October 6, 2008

Software

iPhone 2.2 Update Finally Brings Google Street View to Maps?

Posted by John Mahoney at 11:40 PM on October 6, 2008

After being sent out to developers last week promising only "compatibility testing" enhancements, the pre-release version of iPhone software 2.2 is starting to spill its secrets. The folks at Mac Rumors have dug up evidence that appears to indicate Google Maps' Street View finally making it into the Maps app, after popping up in the regular mobile Maps applications for non-iPhones as well as, of course, Android, with the cool Compass view feature. On top of Street View, they've also uncovered a few other new features, including the ability to disable the text auto-correction feature while typing.


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Cameras

Canon Lens Completely Disassembled (Result: A Lot of Rings)

Posted by John Herrman at 11:20 PM on October 6, 2008

Zoom lenses are by no means a rarity, but it's not often that someone chooses to sacrifice one to the internet. FredMiranda forum member sbv20 found himself with a useless Canon 17-85mm lens after the aperture became stuck, so he did what any good gadget freak would: he tore it apart. He documented the process with a fantastic series of photos which demonstrate that even the boring lenses found dangling from necks at any tourist destination are obscenely complicated.


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Entertainment

Sony Pictures Blu-ray Club: Kool-Aid Points for Early Adopters

Posted by Mark Wilson at 11:00 PM on October 6, 2008

If you're that guy replacing all of your old DVDs with hi def Blu-ray movies, then you may be interested in the Sony Pictures Blu-ray Club. Through the promotion, new Sony Pictures Blu-ray discs enabled with BD Live content can be registered online through ethernet-connected Blu-ray players. This registration will then redeem the disc purchase for Sony Rewards points that are good for special giveaways and offers.


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Phones

HTC Touch Diamond Pops Up in Seven Colours

Posted by Mark Wilson at 10:43 PM on October 6, 2008

We were surprised to see the HTC Diamond just coming in white, but those in France now have the opportunity to pick up the Diamond in one of seven colours: White, blue, brown, fuchsia, yellow, purple or rose. Unless you're packing up to move abroad, chances are you'll never see most, if any of these Skittlesfied options. But we thought we'd show you just to rub it in. Happy Monday! [Phone and Phone via NowhereElse]


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Screens

The World's Largest LED Screen Is, Of Course, In Dubai

Posted by Mark Wilson at 10:14 PM on October 6, 2008

It's not built quite yet, but Tameer Holding is constructing the world's largest LED screen in Dubai for a commercial office building named The Podium. The gigantic display will be implemented as the building's facade, reaching 33 stories into the sky and maintaining visibility up to a mile away. (Needless to say, that's a lot bigger than we are building displays in America.)


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Peripherals

Ergonomic HandshoeMouse Is Like A Bed For Your Fingers

Posted by John Herrman at 9:40 PM on October 6, 2008

Or a shoe, if the name is anything to go by, though I've always preferred the term "glove" to "handshoe." But that's neither here nor there, and despite its name the Hippus HandshoeMouse looks pretty fantastic. Ergonomic mice often fall into different=better trap, simply offering you a new contorted position in which to place your hands. This mouse is designed such that it isn't so much gripped as it is laid upon, contouring to the natural at-rest position of your hand. Available in black, white and clear finishes, the HandshoeMouse sells for a hefty $US120, but you can't put a price on and comfort. Well, I mean, obviously you can, but it's somewhere at or above $US120. [HotHardware via Engadget]


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Phones

Sprint Instinct Firmware Update Includes Non-Crappy Browser

Posted by John Herrman at 9:00 PM on October 6, 2008

The Instinct firmware update BH29 was pushed out over the air (a cool feature in and of itself) a few days ago, with one main purpose: fixing the browser with an entirely new codebase. Lame page rendering and navigation were our biggest problems with the Instinct, so this update is definitely worth exploring. Release notes after the jump. [EverythingInstinct]


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Phones

BlackBerry Storm Can Cut and Paste, Multitouchily

Posted by John Herrman at 8:30 PM on October 6, 2008

If browsing through the leaked PowerPoint and User Guide showing how to sync your contacts or, you know, send an email didn't get your heart pumping, BGR has found a punchier little feature that might. RIM's documentation indicates that multitouch (!!) cut and paste functionality will be built into the Storm's software, something that Apple has been stubbornly disinterested in. Hopefully BlackBerry is saving more multitouch announcements for later. [BGR]


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Portable

Walmart Unwittingly Sells iPod Nano Knockoff as Actual iPod

Posted by John Herrman at 7:50 PM on October 6, 2008

Reader Mitchel Jones noticed something seriously wrong with the iPod display at his local Walmart. Was there another new iPod Nano? Has Apple finally abandoned its iconic wheel? The answer, as deduced by Mitchel himself, is much more depressing: retail fraud.


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Software

Leaked Screens Show BlackBerry's Own App Store

Posted by John Herrman at 7:00 PM on October 6, 2008

Far be it from us to be criticise something like this, but RIM has been spilling some serious beans lately. The newest (and perhaps tastiest) comes to us from CrackBerry, where they've uncovered a few screens of the BlackBerry App Centre. They've also got a wealth of information about the service, which will unfortunately be available for Storm users only.


