Saturday, August 30, 2008

Toshiba's Cambridge Research Lab shows off gesture-controlled TVs, image recognition

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378196695/

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Toshiba is pulling an EyeToy, minus a diabolical plan to actually sell the thing and make a killing off of collectable elemental decks. The company's Cambridge-based Research Lab has some new video camera-based feature they're prototyping for possible eventual TV implementation. The real highlight is a fist-based cursor control -- just stick out your hand, make a fist, and control a cursor on-screen for navigating the TV's functions. You can also put up your palm to stop the madness, and even rotate 3D images on-screen, but it's all a little shaky for now. Another thing we saw was picture recognition: hold up a cue card to the TV with an image on it and the TV recognizes it and performs a pre-assigned function. Tosh is also working on speech recognition and some other things; not really changing the world, but some fun stuff all the same.
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Posted by Augustine at 2:49 AM

Panasonic's 150-inch Life Wall TV going production in 2009

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378208503/

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Although it's impossible to tell without another object in the display box, that's Panasonic's 150-inch TV up there -- here at IFA, intimidating its neighbors. Now get this: this massive plasma sporting a 2,160 X 4,096-pixel (4 times 1080p) Advanced HD display will hit the assembly lines just as soon as Panny's newest factory comes on-line in the May 2009 timeframe. At the moment, the single 150-inch sheet of glass is hand-made and fitted into four of these behemoths currently touring the world. That means 150-inches of goodness could be yours before the year is up. College shmollege, this is quad HD!
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Posted by Augustine at 2:49 AM

BlackBerry Bold hitting AT&T on October 2?

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378232824/

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With hope of a summer release fading with the passing of each and every day, Boy Genius Report cites a "pretty solid bit of info" that the BlackBerry Bold is now pegged for launch on AT&T on Thursday, October 2. So if you see a throng of three-piece suits starting to gather around your local store around September 28 or 29, yeah, that's probably why.
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Posted by Augustine at 2:47 AM

Reminder: Quad HD doesn't make everything look better

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378252568/

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Look, we wouldn't want to be paused for your wicked, Quad HD amusement either. But seeing such a vivid demo on JVC's 4K2K (4,096 x 2,400), super high definition LCD as we strolled through IFA's digital playground reminded us of something: maybe not everything looks better in Quad HD. Think about it before you hustle on over to Japan for Panasonic's 150-inch Quad HD set next year.

All juvenility aside, the image above was created using JVC "soon to arrive" ultra high-definition player attached over dual-link DVI to the 4k2k display. The video uses MPEG-4AVC compression to convert the 6Gbps original 4K source into 50Mbps. More pics in the gallery below.
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Posted by Augustine at 2:47 AM

The HTC S740 gets handled

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378252567/

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HTC is keeping the S740 under wraps at IFA, but the crafty folks at newmobile managed to score some time with the new QWERTY slider, and it looks pretty decent. Thinner than the Touch Pro, the keyboard is basically the same, with the same sort of stealth-look backplate as the Diamond. No motion sensor, so the display only rotates when the slide is open, but that's really all we know -- the unit wasn't running a production-ready version of Windows Mobile, so impressions are a little up in the air. Hit the read link for more shots.

[Via Coolsmartphone]
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Posted by Augustine at 2:46 AM

Toshiba's Resolution+ ZF LCD in the flesh

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378284550/

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We're still pondering the difference between Toshiba's Cell-based Resolution+ technology and its "good enough for everybody else" XDE tech, but we got a look at Resolution+ today -- featured in Toshiba's new ZF575 Regza TVs -- and it seems to work well enough. Unlike XDE, which is designed with DVDs in mind to mess with contrast and colors, in addition to sharpness, Resolution+ just focuses on sharpness, for a multitude of SD inputs, and seems to do a decent job of it. Comparison shots up ahead, don't poke your eye on any jaggies!
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Posted by Augustine at 2:46 AM

Epson rolls out all-in-one EH-DM2 projector

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/378324809/

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While we can't say we've ever felt the need for a projector with a built-in DVD player and a built-in "surround sound" system, Epson seems to think there's at least some folks that want a big box of compromises, and it's hoping its new EH-DM2 projector will be to their liking. This one's a 3LCD projector, and boasts an "HD compatible" resolution and an adequate 1,200 lumens of brightness, along with a few non-standard features like a USB port to let you view photos, DiVX compatibility from the built-in DVD player and, of course, those built-in 8W speakers that somehow promise to surround you with sound. Not exactly for everyone, to be sure, but the €600 price tag (or just under $900) is certainly reasonable enough, and it'll apparently be available as soon as next month.

