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bender's big score
pico projectors
TI Builds Pico Projector Into BlackBerry Curve
Texas Instruments has expressed its intention to build its LED Pico tech into mobile devices before, but this is the first well-implemented example to be properly demonstrated. Crunchgear got a brief go on the Frankenberry, and it looks like it works just fine. While the small clip doesn't totally assuage our fears that such a system will produce poor images, the respectable projection size and apparent brightness are both promising for such an early prototype. [Crunchgear] More »
9:39 PM on Wed Jul 2 2008
By John Herrman
4,681 views,
36 comments
Latest by n/a: John Herrman,I think it would have been a good idea to point out that this is not a working phone, that it's just a plastic shell. more »
texas
Texan Law Requires Computer Repair Techs To Have PI Licenses
Texas has a new law that makes it mandatory for computer repair technicians in the state to have private investigator licenses. This is being contested by at least one advocacy group that's suing, as many techs don't know they're being criminals by doing their jobs. The strange new law comes about because sometimes in the course of repairing a computer some investigation is needed, and in the great state of Texas that's a felony without a license. It can take up to three years to get one, so this whole thing is messed up. Hopefully no poor minimum wage Windows jockey will wind up in jail over this, but stranger things have happened in Texas. Looks like those Geek Squad guys will get real badges, though. [Gear Log]
dlp
TI Intros Industry First Lamp-Free DLP Projector
Hot on the heels of the Optoma pico-projector that uses a TI chipset, TI itself has announced the "industry's first home-theater lamp-free projector." It uses a PhlatLight LED illumination source instead, and a Brilliantcolor chipset to give a 1080p display. This makes it capable of a 50% bigger color gamut than traditional projector tech (that's over 200 trillion colors!) and a contrast ratio that can go up to 500,000:1. The lamp-free bit is the part that will interest consumers: as well as not requiring expensive new bulbs, the LEDs consume far less power so you'll pay for less electricity if you're a heavy projector user. Apparently "multiple DLP customers" are expecting to launch projector products with the tech late this year. [Digitimes]
pico projectors
Foxconn Rolls Out the Latest Pico Projector Prototype
Foxconn rolled out another handheld Pico Projector device at Computex this week, packing a .3-inch Texas Instruments DLP chip and 854x480 resolution into a small package roughly the size of a matchbox (just 65 grams). Though Pico Projectors have been supported by many heavyweights such as 3M, Texas Instruments and Motorola, the technology has yet to make an appearance in the consumer market. But more prototypes from different companies can't be a bad thing, right? [Aving via About Projectors]
8:16 PM on Wed Jun 4 2008
By Adrian Covert
6,054 views,
15 comments
Latest by x23: @Alucard: right up there with pimply teens and laser pointer in a theater... or even so-called professional adult men with a TV-B-Gone. all the same category of asshole. more »
geek pr
Fruit-Powered Chip Promo Vid Shows Why Geeks Don't do PR
Being of a scientific persuasion myself, I couldn't help but chortle at this promotional video for the TI MSP430 Ultra Low Power microcontroller unit. Sure, the neat little device sucks really low current and is used in a wide range of gizmos like smoke detectors and the recent amazing Audeo voiceless translator. We talk a lot about alternative power sources here on Giz, and since these guys demo the chip's low energy needs by doing the old "fruit-powered" trick, I applaud them. But, dear Adrian and Kevin, you need to hire a better script-writer and actually drink the martinis you mention as power sources if you're going to get people revved-up about a specialized silicon chip! [YouTube— Thanks Lindsey]
gps
Dallas Truancy Court Tracks Lazy Kids Using GPS
Being late to school is one thing, waking up at 2 p.m. and rolling in to class is quite another. Apparently, this was the daily routine of Jaime Pacheco, a 15-year-old high school freshman at Bryant Adams High School in Dallas. Naturally, this routine created problems for both his family and the school system, so drastic action was necessary. However, instead of juvenile detention, a truancy court judge sentenced him to enroll in a pilot program that requires truant students to be electronically monitored using a GPS system. More »
guitar hero robot
Guitar Hero Robot Shows Just How Much Its Creators Love Achievements
These Electrical Engineering students at Texas A&M love Guitar Hero so much that they made a "robot," which is actually just some levers and switches and a circuit board set up on top of a Guitar Hero guitar, and a system that analyzes the video signal to determine when and where to hit the notes. The end result is a bot that can get a very respectable 96% on some hard- ass songs, negating the need for a human player to get all the crazy achievements in Guitar Hero 3. We would have suggested these college kids go get drunk and laid instead of spending their time building a Guitar Hero robot, but then we remembered that they're Electrical Engineering majors. [Slashbot]
laser
One-Petawatt Laser Opens For Business In Texas
