Hasta La Gadget!

New audio input capabilities are nothing new for JVC, but soon you’ll be able to show off your guitar chops alongside whatever bands you choose to idolize — so long as you’re kosher with rocking a boombox atop your left shoulder, of course. The company has announced that the 2011 offering from its Kaboom line will showcase a guitar / microphone input (1/4-inch) with mixing capabilities to allow for gigs to be played from anywhere you darn well please. The RV-NB70 will have all the key ingredients of previous models, including an iPod dock (updated to be both iPod and iPhone compatible), a USB host that enables use of a mass storage device, an audio input and CD / radio playback. True to the original’s design, this fellow features much of the same look while promising 40 watts of guitar soloing power. Your next box ‘o fury can be had right now for $299.95, and if you’re eager for an encore, the full presser (as well as a demo vid) is just past the break.

Continue reading JVC Kaboom adds a guitar input, dares you to get the band back together

JVC Kaboom adds a guitar input, dares you to get the band back together originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OK, so the Martin Jetpack may not have gone into commercial production quite as soon as we’d anticipated, but there’s still hope on the horizon. Over the weekend, Glenn Martin’s flying machine successfully climbed some 5,000 feet above sea level, marking a new milestone in the 30-year, $12 million project. Remotely controlled by a tailing helicopter, the 250-pound craft used its two “superfans” to power itself skyward at about 800 feet per second minute, before safely parachuting back to Earth from a height of about 3,000 feet. As with its last test run, however, the Martin Jetpack was equipped not with a human being, but with a crash dummy. It may have been for the best, though, considering that the machine sustained some damage upon concluding the ten-minute flight. Nevertheless, Martin seems confident that yesterday’s test “brings the future another step closer,” and is hoping to deliver his brainchild to customers within the next 18 months — plenty of time for us to hawk enough family heirlooms to afford that $86,000 price tag. Soar past the break for a video of the jetpack’s big launch, or check out the source link for a more extensive interview with Martin and some background footage of his invention.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Martin Jetpack hits the 5,000 feet milestone, could come to market within 18 months (video)

Martin Jetpack hits the 5,000 feet milestone, could come to market within 18 months (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 May 2011 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ThinkFlood is best known for its universal remote control systems, but now it might become famous for something totally different: discovering a way to bring peace to the tiresome iOS/Android fanboy wars. Its new beta app for Android provides complete control over the company’s RedEye and RedEye Pro products, which in the past were strictly iOS-only. In turn, a RedEye system allows a range of IR-equipped devices in a home to be controlled via WiFi — so in principle you should now be able to control your home theater and other kit using your Android tablet or smartphone. But here’s the twist: users of the beta app will need both an Android device and an iOS device in order to get full functionality, because the Android app can’t yet handle configuration. The company insists this limitation will soon be fixed, but we say keep it. If all apps required us to own both platforms, things would be so much more harmonious. Full PR after the break.

[Thanks, Martin]

Continue reading ThinkFlood WiFi remote for Android goes beta, but still requires iOS

ThinkFlood WiFi remote for Android goes beta, but still requires iOS originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 09:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fire: the most primal element. “It’s a living thing,” Robert De Niro once said, “It breathes, it eats, and it hates. The only way to beat it is to think like it.” Unless you’re an artist – then you rig up a series of tubes, pump in some kerosene, and connect it to a Power Glove-like control device. Next thing you know, you’re “fire painting,” making that hateful beast dance and strut for your amusement. “Its burning can be handled by subtle movements of the sensory data glove for tactile formulation of the fiery image,” the artist explains, “Thus, the image can be manipulated, yet it constantly escapes control.” To know what it’s like to summon flame with a flick of your wrist – while sporting a creepy smiley-face welding mask, no less – see the video above.

Painting with fire, thanks to a cybernetic glove (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 04:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Like many universal remote controls, the Andi-One boasts compatibility with thousands of devices; unlike most, however, it runs on Android 2.1. This 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen clicker can check email, browse the web, control your HTPC’s mouse and keyboard, run over 100,000 Android apps, act as a VoIP phone, and even kick movies directly to your TV through an HDMI enabled charging cradle. It doesn’t just control your entertainment devices — it is one. For the first time ever, your remote control is giving you the choice between changing the channel, and playing Angry Birds — if that’s not innovation, we don’t know what is. She’s available now for $350 — a bargain to some, but not exactly compelling for those who already own a smartphone.

Continue reading Andi-One universal remote runs Android 2.1, does more than change channels

Andi-One universal remote runs Android 2.1, does more than change channels originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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