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Free Boxee XBMC-Based Media Center Now Installable On Apple TV

Boxee has been turning any PC, Mac or Linux box into a capable, social-networking equipped media center for a while in its extended alpha phase—and now, news is that it will also work on your Apple TV for a free way to go beyond the iTunes lock-in for streaming all DRM-free media. Like aTV before…

Tech News John Mahoney Oct 1 '08

KDDI Cellphone Concepts from the Space Age

Japan cellphone carrier KDDI has a knack for turning out handsets that belong in museums. Past hit designs like the INFOBAR, talby, neon and MEDIA SKIN made into the permanent collection at the MoMa in New York. The trendy telecom showed off some of its concepts at CEATEC outside Tokyo, showcasing the talents of Hideo…

Tech News Mark Wilson Oct 1 '08

Can You Meet The io9 Spoiler Photo Caption Challenge?

A bit of a light spoiler day today, but there are still some pretty awesome bits of news. The director of the movie adaptation of Jose Saramago’s classic novel Blindness talks a bit about the movie’s themes, and there are new pics from Quarantine. Plus some new hints about Lost, and a telltale set pic…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Oct 1 '08

3D Force Field Opens Door for Holodeck, Virtual Touchable Leia

Here’s the video of the Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display, one of those technologies that will probably change entertainment forever: A high-fidelity 3D force field on the air that allows you to actually touch virtual objects with your bare hands. Initially, this technology could find its way into virtual keyboards, but in the future-as the size…

Tech News Jesus Diaz Oct 1 '08

Xbox 360 Controller, in Red!

That red Xbox 360 controller that we told you about is out now (except it’s lacking its rumored green counterpart). Nothing special is going on with the buttons or functions, but each controller is forcibly bundled with a Play & Charge kit, meaning that they run a steep $65 a pop. The price may seem…

Tech News Mark Wilson Oct 1 '08

Poufman Luxury Leather Seats Are Like Pac-Man Biting Your Bum

Pac-Man-like padded seats, kitted out in leather and with accompanying power-pill-like stools…sounds like a fabulously retro way to pay furniture-y homage to the ’80s arcade game. The Poufman seating sets come in a bunch of colors, but retro gamers keen to dot them about their homes had better have made lots of dollars in the…

Gadgets Kit Eaton Oct 1 '08

Play Wii Fit with a Japanese Maid for $25

Why Akihabara’s Refresh Club doesn’t have a New York outlet, I don’t know, but on the wake of this groundbreaking news, they better open it soon. For $25 you will be able to play Wii Fit with Japanese girls in French maid dresses. Yes, Wii Fit, that game with the balance board that often requires…

Tech News Jesus Diaz Oct 1 '08

Plantronics Patents Nod-Powered Bluetooth Headset

One way to increase the potency of Bluetooth headsets as social poison is to wear them while affecting strange, inexplicable and constant head movement. With Plantronics’ new movement-charged headset design, that may become a necessity. The device relies on a small flywheel that, when rotated in a magnetic field, draws enough current to power the…

Tech News John Herrman Oct 1 '08

Samsung Pixon 8MP Camera Phone Gets Groped

Over at Phonearena they’ve got their hands on one of those 8-megapixel Samsung M8800 Pixons, and they’ve given it a good preview prodding. In general the phone went down well: though it’s a slightly fat device, the 8-megapixel camera (which shares an identical interface to the Omnia) impressed them particularly in terms of speed, and…

Gadgets Kit Eaton Oct 1 '08

Rumor: Best Buy to Carry T-Mobile G1 from October 26th

A purported screenshot of a Best Buy sales terminal indicates October 26th as the day that the first Android phone will be showing on shelves at the retailer. This leak follows a similar one from just a few days ago that reveals the BlackBerry Bold will be coming to Best Buy, also on the 26th.…

Tech News John Herrman Oct 1 '08

PS3 Eye Hacked into Decent Windows-Compatible Webcam

A bunch of programmer/hackers have come up with a driver solution that’ll get your PS3 Eye off its lazy ass and functioning as a webcam for your PC. Why’s this interesting? Because it’s relatively cheap, and actually pretty high-spec’d: it can deliver VGA video at 60fps over USB2, which makes for neat webcam action. It’s…

Gadgets Kit Eaton Oct 1 '08

RealNetworks Sued for DVD Copying Software That Nobody Wanted Anyway

Almost reflexively, six studios have filed suit against RealNetworks for their brand-new DVD copying software. RealDVD, as it is (was?) called, was tepidly received on account of crippling DRM which only allows for viewing of a ripped DVD on one PC, precluding the portability that might account for someone wanting to rip a DVD in…

