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Lifehacker
The MHY 2BS is a 2.5-inch HDD that can go for 24 hours and store up to 200GB. It also has a Serial ATA interface, runs at 5400rpm and has features in it that minimalize rotational vibration. Aimed at industrial equipment and enterprise applications, the MHY 2BS goes on sale at the end of August. [Fujitsu via Akihabara News]
As if the world needed yet another weird musical instrument, Danielle Wilde has created the hipDisk, a pair of doughnut-shaped platters activated with a series of movements that might be quite attractive with the right person doing them. The idea incorporates not just one of these noisemakers, but duets, trios, quartets or even choirs of such dancers/musician angels, filling the air with discord, rude noises and dissonance. it's not entirely clear why a bathing suit must be worn during the performance. Jump to the next page for the video, but we're warning you, get ready to turn the sound down.
Fashionistas and animators made these holograms of freaky underwater creatures float around sexy models at the Diesel Spring/Summer '08 show, celebrated a few days ago in Florence. See how they did it and watch the tentacle porn their fascinating movements in the video after the jump.
For those of you without a talking dog, this retractable leash with built-in AM/FM radio and flashlight means you'll never be lonely again when it's time for Bonzo's walkies. It costs $25, weighs one pound and works with two AA batteries. There's only 12 feet of cord, though, so make sure that you're playing mutt-friendly music—Iggy and the Stooges' I Wanna Be Your Dog springs to mind. [Amazon via Shiny Shiny]
A group of MIT and Brown researchers and engineers have debuted a prosthetic foot that propels the user forward using "tendon-like springs and an electric motor," meaning it is even more like the real thing than traditional prostheses. Professor Hugh Herr, head of biomechatronics at MIT's Media Lab, and a double amputee himself, tested the device, describing it as "wild - like you're on one of those moving walkways in the airport."
For Hire: one armored personnel carrier. Gloss-white paintjob, champagne-filled smoked-glass fridge, racing green interior, seats eight, plus three crew. The crazy Brits who modded this are just waiting for a jacuzzi and 44 feet of blue neon tubing (remote-controlled, natch). How much for the night?
Last week we told of something that would bring more fear to public transport users than deodorant supplies running low in the summer months. This week, we bring you the reality. iSing. iDon't Know. iWhat is the iWorld coming to, when a Karaoke version of an MP3 player hits the streets. There's a video after the jump, but we all know that the reality will be much, much worse than that.
Sony's latest Network Walkman, the NWD-B100, is heading for Europe. Available from next month in three colors and four different models, the NWD-B100 also has a rather useful drag 'n' drop feature, which means you can just plug it into the USB and transfer songs directly, thanks to its built-in Auto Transfer software. Er, what else has it got?
This complete waste of everyone's time is the Portable Desktop Dancing Water Fountain from Brando. It reacts to sound by squirting synchronised jets of water a couple of inches into the air "to create a peacful oasis," says the product site. You can turn off the sound activated option so that the jets all go off constantly, but the only option I'm interested in is the one where I opt to pick up this battery-operated unit and throw it out of my window to create my own 'peaceful oasis'. Price and features after the jump.
Cell phone chatrooms and blogs have been discussing the merits of Samsung's P-520, alongside a couple of photos. This is largely seen as the Korean company's version of the iPhone (it's EDGE-supporting, after all) but whether its UI will be as revolutionary as Jobs' baby is still unknown. Maybe it's more Prada than jesusPhone - what do you think?
We told you about a couple of iPhone activation tricks, but here's the easy iWay for iDummies like me: iActivator, a graphic program for Mac OS X that will activate the iPhone just by touching a button, without any command line voodoo.
As if you need to ask what the Z stands for. Panasonic has been pushing the optical-zoom envelope for years, and now, with the Lumix DMC-FZ18, pretty much turns you into some kind of stalker. The 8-megapixel camera with 18X optical zoom lens will be out in September in silver or black for $399. Like the more diminutive DMC-FX33 and FX55 we just told you about, this has the Intelligent Auto Mode that I am a fan of. When I played around with the FZ18, I let the continuous focus do all the work, snapping shots with perfect clarity, all the way across a large crowded room. Like I said, a bit stalky, but so very useful.
