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Q Totally Phones in Bond's New Quantum of Solace VAIO
Posted by John Mahoney at 11:40 PM on October 2, 2008
Overheard in MI6 4th-floor martini lounge: "Man, it used to be fun heading down to Q's lab. Shit blowing up all the time, everyone just grinning and shaking their head knowingly (oh, James) when I accidentally incinerated prototype after expensive and high-time-investment prototype. Now? Dude's just going to down to the high street shops and slapping some logos on. Look at this laptop--it's garden variety Z-series: 13.3 inches, Core 2 Duo, 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM, 3G connection, Blu-ray. And he's billing M £3,000 ($US5,300) for it. Same for my phone. I mean, they're nice and all, but WTF?" [Gadget Review, T3]
Almost two years 
Hackers have discovered techniques to make backups of RFID passports as well as bypass ePassport RFID authentication at airport passport scanners. Their method, which is publicly available, includes software to design custom identities and convinces scanners to accept fully fabricated RFID chips—neither of which trigger any sort of alarm with "security." And in this clip, Elvis comes back from the dead to scan his passport at an airport to prove it.
Oh yummy. And they probably come in boxes made of rye bread. All I want to know is where is my new MacBook Air made of bacon? Hmmmmm. Bacon. [
Here's the first full unboxing of 
Remember when Psystar turned their little hardware dalliance with Mac OS X into an 
Despite the "free" and "open" buzzwords bandied about during the G1 launch, app developers stand to make a good deal of money the platform — that is, when the 
Keepon has been robotically 
Now that SpaceX has finally 
More from the Nintendo Press Conference: the company will let you 
You know how we showed you that Apple were 
University of Calgary scientists are working on a machine that would pull carbon dioxide from the air in an attempt to scrub out emissions from diffuse sources, such as car exhaust and home heating. These "diffuse emissions" account for roughly half of the CO2 that goes up into the sky every day, contributing to global warming.
Ah, video games and casual drug use. They go together like World of Warcraft and loneliness, don't they? That's why we saw a 
You probably won't remember the WRT610N router from Linksys - even 
Digital tech has reinvigorated the 3D dream since the cardboard glasses and headaches of yesteryear. JVC showed off a nifty prototype TV at CEATEC outside Tokyo that converts high-def 2D video into what it calls "pseudo 3D" in real time. With the eyewear on, it takes a few moments for your brain to adjust, and then footage of the Alps in spring starts taking on eye-popping depth. It's not exactly convincing enough to want to reach out and touch the wildflowers, though it makes regular flatscreens seem, well, very flat in comparison.
Responding to criticism for its secrecy over its data centres, Google has lifted the veil a little on how much energy its information hotbeds use. The world's largest search engine insisted that Google-designed data centres used nearly five times less energy than conventional facilities, and 
Our friend (and Wired editor) Nick Thompson wrote a piece in the Washington Monthly accusing John McCain for the sorry state of America's broadband. It seems the e-mail-avoiding presidential candidate, as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, supported too much consolidation and too little oversight. The end result? "Since 2000, the United States has gone from fifth in the world to twenty-second in broadband penetration."
Philips unveiled their 56-inch 3D display yesterday that packs a Quad Full HD resolution (3840x2160). Wired says the autostereoscopic display requires no glasses and is able to support such a high resolution because of its high data throughput rates. Those high rates also allow for a 3D effect that is high contrast, silky smooth and has a viewing angle of 160 degrees. Early word is that these displays will cost upwards of $US25,000, and will mostly exist in the commercial space. [
KDDI announced a new prototype phone that uses six different types of sensors to see its surroundings, including other people and objects within proximity. According to Tech Radar, KDDI was hush hush about the specifics, but did reveal the sensors include GPS and multiple types of accelerometers and geomagnetic technology — which are then used to render the environment in OpenGL. Its also able to detect how many calories one has burned via walking or running, even using the microphone (?) in the process. No demo was offered, but I'll be waiting to hear how this really works. [
Here's the new Volvo in-house wind tunnel simulator, a 28 million dollar facility that is the first in its class to have a road simulator. In theory, it will allow the Swedish manufacturer to precisely test the effect of road changes and airflows all around the car to make cars more fuel efficient. Strangely enough, Tim Walker, the aerodynamics expert at Volvo Cars, doesn't mention other possible uses, like drying the hair and bodies of a multitude of lusty valkyries and/or vikings just out of the shower: