Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Turn a Camera Lens into a Close-Up Lens with Binoculars [Video Demonstration]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/216095393/turn-a-camera-lens-into-a-close+up-lens-with-binoculars


Do-it-yourselfer Chris Knight explains that the innards of cheap binoculars can double as a macro lens for digital SLR cameras and camcorders and can prove especially useful in situations when a macro lens is unavailable. Unscrew the binoculars and remove the front lenses. Tape the lenses securely to the front of your camera. When you first start the camera up, it will take some time to acquire the best focus, but with practice, you'll be able to capture objects at extreme close-up detail.


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Tiinker is Like a Personal Digg for Feeds [Feed Readers]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/216528729/tiinker-is-like-a-personal-digg-for-feeds

tiinker_scaled.jpg

News feed aggregator tiinker aims to help those feeling overwhelmed by their news portals and their own feed readers chop down their lists. Using Digg-style "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" controls, tiinker "learns" what types of news and sources you find relevant and interesting and mixes its content for you accordingly. Tiinker's technology page reshaped itself pretty quickly to a little test-voting with an eye for Linux items, but what's missing right now (and used to be offered) is a way to bring in RSS feeds not offered by the tiinker mix. Still, for those seeking out a decent, customized news portal, Tiinker might be a good way to keep on top of what's happening.


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Netflix Offers Unlimited "Watch Now" Video Streaming [Streaming Video]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/216596793/netflix-offers-unlimited-watch-now-video-streaming

watch-now.pngVideo rental service Netflix is lifting the limits on its "Watch Now" feature, allowing subscribers to watch as many hours of streaming video as they can handle. The service requires Windows with Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player 11, so it could still use improvements in terms of accessibility, but in all it's a move that may make a lot of users happy while fending off potential competitors like Apple. And while you're taking advantage of that unlimited viewing, here's how to rip "Watch Now" videos to your hard drive.


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DMA Drops Mailing Preference List Fee [Spam Killers]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/216626983/dma-drops-mailing-preference-list-fee

You no longer have to pay to opt out of annoying unsolicited snail mail: the Direct Marketing Association has dropped their dollar fee to get your name on their mailing preferences list. The DMA's member companies honor this granddaddy of snail mail optout lists, which is supported by the U.S. Postal Service. I paid the buck way back when to get on the DMA list, and it's since reduced my unwanted postal mail a whole lot. This dropped fee is long-awaited, great news. See also five ways you can clean up your snail mail.


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Play Flash Media on Your iPhone or iPod Touch with iTransmogrify [IPhone]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/216707687/play-flash-media-on-your-iphone-or-ipod-touch-with-itransmogrify


The iTransmogrify bookmarklet for the iPhone or iPod touch converts embedded Flash content to mobile Safari-supported formats so that Flash media—like embedded YouTube videos and streaming MP3s—will play from Safari with the click of a bookmark. Obviously your iPhone or iPod touch has YouTube built in, but if, for example, you're reading Lifehacker and we've embedded a YouTube video, Safari won't recognize that and take you directly to the YouTube app. One click of your new iTransmorgrify bookmarklet, though, and it will. The bookmarklet also supports several Flash-based MP3 players.

iTransmogrify [Joe Maller]


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Monday, January 14, 2008

Drop.io Launches Easy Phone-To-MP3 Tool

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/216726456/

New York based Drop.io launched a dead simple “drop box” for files last November. The service is online storage on the back end, with a very simple/clean user interface and upload features on the front end.

It is similar to box.net and a number of other startups. Users can upload files via a Flash tool or by simply emailing files to a designated address. Files an also be uploaded via a widget (see example here in the right sidebar). The page itself (example) can be open or password protected. The pages can be anonymous, and each one, called a “drop,” has 100 MB of free storage (you can upgrade to 1 GB for $10/year). There are also RSS feeds and email alerts for drops, although they do not contain enclosures. You have to link through to get to the actual file.

All in all, it’s a fairly generic service with a better-than-average but hardly revolutionary interface.

Today, though, they added a very nice niche feature called, simply, Voice. Every drop page has a phone number and extension associated with it. Call the number, dial the extension and record an unlimited length voice message (subject only to the overall 100 MB file size limitation). The file will appear momentarily as a MP3 file on the drop page.

This is an easy way to record a voice note, or even a simple podcast message. For now you can only have one person on the line, so conference calls aren’t a built in feature. Of course, you can always simply three-way dial the drop.io number as well as another person and record a call, or add drop.io to Skype to record a conference call there.

This reminds me of Dave Winer’s TwitterGram project that he created with BlogTalkRadio last year. There are also basic web-based recording functions that turn your voice into a MP3 (see Daft Doggy), although those do not tie into an actual phone number.

