Sunday, March 29, 2009

Timelapse Garden Video Camera Watches Your Garden Grow So You Don't Have to [Cameras]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com:80/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/qfEVr7vc8D4/timelapse-garden-video-camera-watches-your-garden-grow-so-you-dont-have-to

Sure, Planet Earth was great. But what if you want to get stoned and gawk at time-lapsed videos of your own garden? The Timelapse Garden Video Camera can make that happen.

The Timelapse Garden Video Camera (henceforth TGVC) is a weatherproof digital camera that'll take interval photos and combine them into a neat 1280x1024 video file presumably via some custom software. The intervals can be anywhere from every five seconds to every 24 hours, and can shoot objects as close as 20 inches away or as far as a 54-inch wide view. It comes with a removable 2GB of storage and the battery will last for up to 4 months while taking a picture per hour. It costs $159.99, which is awfully cheap considering you'll pay about the same for a half-decent point-and-shoot that'll explode upon the first morning dew. Then how will you watch your tomato crop wither and die because you counted on God to water it for you? [Hammacher Schlemmer via OhGizmo]



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New Airplane Interior Design Allows for Romantic Dinner for Two [Airplanes]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com:80/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/n7tXWPLeiec/new-airplane-interior-design-allows-for-romantic-dinner-for-two

While you and I try to eat our plastic-wrapped dinner in cattle class, first class passengers in Swiss International's flights would be able to chat up passengers and invite them to their table for two.

The new design—which will debut in their new A330 airplanes—is quite a change from traditional my-cabin-is-my-oyster first class designs. According to the airline, it's more "architectural" which goes with the "design language of the brand." According to Paul Estoppey, senior manager and head of cabin interior development for Swiss International:

Our product drive is primarily intended to [lots of corpospeak here] I think that in the context of the current economic climate there may be opportunities for [blah blah blah. blah] while at the same time maintaining very high levels of comfort.

Quick translation: "New seat for rich people. The rest of you please keep eating your cardboard chicken." [Flight Global]



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Piezoelectric Nanowires Could Power Future Gadgets Using Blood Flow [Nanotech]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com:80/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/t-thgeYIZ6g/piezoelectric-nanowires-could-power-future-gadgets-using-blood-flow

Did that headline get your blood pumping? Good. In the future you'll make a great battery.

This is because, in the future, scientists seem to think that piezoelectric nanowires could find a nice home inside our blood vessels. There, they'd use the energy created by blood flow to power our gadgets, pacemakers, or any number of other people-powered devices future inventors can think up. That sounds great in theory, but I assume that, like with most things I put in my body today that sound great and feel good, it will probably cause cancer or something.

Regardless, the scientists want to let us know there are no practical or commercial uses planned for these zinc oxide nanowires. Not for a long while anyway. This means you can stop digging around for that vein now. Oh, that's for the heroin? Nevermind then. [Live Science via Engadget]



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Sigma DP2 up for pre-order, retailing for $649

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/sigma-dp2-up-for-pre-order-retailing-for-649/


Amazon and B&H have pre-order pages up for the hotly-anticipated Sigma DP2, and both conveniently list the camera at $649 -- well, convenient for your information gathering needs, not necessarily for your wallet. B&H expects a May availability, while Amazon is going with a typically vague "1-2 months." Maybe they both can be right.

[Via DigitalCameraInfo]

Read - B&H
Read - Amazon

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Sigma DP2 up for pre-order, retailing for $649 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MedNet app monitors heartbeat, transfers data to cardiologists

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/mednet-app-monitors-heartbeat-transfers-data-to-cardiologists/


Heart monitors for cellphones have definitely been around, but a new option is about to surface for AT&T customers. The service, which will be offered up starting April 21st by MedNet Healthcare Technologies, will somehow let patients monitor their own heartbeats and automatically send that information to their cardiologists using Bluetooth-enabled phones. Reportedly, the information will be sent out to a central monitoring center, which then transfers the data to the doctor. As expected, there will be a monthly fee for the service (exact pricing has yet to be disclosed), and doctors must also be signed on to receive the information. Sounds good and all, but seriously, good luck getting your M.D. to be attentive to your every data dump.

