Monday, July 13, 2009

Bandai RilakKuma netbook suffers from serious supercuteitis

Bandai RilakKuma netbook suffers from serious supercuteitis

The RilakKuma is what's known in the business as a money-printing device. It might have the same spec -- Atom N270, 1GB memory and 160GB storage -- as every netbook since the time of Moses, but its killer feature is a set of eyes and whiskers painted on the lid. Having once already cashed in on popular children's characters, Bandai is clearly not shy about exploiting its intellectual assets in peddling outdated 8.9-inch 1024x600 displays to the undemanding youth. Only 500 units will be produced, making this a pretty exclusive item and the price is unsurprisingly steep: ¥79,800 ($862). Integrated WiFi and a 1Seg tuner go some way toward rationalizing the cost, but let's be frank, rationality doesn't play a huge role in a purchase like this.

Filed under: Laptops

Bandai RilakKuma netbook suffers from serious supercuteitis originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia's Surge official on AT&T, ships July 19 for $79.99

Nokia's Surge official on AT&T, ships July 19 for $79.99

We've known about Nokia's so-called Surge for months now, but at long last, AT&T has done its duty by making things official and giving us a price and release date to consider. The Symbian S60-based smartphone is aimed squarely at social media freaks, boasting a full QWERTY keyboard, a browser with Flash support (imagine that, right?), a pre-installed JuiceCaster app for easily updating your Facebook / Twitter status and a price tag that's sure to turn heads. For just $79.99 after rebate, you'll also get a 2 megapixel camera, AT&T Navigator, AT&T Video Share and the pleasure of handing over at least $30 per month for a required data plan (if you want the $50 rebate, anyway). If you're sold already, you can get yours on July 19th.

Gallery: Nokia's Surge official on AT&T, ships July 19 for $79.99

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia's Surge official on AT&T, ships July 19 for $79.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence: Why the pen isn't mightier than the keyboard

Entelligence: Why the pen isn't mightier than the keyboard

Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

When it comes to futuristic concepts, few ideas have captured the imagination like pen-based computing. The idea of doing away with a cumbersome keyboard for navigating and entering information has been a Holy Grail ever since Captain Kirk signed his first digital clipboard in space, but here in our century the concept has met with little success. Most recently, Microsoft's Tablet PC operating system has failed to take the world by storm, and lots of platforms, from the Momenta PC and Pen Windows, to the Newton and the PalmPilot, have come and gone while failing to shift the masses from their keyboards. Even smart phones, led by the iPhone, have shifted from being poster children for pen-based platforms to adopting finger touch and virtual keyboards for text entry.

Continue reading Entelligence: Why the pen isn't mightier than the keyboard

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Entelligence: Why the pen isn't mightier than the keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To savvy digital mktrs "reach+frequency" are euphemisms for how many users you beat on the head with ads and how often - http://bit.ly/VPTEW

I know I am wasting my ad dollars, but ... http://bit.ly/15pui5 - audiences can't be re-aggregated, and don't need to be anyway.

Friday, July 10, 2009

a pocket-sized camera that I lust for (1 of 3) Casio Exilim EX-FC100 -- 1,000 fps super hi-speed shooting -- http://bit.ly/LBquN

MIT researchers weave "flexible camera" out of fiber web

MIT researchers weave "flexible camera" out of fiber web

We've see liquid camera lenses and cameras shaped like an eye, but a group of researchers from MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering are now taking things in yet another shape-shifting direction with a so-called "flexible camera" that uses a special fiber web instead of traditional lenses. Those fibers are each less than one millimeter in diameter, and are comprised of eight nested layers of light-detecting materials, which the researchers are able to form using an extrusion process like that used to make optical fiber for telecommunication applications. Once weaved into a fabric, the researchers say the "camera" could be anything from a foldable telescope to a soldier's uniform that gives them greater situational awareness. Of course, they aren't saying when that might happen, although they have apparently already been able to use the fiber web to take "a rudimentary picture of a smiley face."

