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2400. Mini Weapons – Miniature Bazooka and Samurai Weapons

I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again: Girls love miniature things. However, this is one mini set I’d stay away from when picking out something for your sweetie, unless your sweetie is me, cause I think these are great! Mini Bazooka If you love weapons and Halo 3 just isn’t enough of a fix for you, you might stop buy ThinkGeek and pick up one or both of these miniature weapons sets. The bazooka sets are a 1/6th scale replicas of a Panzer Faust3, RPG-7, FIM-43, M20A1, and SA-18. Each set ($8.99) only lets you pick out two, so you may end up with doubles of one when you buy the complete series. Each bazooka comes with its own stand for maximum display-ability. Mini Samurai Swords Maybe bazookas aren’t your thing, though. Maybe you’re more of an ancient samurai type of guy/girl. If so, worry not, there is also set for you. The samurai set include 15 different real metal weapons and battery powered lanterns. Each one is about 5’’ high which makes them the perfect size for arming your work area. These sets retail for just 7.99. Mini Bazooka Weapons [via Coolest Gadgets] Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

2398. Tiny Toys Shopping Guide – Nightmare Before Christmas Little Taps and ChoroQ Qsteer R/C Racer

Nightmare<b><font color=brown size=2> Before </font></b>Christmas Little Taps I’m not sure what the worlds obsession is with picturing things next to coins. I get that’s small when you use words like little, mini, tiny and micro… no visual necessary, but that’s just me. Anyway, here are two tiny toys that are just a bit bigger than a quarter, enjoy. First up we have Jack from the Nightmare Before Christmas, now he’s not the only character this toy comes in but with the season so close he’s the featured toy right now. This Little Taps toy will sing and dance to songs from the show and should come across any other Little Taps they all interconnect and will sing and dance together. You can pick up Jack for just $14.99. Next I offer you the ChoroQ Qsteer Mini R/C Racers. They come in mini version of the Nissan 350Z or the Mazda Rx-8 and also have some precision steering, which is amazing from such a tiny R/C. You’ll get a set of two with your $14.99 purchase so you and a friend/co-worker and create your own desktop racetrack to pass the hours. ChoroQ Qsteer RC Racers Both of these items are available from ThinkGeek and either would make a great stocking stuffer in my opinion. However, for the price I’d stick with the R/C racers. Nightmare Before Xmas Little Taps [via Coolest Gadgets] ChoroQ Qsteer Mini R/C Racers [via Coolest Gadgets] Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

2397. Alcohol and Art – A New Kind of AA

Sometimes when given choices like going to the museum and see some fine art or drinking beer and watching the game, we choose the less classy road. It may not be because we don’t want to walk around looking at things and struggling to understand them or it might be that we just want to imbibe some alcohol. If the latter is more your style then you’re in luck, there is a way to get the best of both worlds. wine wall Artist Hannes Broecker has created the ultimate masterpieces for the drunk within us all. His ‘interactive’ artwork, found in Dresden, Germany, will inebriate and stimulate you. The wall-mounted containers are each filled with a different alcoholic concoction and ready to fill your glass as you pass. With service like that, these pieces are definitely worth a second look. I hope this is a traveling show because I know of more than a few people who’d go see this with me. The only thing left to wonder about is: do they charge to sample the artwork, how many times can we ‘view’ each piece and what happens when the containers are empty? Wall Art That Will Get You Drunk: A True Masterpiece [via Gizmodo] Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

1674. Sony launches three new Net Juke hard-drive hi-fis

sony-net-juke.jpg Every new hi-fi seems to have an iPod dock these days, but it won't be long before the manufacturers look to cut out the middleman and get you ripping your CDs to a hard drive inside your stereo. It's not a new idea, but it's on the rise. Sony has just announced three new models in its Net Juke range. The NAS-D55HD, NAS-M75HD and NAS-M95HD come in 80GB or 250GB flavours..  

1808. U.S. Spooks Cracked Private Terror Chat Rooms

German officials nabbed three evil doers last week before they could use massive quantities of explosives stockpiled for a series of planned attacks. Now TIME Magazine uncovers the secret role played by American spooks in the operation. U.S. intelligence agencies picked up on a change in "intensity" in both telephone and Internet communications between Europe and the areas of Pakistan where Al Qaeda terrorists are directed and trained nowadays. The Americans handed this tip over to the Germans, along with Chris Hansen-like transcripts of entire conversations "apparently gleaned from PRIVATE INTERNET CHATROOMS" that implicated the suspects. The article hints that the success of this arrest may have motivated German officials to propose the use of that nifty snoopware the CIA is using.

1914. CatCam: another reason for your moggy to eye you with barely-concealed disgust

catcam.jpgWhat does YOUR cat do at night? Mine hunts mice, catches them, and then either a.) eats them too fast before boking them on the living room rug, or b.) releases them to run up the curtains. There's not much mystery to it. However, if you have no idea what your mog's up to, ever considered attaching a camera to it? I know you haven't, but never mind: someone's come up with the CatCam anyway. It's a camera, with a controller for timed shots and a protective casing.  

Image

1922. iPhone sales triple after price cut, says analyst

iphone-sales.jpgApple has been selling 27,000 iPhones a day since cutting the price by $200 last week, reckons retail analyst Gene Munster from Piper Jaffray, who says that's triple the 9,000 daily sales before the cut.  

