Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Looking like a three-way love fest between a Imperial Lambda-class Shuttle, a harem of iPods, and an A-10 ‘Warthog,’ the ROBART III is a new robot prototype from the Space and Naval Warface Systems Center, designed to be placed in areas where security guards would not be awesome enough. Even better, the develops are planning…
Lomography, the folks who are pleasantly still lost in the world of 35mm film, have released the ‘Fisheye Camera,’ a film camera with a built-in 170° lens. If an always-on fisheye sounds perfectly useless to you, you might be missing the Lomo vibe—the same vibe that produces things like the Colorsplash camera. https://gizmodo.com/lomography-colorsplash-19222 Lomography Shop…
Sony Ericsson will be releasing the AU W31S music phone for Japanese mobile carrier KDDI. The phone shares a passing resemblance to the Motorola SLVR series, although the day-glo orange is certainly unique (it’s also available in white). The AU W31S will launch in Japan on April 10th, supporting ATRAC3, MP3, and WMA, among other…
Perfect for the casual CIA operative or dolphin trainer, the Olympus R1000 is a truly rugged “tough” digital assistant, as MobileMag’s review clearly shows. The device offers enhanced security along with the ability to take nearly anything you throw at it (including other R1000s). Surviving submersions in tanks of water, 8 hours of “agitation” with…
Here’s a little number I missed at CeBIT: the Alcatel OT-S853 music phone, an EDGE-capable Bluetooth candybar model that supports MP3 playback. The unique feature—besides the dedicated music playback control buttons, which all music phones should have—is the integrated speaker in the top. I don’t know exactly how often you’ll need to explain the subtle…
Sprint is showing off the LG MM-535 slider phone, with a 1.3-megapixel camera, 3D sound, and video-on-demand services. Jon Gales from MobileTracker thought he recalled the MM-535 to have Bluetooth, but there’s no word on it in Sprint’s feature lists. Expect the LG MM-535 for around $230 after rebates. LG MM-535 announced by Sprint PCS…
Toshiba takes a card from the Transformers deck, developing a laptop with a detachable display that allows you to convert your laptop into a tablet at a moment’s notice. They’ve already developed a prototype stylus-operated display that can be detached which they’ve been showing off at CeBIT. Said prototype is a 12.1 inch XGA that…
Asus is showing off their latest laptop with the V6800V, which they claim is the world’s thinnest and lightest 15-inch laptop. The V6800V stands at a pixie-like 0.9 inches thick and weighs just 4.4 pounds. Based on the Sonoma edition of the Intel Centrino chipset, the V6800V starts at 1.73 GHz with a 60GB hard…
The Bio Acoustical Utilization Device is emerging as a new potential treatment for those suffering from attention deficit hyperactive disorder, also known as the reason you can’t stand your nephew. “Through headphones, the instrument emits sonic waves that stimulate brain frequencies, accomplishing the same objective as commonly prescribed medicines,” such as Ritalin and Adderall. By…
In a classic example that Pringles cans are good for more than simply extending your wireless network or as an enclosure for incredibly ineffective pipe bombs, Rowena Dugdale has turned her collection into an innovative pinhole camera. The resulting images are creepy yet captivating and Rowena offers a nice narration throughout, including mention of her…
Akihabara News shows us the latest in earthquake protection for your PC and other heavy, unsecured equipment: The Quake-Proof Gel Cushion. Simply stick a cushion on your nearest 70-pound CRT monitor and it’s secure from sliding around even in the midst of an otherwise terrifying level 7 earthquake. While earthquakes aren’t so much an occupational…
DAPreview.com has some actual photos of the Luxpro shuffle we mentioned the other day. Now, we know many of you are out there thinking, “That looks exactly like an iPod shuffle!” You’re not the only one. However, one of the Luxpro reps at CeBIT set a reporter straight saying, “It is not identical to iPod…
Flat network cables aren’t anything new, but I’m pretty sure ones like this are. Japanese accessory king Elecom today announced the “LD-VAPF/SV05” network cabling, coming in at 1.4mm thick. With such a thin cable, you can run it pretty much anywhere you like; I guess it would work particularly well under carpet, in doorways, or…
Prototype Treo 650 pictures, or a new Windows Mobile-powered ‘Treo 670?’ The guy who took these pictures said it ran Windows Mobile. PalmOne should be able to tell us for sure: if they say it’s a mock-up, it doesn’t run Windows Mobile. If they don’t say anything at all, it has to be true. Another…
Sony Ericsson continues to make nice looking phones that I have no desire to own. The W800 Walkman Phone is nice enough looking, but the music application didn’t seem very advanced at all. Now I just played with it for a couple of minutes, but I was expecting something more polished. Pressing the music button…
Yesterday’s sunny, breezy day has been sandwiched between wet, hateful storms, where each sloshing stomp between buildings gives the clouds opporunity to pry open my orifices and dillute the pneumonia sauce already boiling in my lungs. As a reprieve, I have been hiding in Siemens New Media trailer, where I’ve watched them edit together a…
News, Etc. • Fujitsu-Siemens unveils two laptops [BiosMagazine] • What TiVo needs to do to stay alive [ThomasHawk] • Underwater Camera Housing Lineup [WetPixel] • Plextor Announces DivX-Certified PVR [Designtechnica] • Kiss Technologies offers remote PVR scheduling via cell [PocketLint]
Pretec Electronics Corporation, apparently unaware that more than eight competing formats already exist in this market, has developed a new flash memory card called the C-Flash. Smaller than a dime, Pretec seems to be gambling on the “hope your customers lose your product and don’t learn from their mistakes” business model. Cards with capacities up…
Just about as simple as it gets, direct now your attention to the Chalk Mug. It includes a stick of chalk and makes for a perfect way to keep score in your drinking games or to surreptitiously mark which one you casually slipped the GHB into. At only $8.00, (plus shipping from the UK) I’m…
FCS Company’s Hexatech Racing Simulator is just what you need (racing-enthusiast-cum -millionaire that you are) for that spare Great Room in your summer home. The 170 square-foot system consists of a race car cockpit with a force feedback steering wheel, and, before I forget, a driver seat and visual system mounted on a six-degrees of…