The Onion delivers again, this time reporting on how badly Sanyo doesn't want a guy to mail in the rebate that came with his cordless phone.
Executives at Sanyo-which employs more than 85,000 people worldwide-said they were initially overjoyed that someone had actually purchased one of their products. The celebration was short-lived, however, as it soon dawned on board members that their organization would face financial ruin if forced to honor Cinelli's rebate.
OK people, let's review: Laser pointer, check. Doberman, check. Guy placidly sleeping on a sofa, legs wide open, and his crotch openly exposed, check. What could go wrong here? Yes. everything happened according to plan. [Thanks David]
As if the stoners and dopers weren't paranoid enough, the police may soon be able to detect whether or not you partake in one the five most popular recreational drugs: cocaine, heroin, cannabis, amphetamine, and methamphetamine.
The device is intended for roadside use by law enforcement agencies and includes a disposable plastic cartridge and a handheld analyzer. The cartridge has two components: a sample collector for gathering saliva and a measurement chamber containing magnetic nanoparticles. The particles are coated with ligands that bind to one of five different drug groups.
After 90 seconds, the device delivers its verdict on a color-coded readout. That's a lot of fancy technology to tell you that the naked, toothless guy trying to escape from the ghosts chasing him is probably high as a kite, but Philips, the company behind the tester, hopes to have the device in Europe by the end of the year. If it is successful, I would imagine that a US launch would not be far behind. [Technology Review via DVICE]
It's basically going to allow you to dial quickly without having to open up Safari, go to the GV page, pick out a number and hit call. An easier way, if you're calling mobile numbers, is to use the 406 number associated with that phone. To get that number, text the person with your GV, then wait for a response. The response will come from a 406 number (if that person isn't also on GV), which you can save into your address book to use for that person from now on. Calling that 406 number will route your call through Google Voice.
But it is pretty useful for landlines, since landlines can't text back. [Ironic Sans]
It was only hinted before in a text string, but the new iPhone OS 3.1 update's USB Device Configuration XML property list clearly shows not one, but two new unidentified Apple products:
The first model—identified as iProd0,1—has a standardMuxPTP description. Since no other models start with a zero as a first identifier, we can only guess this is a prototype. The second model is the iProd1,1, which indicates a first generation product.
It has the same description as the iPhone: StandardMuxPTPEthernet. This probably means that, like the Jesusphone, it supports high speed network capabilities.
I would've assumed George Lucas' foley had more advanced equipment than this, but judging by how convincing these junkpile-produced sound effects are, maybe not by much. BWAA!! BWAAAA!! etc.
This simple and powerful statistical graphic would make Edward Tufte proud: It shows all music sales since 1973, dividing them by media type, and presenting them like waveforms. Click to enlarge.
As you may have heard, Sony's shipping a $200 5" Reader Pocket Edition and $300 6" Reader Touch Edition at the end of August. Also coming: Mac support and—later on—wireless downloading like Amazon's Kindle.
It's a good move for Sony, who is taking the populist approach here. Not only have they lowered the price on devices that use the easy-on-the-eyes but notoriously expensive E-Ink display, but they are also dropping the price of bestsellers and new-release books from $12 to $10 a pop, to get in line with Amazon.
Beyond that, they recently got Google to chip in 1 million public-domain books to their bookstore, available to you for the lovely price of $0.00, and continue to stress that you can sideload all kinds of stuff to a Sony Reader that you can't just copy over to most Kindles, such as PDFs and Word docs, not to mention "check out" digital books from libraries via OverDrive.
To top it all off, Sony is adding a Mac client, so that owners can load up purchased content via either computer platform. The new Readers themselves will load up either software automatically when connected to the computer—no pesky CD-ROM required. (Owners of the PRS-505 and the PRS-700 will be able to download the Mac client and a firmware update at the time of launch, late this month.)
Am I excited? Yes, for a couple of reasons. Not only does the openness, uncharacteristic of Sony in general, show good will, it ensures that the Sony Reader won't just go down in history as one of Sony's great but all-too-proprietary ideas. Forget even the Mac software and the free books—real proof of openness is that in addition to Memory Sticks, these Readers take SD cards!
The Pocket Edition (PRS-300) will come in pink, silver and blue, and have toggle buttons on the side. Five inches is kinda small for a screen, but presumably it's good for fans of pulp fiction.
The Touch Edition (PRS-600), is a bigger deal on many levels. You may recall I pretty much loathed the PRS-700, because its touchscreen was plagued with glare, and overly layered. I haven't seen the new touch model, but I am ensured that this was a chief concern during the development of the PRS-600, and that it's far easier to read than the PRS-700. The side lighting has been stripped out, so you still need a separate light source, but the side light was such a bad idea, I am happy to hear about this fix.
And as for wireless, I am glad Sony is up front about working on something that would truly rival the Kindle. It will be interesting to see how Sony rolls out a PC-free ebook platform. The word from Sony to us today: "As announced earlier, we will be bringing a wireless product to market. The particulars of 'when' and 'how much' will come later. Wireless is important and wireless is coming from Sony."
