Like you, I suffer from jealousy of Jamie and Adam's high-speed cams, so I'm all jazzed that a new Casio Exilim can pull off 300fps at VGA quality thanks to a new high-speed CMOS.

As the translated press release puts it, "the high speed animated picture photographing function...catches the movement discernibly." You can say that again!

It can also hit a ridiculous 60fps in still shooting mode—perhaps not enough to capture the bullet whizzing into the pig's head, but definitely good enough to watch a ninja clap a sword in his hands. [Press Release via Akihabara News]

Close your eyes, think "Crayon" and the first thing that occurs to you isn't the bright yellow box but the smell: part puke n' earwax, part unbridled creativity. Now you can wear that essence, in the form of Demeter's Crayon Cologne. At $19 an ounce, you better hope the message you're giving off is Raw Sienna, not Burnt Umber. [Perpetual Kid]

Humans aren't perfect, therefore human waiting staff aren't perfect—as you'll know if you've ever had hot soup spilled on you, or the wrong meal brought out. To err is human, after all. However, diners in Nuremberg, Germany, won't have to put up with imperfection anymore because a new restaurant there is staffed entirely by robots. Check out a video of the future of dining after the jump.

Read More »

Most phones now come with media playback features, but designers still seem to think that a wide range of proprietary headphone connections makes more sense than using a standard 3.5mm jack. This colorful invention gets around this problem, converting various manufacturers' connections to a standard headphone socket.

Read More »

Yesterday while winding our way through the show floor (which was still very much under construction), we stopped to appreciate one of the more impressive booths we've seen: Toshiba's. We really dig the curved screens and tasteful graphics. They've managed to catch your eye without becoming Vegas gaudy. More pics after the jump.

Read More »

NBC Universal is ending its iTunes support, meaning no more "Heroes," "The Office" or "To Catch a Predator" in the iTunes store after December, when the current contract expires. What makes the rift somewhat serious for Apple is that NBC is iTunes' biggest video supplier, pulling in about 40 percent of downloads. On top of that, it could spur a mini-revolt among other media companies like CBS and News Corp., whose contracts are also coming due.

The issue seems to be the same old, same old: NBC wants to bump prices and complicate the packaging/pricing structure, while Apple ostensibly wants to keep things the way they are: simple.

More than likely, NBC's going to pull a Universal music: no long term contract, but short-term sales agreements to keep their content up. That way they can still make money while (maybe) maintaining some leverage for negotiation. There's still a few months left, so it's possible they'll come to an agreement, but greed makes for some strong fences. [NYT]

Looking vaguely like an alien life-form from Lost in Space, the "Rocking Wheel Chair" is a concept rocking chair created by designer Mathias Koehler. With spindly alien legs and an ever-important overhead light, the rocking chair manages to be simultaneously hip and terrifyingly ugly -- which is ironically what I look for in a woman.

The chair makes a great present for your cyber-punk grandmother who could sew you up a nice pair of anarchistic pants real quick. Still, why not go further with this, Mathias -- let's give it Bluetooth-capability and an engine, then we're in business. [Mathias Koehler via TreeHugger]

OK, Ford, to me and many of you, is not the future. But Jalopnik got a tour of the voice command system's final release and it's pretty damn cool. Apparently, It can play MP3s off a thumbdrive, and search for artists by voice command. Nuts! And you can receive and send preset text messages by voice over bluetooth to your cellphone. Wow, Microsoft and Ford, making decent systems together. Those Apple/VW rumours have a lot to live up to. [Jalopnik]

The Gear Juice gadget charger is the latest in a trend for electronics -- portable chargers that are rechargeable themselves. Using USB or any of the six supplied adapters, you can connect around 100 devices (cellphones, iPods, etc...) to Gear Juice and it will transfer power from its own Lithium Polymer battery into your gadgets.

IOGEAR gave us a hands-on with the Gear Juice and we were impressed. In addition to having a sleek form factor and a convenient power indicator, Gear Juice can fully charge a RAZR in an hour with the capacity for 3 charges. Recharging Gear Juice takes about three hours and holds its charge for 500 cycles. Gear Juice is currently iPhone unfriendly, but IOGEAR says they're working on making it compatible. It's out now for around $40.

This kaleidoscope
Looks so cool on my ceiling
When I'm really stoned.

[Trends in Japan]

This stun gun, dubbed the small fry, could easily pass for a wallet in a dark alley. I'd imagine it could be used in a mugging where instead of handing over your wallet, you hand over 1,000,000 volts.

