Apr 18
Oh, yeah, I’m not on Facebook. Like, it’s so invasive. If you’ve said anything like this, I feel bad for you. More »
Apr 18
iRobot Packbots enter Fukushima nuclear plant to gather data, take photos, save lives (video)
Posted in: Japan, Today's Chili, video
iRobot recently deployed a pair of robots to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, where intense levels of radiation have made it increasingly dangerous for human rescue workers to operate. The remote-controlled Packbots entered one of Fukushima’s reactor buildings on Sunday morning, in the hopes of providing authorities with a better idea of what’s going on inside the plant’s nether regions. Each Packbot entered the facility with an attached video camera, allowing Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) to receive live interior images and temperature readings of the troubled reactor building. It would certainly be a daunting task for any human to undertake, but the Packbot is specially designed to cope with hazardous conditions (in the past, it’s been used to defuse bombs for the U.S. Army). And the Packbot isn’t alone, either. Authorities are also using a mechanical excavator and transporter to wipe away some of the debris outside the plant, while an unmanned helicopter has been hoisted skyward, to take aerial photos of the area. TEPCO has yet to release information on the Packbots’ findings, but if Sunday’s mission proves to be a success, they’ll be sent in to two other reactor buildings, to do it all over again. Check out a video and an extra image of the Packbot, after the break.
iRobot Packbots enter Fukushima nuclear plant to gather data, take photos, save lives (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apr 18
CNET compares the main features of Denon’s 2011 core line of AV receivers, including the AVR-1912 with built-in AirPlay support.
Apr 18
The same dude who chiselled a mini cannon has turned his attention to another medieval weapon—the crossbow. Will it be enough for mini-Robin Hood to slay the mini-Sheriff of Nottingham? [Reddit via CrunchGear] More »
Apr 18
Hong Kong-based TPV Technology will take control of 70 percent of the operation, as Philips seeks a return to profit for the television operation.
Originally posted at The Digital Home
Apr 18
Eager to unleash some serious creativity on your tablet computer, but stymied by the meaty nubbins you call fingers? There, there. We know your shame. You need grace and precision: you need a stylus. Yes, the stylus, that newly resurgent tech soon to ship with the HTC Flyer and a horde of other Android devices. But if you’re unwilling to buy a new tablet, you might feel left out. So for you Wacom — the company that built its fortune on pressure-sensitive tablets — has unveiled its first capacitive pen, the Bamboo Stylus. Sporting a 6mm tip, it’ll work with all capacitive screens, iPad, Android, or otherwise. The company plans to ship it in May (in the UK at least), along with several pen-based apps; retail price should be £25 (about $41). In the meantime, budding artists should consider crayons — now shipping in over 150 colors.
[Thanks, Donna.]
Wacom announces capacitive stylus to replace puny human fingers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apr 18
Paul Allen compares working with Bill Gates to ‘being in hell’ (video)
Posted in: Books, interview, luxury, PC, Today's Chili, video
Paul Allen doesn’t give many interviews, but Microsoft’s famously eclectic co-founder recently decided to sit down with 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl, to discuss his juicy new memoir, The Idea Man. It’s a book peppered with old stories of Allen’s early days as a programmer, when he and Bill Gates would spend their days searching for discarded code in dumpsters and building software for the original Altair computer. But the memoir’s most intriguing (and controversial) revelations revolve around Allen’s personal and professional relationship with Gates, whom he described to Stahl as a gifted businessman with a penchant for being a total jerk. According to Allen, Gates would regularly engage in testy shouting matches with his Microsoft brethren, and wouldn’t hesitate to sling “personal verbal attacks” against anyone who dared to disagree with him. Allen says he tolerated Gates’ explosions, for the most part, even though he desperately wanted to tell him that “working with you is like being in hell.” The two hit a particularly rough patch after Gates allegedly plotted to squeeze Allen out of the company, not long after he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma — an incident that spurred Allen to leave Microsoft, shortly thereafter. Gates, for his part, hasn’t commented on Allen’s tell-all, nor, apparently, has he even discussed it with his former partner. The next time the two men sit down for a chat, however, Allen says he expects a “heated discussion.” Naturally. You can watch the interview after the break, along with a glimpse at some of Allen’s most jaw-dropping toys.
Continue reading Paul Allen compares working with Bill Gates to ‘being in hell’ (video)
Paul Allen compares working with Bill Gates to ‘being in hell’ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apr 18
Verizon brings out LTE-riding MiFi 4510L, asks for $100 on a two-year contract or $270 without
Posted in: 4G, hotspot, lte, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw
We saw this little guy back at CES in January and then last month heard it wouldn’t be long before it started retailing around the good old US of A. That day has now come, with Verizon officially kicking off sales of its first LTE MiFi device, the 4510L. It’s not cheap, at $100 on contract (with a $175 ETF, to boot) or $270 when bought by its lonesome. Still, if you can afford it, this Novatel-produced gadget will turn the nearest Verizon airwaves (4G or 3G, it can handle both) into familiar 802.11b, g or n WiFi signals, which your laptop, smartphone, tablet, or LAN rig can then gobble up with gay abandon. It’s capable of serving as a mobile hotspot for up to five devices at a time, and promised LTE speeds range between 5Mbps and 12Mbps on the downlink and 2Mbps to 5Mbps when uploading. Check out the press release after the break or the source link to get your own.
P.S. — Verizon has also tweeted a promise that it’ll be launching LTE service in “a mess of new cities and towns” on Thursday.
Verizon brings out LTE-riding MiFi 4510L, asks for $100 on a two-year contract or $270 without originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Apr 18
A new report claims that Samsung is seeking $1.5 billion for its hard-disk-drive operations and wants to use that cash for investments elsewhere.
Originally posted at The Digital Home
Apr 18
First light wave quantum teleportation achieved, opens door to ultra fast data transmission
Posted in: Japan, light, science, Today's Chili
Mark this day, folks, because the brainiacs have finally made a breakthrough in quantum teleportation: a team of scientists from Australia and Japan have successfully transferred a complex set of quantum data in light form. You see, previously researchers had struggled with slow performance or loss of information, but with full transmission integrity achieved — as in blocks of qubits being destroyed in one place but instantaneously resurrected in another, without affecting their superpositions — we’re now one huge step closer to secure, high-speed quantum communication. Needless to say, this will also be a big boost for the development of powerful quantum computing, and combine that with a more bedroom friendly version of the above teleporter, we’ll eventually have ourselves the best LAN party ever.
First light wave quantum teleportation achieved, opens door to ultra fast data transmission originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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