Mar 02
Mar 02
Bonus cellphone found in bag of Aldi potato chips, charger unfortunately absent
Posted in: nokia, t-mobile, Today's Chili
When we were kids, a box of cereal wasn’t worth eating if there wasn’t a free toy buried in the bottom somewhere. Emma Schweiger of Janesville Township, Wisconsin has sadly forgotten those days, reacting in horror not joy when she found an unexpected free prize in her bag of potato chips purchased at Aldi. While rummaging through the greasy fragments she uncovered an aged Nokia handset, bereft of charge, covered in cholesterol, and sporting a T-Mobile SIM card. No address book has yet been retrieved to identify the phone’s owner, but the discolored disc on the back where an adhesive belt clip had been applied is a pretty strong clue to how it came to its carb-laden cocoon. As for Schweiger, she’s pledged to always pour her bag of chips into a bowl prior to eating — which happens to also be the easiest way to get the toy out of a particularly unappealing box of cereal.
[Via Engadget Spanish]
Filed under: Cellphones
Bonus cellphone found in bag of Aldi potato chips, charger unfortunately absent originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mar 02
Intel’s shape-shifting programmable matter shown on video, sadly not for real
Posted in: intel, Today's Chili
If you were as confused as we were by Intel’s talks of programmable matter, an intelligent amorphous blob formed of microscopic glass spheres and able to take any shape, you’ll want to check out the video from CNN embedded below. It shows the stuff in action — albeit rendered, conceptual action — allowing a group of designers take a car that looks a lot like a Cadillac and make it even more slab-sided, changing its color a few times, and then causing it to explode in what can only be a 1/18 scale preview of another installment of The Matrix. We can’t wait to have a blob of this stuff on our desk to play with (it’d be the ultimate stress ball), but we’re guessing it’s going to be a long, long time before that happens.
Continue reading Intel’s shape-shifting programmable matter shown on video, sadly not for real
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Intel’s shape-shifting programmable matter shown on video, sadly not for real originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mar 02
“Every now and then, I look at my friends and say, ‘Ooh, I wouldn’t mind having that iPhone.'”
–Melinda Gates
A few tech blogs on Monday morning are highlighting some choice quotes from a Melinda Gates interview that appears in the most recent issue of Vogue.
According to the …
Mar 02
Sony takes the wraps off 240Hz, RFID enabled BRAVIA LCDs in Japan
Posted in: Japan, LCD, remote, sony, Today's Chili
If the trouble of typing in a credit card number was the thing keeping you from renting acTVila video on-demand movies in Japan, Sony’s fixed that right up by including FeliCa reading capability in the remote for its latest BRAVIA LCDs. No longer tied to an ugly outboard box, now you need only to press your credit card, cellphone or other RFID enabled device against the remote to authorize payment. The Japanese edition W5 and F5 line of LCDs mostly feature 240Hz MotionFlow and the latest BRAVIA Engine 3 display processing, and top out around ¥450,000 ($4,614) for a 52-inch. Check out video of the RFID remote on Akihabara News or embedded after the break and imagine living in a Blade Runner-type world of the future where overpriced rentals downloaded via fiber directly onto an HDTV screen are billed to whatever card desired with a mere flick of the wrist, as opposed to overpriced, overcompressed rentals that shamefully expand ones cable bill each month.
[Via Akihabara News & AV Watch]
Continue reading Sony takes the wraps off 240Hz, RFID enabled BRAVIA LCDs in Japan
Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment
Sony takes the wraps off 240Hz, RFID enabled BRAVIA LCDs in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mar 02
GE intros nine new point-and-shoots, no one notices
Posted in: point and shoot, PointAndShoot, Today's Chili
GE, that iconic brand that has brought so many things to life — from clock radios to locomotives to widespread air and water pollution — is back with a new digital camera lineup to amuse and titillate the easily amused and titillated. The nine new devices (manufactured by General Imaging) feature auto scene detection, pan-capture panorama, optical image stabilization, and all but two boast at least 12 megapixels. These guys hit the UK in April, and all are priced at less than £150 (about $215). Full details after the break.
