Just in case you missed it, this is a reminder to all of the design enthusiasts out there to get cracking on their vision of the ultimate gaming laptop. If you come up with the most interesting design by December 31st, a shiny new Toshiba X305 could be in it for you. Check out the contest page for the full details.
We have seen a robot play the flute, violin and other musical instruments. Now a Japanese play is using robots to act alongside human actors.
The play called Hataraku Watashi (I, Worker) premiered at Osaka University and is being considered as one of the few examples of robot-human interaction on stage.
The robots were programmed to speak their lines as they moved about on stage. The robot in the play is the ‘Wakamaru’ from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
The Wakamaru was designed primarily to provide care for the disabled and elderly. It runs Linux operating system, has limited speech and speech recognition abilities.
The play itself has a very interesting premise. It’s about a young couple with two housekeeping robots. One of the robots complains about its "demeaning" work and that leads to a discussion about the role of robots in human lives.
It’s an interesting question and one that is likely to come up more often as use of homes robots become more widespread.
[via BBC]
Photo: The Wakamaru Robot
Deny it all you please, but the 3D revolution is here. LG is just the next brand in the growing line of consumer companies that are caving to the three-dee pressure, and according to Choon Lee, Vice President Director at the Digital TV Research Lab, LG will be launching at least one 3D TV next year. To quote: “3D TVs are the next big step for [LG]; we will try with one or two markets in 2009.” Regrettably, that’s about all the details he would give up, stopping short of confessing to which markets would first see the devices and when exactly during the course of next year they would launch. It’s cool, though — gives us ample time to get used to wearing those hideous glasses around the house without tripping over foreign objects.
Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment
LG to launch “one or two” 3D TVs in 2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’ve been telling you all of the deals you shouldn’t miss for Black Friday, plus how to survive while getting exactly what you want. Well, Electronic House goes in the other direction, pointing out seven Black Friday “deals” you should avoid because you can get the same (or better) deal right now somewhere else. Topping the list are the Canon SD1100IS digital camera at Sears, which is currently cheaper at Amazon, and the Sharp LC-52SB55U HDTV at Circuit City, which is $200 cheaper at Best Buy as we speak. [Electronic House Image: Getty]
Do you know what we are going to do while we are not playing with the Lego Death Star, waiting for the laser-etching machiine to tattoo one your gadgets for free and listening to our original Sony Walkman? I mean, apart from unsuccessfully calling for pizza in the Apple phone prototype while watching Frucci doing skits dressed up like a Japanese USB dork, previously recorded on the Red One and played back in the Panasonic 103-inch screen? Dodging the amazing Draganflyer X6, that’s what.
The Draganflyer X6 is not your usual flying toy. In fact, it’s not a toy, but a serious piece of hardware, one of the coolest unmanned autonomous vehicle in existence, with GPS, onboard video, and the ability to attach any module, from HD video cameras to low-light vision, thermal FLIR units, or regular still cams.
Aimed at industrial and commercial use, it provides reconnaissance and inspection information using on-board wireless video and still cameras. The Draganflyer X6 helicopter is able to fly autonomously or can be flown manually by remote control. The Draganflyer X6 helicopter achieves its stability by using an on-board processor running more than ten thousand lines of code and receiving data from eleven on-board sensors (three gyros, three accelerometers, three magnetometers, one barometric pressure sensor, and one GPS receiver). It can be piloted by users with minimal or zero training.
The Draganflyer X6 helicopter can be put into GPS hold mode where it will maintain its position without any user input. This means that after activating GPS hold, the pilot can set the handheld controller on the ground while the Draganflyer X6 helicopter flies itself. This mode will allow the user to focus on other tasks such as aerial photography from the Draganflyer X6 helicopter.
The Draganflyer X6 helicopter uses interchangeable cameras, covering different areas of use. A high definition video camera provides 1080p resolution. For dawn and dusk use, there is a low light (0.0001lux) video camera. For night use or search and rescue, the thermal FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red) camera provides heat vision. High-resolution photographs can be captured with the 10.1 mega-pixel digital still camera. When using any of the camera modules.
