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iPod Touch Denied Street View, Other Google Maps Upgrades in Firmware 2.2 [Firmware 2.2]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:00:21 +0000

Our testing has confirmed that iPod Touch users do not get updates to their Google Maps app with firmware 2.2, which, at least on the iPhone, includes the addition of Street View as well as public transit and walking directions. The updated browser interface, podcast downloading and assorted other tweaks are all there, as was the requisite sacrificing of any jailbreak apps. Of course there may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this, but until that’s given, Apple, it’s all pitchforks and torches. Or iPods and forums posts, I guess. [MobileCrunch]

Source: iPod Touch Denied Street View, Other Google Maps Upgrades in Firmware 2.2 [Firmware 2.2]

Fujifilm's 3D camera gets the hands-on treatment

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:00:16 +0000

It’s been a few months since Fujifilm showed off a prototype 3D shooter at the Photokina show in Cologne, and CNET Asia has now managed to spend a little time with the chunky bronze and gunmetal box. Unlike other tech we’ve seen that does 3D in one shot, this one sports a pair of lenses and sensors to capture light in stereo, while on the back a 2.8-inch LCD alternates between the two images at 60 fps to give an apparently convincing 3D effect. Better, though, should be the 8.4-inch 3D photo frame under development, and Fuji’s Frontier photo labs are also being upgraded to produce lenticular prints (the sort you can tilt left and right to see different things) that are said be “really good.” The camera itself is scheduled to drop around September of 2009, but since even looking at the results of your work is going to be a bit of a challenge at first we’re not entirely sure how popular the thing will be. Regardless, we’re glad someone is paving the way.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Fujifilm’s 3D camera gets the hands-on treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Fujifilm's 3D camera gets the hands-on treatment

Atomic Floyd AirJax Headphones Made of Titanium2 Look The Biz [Headphones]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:00:56 +0000

Atomic Floyd is new to the personal audio headphones game, and their first bit of kit is actually pretty decent looking. The AirJax headphones are in-ear, but have earloops made of something they’re calling Titanium2 (even better than version1?). They’re also made of “acoustic steel” which is apparently specially heat-treated for maxiumum audio quality, and you can rotate the in-ear part relative to the metal frame for a custom fit. The AirJax gets a UK launch first in December for $180, putting them at the luxury end of things. [LuxuryLaunches]

Source: Atomic Floyd AirJax Headphones Made of Titanium2 Look The Biz [Headphones]

S3's Chrome 500 graphics processors handle Blu-ray, HD video

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:00:17 +0000

Movin’ on up in the world, are we S3? Just a month after the VIA-owned S3 Graphics returned to the scene with its Chrome 400 line of discrete graphics cards comes this, the predictably named Chrome 500 series. The new line is capable of handling Blu-ray / streaming HD video playback and provides support for DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.0 applications. You’ll also find a built-in Dolby 7.1 digital surround sound processor, GPGPU (General Purpose GPU) technology, ChromotionHD (which offloads video processing from the CPU) and compatibility with DisplayPort / HDMI / DVI (with HDCP). The first off the blocks is the 512MB Chrome 530 GT (pictured), and the bargain-bin-styled $44.95 should work wonders given the economy.

Filed under: Gaming

S3’s Chrome 500 graphics processors handle Blu-ray, HD video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:S3's Chrome 500 graphics processors handle Blu-ray, HD video

A Look at the Nokia Damage Test Labs [Destruction]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:00:14 +0000

I’ve long suspected that the best job ever would be to work in product stress testing—because you basically get paid to break shit all day. Nokia sent over a bunch of info detailing how their test centers operate, leaving me fully convinced this would indeed be my dream gig. Not only do they run over 200 mechanical tests on these things, but where else could you play with a bunch of machines that bend, bake, humidify, spray, poke and drop phones? (And yeah, that phone in the picture above just got poked a million times…literally.)

galleryPost(’nokiatestlabs3′, 4, ”);

Here’s a look at a handful of different tests and what each one tries to accomplish.

Liquids

Nokia places a phone under a bunch of needle-sized water dispensers and then lets it drip all over the phone, which tests for resistance in situations like rain, or splashing from a pool.