2390. Nintendo DS or Sony PSP? Which is the SlashGear holiday choice?

As the holiday season fast approaches, we’ve been getting questions from readers regarding which portable games console they should buy for themselves, their friends or their kids.  It’s hard to believe that there are still people out there who haven’t decided on a side in the PSP/DS war, but here are a few factors you should consider before splashing your cash either with Sony or Nintendo.  Nintendo DS and Sony PSP Traditionally the Nintendo has been seen as the young-persons’ choice, but this year a range of “brain training” games has pushed it into the eyeline of the adult and even elderly market.  The clever controls - undeniably more innovative than the PSP’s, with both the usual D-pad and buttons as well as a touchscreen and stylus - have given games designers more flexibility, and its backward-compatibility with Game Boy Advance titles mean there’s a healthy, and cheap, back-catalogue to choose from. On the PSP’s side, however, are the media and processing capabilities which have made Sony such a contender in the lounge gaming market.  While UMD-based movies may have bombed, the handheld can still play films and audio stored on Memory Stick or streamed wirelessly from a PS3.  Recent sales figures from Japan show that PSPs there are being snapped up, with 250,000 sold in the four days following the redesigned Slim & Lite’s launch and, although it lacks the catalogue of classic titles, more recent games on the PSP - usually aimed at a teenage audience - score highly in reviews. Sony PSP Slim & Lite Both consoles have wireless, allowing for multi-player gaming, but the DS edges ahead a little with many multi-player games requiring only one game cartridge.  Pair the PSP with a PS3, however, and you can make use of Remote Play, which lets you access media and games on your home console wherever in the world you have a WiFi signal.  As for add-ons, the PSP can be augmented with a TV tuner, GPS, camera and more, but of course these are not necessarily cheap options and some require imports since not all are officially available outside of Japan. Many find the DS better for impromptu gaming, with the handheld working well in snatched moments on buses and waiting in queues; on the other hand, some have accused DS titles of lacking the in-depth gameplay that is available on the PSP.  It’s very much a matter of taste, and if you’re buying for anyone other than yourself then it could be worth asking them whether they settle down for longer periods or see themselves gaming more casually. Nintendo DS with camera Of course, for some it will come down to price: the PSP Slim & Light comes in at $169.99 while the Nintendo DS undercuts it at $129.99.  In the run up to the holidays retailers will be clamouring for your business with bundled games, cases, and the ubiquitous “travel pack” (which usually consists of a travel charger, some sort of case and maybe a screen-protector).  Here at SlashGear we’d recommend the DS for younger or significantly older would-be gamers, who should be well catered for by the simple interface and drawn in by the quirky, easily-grasped games.  For teenagers and media junkies we’d lean toward the PSP: its integration with the PS3 is fantastic, the games on offer are nicely biased toward those willing to invest time and effort, and it certainly has the power to see it supporting top titles for some time to come. Which handheld would you recommend, and why?  Let us know in the comments - but try to keep it focused on the hardware, and not let it get personal! Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

1948. Apple posted iPhone $100 rebate details

Steve promised $100 rebates to iPhone early adopters and today Apple posted the instructions on how to get it. To be eligible for this rebate your iPhone purchase have to be before August 22nd. Simply follow the three steps process to get your rebate code. © 2006-2007 SlashGear.

2387. Motorola CEO stepping down

And in his place COO Greg Brown will be stepping up. Zander is stepping down on his terms and chose to use the end of the first quarter where Motorola saw a profit as a good time to announce it. I knew Motorola wasn’t doing too good because they haven’t released a hot product in a long time, but I had no idea it was this bad. It seems like the CEO’s of the entire mobile industry are stepping down, except in the companies that made money like ATT, Samsung, and HTC. The soon-to-be CEO of Motorola, Mr. Brown, plans to use the small profits they saw this most current quarter to bring Motorola out of its slumber. But analysts are saying that Mr. Brown has a long way to go before Motorola can expect to see consistent profits again, good luck Mr. Brown, that’s all I have to say. Motorola CEO Zander steps down to make way for COO Brown’s reign [via intomobile] Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

2079. Liver Models Go to Market

New 3-D models of the human liver by TE-bio will help uncover toxicity problems before drugs reach the clinic. Salman Khetani, MIT...

2100. A Wiring Diagram of the Brain

New technologies that allow scientists to trace the fine wiring of the brain more accurately than ever before could soon generate a complete wiring diagram--including every tiny fiber and miniscule connection--of a piece of brain. ...

2224. Microsoft buys Toutonghi's Seattle startup (Brier Dudley/Brier Dudley's blog)

Microsoft buys Toutonghi's Seattle startup  —  Microsoft's apparently still enthusiastic about the work of Mike Toutonghi, a former distinguished engineer who initiated the Media Center version of Windows before leaving for startup world.  —  With support from some early Microsoft executives … Source:   Brier Dudley's blog
Author:   Brier Dudley
Link:   http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/brierdudley… Techmeme permalink

2259. Is Trent Lott Leaving Senate To Dodge New Ethics Law on Lobbying?

After Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott announced his resignation this week, it was widely speculated that the Mississippi Republican was quitting in order to avoid new ethics rules that require senators to wait two years, instead of one, before becoming paid Capitol Hill lobbyists. Democracy Now! speaks with Sarah Dufendach of Common Cause.

2278. 99 Classic 'Yo Momma Is So Fat...' Jokes

"Yo momma so fat her bellybutton gets home 15 minutes before she does." That’s a prime example of a 'Yo Momma' joke, a genre so popular it became the basis for a series of no-holds-barred competitions on MTV. Produced and hosted by actor Wilmer Valderrama, matches were held on successive seasons in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta.