This isn't a review—we still need to check out the hardware, and some who have seen the touchscreen PRS-600 mention it's sluggish and "underwhelming." Presumably, the software kinks are still being worked out. We'll let you know the deal when we see final product. [Sony eBooks]
I don't care that the Contortionist bike looks like it would crumple after your first curb hop, or that lugging a 26-inch wheel isn't that much more convenient than wheeling a bike. I just want to watch it fold, forever.
Designed by a 24-year-old student from London, the bike's claim to greatness is its ability to fold within the circumference one of its wheels. He claims he designed it because he "couldn't find a folding bicycle I liked," and he "wanted something that could take a bit of punishment and that you could have fun with." I'm with him until the "take a bit of punishment" part, because this thing looks about as trailworthy as a collapsible lawn chair. You might also notice that the pedals don't seem to be connected to anything, and, well, you'd be right. As someone who has watched this breakdown clip about 30 times, completely mesmerized, I'm going to say that's a minor technicality. [Sky News]
Today's list of available gadgets features tools for audio and photography enthusiasts. Nikon continues their releasestreak with a lens update, and Samson is shipping a portable microphone that's perfect for both quality field recordings and Skype chats.
• Samson's Go Mic is a portable condenser microphone that suits recording technicians and consumers alike. The mic features selectable cardioid and omni-directional pickup patterns along with a convenient base that can clip on to a laptop display. Electrostatic mics may not traditionally fare well against the kinds of bumps and jolts that laptop bags experience, but for anyone looking to capture that breathy condenser sound on the road without carrying around your treasured Neumann, this could be a great option. Ships today for $59.
• Chalk up yet another rumor from the leaked Nikon roadmap as true. Even though the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens wasn't expected to be announced until October, it showed up for pre-order today. The lens makes a number of improvements over its predecessor, but those tweaks don't come cheap. This baby will run you $2,400 and hopefully ships soon. Check out Nikon Rumors for the full specs and a list of locations where you can pre-order.
An University of California Los Angeles' team of chemists, biologists and engineers has developed a funky lab-in-a-chip capable of performing 1,024 chemical reactions in parallel. Using microfluidics, the system may dramatically accelerate drug development for cancer and other diseases:
The precious enzyme molecules required for a single in situ click reaction in a traditional lab now can be split into hundreds of duplicates for performing hundreds of reactions in parallel, thus revolutionizing the laboratory process, reducing reagent consumption and accelerating the process for identifying potential drug candidates
The UCLA scientists think that their new invention can revolutionize chemistry laboratories, and drug development, since their chip is capable of performing more than a thousand simultaneous chemical reactions in seconds, processes that take insane amounts of time to do using traditional lab bench material.
The "integrated microfluidic device for large-scale in situ click chemistry screening" works by funneling the chemical matter through micro-channels etched in the chip. It works at the molecular level, so even while the reactions are the same that boffins get with traditional lab tools, the liquid quantities are so small that the eye can't actually see them. The results of these combinations are then analyzed manually using a mass spectrometer, a part of the process that the team expects to automate in the future.
In other words: Fasterer and fasterer research, less development time, more drugs to try. Seems like a win-win combination to me. [UCLA and Lab on a Chip journal via Medgadget]
Stupid Inventions found a way to solve one of the problems that been haunting the United States and half of the world since the holiday season of 1960: How the hell do you draw a circle with an Etch-A-Sketch?
The answer is simple: Cheating. You just need one metal wire—from a hanger—a plastic ring from a 2-liter soda bottle, one sharply edged pick, super glue, duct take, scissors and other bits. [Instructables]
The Wild Fling combines popcorn, basketball and a remote caddy in a single, ill-conceived bowl. And when you have tired of the hoop, lay siege to open mouths with precision popcorn shooting. [Taylor Gifts via 7Gadgets via SlipperyBrick]
Last week I asked you to show us your cable management situation. Not surprisingly, elegant solutions were hard to come by. What we did have was complete chaos.
ITLawMan: Yes. That is a boom box. Its for music on hold. Sue me. FannyGaia: this is my setup in my basement - note the wifi router suspended from a pipe using and old phone cord to boost reception upstairs sixty4: Here you have it folks your chance to see cable management at its best and I sell my services for $4.99 an hour! That's right, for $4.99 an hour I will come to your house and hose your wires up too!...
This add ends in 25 seconds so act fast before its gone!
