Aug 20

Biergert & Funk QLOCKTWO gets an English version, our sincerest admiration

Posted in: germany, Today's Chili

This is exactly what we need: a clock that politely dispenses with the math (no matter how simple) in favor of words. Biergert & Funk handmake this one, called the QLOCKTWO, with both German and English language faces — and there lots of color options. The price is a stunningly uncheap €1099 (about $1600), so get to saving your dollars and cents. There’s a video showing off the QLOCKTWO after the break, but you’d better speak German — or do what we did, and mute it and listen to AC / DC while you watch it.

Continue reading Biergert & Funk QLOCKTWO gets an English version, our sincerest admiration

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Biergert & Funk QLOCKTWO gets an English version, our sincerest admiration originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 20

Pitseleh: A Beautiful Theme for Jailbroken iPhones

Posted in: Apple, Hacks, iPhone, jailbreak, Phones, Today's Chili

phonetext
Did you take our advice and jailbreak your iPhone? Here’s another good reason to hack away at your beloved device: themes. By downloading some unauthorized freeware through Cydia, you can give your iPhone user interface a makeover if you’re getting sick of Apple’s black and bubbly aesthetic. I installed a slick, old school theme called Pitseleh. (Admittedly, the name caught my eye because it’s the title of my favorite Elliott Smith song.)

If you’re convinced by the beautiful screenshots above and below, be warned: The procedure isn’t as easy as installing a single app and choosing the theme. You have to download five pieces of software, and there’s a manual part of the setup, too, requiring some finger work. The entire setup takes 30 minutes, and I followed an extremely helpful guide at Apple iPhone School.


Another forewarning: The theme is somewhat impractical, and more for the sake of showing off. It breaks your home screen into six categories (Phone, Text, iPod, Web, Games and Apps), and you have to follow the instructions exactly to match the theme’s skin, so there isn’t much room to customize. The most annoying part is that the Apps category is all the way on the right, requiring five swipes to access it to launch a third-party app such as Tweetie. You won’t be able to find your apps through Spotlight search anymore, either, since they’re stuffed in a category folder. Long story short: If you’re a “power user,” don’t bother. I mainly did this for fun, and I’ll likely uninstall it in the next week.

Update: As our readers EPICpod and markii point out, there’s a free app to enable Spotlight search for categorized apps in this theme. It’s called SpotBright, also available through Cydia. It works great and completely fixes the problem!

gamesipod

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Aug 20

DJ Mouse eliminates ‘the science of mixing music’ with a jog wheel

Posted in: Today's Chili

Looking for a way to liven up those house parties of yours? Winamp playlist feeling a little passe? iTunes “Genius” feature not really so smart? A company called DJ-Tech has got the answer, and it’s the DJ Mouse. What separates an input device for turntablists from one for the unwashed masses, you ask? Is it the “high-definition jog wheel,” the one that integrates with the Deckadance software to “let you spin platters intuitively?” Why, yes, it is! But it’s also so much more. Don’t forget the Scratch button, without which there would be no “direct scratch mode.” As the ad says, you too can “become a DJ in one minute, without the science of mixing music.” Available for $79 — but make sure you don’t go anywhere before you peep the truly amazing commercial after the break. And take that, Grandmaster Flash!

[Via OhGizmo!]

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DJ Mouse eliminates ‘the science of mixing music’ with a jog wheel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 20

PS3 Slim: The official CNET review

Posted in: Today's Chili
(Credit: Sony)

Back in 2004, four years after first launching the PlayStation 2, Sony brought out a new, much more compact PS2. Timed to come out just as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was hitting stores, the redesigned console helped breath new life into the PS2 franchise. It remains on …

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Aug 20

Pi-obsessed Japanese reach 2.5 trillion digits

Posted in: Today's Chili

It’s funny how the Japanese love to waste their supercomputers on climate change and car design instead of nuclear weapons like in some countries.

Now they’re squandering their teraflops chasing down irrational numbers.

The T2K-Tsukuba System, a supercomputer at the University of Tsukuba northeast of Tokyo, has calculated …

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Aug 20

Get your Windows 7 Release Candidate while you can (that means today)

Posted in: Microsoft, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, Today's Chili, Windows, windows 7, Windows7
Been meaning to try out Windows 7 for free before taking the plunge on a final retail copy? Then you might want to get your act together, as today is the last day that you’ll be able to download the Windows 7 Release Candidate direct from Microsoft itself. If you can spare a few minutes, however, we might suggest first checking out our Windows 7 install guide to get a taste of what you’re in for, and, of course, our full Windows 7 review, which is quite possibly the next best thing to actually using it.

Update: We’re already seeing a few issues with the download page, so anyone that’s lucky enough to get a download link should probably jump on it while they can.

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Get your Windows 7 Release Candidate while you can (that means today) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 20

Microsoft Unveils HD 720p LifeCam Cinema Webcam

Posted in: Microsoft, Today's Chili

MS lifecam cinema.jpg

On the heels of its Windows Live Movie Maker release, Microsoft on Thursday also unveiled a new high-definition webcam, dubbed the LifeCam Cinema.