The humidity simulation, which tests the durability of phones in up to 95% humidity, is helpful in determining if a phone will hold up in particularly damp areas like South and Central America, where gadgets don’t have the longest lifespan.

Nokia also tests how the phone reacts to various liquids, creams and gels (lotions, hand sanitizers, etc…), since stuff like that tends to accidentally spill while sitting in a purse or backpack with the phone.

Sturdiness

Tests for bending and twisting are pretty straight forward and self explanatory. Still, you can’t help but cringe to see a phone placed in such an unnatural position. Nokia says when you have your phone in your back pocket and you sit on it, it’s susceptible to bending.

One of the cooler stress tests that exists is the Drop test—not only because it uses a giant friggin’ machine, but also because they record the drops using a camera that can record 100,000 frames per second, which is 3,000 times faster than the normal video camera. The videos are then analyzed frame by frame, determining the degree to which a device becomes distorted upon impact. Check it out.

newVideoPlayer(”/nokia_test_vid.flv”, 506, 423,”");

When Nokia drops a phone, they drop it from about the height of a shirt pocket onto concrete, since that’s a likely scenario for dropped phones. They also attatch a phone under a steel device that pushes down 100 newtons of force.

Wear and Tear

Nokia has a series of wear and tear stress tests, when gauge the phone’s ability to take bumps, scratches from daily use. Dust testing involves throwing a handful of phones in a dust filled box and letting everything co-mingle. How much dust gets inside? And do buttons stop working when foreign substances get under the surface? This is where you find out.

They also let phones roll around in a bunch of pieces of hard, pointy plastic to see where it might scratch, scuff or crack under duress. These pieces are like plastic chocolate chips and bite-sized pyramids, and they’re pretty sharp. This phone met an unfortunate demise in the name of quality control.

***

Other weird tests include rubbing a piece of denim up against a phone to test the effect of friction when the phone rubs up against your clothes and subjection the phone to temperatures ranging between -40 and 185 degrees Fahrenheit; this determines whether or not the phone can survive in the most extreme conditions on earth.

When testing is finished, they have a battery of analytic procedures to determine how well or how poorly a phone held up. This includes analyzing a phone under electron microscopes, 3D X-rays and X-ray Spectroscopes to check for any related damage; possible micron-sized soldering cracks, component failure or any breakdowns in the materials.

As you can see, these tests aren’t lightweight by any means, and most of my Nokia phones over the years have been pretty durable. What about yours? [Nokia on Giz]

Source: A Look at the Nokia Damage Test Labs [Destruction]

Nyko Charge Station Quad leaves no Wiimote uncharged

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:00:12 +0000

It’s certainly not for everybody, but if Wii-playing parties are a regular occurance at your place, or if you happen to have a bunch of Wiimotes lying around for some other purposes, you may want to consider Nyko’s new Charge Station Quad, which promises to keep four of ‘em topped off at all times. You’ll also, of course, get four of Nyko’s own NiMH rechargeable battery packs with the package, and four rubber battery covers to prevent any unfortunate accidents. Look for this one to hit all the usual locations sometime next month, when it’ll set you back $50.

Filed under: Gaming

Nyko Charge Station Quad leaves no Wiimote uncharged originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Nyko Charge Station Quad leaves no Wiimote uncharged

X Prize's Call for Votes in Next Big Crazy Green Idea Challenge [Environment]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:00:42 +0000

The X Prize Foundation is looking for a new challenge for their next Energy and Environment prize, and they want Gizmodo readers to vote on it. The X Prize is an educational nonprofit prize institute dedicated to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity, like when Burt Rutan built and flew the world’s first private spaceship to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize. To propose the challenge for the next big crazy green idea, they have selected the best three from 133 videos:

The Capacitor Challenge

The Energy Independence X PRIZE

Energy X-Prize: Reduce Home Energy Usage

[Vote now]

Source: X Prize's Call for Votes in Next Big Crazy Green Idea Challenge [Environment]

Dell's Inspiron Mini 9 and 12 get artist makeovers

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:00:10 +0000

In recent months we’ve seen Dell’s design department running wild with new colors and art for a lot of their models, such as the Studio 15 and 17 laptops, and the announcement that customizable jobs were on the table for 2009. It probably should come as no surprise, then, to see the Inspiron Mini 9 and 12 get some love, too — this time in five patterns by artist Tristan Eaton. Otherwise the same under the hood, the paint-jobbed Minis will run you an extra $50 over the base price of each respective model — $349 for the Mini 9 and $549 for the Mini 12. Check out two more shots of the upgrades after the break.