It manages both its tiny size (its the smallest on the market) with its powerful punch (the company claims the highest volts of any comparable system) by losing the 9v batteries that most tasers use for what I'd guess is a nicad or lithium battery. That also means you can recharge the little bugger. Not bad for $80. I wonder if there's a way to turn an old iPod's lipoly battery into something like this with a capacitor? [PersonalSecurity via Red Ferret]

Philips just announced their upcoming Power2Charge and Power2Go chargers as part of their Power4Life line, a naming convention that's a Little2Precious. In any case, the USB chargers, including the flagship SCM7880 (pictured), holds up to 60 hours of juice inside and then charges up your phone, MP3 player, or whatever else you have that needs charging. It's got an LED indicator on the front that'll let you know how much juice is left, and it has six connector tips to hook up to your various toys. It's due to hit Europe this December, with no word on a Stateside release. [Philips]

If you're looking to make your apartment look as creepy as possible, you can't do much better than nailing a dead bird to your wall, hanging a clock around its neck, and calling it art. That's just what designer Michael Sans did, and it's why he presumably lives a solitary life. No, you can't buy one, as he only made one and it isn't for sale. You don't need me to tell you how to make your own, you creepball. [Watchismo Times via Product Dose]

Most of this season's Blu-ray players, including the BDP7100, have the same general upgrades:

•1080/24 frame support for movies
•HDMI 1.3
•Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD audio.

So, I wouldn't call this segment of the industry "competive". What extras should these guys include to make us choose their player over another? I'd say LG and Samsung are on track with their dual format players. And Toshiba has made good news out of the fact that they have quality upscalers in their HD DVD boxes.

What else?
[yahoo!]

Here's a unique idea: Sleek Audio just rolled out its SA6 earphones with interchangeable parts that can either accentuate the highs or lows according to your whim. Called the VQ System, you're offered a choice of three small attachments to the earbuds that regulate the amount of treble you'll hear. On the other side of each earpiece, there's a choice of three interchangeable bass ports that can either smack you upside the head with some big booming bass, or physically roll off the lows according to your preference. In fact, just about every part of these unique earphones is replaceable.

Read More »

Today at IFA, Daewoo tried to make its unexpected foray in the Blu-ray market count for something by launching the first Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player, the DBP-1000. Basically Profile 2.0 means it supports all of 1.1's specs (like picture-in-picture) and adds web functionality (aka BD-Live). More mundanely, it supports 1080p via HDMI and upscales DVD and JPEGs to full HD resolution. No price or street date yet, but we know we like the shiny blue shell. [The Register]

Joe Brown at Wired got the first US Spec'd Nokia N95 superphone and confirms that the update smooths away the primary flaws. HSDPA now works with US bands, tested to download at 699Kbps on AT&T's network. Bumping the 128MB of RAM to 160MB takes away all traces of lag, too.

It still has the A-GPS, maps, the 5MP Carl Zeiss camera, and all the other goodies. Yet, photos are not quite as good as the ones on the old one, and at the risk of being unfair, it still lacks a QWERTY still. (By design or not, when a phone has this many functions, you don't want to deal with T9.) This means two things: It is finally a real iPhone competitor...again? And B) the American who bought the first edition of the N95 less than 6 months ago just got screwed big time. Your loyalty has just been punished. [Wired]

Here are the first shots of the Zune 2 and Zune Flash. The images reveal an 80GB version and a 4 and 8GB flash model.

Not sure what's going on with that interesting controller, but it looks like a real button, but is just wide enough that it may have touch-sensitive properties. These photos came from a source who cites marketing materials, likely from the retail channel, but were confirmed by a second source as well. Does that mean they're final? I don't know. If I were Microsoft, I might seed the internet with mockups as to confuse. Oh how I love counterintelligence measures. So take them with a grain of salt, confirmed as something, but still unofficial.

So...what do you guys and gals think?[Thanks Tipsters]

The only thing better than watching DivX on TV with a DVD player is watching DivX on TV with a TV that supported DivX. This LG Time Machine line can both play back and record to DivX to its 80GB hard drive, and comes in 37, 42 and 47 inches. Although DivX is great for the downloading crew, it's iffy that it'll be a feature the average person can get behind unless presented in a way that shows them how many more hours they can have on their DVR in DivX format. [Electronista]

Nerd hunk on desk vs. Nerd hunk on desk. Which would you do? [Boing Boing]

Yesterday you saw the first prototype pre-Wii motion-sensitive controller that Gyration pitched to Nintendo in 2001. Today, we received a note from Matt Presta at Bridge Design, who drafted the original concept. Here he explains his mission, shares a peek at the actual drawing board, and gives a shoutout to left-handed people everywhere.

