Dec 28
Ford updates its Sync voice command system with the AppLink interface software for smartphones, and CNET’s Antuan Goodwin goes hands on with Pandora, the first AppLink-enabled app.
Originally posted at The Car Tech blog
Dec 28
EngKey telepresence robot teaches English to Koreans by way of the Philippines
Posted in: education, korea, remote, robot, Robots, South Korea, SouthKorea, Today's Chili
You know, for all the hubbub we’ve been hearing about le robots (the robots), you’d think we’d see them put to better uses than chasing our pets and killing people. Right? Right. Well, the best use we can think of is education, and that’s exactly what they’re doing at an elementary school in Daegu, South Korea. Developed by the Korea Institute of Science of Technology (KIST), EngKey is just under three-and-a-half feet high, features a video display for a face, and seems hell bent on taking all those “teach English in Korea” jobs away from shiftless American college grads looking to postpone responsibility for one or two more desperate years. There are currently twenty-nine such devices, which — get this — are actually operated remotely by teachers in the Philippines. Is this the end result of globalism? Not quite yet: for the time being, the robots are still too cumbersome to operate and expensive to justify putting into production. But who knows? Maybe someday, kids.
EngKey telepresence robot teaches English to Koreans by way of the Philippines originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 22:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dec 28
Thermaltake’s Max 5G dual-fan USB 3.0 HDD enclosure cools your platters with style
Posted in: hard drive, HardDrive, Today's Chili, usb 3.0, Usb3.0
We know what you were thinking: my external hard drive enclosure is nice and all, but why is it so quiet? Well, Thermaltake is here to fix that with its new Max 5G dual-fan enclosure. Outside the fans and the fancy LED lights (which can be switched off, if you’re feeling unextreme one particular morning), the enclosure is pretty great itself, with a smokin’ USB 3.0 plug and support for high-end 3.5-inch SATA 3.0 drives. The fans are to promote long life on your hard drive and “data integrity” and all that, but pretty much they just say to your SATA drive: “I care.” And isn’t that all that matters? The enclosure is available for pre-order right now for $52, no word on release.
Thermaltake’s Max 5G dual-fan USB 3.0 HDD enclosure cools your platters with style originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 21:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dec 28
More and more robots are invading Korean classrooms to help kids learn English. Teachers in the Philippines are telepresent in the machines.
Dec 28
Robot Safety Center opens up in Japan, Crash Test Dummies still an unfortunate name for a band (video)
Posted in: Japan, robot, Robots, safety, Today's Chili, video
The fair city of Tsukuba, which (as you know) is located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, has recently become home to the new Robot Safety Center. A collaboration between a number of organizations including Japan’s Automobile Research Institute (JARI), the center has areas for testing various robots and exoskeletons for things like obstacle detection, electronic jamming resistance, durability, and more. As well as developing safety standards for the devices, it is hoped that within the next five years it will provide certification services for new robots as they become commercially available. Some eighteen tests have been installed at the facility thus far, and we must say that it looks like fun! See some examples after the break.
Robot Safety Center opens up in Japan, Crash Test Dummies still an unfortunate name for a band (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dec 28
DIY pinhole camera goes automatic with Lego Mindstorms (video)
Posted in: camera, diy, lego, Today's Chili, video
As you may be aware, you can build a pinhole camera out of just about anything and, as we’ve seen, you can build just about anything with Lego Mindstorms — so it makes sense the two should finally meet, right? Thanks to DIY-er Basil Shikin, they now have. He didn’t just settle for a simple pinhole camera, though — he created a fully automatic camera that’s able to wind the film and control the shutter (and look good while doing so). Head on past the break to check it out in action, and hit up the link below for the complete details to build your own.
Continue reading DIY pinhole camera goes automatic with Lego Mindstorms (video)
DIY pinhole camera goes automatic with Lego Mindstorms (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Dec 28
Getting a jump on CES 2011, Samsung announces its latest compact megazoom, the WB700.
Originally posted at CES 2011
Dec 28
With its follow-up model to the NX10, the NX11, Samsung adds support for the company’s new i-Function lens system.
Originally posted at CES 2011
Dec 28
Samsung unveils i-Functional NX11 mirrorless camera, WB700 with 24x zoom (update: pictures)
Posted in: point and shoot, PointAndShoot, samsung, Today's Chili
Just when you thought it’d be a week devoid of notable announcements — what, with CES less than a week away — along comes Samsung with two new cameras. The first one is an upgrade to the mirrorless NX10, naturally called the NX11, that boasts a change in grip design and compatibility with the i-Function lens found on the NX100. The other nitty-gritty details for the 14.6 megapixel shooter: a 3-inch AMOLED LCD screen, VGA viewfinder, 720p 30fps HD recording, and an APS-C sensor. Price and date? $649 with a bundled 18-55mm zoom lens, available in February.
In smaller news — volumetrically, at least — the 16 megapixel Samsung WB700 sports a 24x zoom (that’s 18x optical and 1.3x smart zoom), a 24mm ultra-wide Schneider Kreuznach lens, CCD sensor, and 1080p HD video. You’re gonna have to wait a little bit longer for that one — April, to be more specific — for a penny under $300. Press releases are after the break, and we’ll get you the pictures as soon as Sammy sends ’em.
Update: We found the pictures!
Samsung unveils i-Functional NX11 mirrorless camera, WB700 with 24x zoom (update: pictures) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dec 28
This article was written on May 25, 2007 by CyberNet.
Intel’s newest creation is sure to turn some heads being that it is only 0.7–inches think and a mere 2.25–pounds! Ziba has designed the new laptop that not only looks sleek and fashionable, but it’s also usable!
Click to Enlarge
Note: These prototype images must be pretty old because the one on the right is using a very early version of Vista (I’m guessing from about 2 years ago).
They have taken the liberty of using solid-state drives in the notebook instead of the typical hard drive that is mechanical, which helps boost the notebook’s battery life up to 14–hours! An alternate method for lighting up the keys (MacBook Pro has backlit keys) was used: orange text is used on each key which is capable of glowing in the dark.
Oh, and being able to accessorize your laptop with protective colored covers is sure to be a hit. Especially since they only use embedded magnets to stay attached to the computer, thereby making it easy to switch out the cover to match the color of your outfit. Not to mention the fact that it comes with an attachable should strap so that you can carry it like a purse. 
The worth of such a laptop is still up for debate, but you can bet your lucky shorts that this isn’t going to be a budget-priced notebook. People always rave about how great the MacBooks are in terms of build-quality, so maybe this is exactly what the PC market needs to raise the standards?
Source: BusinessWeek [via Slashdot]
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- Intel’s Big Move Is Now In The MakingThe MacBook Air is So Thin…New Google Notebook TaggingGoogle Notebook Is LIVEIs Google Working On New Notebook Features?
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