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Picture this: daddy buys his daughter an iPod classic for Christmas. The elated teen opens the iPod box to find nothing but the ramblings of some douche who has read one of Oprah's recommended self help books, and/or wears a Che Guevara styled military hat. Jump for the festive note:
The i-Snake may sound like a cheap iPod peripheral, but it is actually the name of a revolutionary concept surgical robot, which hopes to advance keyhole surgery significantly. A team at Imperial College, London, has been awarded a £2.1 million ($A4.78 million) grant to work on the device, which will be an elongated tube with a series of motors, sensors and imaging tools.
We've been harping on about Penryn processors for a while, and with the end of 2007 imminent, mobile Penryn processors are heading for laptops near your lap's top sometime soon. Which ones are to be getting the spanking new Intel treatment? We are glad you asked. Jump for a roundup of mobile Penryn based devices that will be hitting in early 2008.
Accidents involving you being in a half conscious state, urine and your closet are a thing of the past, all thanks to the headlight slippers. Those chaps at Instructables have published a guide, which details the simple steps for turning your ordinary slippers into pressure activated, illuminating floor gods. Hit the video to see the light, and to stop your jackets becoming urine stained. You really cannot afford not to watch it. Seriously, jackets are pricey. [Instructables]
We're not usually the types to keep up with the latest trends in the fashion world—OK, Project Runway is a pretty good show—but we dig the work of Nicolas Ghesquière. He imagines what the future of fashion will look like and still manages to be respected by the NYT. You'll see some plastic dresses and pants that look like they're straight out of Mass Effect (hot). But our favorites were these golden C-3PO leggings, Star Wars come to life (without the annoying robot attached). Unfortunately, at $US159,000, we'll have to wait until Ghesquière sells out to Target before we can score our wife a pair. And until that day comes, at least you can enjoy the video. [style via superpunch]
Here's a video of the allegedly iPhone Firmware 1.1.3. Knowing that the mighty Natetrue has recorded it (it's in his blog and his name is in the iPhone's network indicator, so yes, it's definitely him), we are inclined to think that the new 1.1.3 leak could be real indeed. How this could have happened, knowing the extremely tight security around the iPhone firmware updates, we don't know. In fact, that is the only thing which makes us thing it may be just a really really cool hack. The video shows how to move icons around in the Springboard, with them wobbling to indicate they can be drag and dropped around, kind of like Apple-meets-Nintendo touch. Stay tuned for more updates to this post as we investigate this. [Cre.ations.net]
With previous releases, such as an AK-47 under it's belt, Hello Kitty looks poised to roll out a full army. This time around, some gun-loving nut put together a Hello Kitty-themed AR-15 assault rifle for his wife (how romantic) and posted the finished result on the interwebs for the world to see. It's so cute, it makes me want to shoot something. [Rifle Gear via Mobilewhack]
Meizu's CEO dropped an interesting nugget about the hardware of the highly anticipated MiniOne M8. Apparently, the smartphone will feature three physical buttons, as oppose to a single one right in the centre. That means it will differ from another phone that it bears a striking resemblance to. Of course, the new information means any screenshots we have seen of the hardware in the past are now inaccurate, from the front at least.
Well played, Mr. Blu-ray fanboy. Well played.
*Image taken in the Virgin Music section of Myer Sydney City store on 26 December 2007. [phlog] Thanks Derek!
The LG Xcanvas HDTV has got wood—or faux wood—we're not really sure. But the TV sure looks like it's got wood, and that's enough for us. Sacrificing the illusion of colors that pop by ditching a conventional black frame, the LCD display still holds its own with full 1080p resolution at 120Hz (cutting down on motion artifacts greatly when compared to older, 60Hz sets). Aside from the unique design, the only other detail of merit is a USB port that allows the playback of MP3s and photos. Otherwise these are pretty standard, higher-end LCDs coming in 42", 47" and 52" sizes. The sets are Korea only for now, and we're hoping they display images other than mimes. [akihabaranews via ubergizmo]
Engadget's got a new column called Crapgadget meant to take the piss out of goofy electronics, but I think the examples they've picked are gadget-weirdness at its finest and deserve some defense. There's something inherently entertaining about a USB Microphone disguised as a rose, a rechargeable speaker cube the size of a golf ball; they're original, test new boundaries in gadget usage, and they're the epitome of the softer side of usually sterile technology. Plus, like a building block, they take creativity to use. That Rose would be a great gag in a singing video podcast, and that speaker could end up dangling from an iPod Shuffle as a little boombox. Maybe I'm wrong, but you know, like double-oh-negative, I'm just Goony like that. [Rose Mic USB Cube via Engadget]
It's getting harder and harder to justify paying the price of a car on a home theatre projector when companies like Sony are releasing incredible projectors at budget prices, but we'd certainly take Manatz's unpriced but high end VP-11S2 1080p DLP projector if it showed up on our doorstep. The first projector on the market to feature Texas Instrument's DarkChip4 chipset, the unit's paper specs—800 lumens and 12,000:1 contrast ratio—probably do the image no justice. I mean, the freakin' color wheel spins at 10,800 RPM in near silence. If that doesn't get your motor running, I don't know what will. [marketnews via aboutprojectors]
We had a plan. After years of bitching and moaning about crappy, stock Apple earbuds, we were going to put Apple in their place, and once and for all, prove what a lousy product they were packaging with their iPods—the one kink in their plan of global music player dominance. Obviously, the stock earphones in the iPod would get destroyed versus more expensive competitors like those from Shure, Ultimate Ears or V-Moda. So we ordered a bunch of earbud-style headphones all under $US20 for "testing". We use those quotes because we really meant "slaughter". Who would have thought that the disrespected Apple earbuds would hold their own?
