Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
CableLabs has started testing and certifying the next generation of cable modems that use the DOCSIS 3.0 standard. In sorta English, we’re talking boxes that’ll handle 160Mbps download speeds and 120Mbps up, putting them on par with fiber optic services. The AZNs still have the jump on us, with customers in Korea and Singapore getting…
Philips’ line of Xenium 9@9 cellphones are best known for their incredibly long battery life. The new Xenium 9@9u that has just been given the FCC unveiling seems to be at the bottom of the Xenium battery life scale, with an expected run time of one month on standby and up to 8 hours of…
In the spirit of the man who replicated a $30k jumbo jet cockpit simulator in his bedroom, these premium flight sim chairs have hit the net. The Hotseat 723 has a yoke for non-combat jets, a 23-inch HDTV, speakers near the floor, pedals and a keyboard rest for about $5k. The Dreamflyer has a stick,…
The second Nokia patent Unwired View’s dug up this week apes the Nintendo DS more than the Sidekick. It’s got two screens, one touch, the other for visuals only. It also has the quickly becoming standard intelligent layout, which changes depending on the angle the phone’s opened at. https://gizmodo.com/nokia-sniffing-around-sidekick-territory-with-new-paten-325324 When it’s flapped completely open, the…
ThinkgGeek started selling this surprisingly affordable neon signage kit. A power supply is $30, and it can control up to 22 of the blue letters, which cost $7 each. If you’re just looking to run some buzzing neon, and don’t care what it spells out, you might do better on eBay under the neon Beer-aphenalia,…
Not to be a jerk, but waking up at 2 a.m. to stand in the cold for a few hours waiting to save $100 on a laptop doesn’t seem like a sign of intelligence to me, or at least not a sign of being able to prioritize things properly. My cynical, judgmental view of Black…
Make’s Phil Torrone is in Japan, visiting some old blog fodder in person, like this Japan find from 2005. Underneath an office building in the Otemachi business district of Tokyo is an underground rice and vegetable field. Created in a former bank vault, this hidden garden is maintained “using computer-controlled artificial light and temperature management.…
We’ve heard things like this before without results, but The Inquirer is reporting that a reader was tipped off to TMO US 3G handsets and plans. That rep replied with a date of December 6th, citing internal docs. It’s a thin thread to hang this rumor off of, but last September, T-Mobile won an auction…
Ever wonder what your girlfriend does when you are not around—and how she gets her hair so shiny and manageable? If so, this wireless hair dryer spy cam may be right up your alley. There are a number of versions available at varying price points, but if you want the ultimate in fashionable spying technology…
If you’re one of the unlucky souls cursed with a bum strum button on their Rock Band guitar, you might not have to send it back to EA just yet. Ben Sones over at Quarter to Three got a gimped guitar and tore it apart to try to fix it himself. Apparently, the issue’s actually…
Nothing will distract your wife from the fact that you bought her a vacuum cleaner for Christmas like wrapping it in a gaudy, color-changing box. She’ll barely notice that you bought her an insulting present that she’ll get no joy out of using and that, because it’s “hers,” will make you feel absolved from helping…
The folks at Wizard Universe have put together a comprehensive list of the 50 greatest fictional weapons of all time. Many of your favorite imaginary superweapons are on there, although the order may be a point of contention (along with some glaring omissions) with fanboys across a wide array of genres—including video games, movies and…
Oakley sunglasses are expensive. But apparently, they’re expensive for reasons other than the recognizable “O” logo that’s stuck on them. Nope, they’re resistant to shattering if something strikes them, unlike other sunglasses that’ll happily embed shards of themselves in your eyes when hit. They can also withstand 2 pound weights falling on them and handle…
Recent patents filed by Apple reveal that the company may be looking to extend the multi-touch functionality found in the iPhone and iPod Touch to devices that can utilize the whole hand. Using an array of sensors, these products would be capable of recognizing which part of the hand is making contact with the surface…
Lotus makes a sexy car on their own, but teaming up with die-cast maker Hot Wheels they’ve really outdone themselves. A 1:5 scale model created for SEMA, one of its most distinctive characteristics is the exposed center spine which incorporates switches and gear linkages while supporting that massive wing you see sticking out the back.…
We just got a mysterious invite to a party in swinging London: an “exclusive pre-launch unveiling” of a “significant Anytime/Anywhere Computing” product. God only knows what it could be. The pic above, which came in the e-mail, depicts the popular OQO model 02 UMPC—called E2 in Europe because of the O2 cellular carrier. We’re told…
Recycling circuit boards for use as everyday, decorative objects is nothing new—but you have to hand it to a guy who takes the concept this far. Although, I doubt that you would be pulling in a lot of tail rollin’ down the street in a circuit-board-covered beater with Thomas Dolby blaring on the radio. [Nerdcore…
Apparently the science of cocktail robotics was woefully neglected until some enterprising alkies created Roboexotica, a convention to celebrate cyber-assisted drunkenness. The action is taking place this weekend in Vienna, and from the looks of the opening night pictures, things are still as academic as they were when I was in college. (Just looking at…
Huge Sale on the Brand New Roomba 500 series Robot Vacuums, Scooba Robot Mops, Verro Robot Pool Cleaners and Looj Robot Gutter Cleaners. All on Sale at the Lowest Prices of the Year!
Researchers at Duke University have teamed up with the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International in Kyoto to get a monkey’s brain to control a pair of robot legs through the internet. By mapping the monkey’s brain signals while walking (through electrode measurements), Duke researchers were able to pinpoint the activation areas to specific leg movements.…