These wires are for 2 computers + 1 Altec Lansing sub woofer and 4 surround sound speakers and at least 2 computers that are no longer a part of the network but I have not removed the wires. There may be other misc wires from cell phone from a year ago, a battery charger and keyboards that are hooked to nothing but pure air :( There are 3 daisy chained surge protectors as well, covered in skin dust.The 2 monitors and 2 printers are about 5 feet away so the additional wires run behind the white floor cabinet pictured; hidden and out of site. There are several books and clean printer paper on the white floor cabinet pictured as well, hidden. In addition its a glass tabled top so you can see the arrangement from above while you wait for Twitter to come back online. These all run off one plug, the other wall plug on the adjacent wall is for the air conditioner and router. I did use 3 cable ties to tidy up a bit; red ones to match the color of fire hazard. Excelcior: 2 PDAs, 2 kbds, 2 mice, 3 printers, 2 scanners, a router, a cable modem, 2 switches, 5 game controllers, 2 game consoles, a monitor, a VCR, an FM antenna, and 2 sound systems. And that's just what's hooked to the 4 computers. It's hard to see just how many there are because of the brown desk top, but they're stacked about 12" deep. Cheers! karateelf: It really needs some organization!! emmetation: I think about this every day... retardedbaboon: real deal stillinbeta: Our Media Center. Two TVs, 4 game consoles, hard drives, routers, etc. Cubcicals: Here is my hell. only part of it/save me nothing helps asanya: i think i need a bit more than cable management lol lots of old PC parts the PC its self is old run windows xp with a amd athlon 850MHz
Google is pushing active military personnel to the front of the Google Voice waiting list. That means if you have a .mil email address, an invite will go out inside 24 hours of your request.
The move is intended to assist servicemen and women abroad that would otherwise have difficulty directly contacting loved ones. Army SGT Dale Sweetnam explains on Google's Official Blog:
When you deploy, your life is put on hold. While you live and work in a different world, everyone else moves on with life back home. Your family and friends keep moving, and this sometimes means it's just not possible for them to stay awake until 2 a.m. to receive a phone call. Calling Iraq or Afghanistan is seldom an option.
Google Voice provides a solution to some of these problems. Service members can set up an account before they deploy. Or if they're already deployed, families can now set up an account for their service member. Loved ones can call to leave messages throughout the day, and then when that service member visits an Internet trailer, all the messages are right there. It's like a care package in audio form.
Even if you have never been in the military, it is easy to understand how your sanity could revolve around messages from home. If you or someone you know could benefit, head on over to Google's dedicated military invitation site. You should be up and running in no time. [Google Blog and BGR]
Audiophiles avert your eyes (and ears). These shape of these little 2-watt speakers is probably a good indicator of the sound quality. Then again, country some music was meant to be played on speakers like this. [Chinagrabber via Technabob]
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yes, if you're demoing this remarkable laser/sound prototype that turns a laser pointer into...well...just watch the clip. It's really fun stuff. [Daito via Califaudio via MAKE]
We have great deals on laptops today for back to schooolers. Also be sure to check out the offer from the awesome folks at Shapeways, a 3D metal printing service, exclusively for Gizmodo readers.
I'm wet now. So, why the Zune HD is not a cellphone again? We will never know. Please excuse me as I flip through this newly-released publicity gallery using only my left hand.
Seriously. This thing looks so damn good that I'm actually pissed off with Microsoft for not making it a cellphone. [T03 via Engadget]
Perfect Acumen, purveyors of such fine $5 apps as "Top Sexy Ladies: Audrina Patridge" and "Skin Care Updates," has had its dev license revoked, and its 900 applications pulled. Is Apple's banhammer finally growing a brain?
Yes and no. No, in the sense that this, the removal of the third most prolific app-shitter in the whole store, doesn't have anything to do with a change in policy or an increase in transparency. Yes, in the sense that Apple is finally enforcing some of their clearer prior rules. Like, "DON'T STEAL THINGS." From Apple's letter to the wonderfully named Perfect Acumen:
Apple has informed you of numerous third party intellectual property complaints concerning over 100 of your Applications and reminded you of your obligations to obtain the necessary rights prior to submission of your Applications. Nevertheless, we continue to receive the same or similar types of complaints regarding your Applications despite our repeated notices to you.
Knocking nearly a thousand spam apps out of a total of 50,000 or so is a start, but not enough. How about this new plan, for Apple: expend all that energy you were using to get your customers blindingly angry for no good reason on clearing out asinine, infringing crap like this. You're welcome! [MobileCrunch]
GDGT, the gadget-based social networking site, is throwing a launch party tonight at DNA Lounge here in sunny San Francisco. There'll be gadgets to grope, giveaways, and we'll be there too—it's a party with gadgets, after all. [GDGT]
Spaceball is a sport that combines volleyball, basketball, jumping a lot and spending $700 on a fancy trampoline. It's apparently a great workout for potential astronauts, too.
You play the game by trying to throw the ball past your opponent through a netted hole while you both jump around. It certainly looks fun, at least for a little while. I'd probably want to try it out before dropping all that money on it, however.
According to former astronaut Scott Carpenter, it's "the best conditioning exercise for space travel." Sure! Although the weight limit is 200lbs per player, so you'd better hope you don't have any really muscular potential astronauts. [Hammacher Schlemmer via Uncrate]
The Moxi HD, everyone's favorite not-TiVo, has been joined by a media extender box, alongside a fresh software update, which among other things allows the Moxi to offload video to Lacie's 6TB drive clusters. That's over 1000 hours of HDTV.