[Via Electronista]

Continue reading Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 and 12 get artist makeovers

Filed under: Laptops

Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 and 12 get artist makeovers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Dell's Inspiron Mini 9 and 12 get artist makeovers

This is What Fellating a Microphone Sounds Like (NSFW) [Nsfw]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:00:49 +0000

The age old question of “what a microphone would sound like if it were fellated by a woman” has now been answered by this lovely lady (Wojciech Kosma?), as she performs at an art opening. She’s been taking her act all around the world, as evidenced by her previous videos doing exactly the same thing, which we’ve taken the courtesy of embedding after the jump. Look at it as a PSA; kids now have no need to fellate a recording instrument to hear what it sounds like. Other gadgets though, like Bluetooth headsets and AC adapters, are still up for grabs. [Buzzfeed via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Source: This is What Fellating a Microphone Sounds Like (NSFW) [Nsfw]

In case you missed our BlackBerry Storm review…

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:00:15 +0000

The most anticipated BlackBerry of the year (sorry, Bold) is just a day away from release on Verizon — and naturally, we’ve got the full rundown. Want to know if this is the phone for you? Click the pic or the link below to get the scoop!

Continue on to read the full BlackBerry Storm review

Filed under: Cellphones

In case you missed our BlackBerry Storm review… originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:In case you missed our BlackBerry Storm review…

Badass Oakley Roddler Stroller Gives Your Kid an Early Chip on His Shoulder [Kids]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:00:21 +0000

If you’re looking to start your kid off with both a tough-guy attitude as well as an air of entitlement, you can’t go wrong with the ludicrous Oakley Roddler stroller. While it’s a concept that’s apparently “inspired” by Oakley, it looks more inspired by a combo of overpriced strollers and military aircraft.

galleryPost(”oakleystroller”, 10, “”); [Serious Wheels via NotCot.org]

Source: Badass Oakley Roddler Stroller Gives Your Kid an Early Chip on His Shoulder [Kids]

Dealzmodo Hack: Accessorize Your iPod/iPhone Like MacGyver [Dealzmodo Hack]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:00:43 +0000

The ubiquity of iPods has led to a ridiculous glut of accessories, some useful, most not. The best of them have essentially become a seamless part of the iPod experience, but they’ll all cost you — and it really starts to add up. The expansion of the iPod universe, however, is twofold; more official products are followed closely by nearly as many unofficial ones. In other words, you can fully accessorize your iPod or iPhone, old or new, pretty much for free.

Cases
A case will usually be the first thing people buy for their pods, and the first thing they’ll lose. Luckily, they’re just about the easiest thing to replace yourself. The most obvious solution is a custom-tailored sock, chosen to suit your taste in color and aroma and fitted to suit your choice in iPod. For a more refined look, sewing together some inner tube and suede will make for a stylish pouch, while utilitarians can opt for the quick, versatile rubber-only approach. If you’re just too quirky for a regular case, the venerable Altoid Nano case might get the attention you crave, while the legitimately natty cut-up record sleeve case will do the job just as well, if not better.

Speakers
If you’re handy with a soldering iron and have some old audio equipment lying around, there’s no reason to dump dollars on a full-fledged iPod speaker dock when you can just build one yourself. Construction homemade unamplified speakers — which sound surprisingly good — is much less of an ordeal. Disposable cups and sheets of printer paper make great little megaphones for your earbuds, and lend themselves well to mounting as a part of a kid-friendly makeshift home stereo.

Docks and Stands
Apple gives iPod/iPhone buyers just about everything they need to throw together a huge variety of charging and sync docks — even the commercial ones are pretty much just the sync wire with some plastic trim. This hack starts small: fantastic iPhone and iPod Touch docks can be made with nothing but a binder clip. The possibilities for LEGO docks are limitless, but generally end up looking like an iThrone. This paperclip box dock provides a good template for chopping an iPod cable into just about anything of a similar shape. The paper clips themselves can be twisted into a 20-second stand, just as a business card can be origamically (?) reshaped into the same.