Today, Panasonic is launching the Lumix FX33 and FX55, two 8 megapixel cameras with 28mm wide-angle 3.6X optical zoom Leica lenses. The DMC-FX55, with a 3" LCD, will sell for $349 in silver, black and pink; the DMC-FX33, with 2.5" LCD, will go for $299 and come in silver, black, blue and brown. I know, you're sick of hearing about shiny, pocketsized cameras. I just have to say, I played around with these two, and they have something called "Intelligent Auto Mode" (no, don't think about Knight Rider) that might make them stand out.
If you've been saving up your nickels to get a $800 TiVo Series3, you just got yourself a $500 bonus prize. Today TiVo releases the TiVo HD, a scaled-back version of the original Series3 that lists for just $299. We got our hands on one, and managed the even more complicated task of convincing Cablevision to install two CableCARDs. Now that it's up and running, I can't think of a single reason to ever plug in that Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD again. (Oh yeah, the TiVo's a loaner.)
D-Link's DUB-9240 Wireless USB hub was announced today. For non-wireless USB equipped PCs (everything but the Lenovo T61 and Dell Inspiron 1720), the kit includes an adapter, called the DUB-1210. It operates with the four port hub (DUB-2240), which your devices connect to by cable, at the 3.4GHz to 4.5GHz range to reduce interference.
Kiss your favorite cords goodbye, because Certified Wireless USB is throwing them out with the trash. Industry giants including Dell and IBM have come on board as early adopters of the new USB standard, which combines the data transfer rates of USB with the ease-of-use and cable-free nature of Bluetooth and WiFi. Dell is rolling out its new Inspiron 1720 next month, a mobile media notebook that includes a built-in Certified Wireless USB chip. In conjunction with new lines of CWUSB routers launched by D-Link and IOGear, the 1720 can connect with 127 other devices and swap data at a blistering 480Mb/s (at 3 meters; speeds fall to a respectable 110Mb/s at 10 meters).
Sling Media released a firmware update for Slingbox, it helps improve on its UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) performance. [Sling]
Crediting a strategic price cut and a strong E3 showing, Sony is gloating over its latest figures: PS3 sales are up 135% since the July 9th announcement of the $499 price tag. With Xbox 360 sales dropping, new firmware updates enhancing the basic functionality of the system, Blu-ray pushing hard against HD-DVD and a growing lineup of original titles including the exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4, the PS3 seems determined to become a serious console competitor before the year is over.
Johnny Five—hero of Short Circuit, Short Circuit 2, and all the Short Circuit sequels that have been playing only in our hearts since the franchise died in 1988—is indeed alive, and for sale on eBay.
We know where we're going for movie night: NYC's City Hall. Panasonic just dropped off a 103-inch plasma HDTV as well as a Blu-ray player, completely free of charge.
The One Laptop Per Child Foundation told Reuters they're considering selling their XO laptop in stores for $350-$525 this coming holiday season. [Reuters]
iFuntastic is a Jailbreak GUI/Checklist for simplifying the still complicated iPhone Ringtone hack. Previously, there was a tutorial, but this UI does a lot of the scripting for you, including download of the tools, prepping ringtones, unlocking the Phone, etc. Warning: Downloading and running random apps on your Mac can be dangerous for your software. We're trying to confirm it works, first hand. UPDATE: No dice. Maybe you're having more luck. [MyiTablet]
When it comes to bandwidth, there are few grails as holy as fiber-to-the-home, also known as FFFFTTTTTTTTHHH. But it hasn't been very cooperative. Fiber optic signal dies if it is bent at 90 degree angles twice, so you're screwed unless you live in a round house. Corning, prodded by Verizon to come up with a decent optical conduit, just announced a fiber that is 100 times more bendable than the stuff used today.
