Last night I was lucky enough to attend the Australian premiere of Indy 4. Despite my anxiety, misgivings and fear that it would be disastrous, I actually really enjoyed the film. Of course, some parts bugged me, but for the most part it was just another fun movie starring one of my favourite movie heroes.
I write about technology for a living, so I’m not going to review the film and insult movie critics, movie lovers and everyone involved in the movie industry, but I do have a few thoughts I really want to write down. If you don’t want to read anything before you see the film yourself, probably best not to read this post. It doesn’t contain any major plot spoilers, just some moments in the film that I really enjoyed or hated.
Samsung were showing off their new 3D plasma at the launch of their Series 6 TVs the other week, but you had to wear glasses that reminded me a bit too much of the Oakley Thumps to be really enjoyable.
According to an AP report in the SMH yesterday, Philips have also been showing off their 3D TVs, except these models don’t actually require any sort of eyewear. The TV works a bit like a “holographic greeting card, [combining]slightly different angles of the same image to create video that appears to have different depths as your eyes scan it.”
From the report, it’s still a bit touch and go – sometimes it’s extremely vivid, other times it’s just murky. But Philips believe that we’ll have 3D TVs in our homes within a few years. Or at least those of us that can afford it.
newVideoPlayer("indy_whip.flv", 506, 423,""); The Gadget: The Indiana Jones FX Whip is a soft toy whip made by Hasbro that has button-activated sound effects which are related to the Indy franchise. It’s also handy for keeping new interns in order (see video).
Just in time for the recent surge of GPS expertise, Garmin is offering GPS Blackberry owners a lifetime licence for their navigation software. The US$99.99 fee replaces the $9.99/month subscription service, and Garmin Mobile for Smartphones gives access to Garmin’s collection of maps, points of interest and very slightly sexy voice prompts. AU: US only at the moment, I’m afraid.
I’ve been playing around with the MacBook Air for the past couple of weeks (Verdict: the more I use it, the more I need it) and one of the main problems I’ve found isn’t so much a fault with the Air, but a lack of mobile broadband solutions.
Sure, each of the networks has a USB modem for wireless broadband, but most of them are hideous dongle things that just don’t suit the Air’s pleasing, minimalist design. Not to mention that they aren’t exactly convenient for me working on the train on my way into the office.
So that’s probably why I like the look of 3′s new USB “Internet Key” for mobile broadband. It plugs straight into a USB slot and away you go.
Remember how the Navy fired a missile at that spy satellite a few months ago and made it go boom in one shot? Not surprisingly, they were quite proud of their accomplishment—which is why they have compiled footage of their exploits in a series of tense behind-the-scenes moments. The video after the break even shows the missile leaving the ship on its way to a victorious rendezvous with the pesky satellite. It is a definite must-see for any fan of explosions and the work that goes into making those explosions happen.
How will we play tennis in 2083? From the looks of things, Lacoste believes we will be in a virtual room with collapsible rackets and cool looking robotic suits. Although, I have to admit that the video after the break portrays it as more like a futuristic version of racquetball to me—but either way, it is a sport I could definitely get into.
The guys from Current.com.au obviously got more out of CeBIT than I did – apparently somebody on the Optus stand told them that the 3G iPhone would be launching in June.
Not only that, but apparently it will cost around about the $700 mark.
Considering that officially, both Optus and Vodafone have been keeping very quiet on the whole iPhone front (probably from fear of evil Steve Jobs), this should be classed as rumour, but it does correlate with what our US brethren said yesterday about a worldwide June launch.
Who else can’t wait for WWDC just so we can know all the facts?
[Current.com.au - Thanks Adam!]
You find yourself held under “house arrest” in a remote jungle region of Indonesia, sometime in the late 1950s. You may have your suit, fedora and at least one halfway decent tie, but the chances of getting back to the US of A seem slim. The CIA thinks you’re not so dispensable, so spytechs—with the help of the always patriotic Goodyear Company—build an inflatable aeroplane that they can drop into a jungle clearing. Here’s what it looks like when fully inflated and ready for takeoff:
I don’t know what you thought “the great swallow project” was (actually I do), but I can tell you what it’s not. It is definitely not the act of a sane, rational person. For some reason or another, artist Benjamin Verdonck built a nest hanging high on the Rotterdam Weena Tower in the Netherlands. Apparently he has been sitting in the nest for a few days now, acting like a bird and gazing longingly at pedestrians and the giant egg he placed in the street. If you can’t actually make it to see this installation in person, you can still get a feel for the weirdness in the video after the break.
