Hasta La Gadget!

Ah, if it isn’t RAmos again. The only Chinese PMP maker that cranks out wares that aren’t chock full of KIRF. The outfit’s latest endeavor is the T6 icon, a sleek, simplistic media player that isn’t apt to head stateside anytime soon. Packing a 4.3-inch LCD (800 x 480 resolution) and a frame that’s just ten millimeters thick, the HD-capable device also boasts an HDMI output and nary a button on the front face. ‘Course, the assortment of rockers around the edges ensures that your volume level and track selection isn’t solely controlled by a touchscreen, but we definitely appreciate the clean look.

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

RAmos T6 PMP don’t need no buttons originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Think those noise-canceling earbuds are hot stuff? Imagine if said technology was applied to an advanced type of implantable hearing aid, and you’ll have an idea of exactly what Earthlings with severe hearing loss now have to look forward to. For years now, we’ve watched as cochlear implants became more effective in lab tests, and up until recently, we’ve had strict medical testing procedures to thank for the inability to actually get one. Now, one Colin Hughes will soon be amongst the first Australians to enjoy a “new bone-anchored hearing aid designed to adjust to noisy environments, quiet conversations and the varying rhythms and pitch of music.” Due to a birth defect that left him with atypically narrow eustachian tubes, Colin was never able to take advantage of traditional hearing aids for any length of time, but now these $12,000 (per pair) devices are promising a new life for the 70-year old bloke. Our favorite feature? MP3 players can be directly (and discretely) attached, enabling old geezers to tune out old hags without them ever noticing.

[Thanks, Mike]

Filed under: Wearables

Bone-anchored hearing aids filter out noise, finally ready for human implantation originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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(Credit: Sony)

A small but vocal group of tech enthusiasts is raising a fuss over Sony’s plans to disable the hardware virtualization required to run Microsoft’s Windows 7 XP virtualization technology.

Answering reader questions on the official Windows Partner Blog, Sony exec Xavier Lauwaert says security issues are …

The automated mannequins from Flower Robotics are now officially available for purchase or rental (as of June), and are beginning to make their presence known around the city. Available in two styles, full body and upper torso, the “Palette” mannequins carry sensors that can detect people around them, turn towards them, and assume appropriate positions. What’s more, they possess an “intelligent system” that records audience reactions and helps them learn over time which poses are likely to generate a positive response. “Motion design software” also allows the people in charge to design and program a specific series of poses.

Now through August 16th, one full body Palette is on display as part of the exhibition “Made by Hand: Hanae Mori and Young Artists at the Contemporary Art Gallery at Art Tower Mito. The robotic mannequin models a paper dress designed by Yuko Nishimura.

A similar mannequin was also employed to model a wedding dress at the recent Bridal Industry Fair held July 28th at Tokyo Big Site in Odaiba. Meanwhile Flower Robotics founder Tatsuya Matsui was invited to take part in Google Map’s global “Favorite Places” campaign. Click here to see his favorite Tokyo spots.

“I had this dream from childhood of not needing to climb mountains anymore. I wanted to go to school in my own flying machine.”

This was the childhood dream of Wu Zhongyuan, of China’s Henan province. It is also, quite likely, a childhood dream of most you, dear Gadget Lab readers. Unlike you, though, Zhongyuan actually did something about it. He built his own helicopter.

The device, which likely breaks almost every airspace and safety law simultaneously, is made from steel scaffold, has blades cut from Elm and is powered by an old motorcycle engine. Zhongyuan says that the ‘copter, which took three months and around $1600 to build, can soar to 800 meters (2600 feet). We’re not sure if it can even get airborne, though, as currently the machine is grounded by Chinese authorities.

How did he come up with his ramshackle design? The internet, of course. “I didn’t have a design. The only source for me to get relevant knowledge was surfing the internet via my mobile phone,” he said to news site Ananova. We love it. A personal helicopter is a fantastic project, and we wish Zhongyuan luck getting it off the ground. Of course, we’d never go near the thing. Imagine being half a mile up and when the engine cuts out on you. No thanks.

Farmer’s home-made helicopter [Ananova via DVICE]

Chinese farmer builds a working wooden helicopter [Auto Motto]