Friday, May 2, 2008
Screens
Hitachi UltraThin 1.5-Inch LCDs Finally Hitting US Soil
11:45PM Wilson Rothman | Six months after announcing it would bring its 1.5″-thick UltraThin line to the US, Hitachi is finally starting to ship product. Sizes range from 32″ to 47″ and 1080p from 37″ and up—previously we thought the line would stop at 42″. HD Guru tells us they don’t have integrated HD tuners, so you’ll have to use your cable box or spring US$299 for a separate tuner. But hell, they are sexy, and they come with 120Hz image processing for better motion. The only thing remotely wrong with them is their high price: the top of the line 47-incher will set you back US$4,700—and won’t be here until September. What’s that saying? Never too thin—or too rich? Specs, pricing and shipping dates of the full line below. AU: Never going to happen in Australia. Damn. More »
Robots
Army Plans Swarms of Military Bug-Robots, Bringing Sci-Fi to Life
11:05PM Gizmodo US Edition | The rather beautiful looks of the robot in this image hide the fact that in reality it would be part of a swarm of military bots designed to creep into caves, bunkers and other hostile areas to grab intel on the baddies hiding within. Yes: it sounds like Minority Report, Dr Who and Robot Wars all rolled into one. And yes: it might just end up as a real machine, since BAE Systems has just been awarded US$38 million by the Army Research Lab to head up the Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology project to develop the technology. The promotional video gives us a few more clues, despite its game-like looks, and if you don’t like spiders then the image of one of the other potential drone bots will surely give you the heebyjeebies. More »
Phones
Leaked Photos of Motorola ZN5 Suggest Kodak Camera Partnership
9:23PM Gizmodo US Edition | More photos have emerged of Motorola’s upcoming ZN5, and apparently suggest that the 5-megapixel camera is in fact a Kodak-built unit. The photos look pretty genuine, and certainly tally with the images leaked in April, so what else can we tell from them? The phone looks to be fairly slim, has a curious almost “buttonless” keypad, a purple camera shortcut key and a xenon flash alongside the autofocus camera unit. Could this compete with the likes of Sony’s Cybershot camera phones, and help dig Motorola out of its current mess? Check out the gallery to see more, including a photo supposedly taken with it and a screenshot that suggests the camera can shoot in RAW format. [KeySJ.com via Reg hardware]
Robots
Robot Enslaves Another Robot, Humans Next
9:17PM Jesus Diaz | After a 24-hour Galactica marathon, robots are gettings robots to follow the orders they were supposed to. Like Monty here, seen in the following video opening his new Roomba, ready to subjugate it into the tedious chore of cleaning the carpet. More »
Design
DIY Clock is Ultimate Minimalist Analogue Clock for Creative Types
7:17PM Gizmodo US Edition | Whatever it may look like, designer Bomi Kim has not invented a different kind of time-delay sex toy: his “Meaning of time” is actually a DIY clock. In fact, it’s about as minimalist a clock concept as you’ll ever see. The body contains the mechanism, and has holes for you to stick hands into. Stick in anything, stick in sticks if you like, then use the spike to stick it up somewhere. Complete freedom of creative expression, and rather clever we think. It’s just a concept, for now. [Yanko design] More »
Home
JVC Makes First Super Hi-Vision Display, 16 Times Full HD Resolution
6:22PM Gizmodo US Edition | JVC’s new Direct-Drive Image Light Amplifier for projectors has a staggering 8192 x 4320 resolution—that’s 35 megapixels, or around 16 times more than full HD. In fact, JVC is saying the little single-device reflective liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) imager has the highest resolution in the world, and the first to enable projectors to produce “Super Hi-Vision” images. The technology behind it has been worked on since 2003, refining the pixel count and contrast upwards with each generation. Last year JVC made a 1.27-inch 4096 x 2400 version, which went on sale in a projector in February 2008. So does this mean we’ll see the new 1.75-inch, 20,000:1 version in projectors soon? Very likely, but we expect you’ll find it in professional projector gear, rather than for your home. [Akihabaranews] More »
Phones
2:27PM Nick Broughall | The little hamster who runs around in the little iPhone rumour mill must be some kind of genetically enhanced super hamster – there have been so many rumours flying around these past few weeks about the imminent launch of the 3G iPhone that it would need super-hamster abilities just to keep its heart from exploding.
