Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Mirage is really wanting to lock down that elusive “watch TV outside in the snow” customer base by improving on their previous non-HD TVs with these 42- and 47-inch 1080p sets. These MirageVisions can take temperatures from -25 to 145 degrees F, as well as withstand rain, sleet, snow and high humidity. The waterproof cover…
iFuntastic is the easiest way to muck around in an iPhone’s head and version 3.03 has been released with app support and more on top of the existing ringtone and file browsing features: •Support for installing apps via the file manager, no restart necessary. •(Was the previous “Browser” renamed to stay clear of Apple?) •Support…
Other than firemen, the military and masked vigilantes, there probably isn’t a huge market for a suit that allows you to scale up walls. However, Italian scientists have calculated how much stickiness a suit needs to mimic the ability of insects and spiders to climb up a wall without peeing their pants in fear of…
Although this robotic arm probably won’t make anybody cry, it is pretty darn amazing. The components, which look anime-like in its cords and pipes and metal structure, are designed to mimic your muscle and skeletal structure. It’s good enough right now to actually write semi-legibly and lift a small weight up without passing out—two tasks…
Balda, Apple’s iPhone touch-screen provider, got an order for 6 to 8 million touch-screens from an unnamed “leading mobile manufacturer,” starting in April 2008. If this manufacturer is Nokia, could this mean that today’s video showing a fake phone with concept overlaid user-interface is more than rushed-out FUD? Seems logical to us, but that many…
You’re looking at the new HP Virtus. Not much of anything is known about the slick-looking tower. We’ll let you know one way or another when we get more details. [Engadget]
While it’s true that carrying around this portable rotary cellphone—yes, it’s a cellphone—will impress friends and strangers alike, it’s unlikely to impress them for more than five minutes. Yes, it supports tri-band GSM, has a SIM card slot and has a rechargeable battery. But the phone costs $499 and you have to actually unscrew the…
Click to viewIs this it? The HD DVD stake into Blu-ray’s heart that will signal a start to the resolution of these next-gen DVD format wars? We tracked down a price on the upcoming Venturer HD DVD player and discovered it to be $199, the magical price that everyone’s been waiting for. The SHD7000 will…
Parrot knows people hate cables, which is why they’re releasing a Bluetooth stereo and a set of Bluetooth speakers that’ll stream music sent from your phone. The speakers will merely play your music, while the stereo will allow for hands-free calling, FM radio playing and music played off of SD cards. Both will be available…
Sony’s just confirmed that they are out of supplies of the 60GB PlayStation 3 in their warehouses, which means that the only place left to get that specific version of the console is on store shelves. If you wanted a PS3 that can do hardware emulation of PS1 and PS2 games, you’d better get one…
Here’s a cross between a Hacky Sack and a football, and it’s called FunKix, billed as a techno-filled sports sack for your kicking and gadget-lusting enjoyment. Each one of these little kicksters does its own digital trick. The FunKix Digi has a digital counter, recording your time and number of kicks on its LCD display.…
After weeks of leaks, Microsoft’s confirmed that Windows Vista Service Pack 1 will be available sometime in Q1 of 2008. [News.com]
Because virtually all keyless car entry systems run on an encryption system called KeeLoq, developed in the 1980s, researchers have found a way to break into just about every car out there (provided they have a keyless system). By snooping on the transmissions between the key and the car for about an hour, they can…
It looks like some of the first people to be implanted with Big-Brotherish tracking devices will be people who won’t know enough to say no: Alzheimer’s patients. The chips are designed to hold their personal information, so if they end up wandering off looking for a gumdrop mansion or to go see the new Greta…
The November 24, 1975 Middlesboro Daily News (Middlesboro, Kentucky) ran an editorial countering the “catastrophe theory” predictions made by the Club of Rome. Per usual, neither party got everything right. Excerpts appear below, along with the piece in its entirety. In health care, for example, a cure for cancer will be found by 1995 and…
A Volkswagen spokesperson told German magazine Capital that an iCar may be on the way. Steve Jobs and VW Chairman Martin Winterkorn got together in California a few days ago to “plan an intensive co-operation with the building of vehicles.” It might even be called an iCar. This is against a background of chatter we…
Engadget just noted that the iRobot Looj just hit the FCC. There are some terrible photos but I noticed there’s a full manual detailing its every function: •The Looj does one gutter at a time. •There’s a belt clip for easier transportation of the Looj to rooftops. •There’s a detachable handle used to drop it…
While one HDTV is good, two HDTVs are clearly even better. That’s why this Dealzmodo is so sweet: If you buy a 1080p 46-inch Samsung LCD HDTV, Amazon will toss you a 19-inch Samsung LCD HDTV (which retails for $380) for freesies. The total price before shipping is $2,019.99, which is pretty damned good for…
Here’s an odd toy from Crayola that could function as a tool, too. The Crayola Total Tools Audio Ruler lays down a line of disappearing ink, and then blurts out exactly how long that line is as soon as you’re done drawing it. It’s accurate to within a quarter of an inch, but has a…
Kasper at Apple Insider is guessing that a RED Shuffle will be announced at the Apple event on September 5th, citing no sources, but when the man writes, I listen. This isn’t anywhere as cool of a rumor as the sensational iPod Touch and new nano shots we’ve been seeing, but I’d be a cold-hearted…