Filed under: Digital Cameras

MIT researchers weave "flexible camera" out of fiber web originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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a pocket-sized camera that I lust for (2 of 3) Sigma DP2 FOVEON X3 (2,652 x 1,768 x 3 layers) RGB captured PER pixel - http://bit.ly/1VEwkl

Smaller social networks are losing even the few users they have... http://bit.ly/TZgen

ASUS U50VG announced, naming scheme remains impenetrable

ASUS U50VG announced, naming scheme remains impenetrable

Coming in today with no less than five new laptops -- the U50VG, K50AB, K70AB, K50IJ and F52Q -- the king of market segmentation is clearly still in good form. Announced in Italy today, the main attraction for Intel fans is the U50VG, which sports a 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T6500 chip alongside 4GB of memory, 250GB storage, and a Geforce G 105M for a price of €943 or $1,320. A backlit chiclet keyboard, WiFi and a 16:9 display stretching to 15.6-inches fill out the spec sheet. The AMD-based AB variants are 15.6 (€793 / $1,107) and 17.3-inches (€868 / $1,212) respectively -- their main attraction being an ATI Mobility Radeon HD4570 purring inside -- whereas the latter two models are targeted at the budget-conscious crowd. Click through for exhaustive specs and info on each model.

[Via Slashgear]

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS U50VG announced, naming scheme remains impenetrable originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: MSI's skinny X600 laptop gets handled

Video: MSI's skinny X600 laptop gets handled

It's been a little while since we'd heard anything about the super-slim MSI X600 -- part of the X-Slim lineup they've unleashed upon the world. NewGadget's gotten their hands on one, and it's looking pretty sexy, we have to admit. We already know that there will supposedly be two offerings for this 15.6-incher -- one with a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Solo processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive, and the other with a 1.2GHz Intel Celeron processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. We still don't have official word on US release or pricing, but the video's after the break.

Continue reading Video: MSI's skinny X600 laptop gets handled

Filed under: Laptops

Video: MSI's skinny X600 laptop gets handled originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Black, White Or Combo

Black, White Or Combo

Veteran at YD, designer Mac Funamizu has given us many techie ideas to dwell on in the past. This time around he's come up with a non-techie solution for those who are fussy about the kinda pepper they use. There is a difference in the Black and White peppercorns, which is why this Black & White Peppermill. Color-coded as the namesake, just load the peppercorns into their respective compartments and use one hand to grind the seasoning over your food.

Grind Black, White or both together…..as per your taste! A cute little salt shaker in the center completes the spice family.

Designer: Mac Funamizu

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Black & White With Salt, Black And White Peppermill by Mac Funamizu

Altoids Tin Catapult Will Make You Feel, and Act, 10 Years Old Again [DIY]

Altoids Tin Catapult Will Make You Feel, and Act, 10 Years Old Again [DIY]

Here's an Instructables to bring back the obnoxious kid that lives not so far down in all of us: Learn how to turn one of those miniature Altoids tins into a tiny catapult. It'll be fun for nobody but you.

We like Instructables like this one because not everyone has a damn laser cutter lying around, and this one only requires materials you've likely got lying around anyway (coat hanger, rubber band, spoon, etc.). The creator promises it'll only take about 10 minutes, and we promise it'll be fun for at least 11. [Instructables]

F88 netbook stands out with HD playback, VIA Nano

F88 netbook stands out with HD playback, VIA Nano

What do we have here then? An OEM netbook, looking remarkably like a recent ASUS iteration, has come to our attention with some bold claims in tow. Spec'd with a 1.6GHz VIA Nano processor and S3 Chrome 9 graphics, this promises to be one of the most potent netbooks yet and backs up that claim with up to 4GB of memory and 500GB of storage. The major attraction of all this extra juice is full 1080p video playback, which is somewhat confounded by the 1024 x 600 resolution and 10.1-inch screen, but can be pumped out to an external display via HDMI. Expect this to be rebadged and hitting store shelves some time soonish, at which point we may consider the distinction between netbooks and laptops entirely academic.

[Via liliputing]

Filed under: Laptops

F88 netbook stands out with HD playback, VIA Nano originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, July 09, 2009

a pocket-sized camera that I lust for (1 of 3) Casio Exilim EX-FC100 -- 1,000 fps super hi-speed shooting -- http://ping.fm/2hyni

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