Other
In the commercial world, this space is inhabited by the shrouded likes of Brando. But who doesn’t love that stuff? If you’re looking for a jury-rigged AA iPod charging solutions, there’s no reason to surrender your credit card number to an iffy Chinese e-commerce site. The same goes for the iPhone 3D image viewing apparatus, though I’m not even sure there’s buyable analog for that, Chinese or not. iPhone macro lenses are cool, but almost certainly not worth paying for. Last, and probably least, even though you can’t put a price on security, you can reduce the cost of paranoia.

Hat tip to Lifehacker, MAKE and Instructables.

Dealzmodo Hacks are intended to help you sustain your crippling gadget addiction through tighter times. If you come across any on your own that are particularly useful, send it to our tips line (Subject: Dealzmodo Hack). Check back every Thursday for free DIY tricks to breathe new life into hardware that you already own.

Source: Dealzmodo Hack: Accessorize Your iPod/iPhone Like MacGyver [Dealzmodo Hack]

Kingston unveils 64GB DataTraveler 150 for $177

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:00:13 +0000

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Kingston_Unveils_64GB_Thumb_Drive_for_177′; You’ve got entirely too many RAW files and uncompressed David Bowie albums to be slamming everything onto a 16GB thumbdrive, so Kingston Technology’s coming to the rescue with a new pair of ultra-spacious DataTraveler 150s. Arriving in 32GB and 64GB flavors, the DT150 becomes the largest in the outfit’s entire DataTraveler line, and it even works with Windows, OS X, ~~Palm OS~~ and Linux! Both sticks come with a five-year warranty (as if you won’t lose it before then) and will sell for $132 and $177, respectively.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Storage

Kingston unveils 64GB DataTraveler 150 for $177 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Kingston unveils 64GB DataTraveler 150 for $177

Roll-up Mouse Pad Charges Your iPod and Plays It Too [Peripherals]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:00:55 +0000

Unlike other models we’ve seen, this roll-up mouse pad doesn’t just have some random, empty cylinder hanging off the side, spiting you like an empty tallboy through the workday. Instead, it uses this otherwise empty space to store a 4-port USB hub and a speaker complete with 3.5mm in and outputs. In other words, you can charge your MP3 USB gear while playing it right back through your mouse pad. Priced at $22, it’s not especially easy on the eyes, but its casual disregard for style is kind of what makes it great. [Gadget4All]

Source: Roll-up Mouse Pad Charges Your iPod and Plays It Too [Peripherals]

Modder haphazardly shoves an N64 into a Wii shell

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:00:23 +0000

We’ll be frank — there’s nothing particularly elegant about the Wii64, but it is unique, so we just have to pay attention. Without any rhyme or reason, this here modder decided it best to gut the internals of his Wii and replace them with the innards of an N64. Of course, he could’ve just referenced someone else’s work for getting an N64 controller to play nice with Nintendo’s latest, but we suspect that just wasn’t the itch he was trying to scratch. The current bid is just $49.99, so those intrigued enough to actually have it shipped to their house can bid away.

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

Filed under: Gaming

Modder haphazardly shoves an N64 into a Wii shell originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Modder haphazardly shoves an N64 into a Wii shell

Cellphone Concept Has a Sweet Looking Glass [Cellphones]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:00:06 +0000

This isn’t the first cellphone concept to incorporate glass, but I’ll be dammed if it isn’t one of the prettiest. There aren’t any details on functionality, but it is clear that designer Mac Funamizu’s “Glassy Glassy” concept takes minimalist design about as far as it can go without ditching the physical phone altogether and implanting communication devices directly into our brain.

[Yanko]

Source: Cellphone Concept Has a Sweet Looking Glass [Cellphones]

Taste the Steel of My Tomahawk Skull Gauntlet!! [Weapons Of Mass Destruction]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:00:44 +0000

We usually write our own posts around these parts, but sometimes a product’s description speaks for itself:

With this gauntlet strapped to your arm there is no question you are the man in charge!

