Hasta La Gadget!

The Puyocon isn’t about to swoop in and replace your trusty old two-dimensional laser pointing mousie just yet, but we’re always suckers for bizarre input peripherals. Demonstrated by Tsukuba University at Siggraph Asia 2009 last month, it is a soft and squeezable ball that offers a quirky new spin on the old airborne controller idea. Differing from the Wii Remote in the fact that it won’t break your HDTV (or itself) if it slips out of your hand, the spongy ball operates on the basis of a three-way accelerometer and 14 pressure sensors in order to give detailed multidimensional information to the system it’s controlling. That’s probably overkill for the humble computer desktop, but there might be hope for the Puyocon becoming a commercial reality through games that make use of all its input points — after all, if there’s room for the Wiiwaa, why not the Puyocon too? See it in action after the break.

Continue reading Puyocon mouse reacts to being squeezed, thrown, gyrated (video)

Puyocon mouse reacts to being squeezed, thrown, gyrated (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 05:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember when Toshiba launched its original dynadock back at CES 2007? Man, those were good times. But trust us — not nearly as good as right now. The outfit has just pushed out the dynadock V here in Vegas, which is out and about only a few months after the dynadock wireless U was spotted. Essentially, this Windows-friendly device “offers the universal compatibility of its predecessor, the dynadock U, in a smaller package.” It’s half the size and one-third thinner, with four USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet LAN connectivity, a Sleep-and-Charge USB port and a 3.5mm audio in / out socket. There’s also an integrated video card that supports a single DVI or VGA monitor with up to 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, though you won’t find this even the least bit interesting if you roll in the OS X / Linux crowds. Check it next month for $119.99.

Toshiba shrinks its universal USB docking station, calls it dynadock V originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ll recall, FLO TV showed off a proof-of-concept for getting its mobile TV service onto the iPhone back in November of last year. At the time, it required a somewhat unwieldy attachment, which has now melted away with the inclusion of Mophie into the deal, who will integrate the FLO TV hardware into its popular Juice Pack. Both companies are pretty psyched about the synergy of having one device both receiving mobile TV and doing the consequently necessary battery life extension. You’ll find their collective announcement after the break, and products can be expected in the first half of the year.

Continue reading FLO TV and Mophie team up to bring mobile TV to your iPhone

FLO TV and Mophie team up to bring mobile TV to your iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Should you be the sort of person who doesn’t mind fiddling around with alpha level software, you’ll definitely want to know about the BlueMaemo Bluetooth emulator. Available via the Extras-Devel repository on your N900, this app allows the device to mimic other Bluetooth gadgets, such as keyboards, mice, and yes indeedy, gaming controllers. Its developer Valério Domingos humbly points out that the purpose of connecting up to a PS3 is purely for menu navigation and easier text input, though we’ve no doubt a few hardcore Nokia loyalists will try using this in an action game to prove the N900’s superiority. You may follow Valério and his ongoing refinement of the app in the Maemo.org link below, or you can jump past the break to see the full controller layout and an instructional video on how to hook things up — it’s in Italian, but you should be able to grasp what’s going on senza problemi.

[Thanks, shellshock]

Continue reading N900 turned into PS3 controller courtesy of BlueMaemo emulator

N900 turned into PS3 controller courtesy of BlueMaemo emulator originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort may be enjoying the spoils right now, but the world’s most popular port may just give ’em a run for their collective dollars by the end of next year. DisplayLink, which enables monitors to receive signals via USB instead of through one of the more conventional cables, has been mildly successful with USB 2.0 at the helm, but a whole new world is about to open up with the introduction of USB 3.0. As you’ve no doubt seen by now, the third iteration offers up over ten times the bandwidth of v2.0, which would obviously allow for great resolution support when channeling video. In reality, USB 3.0 is the first USB protocol that could support a legitimate high-def video stream, and it’s expected that a prototype device will be shown at CES next month transmitting content at up to 4.8 gigabits per second. In theory, at least, USB 3.0-enabled DisplayLink would allow vast 30-inch panels to be connected to netbooks via USB without having to rely on a sub-native resolution, but then again, said netbooks will probably need a GPU with a bit more oomph than the current Ion can provide. Not like that’ll be an issue for long, though.

USB 3.0-infused DisplayLink products coming in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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