Hasta La Gadget!

We had a hunch that ASUS’ Eee PC 1005PR would come in at under $400, and sure enough, that’s exactly where it has landed here on US soil. A month and change after its introduction, the 10.1-inch netbook — along with its Broadcom Crystal HD chip, 1.66GHz Atom N450 CPU and 1,366 x 768 panel — is now up for pre-order at Amazon. Frankly, it’s one of the better specced machines that we’ve seen at this level, though the claimed 11 hours of battery life does feel a bit too good to be true. At any rate, you can claim your spot in line right now by parting with $399.99, but there’s still no clear word on when it’ll ship. Shouldn’t be too awfully long now, though.

ASUS Eee PC 1005PR up for pre-order: $400 for your own HD savvy netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget happened upon what appears to be a road map of Android-based handsets from the PC maker. Though we may be waiting months before any of these arrive, it’s nice to see the company so fully committed to the platform. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-10473592-251.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Android Atlas/a/p

Now, this isn’t quite the height of innovation, but it’s a pretty cool compilation of existing technologies nonetheless. The femme-themed AILA robot has an RFID reader in its left palm, which allows it to obtain non-visual information about the objects put in front of it. Based on that input, as well as data collected from its 3D camera and two laser scanners, AILA can intelligently deal with and transport all sorts of items, without the pesky need for a fleshy human to come along and give it further instructions. The good news is that it’s a really slow mover for now, so if you do your cardio you should be able to run away from one in case of any instruction set malfunctions. See it on video after the break.

Continue reading AILA bot can recognize objects’ weight and fragility, render shelf stackers obsolete (video)

AILA bot can recognize objects’ weight and fragility, render shelf stackers obsolete (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At last, somebody has made available the best notebook sleeve in existence. It is a stealth design, made to look just like a creased old manilla envelope, and it is both luxuriously padded on the inside and resistant to spills on the outside. It’s gorgeous and, if you were to leave your computer in a bar, inconspicuous enough for people to just ignore it.

The trouble is, I already have one, and it was free. In fact, generous hardware vendors often include them every time they Fedex a gadget out for review. It is, of course, the padded Tyvek shipping bag used the world over.

But I’m being too harsh. The Undercover Stealth Laptop Case might be made from a “hi-tech material which is waterproof and tear-proof and can be written on” (Tyvek, or similar) but it is also a proper sleeve, with a plush, adjustable lining which will last long after the last of the bubbles has popped in my free version, and it will also seal shut with a Velcro strip. Even the price is a not-too-bad $25, similar to a decent neoprene sleeve. Available now.

Undercover Stealth Laptop Case [Perpetual Kid]

I’m somehow drawn to power-plug solutions the way electricity is drawn the the very earth beneath us. I can no more pass up the chance to bring you the latest way to simplify the powering of gadgets than my own mother could pass up the chance for one more chipped teacup full of gin. So it makes me happy to show of this ultra-simple, one-trick power-strip from Elecom.

The “T-ACTAP Series” (what?) is a range of sockets which slide betwixt a standard AC power-cord and the computer power-brick into which it normally plugs. You can choose a two-prong or a three-prong, depending on the cables you have, and the little block adds either one or two extra outlets to the setup.

Why? For sharing. With this tiny widget in your bag, you no longer need fear the sight of full power outlets at the coffee shop as your laptop battery coughs up its last few milliamps. Instead, you can approach the most attractive computer user in the place and offer them a two-way. Ingenious.

The smallest unit costs ¥1,400 ($15), rising to ¥1,900 ($20) for the biggest. Available now, in Japan.

Be able to overcome the shortage outlet! [Elecom via Oh Gizmo!]