|
posted by on Oct 14 Filed under: Portable Audio  Somehow, we don’t think that this was what Swarovski had in mind when they began whoring their luxury name onto consumer electronics a few years ago. The Scitec SEB-100 canal-type earbuds with fancy, “hand-pasted” crystals will cost
posted by on Oct 14 Filed under: Digital Cameras 
Olympus is betting that you’re the type of person that equates quality and style with crystal-encrusted consumer electronics. If so, it’s high time you gave that old Mju 1040 a second look — the limited-edition Mju 1040 Crystal’s pretty much the same 10-megapixel shooter as before, except now it’s adorned with ninety-eight Swarovski elements, rendering the camera suitable for black tie events like cotillions and charity balls. Look for it in the UK market for
Mr. Blurrycam reveals the updated MacBook Pro, $899 laptop model shows up in Apple inventory systemsposted by on Oct 14 Filed under: Laptops  digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/Latest_Breaking_Macbook_Pro_Pic_for_October_Release’; Well, maybe — we’re not calling it official until Steve pulls the cloth off himself tomorrow morning . Still, there’s no denying the similarities between this image and all those other case leaks we’ve seen, and the list of specs we’ve been given matches up as well — that “metal and glass” enclosure now houses an NVIDIA GPU, but no FireWire 400, and video-out is apparently through a connector “more compact” than MicroDVI. We’ll find out soon enough — oh, and just to amp up expectations, Boy Genius says he’s confirmed the existence of an $899 part number in Apple’s retail systems. Counting down… Update: Our source just hit us with another pic, this time from the side — it’s after the break. We’re also told that there’s not one, but two NVIDIA GPUs inside —
posted by on Oct 14 Filed under: Laptops digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/Latest_Breaking_Macbook_Pro_Pic_for_October_Release’; Well, maybe — we’re not calling it official until Steve pulls the cloth off himself tomorrow morning . Still, there’s no denying the similarities between this image and all those other case leaks we’ve seen, and the list of specs we’ve been given matches up as well — that “metal and glass” enclosure now houses an NVIDIA GPU, but no FireWire 400, and video-out is apparently through a connector “more compact” than MicroDVI. We’ll find out soon enough — oh, and just to amp up expectations, Boy Genius says he’s confirmed the existence of an $899 part number in Apple’s retail systems. Counting down… Update: Our source just hit us with another pic, this time from the side — it’s after the break. We’re also told that there’s not one, but two NVIDIA GPUs inside — Update 3: John Gruber over at Daring Fireball, the first to accurately predict today’s launch event, has confidentally chimed in with many more details. The button-less trackpad is indeed glass, and “is a button itself” which opens the door for a few hours of trouser-heated speculation about the trackpad doubling as a BlackBerry Storm-like display (Gruber doesn’t say and it doesn’t appear to be in that image above so don’t count on it). Gruber also claims that none of the new laptops will reach the rumored $899 price point — the part number spotted earlier seems to be associated with a new 24-inch LED Apple Cinema Display according to MacRumors, not a low-end MacBook. Gruber goes on to say that the MacBooks will indeed be announced in $1,299 (2GHz, 2GB memory, 160GB disk) and $1,499 (2.4GHz, 2GB memory, 250GB disk) configs and shipping by the end of the week along with new 120GB HDD and 128GB SSD configurations of the MacBook Air.
posted by on Oct 14 Filed under: Robots 
We caught sight of the very first DARwIn soccer-playing robot way back when, but the folks at Virginia Tech’s Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory unsurprisingly haven’t been resting on their laurels all this time, and they’re now out there showing off the bot’s latest incarnation, which they hope will lead ‘em to victory in the next RoboCup competition. Dubbed the DARwIn IIIx, this one apparently uses some of the same technology developed for Virgina Tech’s DARPA Urban Challenge entry, known as “Odin,” and is a complete redesign over the previous DARwIn IIx model, boasting an improved range of motion and a whole host of software upgrades that promise to improve its perception and let it better adapt to different lighting conditions, among other things. Head on past the break to check out the (unfortunately auto-playing) video.
Continue reading DARwIn IIIx RoboCup entrant gets shown off on video
posted by on Oct 14 Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video 
We noticed a few problems with the firmware on the Archos 5 we got our hands on last month, and it now looks like the company is going some way towards addressing a few of those complaints with its latest update, and it’s thrown in a few goodies for good measure. The biggest of those is added support for OGG and FLAC formats, though the promised increase in battery life and boost in USB transfer speed will also no doubt be especially welcome to anyone that’s already taken the plunge on one of the players as well. The list of bug fixes is even longer, and includes promised remedies for all sorts of system hangs and crashes, plus some fixes for a number of video playback and recording problems. Hit up the link below to grab a copy.
