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- Eee PC mod adds keyboard backlight, subwoofer and spinner rims optional
Filed under: Laptops
With its minute keyboard, the Eee PC can be tough to use in the dark. Imagine, then, if yours had a backlit keyboard. The folks at Popsci have come up with -- and explained -- a way to add one of your own. And get this: you can do it in 3 hours for just $13.50. But before you go ripping apart your new Eee PC, mind this: this isn't the easiest mod in the world. You have to be cool with removing the keyboard, slipping some wires, and doing some light soldering. In addition, the hack plops a Techno Flash luminescent wire inverter on the outside of the case, so if you're big on minimalism, this might be a skip.
[Via Pimp My UMPC]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Сохранить на memori.ru - Dell to integrate Alienware and XPS dev teams, take XPS line in "new directions"
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Dell's plans for Alienware and the XPS line are getting a little clearer, even as rumors swirl -- a post on the company's Direct2Dell blog today says that the XPS and Alienware dev teams are going to be integrated, and that the XPS line will go in "new directions," hinted at by the m1330 and XPS One. Furthermore, you can now buy the Area-51 m9750 gaming laptop direct from the Dell website in addition to the Area-51 m15x, which doesn't seem all that wild to us -- we're more interested in why Dell picked the super-geeky XPS brand to be its "premium" line. Ever heard of friendly, guys?
[Via CNET]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Canon's PowerShot SD1100 IS gets reviewed
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Like pretty much every other Digital ELPH preceding it, Canon's flagship SD1100 IS garnered nothing but the utmost praise in a recent Imaging-Resource review. Okay, so maybe critics did kvetch about slight noise at ISO 800, a somewhat confusing interface, and a not-particularly-useful digital zoom, but this point-and-shoot managed to get it right in the areas that matter most. Build quality and design were both smiled upon, the image stabilization performed as advertised and the image quality was deemed "excellent." Of note, they did find very minor chromatic aberration in the wide angle shots, but considering the size of this shooter, results were seen as fantastic. Overall, it looks like Canon has produced yet another winner in the pocket-friendly camera department, but feel free to take a gander at the in-depth review waiting in the read link below.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - How would you change SanDisk's Sansa Fuze?
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Just like that obscure Burt Bacharach album, some DAPs just need a little time to grow on you. Now that SanDisk's comparatively inexpensive Sansa Fuze has been out and about for a couple of months, we're imploring you dear readers to cast out your opinions on the minuscule device. Are you satisfied with the interface? Have you been disappointed by the sound quality? Was this thing just one feature away from being perfect? 'Tis a shame SanDisk didn't phone you up before mashing the green button and sending these on their way, but here's your shot to tell all who will listen what could be done better in revision two.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Creative reveals Fatal1ty-approved Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Filed under: Peripherals
Considering that you've already spent way too much on that totally over-hyped Killer NIC, why not humor yourself further by snagging a sound card with Johnathan Wendel's prints on it. Proving once again that everyone does indeed have a price, famed gamer Fatal1ty has placed his highly respected seal of approval on a new duo of sound cards from Creative. The PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series and PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series devices boast the X-Fi enhancements you've come to expect, vivid new designs, unmistakable packaging and the assurance that the latter is the "official sound card of the CGS." As for pricing, the Pro edition is available to pre-order for $149.99, while the CGS model adds in an internal I/O drive and demands $199.99. Hit the read link for more detailed specifications and way too much gloating.
[Via CustomPC]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - E-TEN prepping dual-SIM glofiish DX900?
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Rumor has it that E-TEN will be unveiling a new Windows Mobile set at Taiwan's Computex next month that sports -- count 'em, one, two SIMs. The so-called DX900 (pictured) in the glofiish series should be quite a powerhouse, too, with triband HSDPA, quadband GSM, 3 megapixel autofocus cam, FM radio, 256MB of ROM with microSDHC expansion, GPS, motion sensor, and that all-important VGA display that's probably (hopefully) going to come to define high-end WinMo devices from here on out. We don't see any particular reason why this one wouldn't come to fruition; dual-SIM phones are pretty commonplace in Asia, though the presence of triband HSDPA is a pretty rare feat in that bunch. Anyone feeling an itch to import one of these stateside?