That’s right, suckers. $40 on my Visa says that I rule this place now. And by this place, I mean the world. [BudK via bbGadgets]

Source: Taste the Steel of My Tomahawk Skull Gauntlet!! [Weapons Of Mass Destruction]

Sony demos 19-inch FED display running Gran Turismo 5 at 240 fps

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:00:13 +0000

FED (or Field Emission Display) hasn’t quite caught on as quickly as some other display technologies, but Sony’s still out there doing its best to move things forward, and it certainly looks to have turned more than a few heads with its latest demo. Apparently not content with simply showing off a new 19-inch display from its spin-off, Field Emission Technologies, Sony went so far as to demo it with a customized version of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue that’s playable at 240 fps. To do that, Sony used four PS3s to increase the frame rate, something it had previously done to run the game at quadruple the resolution of 1080p on a Sony SXHD projector. While that setup is out of the reach of most folks, Field Emission Technologies says that FED displays are now finally heading to market, and that some high-end professional FED video monitors up to 32-inches in size will be available sometime next year.

[Via OLED-Display.info]

Filed under: Displays

Sony demos 19-inch FED display running Gran Turismo 5 at 240 fps originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Sony demos 19-inch FED display running Gran Turismo 5 at 240 fps

Apple DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI Adapter Delayed to Dec. 23 [Apple]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:00:09 +0000

While we liked the shiny unibody MacBooks, their new miniDisplay Port requires the use of a dual link DVI adapter to drive the 30″ CinemaDisplay. Not only is the adapter $100; it’s a custom cord that can’t exactly be spotted between the batteries and singing cards at the drug store. Now Apple has informed preorderers to expect their shipments no sooner than December 23rd—which just goes to show that in a fight between Steve Jobs and Santa Claus, Steve Jobs would win…or something like that. [9to5mac]

Source: Apple DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI Adapter Delayed to Dec. 23 [Apple]

Teclast's upcoming 3.5-inch PMP plays media, is portable

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:00:06 +0000

So far it doesn’t look like Teclast’s OEM is trying to fool anyone with their new as-yet-unbranded media player, which is sort of disappointing — we know how much you love a good KIRF. Aside from the uncommon (and theoretically stunning) 3.5-inch OLED widescreen display, this seems to be a pretty benign device. Features include capacitive touch controls, support for CMMB and DVB-T broadcasts, and if their past products are any indication you can probably expect output to TV or FM transmitter. You can expect this to ship in China under the Teclast flag eventually, but at the moment we’ve got no name, no price, no storage capacity, no release date — just the above facts and one lonely picture to keep you warm on those long winter nights ahead.

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Teclast’s upcoming 3.5-inch PMP plays media, is portable originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Teclast's upcoming 3.5-inch PMP plays media, is portable

Why You Probably Won't Find Amazing Sony Deals for Christmas [Sony]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:00:48 +0000

In the midst of the financiapocalypse, with consumers stuffing money in mattresses and sprinkling themselves with holy water to avoid the layoff plague, you might think companies like Sony would slash and burn their typically premium prices to move whatever HDTVs and Blu-ray players and cameras they could. Nope. We talked to Sony Electronics President Stan Glasgow this morning about why Sony is holding steady on prices and staying out of the low end, even as consumers are obviously looking spend less. He also dished about Circuit City’s fairly grim prospects, Blu-ray sales not meeting expectations and why Sony knew the economy was going deep into the crapper in February, before Alan Greenspan.

Blu-ray
Glasgow didn’t drop specific numbers, but he did mention that Blu-ray sales weren’t meeting their original expectations, thanks to the economy. So you might expect Sony to cut the price on its entry level BDP-S350 below its current $299 MSRP. But they’re not—Glasgow says they’re holding firm on that price as their low-end through the holiday season, though he said you can expect $249 before too long, which jibes with what he told me in the Spring. I couldn’t get him to commit to $199 next year. (BTW, You actually can pick up the S350 for $249 right now at Amazon, but going below $299 is entirely a retailer’s prerogative.) All that said, Sony is optimistic for Blu-ray overall because it’s the kind of “family gift” people buy in a recession when they’re staying home more—besides, they fully expect (as we’ve seen) players below $200, even under $150 from lower end manufacturers. They don’t see the adoption timeline slowed down either, as long as prices fall with their projections.

