So far, Intel has been lackadaisical in supporting solid state drives, just toying with the market a bit. But according to DigiTimes, Intel will soon be introducing new SSD drives with the Centrino 2 platform as a standard—2.5-inch and 1.8-inch SATA drives with 80GB of storage. In 2009, Intel plans on expanding capacities all the way up to 250GB. That’s still a hefty amount of space for standard laptop drives. No word on pricing at the moment, but we’re guessing they’ll be the most expensive “Centrinos” ever. To see Intel’s pitch on SSD, hit the jump.
Live DJ-ing takes a step further into the 21st Century with this invention which lets DJ’s view, cut, grab, loop and mix tracks by doing live waveform editing on a twin touchscreen “turntable.” Invented by UK student Scott Hobbs as part of his innovative product design course, ATTIGO is about the same size as a conventional deck set-up, but has all the flexibility of digital track storage: choosing new tracks without all that swapping of vinyl. Check out the video to see it in action.
Remember how steampunk is the next big thing? Yeah, apparently that includes pop idols and USB drives. Because one guy hand-crafted his USB drive from brass and copper in meticulous celebration of an era that never quite happened—unless you count Wild Wild West. And before you do, you should remember that Will Smith is a Scientologist now. How depressing. Here’s a bonus shot to ease the sting:
If you look at the guitar pictured in the Guitar Hero promo page you will notice what looks like new buttons on the base of the fretboard. Knowing about the expanded new drums, this could mean that they are going to increase the complexity of the guitars too, requiring even more dexterity than previous versions. Note to Guitar Hero people: no matter how complex you make it, it still won’t be a real guitar. [Guitar Hero—thanks Alex]
Taking the top out of desktop, the XYZ Computer Desk is actually the computer itself, a PC table made of chromed legs and some kind of polycarbonate top, with ports and optical drive on the side, and plenty of room for expansion and clutter. And while the screen is too small for me, it is oh-so-pretty that I want to build it, even if it goes against my religion. [BornRich]
Don’t let them deceive you with their fancy topographic buzzwords, and smartypants search algorithms. They just use these, and have people who move them really really fast as you click. Seriously. Sergey—the Ukranian plumber who is fixing the pipes at home—told me the other day. [Dark Roasted Blend]
Watch a professional photographer closely, and you’ll see they sometimes modify the light coming out of their flashgun with a bit of white card held on by elastic bands. It’s a simple way of scattering the flash to give even light coverage of a subject, and this new Presslite Vertex gizmo offers a more controlled way of doing the same thing. It’s got a couple of adjustable vanes that let you send the flash light in almost any direction—including forwards and backwards at the same time—as the vid clip shows.
Not quite as high-tech as the CIA spy gear Wilson’s been showing, but almost a steampunk modding of a normal walking stick… this cane with built-in telescope gave me a smile the moment I saw it. Mainly because I pictured a Victorian gent strolling along, then popping out the 3x mag telescope to steal a forbidden glimpse of distant ankle. Simpler days, eh? It has a one-inch wide, 37-inch high African rosewood stick, so it should be good as a real walking aid, and there’s a brass handle for an extra touch of style. It’s available now for US$89.95… useful for countryside strolls, and, of course, for the odd bit of *ahem* bird-spotting. [HammacherSchlemmer via Red Ferret]
Amex‘s new RM-MP1 Media remote is designed to work with your Windows media centre system and also to run your presentations in a business setting… and it’s rather elegant, compared to some of the offerings out there. That simple design conceals a touchpad mouse, laser pointer, multimedia controls and it functions via a wireless USB dongle. It’s just 10 x 3.8 x 1.3 cms in size, and comes in black or white. No info on pricing or availability yet. [Akihabaranews]
It’s Friday – I’ve had one hell of a long week and the last thing I feel like doing right now is working. Who’s with me? What I feel like, aside from a cold beer and some footy, is taking a nap. And while I could go and crawl into bed, I’d rather just have one of these nap pods in the office to tide me over until my wife gets home and makes me do housework.
The napping chair you see above is the Zero – a chair powered by NASA technology to create the perfect conditions for napping. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well it’s not. For $3,650 you can own a powered version of this awesome napmaker. Hell, I’m getting tired just writing about it…
There are a couple of other models after the jump, although they are lacking in the pricing department.
