Mar 02

The Solowheel: A Segway for People with Great Balance

Posted in: Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili, Transportation

SoloWheel

If you’ve always wanted a Segway but know you could only afford one wheel, the Solowheel may be the personal transportation device for you. Alternatively, if you’re tired of being seen on your unicycle, pedaling down the street, this gadget has more of a modern twist. Teasing aside, the Solowheel is essentially a single wheel with a gyroscope on-board and two foot pedals on either side of the wheel. Step on, lean forward, and away you go. 
The Solowheel weighs about 20 pounds, and can run for about 2 hours on its 1000-watt rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery. It even incorporates regenerative braking, so when you coast or go downhill, the battery recharges itself to give you a little more distance. Once you get to your destination, just step off of the Solowheel, pick it up, and plug it in to any standard outlet to recharge. After about 45 minutes, you’ll be ready to go again. 
Clearly the Solowheel is aimed at city-dwellers and people who have short, walkable or bike-able commutes to work but who also don’t actually want to walk or ride a bike Pricing and availability haven’t been announced, but you can be sure it won’t be cheap. You can check out a video of the Solowheel in action behind the jump.
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Mar 02

iPad 2 is Also an Amp

Posted in: Apple, guitar, ipad 2, MP3 Digital Audio, Music, Today's Chili
ipad garage band amp.jpg
Also on the schedule for today’s event: Garage Band for the iPad. The latest version of the app has a number of of impressive features including eight track recording, 250 loops, and guitar and synth sounds. The oddest/coolest part of the app, however, has to be the ability to use your iPad as a guitar amp. 
Plug it in (through some manner of adapter, we’re assuming) and the iPad will mimic the sound of “classic amps and stompboxes.” For those less music amongst us, the app also has “smart instruments,” which will let you play some approximation of an acoustic guitar with pre-picked chords.
The app, like the iPad 2, will be available on March 11th. Garage Band will be a little cheaper though, as a $4.99 download. 
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Mar 02

iPad 2 Unveiled

Posted in: Apple, ipad 2, Today's Chili
ipad 2 flat game.jpg

A spirited-looking Steve Jobs took the stage in San Francisco today, to debut the company’s eagerly-awaited new tablet. As suspected, the company is calling the device, the iPad 2–hey, if it works…

According to Jobs, the latest iPad is thinner than its predecessor–it’s thinner than the iPhone 4, actually. The tablet is 8.8 mm thick–55 percent thinner than its predecessor–and weighs 1.3 pounds. As expected, the new iPad features front and rear facing cameras for teleconferencing. It also has the same built-in gyroscope found in the iPhone and iPod touch.
The tablet has an A5 chip inside, which is “dramatically faster” than its predecessor, offering performance up to twice as fast as the iPad 1. Jobs called the device “ the first dual core tablet to ship in volume.” It should get 10 hours of battery life (and a month on standby), according to Apple’s numbers.

The iPad 2 ships March 11, and will run between $499 (for the
16GB Wi-Fi) and $829 (64GB 3G). The 3G version will be available for both
Verizon and AT&T upon shipping. 

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Mar 02

The iPad Gets a Letterpress

Posted in: Apple, ipad, Today's Chili

kickstarter ipad.jpg

The iPad is doing its part to kill the printed word, so why not use the tablet to pay homage to the dying art form? LetterMpress is a prototype app for the iPad currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. The app mimics the letterpress process, letting the user arrange type and “print” designs.
It’s not quite the real thing–and it’s not likely to help stem the rising tide against the world of print, but at the very least, it’s a nice little tribute to the once mighty letterpress. LetterMpress currently has 349 backers for a combined total of $10,841 pledged. The project’s creators are looking for $15,000 to launch the app.
Interested parties can read more/donate here. 
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Mar 01

Apple Staff Member: Just Wait Until You See the iPad 3!

Posted in: Apple, ipad, Today's Chili
ipad 3.JPG

Excited about the iPad 2? Get over it. The iPad 3 is where it’s really at. An anonymous-type Apple staff told Cult of Mac, “For the iPad 2 don’t get your hopes up too high. That’s all I’m going to say. They’ve had a number of problems along the way, and the third-generation iPad is the one to make a song and a dance about.”

