Ars Technica posted a guide showing how to make a laptop sleeve out of any fabric you happen to have lying around. It probably won't protect your laptop from falls, but it'll provide some style and probably reduce scratches.
Unfortunately, it does seem to require some basic sewing knowledge—that's a problem for me, since my greatest sewing accomplishment is basically strapping a button to my coat with about half a spool of the wrong colored thread (and it still falls off every couple weeks). But if you're a real human being with basic skills (which I clearly am not), it should be a pretty simple project, and a nice way to customize and protect your laptop at the same time. [Ars Technica]
With a name that sounds like it's gone through Google Translate repeatedly, the team behind Freecom's Hard Drive Secure must've put all their energy into the super-dee-duper RFID cards keeping your data safe. 'Cause RFID is absolutely not defeatable, right?
Basically, you wave a keycard to lock and unlock the data on the drive. That's great, but while I'm hesitant about RFID cards after lousy experiences with my Amex's ExpressPay chip, the Hard Drive Secure's specs made me weary for other reasons:
Includes 2 security keycards (1 user keycard, 1 master keycard) in credit card format which will lock and unlock the drive for use.
Controlled access using RFID technology (Radio Frequency Identification) for data security. The 2 included RFID keycards are AES encrypted.
USB 2.0 interface – connects to any modern computer
Reliable and fast data transfer
High quality aluminium enclosure with optimal internal airflow management
No cooling fan – no noise!
Compact design, only 15.5 x 14.8 x 4.3 cm, saves space on your desk
"No cooling fan." How reliable is an external hard drive with no cooling fans? Or is it that this drive is so secure because your data will be inaccessible after it melts down? Either way, the Hard Drive Secure is available now (though strangely sold out) with a steep $500 price tag. [Freecom via EverythingUSB via GadgetReview viakCrunchGear]
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has picked up on what seems to be evidence of two planets impacting and then exploding in a oh-dear-God-it's-like-the-Death-Stars-all-over-again-no-no-nooooooooooo way. The artist's animation of the event looks phenomenal, but sadly lacks any kablooey! sounds.
The infrared detectors of the Spitzer Space Telescope spotted "signatures of the vaporized rock, along with pieces of refrozen lava," which imply that a planetary collision may have occurred. The remaining debris is very similar to that which formed Earth's moon after an object the size of Mars impacted with the planet and could result in another moon forming.
No word on which planet is at fault as they were both speeding at 22,400 miles per hour. [YouTube via SpaceRef]
Greg Kot, music critic for the Chicago Tribune and others, wrote a book called Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music. In a recent podcast interview, he enumerates the precise downfall of record labels and why iTunes isn't their savior.
In his interview on the fantastic podcast The Sound of Young America, Kot states that the music industry was actually one of the primary causes of piracy. The explosion of boy bands and bubblegum pop in the late 1990s was due to the labels' insistence on pouring a huge amount of money into just a few dumbed-down, impersonal, lowest-common-denominator acts, which meant in turn that commercial radio was almost completely garbage. There was little room for genuine weirdo geniuses like, say, Prince or David Bowie, and devoid of good music, the market was bound to react—hence Napster.
Kot goes through the standard points all dedicated pirates know—artists have never made money on record sales, the mp3 revolution encouraged the indie movement and a huge variety of new and exciting acts, the RIAA's insistence on trying to sue piracy out of existence led to the public having absolutely zero guilt about pirating music. But what's nice is Kot's recognition that iTunes, the much-applauded champion of legal music downloads, is still far inferior to pirate options.
I'll toss this out there: I think the dear departed OiNK, an invite-only torrent site that was forcefully shut down in late 2007, was the greatest music distribution service ever created. It was leagues ahead of iTunes: Faster downloads, better mandated sound quality, an incredibly vast library, vibrant forums full of knowledgeable music dorks, and, of course, totally without DRM. Even now that iTunes has abandoned DRM, it can't hold a candle to a service that hasn't even been operational in nearly two years. Record labels seem to have pinned their hopes to iTunes, but Kot stresses that iTunes is far from perfect, and the labels should be busting ass trying to come up with a viable business model that attracts, not polices, customers, and can at least hold pace with the illegal options.
Some loyal Giz readers and Best Buy employees sent us a couple shots of the much-anticipated Zune HD's packaging, and they clearly state that the gorgeous PMP will be available on September 15th. Break out the wallets, people.
It's a little later than we thought (we had guessed a week earlier) but we suppose we'll wait. Anxiously. There's still no official price, but we're pretty confident in our $220/$280 for 16GB/32GB target, especially after it appeared on Amazon. So mark your calendars and check your bank accounts if you want some of that gorgeous OLED media goodness. [Thanks, Anonymous Tipsters!]
