As expected, the PS3 will become fully Blu-ray 2.0, or BD-Live, compatible with its next major software update, slated for “late March.” The functionality will give upcoming movies the ability to go online for downloads—games, ringtones and bonus audio and video. No other Blu-ray player on the market has this capability, and only a few due out this year will, so PS3 is still your best bet, Blu-ray-wise.
Mini ITX machines around the size of a Mac mini aren’t rare. But machines like this with stereo speakers built in that look like little precise German lunchboxes of computing power, well, that’s not something you find every day. Precise? Yes, take a look at the front mesh and side grills. The single fan design makes this little guy run at 24Db, and in its top config has a Intel 945GC+ICH7 chipset, 160GB of HDD, Wi-Fi b/g, Gigabit ethernet, 4 USB 2.0 ports, DVD multidrive, DVI and HDMI(!). For scale, the Nova Lite is about 9 inches across. galleryPost('asusnovalite', 8, '');
More details of HTC’s Google phone are emerging, it seems. The handset is to be called “Dream”, will be touchscreen and have a large QWERTY keypad. So, what else do we know? And, more importantly, when is it coming out?
Ranging between US$500 and US$1,500, the little fellas of the Guy Robots project are part art, and all junk and heart. According to their creator, they do not walk or talk or give legal advice, won’t harass your pets, emit ozone or pinch. Electro, the ready-for-anything direct current commando bot pictured here, likes folk dancing, and is proud of his infrared vision amongst other things. I reckon this is the nerd’s version of going to pick a dog from the hound pound. More descriptions and gallery after the jump. galleryPost('guyrobot', 11, 'Guy Robot');
Playing rubber duck battleships in the bath (you do that, don’t you?) will be more sophisticated now you can remote control your duck. This one has twin propellers, so you can steer him around, backwards and forwards from the waterproof remote. Ok, so it’s not quite so much fun as some bath ducks for adults, but it will be handy for amusing your kids. Available now for around US$27. [Technabob]
For audiophiles who prefer not to access their tunes via a PC, or tote their laptops about the house, Philips has just added a bunch of new products into its wireless streaming music range. This includes a new “flagship” hub media-manager, the WACS7500. This has an 80GB hard disk, holding around 1500 CDs worth, which may seem a bit cramped for those of used to bigger iPod drives. But since it wirelessly connects to your PC so you can access its media content, storage shouldn’t be a problem.
But I guess that’s the drugs talking. Designed by Nicolloe Alves Rincon with teenage girls in mind, these portable, rechargeable Mude lamps will, I guess, have pride of place at slumber parties. Just like our apocalyptic friends on horseback, four knobs control war, conquest, pestilence and death the colour and intensity of one of the lights, while the second light lets you read your Judy Blame under the covers. [Mude via MoCo Loco]
DIY gadgeteers, fire up your engines: the dates for Make magazine’s first 2008 Maker Faire have been unveiled as May 3rd and 4th. The San Mateo County Fairgrounds in San Mateo, California will again be the venue. Expect to see all sorts of wonderful (and weird) DIY science, arts, crafts and engineering projects in action, just like last year. We’ll be keeping you posted, of course, but if you want to go there in person remember that discount ticket sales end April 25th. [Maker Faire]
LG are sending some serious touchscreen love to South Korea, all in the form of the Touch Web mobile phone, a.k.a. LG-LH2300. The touchscreen wonder has a 3-inch display, with a staggering 800 x 480 resolution, as well as a 3MP camera with AF, MicroSD memory slot and a full internet browser, which has incorporated hot keys and a jog wheel for scrolling. The widescreen toting mobile phone is expected to retail for 700,000 KRW (US$693,) when it begins to ship this April. At present, the device is a South Korea exclusive and there is no word on a global release as yet, but honestly, we wouldn’t hold our breath. [Aving]
As if to underscore the earlier story about broadband in Australia being too expensive, the European Commission revealed today that more than 50,000 homes and businesses get hooked up to broadband every day in the EU. More than half of those have speeds of between 2 and 10 megabits, and a “significant number” of connections are over 10 megabits. It’s clear that things are progressing well in Europe; can they progress as well here? Click on the link for more details on why this is happening. [NYT] More »
