Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Gadgets

Rest in Peace, Olde Tyme Automatic Player Pianos

11:50PM January 6, 2009 | John Herrman

The gradual, relentless digitisation of everything takes a little longer to seep into the more obscure technological quarters. The latest outmoded gadget to fall? The analogue player piano.


Geek Out

Helicopters Used to Fix Giant Wind Turbines

10:52PM January 6, 2009 | Jesus Diaz

If you ever wondered how they get up there to fix those giant wind turbines, here’s the answer: Helicopters. And absofreakingnuttely crazylala mechanics. Updated with crazy video.

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Software

Picasa Released for Mac, At Long Last

10:17PM January 6, 2009 | John Herrman

iPhoto hasn’t had a great free competitor and in my opinion, Google’s photo management is just, well, better. That’s why Picasa for Mac is awesome news.

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AMD’s Neo Processor Ignores the Atom, Gives Netbooks the Tiny Cold Shoulder

9:25PM January 6, 2009 | John Herrman

AMD’s anticipated answer to the Atom is coming soon, but there’s a catch: It’s not an answer to the Atom. It’s more expensive, faster, sucks more power, and isn’t intended for netbooks. Oops!

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Cameras

Pentax P70, E70 Point-And-Shoot Cameras Aim High, Sell Low

8:34PM January 6, 2009 | John Herrman

Pentax has got two new Optio pocket cameras for us, each with a clear purpose in mind. The name of the game for the P70? Slim lines and HD video. The E70? Dollars and cents.

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Epson PowerLite Flagship 1080p Projector Is Super Bright, Super Clear For Under $US3K

6:01PM January 6, 2009 | Elaine Chow

Epson’s PowerLite Home Cinema 6500 UB projector, with a 75K:1 contrast ratio and 1,600 lumens, is a prime example of what I love about tech: Everything’s cheaper even as it becomes more powerful.

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Mobile

Motorola’s New Phones Are Nice Things in Ugly Packages

5:02PM January 6, 2009 | Elaine Chow

Motorola is rolling out three new handsets that’ll be available in the next few months. While the concepts are relatively up-to-date (eco-friendliness, military ruggedness, touchscreens), why did Motorola choose designs from 2002?

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LaCie Hard Disk MAX Stores 2TB in Shiny Black Box

3:45PM January 6, 2009 | Elaine Chow

LaCie’s newest Hard Disk MAX storage system doesn’t depart from the company’s history of sleek-looking computer peripherals. It delivers up to 2TB of storage in an ebony-glazed cuboid designed by Neil Poulton.

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Computing

Gallery: Check Out the HP Firebird 803′s Liquid-cooled Innards

3:02PM January 6, 2009 | Adrian Covert

News of HP’s Firebird 803 may have leaked out over the holidays, but now that its been officially announced, we have a batch of photos, including the freakishly tidy insides, as well as pricing details.

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Computing

HP Pavilion DV2 Notebook is HPs first 12-inch, Full Functioning Consumer Laptop

3:01PM January 6, 2009 | Adrian Covert

All of HP’s 12-inch (and under) laptops have either been tablets, netbooks, or products aimed at the business crowd—until now. The Pavilion DV2 is HP’s new 12-inch consumer laptop that is under an inch thick.

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