Today's Onion News Network video attacks Google's scary-if-you-think-about-it access to all our browsing habits and personal data. If you want privacy, no problem: Just relocate to a giant boxlike mountain prison, and you'll be secure (and dead). Zing!
Like all the best Onion pieces, this video takes the bizarre and scary concepts we ignore despite being right in front of our faces, and spells them out in blunt, hilarious language. As the "Google Exec" says, "If you don't want to give us complete access to your most private thoughts and feelings, that's fine! You can just toil on the hinterlands, and die young."
But my favorite part has to be the consistent juxtaposition of Google's bright happy basic colors on all the terrifying privacy guards and equipment. On the other hand, even if this horrible airless prison was real, I'd probably still get excited about the next Android phone. You win, Google. You win everything, ever. [The Onion]
Bring your music on the water this summer by building your own floating speaker. All you need is a plastic container with a wide mouth (in this case a ketchup or coffee container), and MP3 player and some compact speakers.
Granted, you will have to be willing to take those speakers apart—so I wouldn't use anything expensive here. Still, it seems to be a pretty simple project that results in a usable waterproof speaker. Check out the instructable for the full DIY directions. [Instructables via Lifehacker]
Sometimes, I wish my brain processed reality with this kind of incredible logic. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata says the fact that you think the Wii Vitality sensor is lame balls is actually a "good sign" for Nintendo:
"When we make some new announcement and if there is no positive initial reaction from the market, I try to think of it as a good sign because that can be interpreted as people reacting to something groundbreaking."
And let me tell you, the Virtual Boy was absolutely groundbreaking. I'm sure the Vitality Sensor will be at least that excellent. [Nintendo Dpad via Go Nintendo]
Here's one more reason to go low tech, and snatch a Polaroid camera (or a clone, since the Polaroid instant format is dead): I want one room in my house like photographer Luciano Noble's home, covered with instant prints.
Hammacher Schlemmer's water-friendly giant mutant hamster ball looks like it could be the best water toy ever. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually work on water.
Oh, the ball floats like a champ, even with a 200lb guy inside. But its suction cup skin, which promises to form a number of tiny vacuums on the surface of the water to provide some level of traction, are completely ineffective.
The end result is more of a stationary hamster wheel than a go-anywhere invincible hamster ball.
However, it should be mentioned that the ball works incredibly well on land. And for the whole weekend we watched a group of giggling kiteboard instructors step inside before being rolled down ramps, stairs and small ledges.
So you can find $300 worth of fun in Hammacher Schlemmer's Six Foot Walk On Water Ball, but you'll encounter that fun on land, not water.
Do you have an awesome home theater setup with a huge HDTV and surround sound? Show us some eye candy. Does your home theater setup consist of a CRT television and a converter box? Show us the horrible truth.
In addition to the pictures, make sure to hit us with some specs in the comments. [Image via Electronic House]
There are some pretty keen gadgets shipping out today, headlined by the Dell Vostro All-In-One. The desktop's good looks will be sure to please anyone in the market for a stylish PC to spruce up the office.
• The Dell Vostro all-in-one is now gracing North America after spending the last month exclusively in the Japanese market. The 19" desktop comes with a VESA mount or can be ordered with a nifty futuristic armstand. The base configuration includes a 2.6 GHz dual-core CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 160 GB HDD. Unlike its Japanese counterpart, the Northa American Vostro has a 1.3 mega-pixel webcam; pricing for the base configuration starts at $599 after $30 in instant savings and the armstand will add an additional $90. [Electronista]
• Verbatim is hoping to differentiate itself from the plethora of ubiquitous USB Flash Drives with their new Tuff-Clip line. The flash drives are housed in a rugged plastic case with retractable connector to prevent damage from shocks and small drops. There is pre-packaged security software to keep sensitive information secure, the software is Windows only but the drives are compatible with OS X and Linux. The 4GB and 8GB drives will cost $29.9 and $49.99 respectively. [I4U]
• Sid Meier's Civilization is finally coming to the iPhone and iPod Touch as Civilization Revolution. The mobile version is a completely intact version of the original with no shortcuts—there are 16 different civilizations for players to choose from, each with unique abilities. The game has been optimized for the mobile platform, a minimally configured game can be completed in two or three hours instead of the customary 12. The game will be $10 from the App Store, but there is a $5 introductory price if you act soon. Go now! [Ecoustics]
Apparently Nokia and Microsoft are having a teleconference tomorrow to announce an "alliance" of some sort between the two tech giants. But what can this all mean? Update: Sorry, guys. This one's a snoozer—Office on Symbian.
The problem is, Nokia and Microsoft are actually competitors in Nokia's main game. Nokia's Symbian mobile OS competes directly with Microsoft's Windows Mobile, so it's highly unlikely that Nokia would be manufacturing, say, WinMo handsets. They've already shot down a similar move when they denied a rumor that they'd be creating an Android phone.