The LifeCam records video at 720p HD in 16:9 widescreen up to 30 frames per second, Microsoft spokesman Brandon LeBlanc wrote in a blog post. It uses ClearFrame Technology and an updated de-noiser.

“The improved de-noiser reduces image graininess – especially in low light. It also has a faster image-processing technology that keeps video smooth at any resolution,” LeBlanc wrote.

It will be released in September and will sell for $79.95.

LeBlanc also promised less blurriness thanks to the glass element lens. The LifeCam also takes 5-megapixel still photos, includes a noise-canceling microphone, and a flexible attachment base to fit on LCD monitors, notebook screens, or the side of a desk.

To use the webcam, you’ll need to install the LifeCam software, available for download now. It is compatible with Windows Live Photo Gallery and Movie Maker.

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Aug 20

Hands On: Timbuk2 Wants You to Swig Your Stuff

Posted in: Today's Chili

swig.jpgLooking for a messenger-style bag, but hate the single shoulder strap? Timbuk2 has a new Swig Backpack in two sizes that’d be happy to help you out. It’s basically got the messenger styling and utility that Timbuk2 is known for (as seen on the streets of San Francisco, New York, and Austin), plus it has backpack straps.

The durable Swig is available in two sizes, Small (holds up to 13-inch notebooks) for $80, and the Medium seen here (up to 17-inch notebooks) for $90. It’s got a main compartment, like most messenger bags, that will swallow all your books and folders whole. The main compartment also has a built-in pouch for your notebook, with padding and a Velcro equipped strap to keep it in. It held the 15-inch MacBook Pro I used quite securely and safely. If you’re the type that just dumps everything in one big pocket, then the Swig is your bag.

It might have a cathedral-like capacity, but that also means that the bag itself is huge. It’s over 20 inches tall and 13 inches wide (7 inches deep), so it may look big on your back. The Small version is more proportioned for shorter folks. Though large, the Swig pack is comfortable to wear with both straps. The Swig’s name does give it a hint to its ultimate purpose: the inside pocket can fit many bottles or cans of your favorite beverage and there’s a “carbonated beverage opener” on one of the straps.

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Aug 20

Starbucks Concept Shops in Japan

Posted in: MARKETING IDEAS, Today's Chili

As noted in Monocle Magazine’s liveable city index, Tokyo does indeed have 247 Starbucks. While it might be cliche to say there is one on every corner, there are a few real examples: the Roppongi Hills shopping complex has no less than 3 branches of the coffee shop. Still, in defense of the mega-chain, Starbucks Japan does test some pretty neat ideas here. There is the Starbucks Discoveries series that shook up the chilled cup coffee market and ushered in an era of destination themed products. They make some pretty “innovative” in-store flavors too, like this summer’s Coffee Jelly Frapuccino.

In an effort to disprove the “seen one Starbucks seen them all theory” the chain also has a few surprising concept shops. Earlier this year, the eponymous coffee shop took up residence in the Kobe Kitano Monogatarikan, a historic house built in 1907.

The western style clapboard building was damaged in the 1995 Hanshin earthquake and was later adopted as a ward of the city to protect it from destruction. Private clients eventually turned the structure into a café and, this March, Starbucks Japan took over the helm. Becoming a Starbucks turned out to be a boon for the old Kitano Monogatarikan, which got some publicity over the summer months.

There is another concept shop in Kamakura, in a wooden structure resembling a Japanese style house, built on the spot of manga artist Ryuichi Yokoyama’s former residence. In Kyoto, there is a Starbucks on the strip overlooking the famous Sanjo Ohashi bridge and another one shaped like a hexagon, in homage to the traditional shape of a temple’s main building.

With attention-grabbing structures in popular tourist destinations, Starbucks seems to be hoping that customers will want to make some domestic “discoveries” as well.

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Aug 20

Last Polaroid cameras and film to be sold at Urban Outfitters tomorrow

Posted in: Today's Chili

We’ve had a hole in our hearts ever since the original Polaroid company stopped manufacturing instant film, filed for Chapter 11, and sold off its brand name, but it looks like those crazy kids at The Impossible Project are making some small moves to turn things around after picking up the pieces last year: they’ll be selling the remaining stock of cameras and film at Urban Outfitters starting tomorrow. Sadly, that’s not much, as there are only 700 hand-numbered kits containing a deadstock Polaroid ONE600 Classic camera and a pack of Type 779 film available, but at least there’s more film to go around if you already have a camera — additional 779 packs will also be on sale until stock runs out. We’re not sure if this plan will raise enough cash to start the factory up again — or if anyone else even cares about Polaroid anymore — but you know where we’ll be standing in line tomorrow morning.

[Via OhGizmo!]

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Last Polaroid cameras and film to be sold at Urban Outfitters tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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