But first, the extender: The Moxi Mate is a small $399 ($199 for now) satellite box that plays back recordings from your Moxi HD from afar, over your home network. It's not all that feature-rich—no wi-fi built in, no scheduling of recordings, no support for more than one Moxi Mate at a time—but if your goal is to stream your Moxi library around the house, at least you now have a way to do it.
About that library. Although the hardware on the main box hasn't changed, Moxi's software update, which should push out tonight, gives your box the gumption it needs to take onboard much larger drives via the e-SATA port, as well as a new optional browsing interface called Grid Guide, which gives users a more familiar, cable-guide-like experience than Moxi's novel—but good—regular UI. Another, smaller update is Switched Digital Video support by way of an adapter, if your cable company's into that kind of thing.
At any rate, the core offering may have grown an extender, but it hasn't really changed. The whole system has the same strengths—a strong interface, good performance, and clear superiority over cableco boxes—as well as the same weaknesses—dependency on PlayOn for online streaming, the learning curve— so unless Moxi Mate tips the scales for you, or you've got $1000+ to drop on storage to build an absurdly large video bank, your current impressions probably still stand. [Moxi]
The last few app store launches we've seen were plagued by the same problem: a dearth of stuff that's at all new, or that anyone, you know, wants. Microsoft's novel idea to avoid this same problem? Port some iPhone apps!
The company posted a third-party case study on their Developer Network, which explains, step by step, how an app—Amplitude, a simple sound amplifier—can be ported from iPhone OS to Windows Mobile. The process isn't perfect, leaving Windows Mobile users with a jankier UI and, as is often the case, a limited list of compatible devices, but the important thing is, it works.
So yes, ho ho, Microsoft wants also-ran apps for its also-ran app store, but this is actually a great thing. For Windows Mobile users, obviously, but for iPhone owners too. If releasing a Windows Mobile version of your app alongside the original iPhone version (or vice versa) is a trivial process, then app writers suddenly have a much larger install base to tap into, which could draw more money, manpower and creativity into development. Progress by regress, or something. [MSDN via PCWorld]
If you're looking for a tiny, extra monitor, Nanovision makes some utilitarian Mimo-branded gear. But now their latest 710-S monitor adds a bit of flare to the mix.
The Mimo 710-S is the "Mobile Slider" edition of their existing line, a 7-inch, 800x480 USB monitor that opens like a clamshell and rotates 90 degrees depending on your viewing preference. The catch? It costs $20 more than the existing Mimo 710 to attain this new portable formfactor. So if you're not planning to travel with it, you can probably save a few bucks on an older model.
According to Silicon Alley, the latest rumor in Wall Street is Apple's plan to turn the iTunes Store into a payment system like Paypal. In other words, they want you to give them money so you can buy things elsewhere.
iPhone and iPod touch users can already buy third-party products within applications using iTunes accounts. However, according to these rumors, the new scheme will open the door for other companies outside the store ecosystem to use iTunes as their payment gate for whatever goods or services they may sell.
It makes sense, as people are used to pay with iTunes one-click system—which is licensed from Amazon—anyway. Why not extend to participating companies and make an easy dollar? We will see if the gossip is true or not soon enough. [Silicon Alley Insider]
Paul Patone is an inventor who created a perfectly working engine that runs on 80% Mountain Dew 25 years ago. That was before he was framed by corrupt Utah officials and businesscrooks, after he refused to sell his patents.
His engine is called the GEET—short for Global Environmental Energy Technology—Fuel Processor. His system modifies any engine to run on 20-25% regular gas, from diesel engines to a jet turbine. The rest of the mix could be any soda:
I haven't invented the engine; all I've invented is the fuel delivery system. And this system will fit a gas engine, a diesel engine, a furnace, a boiler, it will fit anything including jet turbine. You need to have about 20, 25 percent hydrocarbon. Then you can add the Mountain Dew to it or whatever you want to add.
When he tried to bring his invention into the mainstream, corrupted Utah's officials and businessmen decided they wanted to profit on his invention, so they tried to force him to sell the technology. He refused. As a result, they framed him for securities fraud, declared him insane, and put him in the mental ward at the Utah State Hospital. This abuse happened in March 2006. Luckily, the guy was finally freed this May, and now he can pursue his dream of pushing the world forward one pop soda engine at a time. [KRQE via Gas2]
Some enterprising gamers took an old vending machine and turned it into a Nuka-Cola machine, and it looks awesome. The soda probably won't heal you, and the bottlecaps won't work as currency, but it's still pretty badass. [Project via Kotaku]
Really? Is there someone out there burning through such copious amounts of candles that they require one gadget just to melt down the scraps?
What sort of demonic deity requires such inconvenient worship in 2009? (Ed note: Satan, that's who. And the ghost of Laura Ingalls Wilder, natch.)
Regardless, the Candle Quick is a sort of wax fondue pot that will melt of tops off old candles so you can once again gain access to the wick. But while the Candle Quick promises to pay for itself in just one use, we've never dropped its $25 asking price on a candle before. Our Dark Lord is a notorious spendthrift. And Satan is pretty cheap, too. [Taylor Gifts via Random Good Stuff via DVICE]
We now know a little more about Intel's upcoming six-core Xeon CPU codenamed Westmere thanks to these leaked engineering samples.
