Other Lab

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Inc.: Other Lab founder Saul Griffiths has made a fortune applying way-out mathematics to inventions large and small, including robotic kites, insulation inspired by origami, and the carbon-emissions calculator WattzOn.

Other Lab is not an easy business to define. You might call it an incubator, though Griffith avoids the term because of the stink it obtained during the dot-com boom and bust (that is, as a place where investment capital is wasted on foosball tables and projects that go nowhere). You might call it the lair of a mad scientist. Essentially, it is a workshop in which inventions are launched and tested in the hopes that they become products that either will be sold off or will grow into companies.

Saul Griffith’s House of Cool Ideas [Inc.]

Motorola Backflip spotted in the wilds of China

Motorola’s Backflip has yet to springboard itself over to AT&T, but those who call China home can hop on the bandwagon right away. Said phone — which sports a full touchscreen and a physical QWERTY thanks to the horizontal clamshell design — is now available from Moto’s Chinese portal for 4,298 Chinese yuan (in unlocked form), which translates to right around $630. While the rest of the world awaits the phone’s launch later this quarter, you can hit up Mobile.163.com for a downright beautiful gallery of in the wild shots. Go on, it’s safe. We think.

[Thanks, Me]

Motorola Backflip spotted in the wilds of China originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Unwired View  |  sourceMotorola China, 163  | Email this | Comments

Armatix pistol / wristwatch combo tells time… to stay put

Armatix has apparently been working on its so-called “smartgun” concept for quite a while, but it’s now finally shown up at the Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT, naturally) with its first actual product: a .22-caliber pistol that relies on a wristwatch as a safety. As you can probably figure out, the gun will only unlock itself when its in close proximity to the watch, which sends a “wireless arming signal” that, of course, also activates some green LEDs for good measure. Previous incarnations of the company’s concept also relied on a fingerprint ID as an additional safety, but that seems to have been left off this production model, which will run €7,000 (or $9,700) when it starts shipping next month.

Armatix pistol / wristwatch combo tells time… to stay put originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Technabob  |  sourceDanger Room  | Email this | Comments

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: turbines, rubber circuits, and cola-powered cars

We’re happy to introduce The Week in Green, a new item from our friends at Inhabitat. Each week they’ll recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us. Welcome!

Sure, the iPad happened this week, but we also caught sight of several hot green gadgets and clean tech innovations this week that stand to shape the future of green consumer technology.

First off, design star Philippe Starck brought haute design to clean tech with two novel designs for home wind turbines. Starck’s high-profile products have made him a household name, so we’re interested to see if his latest creations kick off a trend towards “designer” wind power.

We were also impressed by researchers at Princeton University who recently found a way to integrate piezoelectric chips into flexible, durable rubber-based circuits. We’ve seen piezo power sources before, but applications for the new chips are sure to put bounce in your step: energy generating shoes, movement-powered microsurgical devices, and self-charging pacemakers are right around the corner.

Interest in green transportation is building as Florida rides high on the government’s recently announced grants for high speed rail — the sunshine state is set to blaze a trail with $1.25 billion in funding. And for those with a soda habit, Takara Tomy’s cola-powered RC car is one sweet ride. The biobattery-powered car can convert any sugary liquid to energy, so pour in some Jolt and you’re good to go.

Finally, love it or hate it — the launch of Apple’s iPad has dominated the newswires all week. While we appreciate the device’s toxin-free, recyclable construction and impressive battery life, we have to ask: is it really green?

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: turbines, rubber circuits, and cola-powered cars originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stephen Colbert has an iPad… (video)

…and he took it to the 52nd Annual Grammys. Nice product placement, Apple. Video of the whole thing after the break. Say, what kind of pocket did that come out of?

Continue reading Stephen Colbert has an iPad… (video)

Stephen Colbert has an iPad… (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac OS X 10.3 installed on Nokia N900 via PearPC, barely usable for impatient geeks

Curious folks around the world enjoy a bit of hackintosh every now and then (although once is enough for many), but no geek has successfully ventured as far as Toni Nikkanen of Finland, who became the first person to run OS X on a phone — the Nokia N900. As you can see in the video after the break, Toni’s hack relies on PearPC — a PowerPC emulator — to install good ol’ OS X 10.3 (Panther), but the mammoth sluggishness means it’s far from usable. Still, if you can spare 90 minutes for each boot-up plus plenty more for the snail-paced cursor, then head to the source to learn from Herra Nikkanen.

[Thanks, Matija]

Continue reading Mac OS X 10.3 installed on Nokia N900 via PearPC, barely usable for impatient geeks

Mac OS X 10.3 installed on Nokia N900 via PearPC, barely usable for impatient geeks originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceToni Nikkanen  | Email this | Comments

CyberWare: GMarks Gets A Nice Update

This article was written on October 15, 2006 by CyberNet.