Why Sony Won’t Go Cheap
President of Sony Electronics Consumer Sales Jay Vandenbree said that Sony has never really played in the low end (in HDTVs or otherwise), and they won’t now. Why? Because, he says, during a recession, people stay home and actually trade up to better quality stuff since they’re holed up, which Sony thinks puts them in a great spot. Question for you guys: Is this true? Are you skipping vacation and getting a TV instead? To that end, Sony’s actually enforcing prices on some of its premium products like XBR7 and XBR8 HDTVs and its Alpha DSLRs, so that they’re same price at every single retailer—it’s not just a minimum advertised price, retailers cannot actually sell these items for cheaper than Sony says. It’s an interesting bit of psychology to maintain the premiumness of the brand during the recession, to say the least.

Circuit City
How bad is the Circuit City situation? Glasgow put it this way: No one in their industry has ever survived a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, especially not on that scale. He’s hopeful they’ll bounce back, and thinks they could, but it’s going to be “hard.”

Sony Knows
Lastly, an interesting bit of trivia: Sony knew the economy was going to hell back in February. How? Camcorder sales fell like a rock. Camcorders are the proverbial canary in the coal mine, plunging before everything else. (All of their vast historical data over the last few recessions back this up.) It’s because, Vandenbree says, there’s “nothing more discretionary than camcorders,” so it’s the first to go when consumers feel a crunch, making it an early warning sign.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing that’ll ring the opposite direction, when everything’s about to get better. Everything gets better at once. So we’ll know life’s good again when it actually it is.

Source: Why You Probably Won't Find Amazing Sony Deals for Christmas [Sony]

Meizu M8 captured on video looking smooth, doing multitouch

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:00:15 +0000

Oh M8, you’ve grown up before our eyes. It seems like just yesterday we were looking at your early incarnations and their uncanny similarity to certain other devices. And how could we forget those times we spent together waiting for you at trade shows, and ~~mocking~~ checking out your early hardware? And now look at you, all grown up and caught on video doing your thing. You know what? This actually looks pretty damn nice. Sure, the obvious major iPhone influence is still there, but we have to say, Jack Wong and co. have done a pretty good job of smoothing out this UI — and we didn’t expect to see multitouch working this nicely. Of course, the clip says more than we ever could, so go and wrap yourself in your grandmother’s afghan, grab a steaming cup of coffee, head out to the porch of your 19th century farmhouse, and just listen to the wind chimes and smooth sounds of this video as you take a tour of the Meizu M8… after the break.

[Via MP4 Nation Blog]

Continue reading Meizu M8 captured on video looking smooth, doing multitouch

Filed under: Cellphones

Meizu M8 captured on video looking smooth, doing multitouch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Meizu M8 captured on video looking smooth, doing multitouch

Rhys Millen Trying to Backflip a Truck Again, Releases Video of Spine-Breaking Botched Attempt [Natural Selection At Work]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:00:15 +0000

If you’re a longtime Giz reader, you may remember that on last New Years Eve, Rhys Millen was supposed to perform a backflip in a truck on live TV. One problem: he broke a bunch of his vertebrae during a practice run and had to cancel. Well, he’s gonna give it another go this year, and to get you all amped up for it, Red Bull has released the video of his crash. Want to see a dude do half a backflip in a pickup truck? Follow me, ye of strong stomachs.

Yep, about what you expected, eh? Here’s hoping he’s learned a thing or two during those painful months of rehabilitation.

Source: Rhys Millen Trying to Backflip a Truck Again, Releases Video of Spine-Breaking Botched Attempt [Natural Selection At Work]

