Hasta La Gadget!

Remember this guy, the QB robot that was priced at a whopping 15 grand? Seemingly, the webcam wheeler inspired a team of young minds at the University of Waterloo, who’ve unleashed the DIY in themselves to build one of their own. TIPI, or Telepresence Interface by Pendulum Inversion, was designed to give humans the feeling that they’re not actually talking to a six-foot tall cyclops cyborg with an LCD face and webcam eye, but rather, evoke the emotions drawn when speaking the old, conventional, face-to-face way. Thanks to this team of mechatronics engineers, the low-cost TIPI uses an accelerometer, gyro and pendulum to balance by itself and can be remotely controlled while communicating via its Beagle Board and Polulu Orangutan SVP brain. Head past the break to see the robot struttin’ its stuff — oh, and get ready to rave. You’ll see what we mean.

Continue reading Students build self-balancing TIPI robot, plan new world order (video)

Students build self-balancing TIPI robot, plan new world order (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Altec Lansing does it, as does Harman Kardon. Oh, and lest we forget about Beats. We’re talking about companies that have gone the extra mile (and paid a certain price) to get their speakers into the shells of laptops, and now the fine folks at Alienware are grabbing a top-tier name of their own: Klipsch. Despite being snapped up by Audiovox a few months ago, the outfit’s powering ahead with an apparent plan for expansion. Today, Alienware’s launching its first-ever Klipsch-equipped laptop, the 3D-enabled M17x. Not only will buyers find Intel’s newest Sandy Bridge CPUs, a 1080p 3D panel, custom lighting controls and an HDMI input, but they’ll also be gifted with a set of Klipsch drivers and MaxxAudio 3 software from Waves. Hard to say if the partnership will soon bleed over to even more of Alienware’s machines, but all logical signs are pointing to “yes.” As for this guy? It’ll ship this month starting at $1,499.

Continue reading Klipsch speakers coming to Alienware’s 3D-enabled M17x gaming laptop

Klipsch speakers coming to Alienware’s 3D-enabled M17x gaming laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bath-time belters rejoice, for the folks over at Toshiba have bestowed unto you a 21st century solution to the waterproof radio. Okay, so it’s not the first shower-ready speaker we’ve reported on, and the TY-WSD9 doesn’t come with a pale-skinned celebrity endorsement, but it does stream audio from your TV, DVD, iPod, or other sound-emitting device within a 25-meter radius. The system sports two 1.2W speakers, works a transmitter / receiver setup that looks something akin to a baby monitor, and will be available in Japan for about 13,000 yen (or $160) starting this March. So get those pipes ready, cause your wet and wild repertoire just got a whole lot bigger.

Toshiba’s TY-WSD9 wireless waterproof speaker gives Japanese shower singers an upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you looking for a smaller, less conspicuous means to listen to your jams and a way to record your freestyle battles? JVC has you covered with its new RD-R1 and RD-R2 compact boomboxes that weigh a scant 450 grams (one pound, for those using Americanized measurements). The devices come equipped with dual omni-directional mics and a microSD slot (with an included 2GB card) to record your rhymes at bitrates up to 192Kbps. Both models also have five-second countdown and clapper-style start functionality — so you have time to get your ‘Vogue’ on and strike a pose before the music starts. Additionally, the RD-R2 adds a metronome feature and a 6.3mm mono jack for those who want to add an electric guitar to the mix. JVC hasn’t released the price for the RD-R1, but with the higher-end R2 model retailing for ¥37,800 ($460) when it goes on sale in February, it ain’t cheap. However, it seems a paltry sum to pay for creative freedom. Say word, son!

JVC’s RD-R1 and RD-R2 boomboxes bring stereo recording capabilities, the studio to the streets originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just when we thought Grace Digital Audio had turned over a new, touch-friendly leaf, the company’s back with another WiFi internet radio that uses the frustrating Reciva interface. We can’t say we’re pleased, but the firm’s new $250 Wireless Stereo Micro System does have one new feature that might be worth checking out — it comes with a pair of handsome bookshelf speakers that connect over the ether as well. This time, you can not only connect to your home wireless network (or auxiliary media player) and pull down loads of tunes from the typical array of services — including Pandora, Live365 and Sirius XM — but listen in stereo too, while hopefully hiding that ugly four-line LCD and its irksome nests of menus from ever disturbing your view.

Continue reading Grace Digital punts WiFi radio into a wireless bookshelf speaker system, can’t escape Reciva’s ghost

Grace Digital punts WiFi radio into a wireless bookshelf speaker system, can’t escape Reciva’s ghost originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 18:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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