Tuesday, September 4, 2007
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Sony Planning Video Download Services, Company-Wide DRM
11:51PM Matt Buchanan | Days after announcing the imminent death of its Connect service, the WSJ reports that Sony’s planning to leverage the PS3, PSP and their Bravia line to jump into the video download market. In fact, Connect was probably killed in order to concentrate on the IP video market—and the article implies that the move was just the tip of the corporate restructuring iceberg in the name of IP video. More »
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AT&T Introduces Pay-For-Play Parental Controls for Mobiles
11:29PM Wilson Rothman | AT&T’s mobile division is going to follow Disney Mobile and others by introducing its “Smart Limits” parental controls: parents use a web interface to set call blocking, calling hours, text message and download limits. But unlike many similar child-protection systems, this one will cost users $4.99 per month—per kid. Like Disney’s built-in parental controls, AT&T lets parents’ own numbers remain immune from the limitations, and 911 calling is always permitted of course. Websites can also be blocked on many phones, but not on the iPhone, because of the way its Safari browser uses the AT&T network connection. (Basically, the only phone that doesn’t have browser limitations is the only phone that has a decent enough browser for actually surfing the good, I mean illicit, sites.) [AP/Yahoo] More »
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Starbucks Makes the Leap to Single-Serve Coffee in Upcoming Maker by Bosch
11:10PM Charlie White | Stop the presses for the coffee addicts, because Starbucks, the 800-pound gorilla of the java trade, has decided to blast into the single serving coffee market this December, serving up four of its hyper-expensive blends to go into special coffee makers that will now be made by Bosch as you see in the picture here. Until now, there weren’t any famous and wonderful brands such as Starbucks available for these foolproof coffeemakers. This is big news, coffee lovers. More »
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Google Phone All But Confirmed by New Plates of Details
10:55PM Matt Buchanan | Evidence for the existence of the Google phone keeps piling up—it’s pretty much confirmed though not officially official, between a fairly solid Boston Globe piece and Om Malik’s five facts “from a reliable source.” The down and dirty: More »
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USB RC Car, Controlled From Your PC Screen, Turns Desk Paradise Into Parking Lot
10:39PM Charlie White | No one will suspect a thing when your tiny USB RC car is parked inside its charging garage next to your PC. But then it comes busting out the door, and you’re controlling it right there on your PC screen, beeping its noisy horn, parallel parking it between that coffee cup and your TPS reports, steering it every which-way. Hey! Be careful not to drive it off that cliff at the edge of your desk. Or perhaps be sure to. We have plenty of pics, after the jump. More »
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Loewe’s Design Studio TVs are Absolutely Fan-Bloody-tastic
10:30PM Addy Dugdale | Look what we found at Loewe: four fantastic concept TVs from their design studio. The white Concept Lowboard, red Connect Tripod, Docking Pot and Roundboard have all sorts of fabby extras, such as subwoofers, wireless connectivity pits and sexy mood lights in places you would least expect it. And two of the designs are pretty much dead certs to go on sale, according to our special friend at Loewe. More »
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Sidekick LX Appears In The Wild
10:07PM Wilson Rothman | Remember the non-sliding Sidekick LX “Shuriken” we mentioned had made it through the FCC obstacle course? The Boy Genius got his hands on pictures of the thing, though alas no additional details for T-Mobile’s upcoming Sharp-built EDGE Danger device. [Boy Genius Report] More »
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Kung-Fu Fighting the 19-Buck, Wii-Wannabe Way
10:00PM Addy Dugdale | On Monday, we hit up Halls 3.1, deep in the bowels of IFA. It was full of all the weird stuff from China, tiny MP3s, enormous back massagers that looked like floor polishers (or something from those videos that Chen enjoys so much). And then I found this, a Wii-style Kung-Fu game. Here’s a lesson on how to look like a git in front of people you don’t know at a trade fair. More »
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Skating Robot ‘Swims’ on Land
9:44PM Gizmodo US Edition | This is the Roller-Walker, a four-legged robot which can either walk conventionally, or skate on retractable wheels. At the end of each leg there is a wheel, which can turn 90 degrees to act as a foot. On rough surfaces the robot walks, but if it comes across a smoother surface then it can skate in a weirdly graceful swimming motion. See a video of it in action after the jump. More »
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