Still classified as a Core i7 chip, the Xeon W5590 runs six 2.4GHz cores with 12MB of shared Level 3 cache and and 256KB of Level 2 cache per core. Hyperthreading support enables two program threads to run on each core, meaning that the whole system effectively delivers 12 cores. Price details have not been announced, but Westmere is officially due out in the first half of 2010. [Electronista]
This amazing 320 square meter control room features a two-level, six-workstation podium to oversee the Moscow United electricity network. More after the jump.
Designed by Russian architects, Arch Group, and ABTB, the space includes a wall of 36 Barco video cubes detailing the network's current condition.
The project was apparently built in 2008-2009, but it almost looks rendered with all those super clean lines. One thing's for sure: give me 5 minutes in the Captain's chair my gear's cable clutter will have the whole shop looking more like something from the Matrix. [Dezeen via William Gibson via Unfolding]
If you own any 2009 model of Panasonic VIERA CAST Blu-ray players, keep a lookout for a free update coming today. It brings Amazon Video on Demand streaming that will make your Blu-ray collection cry.
PANASONIC ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF AMAZON VIDEO ON DEMAND ON ITS FULL LINE OF 2009 VIERA CASTTM-ENABLED BLU-RAY DISC PLAYERS
Owners of 2009 Panasonic Blu-ray Disc Players Now Have Access To Amazon Video On Demand's Extensive Selection of Movies & TV Shows, Including Over 1000 High Definition Titles
SECAUCUS, NJ (August 4, 2009) – Panasonic, a leader in High Definition technology and built-in TV web entertainment, announced today that Amazon Video On Demand is now available on its full line of 2009 VIERA CASTTM-enabled Blu-ray Disc players. Current owners of Panasonic's 2009 Blu-ray Disc players automatically received a free software update today and can begin enjoying the service immediately when they register their VIERA CAST Blu-ray Disc Player with Amazon Video On Demand.
Panasonic introduced Amazon Video On Demand on VIERA CAST-enabled Plasma HDTVs in April 2009.
Bringing unique internet-enabled services to Panasonic VIERA Blu-ray owners, Amazon Video On Demand on VIERA CAST, enables customers to:
· Browse and shop for their favorite movies and TV shows from Amazon Video On Demand's selection of more than 45,000 commercial-free titles, including the latest new releases and over 1000 titles in HD.
· Enjoy instant playback streamed to your player, no downloading, no waiting and no subscription fees.
· Access and add to their virtual library of purchases, via Amazon Video On Demand's Your Video Library, and re-watch them on any of Panasonic's critically acclaimed line of VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc players or online with a PC, MAC or other compatible device.
For 2009, Panasonic's VIERA CAST feature has been extended to all of its Blu-ray Disc player models, including the DMP-BD60, BD70V, BD80 and the B15* – the world's first and only portable Blu-ray Disc player. An internet connection is required to access VIERA CAST.
"Having our VIERA CAST feature on our line of 2009 Panasonic Blu-ray players means you can now access the best of the web, directly from your living room," said Richard Simone, Panasonic's Entertainment Group Director. "The introduction of Amazon Video On Demand to our VIERA CAST offerings gives every owner of a 2009 Panasonic Blu-ray player access to a vast collection of movies and TV shows, including HD quality new releases, on virtually any digital television. And you can take it on the road with you too with Panasonic's VIERA CAST-enabled, B15 portable Blu-ray Disc player."
In addition to Amazon Video On Demand, VIERA CAST will continue to provide access to YouTube™, Picasa Web Albums™, Bloomberg News and weather information. With VIERA CAST, consumers will have automatic access to additional sites as they are added to the service.
VIERA CAST was widely acknowledged last year for its distinctive internet application, allowing the consumer to view targeted sites on a large HDTV, rather than a small computer screen. VIERA CAST has a built-in Ethernet interface – no external box or PC is required. VIERA CAST is accessed via a single button on the Blu-ray Disc player remote control and there is no fee to use the VIERA CAST functionality.
"The addition in April 2009 of Amazon Video On Demand's premium service to Panasonic VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVs really took the entertainment experience to a whole new level for consumers," said Merwan Mereby, Panasonic's Vice President of New Business Development. "As promised in April, Panasonic is now pleased to deliver Amazon Video On Demand service to owners of our award-winning 2009 line of VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc players as well. Combined with the extensive, consumer-generated content VIERA CAST already offers via YouTube and Google Picasa, this is yet another step in the ever-growing value of VIERA CAST for owners of Panasonic HDTVs and Blu-ray players."
"Panasonic and Amazon Video On Demand have built a great customer experience that easily allows customers to shop, purchase or rent from our library of over 45,000 movies & TV shows with no subscription fees," said Bill Carr, Amazon Vice President Music and Video. "Using Panasonic's line of VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray players, even more customers can now instantly experience Amazon's compelling HD-quality, new release movies and TV shows from their living room."