Vizio intros 55-inch 1080p XVT HDTV, soundbar, more goodies

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:00:17 +0000

Chrismakwanzika has come early for anyone remotely interested in Vizio kit, and quite honestly, even for those that aren’t. From the top, we’ve got the 55-inch VF550XVT1A, a 1080p HDTV with 120Hz Smooth Motion Video technology, a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, five HDMI inputs, SRS TruSurround HD and a $1,999 MSRP. Next up is the firm’s own soundbar and wireless subwoofer kit (VSB210WS), which has finally escaped rumor purgatory to pop official. The kit sports four 3-inch speakers alongside a single 1-inch tweeter for each channel, and the long throw 6.5-inch subbie makes sure the lows are well addressed, too. Just a single cable is needed to connect the VSB210WS to any flat-panel, and just $349.99 is needed to bring it home. On deck are a trio of smaller LCDs: the 19-inch VA19 ($249.99), 22-inch VA22 ($349.99) and 26-inch VA26 ($449.99), with the middle guy becoming Vizio’s smallest 1080p HDTV ever. Closing things out is the 26-inch VMM26, a 25.5-inch “multimedia monitor” with a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, HDMI / USB ports, touch-activated menus and a $429.99 sticker. All but the first two products mentioned are on sale now, while the first two will be available just before your ‘09 Super Bowl bash.

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Vizio intros 55-inch 1080p XVT HDTV, soundbar, more goodies originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Vizio intros 55-inch 1080p XVT HDTV, soundbar, more goodies

NASA Adds Smell Detector To Space Station, Insert Fart Joke Here [Space]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:00:42 +0000

Apart from remodeling their home, astronauts on board the International Space Station are installing a new piece of equipment that may save their lives one day. Or embarrass them. It can go either way: Containing 32 sensors in a device the size of a shoebox, the ENose—or electronic nose—will be able to detect even the most subtle inorganic and organic smells. Like Carl Walz, ISS astronaut and Director for NASA’s Advanced Capabilities puts it, “having experienced an air-quality event during my Expedition 4 mission on the space station, I wish I had the information that this ENose will provide future crews.” Yes Carl. Air-quality events are bad.

This component is vital for the safety of astronauts in space. Humans can tolerate some smells without noticing until it’s too late to react. As Margaret A. Ryan, the principal researcher of the ENose project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, puts it:

The ENose is a ‘first-responder’ that will alert crew members of possible contaminants in the air and also analyze and quantify targeted changes in cabin environment.

The ENose uses polymer films that react to different chemicals in the air by changing their electrical conductivity. It can analyze aerosols and vapors, as well as monitor chemical spills, and even send data to the JPL’s ENose computer, which can do more complex analysis. It’s extremely sensitive: Depending on the chemical, it can detect “fractional parts per million to 10,000 parts per million.”

What is surprising is that the ENose is not yet a permanent part of the ISS. In fact, it’s surprising that something like the ENose has never been a permanent part of any modern space mission except for the brief six-day demonstration that John Glenn did on STS-95, back in 1998. [JPL]

Source: NASA Adds Smell Detector To Space Station, Insert Fart Joke Here [Space]

Sony loses patent suit, ordered to pay $18.5 million

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:00:12 +0000

Way back in 2006, Lucent-spin off Agere Systems filed a lawsuit against Sony, claiming the electronics behemoth had infringed on not one, not two, but eight of its patents. As it turns out a prior deal with Lucent gave Sony the rights to use seven of those, but that one unlicensed patent became Sony’s weak point, allowing Agere’s lawyers to inflict massive damage(s). The jury’s findings state not only that Sony wrongly utilized Agere’s intellectual property in the mylo, Network Walkman, and the PSP, but that there was “clear and convincing evidence that such infringement was willful.” In other words: big payout, in this case an eye-opening $18.5 million. Don’t blame us Sony, we told you to settle! [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via PSP Fanboy]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Sony loses patent suit, ordered to pay $18.5 million originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Sony loses patent suit, ordered to pay $18.5 million

PS3 Tech Demo Runs Gran Turismo 5 in 2160p or 240 FPS [Gran Turismo]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:14 +0000

What’s the team a Polyphony Digital doing besides finishing their upcoming Gran Turismo 5 racing simulator? Making some crazy ass tech demos with four PlayStation 3s hooked together to share rendering time. Not only can four PS3s create a 2160p image (that’s four 1080p images for a resolution of 3840×2160 blasted on Sony’s 4K projector), they can create one single 1080p image that runs at 240 FPS. 240! That’s faster than the human eye can see; and so fast, we imagine, that you can actually see into the future. The audience reception was described thusly:

It is as though you are following a real world event happening right in front of your face with your own eyes. Any and all flickering in the movement of the vehicle, in the smoke from the tires, etc. are completely gone, and you are almost tricked into believing you are watching something in real life. The guests at the event were baffled by the quality of the image, and stared in amazement at the screen.