[Thanks to REED ANNEX and thanks to our benefactor Gizmine.com]
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Dates:
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12/5 Friday
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Around this time last month, we learned that Netflix streaming would be making its way onto Samsung’s BD-P2500 / BD-P2550 Blu-ray players. Today, Sammy has dropped another related bombshell: HD Netflix streaming is just around the bend. Beginning the first week of December (which isn’t vague at all), owners of the aforementioned decks will be able to suck down a simple firmware update to enable high-def Netflix streaming. Enjoy the exclusivity, Xbox 360 — it all comes to an end soon.
Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment
HD Netflix streaming coming to Samsung’s BD-P2500 / BD-P2550 Blu-ray players originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ahhh Thanksgiving, a time for egg nog and egg nog based martinis. But that blasted shaking? Who has time to do that when there’s a perfectly good turkey that needs to be horridly burned? Houseware maker Waring thinks they have the answer with its automatic martini maker. Too bad the gadget is, well, pretty much unnecessary. From Christopher Null’s review:
Let’s put on our Captain Obvious cape for a moment and deliver this
nugget of wisdom: There’s no good reason for anyone to buy the Waring
Martini Maker. No good reason it should exist at all. For one long
minute this device does through electrical what your arms can achieve
in a mere 10 seconds… and it does a worse job of it too. But the
Waring Martini Maker does exist. And for that reason, we had no choice but to try it out.$100, waringproducts.com
Read the rest of the review of the Waring Martini Shaker right here.
Don’t look at me that way. You know that you’ve at least considered it. This Thanksgiving, why slave away all day over a hot oven baking a turkey when you have space age microwave technology right in your own kitchen? According to the USDA, “Turkeys can be successfully cooked in a microwave oven—whole or in parts.” And they’ve kindly included a complete set of useful tips on their site.
Instructions:
Turkey parts can be cooked in a dish with a lid, or cover the dish with plastic wrap and vent the top. Timing can vary because of wattage differences, so follow the recommendations in the owner’s manual.A 12- to 14- pound turkey is the maximum size most microwaves can accommodate…Allow 3 inches oven clearance on top and 2 to 3 inches of space around the bird. The time for cooking a turkey in the microwave is 9 to 10 minutes per pound on medium (50%) power. Rotate the bird during cooking to ensure even cooking.
Warnings:
Microwaves sometimes cook a whole turkey unevenly, so microwaving it in an oven cooking bag aids in even heat distribution. Microwaving a stuffed turkey is not recommended.
To those who are taking this post too seriously, remember: Just because something is edible doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily want to eat it. Though if you do partake in a microwaved turkey this Thanksgiving, be sure to send us a photo…and maybe try stuffing the bird with Pop Secret after cooking. [USDA]
If the BlackWing Three was just a touch too rich for your blood, yet you dug what Cineversum had going on, have a look at this. The BlackWing One 1080p digital video projector relies on three 0.6-inch LCoS panels (all with a 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution, obviously) and comes pre-calibrated for optimal performance right out of the box. Additionally, it features a 15,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,400 ANSI lumens, two HDMI 1.3 sockets, an RS-232 control port and a “futuristic deep metallic-black ABS plastic chassis” designed by France’s own Antoine Béon. The first batch is scheduled to hit North America in mid-December for $6,500 apiece, but those up for spending more can have their unit splashed with a custom color.
Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment
Cineversum intros $6,500 BlackWing One 1080p projector originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Getting your name laser engraved onto a notebook sounds like a cool idea. But you’d look pretty dumb carrying around a Rhodia notebook that quotes some guy named "Buddah" (photo to the right).
Otherwise, Notebook Engraver’s offerings look snazzy: The company sells a variety of notebooks from Rhodia, Quo Vadis and Clairefontaine. On the site, you can enter text you’d like custom engraved on the front or the spine ($5 per engraving). And just like that — Buddah-bing, Buddah-bam — you’ve got a slick notebook with your sexy name etched onto it.
Just make sure to check your spelling first.
Product Page [Notebook Engraver via Twitter]
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