Hasta La Gadget!

Quantum PI has just built the first motion sensor chip to use “quantum tunneling,” which sounds theoretically unsafe, but we’ll follow along. The nanoTrek sensors are classified as NEMS (Nano Electric Mechanical Systems) as opposed to the “bulky” MEMS sensors that can be found everywhere from the Wii to the iPhone. nanoTrek’s sensing area is a mere 50 x 50 microns, and its sensitivity is 5 to 10 times greater than MEMS chips. There are all sorts of boring industrial applications to such a sensor, but we’re looking forward to the not-too-distant-future when we can be completely disappointed by a brand new version of Super Monkey Ball.

[Via The Inquirer]

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets, Gaming

Quantum PI’s nanoTrek sensors pick up vibration and motion your Wiimote could never dream of originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 09:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

This week we had the pleasure of attending the opening party for the BEAMS CULTuART collaboration with Komiyama Shoten, a classic Jimbocho publishing district house.

Until May 15th, CULTuART will be featuring books, original prints, silkscreens, vintage photos, and more in collaboration with Komiyama, and there’s a lot of amazing stuff there right now for those interested in Tokyo history.

Most interesting for us are the books of “street shots” taken in the last decades documenting fashion and culture in Tokyo as it emerged from the war and became what it is today. They aren’t cheap (all out of print and rare) but well worth checking out.

My personal favorite, however, was probably the lowest-priced item in the shop! CULTuART has its own limited edition clear version of the Electromotive Injection Machine model from Bandai…

Yes, it’s a model of a plastic injection molding machine, but it’s not just any mold. This is a scale model of the EC 160, the machine that is used to make parts for Gundam figures! While not a huge figure-head myself (see: Danny Choo), I couldn’t help but love how far figure fanatics will go with their love. Below are some pictures of the real thing as seen on the box:

There’s a great series of photos from the Bandai Factory, but this guy put the original version together on his blog. Mine is below:

Kind of reminded me of the gashapon machine I saw here years ago that dispensed…tiny gashapon machines. Now all I want is a scale model of the injection machine that makes the Electromotive Injection Machine model and I will be complete.

Hold on to your positronic caps, readers. It seems our little green robo-friend may be in for a little bit of legal trouble. Erich Specht has sued Google and seemingly every company that has ever thought about using its mobile OS (like T-Mobile, Vodafone, Intel, Motorola, Samsung, and lots more) for infringing use of the name “Android.” He’s the owner of the trademark for Android Data Corporation, granted way back in October of 2002. Google came around and filed a trademark application for Android five years later and, wait for it, had that trademark application denied due to confusion with Mr. Specht’s. In other words, it looks like Google and its Open Handset Alliance cronies are on the defensive and, seemingly, not on particularly firm ground. Specht wants damages and a name-change for Google’s OS, and as of now we wouldn’t be surprised if he got at least one of his wishes.

Filed under: Cellphones

Google and dozens of Android purveyors slapped with trademark lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

What do we know so far about Norway? That it likes electric cars, has buses powered by poo, and offers so much snow even its billboards are filled with the stuff. Now we’re learning something else: that it’s in the middle of a pilot program that would put a laptop (a real one, not one of those OLPC toys) into the Bedazzled rucksack of every 16 – 19 year old. The trial is currently underway in a single county, Nord-Trondelag (site of the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030), where 6,000 lappys have been distributed featuring Big Brother-like software. The stuff, provided by 3ami, captures screenshots and keystrokes when students take quizzes and exams electronically. If all goes well Norway will expand this program nation-wide, and since each laptop comes with a copy of Photoshop we’re expecting a whole new generation of expert image manipulators.

[Image courtesy of mrsviennau]

Filed under: Laptops

Norway giving free laptops to angsty teens originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Can you actually use a laptop on your lap? If the amount of alternatives is anything to go by, the answer is a deafening “no”. The latest in the line of junk designed to protect the family jewels is the Tote Table, which has the added honor of actually appearing in the Sky Mall catalog.

The tote table is a fold-up table with four telescopic legs and an extra flip-out surface for a mouse (or cup of coffee for the adventurous). These skinny legs extend up to 30 inches and completely obviate the non-slip surface of the table itself by providing a wobbly, shaky platform for your notebook computer.

Worse, there is a document holder, essentially a strip of wire with a clip on the end on which to hang papers for copy typing. Yes, copy typing at the airport. C’mon. This would obviously be better used holding a bag of potato chips in a ready-to-eat position.

For fun, lets take a look at the actual Sky Mall rendition of the product shot. It’s a clear candidate for Photoshop Disasters:

Fantastic! And only $60.

Product page [Sky Mall via Book of Joe]