Our best (or at least most optimistic) guess? Nokia's already rumored to be partnering with Intel to create some sort of netbook or tablet. If the two companies could team up with Microsoft to make a badass Windows 7 tablet, it'd steal thunder from Apple's rumored tablet (if the damn thing ever surfaces) and be a pretty enviable product in itself. Of course, this could just be something boring as all hell, like Bing or Outlook on Symbian, but we can always hope for the best. We'll let you know what comes out of this alliance of giants tomorrow. [Engadget]
Update: Well, it's not a Nokia tablet, nor a Zunephone, nor is it the least bit exciting in any way. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Microsoft has reached a deal with Nokia to bring Office to the Symbian platform. You may commence holding down your "Z" key in the comments, to signify your snoozing. Also acceptable is a general mashing of the keys, to indicate that you have fallen asleep on your keyboard. [WSJ]
In their steady march toward decrepitude, tech-savvy boomers will confront some weighty questions: How will we pay for Social Security? What's up with rap music? Why can't I connect my BlackBerry to my hearing aid? Well, good news!
Stacked with the same bone conduction technology we've been seeing in Bluetooth headsets for some time now, along with wired and wireless device connectivity, a new class of hearing aids in making its way into patients' ears—or more accurately, their skulls. Bone conduction makes a big difference to hearing aids' core functionality, eliminating all manner of noise issues, but the heart of these new plugs is a powerful processing platform, with a gadgety twist:
[T]he newer processors, costing about $6000 (AUD) each, shut out background noise, giving users up to 25 per cent better hearing, and can be attached directly to MP3 music players or wireless headsets for talking on the phone
This makes a lot of sense—wearing earbuds or a Bluetooth headset on top of hearing aids would feel a little redundant, no? Anyway, as they are, the systems, made by Australian company Cochlear, aren't as cyborgian as you might imagine. The processor, with its headphone jack and wireless radio, isn't actually drilled into your head—that's just the cochlear implant—but instead worn around your ear, headset-style. The company's even got a range of "Freedom Accessories" which, let's be clear here, are consumer tech accessories meant to indirectly plug into your bone. It's a great time to be an old. [Sydney Morning Herald via Neatorama via BoingBoing]
The Webcycle isn't the first time someone tried to motivate flabby nerds by either restricting their computer use or awkwardly integrating it into an exercise machine—but forcing you to pedal faster to increase internet throughput could be effective.
This is only a concept of course, but imagine how much weight you would lose if you had to pedal to enjoy all of the inappropriate videos you peruse online? You would be in great shape in no time. Of course, it may take a while before you are ready to "multitask" and kick that workout into overdrive. [Matt Grey via Make]
Heads up, astronomers, space lovers, and daydreamers: Tonight is the night to wish upon a star, as we pass the densest point of the dust trail left by the Swift-Tuttle comet, with Earth facing straight into the mess left behind.
This year, evening Earthgrazers on Aug. 11 could be the best part of the show, because the Moon and its interfering glare will be below the horizon in early evening. Dark skies = good meteor watching. Later, when Earth's "front windshield" rises, the Moon will rise with it, reducing the number of Perseids you'll be able to see before sunrise on Aug. 12.
So remember to go out early, between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m. local time. If you live in a big city, the amazing show is well worth a quick travel to the countryside. [NASA via RóisÃn Murphy]
Here's a completely unrelated video, one of my favorites from Ms. Murphy. You know, just because her tweet reminded me about this must-see event, and her music kicks some serious buttocks.
A truly committed novelty design house would've changed the face cards—star Apple employees, perhaps?—but if you're seriously in the market for iPhone-themed playing cards, this $25 set will have to do. [Craziest Gadgets via BBG]
Everyone involved knows exactly why certain Dell netbooks are in such high demand, but nobody can outright say it, officially. That didn't stop one Best Buy—or at least, one of its employees—from coming clean.
That's a fully Mac-ified 16GB Dell Mini 9 (update: actually, it looks like a Mini 10v) on display there, boldly masquerading as a "Windows XP Home" model. It's easy to understand why Dell and Best Buy can't officially market netbooks as Hackintosh machines, but it's nice to see a Best Buy employee so attuned to the needs of his customers. The specific Best Buy location will not be included, so whoever did this—he was just being honest!—doesn't get immediately shitcanned.
Our tipster even shot a bonus video, below, for the skeptics. —Thanks, Amin!
If you have noticed that your 500GB 7200rpm MacBook Pro HDD clicks, beeps and stalls—you're not alone. Apple has acknowledged the problem and is working on a software fix. So keep a look out for it. [CNET]
It's not only The View and The Today Show that are going crazy for sexy texting—China's threatening a crackdown on people sending seductive messages to each other as well.