[Via the::unwired]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Envision intros 42-inch L42H761 1080p LCD TV, ClearQAM / ATSC tuner includedIt's been a tick since we've seen anything new from AOC, but today the outfit is introducing a new bargain-bin LCD HDTV in its Envision series. The 42-inch L42H761 features a 1080p panel, twin HDMI ports, S/PDIF digital audio out, a PC input (with audio), digital ATSC / ClearQAM tuner, 172-degree viewing angles, 3-D comb filter and "color enhancement / noise reduction features" sure to treat your eyes right. All wrapped up in a glossy, sleek black enclosure, the set dons a MSRP of just $1,049.99, and if history has anything on the present, we'd guess you can find it around for a good bit cheaper than that.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - John Mayer secures a BlackBerry Bold, makes world envious
Filed under: Cellphones
See how easy it is everyone? All that's required to snag a BlackBerry Bold well before its public release is to become a Grammy award-winning artist, sell out shows worldwide, date a smattering of superstars and convince Fender to create and sell your own branded guitar. While you're off working on step one, John Mayer is living it up with his brand new BlackBerry Bold. Granted, he can't claim to be the very first with said handset, but it's likely the first completely legitimate edition let loose. Of course, once you've landed the Curve and MacBook Air before everyone else on the planet, snagging a Bold is just child's play.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Samsung's SGH-i900 is a feature-laden stunner
Filed under: Cellphones
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Yeah, let's get this out of the way first, the SGH-i900 does share a design aesthetic with another handset we hear about all the time. That aside, the SGH-i900 seems set to bring everything we could ever hope -- or need, to be honest -- for in a Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro package. Measuring a scant 112 × 56 × 13, the i900 is finished in shiny metal, only features two buttons on the face, and what appears to be a fingerprint reader or perhaps a touch-sensitive pad. Loaded with HSDPA, a 3.5-inch 400 X 240 display, 5 megapixel cam with auto focus, 16GB of onboard memory, microSDHC support up to 8GB, TV-out, FM radio, Bluetooth, WiFi -- see what we're saying here? This thing could almost be a mini media center -- it'll definitely please our pockets. It also seems like two versions will be in the offing, the i900 branded as Samsung and the i908 branded as Anycall -- but sadly we're at a loss on how they differ. We'll definitely be keeping our eyes wide open watching for updates here, but in the meantime, follow the link for pages of pretty pictures and poorly translated Chinese.
[Via UnwiredView]Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Philips patent application details gadget-charging handbag
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
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Bags that charge your gadgets aren't exactly a new concept, but that apparently hasn't stopped Philips from trying to patent the idea, as evidenced by its recently-revealed application for a so-called "Smart Handbag." This bag is somewhat unique, however, in that it has separate compartments for your various gizmos, each of which contain their own electric conductive circuit that's used to top off the devices as needed (the bag itself is apparently charged simply by plugging the strap into a power outlet). As if that wasn't enough, the other end of the strap would apparently be outfitted with a USB connector, which'd let you plug the bag into your computer and instantly have access to all the devices contained within it. Of course, that's assuming computers still have USB ports whenever this thing actually makes it off the drawing board.
[Via Unwired View]Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - WD's 500GB My DVR Expander drives certified for use with DISH HD DVRs
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Storage
From what we can tell, this is just marketing hoopla to get you to buy a drive "certified" for use in a particular application; in all actuality, users can connect any USB 2.0 external hard drive to their DISH Network HD DVR and expand their storage capacity for a one-time fee. Nevertheless, Western Digital has just let loose its 500GB My DVR Expander, which "more than doubles" your available recording hours by storing up to 300 hours of SD content and 60 hours of high-def goodness. As predicted, the drives work with the satcaster's ViP family of HD DVRs, and WD is apparently looking to expand the brand to other carriers as soon as they get with the program and enable USB storage. Those willing to fall for this ploy can procure the half-terabyte drive for $149.99, but considering that the port activation fee is still charged, we can't imagine looking elsewhere first.
