Almost reflexively, six studios have filed suit against RealNetworks for their brand-new DVD copying software. RealDVD, as it is (was?) called, was tepidly received on account of crippling DRM which only allows for viewing of a ripped DVD on one PC, precluding the portability that might account for someone wanting to rip a DVD in the first place. That uselessness is precisely why these suits are so interesting; it’s difficult to see what the studios—Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures, the Walt Disney Company and Sony— actually think they stand to lose.
A bit like Dean Kamen’s miraculous water distiller, only not quite so fancy or miraculous, is the WaterMill drinking water collector. It’s basically a clever dehumidifier that collects airborne water and filters and purifies it with an ultraviolet steriliser, providing you with up to 12 litres of water per day. And before you start thinking your home air is going to be all dry and uncomfy, it is actually designed to hang outside your house and inhale water from there, streaming it to where it’s needed inside: like your in-fridge chilled water dispenser. It’s due out February 2009, and though unit pricing’s not known, it’ll cost you about 11 cents per day to run. Or you can just drink tap water. [Product via Geekologie]
For those who don’t need a whole keyboard full of OLED buttons, Nikkai is showing off standalone units at CEATEC. The buttons are bulkier than anything on an Art Lebedev product, and seem to have three input states: depressed, tilted left and tilted right (or up and down, depending on orientation) which makes makes for what amounts to a highly versatile and communicative switch. A second type of button is a simpler in/out configuration, albeit with a larger screen.
Laptopmag went ahead and tested out Xohm WiMax goodness, now that it’s live in Baltimore. They jammed an ExpressCard Xohm into a Sony Vaio laptop, and compared it to a Kyocera EVDO card running on Verizon, at a spot where both signals were strong. The conclusion? Xohm beats EVDO for speed when doing intensive downloading, such as streaming video, or large file transfers—the top download speed they found for Xohm was 3.05Mbps while EVDO managed just 1.43MBps. So far so groovy, and Laptopmag gave a few more thumbs up to the system, like how it auto-connects when you plug in the adaptor, and the daily subscription options. But this isn’t much of a surprise—it’s designed to be faster—and for now Xohm’s coverage is severely limited, to say the least. Check out the link for the full picture. [Laptopmag]
A true “next generation” Nintendo console, tentatively referred to as the Wii HD, will hit the market in 2011, according to the folks at What They Play. The site claimed that Nintendo is currently showing early presentations of Wii 2.0 to the game development community, and that Miyamoto’s new device will be based on completely new hardware and will contain HD visuals, digitally distributed content and expanded storage.
Not content with his first astronautic experience, Ex-Microsofter billionaire Charles Simonyi is now training for a second trip to the International Space Station in Spring 2009. Simonyi will be the first repeat Space Adventures customer since the company began sending private citizens into the final frontier in 2001.
Want to be the scariest ancient history buff in your neighbourhood? A couple of timber engineers are selling their recreation of a Roman ballista, which they made for a Discovery Channel documentary, on eBay. Though the 12-ton, 24 foot-tall war machine needs a little restoration work and doesn’t currently work, the engineers insist that it can be made into a fire-able weapon if the right people got involved. All you need is roughly $44,000 to show your neighbourhood Hannibal who’s boss. [eBay via Boingboing]
Let’s do a little word association game, shall we? You know – I’ll say a word or a phrase, and you say the first thing that pops into your head. Okay, let’s go: Red Xbox controller…
…
Did you say Red Ring Of Death? So did I. Which is weird, because the two have very little to do with eachother. In reality, Microsoft’s new red Xbox 360 controller is exactly the same as all the other (official) Xbox 360 controllers on the market, except it’s red. Oh, and it comes with a Play and Charge cable and a red rechargeable battery, which gives about 25 hours worth of gameplay per charge.
The red controller hits stores November 7, which is the same day as Gears of War 2. I wonder if they wanted it to remind you of blood? In any case, it’ll set you back $99.95 RRP.
[Xbox]
Killing two marketing birds with one stone, Microsoft’s bundling some of its Zunes with various Gears of War 2 (launching soon!) paraphernalia. Each 120GB Zune will sport a laser-etched “Crimson Omen” and come pre-loaded with 244 pieces of media, including the soundtrack, behind-the-scene videos and concept art. The entire package will cost you $US280 and will start shipping on November 7th. Pre-orders on Amazon.com and Walmart.com will begin at 3am EST tonight. Looks like M’soft’s stopped going after babies and chosen to focus on teenage boys instead. [Engadget]
Research into invisibility cloaks, which work by bending light around 2D objects, could end up protecting offshore rigs and vulnerable coastlines from water. Scientists at the Fresnel Institute in Marseille, France said that established cloaking principles can be applied to ocean waves, and built a 10cm model to show how carefully placed concentric pillars make objects in the centre “invisible” to the sea.