2348. OLPC Give One, Get One shipping information gets posted

Filed under: We know quite a few of you out there have participated in OLPC's Give One, Get One program, but if you've been sitting around all uneasy like waiting for some official shipping information, open wide. According to new information posted to the Laptop Giving website, only those in the US who made their purchase / donation by November 12th can expect their machine before Christmas, and any orders placed beyond that date have varying scheduled delivery ranges. Of note, OLPC does say that it's trying to ship out as many laptops as possible before the holidays, but alas, no promises are given out either way. Also, the donated lappies will reported be headed to children in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Haiti, Mongolia or Rwanda in early 2008. Keep check on the read link for updated time frames as well as Canadian shipment estimations. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2351. RCA's S2501 Jet Stream gets reviewed

Filed under: ,
Although we already had a chance to briefly try out RCA's Jet Stream DAP / wireless earbud setup at CES, the folks over at PCMag were able to get ahold of a finalized product and put it through paces of their own. Interestingly, they found a lot less to love when using 'em for more than a few moments on a crowded show floor, and while they did admit that gym rats could possibly fall in love, the average joe / jane probably won't. On the upside, the DAP proved durable and the wireless headphones exhibited strong reception, but reviewers found that they didn't fit well enough to really show off their talents. Additionally, the menu navigation was deemed "terrible," and they weren't exactly keen on plopping down over $130 for just 1GB of storage. 'Course, we're sure those who spend the bulk of their listening time on the track (listening to just a few CDs on repeat) could find room to argue, but for the rest of us, it was suggested that we wait for "a better implementation of Kleer's wireless technology to come along" before buying in. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2353. Asus' Eee PC on sale with 8GB SSD, 1GB RAM for $499

Filed under:
Don't look now, but those not quite satisfied with the Eee PC's 512MB of RAM and 4GB hard drive can finally get what they've been asking for. E-tailer Dynamism is offering up Asus' 7-inch darling (in Pearl White and Galaxy Black) with 1GB of RAM and an 8GB SSD, but all of the remaining specifications look to be the same. Of course, you'll be coughing up nearly five bills for this version, so we'll leave it to you to decide if it's worth it. Oh, and don't expect either flavor to arrive before "mid-to-late December."

[Via jkkmobile] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2365. Comcast CEO sees 160Mbps internet in 2008

Filed under: Remember that blisteringly fast channel bonding modem Comcast showed off earlier this year? Turns out that the firm's CEO is apparently aiming to roll out internet services that can reach up to 160Mbps down / 120Mbps up sometime in 2008. As in, next year. In a recent interview with Fortune, Brian Roberts stated that service based on DOCSIS 3.0 technology would start "rolling out" sometime in 2008, and casually noted that it should provide "more than enough bandwidth to do multiplayer online gaming." Additionally, Cable Digital News explains that the firm has plans to cover some 20-percent of its footprint with the uber-quick service before 2009, and while we're left to guess what areas will be covered, we'd bet locales fetching FiOS could entertain some competition. Granted, we've still got aways to go before we can go toe-to-toe with a certain Swede, but we'll take any progress we can get.

[Via ArsTechnica, image courtesy of AFP / BBC]
Read - Fortune interviews Comcast CEO Brian Roberts
Read - Comcast closes in on 100Mbit/s Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2402. Hitch Vault – The Mini Safe

Hitch VaultI take great precaution in making sure I’m never without something I need, or if I am without making sure I have a backup plan. For example, I have a spare set of keys my parents keep for me and when I know I’m having a short cash flow month, I stash a little in a secret place that I often forget about until I’m in desperate need of it. The Hitch Vault takes those same concepts and brings them a little closer and more accessible. You put into your truck/SUV standard hitch receiver and voila, mini safe. It’s perfect for storing an extra set of keys, cash, credit cards or what-have-you. There’s a combination lock on it and unless you’re prone to forgetting numbers it’s a perfect solution for making sure your essentials are safe and handy. If this device isn’t something you’re interested in, I bet you know someone who could really use one and it is the season for giving. You can purchase a Hitch Vault for $70 at Amazon. Never be Locked out Again [via Coolest Gadgets] Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

2403. Spy pen comes with Shredder

Shredder Spy PenHave you ever been in a situation where you had to a secret message visible only by ultra violet light and then after words needed get rid of the evidence, but there wasn’t a convenient way to fully destroy said evidence so you had to eat it instead? Me too, I hate it when that happens. Anyway, now there is a pen that can help all us out in those hard times. The Ultra-Violet Pen and Light with Message Shredder is that pen. That’s right, there’s a shredder built into the pen, how handy! This pen is sure to fulfill all your secret/spy/covert/paper shredding needs, and it’s safe for ages 7 and up. You can get it for about £5 from the Spycatcher of Knightsbridge website. Be careful purchasing this item, they seem to be in the business of catching spies by selling spy devices. Crafty devils! Ultra Violet Pen and Light Comes with Message Shredder [via Coolest Gadgets] Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

2438. Q-Jays Dual Micro Earphones Reviewed

So, the people over at Pocket-Lint (across the pond), got their hands on a pair of Q-Jay’s noise canceling earphones and reviewed them. They seem to like them, but not so much their price or the cabling. What they liked was all the extras, and of course the sound quality. When you open the package, there are the earphones, with different sized in-ear attachments, which should make finding the proper fitting one for you a lot easier. There were also two extension cords, one with and angled plug, the other a straight plug, lastly there was a leather pouch that you could stow your earphones in. They like the sound quality, apparently a lot as they gave the earphones 8 out of 10. They said that you had to turn the volume up a bit before they started cranking out their best. As I said, the main things they didn’t like were the flimsy cable which seemed prone to breaking, although it might not be, and the price, at £129.99 or close to $260, I can see why. Q-Jays Dual Micro Earphones Review [via pocket-lint] Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