[Via FarEastGizmos]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Fujitsu set to debut AMILO GraphicBooster external graphics card
Filed under: Gaming, Laptops, Peripherals
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We've heard plenty of promises of external graphics solutions for laptops in the past, and it looks like Fujitsu Siemens is now about to join the party as well, with it reportedly set to debut its AMILO GraphicBooster in the "next couple of weeks." That word apparently comes from a leaked presentation from the company which, unfortunately, doesn't include all the details we'd like, but does at least reveal a few tantalizing bits of information. As Notebook Review reports, the device is based on ATI XGP technology, which supposedly provides a 4.7X boost in graphics performance over a standard Fujitsu AMILO laptop (it's not clear if they're talking about integrated graphics or not), or a score of about 8,000 in 3DMark06 benchmarks. What's more, the device will also apparently let you connect up to three external displays to your laptop, with both DVI-D and HDMI ports provided. Of course, there's no word on pricing or availability, which could lead one to suspect that this is yet another device we'll still be hearing about a year from now -- if you're the cynical type, that is.
[Thanks, Master_P]Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Chilean MSI wind gets in-depth hands-on
Filed under: Laptops
If you needed evidence of the popularity of cheap ultraportables in foreign lands, the news leading up to the release of the MSI Wind should be a good indicator. Last month it was a Turkish video of the thing, now it's a detailed Chilean writeup of a pre-release model. We're relying on Google Translate to parse out the details here, but from what we can understand the article indicates the keyboard to be "sufficiently comfortable," the LED-backlit screen impressive, and the performance in XP to be quite good. This despite a glitch that left the Intel Atom processor gimped short of its 1600MHz maximum speed, which will surely (hopefully) rectified before the 10-inch model finds release here next month at $549 with XP and a 6-cell battery, or SuSE flavored (and smaller batteried) for just $399.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - HTC Touch Diamond unboxed, packaging worthy of the phone
Filed under: Cellphones
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Nothing new to report on the Touch Diamond's tech here, but wow, look how fun the box is! Of course, we know you're all waiting to see what they stuffed in the wedge-shaped package, and the answer is a charger, headset, USB cable, a manual or two, and the software. The charger appears to be a universal job with a swappable plug for travel, and the headset a typical example of an HTC pack-in -- albeit with a dash of fun and angular design. Hit the link for the pics.
[Thanks, SlashPhone]Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Konami unveils Rock Revolution drums, forgets to try
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
Brilliant, just brilliant. As if Rock Band wasn't living room clutter enough, Activision is busting out a drumset for Guitar Hero IV, and now Konami is getting in on the "pretending to play music" meme with its very own Rock Revolution title. If the oversaturation of incompatible music peripherals wasn't enough to make you take pause, the janky-ass nature of Konami's kit certainly might. Granted, there are more things to hit on Konami's set, Rock Revolution allows you to improvise in between the proscribed hits, and doesn't require that pesky kick drum until midway through its five difficulty levels, but MTV Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek didn't have too easy of a time hitting on it, while his buddy did a lot of plastic smashing attempting to improvise -- not a promising start. Oh, what was that? We can play "Sk8er boi"? We take it all back, when can we buy?
[Via Joystiq]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Nintendo re-launching Metallic Rose DS Lite as standalone system
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
Just in case the Big N hadn't doled out enough variations of pinkish DS Lites, along comes yet another one to spend your discretionary income on. Later this month, a standalone Metallic Rose version of the handheld will be widely available in the US, but folks who managed to snag this very device in that Nintendogs bundle last year can pass right on by. Additionally, Nintendo is once again looking to the celebrities to push its wares, with America Ferrera and Carrie Underwood starring in spots with the aforesaid Rose DS and Liv Tyler showing up with the two-toned Crimson / Black edition. We're expecting the not-entirely-new hue to run the same price as all of the others, but we'd still recommend grabbing one quick if you're interested. One more look after the break.
Continue reading Nintendo re-launching Metallic Rose DS Lite as standalone system
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Blackberry Bold release dates, pricing leak out UPDATE: just estimates
Filed under: Cellphones
Those of you dying to get your QWERTY on with RIM's hot new Blackberry Bold can start marking your calendars and stashing cash under the cushions -- release dates and pricing info have hit the tubes this morning. As expected, AT&T will get the Bold first in July for $300, while Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile customers will have to wait until September. Oddly, T-Mo subs will have to cough up an extra $50, which seems a little unfair. Of course, these aren't official dates and prices, so things are likely to change, but we'd say everything seems in the ballpark, wouldn't you?