Tech News John Herrman Oct 1 '08

WaterMill Automagically Pulls Clean Drinking Water from Thin Air

A bit like Dean Kamen’s miraculous water distiller, only not quite so fancy or miraculous, is the WaterMill drinking water collector. It’s basically a clever dehumidifier that collects airborne water and filters and purifies it with an ultraviolet sterilizer, providing you with up to 3.2 gallons of water per day. And before you start thinking…

Gadgets Kit Eaton Oct 1 '08

Nikkai OLED Buttons Are Like Little Scraps of Optimus

For those who don’t need a whole keyboard full of OLED buttons, Nikkai is showing off standalone units at CEATEC. The buttons are bulkier than anything on an Art Lebedev product, and seem to have three input states: depressed, tilted left and tilted right (or up and down, depending on orientation) which makes makes for…

Tech News John Herrman Oct 1 '08

Xohm Tested Out in Baltimore: Beats EVDO, Unsurprisingly

Laptopmag went ahead and tested out Xohm WiMax goodness, now that it’s live in Baltimore. They jammed an ExpressCard Xohm into a Sony Vaio laptop, and compared it to a Kyocera EVDO card running on Verizon, at a spot where both signals were strong. The conclusion? Xohm beats EVDO for speed when doing intensive downloading,…

Gadgets Kit Eaton Oct 1 '08

True Next Gen Wii Coming in 2011

A true “next generation” Nintendo console, tentatively referred to as the Wii HD, will hit the market in 2011, according to the folks at What They Play. The site claimed that Nintendo is currently showing early presentations of Wii 2.0 to the game development community, and that Miyamoto’s new device will be based on completely…

Tech News Elaine Chow Oct 1 '08

Charles Simonyi to Become World’s First Repeat Space Tourist

Not content with his first astronautic experience, Ex-Microsofter billionaire Charles Simonyi is now training for a second trip to the International Space Station in Spring 2009. Simonyi will be the first repeat Space Adventures customer since the company began sending private citizens into the final frontier in 2001. The last time he went (in 2007),…

Space & Spaceflight Elaine Chow Oct 1 '08

Protect Yourself from Visigoths with Roman Siege Engine, Now for Sale on eBay

Want to be the scariest ancient history buff in your neighborhood? A couple of timber engineers are selling their re-creation of a Roman ballista, which they made for a Discovery Channel documentary, on eBay. Though the 12-ton, 24 foot-tall war machine needs a little restoration work and doesn’t currently function, the engineers insist that it…

Tech News Elaine Chow Oct 1 '08

Gears of War 2 Zune Coming on Nov 7, Preorders Start in the Morning

Killing two marketing birds with one stone, Microsoft’s bundling some of its Zunes with various Gears of War 2 (launching soon!) paraphernalia. Each 120GB Zune will sport a laser-etched “Crimson Omen” and come pre-loaded with 244 pieces of media, including the soundtrack, behind-the-scene videos and concept art. The entire package will cost you $280 and…

Tech News Elaine Chow Oct 1 '08

Water Invisibility Barrier Protects Against Tsunamis

Research into invisibility cloaks, which work by bending light around 2D objects, could end up protecting offshore rigs and vulnerable coastlines from water. Scientists at the Fresnel Institute in Marseille, France said that established cloaking principles can be applied to ocean waves, and built a 10cm model to show how carefully placed concentric pillars make…

Tech News Elaine Chow Sep 30 '08

Free Boxee XBMC-Based Media Center Now Installable On Apple TV

KDDI Cellphone Concepts from the Space Age

Can You Meet The io9 Spoiler Photo Caption Challenge?

3D Force Field Opens Door for Holodeck, Virtual Touchable Leia

Xbox 360 Controller, in Red!

Poufman Luxury Leather Seats Are Like Pac-Man Biting Your Bum

Play Wii Fit with a Japanese Maid for $25

Plantronics Patents Nod-Powered Bluetooth Headset

Samsung Pixon 8MP Camera Phone Gets Groped

Rumor: Best Buy to Carry T-Mobile G1 from October 26th

PS3 Eye Hacked into Decent Windows-Compatible Webcam

RealNetworks Sued for DVD Copying Software That Nobody Wanted Anyway

WaterMill Automagically Pulls Clean Drinking Water from Thin Air

Nikkai OLED Buttons Are Like Little Scraps of Optimus

Xohm Tested Out in Baltimore: Beats EVDO, Unsurprisingly

True Next Gen Wii Coming in 2011

Charles Simonyi to Become World’s First Repeat Space Tourist

Protect Yourself from Visigoths with Roman Siege Engine, Now for Sale on eBay

Gears of War 2 Zune Coming on Nov 7, Preorders Start in the Morning

Water Invisibility Barrier Protects Against Tsunamis

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