I like the service because it’s very, very easy to use and has no real restrictions. It would be perfect if they simply added the file as an enclosure to an email or RSS feed as well, but for now that isn’t an option.

Loading information about drop.io…
Loading information about Box.net…

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

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Saverclip Offers Unique New Way of Measuring Energy Consumption [Energy Saver]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/216732138/saverclip-offers-unique-new-way-of-measuring-energy-consumption

saverclip.jpgPissing away electricity —just about everyone does it. That is why this "Saverclip" concept from designer Lee Young Don could prove useful to anyone looking to save a few bucks on their electricity bill. The clothespin-like device latches onto any power cable and determines energy usage by measuring the electromagnetic fields emitted by specific electronics (it also recharges using the same fields).

saverclip2.jpgThanks to the easy-to-read LCD layout, users could get a clear idea of what devices are responsible for the most wasted energy. It is a simple and user-friendly design which could prove very practical should it ever emerge from a concept into reality. Although I doubt that a finished product would look this slick. [Yanko Design]

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Is This the MacBook Air? (Verdict: Most Plausible Yet) [MacBook Air]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/216773188/is-this-the-macbook-air-verdict-most-plausible-yet

airbook2.jpgWired's Apple insider (heh) says it is. Their rendering is super skinny and shaped like a teardrop when it's closed, bulging at the hinge and tapering down to the edge. Ethernet ports are jettisoned in favor of wireless only—the most sensible explanation for the "Air" moniker yet. Aluminum casing, ultra-thin, all wireless—all reasonable given what's come out. The much less likely bit is that the screen itself is multi-touch—trackpad, maybe—but obviously we'll see tomorrow. And a full-frontal:

airbook.jpg [Gadget Lab]

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33 megapixel Super Hi-Vision (Ultra HDTV) could be on the air in 2015

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/216566933/

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1080p and QuadHD / 4K can take a step back, the Japanese government has announced plans to bring Super Hi-Vision (a.k.a. Ultra High Definition) to life as a broadcast standard by 2015. With its 33 megapixel (7,680 x 4,320) resolution and 22.2 channel surround sound, challenges so far have included building a camera that can record it, and equipment to transfer the 24Gbps uncompressed stream. Fortunately, some forward thinker in Japan's Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry -- that we are strongly considering as a write in candidate for the presidential elections -- is beginning a joint project with private companies to make this happen, beginning with a research investment of about $2.7 million this year alone. If you're still confused as to how much more res this is than anything you currently own, check out the handy chart after the break.

Continue reading 33 megapixel Super Hi-Vision (Ultra HDTV) could be on the air in 2015

 

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NewerTech intros USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/216626175/

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Sure, we've seen similar adapters in the past, but NewerTech's latest is quite a few rungs higher on the attractive scale than its most formidable rivals. The inelegantly named USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter allows users to easily connect any 2.5-, 3.5- or 5.25-inch HDD / optical drive to a computer via USB, enabling folks to transfer critical data or backup an internal drive altogether without having to hunt down some snazzy external chassis. Notably, the adapter plays nice with IDE, ATA and SATA (among others), has no qualms dealing with OS X / Linux and will set you back just $29.95.

 

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Leaked Dell laptop brings the sexy

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/216653701/

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We've had many a leaked Dell fall into our laps over the years, but this one is already shaping up to be our fave. We don't have a name, date, or price on it yet, but we can tell you this number is aiming to be 20mm (0.78-inches) thick, with an aluminum extrusion and carbon-fiber chassis -- exotic materials rarely found in Round Rock machines. It'll also have an LED backlit display, but all of the above is still pretty early so there may be changes made before it goes into production -- which, by our standards, can't be soon enough.

 

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BenQ's emaciated 8 megapixel DSC X800: just barely three-dimensional

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/216718891/

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It may not be the biggest name in consumer electronics, but when it comes to stuffing megapixels into ridiculously-skinny packages, there aren't many out there who do it better than BenQ. Case in point is the new eight megapixel DSC X800, which, at just 9.8 millimeters at its thinnest point (14mm at its fattest), is not only slimmer than the recently-announced DC X835, it even gives the company's trimmest seven megapixel shooter, the 12.5-millimeter DC X725, a run for its money. Besides its pocketability, however, this model doesn't offer much in the way of high-end features: 3x optical zoom, 3-inch LCD, digital image stabilization, VGA movie mode, and a rather non-standard microSD slot are par for the course here. Keep reading after the break for another angle / color combo of the as-yet-unpriced shooter, which should be shipping sometime this quarter.

[Via Slashgear]

Continue reading BenQ's emaciated 8 megapixel DSC X800: just barely three-dimensional

 

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