Henan province promises a lockup of "up to five days" for one message, or ten days for 3 messages. If you're going to send three, you might as well do it in a chunk to get the discount rate.
"I'm totally for the rules. It's uncomfortable to get dirty text messages from male friends and even more gross when they are from strangers," Zhang Kai, 26, told the daily.
What's even better is that the normal people are questioning why so much government effort is being spent in this area.
Since July 10, Shenze party officials have held 480 meetings to discuss the harmful effects of obscene messages, a degree of dedication that has been questioned by the public, the People's Daily said.
"It's not necessary to hold 480 meetings on this. This is an enormous waste of administrative resources," an Internet user named Han Haoyue was quoted as saying.
Word is that Snow Leopard has reached Gold Master status with build 10A432—that means Snow Leopard is done and ready to be released to manufacturing for launch next month.
Put another way, 10A432 is the build number you wanna look for at your neighborhood download site, if you're into that sort of thing, since those are the final bits that'll be shipping. [Mac Rumors]
People with Audis that need their car to park itself to fit into tight spots should feel like jackasses: This guy added a retractable, perpendicular fifth wheel to his car that slips him out of anything. Genius. [Liveleak via BB]
The BlackBerry 9700 you see here is good news all around, at least if it comes out anytime soon: It's the first 3G BlackBerry for T-Mobile and it's like the Tour, but boasts that fancy new trackpad. And Wi-Fi. [CrackBerry]
The saddest thing about the extinction of landlines and corded phones is the death of brilliant novelty phones: Here, Kermit, kicked back so he looks remiss without a cigarette dangling from his mouth, cradles the handset over his legs. [Wired]
Dear MSI. You can now fire whoever got the idea of doing a viral video with guys throwing laptops to catch them with their buttocks. Thanks! Mucho love, J. P.S. For reference, the trick is to use half-naked boobs.
Dealzmodo has lots of great bargains on Xbox 360 accessories today. From headsets to controllers, there's plenty to satisfy anyone looking for new gear to go with the new Dashboard update.
We see so many gadgets at Giz that sometimes our radar gets overloaded. The blinking red dots pool together in a goopy mess on the screen. So tell us, what do you think of this Wii Ultimate Power Station?
It's basically a Wii and Wiimote dock. It cools the Wii and offers some extra outputs—plus it charges two Wiimotes and holds the nunchuks. Oh, and there's a clock stuck in the thing, too.
What I don't like about it: I mean, do I really need this huge organizer for the Wii? The Wii was once so cute!
What I like about it: The Wii's sleek design is at least half a lie. You still have to manage all those damn controllers and batteries.
There's no word on price or availability. But what do you think, dear readers? Hot or not? [CTA Digital]
You may have a few questions: Am I eligible for a cheap upgrade? How about a free upgrade? What's this about family packs? Should I be shopping for a new computer? Not to worry, Prof. Dealzmodo will help clear things up. First, let's start with the basics.
Is Your PC Ready? If you have your heart set on upgrading to Windows 7, you need to meet minimum system requirements. For most of us, that ain't no thang:
• 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor • 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit) • 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit) • DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
If you can't hit these minimum numbers, I feel for you. It also means you will have to factor new hardware into the total upgrade cost.
To be honest, it's probably in your best interest to exceed these requirements moving forward. The good news is that there are many PCs out there that would more than satisfy your hardware needs for $500 or less.
The 64-bit Question Every Windows 7 box, upgrade or full, comes with both a 32-bit and a 64-bit version of the OS, so you have a choice. You should probably brush up on the details of this transition, but in the meantime, just know that it mostly comes down to RAM: If you have 3GB or less, you can run 32-bit, but if you have 4GB or more, you'll need 64-bit to get the most out of your system.
We recommend the latter, for future coverage, and fortunately, RAM upgrades are damn cheap these days. In fact, you can get 4GB of DDR2 memory for less than $70 pretty easily. And if you are already running a Intel Core 2 Duo processor or better, you don't need to upgrade the chipset to enjoy the benefits of 64-bit computing. Either way, getting caught up on the CPU won't run you much more than $100 if you shop around. As I pointed out in this must-read column, it pays to upgrade hardware yourself. Only suckers pay manufacturer's prices.
Windows 7 Pricing Standard: • Windows 7 Home Premium: $120 for upgrade; $200 for full version • Windows 7 Professional: $200 for upgrade; $300 for full version • Windows 7 Ultimate: $220 for upgrade; $320 for full version • Family Pack: $149
Anytime Upgrades: • Windows 7 Starter Edition (you do not want this) to Home Premium: $80 • Home Premium to Professional: $90 • Professional to Ultimate: $140
Free Upgrades: If you purchase a qualifying PC with Vista installed between now and January 31st you are eligible for a free Windows 7 upgrade. However, this only applies to participating manufacturers and products. Check out Microsoft's upgrade page for a list of these manufacturers. This also applies to anyone who purchases Vista retail packaged products.