Sort of disappointing news ahead of tomorrow’s Apple Special Event in San Francisco, huh? The “problems along the way” part of the comment certainly matches up with the recent rumor that Apple had to drop a number of features, including the SD card slot and hi-res display due to unspecified “engineering issues.”
That’s it, I’m taking an extended lunch tomorrow. Oh well, if those other rumors are to be believed, we won’t have to wait that long after all. 
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Mar 01

Motorola Sues TiVo

Posted in: dvr, Miscellaneous Tech, motorola, Today's Chili, TV

 

convert-tivo-files2.jpgTiVo has revolutionized TV watching in much the same way that cable did, back in the 70s/80s. But contrary to popular belief, the company didn’t pioneer the DVR. Motorola is claiming that title, and now the company is suing TiVO to prove it.

The company claims that TiVo violated the patents on the Motorola DVR that came out in 94. There’s some speculation that the move is payback to TiVo lawsuit against Verizon. You see, TiVo sued Verizon over similar claims, leading Motorola filing a suite to protect the assets under Motorola. However, it gets sticky here for both parties. Verizon uses Motorola DVR technology, which TiVo sued Verizon for. Now with Motorola suing back, all cases could be thrown out of court if the connection proven.

Motorola issued a statement saying that TiVo is making false claims against Verizon, which uses Motorola DVR technology under the patent that was filed under Motorola. No word on how either of the lawsuits are doing, nor how much they are asking for in return.

Via Hot Hardware

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Mar 01

iPad Production Stops

Posted in: Apple, ipad, Today's Chili

Thumbnail image for ipad 2 screen.jpg

Hey guys! Guys! I don’t want to sound all conspiratorial here, but I think Apple may be working on a new iPad. It’s crazy, I know, but hear me out. Production on the first generation iPad has apparently been halted. Could this possibly mean that the company is looking to replace the device with an update? It’s certainly a cycle we’ve seen played out with past Apple releases.

We heard reports last week that the wildly popular tablet has been out of stock at number of retail outlets in Europe. Now it seems that stores everywhere are finding it impossible to get their hands on the device. The inventory sheets look like this,

MB292LL/A – iPad 16GB WiFi – Constrained – No ETA

MB293LL/A – iPad 32GB WiFi – Constrained – No ETA

MB294LL/A – iPad 64GB WiFi – Constrained – No ETA

MC349LL/A – iPad 16GB 3G – Constrained – No ETA

MC496LL/A – iPad 32GB 3G – Constrained – No ETA

MC497LL/A – iPad 64GB 3G – Constrained – No ETA

Sensing a trend here?

Perhaps tomorrow’s Apple event in California will shine some light on this matter…

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Mar 01

Amazon Kindle To Be Sold at AT&T

Posted in: amazon, att, kindle, Today's Chili

Thumbnail image for kindle third generation.jpegAmazon has been selling the Kindle for a handful of years now, but, since last fall, Amazon has been spreading its wings to other stores. Last year, Amazon started allowing Target and Best Buy to sell the popular e-reader. But it now appears that AT&T stores will start selling the Kindle.

AT&T had a major loss recently when the iPhone went to Verizon, which could explain why AT&T is looking to adopt other devices to gain bigger profits once again. Since both want to expand, it seems logical for both AT&T and Kindle to team up. However, do not expect to see a Wi-Fi edition at AT&T stores.

AT&T will not brand the device, nor will the company offer a data plan for it since Amazon built it for free access to 3G. No word on when AT&T will start selling the Kindle or at what price.

Via TG Daily

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Feb 28

Honeywell Prestige Thermostat Includes Walk-Around Remote

Posted in: Today's Chili

HoneywellPrestigeThermostat.gif

The energy-saving Honeywell Prestige proves there are thermostats and then there are thermostats. This one controls temperature and humidity, monitors the outside temperature, and can be operated by the high-resolution widescreen color wall mount thermostat or by a remote unit. It runs $500-$700 installed for the top-line model.

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Feb 28

White iPad 2 Coming This Week?

Posted in: ipad, Today's Chili

ipad 2 white.jpg

Here’s something that’s sure to irk those who have been eagerly awaiting the white iPhone–looks like we might actually see a white iPad before that thing actually arrives. Of course, we’re still in the leaked photo stages for the thing here. That’s the proof above, a white frame sent to 9 to 5 Mac from Shenzhen City.

The question, of course, is whether the existence of a white iPad means that the company has finally resolved the problems that have plagued the company since Jobs first held up the white iPhone 4 during the launch event last summer.

Apple thus far has only stated that the white version of the phone has been “challenging to manufacturer,” repeatedly pushing back the launch date of the device (at present, it’s said to be due out at some point in the spring). One of the most dominant rumors surrounding the delay is the effect that a white bezel has on the development of photos, letting too much light in and thus ruining shots taken with the device.

If the Pad 2 does indeed have the front facing camera we all expect, the release of a white iPad seems to imply that the company has finally tackled the issue.

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