Hasta La Gadget!

If you thought cloud writing was cool, then how about a message from space burnt into the night sky? A group of unassuming cubesats recently left the comfort of the ISS and joined Earth’s orbit — among them was FITSAT-1 (aka Niwaka), a four-inch-cubed Japanese satellite covered in high-powered LEDs. Its mission is to broadcast the message “Hi this is Niwaka Japan” in Morse code, using bursts of intense light to draw dots and dashes across the heavens. FITSAT-1 was originally planned to appear only over Japan, but a flurry of interest means it’ll be touring the globe, starting next month. It’ll also find time for its studies, beaming VGA images snapped with an onboard camera back to Earth, to test a high-speed data transmitter.

While its creator, Professor Takushi Tanaka, has said the Morse broadcast has “no practical aim,” we think it would make a good emergency beacon for natural disasters (or, more worryingly, alien invasions). FITSAT-1 will try and fulfill all requests for appearances, but it can’t control the weather, so you’d better hope for a clear night if it visits your part of the world. If you’re as excited as we are to see it in action, bookmark the source links below, which should be updated with its orbit schedule in the near future. And, even if you don’t speak Japanese, the video after the break will give you an idea of what to expect.

Continue reading Japan’s LED-stacked cubesat will burn Morse code into the heavens

Filed under: Science, Alt

Japan’s LED-stacked cubesat will burn Morse code into the heavens originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 12:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Though most payphones are now of the open air variety, this idea of converting old closed kiosk phone booths into aquariums is just plain brilliant. People only use payphones to pee in and do drugs, let’s transform ’em into pillars of nature! More »

In this world of Star Wars inspired gadgets, sometimes the same device gets rehashed. Yes, we’ve seen an R2-D2 alarm clock before, but that model simply projected the time on the ceiling. This new one actually has movements and sounds like the little droid when it wakes you.

A recent import from Japan, this R2-D2 Action Alarm clock is a precisely-detailed model of R2 (other than the part where there’s an LCD clock hiding out in his chest.) What’s cool about this droid is that you can set him on the floor, and he’ll drive around when the alarm goes off. His head even lights up, and the alarm sounds are based on samples from the films. Just be sure not to step on the 6.5 inch-tall droid on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

You can choose wake-up sounds from Princess Leia’s “Help me Obi Wan Kenobi” message, several R2-D2 beeps and bleeps, as well as the main title music from Star Wars and Cantina Band if you feel like dancing first thing in the morning. Sorry, no Yub Nub, though.

So scoot on over to Strapya World now, where you can grab the R2-D2 Action Alarm Clock for about $100(USD).

If you live in Japan and aren’t already red-shelling on a Pokémon or risqué edition 3DS XL, maybe one of these three new bundles will inspire you. For the minimalists: the Monster Hunter Tri G bundle complete with all-black 3DS XL (known as the LL in Japan), releasing November 1st for 21,800 yen (approximately $280). Following one week later (on the 8th) is the Animal Crossing: Jump Out bundle with white and pattern handheld, setting you back 22,800 yen (approximately $290). And, for the same price, the pièce de résistance of the trio — a New Super Mario Bros. 2 bundle with black and embellished red XL, expected November 15th. If you’re the importing type, or just want to see how good the Japanese got it, then check out the gallery below and pick your favorite.

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Nintendo

Nintendo releasing three new 3DS XL bundles in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Found along the sidelines of Panasonic’s CEATEC booth, the AX series Ultrabook is a foldable hybrid that will be arriving in Japanese stores later this month. Ready to launch with Windows 8 (both standard or Pro) built-in, the Ultrabook houses a 11.6-inch touch display at the ever-popular 1,366 x 768 resolution, although it feels a little on the thick side, and is unmistakably Panasonic in its styling. Connectivity options are legion, with two USB 3.0 ports on the right edge, accompanied by HDMI socket. On the other side, there’s an SD card reader, ethernet, power, mic and headphone ports. The hinge seems suitably solid, and while that touchscreen isn’t the most attractive we’ve seen on Windows 8 hardware, the keyboard felt pretty similar to existing business laptops and our fingertips had plenty of space. Otherwise, we were left to play with a Japanese iteration of Windows 8, which seemed nice and responsive in both tablet and notebook setups, although our playtime was limited.

The AX series will launch in Japan on October 26th in three different permutations, starting with an Intel Core i5 processor clocked at 1.7GHz or 1.8GHz, and a Core i7 at 1.9GHz. There’s 4GB of memory and a 128GB SDD in all three, while the hybrid bucks the trend by offering a removable battery, with both the faster Core i5 and the Core i7 models coming with an extra cell bundled in. That top-end processor will also arrive with connectable projector for business types. Check out our brief hands-on after the break, or hit the source for the full list of specs.

Continue reading Panasonic shows off foldable Windows 8 Ultrabook hybrid, launches October 26 (hands-on)

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets

Panasonic shows off foldable Windows 8 Ultrabook hybrid, launches October 26 (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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