Hasta La Gadget!

Avada Keduster! That’s right Potter fans, magic may not be real (sorry), but if Du.static ever makes it to market, get set to eliminate household dust with the flourish of a wand. Designed by Hongik University’s Won Suk Lee, this 2011 Spring Spark Concept Design winner combines the functionality of a feather duster and air purifier, into a two-in-one, Hershey-kissed silhouette. The standalone unit’s base-mounted induction fan sucks your room’s filth into a fine particle filter, releasing fresh air out its other end, while an LED light keeps track of environmental detritus — signaling red for “polluted” and blue as “pure enough.” Impressive powers of purification aside, we have a feeling its removable electrostatic stick cleaner is going to get more cosplay (and cleaning) mileage. Head to the source now for extra shots of the device in action and while you’re at, petition Dyson for its real-world equivalent.

Continue reading Du.static dust-busting concept clears the air, won’t vanquish Voldemort

Du.static dust-busting concept clears the air, won’t vanquish Voldemort originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Wired  |  Yanko Design  | Email this | Comments

So AMD’s Bulldozer has been chugging along at a snail’s pace when it comes to actually making it to market, but if these benchmarks are any clue, the sluggishness stops there. Donanim Haber recently obtained an 8-core (that’s four Bulldozer cores) engineering sample and put it through its paces alongside an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 GPU, and from the looks of things it faired pretty well, pulling in a 3DMark 11 score of 6265, with a physics (CPU-centric) score of 7487. As Ars Technica points out, that puts it solidly in the center of Tom’s Hardware’s physics scores for the Sandy Bridge Core i5-2500K, scoring 6667, and Core i7-2600K, pulling in 8152. When it came to PCMark 7 scores, however, Bulldozer fell far behind the competition. Of course, these are just numbers — for an engineering sample, no less — which means they should be taken with a fistful of salt, but it’s nice to finally see Bulldozer getting down and dirty. If your hunger for benchmarks hasn’t been fully satisfied, hop on over to the source for more results.

AMD Bulldozer prototype gets benchmarked, could give Sandy Bridge some competition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Ars Technica  |  Donanim Haber  | Email this | Comments

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Perhaps the simplest function on any camera, the shutter release is typically triggered using a dedicated button, or — most often in the case of a professional rig — using a wired or wireless remote. The Triggertrap falls into that latter category, completing the circuit necessary to capture an image after receiving commands from a virtually limitless array of sources. After pairing with your DSLR or ILC using a universal connector, you’ll be able to trigger the device to snap a photo using a laser beam (thanks to the built-in photo transistor), sound (a hand clap, for example), or a timer — typically most applicable to time-lapse photography. An auxiliary port will enable you to get even more creative — you could release the shutter using a remote control, pressure trigger, or even a cell phone call, for example.

The Triggertrap is well on its way to a Kickstarter campaign goal of $25,000, but there’s still time to pre-order a DIY kit for $70, or a turn-key version for five bucks more. As always, Kickstarter will issue a refund if the project isn’t funded before the July 31st deadline. Both devices are Arduino based and open source, so you’re free to make modifications as you wish — assuming you don’t mind getting your hands dirty with a bit of programming. Jump past the break for a quick demo video, and keep an eye out for the creator’s Pringles can DIY macro lens, just past the 13 second mark.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Triggertrap open source automatic camera release (video)

Insert Coin: Triggertrap open source automatic camera release (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Kickstarter  | Email this | Comments

Nikon engaged in a bit of conceptual product show-and-not-as-much-tell at the French Cité des sciences et de l’industrie exhibit, Hello Demain (Hello Tomorrow). The four prototype cameras on display ranged from the clearly defined — a fully customizable SLR that swaps the lens, grip and LCD screen at your whimsy — to the mysterious webcam dongle-ish i-Ball of unknown purpose, to a mundane six-inch screener. But the real étoile of this forward-facing soirée is that Multi-Ball cam — guaranteed to be a panoramic morning-after hit (or cause for much hungover consternation). While these concepts reside proudly in the province of tomorrowland, it’s only a matter of time before they digitally immortalize your precious visage. Check the source for additional protoplastic photographic proof.

Nikon shows off concept cameras in France, says hello to tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashgear  |  Nikon Hub  | Email this | Comments

Orange UK has a long-running tradition of coming up with quirky ways to recharge your phone while enjoying the Glastonbury Festival every year, and 2011 is proving no different. This time around, it’s a T-shirt that generates an electric charge from the sound around it — rendering it ideal for front-row crowd-surfing types — though the provided tech details go no further than to tell us that piezoelectrics and the absorption of vibration are involved. We find ourselves overcome by the suspicion that you’ll never be able to get much meaningful utility out of this rather unstylish garment, but then it does give you a plausible excuse for pushing your way nearer to the stage, and if anyone objects, you can consider it a great conversation starter. So whatever happens, you win, fashion loses.

Orange Sound Charge T-shirt will juice up your phone while you listen to the bass go boom originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Textually.org  |  Orange  | Email this | Comments