Which Version of Windows 7 Should I Get? If you are running something other than a Windows OS or an OS that pre-dates Windows XP that means you will have to buy the full retail copy—you're not eligible for the upgrade that pretty much everyone else is eligible for. If you fall into this slim category, there is a good chance you'll have to upgrade hardware as well. In that case, strongly consider putting your money into a new PC with Windows 7 already installed—there's no reason to pay $200 to $300 for the OS alone, when decent computers cost $500.
You can pretty much skip Microsoft's handy-but-convoluted upgrade chart when determining which path is right for you. There are really only three decisions most people will make: Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate, as the other versions are not offered to retail buyers. Most people will get Home Premium—if you are shopping for Professional or Ultimate, even you probably don't need the upgrade chart, because you know what you're looking for.
Whatever you do, try to avoid the Anytime Upgrade, the convenient but costly way to jump from, say, Home Premium to Ultimate. If, for example, there is even a slight chance that you might upgrade from Professional to Ultimate, it makes sense to just go for Ultimate right off the bat. An outright upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate costs $220, but upgrading to Professional then deciding later on to go to Ultimate will cost you $340 total.
What About Netbooks? In the vast majority of cases, upgrading to Windows 7 from a netbook doesn't make sound financial sense. If you look at the prices, upgrades can cost more than half what you paid for the netbook in the first place. My recommendation here is to wait on purchasing a netbook until an optimized build of Windows 7 is pre-installed.
Furthermore, if you aren't prepared to deal with the Starter Edition, don't buy a netbook running it—go right for Home Premium if possible. The Anytime Upgrade to Home Premium will run you $80—which is probably still a chunk of change when compared to the price of the netbook itself. Seriously, I think that Starter Edition's sole purpose is to screw netbook users. And if you keep your wallet in a back pocket—yes...they're screwing you from behind. As far as I'm concerned, the only way it might make some financial sense to purchase an OS upgrade for a netbook is if you run Windows on multiple computers and you decide to purchase a Family Pack license—and you are comfortable dealing with different kinds of OS installations. That will at least allow you to run Home Premium on three machines for about $50 a pop.
The major labels' plan to revive the album with a new format called CMX that includes cover art, lyrics and videos would only be half as stupid if Apple wasn't beating them to the punch with their own stupid album.
Apparently, the record labels—that would be Universal, Warner, EMI and Sony—actually went to Apple with the CMX digital album format idea a year and a half ago, and Apple said shno. As Apple is wont to do after expressing a total disinterest in an idea, they promptly went to work on their own version, which rumor has it, is called Cocktail, which we'll see in September at the annual iPod event. The records labels' format won't hit until November.
This CMX deal sounds like a glorified version of the tragically awful Flash programs that shipped on some CDs back a few years ago, actually: It "opens and it would have a totally brand-new look, with a launch page and all the different options." Yeah, gross. U2 will be soft-launching it. Grosser.
Oh yeah, did I mention the records labels are going up against Apple, the biggest seller of music in the country on their home turf? It's not the first time Apple's tense relationship with the music industry has resulted in digital fisticuffs, but we all know the eventual result of the last war: Apple pretty much got what it wanted—completely DRM-free music—yielding the relatively minor concession of flexible pricing. The labels are doomed in this fight.
We're all probably better for it, anyway, since I have the feeling the record labels' album product will be markedly inferior compared to Apple's. Which won't be great either, since the whole digital album thing just seems silly, like trying to put a genie back in a bottle after the genie ate a whole pig with deep-fried ribs and a mountain of custard and washed it down with 14 gallons of beer. Some shit just doesn't work like that. Even Radiohead's given up on the album. [Times Online via Guardian via BBG]
The Logitech Harmony 900 is the updated Logitech Harmony One, which marries a traditional button remote with a capacitive touchscreen for expanded functionality. What makes this better are the charging dock and the RF to IR control adapters.
The Price: $400
The Verdict: This form factor, plus the included charging dock and the RF to IR blasters make this the best remote package Logitech has right now. We've been fans of their standard remotes for a while, but combining the keep-your-eyes-on-your-tv ability of those with the extendability of their full touchscreen units makes for a winner.
If you've played with the Harmony One you should know what this remote feels like. The number keys are on the bottom, the navigation keys are in the middle and the activity keys are near the top. The touchscreen is responsive enough, and can scroll through pages of various commands for different media console items—just like their previous remotes.
