Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
If you can guess what this is at first glance then you’re a better man than I … At second glance you might wonder about those pipes. And then you might realize it’s actually a radiator, built entirely from 90-degree pipe pieces. It’s designed to be a sculptural heater that fits in with any interior,…
A German inventor has developed a paint called AR 1 that can hide a vehicle from radar, and most importantly, “all militarily relevant frequencies.” How it works is unclear, though one test researcher proposes it’s either by reflecting radar waves in a pattern so they cancel one another out, or by utilizing microscopic magnets to…
A company called SIMable has produced a little chip that they call the “10-second solution” for unlocking carrier-tethered GSM handsets. The gimmick is that, instead of unlocking the phone itself—and risking invalidation of your warranty— the chip works on the SIM card, provided you punch a hole in the SIM. Yes, I said “punch a…
Here, in our niche technological world, we’d already considered steampunk as a mainstream phenomenon. But according to the NY Times, it could be the next major trend for, you know, normal people. Quaint to some eyes, or outright bizarre, steampunk fashion is compelling all the same. It is that rarity, a phenomenon with the potential…
We all know the hassle of digging into a pocket to twiddle the controls on our MP3 players, but until smart clothing becomes mainstream we’re stuck with it. Unless someone takes this magnetic control concept and manufactures it for real, that is. The Pocket Pal is simple: the control stays outside, but is magnetically fixed…
One of the occupational hazards of Google Street View is, I guess, having the camera obscured by something. It could be a pterodactyl, perhaps, flying low for a closer view, it could be a giant Monty Python-style animated brogue homing in on the car as if it were a roach ripe for the squishing. Or…
“Assume the position,” barked Batman, as he wrestled his captive into a supine position. “Ooh, I just love it when you talk dirty to me,” purred Catwoman, an enigmatic half-smile playing about her whiskers, as she was bat-handled into submission. Her direct, feline gaze never left the superhero’s face, and he shifted uncomfortably as he…
I used to want a car just like KITT when I was a kid, though perhaps without that slightly annoying nasal voice. And now a Stanford scientist is looking at whether nattering to your vehicle may be good for you, the car, other road users and even (darnit) your insurers or advertising execs. “Your car…
Shots of Sony Ericsson‘s Paris have been popping up here and there over the past month, but get yourselves an eyeful of the five-megapixel slider. Hang on, should I spell that “Eiffel?” [Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog]
Now, we’ve been raving about Sony’s diminutive XEL-1 OLED TV for a while, but an independent investigation by Displaysearch is casting doubt on the screen’s lifespan. They ran two XEL-1 units for 1000 hours, then measured the change in brightness emitted by the screen. They concluded that it would take 17,000 hours for the screen…
Both 8GB and 16GB models of the iPhone are out of stock in the UK, according to both the O2 and Carphone Warehouse websites, although units are still ready to ship from the Apple Store online. I guess they’re clearing the decks for the 3G version. Just tell us cuando, cuando cuando, Apple. [Pocket Lint]
Dust-proof and showerproof—although, despite the shower head-keyboard bunk-up in the picture, apparently not waterproof—this plastic laptop cover from Thanko is a glorified freezer bag. Available in A4 and B5 sizes, it is the plastic sofa cover of portable device accessories. Cost is around $20, and I suggest using Cling-film instead. [Thanko via Akihabara News]
When it comes to the fine art of presenting movies on discs, Criterion’s treatment of films, in quality and extras, finds itself unparalleled. And that’s why it is amazingly good news that they’re finally going Blu-ray. What’s even cooler is that they’re not going to charge any more for Blu-ray versions of movies, and that’s…
After months of unofficial teasing (and well over a year of hanging out overseas) Samsung’s U940 Glyde is finally official for Verizon. Besides going all CDMA/EV-DO, the former F700 touchscreener with a QWERTY keyboard packs GPS, a full HTML browser, a gimped 2MP camera, VCAST and all the usual stuff like Bluetooth and microSD support.…
The July 8, 1937 San Antonio Light (San Antonio, TX) ran a blurb about predictions for the year 2000. Apparently, children won’t attend school until they reach ten years of age. The entire blurb appears below. A Columbia university educator, addressing students at the University of California at Los Angeles, predicted that “by the year…
The Dash Express GPS just received its first historic traffic model update using the live Dash data gathered by users. That’ll help predict traffic in areas where no Dash or other trusted data sources have been in the last 15 minutes. By end of month, a software update is coming with tweaks in performance, stability…
XNA 3.0 tech preview is out, and with it, you can dev or install some homebrew games on your Zune right now, like Alien Aggressor and Galactic Wars 3. The directions are at [Zuneboards, thanks IPXX]
PingMag did an interview with the creators of the Tenori-on that was overlooked when published, but there are a few interesting tidbits from the interview, like the fact that neither of the creators are musicians. Yu said it took three years to develop the Tenori-on, and another three to get Yamaha on board with the…
You never know when a partying emergency will strike—which is why you must always be prepared. If you have the know-how, you can build one of these Emergency Party Buttons and launch the fun in a matter of moments. When the key is turned and the button is pressed, the blinds will close, the lights…
Even though there’s no love lost between NBC and iTunes, that doesn’t mean NBC doesn’t love you! At least if you’ve got an iPhone or iPod touch. They’re streaming full episodes of 30 Rock and The Office to iPhones (and touches) in QuickTime, for free, with NO ads. They work, nicely, but the major catch…