Thanks to Peter Jackson, New Zealanders have all the fun. Not only do they get to experience epic Lord of the Rings sites as they are recreated in the countryside, but now they get to do donuts around their flocks of sheep with Halo Warthogs. Jackson's WETA workshop recently finished building an accurate, working Warthog (machine gun and all) for their upcoming Halo 3 shorts. If you didn't catch the first trailer that debuted at E3, hit the jump to see what all the fuss is about.
Gizmodo wants to hire a full time Tokyo-based editor to watch and write the US news while we sleep, link to interesting Japan news when appropriate, and do original reporting in Akihabara and other nests of otaku activity. The job is here for the taking, but you gotta be good.
People say the Japanese public transit system is fantastic, and it's stuff like this Japan Railways Wi-Fi clock that makes it so. This clock shows you exactly which stop your train is at, so you can plan ahead to see how long it will take for it to reach your stop. Best of all it's Wi-Fi enabled, which means you get live updates when your train happens to be late. If they sold one of these for the BART here, well, you'd probably get a letter from your internet provider about using too many resources. [Hobidas via Maochan - Thanks B!]
Flickr user, Nomad7674, wandered into his local apple store in Marlton, NJ and they had Apple-branded Bluetooth headsets available. Nomad claims that despite its tiny stature it actually fits pretty well in his ear, and his favorite feature is the magnetic plug built in to the headset. Stock seems to be pretty limited at all of the other Apple stores, in fact none of the Bay Area stores we contacted had even gotten their first shipment yet. [Flickr via TUAW]
Pogue takes a a few waterproof cams down to the local waterpark for testing and finds Sanyo's 6MP Xacti E1 to be of better image and video quality than the rest. I've always found the Xacti cam's nice, but the low light performance to be lacking. That doesn't matter when you're talking about beach and pool time, however. I believe its image quality is better than the other cams in this roundup, but it's only rated to 5 feet of depth.
Preparing your children to be cubicle drones is no easy task, but this $9.99 key card alarm system should give them a leg up over the other kids on the block. The Toy key alarm system comes with two identical key cards and a door mounting system. If the door is opened without first inserting the card, an annoying klaxon sounds. You can also set it to silent mode as well, which just quietly records the last four times when your security was breached. Either way, it's a convenient way to know whether anyone's been in your "me" space when you weren't looking. [ThinkGeek - Thanks Brian!]
Posted by jenneth at 9:56 AM on July 24, 2007
If you've been chomping at the bit to get your grubby little hands on the HSDPA-capable Motorola Q 9h, you'll be pleased to know the wait is over. Vodafone has launched it on their network for the price of $799 outright, or free when connecting to the $79 MyBusiness Cap plan for 24 months.
Available through Vodafone, the MOTO Q 9h provides broadband data connectivity to enable high-speed data downloads, voice functionality and the ability to view the most popular applications on the go. The MOTO Q 9h includes the latest Windows Mobile 6 platform, which is set to become an industry standard for next generation mobile devices.
Posted by jenneth at 9:44 AM on July 24, 2007
I'm probably one of the only people on the planet that will watch a full-length movie on an iPod, but the tiny 2.5-inch screen is less than ideal, and I'll probably have to wear coke-bottle-thick glasses by the time I reach the ripe old age of 30.
The Philips DCP750 - announced at CES in Las Vegas at the start of this year, but only now available here in Australia - is a portable DVD player with a 7-inch colour LCD and iPod docking station, so you can play movies on your iPod on a more comfortably-sized display.
Unlike VNC clients where you actually control the desktop from the iPhone, Soonr is offering a web-based AJAX web app that lets you access parts of your desktop instead. What's better about this approach is that the UI is customized for the iPhone display, so there's little scrolling around to find the thing you want.
Posted by jenneth at 9:18 AM on July 24, 2007
Following hot on the heels of Dell's colourful laptops announcement is Sony's unveiling of the VAIO CR series, with five sassy hues to choose from: blazing red, indigo blue, pure white, luxury pink and aroma black. (I get all of the colours except for that last one - anyone?)
