(Credit: Panasonic)Panasonic’s no stranger to shockproof and waterproof devices, but the new Lumix DMC-TS1 is the first of its rugged cameras to feature AVCHD Lite, which is branding for 720p video. Aside from being a 12.1-megapixel pocket camera with a 28mm wide-angle lens with a 4.6x …
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Hello Kitty lineman’s handset fills a niche: Hello Kitty-lovin’ linemen originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A side view of the DIY iPhone stand. The name Diana doesn’t have special meaning; it just happened to be written on a piece of Lego found in one of Patrick’s sets.
(Credit: Stephen Sheehan)
Apple might want to keep an eye on 8-year-old Patrick Sheehan. When dad …
I’d call it something along the lines of “The Cell Phone Pervert Act.” Still, “Camera Phone Predator Alert Act” is pretty catchy, too. That’s the name of a new bill being pushed by New York congressman Peter King: It would require that cell phones make a sound when they’re used to take a picture.
This is similar to a law that currently exists in Japan, which came to light recently when Apple was told it must add a picture-taking sound to the iPhone in order to sell the handset in that country.
“Congress finds that children and adolescents have been exploited by photographs taken in dressing rooms and public places with the use of a camera phone,” states the bill. According to Wired, the bill, which was introduced earlier this month, has thus far failed to pick up much support.
You didn’t think we’d let this one go without a followup, did you? Portal gun replica creator Harrison Krix was gracious enough to invite us to his workshop and get some hands-on time with it. Let’s get the two most common inquiries out of the way first: no, it’s not photoshopped and no, it doesn’t actually “work” (as in, it doesn’t create portals). The armament weighs between five or ten pounds, and all color shifting is done via a switch inside the back end. The middle tube, interestingly enough, is an acrylic plunger handle with a clear matte. The 26-year old graphic designer and graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design estimates he spent 150 hours and $350 in parts, although later models should take much less time. He’s had offers to create more iterations from employees at Bungie and Infinity Ward, and he’s thinking of making one to give to the Penny Arcade crew for their Child’s Play charity. For a look at it both in action and disassembled, check out the video after the break. Next up? A BioShock Big Daddy costume, with arm extensions and a working drill, just in time for next August’s Dragon Con in Atlanta.
 Hands-on with the Portal gun replica |  Portal gun replica (work in progress) |  Portal gun replica build images and wiring |
Continue reading Video: Portal gun replica hands-on
Filed under: Gaming
Video: Portal gun replica hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Easy-N-Upgrader brings Draft-N performance to your home network.
(Credit: TrendNet)
A while ago, I replaced my 802.11g router with an 802.11n model. Much as I love the faster performance and better range, it saddens me that the old router is collecting dust on a shelf. (Yes, I’…
Originally posted at The Cheapskate
Ah, the sweet smell of PMA. While the camera-filled trade show is still over a month away, Panasonic‘s not wasting any time in outing its new LUMIX lineup — which we already saw with Euro model names earlier today. Up first is the ZS-series, which contains the 10.1 megapixel DMC-ZS3 ($399.95) and DMC-ZS1 ($299.95), both of which boast a 25mm ultra-wide angle lens and a 12x optical zoom. The ZS3 is marked as the planet’s first digicam to feature HD video recording in AVCHD Lite (a subset of AVCHD restricted to 720p, yuck), and the twin CPU Venus Engine HD provides the power to handle it. Next is the DMC-FX580 ($399.95), a compact 12.1 megapixel shooter with a 5x optical zoom and a swank touchscreen on the rear. For the argonauts in attendance, there’s the DMC-TS1 ($399.95), a rough and rugged 12.1 megapixeler with AVCHD Lite capturing abilities (guess it’s numero dos?), a 4.6x optical zoom and a waterproof / shockproof chassis. Every last one will be available in April, and you can fill your mind with more knowledge on each in the read links below.
Read – ZS-Series (DMC-ZS3 and DMC-ZS1)
Read – DMC-FX580
Read – DMC-TS1
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Panasonic reveals new LUMIX bounty prior to PMA originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Plug a device into your Windows Vista computer and–poof! Nothing happens. Plug a device into a Windows 7 machine, on the other hand, and a photo realistic image of it appears in your taskbar, where it lives permanently, offering you easy access to some common tasks, services, and information. Microsoft calls it Device Stage; let’s walk through what it does for cell phones like the Nokia N95.
Getting the N95 working properly took some legwork, because different drivers install based on which mode you connect the phone in. First, install Nokia’s Ovi Suite–the Music app isn’t compatible with Windows 7, but everything else is. Restart, launch Ovi, and plug in the phone. Then Select PC Suite as the connection method from the N95’s screen, and wait for device to finish setting up in Ovi. You’ll see the N95 icon in Ovi when it’s through. Then unplug the phone and reconnect it, this time selecting Media Transfer as the connection method from the device screen. Next bask in the glory.
But what does Device Stage do for the phone? After the jump, a full run-down on features.
It took a couple of days for this to surface, but it looks like Apple was awarded yet another patent last week–a big one. Awarded on January 20, the company scored patent number 7,479,949, which was applied for on April 18 of last year. The patent covers multi-touch functionality like pinch, rotation, and swipe.
World of Apple has the text from the patent titled “Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics.”
It begins,
A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display, applying one or more heuristics to the one or more finger contacts to determine a command for the device, and processing the command. The one or more heuristics comprise: a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a one-dimensional vertical screen scrolling command, a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a two-dimensional screen translation command, and a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a command to transition from displaying a respective item in a set of items to displaying a next item in the set of items.
Does this spell disaster for the forthcoming Palm Pre–the device to which most assumed Apple’s temporary CEO, Tim Cook, was referring to when he recently made veiled legal threats?
As our mobile analyst Sascha Segan would (and will no doubt continue to) say, “There. Is. More. Than. One. Multi. Touch. Patent.”
Make no mistake, Panasonic’s Toughbook 19 ($3,749) and Toughbook 30 ($3,649) have been around for quite some time. Some would attribute their longevity to their burly nature, but we know the truth — Panny just keeps upgrading ’em without changing the model name. Bantering aside, these two are receiving yet another round of refreshes that incorporate 1,000 nit LCDs with circular polarization technology and anti-glare / anti-reflective screen treatments to enhance screen viewability. Additionally, they each tout “improved security and remote management,” Intel’s Centrino 2 with vPro, expanded memory capabilities, 40 percent longer battery lives, larger capacity hard drives and optional SSDs. Our favorite new feature? “Concealed mode,” which enables users to “easily turn all device lights off (screen and LEDs) using just a function (Fn) key. Check the full rundown of specs and new inclusions after the break.
Continue reading Panasonic’s Toughbook 19 / 30 get even tougher, better
Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs
Panasonic’s Toughbook 19 / 30 get even tougher, better originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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