Three guards (who are now detained) apparently beat the boy for "running too slowly," despite the camp promising that it uses no techniques that might compromise a visitor's health. His father had paid the camp $1,024 for Deng Senshan's treatment.
Its got "comfort" right in the title, so you know Microsoft has put a premium on ergonomic design with their Desktop 5000 keyboard and mouse. They have also added "smart features" specifically designed for Windows 7 users.
Updates to the Comfort Curve design include a soft-touch palm rest and low-profile quiet touch keys. As for Windows 7, users can take advantage of a time-saving feature called Taskbar Favorites that allows easy access to open programs by mapping their location to a series of hotkeys and instantly adapting to changes. It also includes Device Stage support—giving users quick access to peripheral devices and a dedicated Windows Flip button for thumbnail previews on both the mouse and keyboard.
The Wireless Comfort Desktop is available now for pre-order on Amazon ($80) and is expected to ship later this month.
New desktop set offers ultimate comfort made easy.
REDMOND, Wash. ¾ Aug. 4, 2009 ¾ More than seven in 10 Americans have felt discomfort from computer use,1 so today Microsoft Corp. debuts the ergonomist-approved Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000, which utilizes a Comfort Curve layout that encourages natural wrist posture with a slight six-degree curve. This new desktop set combines the Microsoft Comfort Curve keyboard layout with a soft-touch palm rest to make the PC experience more comfortable. Since the Comfort Curve design launched five years ago, more than 10 million units have been sold,2 and the design's ease of use continues to draw praise, with 94 percent of users recommending the keyboards.3 To complement the comfort, the Microsoft Hardware Group also created smart one-touch features for Windows 7 to help consumers make the most of their new Windows 7-based PCs.
"People are spending more time on computers than ever before, so comfort is very important," said Dan Odell, lead ergonomist and user researcher at Microsoft Hardware. "A Comfort Curve keyboard, like the Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000, provides an easy way to improve your typing ergonomics while maintaining your productivity."
Full Package: Comfort, Style and BlueTrack Technology
The design elements of the keyboard enhance its look and feel with an updated soft-touch palm rest; low-profile quiet touch keys; and a contoured, compact shape that looks great on any desk. The included Wireless Mouse 5000, with rubber side grips and an ambidextrous shape for comfort in either hand, features Microsoft BlueTrack Technology, which lets consumers go anywhere and work with confidence on more surfaces than when using optical and laser mice.4 Both the mouse and keyboard wirelessly connect to the computer via a reliable 2.4GHz mini-transceiver that works up to 30 feet away.
Smart Features for Windows 7
The Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 is the perfect companion for Windows 7 because it gives people smart ways to make everyday computing tasks easier. A new time-saving feature called Taskbar Favorites gives Microsoft keyboard users an easy way to access their open programs. Instead of the traditional My Favorites Keys with stored locations, Taskbar Favorites will map to the location of open applications on the improved Windows taskbar. The icons in the taskbar can be easily rearranged just by clicking and dragging; Taskbar Favorites will instantly adapt to the new icon locations. Other Windows 7 integration features include these:
o Device Stage. Microsoft Hardware mouse and keyboard products will support Device Stage, a Windows 7 feature that gives customers quick and easy access to common tasks, including product information, registration, settings and more for popular device categories such as cell phones, cameras, printers, portable media players and input devices. o Windows Flip. Microsoft mouse and keyboard users can easily see a thumbnail preview of all open windows with the press of a button. A full-screen preview of the application will automatically display, enabling the user to better identify and select the desired application.
"Our goal is to have a strong ecosystem of compatible and innovative products," said Gary Schare, director of Hardware Ecosystem Product Management at Microsoft. "We're excited about the work Microsoft Hardware has done to light up the key features of Windows 7. For example, the Taskbar Favorites keys on the Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 complement our improved taskbar - helping to deliver a full end-to-end experience to make life on a Windows 7-based PC easier and more enjoyable."
Pricing and Availability
The Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 will be available later this month for an estimated retail price of $79.95 (U.S.).5 The product is available now for presale on Amazon.com and will ship when it is widely released. The Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 is backed by a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty from Microsoft. More information about these and other Microsoft Hardware products is available at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware.
No, this isn't a lost Beyond 2000 segment from 1997—this is a real thing, that is happening. Here's how Nikon expects customers to use their new mutant camera/projector hybrid, the S1000pj.
It'd be irresponsible to try to glean too much from a promotional video like this, where some, but not all, of the images have been simulated but I live dangerously: I'm going to say those images, as you'd expect, look a little washed out, despite most of them projecting at well below the claimed 40-inch max. And where's the video projection? That's the coolest part!
You can sit through the whole video to get a pretty broad spec rundown, and peruse the press release here. Or you can just wait until your Spring 2010 Hammacher Schlemmer catalog comes through the mail slot. This'll be on page 73, in the sidebar, next to the inflatable litterboxes. [Crunchgear]
For something to be green, it has to be practical. That's not the case for this Kodak solar charger that takes 28 hours of sunlight to fully charge batteries.