Update: We got in touch with InfoSync World, where these numbers were published, and they told us that they were making estimates based on pre-release info. So nope, these aren't close to official -- but it's always fun to dream, right?Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Shinoda Plasma showcases 125-inch curved PTA display
Filed under: Displays
Surely you remember Shinoda Plasma and its obscenely large PTA display, right? Unfortunately, this one's no 142-incher, but 125-inches of curvaceous screen real estate still isn't anything to sneeze at -- especially when we're talking about an actual prototype. The 3- x 1-meter display consists of three PTA (plasma tube array) modules connected together, and it features a rather uninspiring 960 x 360 resolution but weighs just 7.9-pounds. The actual "display part" measures just one-millimeter thick, and while this unit is likely to make a veiled appearance at InfoComm next month, a mass produced version will reportedly be produced in conjunction with Hibino. Honest opinion? We're still feelin' the resolution of Alienware's curved monster, but digital signage fans should certainly dig where this one is headed.
[Via Pink Tentacle]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Angstrom Power shows off G2 portable fuel cell power source
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
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It looks like Angstrom Power is working on more than just fuel cells for MOTOSLVR L7 prototypes, with the company now also touting its G2 portable fuel cell power source that promises to keep a whole range of gadgets charged up. This one packs eight V60 Fuel Cell Modules that combine to provide a full two watts of power, which can be used to top off any device that charges via a USB connection. According to Angstrom, the G2 itself can also be replenished "in minutes," either by using an Angstrom P2 Portable Refueling Cartridge or an R1 Refueling Station, though it can apparently withstand "several charges" before it needs to be refueled. No word on pricing or availability just yet, but it seems safe to bet that it'll show up before those fuel cell-powered cellphones, which are apparently still on track for a release somewhere in the neighborhood of 2010.
[Via Gizmo Watch]Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Nikon's Coolpix S52c now shipping
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Nikon is shipping the Coolpix S52c WiFi-capable point-and-shoot camera as expected. The S52c allows you to upload pictures to your Flickr or Nikon's own "my Picturetown" online image repository via WiFi and comes with 6 months of T-Mobile HotSpot access. Camera specs are pretty respectable, including a 9 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, 3.0-inch LCD, and optical image stabilization. The Coolpix comes in at $279.95 and should show up at retailers soon. Despite Nikon saying it's shipping now, Amazon says it will ship on or around June 15, so hopefully they're just a little slow on the uptake and Nikon isn't lying through its teeth.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Displaced by XP, Sugar Labs goes it alone
Filed under: Laptops
While OLPC tries to wise up to the real demands of the market and build a cheap laptop that people actually want -- which means Windows XP for most -- Walter Bender, OLPC's former president of software and content for the project is taking his open source Linux-based Sugar OS and has started up a new non-profit to aid its development. Bender still has the vision of an open source learning OS, and plans to give Sugar full support for other low-cost platforms like the Eee PC. Ooh, burn.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Fujitsu's LifeBook U2010 up close
Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs
While yesterday's minuscule shot of this Atom-based UMPC explained the form factor quite well, this here picture shows the unit in a much better light. Otherwise there's little new info on this U2010 from Fujitsu, but that $1,300 pricepoint isn't a great start. Was this whole "Atom is cheaper" thing just a cruel, cruel myth?
[Via Pocketables]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Aigo MID tested, ported to a real OS
Filed under: Handhelds, Tablet PCs
The folks at UMPCFever got in some quality time with the upcoming Aigo MID (an Asia-centric version of the Gigabyte M528), which hasn't really been seen much outside of tradeshows so far. Apparently MIDLinux 2.0, which the device ships with, is running really well these days, which is encouraging given how abysmal it was earlier this year, but that didn't stop UMPCFever from swapping the OS for some Windows XP. While the Intel Atom processor seems to be beefy enough to handle what was requested of it, Intel's promised energy savings were not evident in the device, with a runtime as low as two hours. We suppose the best news is that Aigo's selling this starting at around HK $6000, about $770 US, a major improvement over the M528, but it still seems to be a far cry from the sweet spot for this type of device. Hands-on videos are after the break.