CyberNet's CyberWare
Tracking Down Great Software For You!

GMarks As many of you know by now I use Google Bookmarks to manage all of my favorite sites. I used to use the Firefox extension called Google Bookmarks Button until I happen to stumble upon GMarks. Unlike the button, GMarks is an extension that will show all of your bookmarks in your sidebar along with a nice search box that will filter your results as you type.

It also has some unique features that make it even more like better than a traditional bookmarking system. It has the ability to support nested folders which is something that Google Bookmarks does not allow by default since it only uses a labeling system. It also has an amazing Quick Find box that can be activated if you press the Home key twice. It will show you a search box along with your bookmark results as you type into the text box.

The most recent update that GMarks received yesterday has made this extension even better by adding some cool things like Google Reader support. Here is a full list of what’s new:

  • Fixed errors in the options window when not using auto signin.
  • Fixed problems adding bookmarks for some users.
  • Fixed small problems with nested labels.
  • Stopped GMarks from validating favicons(Its an option now). Should stop GMarks from freezing or slowing down Firefox for those who had that happen.
  • Fixed Adding Bookmarks with Ctrl+D off.
  • Added Google Reader support(Option to show Google Reader starred items in GMarks) Off by default.
  • Option to hide certain labels from view.
  • Option to set a default label for unlabeled bookmarks.
  • Option to always open bookmarks in a new tab.
  • Updated French translation.

Note: My two favorite updates I put in bold above.

I have only touched on some of the features that GMarks has so make sure you go and check it out for yourself. I was originally very skeptical about using a sidebar for my bookmarks because I am very conscious about wasting screen space, but this is far from a waste in my opinion!

Download the GMarks Firefox extension

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Entelligence: Lessons from the iPad launch

Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he’ll explore where our industry is and where it’s going — on both micro and macro levels — with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

It was quite the week for Apple, first with its best-ever earnings and then the launch of the iPad. While Apple didn’t create this category of device, it did answer the fundamental question of why this form factor needs to exist. The meta lesson is that the story told is as important as the hardware, software and services being sold — and while everyone may not be convinced, I do think Apple will win over the majority of a skeptical audience with high expectations. But there’s also four important lessons that Apple taught the market this week, as it enters a space that’s been mostly a failure.

1. Define what your product does. The first thing Apple did was answer that question immediately and then define what the product needed to do. Apple explained what capabilities need to be in the this class of device and then went on to show how each of those features not only worked but were optimized for the iPad. That’s something we’ve seen lacking in this category to date.

2. Leverage what you’ve done before. I believe the iPad is likely to do well with consumers as it leverages Apple’s previous successes with the iPod and the iPhone. At the base level, that’s compatibility and synchronization with iTunes as well as backward compatibility with existing applications. That’s important — as a user I can use my existing content library and my application collection. It also means that iPad has 140,000-plus applications at launch. But it’s more than that. Apple is not only leveraging its ecosystem of devices and software, it’s leveraging the lessons it spent a decade teaching consumers. Apple taught its market about MP3 players, digital music, smartphones, capacitive multitouch screens and mobile apps. It can now go directly to selling the form factor, as well as new features such as productivity and e-books.

Continue reading Entelligence: Lessons from the iPad launch

Entelligence: Lessons from the iPad launch originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s John Koller: Apple’s entrance into gaming market drives consumers to PSP

Um, okay? Just days after Apple introduced its exceedingly underwhelming iPad while simultaneously attempting to convince that masses that said product was the portable gaming device they had been waiting their whole lives for, Sony’s own hardware marketing honcho has come forward and extolled Cupertino’s decision to finally make the gaming leap. In a recent interview, John stated the following:

“Apple’s entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony. When people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP.”

While we can’t seem to shake the suspicion that Mr. Koller is drawing links that probably don’t exist (at least fully) in reality, research firm NPD does show that sales of the PSP have “nearly tripled since the iPhone went on sale in June 2007.” Of course, it’s not like the PSP has gained functionality, become the home of more than a few killer titles and spawned a UMD-less sibling since the heydays of ’07, but hey — who are we to question the suit?

Sony’s John Koller: Apple’s entrance into gaming market drives consumers to PSP originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourceFox Business  | Email this | Comments

Can a music server sound better than a CD player?

Olive’s 4HD high-resolution music server really does sound better than a CD player, and it’s a stand-alone device, it doesn’t need to be hooked up to a computer. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-10444263-47.html” class=”origPostedBlog”The Audiophiliac/a/p