Read More »

Since I have gigantic wax-magnet ear canals, I'm probably the wrong market for these Klipsch IMAGE in-ear earphones. They're the smallest, lightest in-ear buds you can get (claim by Klipsch so far unverified), but will cost you $349 for the pleasure of having a pair made out of aluminum and copper. We're not sure how well Klipsch's speaker experience will translate into making earbuds, but even if they sound mediocre, you'll be able to prevent them from being stuck inside your ear with the locking rings. [Klipsch]

Unlike other monitors that only have a webcam or a mic built in, this 22-inch SyncMaster 220TN Samsung monitor has a network module, webcam, microphone and speakers so that you can have a Skype or Microsoft Live Messenger conversation without a PC. Which means that as long as you have power and an Ethernet connection, you can make Skype conversations even on the toilet.

Besides the VoIPing features, it supports 1680x1050 resolution, has a four-port USB hub, and runs WindowsXP embedded (to handle the calls). Its lesser brother, the 225UW, has most the same specs, but only a 2-port USB hub and lacks the PC-less calling features. Of course, these are both only 22-inchers, which are fine for regular work, but I've been in the market for a 30-inch cooter-the-size-of-Kansas monitor. I want to actually be able to see the two-month-old fetus inside. [Samsung via AVING via UberGizmo]

According to the HD DVD fan-site campaignhd, the state of Blu-ray (the format in general) is anything but good. Keep in mind that this is an HD DVD site—which may or may not be sponsored by the HD DVD camp—so their complaints might be a little "off." However, they do provide ample links for the statements they make, which makes us take pause and wonder if Blu-ray really is this deep in shit.

Among the observations culled together from separate news stories and "insider intelligence":

• The manufacturing yield rates on BD50 (the 50GB discs) are only 40% from Sony manufacturers and down to 10% yields on non-Sony manufacturers. That means only one in 10 discs made by a non-Sony plant works as a BD50 disc. This in turn leads to higher costs.

• BD1.1 player spec is hard to develop for, leading the only BD1.1 player to be delayed until Q2 2008.

• BD-J, the language they use for special features on discs, is horrible to program for, as we saw already.

• PS3 sales are only 1/4 as much as the 6 million target.

• At least one studio unhappy with Blu-ray.

How much of this is true is still up in the air, but it does give us another look behind the scenes of the format wars. [Campaignhd]

Remember Lucky and Flo, the two chemical-sniffing Labradors awarded medals by the Malaysian authorities for helping in the fight against DVD piracy? Well, they're now back in the US doing the same to US pirates. Find out whose round objects they've been sniffing now.

Read More »

Panasonic's face detection technology has made it into its tinier point-and-shoots, and now it appears in the company's latest digital SLR camera too, the 10-megapixel Lumix DMC-L10. Like other Panasonic DSLRs, this one has Live View shot previewing, now with a 270-degree rotating 2.5" LCD.

Other key elements in this Panasonic—modeled off of the same technology found in Olympus Evolt DSLRs—include a Supersonic Wave Filter system to keep the image sensor from getting dusty, and optical image stabilization, a hallmark of Panasonic cameras. The body will be on sale in October with a LEICA D VARIO-ELMAR 14-50mm/F3.8-5.6/MEGA O.I.S. lens for $1,300.

Read More »

If you're a big Wii fan—and who isn't, what with Nintendo selling more units than there are grains of rice in my lunch—this black market Wii Skateboard should be just the thing for your after-school shenanigans. It's not only somewhat shaped like a Wiimote, it even has all the correct buttons and fake LED lights to denote that you're the first player. You'd just better get yours before Nintendo decides to sue. [Kotaku]

These talking CD cases allow you to record a 60-second message, which can be played back to your heart's content. There's plenty of applications for this, like annoying marketing material, and, um... annoying marketing material.

Read More »

The new Mac OS X Leopard is getting the final touches, including new gigantic icons to fit Apple's own 512 x 512 pixel guidelines. It's a requirement for their new resolution independent model and one excuse to have some fun: the TextEdit icon contains almost the full copy of the first Think Different campaign advertising, the first under Jobs' comeback to the company, made by TBWA\Chiat\Day and narrated by Richard Dreyfuss. Compare the two after the jump.

Read More »

Philips' official unveiling of their new Aurea line pulled out all the stops. From dancing to models to a new, very colorful/melodramatic short by filmmaker Wong Kar Wai—it was big. Here are the specs:

The displays themselves will be 1080p, 100Hz (likely 120Hz when these sets come Stateside), have a 3ms response time, come in 42-inch sizes, and use their Perfect Pixel HD Engine. In addition, there's "four trillion colors" and three HDMI 1.3 inputs. On the audio side, it has 26 speakers embedded inside, in a combination of 24 front mini drivers and 2 subwoofer/mid speaker boxes. As far as contrast and brightness goes, it's a 550cd/m2 display with a true and dynamic contrast ratio of 1200/8000 to one. That's the kind of contrast and brightness LCDs saw a few years ago, but the videophiles do still hold strong to the credo that accuracy of color is more critical than blinding lights. (My hunch says that consumers at BestBuy say differently, opting for the most powerful pictures, generally.) No price yet, but available September in Europe, but only in a 42-inch version.