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Design

The Highest Skyscraper in the World

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 2:33 PM on October 6, 2008

When it's finished in ten years, Dubai's latest architectural monolith will be the tallest skyscraper in the world. At more than one kilometer high (3,280 feet), the Nakheel Tower will have around two hundred floors. Like always, the company behind the project is very secretive about the actual size of the leviathan, in order to beat other buildings for as long as possible, but you can see how it compares to Burj Dubai and other the rest of giant towers here:


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Science

Penguins Flying in Military Planes from Brazil's Beaches to the South Atlantic

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 11:00 AM on October 6, 2008

Get ready to fight to the death for this one, Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks: More than a thousand penguins have suddenly appeared on the beaches of Brazil. The scientists can't explain why this is happening. Some say they are somehow confused. Knowing the views in Brazil's beaches, I personally think they are not confused at all. Brazilian National Institute for Space Research climatologist Jose Marengo thinks the penguins--who are being airlifted back to its origin by the air force--got lost because of changes in the ocean circulation in the South Atlantic:


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Vehicles

Chelsea Football Club Owner Building $US400 Million Mega-Yacht with Submarine, Missile Defenses

Posted by Jack Loftus at 10:30 AM on October 6, 2008

Russian billionaire and Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich is building a $US400 million mega-yacht. Yawn, you say? You have two? OK, well, this yacht has its own submarine. And armour plating with bulletproof glass. And little boats that fit inside the bigger boat. And a frickin' missile defence system that will alert he and his crew of 70 former SAS soldiers that there be pirates in those waters. It should be noted that Abramovich's other yachts—the 377ft Pelorus, 282ft Ecstasea and 160ft Sussurro—all pale in comparison to the 550ft Eclipse, and do not include missile detection systems. You can never be too safe, right?


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Computers

First Look at HP HDX 16 Almost Breaks It

Posted by Jack Loftus at 9:35 AM on October 6, 2008

CrunchGear got their meaty hands on the new HP HDX16 Blu-ray notebook we previewed back in September, and it's pretty shiny. And I say "meaty" because they damn near broke some of those flashy, flush buttons during the initial feeling up. Keep those paws away from the 16:9 high def widescreen and I think we'll be OK, fellas. [CrunchGear]


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Science

ESA Space Tech Catapults Olympian to New World Record

Posted by Jack Loftus at 7:00 AM on October 6, 2008

The 2008 Paralympics wrapped up over the summer, but we're only just today learning about some of the awesome stories to come out of this amazing tech-assisted sporting event. We've covered these bionic athletes before, with some help from the Big Picture, but today's story out of Germany shows just how much goes into helping these young men and women compete. A previous sporting injury left Wojtek Czyz without a left leg and the ability to long jump. The ESA, using materials developed for space, helped him get to the Olympics and vault into the record books.


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Gadgets

Non Stop Top Never—Wait For It—Stops Spinning

Posted by Jack Loftus at 6:30 AM on October 6, 2008

Like a Ronco rotisserie or the perfect politician, you can set this non Stop Top and forget it, because it never stops spinning. Well, it never stops until it runs out of battery juice, which takes about eight hours. Mileage for pols or rotisseries is probably much more than that. It's a cool, shiny top, however, even if they don't really go into detail about the inner workings that keep it spinning for so long. [I Want One of Those]


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Design

X Sting Wish Fire Extinguisher Turns Firefighting Into a Shoot Out

Posted by Jack Loftus at 6:00 AM on October 6, 2008

When everyday devices become autonomous and start mating in the far future thanks to nanotechnology, items like fire extinguishers will become what designer Adam Scott has envisioned with the X Sting Wish. Mixing one part Dustbuster, one part machine gun, and a final part carbon fiber-wrapped fire extinguisher, Scott has managed to cook up a device that looks as at home in a kitchen as it would in Gears of War made real. There are even side-mounted LEDs for night missions. So, why make a lifesaving device like the fire extinguisher so, well, weapon-y? As the mock-ups reveal, it's all about easy recognition in an emergency situation. Apparently, when fire strikes, people are more apt to reach for their shotguns than that red cylinder marked "FIRE EXTINGUISHER."


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Gadgets

Vatican Fights the 'Sin' of Pollution with $US1.5 Million Solar Panel Roof

Posted by Jack Loftus at 5:30 AM on October 6, 2008


As part of its continuing effort to fight the "sin" of pollution, the Vatican has revealed that the first few panels of its 2,400-strong solar panel roof project were installed this week. The $US1.5 million project will require minimal maintenance over the next 25 years, and is part of an ambitious environmental project that could see the tiny European state become the first carbon-neutral body in the world. "Those who destroy the environment are also big sinners", said Italian Cardinal Deacon Renato Raffaele Martino earlier this year. "It's a big insult to God." I see it as more of an insult to my lungs, Martino, but I hear you barking on that one anyway. Good form. [Treehugger]


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Games

Sega Returning to the Hardware Biz with Vision PMP for 2009

Posted by Jack Loftus at 5:00 AM on October 6, 2008

Sony's PSP is currently getting its butt handed to it by the Nintendo DS, but don't tell that to Sega. With its upcoming Sega Vision PMP, due out in the UK sometime in 2009, the former hardware company-turned-sub par software maker is hoping to take on the jack-of-all-trades portable market. The prognosis for such a device is OK, but then again how could it not be? After all, this is the company that brought us the 32X, Saturn, and the Dreamcast—the only direction any Sega hardware offering could go from this point forward is up.