[Via ArchosLounge, thanks Billy]
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Portable Audio  We knew XM Radio’s XMp3 handheld was on sale and shipping, but if you’ve been holding back and patiently waiting for some live video action of the UI before biting, have a gander at this. One xzitony managed to acquire the new Pioneer-built device and take it for a spin, but rather than just keeping it all to himself, he decided to host up a six minute clip walking us through the user interface. There are just no words to express our gratitude, but you can leave your thanks on his YouTube page after peeping the vid just past the break. [Thanks, Anthony] Continue reading Video: XM Radio’s XMp3 interface shown off
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Announcements  C’mon, you know we wouldn’t miss this. We’re going to be live and direct from Apple’s “spotlight turns to notebooks” event in Cupertino. Dying to know if there’s a new MacBook or MacBook Pro in your future? Want to see if those “Brick” rumors pan out? Think Steve Jobs might wear a pair of jeans? Keep your browser locked in to our liveblog to get real-time updates on all the news as it happens! Where you’ll need to be: Live from Apple’s “spotlight turns to notebooks” event Time zones: 07:00AM - Hawaii
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment  A couple of months back, we saw what was to come with DISH Network’s 1080p video-on-demand service. Now, the cats and kittens over at Sound & Vision have a definitive writeup explaining the value of the aforementioned offering. At the time of review, Speed Racer was DISH’s 1080p VOD movie of the month, so critics fired it up via the satcaster’s set-top-box while comparing it to the version on Blu-ray. Obviously, DISH’s 1080p isn’t the same quality 1080p as what you’ll find on a BD-50, but the results were pretty astounding, regardless. In fact, critics had a tough time deciphering between the two from a normal viewing distance, and while they were fully expecting to be underwhelmed by DISH Network’s 1080p material, they were actually stunned by just how impressive it looked. Of course, the dearth of titles available at any given time means that this won’t sway potential customers in and of itself, but you can rest assured DISH is looking to beef up its 1080p HD VOD lineup as quickly as possible.
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Desktops 
Well, it looks like Averatec is now fully on board the Atom bandwagon, with it now pushing its Buddy netbook out the door, and also getting official about the US launch for its Atom-based, 18.4-inch All-in-One desktop PC, which was first announced in Europe last month. This one’s apparently intended to complement the company’s larger, equally unimaginatively-named 22-inch All-in-One PC, and comes loaded with some expectedly more netbook-like specs, including 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Windows XP and, of course, that ever-present 1.6GHz N270 Atom processor. You won’t find anything like the 1680 x 945, 18.4-inch display on a netbook, however, or on many other desktop PCs with a $550 price tag, for that matter.
[Image courtesy of Laptop]
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Robots  We’ve enjoyed watching KIST’s Hubo do crazy things like wear the face of Albert Einstein and ride a Segway, but we haven’t given as much attention to its brother Mahru. Feeling left out, the biped learned to dance with its upper body whilst walking around — an impressive feat, considering it wasn’t all that long ago that scientists first managed to get these things to take five steps without falling flat on their faces. Mahru also releases scents to express its artificial emotions, so you should be able to smell something fishy when it achieves sentience and begins angrily plotting to destroy its creators. Take a gander at a South Korean TV news report after the break. Continue reading Mahru the robot dances to mask its emotional insecurities
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Desktops 
Though there are few things as potentially cringe-worthy as a Battlestar Galactica-themed case mod (or toaster, or pumpkin), we must admit that this project is pretty impressive. Going beyond the realm of the expected (landing bay, running lights, engine pods and a suitable sci-fi paint job), this custom build rocks an array of ambitious features, including three 2.5-inch LCD screens, a 10-inch LCD on the left side panel and an automatic right side panel door (aka: “airlock”). The front of the case sports a laser-cut acrylic Battlestar Galactica logo that has been mounted to a slot-loading DVD drive (the disc appears to spin inside the logo) and the whole case is complimented by a suitably modified keyboard and monitor. If your curiosity has been whetted, hit the read link for a ton of images and blow-by-blow description of the build process … and be sure to check out the videos after the break.
Continue reading Battlestar Galactica case mod adds a touch of class and excitement to your work day
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Robots 
While some folks are considering taking the Turing test one step further and applying it to military robots, a group of researchers in the UK led by none other than would-be cyborg Kevin Warwick are doing their best to keep things as Turing intended and simply trying to fool some humans into thinking that the robot they’re taking to is actually a person. Fortunately for us on the human side of the equation, they weren’t quite succesful, though one “robot” known as Elbot did get relatively close to the goal, fooling 25% of its human interrogators, which is just 5% off the mark set by Alan Turing. Each of the four other “artificial conversational entities” also managed to fool at least one of their questioners, though they eventually showed their true colors with random answers like “soup” when pressed as to what their job was.