[Via textually]

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MedNet app monitors heartbeat, transfers data to cardiologists originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel Core 2 Quad S-Series shaves power consumption to 65W

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/29/intel-core-2-quad-s-series-shaves-power-consumption-to-65w/


In a relatively hush-hush manner, Intel recently slipped out energy saving versions of its Core 2 Quad Q8200, Q9400 and Q9550 CPUs, all of which are suffixed with a simple "s." Put simply, these S-Series chips are built using the same 45 nanometer process technology as used on the regular models, and aside from TDP, all the specifications are exactly alike. The difference comes in power consumption, as the S crew sucks down just 65 watts compared to 95 watts in the standard issue models. Tom's Hardware had a chance to handle, benchmark and report on these new power sippers, and lucky for you, they found performance to be equal to that of the higher power chips. Granted, you'll have to pony up a few extra bucks in order to treat Mother Earth (and your energy bill) better, but at least we're working down the power ladder instead of the other way around.

[Via Tom's Hardware, thanks Jonathan]

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Intel Core 2 Quad S-Series shaves power consumption to 65W originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 10:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte's Booktop M1022 (and dock) hits the FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/29/gigabytes-booktop-m1022-and-dock-hits-the-fcc/


Lookie here -- Gigabyte's Booktop M1022, which we spotted looking peculiar at CeBIT earlier this month, has just splashed down in the FCC's database. The 10.1-inch machine will apparently arrive with a LED-backlit panel, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, WiFi, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1.3 megapixel camera, optional integrated WWAN, VGA output, an Ethernet port, ExpressCard slot, 4-in-1 multicard reader, 1GB of RAM and a bundled docking station that sits it upright rather than flat. Obviously there's no mention of a US price or release date, but it can't be long now.

[Thanks, Tom and Mike]

Gigabyte's Booktop M1022 (and dock) hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds! .

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Samsung posts N110 product page, pre-orders get going

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/29/samsung-posts-n110-product-page-pre-orders-get-going/


Heads-up, netbook lovers -- Sammy's latest is totally official, though it's becoming so after a bona fide review. At any rate, Samsung has just recently hosted up a product page for its 10.1-inch N110, which brags about its 9.5 hour battery life, 2.8 pound body and 93 percent full-size keyboard. Specs wise, it's still rockin' the tried-and-true N270 / 1GB / 160GB combo, which makes it pretty tough to choose over the far less expensive ASUS Eee PC 1000HE. At any rate, those who've somehow found the value proposition to be more enticing can get in line now for $441.99 at Buy.com, while the Samsung-linked CompSource has it listed for $458.

Read - Samsung N110 product page [Via Liliputing]
Read - Buy.com pre-order [Via PortableMonkey]

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Samsung posts N110 product page, pre-orders get going originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac-friendly Houseport USB To Z-Wave adapter shipping soon en masse

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/29/mac-friendly-houseport-usb-to-z-wave-adapter-shipping-soon-en-ma/


For those that don't visit Fry's Electronics on any regular basis, you probably reckoned that Wayne Dalton's totally promising USB To Z-Wave adapter had simply failed to ever make it onto store shelves after being launched 14 months ago. Turns out, the device (and the OS X-friendly Houseport software) has just been loosed from its limiting "Fry's exclusive" agreement, and it's about to ship out to anyone who desires it starting June 1st. We're told that the hardware and software hasn't changed since CES 2008, and even the retail price ($87) will remain the same. Of note, eager beavers can snag a limited number of upgradeable pre-production units today for $79, but then again, you never really know what you're going to get. Hang tight, Mac-owing home automators -- your long-awaited solution is nearly here.

Mac-friendly Houseport USB To Z-Wave adapter shipping soon en masse originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tweeting or Twittering? - http://ping.fm/3MNL0

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Saturday, March 28, 2009

Samsung's sleek BD-P3600 Blu-ray player gets hands-on love

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/samsungs-sleek-bd-p3600-blu-ray-player-gets-hands-on-love/


Oh sure, we've already seen this thing spotted at Best Buy, but there's just something especially titillating about photos with clarity. CNET's UK branch managed to get their camera all up in the BD-P3600's area, and they definitely enjoyed what they saw. For starters, the 7.1-channel analog outs are a real boon to those still using that circa-1999 AV receiver, and the bundled WiFi dongle means BD-Live is now entirely more accessible. Granted, we aren't similarly impressed by the 40 second BD load time, but maybe we're just spoiled by the hasty OPPO BDP-83. Head on down for a few more looks.

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Samsung's sleek BD-P3600 Blu-ray player gets hands-on love originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 08:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Create Smarter Google Translate Keyword Bookmarks [Firefox Tip]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/PeJ6udWnAxk/create-smarter-google-translate-keyword-bookmarks

Reader Jerry Lue read our feature on creating smarter keyword bookmarks, and took the initiative to create a set of smart bookmarks that interact with Google Translate.