We previously told you guys about two new SLRs Pentax were rumoured to be readying. Well, it looks like images of the K200D have hit the old interweb, and although we have no new word on confirmed spec—the original rumour suggested a 10MP Sony Sensor, PRIME 12-bit image processor and a 3-inch LCD—the images look solid. Either that or someone has some super sexy PS skills. However, we are guessing this is the real deal, click through the gallery to see why. [Photography Bay]
When Amtek are not taking the piss out of Gizmodo writers, they are usually busy cranking out tempting UMPCs. Their latest effort, the iTablet T221, packs in some great features, including a 12.1-inch LCD touchscreen (1024 x 768), Intel Core Duo (1.2Ghz), GMA 950 graphic chipset, 60GB HDD, 2GB RAM and supports 802.11a/b/g wireless networks.
The UMPC will run Windows Vista, but there is no pricing or shipping information at present. Naturally, we would be excited, but our morbid obesity is so severe, we can no longer sense our emotions. Yeah Amtek, we know we are fat, but even we have feelings, you know. We'll go drown our sorrows in a high sugar content soda. [Aving via Mobilewhack]
The SegaToys Brain Checker is a handheld game that allows you to get your gray matter flexing. Given the Japanese content of the source, we are not too sure what the Brain Checker will actually involve, but derivations of Dr. Kawashima's Brain Age games are to be expected. From the screenshots available, the game will involve picture and number based puzzles on a pocket sized LCD screen, which will attempt to get your prefrontal cortex all hot and sweaty.
Yesterday we told you about some hardware enthusiasts at the Annual Chaos Communication Congress who announced that they were able to hack the Nintendo Wii using a custom serial interface. Their development will allow for all sorts of fun software, since Wii hacks up to this point haven't been able to fully utilize Wii hardware, instead settling for watered down Gamecube-specific solutions like Gamecube Linux. Here's a clip of the announcement from 24C3. Watch the whole thing if your a techie, or just skip to the end for the money shot. [youtube via wiinintendo]
David Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants is—we believe—the first to reach an agreement with the Writers Guild of America for internet royalties. Since The Late Show and The Late Late Show are owned, not by CBS but Letterman's own company, the show was able to circumvent CBS negotiations altogether and settle with the WGA without setting major broadcast-wide precedents.
Every once in a while when you study those weekly sales charts out of Japan you catch something interesting. And that happened when last week's numbers came out: the Nintendo DS has overtaken the PS2 in lifetime console sales in Japan.
But when Nintendo sells over 200,000 portable units a week in one country alone, it's hard to believe that their DSs have not yet assembled into a giant, gajillion-screened monster with a vicious stylus attack that would stop even the likes of Ultraman. Outsell the PS2 in Japan? That's just another day at the office when you have nuclear laser attacks in the brain. [mediacreate via kotaku]
PS, we know that picture is a PSP, not a PS2. But we love the picture and rarely get a chance to dust it off.
A nice pair of reminders that much of what you see at CES is indulgent geek fantasy that might not ever street: The monster 108-inch LCD Sharp showed off at CES 2007—promised to be available this year to customers—is MIA, leading rich people to look for other obscene entertainment options to plow too much money into.
We're not usually the types to keep up with the latest trends in the fashion world—OK, Project Runway is a pretty good show—but we dig the work of Nicolas Ghesquière. He imagines what the future of fashion will look like and still manages to be respected by the NYT. You'll see some plastic dresses and pants that look like they're straight out of Mass Effect (hot). But our favorites were these golden C-3PO leggings, Star Wars come to life (without the annoying robot attached). Unfortunately, at $US159,000, we'll have to wait until Ghesquière sells out to Target before we can score our wife a pair. And until that day comes, at least you can enjoy the video. [
Yesterday we told you about some hardware enthusiasts at the Annual Chaos Communication Congress who announced that they were able to hack the Nintendo Wii using a custom serial interface. Their development will allow for all sorts of fun software, since Wii hacks up to this point haven't been able to fully utilize Wii hardware, instead settling for watered down Gamecube-specific solutions like Gamecube Linux. Here's a clip of the announcement from 24C3. Watch the whole thing if your a techie, or just skip to the end for the money shot. [