The Airbus A380 has been flying in and out of Australia for over 12 months now courtesy of Singapore Airlines, but for those of you with a preference for flying Qantas, their first A380 has been flying for a couple of months. Lifehacker Editor and perennial traveller Angus just happened to get a seat on one of the new monstrously large planes on a recent trip to the US, and has reviewed the in-flight entertainment experience in his Road Worrier column.
The multimillion dollar water recycler recently installed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station is still experiencing some minor issues this evening, meaning crew members will just have to wait to have their first peetinis, Long Island Iced Pees, Whiskpee Sours and other lame pee-themed drinks I have yet to think of. The prototype recycler, which separates waste from water using a centrifuge system, was brought to the station aboard the latest shuttle mission. It malfunctioned two hours after installation, although a separate sweat and waste water recycler is working as expected. Phew!
Foxtel created a bit of a stir earlier this year when they launched their iQ2 PVR alongside their new range of HD channels. Even though the free-to-air networks all had HD channels broadcasting, there wasn’t a lot of content available in HD that really took advantage of the growing trend for homes to have Full HD TVs in the home. With their HD+ service, Foxtel hoped to bring HD content to the mainstream. And after more than three months of watching their HD channels, I can happily say the future looks bright for HD+, but at the moment it’s held back by a lack of variety in its content.
This USB drive featuring Han Solo frozen in carbonite was so cool (cute? weird?) that it sold out in five days, apparently before we could even write about it. I am a fan of the cartoony style crafted by jasonscreations, likely without the permission of Big George. All I can say is, I hope Jason makes more of ‘em. Meanwhile, the action figure of Solo’s woman in bounty hunter guise is not part of the deal, but since you can’t buy any of it, the point is moot. Jump for a closeup of the drive. [Etsy - Thanks Brandon!]
Whether it’s wishful thinking, educated guessing or true leakage is unclear, but the photo nerds are now abuzz about a Nikon D400 follow-up to the D300 we love so much, which would have D90-like video capability that could potentially rival Canon’s 1080p-shootin’ EOS 5D Mark II. If that was all gibberish to you, don’t think on it a moment further. But if what you just read gave you a feeling down in the nether regions that you’d prefer not to discuss, go check out Photography Bay for the full rumour rundown. [Photography Bay]
For the past three weeks, some of you Gizmodians have been fighting the good fight, doing your best to get the Gizmodo name out there to people who might not necessarily know about our gadget obsessions. And while the prize was a 42-inch LCD TV, not all of you did it for the prize alone – some of you took your love of Giz to the streets, and we honour you for it.
Unfortunately though, just like the Highlander, there can be only one (winner). And even though the decision was a tough one, our panel of judges decided unanimously on which of you deserves the TV. And that person is…
Speaking of Android, you G1 fans may recall that the phone launched with zero-point-zero Exchange functionality, pissing off more than one business person (at least two or three). The Android masters said that the platform would happily support third-party Exchange integration, and lo, here it comes. This week, NitroDesk rolled out TouchDown, “the world’s first on-the-phone solution for accessing your Exchange Server email, contacts and calendar on Android-powered handsets.”
Apparently, next year’s going to be the year of 3D entertainment. And even though there are heaps of different technologies out there to let you see images in 3D, there seems to be a bit of a lack of consumer cameras to let you take 3D images yourself. Fortunately, Fujifilm has announced their new FinePix Real 3D consumer camera at the recent 3DX expo in Singapore.
The stereoscopic camera features two optical lenses, each with its own CCD, and a processor that syncs the two images to create a 3D image. On top of that, the screen on the camera is capable of showing 3D images without the stupid glasses, while a 3D printing solution will also be offered that allows you to view printed images in 3D from multiple angles.
And if the idea of still 3D images des nothing for you, the FinePix Real 3D also lets you record 3D video. Of course, there’s no word on pricing or when it will be released yet, but we’ll keep you posted when we hear more from Fujifilm.
[Giz3D]
As a cream and sugar kind of guy—that’s a “regular” to we Yanks in Boston—getting a cup of coffee that’s consistently at the “right” temperature is a crapshoot at best. If there’s not enough cream, I’ll scald myself with a fresh cup. Other times there’s not enough; I’ll get sidetracked, and then go back to my cup for a disgusting gulp of cold nastiness. The cream throws me off. It ruins my calm, and plays havoc with my coffee temperature. I need something that keeps my cafe at a consistent temperature. Popsci, thankfully, has delivered this evening with a DIY “Smart Coaster” they’ve made using an old shoe polish tin. The work week starts tomorrow; this couldn’t have come a moment too soon.
Maybe I’m just writing this because I’m hungry, but damn if I’m not excited about the Zagat To Go app for iPhone that launched this week. Zagat may sometimes offer too many suggestions, but I find it useful when I limit geography, or as a resource for validating my own foodie guesswork. This version shows photos of the restaurants, links to their sites, and even lets you make reservations with a click, where available. It’s $US10, a hefty premium over free alternatives OpenTable and Yelp, but I’m gonna go snatch it up anyway. If you’ve already tried it, hit us with a comment or two. [iTunes Store via IntoMobile]
