Monday, July 9, 2007
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Bj Linux-based Robo-Mutt is Smarter than AIBO
8:27PM Seamus Byrne | Bj will be the new robot mutt in town when it arrives worldwide this fall. It may not have Sony’s pedigree, but it’s smarter than any other pup-bot ever. Designed for research and hacking, the fully programmable Bj uses Linux and is loaded with an i.MX 533MHz processor based on an ARM core with 64MB of RAM. The rest of the technical specs makes Bj almost as smart as my Border Terrier*. More »
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Japanese Steampunk Watches: Get Meta With Time
6:45PM Seamus Byrne | God, we love steampunk. A lot. So the few of us that still wear watches wouldn’t mind rocking our wrists out faux-19th-century style with one (or several) of these amazing Japanese artisanal pieces which, sadly, are mostly of the too-sweet-to-sell variety. galleryPost('steampunkwatches', 8, 'Steampunk Watches'); Steampunk watches [Eager Beavers via Boing Boing] Still more steampunk [Eager Beavers] More »
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PS3’s $100 Price Drop and 80GB Version Officially Official
4:18PM Seamus Byrne | No one’s surprised. But Sony just dropped an official press release stating that the PS3 is getting an 80GB model in the US for $599 (with Motorstorm), while the original 60GB premium goes for $499 ($100 less). You know what’s dumb? No one needs an 80GB drive on the PS3 because there aren’t really any solid things you’d want to download. Yet. I’m not one to shit talk Sony for dropping the price on the PS3, though. More power to em. Full presser after the jump. AU: We’ll chase local Playstation office for their take on the price movement and when we can expect similar here. -SB More »
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10:15AM Seamus Byrne | So I’ve been here in Paris covering the exploits of Australia’s Team Immunity Counter-Strike team at the Electronic Sports World Cup. Sadly, the boys drew a proverbial ‘group of death’ and were knocked out in the first group phase with a 1-3 record. The three teams they were beaten by were all pro teams, and Immunity pushed the top ranked team from their group to the brink of an upset that would have been on par with Australia beating Italy in the soccer. More »
ESWC 2007: Immunity bows out early
10:15AM Seamus Byrne | So I’ve been here in Paris covering the exploits of Australia’s Team Immunity Counter-Strike team at the Electronic Sports World Cup. Sadly, the boys drew a proverbial ‘group of death’ and were knocked out in the first group phase with a 1-3 record. The three teams they were beaten by were all pro teams, and Immunity pushed the top ranked team from their group to the brink of an upset that would have been on par with Australia beating Italy in the soccer. More »
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10:02AM Seamus Byrne | Good news for those struggling with broadband, as the government has launched a web resource to help you get things up and running. Broadbandnow.gov.au lets you track down the options in your neighbourhood (excellent for rural folk), explains the technologies, lets you easily file complaints on your service provider, and gives information on assistance programs, initiatives, and international comparisons.
Interesting note picked up by APCmag has been the lack of a Bigpond listing at launch. No Bigpond? First response was that Bigpond is too expensive to make the lists of options. Telstra was suitably fuming, and has since been told it was actually just an oversight – they’ll be back in the mix soon, but with a “non-metro comparable” service warning due to their speed/pricing structures. Zing! -Seamus Byrne
Broadband availability checker unveiled [APCmag.com]
It’s official: Bigpond is too expensive [APCmag.com] More »
BroadbandNow checker live, sans Telstra
10:02AM Seamus Byrne | Good news for those struggling with broadband, as the government has launched a web resource to help you get things up and running. Broadbandnow.gov.au lets you track down the options in your neighbourhood (excellent for rural folk), explains the technologies, lets you easily file complaints on your service provider, and gives information on assistance programs, initiatives, and international comparisons.
