Sunday, March 23, 2008
Online
Monks Sign Universal Record Deal Thanks to YouTube, Probably God Too
11:15PM Jesus Diaz | Holy Easter YouTubes! In what many would see as an Unholy Alliance between God and Satan, a group of monks from the Heiligenkreuz Abbey, in the Wienerwald region of Austria, have signed a worldwide music album contract with Universal Music. The label executives found out about the Cistercian monks’ talent—who are the guards of a relic of the True Cross handed by Leopold V of Austria in 1188— thanks to YouTube. And indeed, they rock. If you are into Gregorian chant, that is: More »
Cameras
Ultra-Basic Flip Video Camera Steals 13 Percent of Camcorder Market With Its Amazing Low-Light Performance?
2:59PM Matt Buchanan | The Flip camcorder is about as far from a pro camera as Mario is from an actual plumber. In his (mostly fawning) review of the latest version, David Pogue says that the camera’s major “shocker” is that its low-light capabilities “trump even US$1,000 camcorders.” But there’s another one buried in there: It has snagged a whopping 13 percent of the camcorder market. Are there untold armies of soccer mums running around with the Flip? Or is its super simple operation (and functionality) a quiet gadget revolution? [NYT] More »
Gadgets
Telcast M26 PMP has 2.6-Inch Touchscreen, Multiple Codec Support
2:30PM Haroon Malik | We’d be lying if we said we weren’t partial to the Telcast M26 PMP, which has a 2.6-inch WQVGA (400×240) display with capacitive touchscreen functionality and supports RMVB, RM, FLV, AVI video codecs, as well as the standard music file formats. The iPod touch-esque styling has us contemplating giving it a chance, not because it’s a copy-cat, but because it actually looks a little better. More »
Games
Storm Blooper Reveals the True Dark Side Overlord
1:30PM Haroon Malik | And so, the true ruler of the Dark Side was subtly revealed; Dr Robotnik, how we underestimated you. [Boing Boing] More »
Computers
Android PC for Sale on eBay
12:30PM Matt Buchanan | Isn’t it adorable? Eric Burke is so sweaty, teeth-gnashingly hyped for Google’s Android that he built an Android PC. Powering the bobble head is a VIA NanoBGA C7 processor on a mini-ITX motherboard, and naturally, Ubuntu Linux pre-installed on its 74GB hard drive. You can buy it on eBay with bids hovering around US$200 right now, though in Japan it would probably sell for a lot more. Cute robot-shaped computer? Gold. Mine. Update: Oops, bidding’s over @ US$187.50. [eBay via Technabob] More »
Phones
Meizu M8 MiniOne UI Tweaked, Again
11:30AM Haroon Malik | A whole week almost elapsed without there being any rework to Meizu’s M8 MiniOne UI, which is so shocking, I almost fell of my chair. Thankfully, it was not to be, as some new images are making the rounds on the old tubes. Update: Apparently, this is just a mockup by the guys at CNMO and not at all a UI refresh. Dammit. More »
Computers
Intel Nettop Pictured in Higher Res, Still Looks Promising
10:30AM Haroon Malik | Earlier this week we saw the first alleged shots of Intel’s Nettop UMPC. Well, it looks like evidence for the form factor is further solidifying, as new shots found on Min Thu’s Flickr page show the supposed ultra portable in all its glory. There’s no new info to go on, but we can clearly see the keyboard is rather sizable, meaning it could easily be thumbed by fat-fingered bloggers, which is great news for us. Shockingly, the carry handle on the outer casing looks even more tragic in a higher resolution and if you didn’t think that was possible, hit the link for the proof. [Flickr; Thanks, Jack] More »
Robots
Eye-Controlled Robot Performs Open Heart Surgery, Makes a Mean Pastrami Sandwich
9:30AM Matt Buchanan | Right now, the best Doogie Howser-bot around still requires a surgeon to actually go through motions of surgery, making them suffer hand cramps and light perspiration, when they could be sipping lattes or curing cancer. Well, researchers at the Imperial College London are upgrading the Da Vinci surgery robot so operating docs can control it with their eyes. More »
Games
Xbox 360 Bill Gates Edition (1 of 1 Limited Apology Run)
8:30AM Haroon Malik | A few weeks back, an unlucky Xbox owner shipped off his customised Bungie autographed console to Microsoft’s repair centre, and to his horrors they wiped it clean. Bungie resigned a console for him, but now, Microsoft is chiming in with a new console with Bill’s signature on it and hundreds of dollars worth of new video games. More »
Robots