So, to sort fact from fiction, here’s a rundown on what the Internet thinks you can expect from the Jesusphone 2.0:
3G iPhone Rumour Madness – What’s Real, What’s Not
2:27PM Nick Broughall | The little hamster who runs around in the little iPhone rumour mill must be some kind of genetically enhanced super hamster – there have been so many rumours flying around these past few weeks about the imminent launch of the 3G iPhone that it would need super-hamster abilities just to keep its heart from exploding.
So, to sort fact from fiction, here’s a rundown on what the Internet thinks you can expect from the Jesusphone 2.0:
Games
Asus Subisidary Making Blu-ray Xbox 360
2:20PM Matt Buchanan | Despite repeated bashing and smashings, the Xbox 360 Blu-ray rumour is eternal like the sun god. Taiwanese rag Economic Times is reporting that Pegatron Technology—an Asus subsidiary, not a Decepticon as McWhertor points out—has received an order from Microsoft for a Blu-ray-equipped Xbox 360, due to be manufactured soon and shipped in time for the holidays. Weeks ago, Digitimes said Lite-On was going to make ‘em. Let’s assess. More »
Deals
1:24PM Nick Broughall | If you’re in the market for a new keyboard (but can’t afford an Optimus Maximus), a new webcam (you didn’t win our Iron Man comp) or a new mouse, (Your cat ate your last one. Maybe) then you might want to look at choosing some Microsoft hardware in the run up to the end of financial year.
The big M is offering a 30% cash back on the RRP of any PC peripheral hardware. That works out to be a whopping $135 for the Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000, for example.
The offer stands until July 31. Then it’s back to full price with no cash back.
[Microsoft] More »
Dealzmodo: 30% Cash Back On Microsoft Hardware (Not Xbox, Sorry)
1:24PM Nick Broughall | If you’re in the market for a new keyboard (but can’t afford an Optimus Maximus), a new webcam (you didn’t win our Iron Man comp) or a new mouse, (Your cat ate your last one. Maybe) then you might want to look at choosing some Microsoft hardware in the run up to the end of financial year.
The big M is offering a 30% cash back on the RRP of any PC peripheral hardware. That works out to be a whopping $135 for the Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000, for example.
The offer stands until July 31. Then it’s back to full price with no cash back.
[Microsoft] More »
Deals
11:30AM Nick Broughall | These have been around for a while overseas, but it’s the first time I’ve seen them available from an Australian distributor.
Essentially they’re rechargeable AA batteries that charge via USB. Exciting, no? They feature an LED light so you can see when they’ve finished charging, and cost just $20. They’re quite eco-friendly too, if you’re into that kind of thing.
UPDATE: Obviously I live in a bubble, because you guys have been pointing out that these have been available in Australia for over a year now at Jaycar, Tesora, Dick Smith’s and PCCasegear. They’re still a cool product, but feel free to pick them up from your retailer of choice. =)
[Latestbuy]
More »
USB Rechargeable AA Batteries Now Available In Australia
11:30AM Nick Broughall | These have been around for a while overseas, but it’s the first time I’ve seen them available from an Australian distributor.
Essentially they’re rechargeable AA batteries that charge via USB. Exciting, no? They feature an LED light so you can see when they’ve finished charging, and cost just $20. They’re quite eco-friendly too, if you’re into that kind of thing.
UPDATE: Obviously I live in a bubble, because you guys have been pointing out that these have been available in Australia for over a year now at Jaycar, Tesora, Dick Smith’s and PCCasegear. They’re still a cool product, but feel free to pick them up from your retailer of choice. =)
[Latestbuy]
More » 