[Via UMPCPortal]Continue reading Aigo MID tested, ported to a real OS
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - ZARVA's Zippo MP320 MP3 player, free to WWIII G.I.s
Filed under: Portable Audio
About the only thing to deliver more tactile satisfaction than the popping of bubble wrap is the act of casually opening and closing a Zippo lighter at the bar. While you won't find anything about it on Zippo's corporate site, Zarva has announced its new Zippo MP320 MP3 player. You get than tiny screen, built-in mic, minimal MP3 and WMA format support, and just 1GB of capacity for 188 of the Chinese stuff or about 27 of the green. But if this Zippo turns on with a well placed finger snap or rough, to-and-fro swipe against our faded 501s then you can count us in.
[Via PMP Today, thanks BrianB]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - XtremeNotebooks stuffs quad-core X3360 Xeon CPU in Xtreme 917V
Filed under: Laptops
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsXtremeNotebooks is taking its quad-core Xtreme 917V up a notch by tossing an Intel X3360 Xeon processor in there. Notably, the company is pushing this as the "first US-distributed" lappie to boast such a chip, but we already saw Eurocom reveal its X3360-based D901C PHANTOM-X earlier this week. Semantics aside, prospective buyers can get this mobile server equipped with a Blu-ray burner, RAID 0/1/5 hard drive arrays, twin NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or Quadro FX GPU setups and up to 4GB of RAM. As of this moment, this particular system isn't listed on the outfit's website, but you can probably count on it demanding upwards of three grand -- and yes, that's with the "sweet talking the CSR" discount already factored in.
Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - MPAA dangles early HD VOD releases, in exchange for closing that pesky analog hole
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
Moving beyond day-and-date releases via internet and HD video-on-demand, movie studios may be ready to move towards regularly putting movies online ahead of the DVD release date for a premium price -- that surveys say some of us are willing to pay -- but prepare to have your analog hole plugged again. The MPAA petitioned the FCC earlier this month to lift the existing ban preventing cable and satellite providers from remotely disabling analog outputs on their set-top boxes via selectable output controls (SOC). In a bit of ICT redux, the movie studios haven't said definitively that they will use the technology, but insist on having the ability to force anyone wanting to view high definition movies to only see them through an HDCP-protected HDMI output to a compatible TV. The failure of AACS and BD+ to prevent high quality copies isn't a deterrent to the MPAA's push, so while ICT has gone unused on Blu-ray and HD DVD, we're still too fond of our component outs, switchers and homemade cables -- and too wary of a future change in policy -- to support any changes in the law.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Atom-based Eee PC 901 pops June 3rd with Bluetooth for $650
Filed under: Laptops
June's shaping up to be a pretty special month 'round here. In addition to whatever Apple's got up its sleeve and all the new gear set to announce at Computex, Asus will be launching its Atom-based Eee PC 901 just like we heard. June 3rd is the date for "a price below" $650. We assume that means $649.99. DigiTimes' reliable market channel sources claim the 8.9-inch 901 will also feature Bluetooth for the first time (you know, without a hack) while the rest of the tech specs remain the same. That's $250 more than the 10-inch, Atom-based, MSI Wind running Linux and launching on the same day. Oh ASUS, what have you done?
Update: To be fair, it could be that the $650 Eee PC 901 model runs XP and the Linux-based Eee PC 901 will sell for (a lot) less -- the XP-flavor of the MSI Wind costs between $500 and $549.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Solarial solar blimp concept could aid in disaster relief, terrify villagers
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Getting power to disaster-affected areas is always a tough task, but Andrew Leinonen's undergrad industrial design thesis (and recent first place entry in the 2008 ACIDO Rocket Show) might be able to solve the problem in an efficient and clever way. Dubbed Solarial, the idea is to use small unmanned airships made out of materials embedded with CIGS solar cells to autonomously deliver clean power to disaster sites by deploying anchored "power boxes" that have 12 total 120V outlets and 2 240V sockets. Obviously this is just a concept, but it's a clever one -- let's hope someone with the cash to make it happen finds out about it.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Orange lands broad iPhone distro deal too
Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video
We'll make this brief. Orange spokesperson Therese Wenger told the SDA news agency that it has secured rights to release the iPhone (3G version, presumably) in Switzerland and more than 10 other countries -- take that Swisscom! Other countries include Austria, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, and Romania. And France of course where it's already on sale. See, that was quick and leaves room for a dozen or so other iPhone related announcements today.
Update: Official Orange press release now out.