Read More »

Helping make sure you never get stuck on the wrong side of town with your Mercedes, the German automaker is working with Google and Yahoo to be able to send the latter two's maps and directions onto the car so you never get lost. Or at least recover when you are lost.

This way, you can plan directions before you head out (instead of spending 10 minutes punching it in while your car's running in a garage like some kind of failed suicide attempt). Plus, once you do have directions programmed into Google and Yahoo maps, you can just press the "i" button and it'll auto-fetch them. The best feature is probably having other people send you maps and directions while driving.

These are available in the S-class and CL-class starting September 5, and in all 2008 C-class cars. [News.com]

Speaking as Star Trek fans, if we were rich enough to own a home that had a chandelier, we'd definitely get one of these Star Trek Enterprise models. It features a big lamp as the saucer section and three smaller bulbs as the nacelles. On second thought, the total inaccuracy of this thing (the Enterprise only had two nacelles, thank you, unless you're talking about the Future Enterprise from the last episode of TNG) makes us reconsider our purchase. Holy shit, we're huge dorks. [LampsUSA via Geekalerts via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Here's the mock-up of the next generation iPod Touch. And when we say touch, we mean touch: the home button doesn't have to be pressed, it could be electrostaticmagickalifragilistic and glow. Call us wild speculators if you want —you will be right—but we are betting/lusting on it: Apple's iPod 100% Touch. Just like the lastest Samsungs. Or maybe not. Who cares. We just want.

Garmin made a press announcement confirming its Nuvi 700 for the European market, while quietly posting pages about the Nuvi 750, 760 and 770 to its US site with pricing. The premium devices feature 4.3" widescreen displays and will range from $642 to $1071, with FM transmitters and Nuvi travel kits. The gunmetal gray 760 and 770 add Bluetooth and traffic alerts to the equation. The 770's coup de grace is a transatlantic map set, for major roaming.

[Garmin Nuvi 750, Garmin Nuvi 760, Garmin Nuvi 770]

You know those annoying Heely shoes, the ones that kids zoom around on in the mall, leading to chipped teeth and broken wrists? Well, someone actually did something somewhat useful with them. Sort of. Artists Christian Croft and Kate Hartman hacked a pair of Heelys, using the wheels to generate electricity. The electricity generated is then used to power a LED panel on the front of the shoe that gives the wearer directions… to nowhere.

Confused? Yeah, I know. We'll let them explain.

This work applies its energy toward a more playful application in hopes to promote discussion in the realm of sustainable energy development and alternative transportation design. Electricity harvested from rolling powers a microcomputer and lcd display embedded on the shoe to deliver random directions for a pedestrian to follow. Arrows and text show up on the screen display telling the wearer which direction she should travel next—north, northeast, southwest, etc. Depending on the speed of rolling, a directive appears on the screen every 15 to 20 feet. These directions drive the wearer to follow a random zig-zaggy path that mimics in physical space the mathematical simulation of the random or drunkard's walk.

I got time with Sony's first video-capable Walkman, the a810 and a610, and I think I have a finer appreciation for Sony Hardware now that they've stop floundering around in the software game.

They're strikingly similar with the a810 having a sleeker design, high end EX headphones, and a 2-inch QVGA screen. The lower end a610 has a 1.8-inch screen, cheaper headphones, a fluffier case, and is about $20 cheaper per 2,4, and 8GB model. (Blame the marketers for the split-decision.) Here are some impressions:
•The screen is sharp, as to be expected from the company
•The UIs are extremely Sony Ericsson like, as you can see from the photos
•Interesting but useless shuffle feature can play back all the music from a given year.
•The all metal build quality of the a810 is far better than the a610. Not sure why anyone wouldn't spend the extra cheddar on the a810.
•The touch buttons on the a610's case aren't really touch sensitive. They depress like any other.
•You would mostly buy these if you'd assume that the new iPod nano doesn't have video, and are happy with loading your files using Windows Media Player.

Read More »

Sony quietly released a new line of thumbstick Walkman MP3 players this morning, coming in 1GB and 2GB varieties. They come with goodies like an FM tuner and built-in microphone, and there's a 3-line LCD screen on the front to clue you in to what you're listening to. They look to be nice, simple little players, and for the $60/$80 pricepoint, it could be a good option for someone looking for something much more robust than the iPod shuffle but around the same price. [Product Page]

Today at IFA press day, the BDA gave a presentation running through the status of operations along with studio bigshots from Disney, Warner Bros and Fox. Here's the rundown on what they said:

Read More »