Thursday, April 19, 2007
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Portrait of Suspected Sony Ericsson W999i Cellphone Surfaces
11:45PM Seamus Byrne | Although some fuzzy-wuzzy pictures of this cellphone have been floating around a few forums, here’s the clearest one we’ve seen yet, this sweet Sony Ericsson Walkman slider handset that could possibly be the w999i. Details are sketchy at this point, but rumor has this thin little handset measuring just 12.5mm thick, and it’ll hook up via HSDPA, and of course, will have the obligatory 2-megapixel auto-focus camera on board. You’ll be able to view all the festivities on a 2.4-inch 320×240 screen. There’s something really clean-looking about this phone, and even though we like its silver, black and green look, we’re not too crazy about that semi-QWERTY keyboard. No one has any idea when this delectable bauble might surface. – Charlie White SE Mobil? (Swedish) [MeareSuperstar, via Unwired View] More »
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Kondo Destroys! Kondo Smashes! Kondo Plays Soccer?
11:37PM Seamus Byrne | Kondo KHR-2 HV, the robot that plays soccer, fights with other bots and dances salsa, has got some new clothes. First up is a shiny polycarbonate carapace that makes him look much more studly and buff than his previous square-headed incarnation. All the pretty little Ho’Bots will be bumping up to him as much as they can, mark my words. His Robocop fabulousness costs $152. There’s also a couple of paper soccer strips for him to wear. They cost $10 each, but you’ll probably have to replace them regularly as his screaming fans will rip ‘em off him after he scores the winning goal in the match. You can see them in the gallery below. Plus, after the jump, a glimpse of what he was like when he was just a squarehead. galleryPost('kondosoccer', 4, 'kondosoccer'); More »
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HeartLander: Caterpillar Robot that Prefers Pigs’ Hearts to Lettuce Hearts
9:00PM Seamus Byrne | This little bug is called the HeartLander, a tiny little caterpillar-esque robot developed by the Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh. Inserted via keyhole surgery, the HeartLander crawls across the surface of the heart to administer drugs or attach medical devices. Apparently this invention could revolutionalize the treatment of cardiac patients while making the rest of the world sick at the mere sight of it. More details and a picture of the robot itself right after the jump. More »
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Intel Menlow-based UMPC: The Movie
7:23PM Seamus Byrne | Behold the new UMPC with Menlow, for it will “truly put the full Internet in your pocket”! According to the Intel Ultra Mobile Group Chief Evangelist, that is. And provided you have the pants of Krusty The Clown and are ready to take all kinds of “is that the full Internet in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” jokes. The most interesting bit from Mark, showing the Compal prototype in Beijing, was his mention of the Ultra Mobile Platform 2008 running Windows, Linux and Mac OS X: “This can also run Linux. We don’t care what you put on it. [Can you run OS X?] Absol… you know? I bet you could, because the iPhone is going to be running OS X.” While a fully functional PC with 45 nanometer Silverthorn processor running Mac OS X won’t be a surprise, it’s nice to find that 1) Intel doesn’t give a damn about Windows in the brave new world of mobility computing and 2) there seems to be an absol-I-bet-you-could possibility of Apple using Menlow for their next iPhone/Mini-me MacBooks. In any case, the Compal-who-thinks-it’s-a-PSP is a nice “fully functional PC” on its own, running for 4 to 6 hours on “cellphone batteries” with a panoramic touchscreen, sliding keyboard and support for all kinds of Wi-Fi and WiMax. – Jesus Diaz Blogging Beijing: Intel UMPC Prototype [Textura Design] More »
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PS3 1.7 Firmware Available, Enables More Backwardness
3:50PM Seamus Byrne | We’re about to fire up the old PS3 and download the latest 1.70 firmware update, but here’s what we know about it so far: The update lets you play original PS1 games that you download for your PSP on your PS3. Plus, whatever saved games you accrue when doing so can get transferred over to your PSP later. Not sure if you can transfer them back to your PS3. Also, PS1 and PS2 games that have vibration controls can now be supported with whatever vibration accessories are available for the PS3. This is all Mike from Kotaku sees so far, but if you know something we’ve missed let us know in the comments. – Jason Chen PS3 1.70 Firmware Out [Kotaku - Thanks Michael and Ahmed!] More »
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Clickity-Clackity Steampunk RSS Reader
1:00PM Seamus Byrne | Forget Google Reader or Feed Demon for your RSS needs, this modified telegraph sounder taps out RSS feeds using MagpieRSS PHP script to grab them and Morse2LED to make them tappable. It’s a little useless if you don’t know Morse Code, but it looks pretty sweet next to its steampunk keyboard counterpart. – Matt Buchanan Telegraph Sounder clicks out RSS Feeds [Steampunk Workshop via Boing Boing] More »
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Suit Up Your Laptop
12:00PM Seamus Byrne | One thing that Apple has bashed into our heads, what with all of the Mac vs. PC commercials, is that Macs aren’t very accepted in the stodgy corporate world. But don’t worry Apple lovers, we found a laptop case that will disguise your trendy little MacBook so that you can fit in with all the other Dell and Lenovo laptops. Although, fitting in will run you $35 for some foam and vinyl.– Ben Longo Product Page [Barry's Farm via Wired] More »
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Temp Sensing LED Faucet Light Review (Verdict: Needs More Spray)
11:41AM Seamus Byrne | I really dig those expensive LED Faucets that glow blue and red to warn you of the temp. Here’s my review of the $20 nozzle attachment version. As you’d guess, I’m giving up a thing or two by skimping: •The LED isn’t variable: Once you hit 89 degrees or greater, the red LED switches on. Before that, its blue. And when your water isn’t running the circuit opens and the light goes off. •The piece is long, so if you’ve got a shallow sink basin, you’re going to be annoyed. •It’ll runs an unspecified number of hours with 3 easily changed small button batteries. •Comes with two adapters for different faucet sizes. •That’s not chrome. It’s silverized plastic (the kind that chips). What do you expect for $20. •The flow is superb, but unfocused. Ultimately, I couldn’t justify this without a wide spray and stream mode, and an adjustable neck. Depending on your love for LEDs, though, YMMV. galleryPost('ledfaucet', 8, 'LED Faucet Light'); –Brian Lam LED Faucet [Thinkgeek] More »
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Nintendo ’80s Arcade Cabinet
11:00AM Seamus Byrne | Costco’s selling this Nintendo classic arcade cabinet. Since you can get Mario Bros. Donkey Kong and DK Jr variations on Game Boy, what you’re actually paying $3000 for is the orange paint and amazing cabinet art. Twin joysticks, and a 19 inch monitor round out the 250-pound pre-8-bit-era game machine.–Brian Lam galleryPost('nintendoarcadecab', 3, 'Nintendo Arcade Cabinet'); Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Mario Bros. Arcade by Namco [Costco, thanks Jason] More »
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