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Design

Nebo Dispenser Gives Ballpark Vendors a Much Needed Facelift

Posted by Jack Loftus at 4:30 AM on October 6, 2008

Ballpark vendors, those hot dog-dispensing, beer hawking staples of sporting events the world over, are in need of a refresh. A "get yer peanuts hee-yah!" 2.0, if you will. Designer Mario Weiss might have the fresh look they're looking for with Nebo. Put simply, this slick all-in-one vendor concept could change the way people have food thrown their way at a baseball game. And, it will do this in such a way that's so visually appealing it will stop your kid from asking what a Fenway Frank is really made of, forever. (Spoiler: It's dreams)


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Toys

Lego Medieval Market Village Set Arrives With First-Ever Lego Turkey

Posted by Jack Loftus at 4:00 AM on October 6, 2008

Just in time for fall and Thanksgiving, there's word today that the first ever Lego turkey minifig piece will arrive in January 2009 with the $US100 Medieval Market Village set. We don't want to go too overboard with Lego posts on Gizmodo (ok, we do), but I found it pretty amazing that, allegedly, there hasn't been a turkey minifig piece made by Lego until now. Next step: Turducken!


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Science

HiPER Laser Fusion Project 'Starts' Tomorrow, Could Save Earth

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 3:30 AM on October 6, 2008

The $US1.7-billion HiPER facility--High Power laser Energy Research--will kick off with a party this monday. Yes, the project that will hopefully give us a way to produce limitless clean energy and save humanity from self-destruction (or pull out an LHC and destroy half the planet), starts up with a hydrogen pellet and alcoholic cocktails, which, if you ask me, is the perfect way to begin saving the planet. Here is how it works:


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Gadgets

JM Billiard Round Pool Table Has a Stripper Pole Attachment

Posted by Jack Loftus at 3:00 AM on October 6, 2008

Rectangular pool tables? Sounds great, gramps, but why don't you come join us ballers in the 21rst century and have a little fun? Today it's all about round tables with custom add-ons, like stripper poles, which is exactly what California-based JM Billiards is doing with their one-of-a-kind models. When the balls aren't sinking your way, toss 'em aside and take out the ones, because the night's going to get interesting. Just don't try to do both activities at the same time, because eight-inch heels and 8-balls just don't go well together. And yeah, I'm still talking about playing pool. Deviants.


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Regulars

Who Would Win: an Imperial Star Destroyer or the USS Enterprise?

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 2:30 AM on October 6, 2008

This great image requires a t-shirt urgently. When I came across it today on Digg I thought: "I can't believe we haven't asked this question in Gizmodo yet. Hello?" Who would you think would win: an Imperial Star Destroyer or the USS Enterprise? And a simple answer won't work. You have give us actual technical arguments.


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Home

Igloo Satellite Cabin Modular Home Design Is Sarah Palin Approved

Posted by Jack Loftus at 2:00 AM on October 6, 2008

You don't need to meticulously memorise any talking points to see the beauty and functionality in these Igloo Satellite Cabins. Designed to protect you from the worst that Earth has to offer, these little huts are Eskimo-inspired and completely customisable. Like an IKEA store in the Arctic, you can also add in modular interior and exterior design packages to give the 3 meter interior space that personal touch. Better still, get some friends and create a fort, as you'll see in some design plans below.


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Vehicles

A Look at Steve Fossett's Super Secret Flying, Diving, Space Bound Submersible

Posted by Jack Loftus at 1:00 AM on October 6, 2008

Unbeknownst to most of the world, the late super rich adventurer Steve Fossett had started work on an amazing flying submersible that would one day theoretically touch the stars. More importantly, however, was that the design would have allowed adventurers and scientists alike (and most importantly Fossett himself, of course) to venture into the deadly depths of the Mariana Trench, some 36,000 feet below the ocean's surface. Sadly, the design was put on hold immediately after Fossett went missing about one year ago, but that hasn't stopped San Anselmo inventor Graham Hawkes from detailing the project that Fossett tapped him to create two years before his death.


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Entertainment

Tony Stark's Boozing Ways, BD-Live Snafu Bring Down Paramount Servers

Posted by Jack Loftus at 12:00 AM on October 6, 2008

I would love to tell you this morning that the record breaking Iron Man Blu-ray release on October 1 was all puppies and rainbows, but that just isn't the case. And I can't lie to you, dear readers, at least not about Iron Man. The truth is, while the release made director John Favreau a happy man, it's done nothing but piss off consumers, thanks to huge BD-Live-related traffic jams the popular release created on Paramount's servers. Tony Stark, thy newest enemy and threat to the free world is BD-Live!


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