Head on over to the Gran Turismo site to see the tech details of how they did this. [Gran Turismo via PS3 Fanboy]

Source: PS3 Tech Demo Runs Gran Turismo 5 in 2160p or 240 FPS [Gran Turismo]

Create Honest Black Friday Ads to Reflect the Economic Climate [Photoshop Contest]

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:00:39 +0000

Things are bad out there, people. We’re going to see a pretty sad holiday shopping season from retailers perspectives. Yet these Black Friday ads we’re seeing, they look just like they do every year. I don’t think they adequately reflect just how badly they want, nay, they need your money. Let’s add a bit of that desperation into their advertising, shall we?

For this week’s Photoshop Contest, I want you to make some brutally honest Black Friday ads. Work your magic up and then send the results along to me at contests@gizmodo.com with “Honest Black Friday” in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs, GIFs or PNGs with the filename FirstnameLastname.jpg. Get your entries in by next Tuesday, then look for the top three winners as well as the rest of the best in our Gallery of Champions. Get to it!

Source: Create Honest Black Friday Ads to Reflect the Economic Climate [Photoshop Contest]

Packard Bell dot spotted in UK

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:00:09 +0000

Oh, look! It’s another netbook in the wild! This one is Packard Bell’s dot, and according to the boffins at Pocket-lint it’s now available for purchase across the pond by anyone who can find a reason to care. The Aspire One-like specs and style are just what you’d expect (do we really need to recount the Atom 270 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 160GB hard drive yet again?), and while there’s the promise of being able to add internal 3G connectivity at some point in the future, right now the only thing setting this one apart is the red dot on the hinge. (Which, we confess, is a nice look.) Still no mention of when or even if this one will be appearing domestically — though if it does it’ll probably be as an Everex anyhow.

Filed under: Laptops

Packard Bell dot spotted in UK originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Packard Bell dot spotted in UK

I Bet You've Never Seen Water Bounce Before [Science]

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:00:12 +0000

Here’s something you don’t see every day: water bouncing. GE has developed some pretty incredible superhydrophobic surfaces in it’s Global Research Nanotechnology lab, and they’ve captured the results with super-high speed cameras.

Hello everyone, I have some exciting videos that I want to share with you! Using a high-speed camera setup in the lab, we can finally capture the details of the water dancing on these amazing superhydrophobic surfaces. We discovered that even when the surfaces had the same contact angle for stationary water droplets, their ability to resist the wetting of impacting droplets could be totally different. In the following three videos, the contact angles of a stationary droplet on all three surfaces are ~150 degree. When an impacting droplet (with the same impact speed) hits on the surfaces, the droplet can either stay on the surface.

Look at the way the water droplet spreads, recoils, breaks into satellite droplets, and completely lifts off… that’s what we really want for an impacting-droplet resistant surface! You might wonder what we can do with a cool thing like this? Imagine applications that involve high speed water droplets, such as wind turbine blade, airplane wing, or even just your car in motion. These are just a couple of the exciting possibilities that we are looking at.

[Make]

Source: I Bet You've Never Seen Water Bounce Before [Science]

Tuttuki Bako "poking box" lets you torment low-res creatures

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:00:07 +0000

While we don’t expect it to be the type of interface that’ll replace touch screens anytime soon, Bandai is certainly forging some interesting new ground with its so-called Tuttuki Bako device, or “poking box,” which actually lets you stick your finger right into the device to control the on-screen finger. That’s apparently done with the aid of some motion sensors which, as you can see in the video after the break, seem to work at least reasonably well. In addition to boasting various “games” like poking a panda, poking a face, or poking a stick figure, the device also doubles a desk clock, and it’s available your choice of red, black or lime green. As you might have guessed, however, it’s not available ’round these parts just yet, though you can apparently pick one up in Japan now for the rough local equivalent of $30.

[Via Today and Tomorrow, thanks Lennart]

Continue reading Tuttuki Bako “poking box” lets you torment low-res creatures

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Tuttuki Bako “poking box” lets you torment low-res creatures originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Tuttuki Bako "poking box" lets you torment low-res creatures