The charging dock is contoured exactly like the back of the remote, taking it in lovingly into its electric arms. Imagine getting into bathtub shaped exactly like your body—this is that, except without the water or the urge to pee.
Syncing with your computer works the same way as before, but Logitech STILL hasn't managed to enable consolidating profiles so that you can have more than one remote on an account, and hasn't come up with a way to export remote profiles to other accounts. That's a huge pain in the ass if you have multiple Logitechs, and is probably our biggest gripe with their setup.
There is one included central RF to IR blaster, with two other IR blasters that can hook up to it for a total of three IR blasters. They're meant to be used in cabinets where the door is closed, or somehow out of IR line of sight, so you can literally point your remote at nothing (it's using RF) and it'll still propagate the command through to the IR blaster. This is pretty easy to set up—there's a wizard right on the remote—and you should be up and running in a few minutes. And there's very little RF delay, so you won't have to worry about that.
The upside is that this is probably our favorite universal remote package that Logitech has made, figuring in the charging dock and the RF to IR blasters. The downside is that the whole setup costs $400. If you're shopping for your first universal remote, this will probably be your last. if you already own a cheaper Logitech in the sub $100 range, find a way to sell it and pick this up. [Logitech]
Best universal remote by Logitech yet
Allows extendability with touchscreen without sacrificing the usability of buttons
Price is a little high, but less than full touchscreen remotes
Your weekly incremental battery breakthrough: Sony's olivine-type lithium ion batteries are said to live four times longer than typical li-i fare, and charge to 99% in just 30 minutes. Only for power tools, for now. [SonyInsider via OhGizmo via BBG]
Old school consoles, like the RCA Studio II, with this horrendous controller had an excuse to suck—they didn't know any better. But there's really no excuse for the Virtual Boy. Technologizer rounds up 15 such gaming abominations.
What's unfortunate is that these kinds of odd mistakes persist today—where's the natural second analog stick for the PSP, why are all of the Wii's peripherals terrible?—showing that in some ways, they never really learn.
Though for the record, I kind of didn't mind the ginormous Xbox controllers, which were clearly user-tested with gorillas. [Technologizer]
I mean, it looks like magic to me. But it's really just a series of long exposures of bugs, flying under a street light. Which somehow makes it more incredible. [Vimeo via Nick Bilton]
I try to keep my FireFox plug-ins streamlined, but after testing Invisible Hand only this morning, I'm addicted to its unobtrusive, deal-finding prowess.
Say you want to buy a new Sharp LCD. You pick out a model on Amazon or Best Buy, and while you're inspecting the product page, a small drop-down may inform you that Buy.com (or one of 50 other comparison stores) has the television for 1% cheaper than where you were shopping.
It's not the only plug-in of its kind, and I was able to beat that tested deal pictured above by searching myself, but the visually quiet interface may keep you from uninstalling the thing by the end of the week.
As an Amazon addict (on small purchases), I've basically sold my soul for convenience, accepting that 5 minutes of googling may have saved me 20 cents. But having the comparison shopping cruising in the background...we'll see whether or not I reassess that position (whether I'm cheaper than I am lazy). [Invisible Hand via Red Ferret via LifeHacker]
Well, at least I am assuming that this is a kids' bedroom in a family house now for sale. Please, for the sake of Humanity's survival rate, please let this be a kids' bedroom, and not something inhabited by a bachelor who dresses as Gold 5 before going to sleep. [House for sale via Lovely Listing via The Force.net]
Coming to an Apple Store near you: this thing, that I am completely in love with. It's called the BackPack, and it clips onto the back of new iMac and Cinema Displays, creating an instant shelf for, you know, things.
The stupid-simple contraption fastens to your Mac's stem with a couple of non-scratch clips, and is kept in place by nothing more than gravity and friction. You can connect more than one, turning your computer into a brushed aluminum shelving unit, just like you never knew you always wanted, but trust me, you did.
The shelves are primarily intended for accessories like external hard drives, USB hubs, and docked iPhones, though they could just as easily be used to store non-digital items, like dead tree office supplies, or an emergency sandwich. The possibilities, they are endless. Apparently Apple sees the cleverness in the concept too, since they're planning to carry the BackPack in their stores, for $30 a shelf, or $150 for a pack of six. [BackPack]
Wanna know what all's inside the update you're gonna download today, besides the fresh taste of exclusivity? Microsoft's dropped the official list of everything that's new. Honestly, it's the little things I'm more excited about.