The new VAIO CR series offers special styling features such as smooth rounded borders and flashy lighting effects to make you stand out from the crowd. This notebook is a design first; drawing on the latest in notebook technology to create a multiple layered coating that is not only a fashion must-have, but robust enough to protect the keyboard and LCD screen inside.
Although not quite as sexy as watching Meredith Viera ride the Batpod, this spycam video of Batman's motorcycle on set gives you a good idea of how it'll look in the movie. [29motoguide via Jalopnik]
Posted by jenneth at 8:49 AM on July 24, 2007
SunBrightTV has released a new line of all-weather outdoor LCD televisions, perfect for those times when you're mowing the lawn or taking the garbage out but hesitate to detach your retinas from the TV screen. They're available in 23-inch, 32-inch and 46-inch sizes (HD-Ready, which means you'll need a set-top box to get that high-def lovin').
Products like the pool treadmill, the ExerSwim, and the Home Swimmer all provide a way for you to swim indefinitely in a home-sized pool without building a gigantic circular pool. This Aquavee portable swim system offers similar benefits, allowing you to "swim in any style at any time" and continue swimming as long as you're able to keep flopping and kicking. It works by using a harness and suction cups to hold you in place. Suction cups are, as you know, the world's most secure way to attach something, so you know this is going to work forever. On the bright side, you won't have to plant stakes into the ground—something that's not quite kosher if you live in an apartment complex like us. [Aquavee]
Posted by jenneth at 8:15 AM on July 24, 2007
Try the $100 OLPC Operating System At Home
Don't know why you'd want to do this, expect maybe to see how fast you can trip up the porn filter.
Sony PSP God of War Mod
This mod brings the PSP's sexy back.
PS3 Firmware 1.9 Details Announced, Best Update Yet?
Lots of new features, tweaks and changes.
One-Year-Old Shows Us How to Flick Through Photos on an iPhone
Some babies have no shame - anything for publicity, right?
iPhone's security breached
It was only a matter of time, but this was still pretty quick. Sucks to be an iPhone user ;)
By the way, I have recently discovered the show Heroes (yeah, welcome to last year, Jenneth), and it freakin' rocks. Craps all over Lost, which I was having serious withdrawal symptoms over. That Tim Kring guy - what a genius.
That Wii Internet Channel flash player exploit we looked at last week seems to be not quite as serious as we first thought. So far, instead of allowing possible homebrew code on the Wii (which in turn means emulated games), all the thing does is freeze up the console entirely. According to Symantec, the exploit isn't "much of a threat," and doesn't pose any problems for Linux or Mac systems right now. Let's hope hackers can take this to its logical finish and find a way to run unsigned code on the Wii. [Symantec via Inquirer]
The Philips HTS8100 Ambi Sound DVD Home Theater System can pump out some amazing sound. It plays back DVDs, scaling their video from their lowly standard-definition up to 1080p. The system also includes an iPod dock that rocks your tunes into those superb speakers and splashes your pictures all over your HDTV, fed via HDMI. We got our hands on the first of these just-shipping systems to hit these shores, loaded up DVDs, CDs and our iPod, and gave them a serious look and listen.
Thanks to the magic of VMWare and Parallels (which let you run other operating systems on top of your own), you can try the OLPC operating system without actually having to be a child in a Third World country. All you have to do is download a pre-configured image, change some settings, and you're set. Possible uses (besides as a prop when you play Angelina Jolie and the Adopted Child) are developing OLPC-specific software and web apps for the upcoming market. [UneasilySilence]
The Marco is Motorola's first plain cellphone with Wi-Fi support. This GSM/EDGE slider runs on the JUIX operating system, comes with a 2 megapixel camera and feels just sightly thicker than the Z3. The Boy Geniuses were able to connect to their wireless router just fine, but apparently they couldn't test the connection to a T-Mobile's hotspot. Marco's derriere is after the jump.