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Peripherals 
Yoggie’s mini “security computers” have been at the disposal of PC users for some time now, and it looks like the company has now finally decided to give Mac users a taste of the completely hardware-based security solution. That comes in the form of both Mac-friendly versions of Yoggie’s Gatekeeper ExpressCard and its Gatekeeper Pico USB stick, each of which are “full-blown” Linux-based computers in the own right, and include a slew of applications that promise to both increase security and take some of the load off of your laptop or desktop. What’s more, it looks like Yoggie is also giving Mac users a slight discount for their patience, as the Gatekeeper ExpressCard and Gatekeeper Pico are now available to pre-order fro $150 and $119, respectively, a 20% discount compared to their usual price, and their PC counterparts.
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment lg80.jpg) The highly controversial (okay, maybe not so much) Scarlet series from LG is being expanded today with the introduction of the LG80. The natural step-up from the LG60 and LG70 features an undisclosed screen size (though we assume it’ll range from 42- to 65-inches) with a Full HD (1080p) resolution, 30,000:1 contrast ratio, three AV modes (for movies / video games / sports) and a USB 2.0 port for piping in photos or digital video files. You’ll also find a pair of HDMI 1.3 sockets, but the real kicker is the sound system. When powered on, two side speakers extend from the rear of the unit while working alongside the stationary center speaker and “subwoofer” to create a 3.1 system with 50-watts of output. Sure, it’s not a 3,000-watt, 7.1-channel master rig, but it’s probably decent enough for an inbuilt setup. Look for this one to ship everywhere save for the US and Europe starting later this year. [Via Pocket-lint]
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Gaming  Sony’s firmware elves haven’t gotten a break since the last round of console updates — PS3 2.50 and PSP 5.00 have just been announced on the PlayStation Blog. Nothing terrifically major for the PS3 apart from support for the SOCOM Bluetooth Headset’s High Quality mode, as well as some trophy tweaks and power management options, but the PSP gets a WiFi version of the PlayStation Store, with downloadable games, trailers, and demos. No word on when these will actually become available, but we’d guess it’ll be relatively soon.
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Robots  After the whole Tickle Me Elmo craze a few years back, you just knew Fisher-Price was going to ride this wave until it simply couldn’t stay afloat any longer. Elmo Live!, hailed as the “most innovative and engaging Elmo toy ever,” will officially hit store shelves tomorrow (October 14th) for $59.99, though we suspect the first batch will be snapped up in no time flat. Of course, those of you intent on retaining your sanity probably pre-ordered a few months back, but for everyone else, your battle to get one of this year’s hottest holiday gifts starts in under 24 hours. For those wondering what’s so special about this fellow, he supposedly tells jokes and makes movements that “give kids the feeling that Elmo is alive in their own homes.” Whether that’s really a good thing, however, is totally up to you.
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Desktops  Oh sure, there’s absolutely no viable reason for ASUS to slap an Eee moniker on this all-in-one desktop, but it’s there, so we just couldn’t resist the mention. Now that we’re beyond that, this touchscreen-based desktop — which was peeked way back in June — is finally showing signs of life courtesy of a formal pre-order page hosted up at Play.com. The all white machine packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, 15.6-inch LCD, Windows XP Home, a 1.3-megapixel camera, built-in stereo speakers, WiFi, a slew of ports and an integrated graphics set. The current release date is set for November 20th, though we wouldn’t bet the farm on that or anything. At any rate, those unable to resist can plunk down
posted by on Oct 13 Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio  We’re still retaining a slight bit of disbelief here, but the long teased BeoSound 5 controller could be awfully close to a formal release. Judging by scads of cryptic (and probably diluted) hints and just two images (one above, one after the break), we’re led to believe that this here device will sit atop one’s table and enable users to flip through multimedia and play back tunes through their Bang & Olufsen gear. The sell, obviously, is the design. Truth be told, this thing looks like something a few years ahead of its time at first glance, but considering just how ridiculous (that’s a compliment, we’ll have you know) the BeoCenter 2 looked over four years ago, we’d say this is just par for the course with B&O. Here’s hoping some more concrete information flows forth shortly. [Thanks, JK] Continue reading Bang & Olufsen’s BeoSound 5 controller in the wild?
by Deeogee Florida Keysa Caribbean Vacation Key West Fishing |