Continue reading GE intros nine new point-and-shoots, no one notices
Filed under: Digital Cameras
GE intros nine new point-and-shoots, no one notices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mar 02
Vue mesh network video system hands-on
Posted in: Features, hands-on, Today's Chili, video
We had a chance to play around with Avaak’s new multi-camera wireless video system, the Vue, and we’ve got to say — it’s kind of neat. The technology — originally funded by DARPA and developed by the company for the military — uses a mesh network (dubbed FrameMesh) to allow up to 50 cameras to communicate with a single base station. The premise is simple, you connect the included base to your router, then switch on as many of the cameras as you like; each one feeds its signal back home, then straight to your account on the company’s servers where you can monitor the videos remotely. Once the video hits the page (the cameras stay off until you’re actually watching something), you can record, or share them via Facebook, Flickr, etc. The cameras themselves are tiny things, and each one perches on a magnetized base where they can be adjusted to almost any position. The basic kit will run you $299, which includes the base station and two cameras, and each additional camera is $99. Not the lowest point of entry, but if you’re into seriously monitoring some things, this is an insanely simple way to do it — and we can’t wait to see what installation artists get up to with these guys. Check out some hands-on pics in the gallery, then enjoy a brief video demo after the break.
Continue reading Vue mesh network video system hands-on
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Vue mesh network video system hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mar 02
Cheap Geek: Samsung Laptop, iLive iPod Karaoke, Sony Bravia LCD TV
Posted in: amazon, ipod, laptop, LCD, sale, samsung, sony, Today's Chili, TV
Happy March! Celebrate a new month with some great deals. Check out Gearlog’s finds for Monday, March 2:
1. Today only, save 45 percent off of the Samsung X360-34G 13.3-inch laptop from Amazon.com. Normally $1,049.99, you can knock the price down to $849.01, and then to $749.99 with a $300 rebate. The laptop has a 1.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300 Centrino 2 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, and Vista Business. Again, the offer ends today, so move quickly.
2. Finally, a way to sing to all your favorite karaoke songs, right from your iPod. This week only, get the iLive CD+G Karaoke System with Apple iPod Dock for just $59.99, down from $99.99.
3. Looking for a new TV? The Sony 40-inch Bravia LCD television is on sale this week from J&R.com. Originally $1,899, the TV is now $1,030. It has 16:9 HD 1080 resolution, and it also ships for free.
Mar 02
Rumor: Apple Refreshing iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac Mini On March 24
Posted in: Apple, imac, Today's ChiliFew companies in the tech world are so highly regarded for their product announcements that even the dates of their press conferences are the subject of shrouded speculation. Apple, of course, is not like most other companies, so when a “source” discloses that the company is planning an event for March 24th, it naturally becomes big news.
The date, of course, aligns with the company’s general product cycle. The source told World of Apple that “the event would be similar to the notebook event held by Apple last October.”
If the rumor is in fact true, the company will most likely use the event to refresh the iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac Mini lines.
Mar 02
Touch Book from Always Innovating harbors removable tablet, netbook pricepoint
Posted in: arm, Linux, netbook, tablet, Today's Chili
It’s not every day we see an all-new angle on the laptop form factor, much less a netbook with aims at innovation. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that a company dubbed “Always Innovating” is trying to spice things up a bit. The Touch Book is an ARM-powered netbook that weighs less than two pounds and claims battery life of 10 to 15 hours, but the real magic happens with the removable screen — it slides right out of its keyboard dock and acts as a fully functional touchscreen tablet. When docked, the screen can lay out flat, and the keyboard can even be folded all the way under into an “inverted V” shape. There are other oddities like internal USB plugs to cut down on dongle mess, and the whole screen is magnetic for mounting on a fridge. The machine is running a Linux OS with a touchable 3D UI. The only press shots right now are these sketchy-looking renders, but Always Innovating is currently previewing the Touch Book at DEMO 09 in California, and plans to ship in Spring of this year with a starting pricetag of $299.
Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs
Touch Book from Always Innovating harbors removable tablet, netbook pricepoint originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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