2450. Linutop v1.2: low-power Linux desktop Revisited

Tech reviews are very much a snapshot process, making a decision after a relatively short period of time and of a single incarnation of the product. Useful, yes, but not an exact facsimile of living with something day in, day out that you’ve bought yourself. If you’re lucky - and assuming that no manufacturer ever pushes out a product so perfect there are no possible improvements - you get a company that’s constantly tweaking and augmenting; if you’re really lucky, you get an opportunity to revisit their product and ring the changes. Back in May I spent some time with Linutop’s fanless, Xubuntu-based micro-PC, framing my review from the perspective of a Linux-naive home user, to see if the compact device would make a decent alternative to a low-end Windows PC. At the time I criticised how tricky, for a fledgling user, it was to add functionality beyond what was preinstalled; since then, Linutop have released v1.2 of their software package, and asked if we’d like to check out the changes. Linutop Linux-based compact PC The hardware is unaltered from when I last reviewed the Linutop, so you still get an all-aluminium case measuring 3.66 x 1.06 x 5.9-inches and weighing just 9.9oz (280g), containing an AMD Geode LX700 processor, non-upgradable 256MB of RAM, 4 USB 2.0 ports, VGA-out, 10/100 ethernet and audio in/out. Aside from the RAM, there’s no internal memory; instead, Linutop provide a 1GB USB memory stick containing the modified Xubuntu OS, preinstalled software and room for your own files. What’s been fettled, then, is the software: Linutop quote boot time has been halved, improved media playback including digital TV capabilities added (via online stream or a hardware DVB-T dongle), PXE boot (simply add a single line to the startup config file to boot from the network) and more. Linutop connectivity If you’ve read my original reviewthen you’ll know that boot time was a significant issue for the Linutop: it took around two minutes, and there were no ’sleep’ or ’standby’ options to avoid that. Thankfully whatever OS changes have been made have almost halved that; v1.2 takes around 1m6s from plugging in the power (there’s no switch, you have to yank the power cord) to the desktop being ready to use. Not exactly instant-on, but far more comparable to the sort of low-end systems users may be used to. You’re still presented with the settings screen, but now there’s more choice in display resolution, including catering for widescreen displays, and this time changing resolution and keyboard layout (then restarting) worked as it should. Similarly, running multiple programmes or switching between settings is quicker and seems to stall the CPU far less than when I tried it last. There’s a pause loading programmes, yes, but only a minor one and well within expectations. Linutop software Firefox, the Gaim instant-messenger and AbiWord word processor are still preinstalled, but they’re joined by the VLC media player which can handle just about any media format thrown at it. Video can be played full-screen, another improvement in v1.2, and you’re able to stream video and audio files from external storage, Web TV or shared Windows folders across the network. The Linutop is also compatible with Skype, although - I’m told for reasons of keeping down size - it’s not preinstalled; you need to download the installation script from the Linutop Wiki yourself. Straightforward, yes, but you’ll only know about it if you visit the Linutop blog. There’s a useful readme file stored on the USB key that outlines DVB-T use, network boot, system recovery and more, but again no link to it - it really needs to show up on the desktop, or even better automatically open when you boot the Linutop for the first time. Without it, you’d easily be at a loss as to how to access the digital TV functionality, which would be a shame because it works relatively well despite the system’s Spartan specs. There’s no dedicated software; just plug in the USB tuner (Linutop supplied me with a Hauppauge WinTV Nova-T, complete with tiny aerial) and type ’scandvbt’ in a Terminal window. You need to tell it your country and then, confusingly, identify your nearest regional broadcast tower (for which I had to look online), but after that it automatically scans the available channels and loads them as a playlist into VLC. You can then reorder and delete them, but you have to remember to save the playlist before exiting as the software won’t do it automatically. Linutop DVB-T digital TV Like all TV tuners, your mileage will vary more with signal quality than anything else; needless to say, when supplied with a reasonable signal (through an installed aerial rather than the portable one included) the Linutop managed both window and full-screen playback with no problems. One issue with the lack of dedicated software is the absence of a signal-strength gauge; there’s no way of telling whether moving the portable aerial around would have a beneficial effect on image quality. I tried using a Freecom USB tuner but the Linutop would not recognise it; there is a scant list of compatible hardware on the project Wiki. With VGA-out the only way of connecting a display, you’re limited if you want to hook the Linutop up to a TV or other large display. It’s a shame, because it would make a compact and functional alternative to a normal DVB set-top box. When I asked Linutop about this, they pointed out that most flat-panel displays have VGA among their connections and as such they’ve no plans to add S-Video or similar. However, I was told that HDMI “could be interesting” as a future development. There has also been some interest in the PVR community as to using it as a MythTV frontend, although consensus is that the hardware would only support standard rather than high-definition media. There’s no option to record DVB-T TV directly on the Linutop. Of course, the home market is only one area Linutop are aiming at; the silent, low-power (no more than 5-6W) device is ideal for digital signage and presentations. There are new options for looped webpages, photo presentations and Flash, and you can set these to automatically run on boot so as to minimise user involvement. Linutop - supplied with Firefox browser Documentation remains a thorny issue; the Linutop Wiki remains the first signposted port of call, but it lacks the sort of “new user” information so necessary when dealing with an unfamiliar OS. The same NAS problem I experienced in May remains - searching the Wiki results in no guidance, the readme file details accessing Windows shares on other PCs but didn’t work for my LaCie NAS, the Xfce desktop environment support didn’t help and I was again left to the mercy of Googling for answers. Is it too much to ask for a simple “type in your username & password” script to make common setup issues like these straightforward? My request from last time still stands: a few bookmarks to basic Linux tutorials would go a long way in rescuing new users. Linutop tell me that they’re in the process of re-examining their Linux documentation to better cater for those new to the platform, but that they also prize the fact that the OS implemented is “standard” so as not to require changes from more adept users familiar with Xubuntu. Linutop Despite all that, the upgrade to v1.2 is a significant one, and it certainly broadens the Linutop’s scope as a home PC. It’s interesting to look at the state of competition; in my initial review I compared the Linutop to a cheaper Dell Dimension desktop which far exceeded the former’s specs (albeit consuming many times the power even when idle), and the past few months have seen ASUS release it’s Linux-based Eee laptop. Although ostensibly aimed at significantly different markets, the Linutop and the Eee could both be viewed as basic home computers and here the Eee laptop (priced from $299) could edge ahead with what’s supposedly a particularly user-friendly GUI and battery-of course its battery-powered portability. When I put this to Linutop they confirmed that their target is more professional than home, and it’s true that in school, library and business settings the Linutop undoubtedly makes more sense than the Eee. It’s smaller and likely more robust, consumes less power and - most importantly - has access to the UBUNTU software library. Would I still recommend the Linutop for a home user? Again, it’s a qualified yes. Just as some are buying an ASUS Eee as a second machine for when their kids are wanting to go online but the main PC is occupied, the Linutop makes for a great, low-maintenance system that, out of the box, can quickly get up and running. It’s also a decent Linux learning platform, with the backup that most mistakes can be erased with a simple restore of the USB stick (which you can do from an optional boot menu on restart). For a home looking for their first computer, I’d still lean toward a full, traditional PC, if only for the flexibility it brings, but anyone else - particularly business or library/public service users - should certainly consider Linutop’s offering. Thanks to Linutop for the loan of the unit; it’s available now for €280, while the v1.2 OS can be downloaded from the site by existing owners. Rating:

