There are plenty of headphones out there–noise-canceling, in-ear, circumaural, etc…but if all you’re looking for is an inexpensive, durable, all-around performer that won’t isolate you from the outside world, we highly recommend the $89 Sennheiser PX 100-IIi headphones.
As you may be aware, Amazon does actually already make it easier for you to shop at places other than Amazon.com with its Amazon Payments service, and it now looks like it might even be thinking about expanding things to brick and mortar stores as well. More specifically, Bloomberg is reporting that Amazon is exploring a mobile payment service based on NFC technology, which would let you pay for items and receive things like loyalty points using nothing other than an NFC-equipped cellphone. Not surprisingly, Amazon is also said to be considering some other features that would send folks back to Amazon.com — Bloomberg gives the example of someone shopping for jeans in a retail store who can’t find the right size, and says that they could simply scan the jean’s tag to order a pair online. Details are otherwise a bit light, and the service is apparently still not quite a sure thing, although a person familiar with the matter says Amazon will decide whether to go forward with it or not “in the next three to five months.”
Amazon said to be considering NFC-based mobile payment service originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Getting tired of fellow office-workers bugging you at your desk? Chris over at PyroElectro put together the perfect solution for angry cubicle-dwellers like yourself. If you’ve got a spare airsoft gun, cake platter, TV remote and some electronics know-how, you can put together a remoted-controlled, fully-automatic airsoft turret. The device rotates and shoots pellets based on commands given to it from a distance using a standard remote control, all from the protection of a cake-tupperware shield. That said, the shield will only protect the turret; you pretty much have to deal with the people you shoot on your own.
PyroElectro has a step-by-step tutorial you can follow on their site with instructions on how to build this little weapon of minimal destruction. However, the project is rated at “medium-hard” difficulty and takes about 11 hours to complete, according to the site. Proceed at your own (and others’) risk.
[via Make, PyroElectro]
“The reason we didn’t do it on the first part was because we didn’t feel that we could do it justice. And actually the 3D would actually compromise the film, so we didn’t have the time,” said producer David Heyman.
This time, though, there is apparently plenty of time to make the 3D effects as snappy as possible.
Via Collider
The da Vinci robot isn’t just for surgery — It can also make petite paper airplanes
The da Vinci Surgical Robot Makes Paper Planes the Size of a Penny
The da Vinci surgical robot is normally used to perform precise, delicate incisions in the operating room. Dr. James Porter decided it’d be perfect for some other applications as well, namely, making ridiculously tiny paper airplanes. I’m talking paper airplanes smaller than a penny. The robot is also repurposed to paint someone’s nails for St. Patrick’s Day. Not too many people can say they’ve had a mani pedi done by a robot.
Surgery Robot Builds Penny-Sized Paper Airplane [Tested]
ThinkGeek Has a Treat for the Apple Fanboy Family: The Apple Store Playset
If you wish you could spend all your time in The Apple Store, now you can, with ThinkGeek’s April Fools Day Apple Store Playset. It’s just like the real thing, but tiny: tiny Macbooks, tiny iPads, mini Genius Bar… it even includes a miniscule Woz on Segway. For Apple event fun, you can use your actual iPhone 4 as the screen behind Steve Jobs in its Keynote Theater. A “line pack” of people waiting outside the store is extra.
The Apple Store Playset [ThinkGeek]
The Nintendo 3DS UK Launch Was The Company’s Best Ever
The recent launch of the Nintendo 3DS in the UK was even more successful than that of the Wii. 113,000 of the handheld consoles were sold its opening weekend, beating out the 105,000 Nintendo Wiis that were sold when it debuted. The original Nintendo DS sold 87,000 its opening weekend.
Nintendo 3DS UK Launch Most Successful Ever for the Gaming Company [Slashgear]
Apple 3-D Camera Patent Describes a Hardware Based System
Handheld Apple gadgets could support 3-D photography in the future, if a recently unearthed patent is any indicator. The patent describes a method that uses dual rear-facing cameras on a mobile device like the iPhone and specific hardware to perform a “deterministic calculation for stereo disparity compensation.” The patent claims that when software is used to perform that job a lot of guesswork is involved. Apple’s system would use multiple imaging systems, including separate luma, chroma, and depth and distance sensors to transform an image from 2-D to 3-D, and it would also allow for 3-D video recording.
Apple Exploring Multi Camera Systems for 3-D Picture Taking [Apple Insider]
Europeans Can Get a Retro Looking Sony DAB Radio
The Sony XDR-S16DBP looks like it would make a great addition to any midcentury styled office space. Its two .8 W stereo speakers can play DAB, DAB+, and FM broadcasts and a 16 x 2 character LCD displays program and channel information. It’s available now in Europe for 79 quid (about $127).
XDR-S16DBP [Sony via Crunchgear]
April Fool’s Day: The perfect time to pre-order a phone that already looks just a little bit crazy. The dual-screen Kyocera Echo, soon to come to Sprint, is now available for pre-order on RadioShack’s website and in stores. Running Android 2.2 (Froyo), the Echo can use one screen as a keyboard or run two apps at once with one on each screen. It can also combine the two into one 4.7 inch super-screen. Other than the fact that it has two independent displays, the rest of the phone’s features are pretty standard, with a 5 megapixel camera, 720p camcorder and wifi hotspot mode.
RadioShack is selling the phone, which costs $199 on contract, on its site with free shipping. You can also pre-order in RadioShack stores, but that will require the purchase of a $50 gift card, applied to the purchase of the phone when it comes out on April 17th.
[via BGR, RadioShack]
This week’s apps are a challenging physics-based building-game sequel and an upgraded iOS version of a very popular golf game franchise.
Originally posted at The Download Blog
Way back in September of last year, Apple filed a patent-infringement suit against HyperMac, the folks behind these external batteries. At the time, it looked like Apple was protecting its patented MagSafe power connector, but a newly released USPTO application for a “Power Adapter with Internal Battery” might reveal a more accurate view of the company’s litigious motivations. From the look of things, the outfit intends to make its mark on juicing solutions with what is basically a wall charger packing an internal battery. According to the patent filing, the contraption would include a processor for parceling energy to the host device as well as the adapter, and could also incorporate a supplemental energy source like a solar cell. Among other things, it would also communicate with the device being charged to allow users to monitor the juice stored in the extra battery. If the thing does end up making it to market, it looks like HyperMac could have a whole lot more trouble on its hands than a little patent-infringement suit.
Apple patent application reveals plans for external battery pack, spells further trouble for HyperMac originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
When the Geminoid clan gets together for a reunion of sorts in Kyoto, Japan, things get a little spooky.
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