Computer models are used for all kinds of things these days, including to help salmon safely pass hydropower dams to go breed upriver. Pretty cool what technology can do!
TreeHugger's EcoModo column appears every Tuesday on Gizmodo.
I can't speak for everyone here, but I can't even take a piss without 3 or 4 cameras filming me at all times. So these Spoticam lamps will save me a lot of VHS-C tape.
The Spoticam security lamp, available in white or aluminum, elicits the feeling of being monitored while simultaneously providing a convenient, bendable light source. Your friends and family won't trust your assertions that it's just a lamp, of course, and it won't be long until everyone refuses to visit your apartment. But that's OK. The thrill of exploring your own nasal cavity with CCTV is more than enough entertainment on a Friday night to balance out a general lack of company. [Antrepo via MoCo Loco via DVICE via OhGizmo!]
While some of you may be eying the recently-released Olympus EP-1, Chasseur d'Images magazine is reporting that its successor will be out by year's end and include a viewfinder. That'd be a very quick sequel. [Photo Rumors via CrunchGear]
Everyone's trying to pinpoint exactly what pushed Eric Schmidt to leave Apple's board—or Apple to oust him—but whether it was Google Voice or the FCC doesn't really matter. Eric Schmidt shouldn't have been there in the first place.
Schmidt's presence the Apple board of directors has been conceptually weird from the start, but in the last year or so, he's been treading in dangerous territory. Many saw these concerns crystallize when the FTC invoked a century-old antitrust law that prohibits "interlocking directorates"—essentially, the sharing of leadership between two competing companies to investigate the companies after Google announced Chrome OS (an investigation which is still moving forward, despite Schmidt's exit). The NYT, discussing the issue in May:
Antitrust experts say that investigations of interlocking directorates rarely lead to major confrontations between companies and the government. Executives typically choose to resign from the board of a competitor if it poses a problem rather than face a lengthy investigation or a bruising legal fight.
The thing is, until just now, Eric Schmidt didn't step down, nor did he seriously talk about it. He didn't feel he had to, because of a disingenuous loophole:
Under the Clayton Act, interlocking directorates are not considered a problem if the revenue from products in which the companies compete is less than 2 percent of either company's sales.
Google's competing services are generally free, including Android and the upcoming Chrome OS, and therefore don't directly account for much—or depending on how stubbornly literal you want to be about it—any of the company's revenue. This should have be a clear cue to step the hell aside, but it wasn't taken that way. Schmidt was comfortable staying, and wasn't afraid to say so as early as last week.
In an interview printed in the Mercury Newson Friday, Schmidt said "the board question can be solved by recusing yourself, which I do with the iPhone," hardly talking like a guy who was about to walk away. He was comfortable with this relationship; the regulatory bodies, the public and, most importantly, Apple, were not. It's hard to imagine Steve Jobs, or Apple's various board members, taking kindly to the consistent surprises they were getting from Google. As they saw it, the iPhone begot Android, Safari begot Chrome, and in a small way, OS X begot Chrome OS. Steve Jobs didn't waste any words in their press release on Schmidt's departure, and made these concerns pretty clear:
Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple's core businesses, with Android and now Chrome OS, Eric's effectiveness as an Apple Board member will be significantly diminished.
Chrome OS was announced in May, and Android in November of 2007. To Jobs and Apple, Schmidt's overlapping interests were old news; to Schmidt, it's safe to assume they were ancient history.
The Google/Apple relationship has been steadily getting more awkward since people first started talking about it, and at a fast clip since Schmidt's been onboard. The relationship was unnecessarily strained as it was, but now Schmidt's company is giving Apple some serious headaches, all the while looking like the innocent party in a confusing PR nightmare that's drawn the wrath of the FCC. Granted, they deserve it, but having a Google CEO to step over only muddles the issues. It bears repeating: nothing good could've come from Schmidt staying. He'd either be accused of collusion, sabotage or both—his presence was a lose-lose proposition. He didn't seem to mind, but it looks like Apple finally did.
Drawing a thicker line between these corporate structures is good for everyone, no matter how this plays out. If Apple and Google turn into direct rivals, they need distinct management. If they want to continue working together, like they do on browsers, iPhone software, or some as-of-yet-unannounced project—Apple could sure as hell use Google's help with their cloud efforts, for example—they need the exact same thing.
As you most probably noticed this weekend and yesterday, Gizmodo—and all the Gawker sites—went down in flames for a couple of days. We are now back at full power, and have a pretty accurate idea of what happened.
It was a Distributed Denial of Service attack—aka DDoS:
A Distributed Denial of Service attack is, simply put, like two or 10 people hitting refresh on Gawker millions of times a minute. Obviously, this is not a hack for the faint hearted (or unskilled). Sometimes it's one person, others it's multiple. Sometimes the damage is temporary, others it is permanent.