These keyword bookmarks either translate the current page, or even translate a phrase directly from the Firefox location bar. If you aren't sure how to create keyword bookmarks in the first place, be sure and check out our guide to Firefox and the art of keyword bookmarking, and then check out how to make them even smarter with some javascript magic.

Google translate a phrase:
This keyword bookmark lets you translate a phrase by simply entering it into the location bar—create a new bookmark with a keyword like trans, give it a name, and paste in the following javascript code:

javascript:strRaw="%s";strArray=strRaw.split("%20");for(i=3;i<strArray.length;i++){strArray[2]=strArray[2]+"%20"+strArray[i];};location="http://translate.google.com/translate_t?sl="+strArray[0]+"&tl="+strArray[1]+"#"+strArray[0]+"|"+strArray[1]+"|"+strArray[2]

Now you can use the bookmark with this syntax (you can also use "auto" as the source language).

trans <from lang> <to lang> <phrase>

As an example, you would use the following to translate the phrase "no hablo espanol" into English:

trans es en no hablo espanol

Google translate the current web page:
This bookmark works similarly to the first one, except you only need the to and from la! nguage:< br>

javascript:strRaw="%s";strArray=strRaw.split("%20",3);location="http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u="+location.href+"&sl="+strArray[0]+"&tl="+strArray[1]

So to translate the current page from an unknown language to English, you would use the following (if you named the keyword "translate").

translate auto en

Intelligent translate:
The last version combines both techniques together, making a smart bookmark that detects whether you entered a phrase after the to/from languages and either translates the phrase or the current page.

javascript:strRaw="%s";strArray=strRaw.split(" ");if(strArray.length==2){location="http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u="+location.href+"&sl="+strArray[0]+"&tl="+strArray[1];}else{for(i=3;i<strArray.length;i++){strArray[2]=strArray[2]+"%20"+strArray[i];};location="http://translate.google.com/translate_t?sl="+strArray[0]+"&tl="+strArray[1]+"#"+strArray[0]+"|"+strArray[1]+"|"+strArray[2];};

These bookmarks just barely show off the power of this technique, and we'd love to hear some of your ideas for powerful keyword bookmarks that show off the command line comeback. Thanks, Jerry Lue!

If all this keyword bookmarking is new and Greek to you, you can check out our guide to Firefox and the art of keyword bookmarking, grab our 15 Firefox quick search bookmarks, and then get really productive by creating keywor! d bookma rks to Gmail labels.



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Customize Your Gmail Labels with Unicode Characters [Gmail Tip]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/NdwI0AsyoAQ/customize-your-gmail-labels-with-unicode-characters

Inspired by previously mentioned tinyarro.ws URL-shortening service, reader David decided to try inserting helpful Unicode characters in his Gmail labels to give more context to each label.

With Unicode characters, David is able to divide his labels into logical groups without a a custom script like Folders4Gmail.

Right now I'm using these (see screenshot):

▶ Main categories (e.g. financial information, social networks)
✉ Other email accounts
✦ Individuals
❤ Lady-type individuals
➡ Single source (e.g. just eBay)

But there are plenty of good ones to play with:

✖ ✔ ✸ ● ■
◢ ◣ ◤ ◥
◧ ◨ ◩ ◪
▲ ▼ ▶ ◀
♂ ♀ ♪ ♫ ☼

I used the Wikipedia list of Unicode characters for reference:

The sort order is the handy bit to keep in mind. I picked ✦ (U+2726) for individuals because it's just a little above ❤ (U+2764).

I'm also using Unicode on my Gmail task lists. I have my other lists named in plain text, and I've used an arrow to sort my main list ("➡ main") to the bottom.

Very cool, David!



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Every Netbook In One Big Obnoxious Picture [Product Spam]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/atWn13TA9II/every-netbook-in-one-big-obnoxious-picture

UMPC Portal has gone through the trouble of putting every netbook and UMPC released in recent history into one big collage.

Sure, you could probably pick out a model or two that aren't here (especially since I cropped a row for the lead shot), but if this picture illustrates anything, it's that, yes, the netbook market has become commoditized—though only at the cost of also becoming horrendously confusing with all the product spam. [UMPC Portal via Electricpig]



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End of Rainbow Captured On iPhone Camera, No Pot Of Gold [Catch The Rainbow]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/fRoKs04Hg4A/end-of-rainbow-captured-on-iphone-camera-no-pot-of-gold

Unfortunately, this gorgeous iPhone shot captured by amateur photographer Jason Erdkamp reveals that there are no leprechauns or pots of gold at the end of a rainbow—just SUVs. Bummer. [Mirror via Digg]



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