In the basement of the physics building at the University of Texas in Austin is the world's most powerful laser. Switched on for the first time last week, it has an output of a quadrillion watts—in terms of zeros, that's 1,000,000,000,000,000. Wired has gotten its hands on some stunning pictures of the $7-million installation, and has a detailed explanation of how the thing works. The laser will be used to recreate astronomical goings-on, such as supernovae and, as the manager of the laser project says, "You'd have to go out into space and hang out with an exploding star to observe what we plan to observe here in Texas." [Wired]
displays
Mitsubishi 80-Inch MegaView Best Bet for Battlestar Bridge
How well equipped is your command center? Mitsubishi is currently trying to woo customers to its 80-inch 1400x1050-pixel VS-80PH40U "MegaView Wall" display. My guess is that Mitsu may see it as the last market for DLP rear-projection sets, now that everyone is pulling out. Though Mitsu isn't talking prices yet, the extra bright, front-accessible screen could well be a fairly affordable way to line the whole CIC with dynamic data monitors (DRADIS showing incoming Raiders, comms waveforms, FTL drive status, etc.), not like Mayor Mike Bloomberg's single, solitary, donated 103-inch 1080p Panasonic plasma. [Mitsubishi via SlipperyBrick]
gadgets
Home-Made Synths from Tupperware Trip the Light Fan-Plastic
This is what you do if you think that your Tupperware boxes are too good for food, turn them into home-made synthesizers. Adachi Tomomi has made a bunch of them, including a video synthesizer and a couple of Theremins. Consisting of a simple battery-powered electronic circuit, the synths don't have perfect pitch. The Tomomin (bottom left in the gallery) even has a four-note keyboard, and was made from a bunch of Texas Instrument integrated circuits. [Adachi Tomomi via Make ]
home entertainment
Meridian's Latest 1080p Projector Is One Bad MF10
How much contrast does one man need? Meridian's MF10 1080p projector is said to deliver 30,000:1, and for the low-end-automobile sticker price of $15,000. (Too bad it's not scalable: I'll settle for 10,000:1 for $5,000—or hell, a 30:1 for $15.) This projector doesn't use the more common lower-end engine based on TI's DLP chip, but a three-chip system based, like Sony's SXRD, on an LCD derivative called "liquid crystal on silicon." In this case, it's JVC's D-ILA technology. Each chip has the 1920x1080 resolution, and manages red, green or blue. There's a motorized lens with 2X zoom capability for smaller rooms, but who are we kidding? If you can afford this, you're gonna have a room big enough to do it justice. [Meridian]
imax
IMAX Theaters to Ditch Film, Use Digital DLP Projectors
IMAX and Texas Instruments announced they will be working together to transition IMAX from a film-based projection format to a DLP-based technology instead. Starting in the middle of 2008, all new IMAX projectors will include the digital DLP technology and eliminate the need for elaborate film-based projector setups currently found in IMAX Theaters. This raises the question: which billionaire will be the first to have a digital IMAX theater installed in his mega mansion? More »
cellphones
Texas Instruments Chip Turns Cellphones Into Projectors, Pocket Goatse WMDs
It's like a can of Pringles falling from the sky in Barcelona today. Texas Instruments has a pair of new mobile chips—one gives cellphones enough GFX juice to record HD video, while the other will power integrated pico projectors. Big pics popping out of tiny phones. The suit-and-tie function would be Powerpoints sans bulky computers, while more deviant minds might raid Chen's private tubgirl collection to terrorize large groups of people. [Reuters]
4:40 PM on Mon Feb 11 2008
By matt buchanan
5,088 views,
16 comments
giz explains
Silverthorne is a teeny processor built on the 45nm process (like the much-ballyhooed Penryn), designed for UMPCs, subnotebooks, mystery Apple products and any other smallish gadget that needs real crunching on an ultra-lean power diet.
More »
Giz Explains: Why We're Psyched for Silverthorne
Silverthorne is a teeny processor built on the 45nm process (like the much-ballyhooed Penryn), designed for UMPCs, subnotebooks, mystery Apple products and any other smallish gadget that needs real crunching on an ultra-lean power diet.
More »
11:40 AM on Thu Feb 7 2008
By matt buchanan
11,169 views,
30 comments
bbqs
We are not strangers to a crazy BBQ design or two, but this BFG BBQ—think Doom weapon, not friendly giant—takes the proverbial biscuit. Spotted on Flickr, and the work of an unknown Texan, the grill stands 19-feet long, has a 36" x 60" primary grill and a 12" x 36" secondary grill. The handle houses a fire box, while the front sight and range star logo enclose dampers. Check out the gallery for some more awesome shots.
More »
BFG BBQ Shoots the Crap Out of Your Meatfest
We are not strangers to a crazy BBQ design or two, but this BFG BBQ—think Doom weapon, not friendly giant—takes the proverbial biscuit. Spotted on Flickr, and the work of an unknown Texan, the grill stands 19-feet long, has a 36" x 60" primary grill and a 12" x 36" secondary grill. The handle houses a fire box, while the front sight and range star logo enclose dampers. Check out the gallery for some more awesome shots.More »
apple
Steve Jobs Set to Unveil the iChurch? Er, No
Just when you thought the iPhone's Giz-induced alternative moniker, the JesusPhone, was about to fade into obscurity, a Texas church has seen reason to bring it back. The Colleyville establishment has plastered a massive sign on one of its walls that is mightily reminiscent of the iPhone, with some rather interesting apps icons (anyone want to play Soldier with me?) Take a closer look after the jump. More »
8:00 AM on Mon Jan 21 2008
By AddyDugdale
12,563 views,
52 comments
bittorrenters beware