Here's what I like: • Account recovery is faster—great if you play over at your friends' places a lot, 'cause it takes damn near forever. • Party invites are less clunky • You actually get notifications when your subscription's about to expire • Achievement browser's better, and you can launch games from it (yes!) • Active Downloads and other screens like that are actually easy to get to • Under My Xbox, there's a handy troubleshooting section called Solutions that brings together all of the info that was scattered throughout the UI (scary you need this though, I mean, we're talking about a game console, right?) • And while it's not as good as having more than 100 friends, you can sort your friends list in different ways
All of that just seems to add up a nicer experience that frustrates you less often. Plus, you know, there's all that other stuff we already told you about. I wish I could download it today too, but my Xbox went all RRoD on me two days ago. Enjoy it for me, kay? [Xbox]
Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman thinks that his beautiful Tron-like dream bicycle will never get stolen—even if it looks so cool that nobody would be able to resist. Fortunately, he says that they will be common in 20 years.
The new bike design has a built-in locking system that can only be activated and opened by the owner's fingerprint. The computer-equipped machine can also monitor the amount of calories burned. Made of carbon fiber, it will even have a battery that will assist you when going up a steep hill, as well as puncture-proof, self-inflating tires.
Unfortunately, for now it is just a concept, even while Boardman believes "it could be built now if there was a will. All the technologies are already there, it's just that nobody's put them all together before." The future is not coming soon enough. Heck, I would be glad if the weekend came already. [Daily Mail]
Yeah, that's like, Windows 98-level power. Computerworld rounds up a few other old and busted PCs they've tried to put Windows 7 on, and even a 900MHz Celeron based machine—Celerons are like the lepers of the processor world—ran it awesomely. So, what's the most horrendously ancient machine you've gotten Windows 7 to run on? [ComputerWorld]
Yesterday, a Best-Buy-based-tipster revealed that Zune HD pricing would be $220 (16GB) and $290 (32GB). Now, Amazon's pre-order page is confirming the price. For Best Buyand Amazon to get pricing wrong seems highly unlikely. [Amazon via PCWorld]
Remember that strange little rumor that Dell would be releasing a China-only Android phone? It's true, apparently! Dell is expected to draw back the curtain on the "Ophone mini3i" in the next few days. But wait, Ophone? That sounds...familiar.
Apparently the "Ophone" moniker is part of a wider initiative by Chine Mobile, which is using it as an umbrella brand for its blossoming Android line, which will share the company's customized, China-centric Android modifications. HTC is expected to join in with their own Ophone as well, which could help explain where the hell the HTC Click came from all the sudden.
But back to the mini3i: What will it look like? The device pictured above was briefly assumed to be Dell's first Android phone a few months back—a rumor that was quickly shot down by the WSJ, who said, with similarly questionable sourcing, that the device was actually an Android PMP. But here we are, with no new info on this alleged PMP and a straight confirmation of an Android phone from a reputable Chinese news source. Just sayin'! [163 via Mobilecrunch]
Bionic people of the world rejoice, for your heart ticks and booms booms will be transmitted through the internet from now on. A New York woman has got the world's first wireless pacemaker, which allows constant remote monitoring via web:
If there is anything abnormal, and we have a very intricate system set up, it will literally call the physician responsible at two in the morning if need be. It is a tremendous convenience for the patient from even interacting with a telephone to call the doctor. On a larger scale it enhances our ability to pick up and evaluate any problems with their pacemaker and certain other rhythm disorders that could be potentially dangerous or life threatening in ways we really could not do before.
That's what Dr. Steven Greenberg —director of St. Francis' Arrhythmia and Pacemaker Center—says, predicting that this will change the way people with heart problems manage their condition, and interact with their doctors. Happy news indeed. [PC Magazine]
NVIDIA's Ion platform is pretty snazzy, welding an Atom and a 9400M graphics chip (the same found in Macbooks, fanboys) to handle high def content with ease. Samsung's N510 is an 11.6-inch netbook built on this platform, arriving next month.
According to Lilliputing, the 1366 x 768, HDMI-equipped N510 will make its way to the States in September for an introductory price of $599. Even for the extra power, that's more than we want to pay for anything loaded with a puny Atom processor—especially if it's loaded with but 1GB of RAM as we suspect. [lilliputing and image]
It's not enough for Nintendo that you look idiotic while flailing at a TV screen. They won't rest until a 200lb man is riding an inflatable "pony," "dolphin" or "gryphon."
Yes, those are the animals that a recently uncovered European Nintendo patent imagines you riding through your living room on this inflatable, Wiimote-implanted cushion. The Wiimote's accelerometers sense your rocking while the nunchuk, held in one's hand, serves as reins, a lasso or sword.