    3.5 out of 5 stars

Relevant Entries on SlashGear
Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

2525. "Robot" firefighters get put into service

Filed under: We've seen robot firefighters before, and even a robot firefighting contest, but it looks like some brave bots from the folks at Qinetiq are among the first to actually see service, although their roles are decidedly limited for the time being. According to Popular Mechanics, the robots are only being used to put out fires involving involving Acetylene gas, which had previously simply been left to burn themselves out due to the risk of explosions. With the bots, however, they're able get things moving along far more quickly, which is especially useful when the blaze is causing train delays. It seems that's a job too big for just one robot, however, as Qinetiq has reportedly been commissioned to put three bots into service during a six month trial period, including a Talon bot that uses thermal imaging to asses the situation, a 2,160-pound Brokk 90 robot that can "tear through walls or shove vehicles out the way," and last but not least the ATV-sized "Black Max" that actually douses the situation. Sadly, it seems that the bots are all remotely-controlled for the time being, and not fully autonomous, but we're sure it's only a matter of time before they really get to show what they're capable of.
 Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2535. Continental Airlines testing cellphone boarding passes

Filed under: ,
Paperless boarding schemes aren't exactly revolutionary, but they're still far from common at US airports. Now, however, Continental Airlines has announced that it will be trialing a cellphone-based boarding setup at Houston's Intercontinental Airport, which will enable single passengers (as in, one barcode per person, per device) to show personnel a jumbled mixture of blocks alongside their ID in order to hop on board. The three-month program will allow guinea pigs to receive a paper pass should their mobile / PDA run out of juice before boarding time approaches, and while hard plans for future use aren't laid out, it was noted that the process could spread to other airlines and airports if things go smoothly. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2620. Macbook ultraportable and Penryn Mac Pro due for Macworld, 3G iPhone in June?

Filed under: , , We've taken a "don't stop believing" approach to Apple ultraportable rumors up to this point, and there's no reason to think these "fresh" predictions from CNBC's Jim Goldman are anything different, but they at least serve as a nice refresher in the lead up to Macworld in January. Goldman predicts the new Pro laptop will be half the thickness of the MacBook Pro, the hard disk will be replaced with NAND storage, and Apple will be selling the thing for $1,500 -- the same price the black MacBook currently goes for. He's purportedly citing sources that claim to have seen the product, and says that the laptop is supposedly due to show up at Macworld. Jim's sources also say that the 3G iPhone is supposed to hit shelves by late May or early June of next year, which beats out some industry predictions of a late '08 release.

Of course, since it's just a month before Macworld, it's about time the rumor mill heated up a little beyond incessant Macbook and iPhone rumorings, and MacBidouille is stepping up to stoke the flames. The French rag is claiming that the Mac Pro will get bumped to an 3.2GHz eight-core Penryn setup (totally believable) featuring NVIDIA QuadroFX graphics (sure) with a BTO Blu-ray burner available (maybe), and that DVD Studio Pro will be renamed Disk Studio Pro and refocused on BD authoring (another definite maybe). On top of that, MacBidouille also claims that OS X 10.5.2 will be released, and that it will be "the largest and most important intermediate system update ever released by Apple." We're a little less sure we buy that, but as always, only time and Steve will tell.