[Via 20minuten, thanks Pascal M.]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Video: Toyota's robo-quartet makes Kerouac cry
Filed under: Robots
After watching Honda's Asimo conduct the Detroit Symphony, Toyota's distressed team of robots hopped a box car with a jug of wine and wound up leaning in and kicking out a clear harmonic cry to some corporate goons in Japan. The band consists of a couple repurposed DJ Robots and new Partner Robots. While laudable, there's not enough ecstasy for us, not enough life, joy, kicks, darkness, music... not enough night. Video after the break, Jack.Continue reading Video: Toyota's robo-quartet makes Kerouac cry
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Samsung's 12.1-inch OLED laptop concept makes us swoon
Filed under: Displays, Laptops
As much as we would loath typing on that touch-sensitive, rigid keyboard, we're definitely geek-smitten by this ultra-thin, AMOLED laptop concept from Samsung SDI -- Sammy's display division. 12.1-inches and 1,280 x 768 resolution with infinite contrast? We'll take two... just as soon as someone can explain the extra panel around back. With Samsung projecting 14- to 15.4-inch OLED laptops in 2009, this might come sooner than you think.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - CHRIS project aims to put a robot in the kitchen
Filed under: Robots
We're not certain what's up with the sudden rash of news about EU- and EC-funded robotics research, but we're not going to turn down robotic kitchen assistance either, so say hello to the Cooperative Human Robot Interaction System (CHRIS) project, which aims to build a service robot capable of working safely with humans. According to the researchers, the plan is to "to develop the rules we need to introduce this level of sophistication into service robots who are working closely with people," and to that end they've already built several prototypes and started testing specific scenarios, like how a bot should react to accidentally splashing a human worker with hot soup, or how to read facial expressions and tones of voice. That's fine by us -- we're pretty certain an army of deathbots can't do too much damage with soup -- but let's make sure we leave the chopping to the people, k?
[Via Primidi]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Metal Gear Solid 4 limited edition PS3 for North America detailed
Filed under: Gaming
Ha, seems our Japanese gaming overlords aren't the only ones looking down the retail barrel at the limited edition gunmetal gray MGS4 PS3. Sony's official Playstation.Blog is reporting that the MGS4 Limited Edition PS3 Hardware Bundle will be available exclusively from Konami.com for $600. For that you get a 40GB gunmetal PS3, matching DualShock 3 wireless controller, Metal Gear Online, an exclusive Blu-ray disc with 2-hours of additional content (making of documentary and look at Hideo Kojima's production team) and of course the MGS4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition game. Pre-orders from the "very limited supply" begin on Monday the 19th. Best set your alarms.
[Via Playstation.Blog]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Mtron says its Pro 7500 is the fastest SSD around
Filed under: Storage
We've had a little love affair going on with storage vendor Mtron ever since we saw that "battleship" SSD RAID array, and it looks like the company is after our hearts once again, this time with the Pro 7500 series of SSDs, which it says are the fastest around. That's really only half-true -- while the 120MB/s write speed is definitely the fastest we've seen, the 130MB/s read speed is the same those Greenhouse DH-SSDGD drives we just saw a couple days ago. Still, that's mighty fast -- too bad these are probably going to be priced into the stratosphere like Mtron's other SSDs.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Переслать Сохранить на memori.ru - Chicago's CCTV network to be autonomously monitored starting this summer
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Chicago residents are no strangers to the city's many CCTV cameras by this point -- if anyone knows exactly how long to stop at Roosevelt and State to avoid the red-light cam there, you let us know, okay? -- but it looks like this summer is going to bring a new twist to the city's surveillance racket: automated camera monitoring. Video from the several thousand cameras in Chicago's Operation Virtual Shield project currently comes into the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communication's ops center, but starting this summer, it'll also be watched by an IBM-developed autonomous system that can be programmed to watch for specific activities or objects, like certain cars or unattended backpacks. Since the video is stored on a 60TB storage array for 30 days, law enforcement can also do retroactive searches using the tech. That's a huge step up from San Francisco's useless CCTV system, sure, but we've never really believed any of this stuff is actually effective at deterring crime -- hopefully we'll be proven wrong. Check out the full news vid at the read link.
[Via Boing Boing]Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsПереслать Сохранить на memori.ru
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