[Via About Projectors]
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Posted by Augustine at 2:45 AM

Friday, August 29, 2008

Hive Five Winner for Best FTP Client: FileZilla [Hive Five Followup]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/376620607/hive-five-winner-for-best-ftp-client-filezilla

filezilla-small.pngOpen-source FTP client FileZilla takes home the top spot in last week's Hive Five Best FTP Clients poll with an overwhelming 52% of the vote. The rest of the field was split up relatively evenly between 8% and 11%. That's good votin'.


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Posted by Augustine at 9:42 AM

UNetbootin Creates USB-Bootable Linux the Easy Way [Featured Download]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/376620606/unetbootin-creates-usb+bootable-linux-the-easy-way

Windows and Linux only: Free bootable image creator UNetbootin automates the downloading, imaging, and installing of Linux distributions onto USB thumb drives, creating a persistent, boot-anywhere desktop. We've previously featured rather involved guides to putting Linux on a flash drive, but UNetbootin does it all for you, from downloading the right ISO to setting up a USB stick as a bootable Linux drive. It can also convert almost any bootable ISO, so if you've got an old, smaller thumb drive not seeing much use these days, you can use UNetbootin to install a partition editor, a file-recovering live CD, or the Windows password-cracking Ophcrack. UNetbootin is a free download for Windows XP and higher and Linux systems.


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Posted by Augustine at 9:42 AM

iPhone 3G Modded with Macro [Mods]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/376462861/iphone-3g-modded-with-macro

The iPhone 3G's camera works alright until you want to grab a shot of something within a foot or so (like a butterfly, or unpopped pimple). And to address this dilemma, one modder softened the glue holding in his iPhone's camera and rotated the lens to macrofy the fovus. He was able to take several shots within 5 inches, but the most impressive is this picture taken just .25 inches away from its subject. For a phone especially, that's some impressive macro. If only it didn't require such delicate surgery to implement—ahem—Apple—ahem. [flickr via TUAW]


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Posted by Augustine at 9:39 AM

3-Channel Black Steath R/C Chopper For $30 [R/c]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/376620396/3+channel-black-steath-rc-chopper-for-30

The guys at Think Geek are bringing R/C junkies one of the cheapest 3-channel mini choppers on the market with the new "Black Stealth." Unlike dinky 2-channel versions, the Black Stealth can handle forward flight with ease—or so they claim. In fact, Think Geek goes so far as to say that it is the easiest to fly small copter they have ever used. I would be kind of skeptical with a price tag of only $30, but the video below does a good job of showing off its capabilities.


[Think Geek via DVICE]


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Posted by Augustine at 9:36 AM

Tatung Prototype The Nicest VOIP Phone I've Seen Yet [VoIP]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/376679070/tatung-prototype-the-nicest-voip-phone-ive-seen-yet

The difference between what I would like to look at and what I would like to use makes for a a gap wider than the Grand Canyon, in this case. One button, no tactile feedback and no screen make this VOIP phone prototype little more than an electronic lollipop. But my desire to lick one increases with every glance. [e-Nova via Yanko and BBG]


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Posted by Augustine at 9:35 AM

City-In-a-Pyramid Could House a Million Dubaians, Power Itself [Dubai]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/376699453/city+in+a+pyramid-could-house-a-million-dubaians-power-itself

A particularly optimistic design firm in Dubai called Timelinks has proposed designs for the Ziggurat, a complete city to be layered inside of a massive pyramid that could serve as home for a million people at a time. Timelinks is currently seeking patents for a variety of technologies that would make such a building possible, including a three axis public transportation system that would run residents up, through and across the pyramid. They've also claimed that with a hybrid wind, solar and steam power the Ziggurat would be able to meet its own power needs, and that there would be enough room to allow for some minor agriculture in designated "green spaces."

Before you just write this off as another wacky internet design concept, consider the absurdly ostentatious structures that Dubai has already built, and the fact that unlike the hyperluxurious ego-boosters currently under construction, the Ziggurat might be a viable housing solution for people who don't have a natural resource-infused trust fund. [World Archictecture Review via Inhabitat via Dvice]


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Posted by Augustine at 9:35 AM

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