[Thanks, L2 and Mark]

Read - Jim Goldman predictions
Read - MacBidouille predictions Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2623. Apple Store 14th Street press preview

Filed under: ,
We got a chance to preview the new Manhattan Apple Store this morning before the official unveiling tomorrow at 6PM. The store is nicely situated on W. 14th St. and 9th Ave., and while Apple did its best to blend into the existing early 20th century architecture, it's still a hard one to miss. The store itself is lacking the glass elevator of its 5th Ave. counterpart, but makes up for it with an epic three story glass staircase. It's the second-largest Apple Store in the US, with a full floor dedicated to service -- the genius bar can handle about 30 customers per hour. There are 175 employees total, and the store will be open until midnight every day of the week. We asked Ron Johnson, Apple's Senior VP of Retail, about how the growth of Apple into kiosks at other retail establishments such as Best Buy is impacting Apple Retail, and he responded that there's "plenty of room" for both, since Apple just had its best quarter ever in Mac sales and at Apple Stores simultaneously. He did say the ratio of new stores is going to move a bit more in the international direction, since there's a lot of room to grow there. We also asked about Genius Bar wait times, and he assured us that it's something Apple monitors constantly and continues to add staff to address.

Gallery: Apple Store 14th Street press preview Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2624. Additional Automotive X-Prize details revealed

Filed under: For a competition that still hasn't officially launched, the Automotive X-Prize has certainly been doing a pretty good job of making itself known, and we've now got yet more details on it courtesy of the folks at CNET. First up, it seems that the X-Prize Foundation will finally get official with the competition "sometime next year," although likely not before the New York Auto Show in the spring. Before that, however, the Foundation will be showing off some or all of the 43 contenders currently signed up at the Detroit Auto Show in January including, among others, Aptera's 300 mile-per-gallon car pictured above. What's more, given that the competition only seeks to find a car that gets 100 miles to the gallon, it would seem that Aptera would have a considerable advantage -- assuming it can actually back up its claims, that is. Hit up the read link below for a peek at some of the other competitors.  Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2636. Microsoft to test out Windows XP on OLPC XO

Filed under: Don't fret, that feeling you've just been overcome with is nothing more than a harmless dose of déjà vu. Nearly a year ago to the day, we were hearing these same types of talks, and while the whole "XP on XO" conversation has been one of on-again / off-again nature, the switch has apparently been flipped to "go" once more. According to The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is slated to test out Windows XP on OLPC XO laptops starting next month in the US, India and possibly Romania. James Utzschneider, general manager of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential Group, noted that it "wanted Windows to run on the XO and [that it was] investing significant energy and talent" to make sure it happened. Granted, Microsoft will have to be mighty pleased with the results before any of this goes commercial, as Mr. Utzschneider concluded by stating that the company "wants to [ensure] a quality experience before [making a] commitment to governments."

[Via PCWorld] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2704. DataWind's PocketSurfer2 hits the FCC

Filed under:
We've already had some indication that DataWind's PocketSurfer2 handheld internet device would be hitting the US before too long, and it now looks like that possibility just got a whole lot more inevitable, as the device has finally made its first appearance at the FCC. Somewhat interestingly, the FCC's always handy internal photos prominently show a Rogers SIM card on the inside of the device (check it out after the break), although we're guessing that's simply due to the fact that the lab doing the testing is in Canada and not an indication that Rogers is actually picking up the device. T-Mobile, on the other hand, would seem to be a much safer bet, although we'll just have to wait and see if that pans out.
Continue reading DataWind's PocketSurfer2 hits the FCC Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2720. MacBook Pro really was PC World's fastest tested laptop... until the Phantom-X

Filed under:
So there's a bit of grumbling on the internets that PC World, like, totally sold out and lied about the MacBook Pro being the fastest Vista laptop they ever tested (presumably just so they could get mentioned in that new Apple commercial, right?) shortly before the staff went cow tipping and passed out drunk in a public park. The reality is PC World apparently hadn't tested a laptop faster than the MacBook Pro at the time, and it wasn't until weeks later they tested the Eurocom D900C Phantom-X, which handily bested Apple's lappie by a broad margin. At least that's what PC World's editor Harry McCracken told us, but then again we did hear he recently got an Apple tat and is planning a hostile takeover of Macworld magazine in '08.

Read - PC World's statement about the MBP
Read - ... and their review of the Eurocom
Read - The punter doing the grumbling
Watch - The Apple ad Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2729. Mossberg previews the Slacker Portable

Filed under: ,
The short of it is that the Slacker is an intriguing concept and decent product with some serious bugginess in the prototypes -- which is why it's probably a good thing it's been delayed until next year. Walt Mossberg has been kicking around the "blocky" player and related service, and seems to think the idea has some legs. The player is basically a portable WiFi internet radio, but it ties in closely with the free ad-supported Slacker service to give you a bit more of control over your listening experience than a traditional internet radio station. You can navigate the device with either the touch-sensitive strip beside the screen or a scroll wheel on the edge of the unit, and Walt found the sound quality good and WiFi capable. Album art, related photos, artist bios and album reviews are all included with the music and shown off on an expansive 4-inch screen, and the stations are saved to the device for offline listening. You can create custom stations based on artists you like, and if you shell out $7.50 a month for premium service you get unlimited song-skipping (usually limited to six per hour), zero ads, and the ability to pick songs to save to the device and play as often as you'd like. You can of course load your own tracks, but that sort of defeats the purpose of being a "slacker." Mossberg thinks the formula could work as long as Slacker can work out the sub-par battery life, touch strip issues and connection problems before the January 31st launch.