We don't know who did it and why, but we know it was targeted at one of Gawker's former properties: Consumerist—which is not loading at the time—a site that defends people against corporations' abuse. It seems that some company or group of individuals decided to use to dirty tactics to attack them. Anyone has any tips about who that may be? [Gawker via mediabistro via Twitter]
Whether it's the PS3 Slim or the PS3 Rocket Ride, something is happening in Sony land. Let's review the crazy (and growing) pile of evidence:
• The 80GB PS3 is being discontinued. in Japan by the manufacturer's request. Meanwhile, price cuts on various bundles are happening all around the world. HMM.
• Digitimes reports Sony is seriously ramping up orders for "key PS3 components," enough to build a million consoles over the next three months. Even though, you know, they've been selling fewer PS3s. HMMMM.
The Ion LE is a quiet launch from the usually boisterous Nvidia: It's a cheaper version of their Ion graphics chip for netbooks, stripped of DirectX 10 support, which is only needed in Vista, so hopefully it'll find its way into more cut-rate XP-powered netbooks. [Fudzilla via Engadget]]
There are more than a few iPhone/iPod battery packs floating around these days, but Kensington's gone and thrown one in with its new $70 charging dock.
The err, adventurously named 'Kensington Charging Dock with Mini Battery Pack' comes with its own mini battery that charges next to your dock-compatible iPhone/iPod. Kensington claims it'll provide an extra 30 hours of music or 6 hours of video on an 3rd generation iPod Nano, and an extra 3 hours of talk time on an iPhone.
On one hand, it's great to see the SDXC standard—which theoretically tops out at 2TB—flexing its muscles a little bit. On the other, I kinda wish Toshiba wouldn't announce a record-breaking SD card six months before release.
Toshiba's upcoming SDXC line stretches from 16GB to 64GB, with read speeds of 60MB/s (that's megabytes, folks) and write speeds of 35MB/s. The one we're really interested in is obviously the 64GB unit, since prior SDXC cards, while fast, haven't hit capacities beyond the highest end of the SDHC spec. And look! Sample shipments for the largest card start arriving in November! That's great, if you're an OEM manufacturer. Regular folks will have to wait for "Spring, 2010" to splurge on one of these, however much it'll cost; these SD cards, which are literally from the future, haven't been priced yet. [Toshiba]
Carrying a lightbulb around in your pocket has always led to precariously sharp pocket lint. Or worse. Or worser.
One visionary has steamrolled Edison's design with this credit card light bulb. Tiny LEDs take the place of fragile incandescents, popping out to spread their light through a murky matrix of plastic and unidentified floating flecks—all of it shaped like our old pal the light bulb.
It'll run you $9 or $10, depending on your crazy gadget retailer of choice. [brando and gadget4all]
The TubeSat lists one of its possible uses as Earth-from-space video imaging—very scientific, of course. But to me that means "Now you can spy on your hot neighborSteve Jobs without leaving the comfort of your home!"
Orbital environment measurements (temperature, pressure, radiation, etc.)
On-orbit hardware and software component testing (microprocessors, etc.)
Tracking migratory animals from orbit
Testing satellite stabilization methods
Biological experiments
On-orbit advertising
Private e-mail
All of these functions are actually pretty handy for the space geek in all of us and Interorbital Systems does the hard work, including launching your TubeSat using a NEPTUNE 30 vehicle. As part of the kit they also send you all the components you need:
The TubeSat kit includes the satellite's structural components, safety hardware, solar panels, batteries, power management hardware and software, transceiver, antennas, microcomputer, and the required programming tools. With these components alone, the builder can construct a satellite that puts out enough power to be picked up on the ground by a hand-held HAM radio receiver.
How often do you get a new toy with the batteries already included?
BUT WAIT! There's more! Purchase the TubeSat for only $8,000 today and you get the launch for FREE! That's right, folks! I'm channeling Mr. Mays today because this it is just that good of a deal. A mere 8,000 Washingtons and you can have your own bit of space junk in the air (but don't worry, it goes into a self-decaying orbit, so it won't be up there forever). [Interorbital via Space Fellowship via PopSci]
If you think you can just get infected one night, fall into convulsive shakes, black out and wake up a champion head wrecker—think again. Zombies need practice, too.
Ok, the truth, according to Pink Tentacle, is that some belligerent task master at Japan's Fuji-Q Highland amusement park thought his zombie actors had "lost their edge," and needed to be whipped back into shape. What better way to do that than to don full makeup, get in front of the cameras and participate in a military-style bootcamp?
Activities included light calisthenics, a jog on the beach (arms extended out, of course), time spent buried neck deep in dirt...aaand watermelon eating. When the Zombies failed to look dead enough, they were beat with a stick or stomped in the chest. I feel like this could catch on as a new form of exercise for soccer moms. You know, while their kids are busy pissing themselves at zombie preparedness training. [Pink Tentacle]
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As you most probably noticed this weekend and yesterday, Gizmodo—and all the Gawker sites—went down in flames for a couple of days. We are now back at full power, and have a pretty accurate idea of what happened.
On one hand, it's great to see the SDXC standard—which 
The TubeSat lists one of its possible uses as Earth-from-space video imaging—very scientific, of course. But to me that means "Now you can spy on 
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