Friday, August 15, 2008
GPS
Low-End Korean GPS is Basically High-End 7-Inch Screen PMP, for US$190
11:40PM Kit Eaton | The normally navigation-focused guys over at Navigadget have spotted something interesting: The “low end” Easycar U7 GPS system heading for Korean drivers at the moment is basically a pretty high-end media player with a 7-inch touchscreen. As well as helping you navigate, the 1.9cm deep gizmo plays audio and video files, has a text reader, photo-viewer and accepts digitally-broadcast TV. Check out the gallery to see it in action, and go mad when you learn it costs the equivalent of just US$190. More »
Games
Dad Nails Xbox to Tree, Cleverly Gets on Master Chief’s Bad Side
11:20PM Mark Wilson | I think that, in any tough situation, there’s a kind of normal way a person can react and a completely angry, psycho, absurd way a person can react. The normal way is the best way about 99.99% of the time. Example: A waiter brings you the wrong drink, so you politely ask for another. Result: You get the drink you wanted without traces of type 1 herpes. See? Everybody wins. More »
Online
Giant Dutch Botnet Busted, Forced to Commit Ritualistic Suicide
11:00PM John Mahoney | When the Dutch High Tech Crime unit raided the 150,000-machine strong Shadow botnet, they didn’t simply bust its 19- and 16-year-old basement-dwelling operators. Oh no. Instead of simply decapitating it from the top, the police enlisted the help of Kaspersky Labs to actually take full control, driving the cold dagger of the law even deeper into Shadow’s own soulless guts. More »
Peripherals
Leaked Seagate FreeAgent Drives Might Actually Be Worth Leaking
10:38PM Mark Wilson | It’s pretty rare that we run leaked shots of external hard drives, but these next gen FreeAgent drives by Seagate are almost stylish. (I mean, let’s admit it, most of this stuff will look horrible to our kids.) All we know right now is that the models will include 5400 and 7200RPM drives that will eventually come in loads of colours (starting with this silver, but moving to pink, red, green and gold). And at least one model will be Mac-ready out of the box. Our only point of confusion–is that a glowing LED pattern on the front? Look for more on the new models this September. [engadget] More »
Cameras
Quarter Million Dollars of Digital Photo Gear in a Single Photo
10:00PM Jesus Diaz | Here’s a common scene–but still impressive–at the Beijing Olympics: dozens of photographers firing the most expensive digital photography gear available on the planet at full speed. The sound of all those shutters re-clacky-clicketing alone must give goosebumps to any photo aficionado, but the total price of all this machinery would actually make anyone faint. How much does this all cost? More »
Design
Compact Table Set Looks Like World War II Bomb
9:50PM Jesus Diaz | This is not an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile head or an old World War II V-2 bomb or an alien monolith, but a set of table and chairs that will transform any terrace into a chill-out lounge, sans the Margarita and Manhattan cocktails. Here is how it unfolds: More »
Entertainment
Upcoming Prototype This! TV Show Sounds Like Modders, Maker’s Geekfest
9:07PM Kit Eaton | Hackaday has a piece about an upcoming Discovery Channel show called “Prototype this!” It’s due in October, and since it’s about making and modding robots and other gizmos, it sounds like a Mythbusters-meets-Makerfaire geeky heaven. [Hackaday] More »
Science
Researchers Invent Nanotech Waterproofing for Planes
8:37PM Kit Eaton | The Air Force’s Office of Scientific Research has funded a study that’s found a novel waterproofing technique that could prevent ice formation and corrosion from damaging parts of an aircraft, like optical sensors. The transparent coating has a nanoporous surface that is superhydrophobic, which makes water droplets form and roll or bounce-off the aircraft’s skin rather than collecting, which is how ice formations happen. Better still it can be crafted to send the droplets in particular pathways across the coating, meaning it may also work as a cheap and simple water-collection system for desert environments: this was inspired by the way the Namib Desert beetle gathers moisture. We wonder though… is it as good as Golden Shellback? [AirForceLink] More »
Phones
First Android Phone Coming ‘As Early as October’, Says NYT
7:58PM Jesus Diaz | While a T-Mobile news blog reported the HTC G1 would debut on September 17, the NYT begs to differ: Their sources point to an “as early as October” release timeframe for this potential bringer of the iPhonecalypse. [NYT] More »
Science