[Via Orbitcast] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2750. Blu-Ray Sucks! But they’ve somehow managed to nearly triple HD-DVD sales

2.7 million: 700,000 players is roughly the ratio, and don’t even get started on actual disc sales. Sure, you could argue for HD-DVD and say that 2 million plus of those players are PS3s, making the HD-DVD numbers seem more real, and for the most part that would be a fair assumption that PS3 owners aren’t buying Blu-Ray discs, but they are. And yes, before you ask, the HD-DVD player number includes the Xbox 360 attachment, but I won’t offer to eliminate that number for two reasons, the first, I don’t know what it is. The second is because a good argument could be made that they would have only bought the attachment to play HD-DVDs, not for anything else such as gaming. The disc sales are a pretty poor number too with both lying organizations claiming what they’ve sold, whether it’s true or not, I do not know, but the BDA is claiming 4 million discs of theirs sold, and the HD-DVD people are claiming 2.5 million discs of theirs sold. So, in summation, if the low, very low prices of HD-DVD players don’t start helping pick up the slack, HD-DVD might lose this war after all. I don’t have a personal preference or prejudice against either, I have never seen one or the other being played, and I’d buy a player, but I don’t have an HDTV, so that would be kind of pointless, no? I do like rooting for the underdog though, so I am hoping that HD-DVD will pull out of their slump and at least give the BDA a run for their money, make them lower their player prices a bit more. US Blu-Ray Disc player sales pass 2.7m [via reghardware] Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

2754. The Emoticon Transforming Stamp

About a month ago my sister-in-law enthusiastically tried to con me into going to a party where they sit around and put teddy bear stamps on everything. I believe they call it a scrapbooking party, although she only came back with greeting cards. I of course turned her down flat, then again if I’d have had this stamp I might have considered it. emoticon think geek stamp Alright, so it would be a cold day in hell before I’d do the girly scrapbooking routine but I’d at least give it a second thought. Even if I didn’t go to a party where you can stamp to your hearts desire, I would definitely cover my Christmas cards with these bad boys this year. With every smiley face stamp you can bend the rubber to make it frown or just look way too excited. Each stamp is being sold at ThinkGeek for $5.99.

Emoticon Transforming Stamp [via ohgizmo] Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

2796. Samsung's BD-P1400 Blu-ray player sinks below $300

Filed under: ,
With prices on HD DVD players in a perpetual state of free fall, it was only a matter of time before the slashings bled over to the other camp. Sure enough, Samsung's fairly well spec'd BD-P1400 -- which was announced at $549 and sold at $499 in late August -- has sunk to $298.76 at Amazon. In case you needed a refresher, this one's packing 1080p24 support, Dolby Digital Plug / True HD, DTS HD, HDMI 1.3, 1080p DVD upconversion and a pretty snazzy design, too. And hey, if you need extra incentive, there's always the five free flicks that come along with it.

[Thanks, Adam] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2803. Microsoft releases changelog for Vista SP1 RC

Filed under: , Those of you clamoring for a public beta of Vista SP1 Release Candidate can spend your weekend brushing up on what all is going to change when that download finally goes live. Available now on Microsoft's website is a sizable document outlining "notable changes" in the forthcoming update, which includes improvements in application compatibility, hardware ecosystem support, reliability, performance / power consumption, security, desktop administration, support for new technologies / standards and interoperability. If we tried to even hit the highlights, all but the most vigilant would probably doze off before they could scroll down to the next post, so we'll just advise the curious to hit the links below and cancel every plan you had for the next 30 or so hours.

[Via I Started Something] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2821. Rob’s Update on the Blue-Dot EOS-1D Mark III autofocus issue

If you owned or looking to get the Canon action-pack 10 fps Mark III, you probably heard about the wide spreading Mark III autofocus issues on the web. Rob Galbraith from robgalbraith.com has been tracking the AF issues since day one and eventually pushed Canon for a hardware fix. Canon issued a new Blue-Dot version or aka sub-mirror fixes for existing models built before October. Rob Galbraith just published their latest report with the fixes in additional to a new firmware. In summary, there’s a significant improvement with the blue-dot version. The sub mirror help sustaining autofocus accuracy in varies temperature. However, Rob is arguing that performance falls short comparing to the last model Mark II N under bright condition, the overall performance received a rather discouraging B-. Good news for me! that’s good enough excuse not upgrading my dusting Mark II N or wait for a better yet cheaper Mark III N. Assessing the sub-mirror fix and v1.1.3 firmware [via robgalbraith.com] Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

2830. DoCoMo F801i is the rape whistle of the digital age

So, there has been an increasing problem with kids being snatched on their way to and/or from school in Japan. So, what does DoCoMo think the solution is? Well they think the solution is to make a phone that can be wirelessly tethered to a bracelet and fill the phone full of security features and market it to kids to make more money. No, lets not make the police do their job, or the parents do theirs, lets just profit more from a phone. Regardless, the bracelet is wirelessly connected to the phone, if the phone gets too far away, the phone sends a message or calls the parent. Also, if the kid sets it off, the phone can make a defining alarm to help call for help, and if the kid can manage to hold onto the phone, it has tracking built in that can be accessed from the web. Well, I guess it’s a good thing criminals can’t read and won’t remove both the phone and bracelet before taking off, way to go DoCoMo, nice try on saving the kids. F801i, a new mobile phone for kids! [via akihabranews] Relevant Entries on SlashGear


Copyright © 2006-2007 SlashGear

2839. Mars Rover Investigates Possibility of Ancient Microbial Life

Riding with Robots writes "The robotic geologist Spirit, now scurrying to reach a safe haven before the harsh Martian winter sets in, has found signs that explorers say point to hot springs or fumaroles in the Red Planet's distant past. That possibility is not only interesting geologically, but potentially biologically, since those kinds of environments on Earth teem with microbial life. Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Opportunity continues its descent into a deep crater, where it has found other clues about the ancient waters of Mars."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

2894. Xbox Live Video Store is up in the UK - Warner releasing more films soon

uk-video-store-review.jpgIf you're a bit disappointed by the 24 slightly old movies that've just gone up on the new UK Xbox Live Video Store today, don't cry about it - Warner will be coming to the rescue of film fans before the end of the year. Specifically, Warner has said that Batman Begins will be up before 2008, with the older Batman Forever and Analyze That also appearing on Xbox Live before you have...  

