Saturday, June 28, 2008
Screens
11:46AM Nick Broughall | UPDATE: One of our tipsters has sent through this image of an upcoming catalogue proving the Samsung giveaway is legit. Of course, what’s interesting to note (that wasn’t mentioned in either the Australian or CNet articles, is that customers have a choice between the Foxtel iQ2 box or a new Samsung BDP-1500 Blu-ray player. This would make sense – not everyone can get Foxtel, and not everyone would want to subscribe to the Foxtel service either.
We’ll obviously keep you posted on any official announcement from Samsung, but seeing as how this catalogue is due to go out this week (and the promotion due to start on July 1, we expect to have official word for you very soon.
Since the advent of plasma TVs and their subsequent rise to power (alongside LCDs, of course); TV manufacturers have seen huge sales boosts just before major sporting events. And seeing as how this year is an Olympic year, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing some really awesome promotions come out of the woodwork in the lead up to Beijing.
Earlier this week we told you about the Sony Bravia promotion, which will see 35,000 Bravia customers receive a free PS3, but now the Australian (and CNet AU) are reporting that next week we’ll be hearing about a Samsung promotion which includes a Foxtel iQ2 box for HD entertainment.
The rumours state that Samsung will be forking over the $200 upgrade fee that Foxtel is charging subscribers to install the iQ2 when they buy a new Samsung TV. There hasn’t been any official confirmation from either Samsung or Foxtel yet, so we don’t know which TVs will include the Foxtel box in the price, but it will obviously cater to their premium lineup of HD displays.
So it looks like July is going to be the month that many of us buy TVs. But which promotion is more appealing?
More »
Updated: Samsung Plan On Giving Away Foxtel iQ2 Set-Top Boxes
11:46AM Nick Broughall | UPDATE: One of our tipsters has sent through this image of an upcoming catalogue proving the Samsung giveaway is legit. Of course, what’s interesting to note (that wasn’t mentioned in either the Australian or CNet articles, is that customers have a choice between the Foxtel iQ2 box or a new Samsung BDP-1500 Blu-ray player. This would make sense – not everyone can get Foxtel, and not everyone would want to subscribe to the Foxtel service either.
We’ll obviously keep you posted on any official announcement from Samsung, but seeing as how this catalogue is due to go out this week (and the promotion due to start on July 1, we expect to have official word for you very soon.
Since the advent of plasma TVs and their subsequent rise to power (alongside LCDs, of course); TV manufacturers have seen huge sales boosts just before major sporting events. And seeing as how this year is an Olympic year, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing some really awesome promotions come out of the woodwork in the lead up to Beijing.
Earlier this week we told you about the Sony Bravia promotion, which will see 35,000 Bravia customers receive a free PS3, but now the Australian (and CNet AU) are reporting that next week we’ll be hearing about a Samsung promotion which includes a Foxtel iQ2 box for HD entertainment.
The rumours state that Samsung will be forking over the $200 upgrade fee that Foxtel is charging subscribers to install the iQ2 when they buy a new Samsung TV. There hasn’t been any official confirmation from either Samsung or Foxtel yet, so we don’t know which TVs will include the Foxtel box in the price, but it will obviously cater to their premium lineup of HD displays.
So it looks like July is going to be the month that many of us buy TVs. But which promotion is more appealing?
More » 
Software
Bill Gates You Have a Retirement E-Card from Gizmodo
11:00AM Gizmodo US Edition | Well, the time has come. It’s 6 p.m., and according to the Bill Gates’ retirement video, this is the exact moment Bill is leaving from his last day of work. With this monumental occasion, we thought it was only fitting we send him off with an MSN e-card. Feel free to give your best wishes to Bill in the comments. [Bill Gates' Retirement Party on Giz] More »
Robots
The Elvinator: One Man’s Quest to Merge Singing Elvis Robot with Terminator Killing Machine
10:02AM Adrian Covert | I thought I had seen the last of the WowWee singing Elvis robot last summer when Wilson skinned the thing and gave me nightmares. I was wrong. Instructables user GW Jax has put his Elvinator on display, which combines “The King” with T101, the king of death.
Gadgets
The 10 Strangest Anti-Terrorism Gadget Patents
10:00AM Sean Fallon | These are dangerous times we live in–which is why I am sure that some of America’s greatest minds are out there toiling away on new gadgets we can use to protect ourselves in the war against terrorism. Unfortunately, the people who patented these 10 anti-terrorism gadgets are not among these brilliant thinkers. Sure they are creative, but an aeroplane sleeping gas system and an explosion containment umbrella? Would a doggie earphone that helps you remotely contact your dog to give verbal instructions make you feel safer? Seriously, if this is the best we can come up with, this country is in serious trouble. Hit the link for the full list. [Neatorama] More »
Gadgets
Hydroelectric Bucket Will Gladly Help You Miss the Point of Camping
9:45AM Gizmodo US Edition | Sam Redfield of the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group has designed a bucket-based hydroelectric generator that can be made with easily obtainable, affordable parts. The “pico generator” is intended to provide a modest power supply suitable for home lighting and small appliances to remote destinations. They’ve already tested the bucket at La Florida in Guatemala, where it demonstrated the ability to power five retro Motorola handsets from hustle’n flow of a small stream. More »
Hardware
ATI Radeon Graphics Cards Running Nvidia PhysX Are Faster, Stronger, Awesomer
9:30AM Matt Buchanan | After Nvidia picked up PhysX, it was obvious ATI would probably get left out of Nvidia’s efforts to spread the love to graphics cards and x86 CPUs (hence ATI hooking up with Havok). (Physics engines, for the uninitiated, are what make your body bounce around with aplomb after getting stuck with a grenade in Halo 3.) But some modders have fixed that and ported PhysX to ATI’s Radeon 3800 cards, instantly improving benchmarks. More »
Software
Google Media Server Helps Bridge Gap Between PC and TV
9:24AM Adrian Covert | Google Media Server is a Google Desktop add-on that provides a way to get PC media content onto your TV. With the help of a UPnP device, Google Media Server collects all the relevant media files from your PC and makes them available over a local host. While it doesn’t seem as direct as a device like SlingCatcher, it’s probably a whole lot cheaper. Google Media Server is available for download here. [Google Media Server via Crunch Gear] More »
Software
Retromodo: Bill Gates Last Moments at the Office CES 2008 Video
9:11AM Benny Goldman | Is Bill’s last day in the office going just like this video he showed us back at CES? Rumour has it that its going EXACTLY like this, but with a bit more emotion. [Original Post] More »
Science
Federal Government Halts Solar Power Projects for Two Years
8:30AM Matt Buchanan | In order to survey the impact of massive solar power plants on the environment and wildlife, the federal government is freezing new solar projects on public land for about two years. The alternative energy industry is reacting as if the world’s tofu supply has been exhausted, since this effectively nukes new solar power development for the time being (because buying private land is way more expensive for startups than leasing public land). More »
Gadgets