While the illustration is strange, the thought of a family of four group-dry-humping a pile of cushions during their next game night is downright repulsive. Of course a patent doesn't mean Nintendo will produce the thing. But they, at least for a moment, considered it. And that point alone is bad enough. [Siliconera via Kotaku]
Those Microsoft rascals have scored a big one: The Xbox 360 is now the only game console that will get Netflix video streaming. No Sony PlayStation 3, no Nintendo Wii, no Atari 2600. That's what the Xbox Update page says:
Netflix Partnership
This exclusive partnership offers you the ability to instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the television via Xbox 360. Xbox 360 will be the only game console to offer this movie-watching experience, available to Xbox LIVE Gold members who are also Netflix unlimited plan subscribers**, at no additional cost.
From the Netflix Web site, simply add movies and TV episodes to your instant Queue, which will appear automatically on the TV screen via Xbox 360. Once selected, movies will begin playing in as little as 30 seconds. In addition to instantly streaming Netflix movies to the TV, Xbox LIVE Gold members can browse and rate movies, fast-forward, pause and rewind, all using either their Xbox 360 Controller or Universal remote.
Oh Sony, Sony. That has to hurt. A little. In the inside. [Xbox via Endgadget]
The AstroScope 9350 night-vision image intensifier mounts between camera and lens to make dark scenes (below 10-4 lux) easily photographable. The EOS-P and NIKS-P models are for Canon EOS and Nikon AF cameras, and are powered by the camera's battery.
Electrophysics says its AstroScope module won't stop you using all your camera's normal functions, and that it can produce images without little to none of the vignetting commonly associated with night vision shots.
Pricing isn't on Electrophysics' site, but a quick search turns up a price range of about $5000-$6000. A module for Canon's XL series video camera is also available. [Electrophysics via RedFerret]
We've mentioned that this could be on the cards, and now it's official. Apple has reinstated the matte screen option for 15-inch MacBook Pros—but it'll cost you $50 for the privilege, and you'll lose that full-screen glass look.
That's pretty much what went down with the 17-inch Macbook Pro, so it's not a huge surprise. And if the anti-glare screens annoy the bejesus out of you, it's still a better option than paying $200 to have the screen replaced. The bad news: still no word on iMacs getting the same option. [Thanks Alexander!]
Looks like some sort of Cyberdyne Systems human feeder used by Skynet.
It's actually an early concept proof of the Chime Generator for the 10,000 Year Clock. It can generate unique chime sequences every day for 10,000 years, and there are over 3.5 million possibilities. Brian Eno even used the same algorithm for his album "January 07003 – Bell Studies for the Clock of the Long Now."
The brainchild of Computer Scientist, Danny Hillis, The Clock of the Long Now is designed to operate with minimum human intervention (winding, easy maintenance), and is constructed of largely valueless materials to limit looting by future civilizations.
The first prototype began working on December 31st 1999—in time to chime twice for the new millennium—and is now on display in London. The two more recent prototypes are in San Francisco.
Pics below: - First working prototype of Orrey—or planetary display—for the 10,000 year clock - Prototype of a Solar Synchronizer to maintain the clock's accuracy using the sun.
Identical in size to an actual cassette (it'll even fit inside a tape case), this USB 2.0 hub has four ports, and for $25, also comes with a 4-foot USB cable for your PC or Mac. [Vat19 via TecheBlog]
Only a certain type of person is willing to drop $400 on a remote control, but those people are going to be excited about the new Logitech Harmony 900.
The Harmony 900 isn't quite as huge and crazy as the Harmony 1000, as it retains the form factor of, you know, a remote control, like the Harmony One. But it packs in a color touchscreen to let you control pretty much anything you want. It's the best of both worlds.
It's also got a new RF to IR blaster to control your home theater components. Instead of sticking small IR receivers to the IR inputs of every device in your cabinet, you put the blaster in front of all of them and it fires off its signal in every direction, hitting everything at once. It makes the install process easier, at least. This way you can control closed cabinets (or cabinets behind you) with RF, so the repeater will send the IR to the desired components.
Look for the Harmony 900 later this month for $399.99. [Logitech]
Today's Onion News Network video attacks Google's scary-if-you-think-about-it access to all our browsing habits and personal data. If you want privacy, no problem: Just relocate to a giant boxlike mountain prison, and you'll be secure (and dead). Zing!
Sometimes, I wish my brain processed reality with this kind of incredible logic. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata says the fact that you think the 
Apparently Nokia and Microsoft are having a teleconference tomorrow to announce an "alliance" of some sort between the two tech giants. But what can this all mean? Update: Sorry, guys. This one's a snoozer—Office on Symbian.
It's not only The View and The Today Show that are going crazy for 
The 
Best universal remote by Logitech yet
Price is a little high, but less than full touchscreen remotes
The AstroScope 9350 night-vision image intensifier mounts between camera and lens to make dark scenes (below 10-4 lux) easily photographable. The EOS-P and NIKS-P models are for Canon EOS and Nikon AF cameras, and are powered by the camera's battery.
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