Image

2937. Switched On: Vudu starts on its to-dos

Filed under: , Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.
Imagine a history in which broadcast television programming was not sent directly to television sets. Rather, it was sent to another, more expensive device in the home with a smaller screen. If you paid $40 per month, you could access at best only about 10 percent of the shows you really wanted. These shows were available on demand, but under ideal conditions needed a few minutes before you can start watching them. Furthermore, to watch them in the comfort of your living room, you had to rely on a slow, unreliable connection between the box and the TV set.

This bleak situation characterized the state of much broadband video at the debut of Vudu earlier this year. Vudu's $400 glossy black box sports a curvy perimeter that is a bit taller than an Apple TV. It delivers instant access to about 5,000 movies (with capacity for double that amount) using a slick and sophisticated combination of local caching and distributed computing. Rent or buy the movie and it starts playing. Vudu just introduced its first high-definition movies -- the Bourne movie trilogy, offering the high-definition media-free version of The Bourne Ultimatum for sale for the first time.

The physical version of that movie is available exclusively on HD-DVD, but with Vudu you don't have to worry about the alliances of studios or video rental chains. The company has struck deals with all major studios and the Vudu device is hundreds of dollars less than dual-format high-definition disc players from Samsung and LG Electronics. On the other hand, nearly all of its content is more of a quality match for the dirt-cheap and universally-supported standard DVD player today.
Continue reading Switched On: Vudu starts on its to-dos Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2942. Magellan Maestro 3100 hacked to add file manager / media player

Filed under:
Although we've already seen Garmin's c510 / c530 get hacked up earlier this year, now it's time for Magellan's Maestro 3100 to head under the knife. The engineering David Goeken managed to personalize his unit with a custom splash screen, a beefed up POI file, a file manager for adding / sorting through applications and a full-fledged media player for good measure. Granted, there's a laundry list of known issues to go along with it, but hey, what fun is a hack without a little troubleshooting? Before hitting the read link and rolling up your sleeves, you may want to grab a meal and a few hours of rest -- you'll need the energy just reading through the how-to guide.

[Via HackADay] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2969. Tesla to deliver Roadsters with "temporary" transmissions?

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The Tesla Roadster was supposed to be out before the end of the year, but it looks like the wicked-fast electric car won't make that target -- apparently the company is having problems finding a transmission strong enough to handle gear shifts while the car remains at full torque. The problem is somewhat unique to electric cars, and Tesla's got two different suppliers scrambling to find a solution -- but in the meantime, the company is considering providing vehicles outfitted with "temporary" transmissions that are basically guaranteed to fail after a few thousand miles. The first of these has already been built for company chairman Elon Musk, and Tesla is deciding whether to start shipping cars with the temporary units to other customers and then replacing them when a final transmission becomes available. That's the price of progress, we suppose, but something tells us quite a few people would rather just wait for the final product. Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2972. TomTom LINK 300 hits the FCC

Filed under: While it likely won't be of much interest to folks that buy their GPS units one at a time, those responsible for keeping tabs on whole fleets of vehicles will no doubt be pleased to hear that TomTom has an updated version of its LINK device on the way, as evidenced by its recent appearance at the FCC. As with the earlier version, the new LINK 300 model is designed to be paired with TomTom's WORK platform, which allows for two-way communication between a vehicle and the main office, and provides a means to keep track of working hours and breaks, among other work-related things. While there's no official word on a release just yet, we wouldn't expect it to be too long before a select few drivers out there have one of these keeping watch on their every move.

[Via Navigadget]
 Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

2978. Analyst says XM / Sirius merger won't be affected by Congressional letter

Filed under: , It looks like a recent letter from two members of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee to Attorney General Michael Mukasey won't be enough to derail the seemingly inevitable XM / Sirius merger, at least according to one of those ever-present analysts. As OrbitCast reports, Representatives John Conyers and Steve Chabot had complained that Justice Department staff "may be trying to rush through the merger" before the Attorney General himself had time to fully participate, and that "Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Thomas O. Barnett may intend to grant the merger over the objections of department staff." According to the AP, however, Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. analyst Blair Levin says that while the final outcome is indeed a "close call," he believes that "the department will give its blessing," paving the way for the FCC to give its go-ahead.

[Via OrbitCast] Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOffice Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

3046. OLED is not DOA yet

I read the Toshiba’s announcement to put a halt on current OLED TV development due to higher production cost and power consumption with dismay. Not exactly a cease operation but delaying until year of 2009 or 2010 and wait for the demand on display market. It would be a while before I can afford an ultra thin, 100,000:1 contrast Ratio display. The Japanese has not lost interest in high cost panel entirely, the tiny little 11” Sony’s XEL-1 is scheduled to hit US in 2008. Then there’s Canon’s investment on Tokki Corp, one of the largest OLED display manufacture, looks to reenter the flat panel market after a SED licensing dispute with Nano-Proprietary. Last but not least, Samsung just announced the 31” AM OLED TV is ready to showcase on the coming CES. Well, It’s quite a let-down considering it was 9” bigger in CES 2005