Brian Lam

Sony’s Location Free LF-V30 Gets HD and Vaio Branding

It won’t stream HD, but Sony’s newest LocationFree TV (and Slingbox competitor) will take HD video sources by component cables, down sample them to QVGA, and spit em across your network or the internet to laptops running the Location Free TV clientware. (I believe Sling does higher res on a LAN, and their Pro unit…

Groping Sony’s Vaio TZ Wonder-Notebook

The previously import-only Vaio TZ was just announced for US shores. That’s good news, because its predecessor, the Sony Vaio TX, was one of my favorites subnotes ever. Like the TX, I love the TZ’s LED-backlit screen, usable keyboard, built- in EVDO Rev. A by Sprint, and nearly 8 hours of battery life. The TZ’s…

Ryan Block interviews CEO of Steorn to find out why the magic machine didn’t work. [Engadget]

Wii Handle Accelerates Swings to Superhuman Proportions

Here’s a seemingly stupid idea: a basket on a handle that is meant to hold a Wiimote. (Complete with mechanical triggers for A and B buttons.) But the extension cleanly increases the Wiimote’s velocity with every movement. Watch as the skinny kid in the video takes a giant swing in Wii Sports baseball. Could be…

Optimal Laser Settings for iPhone Etching

Phil Torrone at Make just did some laser etching experiments on an iPhone, discovering that the optimal settings for a 35W Epilog laser is “40% power, 100% speed with a 600dpi vector art image (AI) works great for laser etching an iPhone.” The back goes white when zapped because the material is not aluminum, but…

More Olympus E-P1 Details Leaked

Olympus’s mega rig is becoming the worst kept DSLR secret in the industry. First the easily answered riddle we saw a few weeks ago, now this leaked power point document pored over by CNet, highlighting technical features like a 10MP rating, multi-swivel live view lcd, and an October release date. Steve at CNet notes that…

Shiggy Miyamoto Speaks About Future Nintendo Consoles

The Kotaku boys got through a series of Miyamoto interviews, where they ask Shiggy about future revisions of the Wii, shortages, the next-gen of the DS, and (heaven forbid) retirement plans. [Kotaku] http://kotaku.com/gaming/kotakutalku/all-the-miyamoto-you-missed-278299.php

Not-Denon Blu-ray, Media Server and iTunes Concept Box

Some Denon and iTunes fanboy set up this fantastic rendering of a concept box that Denon should put to production. AVSForum’s wizards understand it is fake because receiver is spelled wrong, but that doesn’t detract from its desirability. The gadget equivalent of a unicorn fantasy includes a Blu-ray player, 2TB of storage and iTunes compatibility…

60GB PS3 Not Getting the Axe

When David Reeves, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s Pres said that the 60GB PS3 was history after this batch of stock goes dry, he was either wrong, or accidentally spilling the beans. Sony is now officially saying that the PS3’s 60GB version will be around for awhile. So no fears about losing the console’s hardware PS2…

Monster iCarPlay Tested with iPhone (Verdict: GSMBZZZZ)

Monster’s iCarPlay tape adapter is total Apple Store iPhone retail bait. Why was it irresistible on checkout? Because fat-jack aside, my old one was highly susceptible to iPhone’s self-inflicted GSM buzz: the dreaded EMI that speakers exhibit when placed near cellphones. Did this fix it? Despite the Compatible with iPhone sticker, NO NO NO NO…

The Making of David Pogue’s iPhone music video, with Gizmodo shoutout. [NYTimes] https://gizmodo.com/david-pogues-iphone-the-musical-275383

Incase Protective iPhone Cover Tested (Verdict: OK)

This Incase Protective cover is the first piece of iPhone retail-bait I couldn’t resist in the Apple store. The good: It’s the sleekest of all cases in stock there, so it won’t make your iPhone look like a Tonka truck; it’s rubberized, available in black, red, and grey; and has a neat topographical pattern all…

Cellphone Transforms Into Deadly Robot

Check out this transforming cellphone concept found over at Parkoz Hardware. It turns into a little bi-pedal bot, complete with twin miniguns. Definitely reminiscent of scenes from Michael Bay’s Tranformers, with a little bit of Batteries Not Included, Short Circuit, and Robocop (ED-209, anyone?) Koreans get the coolest cellphones, so it figures their concepts are…

Poll: Is Your iPhone Earpiece Too Quiet?

Informal poll time. I’ve been getting a few reader complaints about iPhone earpieces being too quiet. Before jumping to conclusions, I figured I’d ask around. Since complaining is a duty of the dissatified, please do me a favor and vote if you’re happy, too. (I personally have had no problems with earpiece volume.) Gawker Media…

Samsung’s Next Gen Blu-ray BD-P1400 and BD-2400

Samsung’s follow ups to the highly regarded BD-P1200 are here, and they are upgraded with audio format support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD. Everyone else looks pretty much the same, including this magic list: 24 frame support, HDMI 1.3, and ethernet. Except the 1400 doesn’t have that mind-blowing HQV video processor at $549 while…

Zune Patent for Pay-Per-Squirt?

This is kind of brilliant. This Microsoft patent allows for a user to receive a squirted song by Zune-to-Zune WiFi transfer, eventually paying for it when the 3-plays or 3-days are up. Even cooler, the squirter would get a commission from the squirtee’s purchase. A smart move if they could get it working in the…

PSP Slim Gallery (Including the Darth Vader Edition)

Here’s as close as Team Kotaku could get to the PSP before being tackled by a security guard in a Ratchet and Clank costume. [kotaku]

Playstation Home 3D Chat and Avatars on Sony Ericsson Cellphones

From Jason Chen, live at the PS Event: “They’ve gotten a version of PS Home working on a Sony Ericsson cellphone. It’s not 3D, but the communication and chat features working on the phone.” Can automatically send photos to PS Home’s 3D environment (say, as a picture on a wall of your virtual home.) They’re…

New PSP Slim Coming September, Kinda Looks the Same

Click to viewFrom the press conference, Jason says: “Kaz is holding a brand new PSP, and will be available in September of this year. Still has UMD, still has a 4.3-inch screen. It’s 30% lighter, however, and 19% slimmer. And they improved the loading to load games faster. But the improvements is in video output:…

Wii Fit and Balance Board Accessory

Looks like a scale. There are tons of games for stretching, etc. Wii Fit(TM): This experience builds on the active-play phenomenon started by Wii Sports(TM). It comes packed with the pressure-sensitive Wii Balance Board (name not final) that measures users’ actions in fun aerobic, toning and balance activities. Wii Fit also promotes communication about health…