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How small can a x86 motherboard get? Here’s the Pico-ITX by Via Technologies, and it’s the smallest one yet. It’s tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand, a mere 4 x 3 inches. Expect PCs to get even more impossibly small using this pint-sized motherboard.
Way to go Via, the Taiwanese company that’s been struggling lately but just last week signed a deal with HP to supply tons of chips for Chinese PCs. The company will supply the processors for this board, too, so it looks like the Via team is carving out a mini-niche for itself. – Charlie White
Press Release [Via Technologies]
Details have been scarce on the Amazon Kindle eReader since we first saw it last September, but some publishers have actually gotten to play with it now that we’re nearing the spring release date. First, the price is going to be above $400. Seeing as the Sony reader is fetching somewhere around $300 to $350, that’s not a good place to start.
However, the Kindle is actually a step up in terms of functionality from Sony’s reader.
It has a screen display that’s just as good, and will be using Mobipocket to supply titles. The release date is spring, which is pretty darn soon.
What’s more, the Kindle will have online functionality from its EV-DO connection to buy eBooks directly from Amazon. Despite the device not looking that great from the shots we’ve seen before, the features do seem to place this as quite a nice alternative to Sony’s offering. – Jason Chen
Amazon Kindle this spring for above $400 [Mobileread]
Now here’s a great idea: a rear-view mirror with a video display that automatically appears when you shift the car into reverse. Working just like those displays hiding behind bathroom mirrors, this one shows you a real-time panoramic view right when you need it. Then, when you’re moving forward, it disappears.
It’s made by Ford Motor Company, and It’ll first appear in Mazda SUVs early this summer for $665. We can only hope that price will come down and the idea will spread to cars far and wide. But one thing we were thinking: why not just have a full-width wide-screen LCD that’s always on, and eliminate the rear-view mirror altogether? – Charlie White
Magic Rearview mirror from Mazda [Newlaunches]
A-DATA may be a little late to the party, but they have designed and released a variety of flash memory modules with a PotC theme. Available is a regular flash drive bearing Depp’s character. Also available are SD Duo cards. These are like regular SD memory cards but have a USB module so they can be directly plugged in to a computer. Normally I would rip on A-DATA for showing up to the PotC bandwagon party very late, but I can’t hate against anything featuring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. SD Duo pictures after the fold.
Microsoft‘s latest patent filing is finally giving us a deeper look into what they plan to do with their Live Anywhere service. Even though it’s been a year since Microsoft first demoed the Live Anywhere concept—which promises connectivity from all devices into the same Xbox network—at E3 2006, the only advancement we’ve seen is the ability to play a handful of Xbox Live games on Vista with your buddies on Xbox 360. All the really cool stuff—playing XBLA games from your cellphone, playing games from your Zune, and communicating anywhere with your Live buddies—has yet to materialize.
In the filing, Microsoft’s planning on supplementing weaker devices (in terms of processing power) like mobiles and the Zune, with stronger processors, like Xbox 360 and PCs. That way, through wired and wireless connections, already-rendered video and audio can be streamed to your devices out there in the world. Although we probably still won’t see Live Anywhere on our phones for a while, and by extension the ability to mock Blongo’s Guitar Hero skills from anywhere, it’s nice to know Microsoft hasn’t forgotten about it. – Jason Chen
Zune, Xbox, PC in Game Network [ZuneScene]
The thought of a random critter pillaging through my garden makes my blood boil, but now those son of a guns will pay. The Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler is exactly that. This device hooks up to a hose and will start spraying bursts of water upon detection of motion, or an animal. No longer will giant barbwire electric fences be needed to protect those precious tomatoes, now the Scarecrow is all you need. This is a pretty foolproof device, unless, of course, a fish decides to ruin your garden. $75. –Travis Hudson
(And remember, folks… there is a drought on! -ed.)
Product Page [Via uber-review]
Even though spring is definitely here, we still like the idea of a cozy fire, and this Fire Table from British design firm Fuego is just weird enough to satisfy our firebug jones. Hey, any excuse to play with fire is good enough for a recovering smoker.
This one’s exceptionally easy to use, where all you need to do is light up its alcohol-based gel (it’s like Sterno) and whoosh! The thing’s burning without any stankin’ smoke, muss or fuss.
Be careful who you let stand next to your fire, because a diaphanous gown could suddenly burst into flames. And it’s certainly not childproof, nor is it wallet-proof at $1800-$2200 depending on finish and size. – Charlie White
Indoor Fire Table [Born Rich]
I’m all for surround sound, but for the sake of saving space I gravitate to speakers like Paradigm‘s Millenia 20 Trio, which combines all of your front channels (left, center, and right) into one skinny soundbar. Paradigm doesn’t claim it delivers virtual surround surround sound (for that check out these or my personal favorites) so you’ll need to pair it with a sub or rear satellites for the full experience. The soundbar will set you back $1,000, which is pricey, but not a bad way to complement your flat-panel. – Louis Ramirez
When we introduced you to these six-foot-tall KEF Muon speakers earlier this month, we called them “mysterious, tall and handsome.” Designed by erstwhile Apple designer Ross Lovegrove, the limited edition of 100 speakers are made of shiny aluminum and look more like sculptures than loudspeakers.
We were hoping to see a full-length photo of the things after their big debut at a Milan design show, and as you can see, we weren’t disappointed. We were also kinda wondering how much these things cost, because when we first saw these, price wasn’t part of the conversation. Now we know. $140,000.
Jump for more luscious pictures.
The Empire State Building, whose lights change with the seasons (green and red for Christmas, green for St. Paddy’s Day, etc), is getting an upgrade. Both Color Kinetics and Philips Electronics are competing for a new contract to install LEDs on the skyscraper, allowing for new colors and patterns to be shone on the side of the building.
While I’m all for an upgrade with brighter, more efficient lights, the idea of a giant American flag or some cheesy fireworks animations for the 4th of July being slapped up there just seems really tacky. But hey, they didn’t ask me, so look for some tourist-slow-walking-inducing lights to be installed on the iconic structure sometime next year. –Adam Frucci
Empire State Building Seeks Best of the Brightest [NY Times]
