. This feature's been
available to some for months before it was even announced the Xbox 360 would get parity in a fall update, but we can confirm it's currently rolling out to all PS3 users. It should automatically update the next time you're watching, so just slide left from Instant Queue on the top bar to live the glorious life of title searching that you deserve.
Permalink Joystiq | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
ECOtality and Frog Design debut eye-catching Blink EV chargers
Coulomb Technologies isn't the only company that's announced some new
electric vehicle chargers at this week's Plug-In 2010 conference in San Jose -- ECOtality has also taken advantage of the show to debut its new Blink EV chargers. Those were developed in partnership with
Frog Design, which is responsible for the eye-catching look that the companies hope will become a "new icon for a smart EV ecosystem." Of particular note with the home version is a modular set-up that lets you place the garden hose-like cord reel separate from the main unit, which the company says makes it particularly well-suited for cramped garages. It also looks like you'll soon have a decent chance of spotting the commercial version out in the wild -- the first charges will be installed this Fall as part of the public-private, $230 million EV Project, which will eventually see ECOtality install nearly 15,000 chargers in 16 U.S. cities. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and a video overview from Frog Design's Andy Hooper.
|
Frog Design |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Apple issues Magic Trackpad drivers for OS X and Windows, updates MacBooks with new gesture support
Right on schedule, Apple's released new drivers for the
Magic Trackpad, in both OS X and Windows flavors. The download is pretty amusingly huge at 75MB, since it includes videos of all the gestures in action, but at least you'll know exactly how many fingers to use for that new three-finger drag gesture. The bad news? It requires OS X 10.6.4, so you're out of luck if you're still running Leopard and itching to get your swipe on with Apple's latest peripheral.
The new software also updates the MacBook and MacBook Pro multitouch trackpads with inertial scrolling and three-finger drag, which is pretty nice -- we've got it installed on a unibody MBP and it's working as advertised. Hit up Software Update now, or check the source link to score your bits old-school.
Permalink |
Apple |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Augen's $99 GenBook smartbook preview
That's right, not only does
Augen -- a company unbeknown to us before yesterday -- make an
$150 Android 2.1 tablet, but the company is also stocking Kmart shelves with a $99 Android
smartbook of sorts. How'd we find out about this one? Well, when we headed to our local Kmart in hopes of picking up the 7-inch tablet, one last, very lonely GenBook 74 was dwelling on the shelf. We aren't the kind of people that could just leave the little guy there all alone, so $100 later we were the proud owners of a 7-inch, Android 1.6 clamshell device. Is the little laptop
really capable of surfing the web and downloading apps, or would your hard earned cash be better spent elsewhere? Find out after the break.
Continue reading Augen's $99 GenBook smartbook preview
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Intel's 50Gbps Silicon Photonics Link shines a light on future computers (video)
Using copper cables to transfer data around a computer? Get your head out of the sand, Grandpa!
Intel thinks that's on the outs and is touting its recent accomplishments with Silicon Photonics and integrated lasers, using light pulses to move data at 50Gbps (last time we heard Intel tout the tech was when it hit
40Gbps speeds in 2007). The emphasis is on low-cost, high-speed fiber optics, the removal of cable clutter, and with the speed boost, the ability to try new system designs by being able to space chips and components farther apart from one another without as much hit on speed -- all theoretical at this point, of course. Researchers hopes to hit terabit per second speeds further down the line. As for John Q. Consumer, enjoy the progress from afar but don't count on seeing this technology hit Newegg anytime soon. Video after the break.
Continue reading Intel's 50Gbps Silicon Photonics Link shines a light on future computers (video)
Permalink |
Intel |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Nissan Leaf gets early review: you might just forget its an eccentric electric car
It still won't be
widely available until 2012, but Nissan's
Leaf is already leaking out to a few select media outlets. Our comrades over at
Autoblog managed to get behind the wheel of the all-electric whip down in San Jose, and while they didn't find anything that changed the admittedly developing game, what they
did find was a solid, refined EV that's "ready for primetime." They were quick to praise the design, which doesn't scream "oddball" like some of the earlier electric automobiles. As for the ride? That was deemed "suitably smooth," while the interior was found to be "a few degrees better than what you'd find in an economy car of similar size." In fact, the overriding tone of the review was one of unsurprised satisfaction, with critics noting that the "gadgetry is impressive, but no more so than some of the hybrid options available from Nissan's competitors," and in the end, the Leaf doesn't aim to "change the driving experience, just change the method of motivation." Hit the source link for the full skinny.
Permalink |
Autoblog |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
RIM and AT&T event next Tuesday -- BlackBerry slider and OS 6 en route?
Well well, what's this? We just got an invite to a joint RIM / AT&T event next Tuesday, and we'd guess that means we're about to see the official unveiling of the
well-leaked BlackBerry 9800 slider with a side dish of
BlackBerry OS 6. Either that, or RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis is going to explain how working two-way Gmail sync is a real problem that affects every smartphone and give us a tour of RIM's top-secret email integration labs, but yeah -- we've got our bets on new hardware. We'll obviously be there live covering every detail, so make sure to tune in!
Permalink | |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
ChouChou Electric Butterfly flutters to life inside a jar
Most
robot pets may not be easily mistaken for the real thing, but that's not likely to be the case with the ChouChou Electric Butterfly, which might even have a few people reaching to free it from its jar. Unfortunately, it's the jar that keeps the butterfly "alive" -- it has some AA batteries in its lid that apparently allow the butterfly to respond to vibrations and flutter about. That may not sound like much, but the effect is pretty striking -- see for yourself after the break. Of course, just because it's simple doesn't mean its cheap. You'll have to shell out a hefty $76 to bring this one home.
Continue reading ChouChou Electric Butterfly flutters to life inside a jar
Permalink |
Japan Trend Shop |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Latest BlackBerry 6 preview proves that the more things change...
To say RIM has a lot riding on
BlackBerry 6 is an understatement. With new kids on the block like
Android and
iOS stepping in with lustworthy apps and attractive UIs, the BlackBerrys have been sitting in a corner BBMing everyone else at the party trying to convince them of its sustained utility. Regardless, the latest tease on the
BlackBerry Blogs shows off some of the "fresh, but familiar" elements that are getting polished in the jump from OS 5 to OS 6. While some features do have us intrigued -- its implementation of universal search, for example -- other headlining changes to the otherwise staid homescreen have us begging for more. New "views," toggled from a space right under the notification bar, are essentially glorified folders, and the "quick access area" is much like the functionality offered by years-old "Today"-style themes for the handset. Don't get us wrong, the refinements definitely help, but at the end of the day we just hope it isn't RIM trying to put lipstick on a pig -- guess we'll find out when we get a commercial release to really bite into.
[Thanks, Jason K]
Permalink |
BlackBerry Blogs |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
Tactile display allows you to 'feel' both light and shadow
The concept of touching things such as light or smells
isn't anything new, but there's so much room for interpretation that it's always interesting to see new applications. At
Siggraph 2010, a new tactile display is being shown off which allows the user to feel light and shadow. Called Touch Light Through the Leaves, the device consists of a camera which detects light, and 85 vibration units, which have motors, process the light and shadow information into sensations. Check out the video below to see it in action, and hit up the source link for a bit more info.
Continue reading Tactile display allows you to 'feel' both light and shadow
Permalink |
Make |
Email this |
Comments
Read More ...
No comments:
Post a Comment