Interesting note picked up by APCmag has been the lack of a Bigpond listing at launch. No Bigpond? First response was that Bigpond is too expensive to make the lists of options. Telstra was suitably fuming, and has since been told it was actually just an oversight – they’ll be back in the mix soon, but with a “non-metro comparable” service warning due to their speed/pricing structures. Zing! -Seamus Byrne
Broadband availability checker unveiled [APCmag.com]
It’s official: Bigpond is too expensive [APCmag.com] More »
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9:21AM Seamus Byrne | This eBay item was kinda funny, because unlike many subtle dodgy listings it was an overt pisstake of said dodgy listings. A badly drawn cardboard iPhone that doesn’t look remotely like an iPhone. Ha. Good one. I laughed. The question and answer section is particularly entertaining.
The result? 8 bids. $29. ’stall4u’, you’re an idiot.
PS: Here in Paris, I saw a guy on the Metro with an iPhone today. Real, not cardboard. Like Oz, it isn’t set to come out here in Europe for quite a few months. But he was chillin’, playing with the menu scrolling and listening to some tunes. It was definitely active – perhaps it was roaming? I tried to sneak a pic, but didn’t get one snapped off in time. Awwww… Anyway, it was big. Bigger than I’d first thought. But not Cardboard big. -Seamus Byrne
Apple iPhone 8GB Cardboard [eBay]
Thanks Sascha for the tip! More »
Idiot: eBayer ’stall4u’ pays $29 for cardboard iPhone
9:21AM Seamus Byrne | This eBay item was kinda funny, because unlike many subtle dodgy listings it was an overt pisstake of said dodgy listings. A badly drawn cardboard iPhone that doesn’t look remotely like an iPhone. Ha. Good one. I laughed. The question and answer section is particularly entertaining.
The result? 8 bids. $29. ’stall4u’, you’re an idiot.
PS: Here in Paris, I saw a guy on the Metro with an iPhone today. Real, not cardboard. Like Oz, it isn’t set to come out here in Europe for quite a few months. But he was chillin’, playing with the menu scrolling and listening to some tunes. It was definitely active – perhaps it was roaming? I tried to sneak a pic, but didn’t get one snapped off in time. Awwww… Anyway, it was big. Bigger than I’d first thought. But not Cardboard big. -Seamus Byrne
Apple iPhone 8GB Cardboard [eBay]
Thanks Sascha for the tip! More »
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9:08AM Seamus Byrne | Good news: FreeTV Australia (a body that represents the free-to-air networks) has announced the networks will release a free EPG.
Bad news: This will be a conditional free EPG, given only to those hardware / PVR suppliers whose kit fits in with the tech restraints FreeTV Australia wants imposed.
Two steps forward, one step back? No dates for implementations. The announcement has a great spot of triple speak, actually – “set to transform… by paving the way for the development of…” So, in essence, they have announced that, after years of planning, they have laid a few pavers. Tops work! -Seamus Byrne
“Free TV Networks usher in new era of digital TV.” [FreeTV]
Massive blow to free-to-air TV [The Age]
Thanks to Miles for the tip! More »
Free to air EPG coming… soon?
9:08AM Seamus Byrne | Good news: FreeTV Australia (a body that represents the free-to-air networks) has announced the networks will release a free EPG.
Bad news: This will be a conditional free EPG, given only to those hardware / PVR suppliers whose kit fits in with the tech restraints FreeTV Australia wants imposed.
Two steps forward, one step back? No dates for implementations. The announcement has a great spot of triple speak, actually – “set to transform… by paving the way for the development of…” So, in essence, they have announced that, after years of planning, they have laid a few pavers. Tops work! -Seamus Byrne
“Free TV Networks usher in new era of digital TV.” [FreeTV]
Massive blow to free-to-air TV [The Age]
Thanks to Miles for the tip! More »
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Video: The Xbox 360 Transformer
8:05AM Seamus Byrne | We knew we saw the Xbox 360 transform and tear the eyeballs out of some guy during the Transformers movie, and now we have video proof so we can enjoy it at home. There it is, complete with a clipped version of the startup sound. Oh and in case you were wondering whether the movie was worth seeing? The answer is YES. More »
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