Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/garmin-asus-announces-windows-mobile-based-nuvifone-m20/
Continue reading Garmin-Asus announces Windows Mobile-based nuvifone M20
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Handhelds
Garmin-Asus announces Windows Mobile-based nuvifone M20 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/asus-eee-phone-on-track-for-later-this-year/
Filed under: Cellphones
ASUS Eee Phone on track for "later this year" originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/netflix-breaks-the-10-million-subscriber-mark-keeps-on-truckin/
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Netflix breaks the 10 million subscriber mark, keeps on truckin' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/12/samsungs-ultra-touch-s8300-handled-ahead-of-mwc/
Filed under: Cellphones
Samsung's Ultra Touch S8300 handled ahead of MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/avOr0_2cNn0/miro-20-gets-streaming-support-new-look
Miro keeps the same video-when-you-want-it features Gina detailed in her tour of the app, and it remains a great way to manage free video feeds, video podcasts, download torrents, and otherwise pipe the web's best stuff onto your screen.
With 2.0, though, the Miro Guide—the universal portal for content that anyone can browse for their media center needs—now includes links to streaming content. That includes shows on Hulu, like, say, Family Guy:
And Miro's team states that 2.0 has been designed "from the ground up" to focus on high-quality, HD content, as demonstrated (kind of) in their demonstration video:
One seemingly basic but big improvement is the ability to pop out a playing video in a separate window, letting you keep browsing or stream checking while your content plays in a resize-ready window:
The Miro team outlines more changes at their blog announcement and on the
What does Miro do well for you, and what would improvements would you like to see? How much net video is making its way into your watching habits these days? Sound off your screen preferences in the comments.
Miro is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.
Once you've installed the script, bookmarking pages in Google Reader is as simple as hitting the F4 key, entering optional comments or tags, and using the Post Item button. If the F4 key doesn't suit your fancy and you don't mind rolling up your sleeves for some minor script editing, you can change the if(e.keyCode != 115) line to use a different keycode. I've found this script incredibly useful for quickly saving bookmarks to read later from one consolidated location—though previously mentioned ReadItLater is a whiz at that sort of thing if you prefer a different approach.
AddTo Google Reader is a free download, requires Firefox with Greasemonkey. Readers using other browsers can get the same functionality in a bookmarklet—just one more way for getting good with Google Reader.
The application handles common audio formats (from MP3 and WMA to WAV and OGG) and boasts a rich set of features: Batch processing, recording, CD ripping/burning, and text-to-speech make this application worth a look for anybody that needs to do some quick audio editing without paying for a commercial application.
Of course, no audio editing post would be complete without mentioning the also-free, cross-platform, and open-source Audacity, useful for anything from removing vocals to creating ringtones from any MP3.
Free Audio Editor is a free download for Windows only.
Free Audio Editor [via Life Rocks 2.0]
Windows only: DVDSmith Movie Backup is terrible for our headline style, since it does exactly what its name implies. It's great, though, for anyone who simply wants to watch a DVD without the disc.
There are just five buttons to click on DVDSmith's single window, and most times you'll only need one. You can choose between "Full Disc," which gets you menus, extras, and the full DVD-watching experience, or click "Main Movie" to grab the longest video and audio tracks. What you end up with on a "Full Disc" backup is a familiar VIDEO_TS folder, wherever you told the app to put it, and a bunch of .vob files, which can be played in most advanced media players like VLC. "Main Movie" does much the same, but with fewer .vob files turned out. DVDSmith is proud to announce on their site that their tool breaks through all the the major copyright protection schemes.
If you're looking for a bit more control over your DVD backups, check out the free, cross-platform Handbrake, our own DVD Rip, or any of our Hive Five best DVD ripping tools. If you're looking for a DVD backup tool an 8-year-old could grasp, though, DVDSmith Movie Backup is worth a click or two.
The first Westmere chips will be the dual-core Clarkdale and Annendale processors, for desktop and mobile uses, respectively. In addition to the 32nm CPU, these chips will feature a 45nm integrated graphics and memory controller. Integration in particular was a big point of emphasis for Intel, and said they plan to continue down this path, because it cuts costs in development and production, and also gets products to market faster. A six-core, 32nm processor (codename: Gulftown), is also planned for a future release.
Also announced early this morning, and reiterated at today's event, is that Intel scrapped plans for refreshed dual-core 45nm processors, Havendale (desktop) and Auburndale (mobile), in favor of the Clarkdale and Annendale processors, for desktop and mobile uses, respectively. Intel said than an "accelerated product ramp" is allowing them to overlap the newer, smaller dual-core chips with the upcoming pair of 45nm quad-core processors, Lynnfield (desktop) and Clarksfield (mobile, and not to be confused with Clarkdale), which will give end-users options when it comes to CPU performance.
It's also interesting to note that normally, most Intel processors are released to the server market first, then go to the consumer PC market for consumption. With the upcoming Westmere processors, Intel will produce the chips for consumer PCs first, marking a departure in strategy for them.
While Intel is probably jumping forward to stay ahead of the pack in a slumping economy, what this means for you, the consumer, is that you'll get better performing processors even sooner than expected, which should be early 2010.
Intel Demonstrates First Working 32nm-based Microprocessor in Both Mobile and Desktop Systems
Feb. 10, 2009 - At a media briefing in San Francisco today, Intel Corporation discussed new milestones for 32nm manufacturing and progress toward future products. Earlier that day, in Washington, DC, Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini disclosed that Intel is making the largest-ever investment in a single process technology in the United States to support upgrades to advanced manufacturing facilities in the country and the move to its next-generation, 32nm chip manufacturing technology. Intel is investing approximately $7 billion in 2009-10 on 32nm manufacturing technology, raising the total by the end of that timeframe to approximately $8 billion (for 32nm investment in the United States).
Below is a summary of the product roadmap news at the briefing in San Francisco:
First-ever demonstration of a working 32nm-based microprocessor:
- Intel is demonstrating the first 32nm working microprocessor in both mobile and desktop systems.
- Great 32nm process and product health are enabling Intel to accelerate 32nm product ramp
– Westmere mobile and desktop processor production in the fourth quarter of 2009
– 32nm enables increased performance and power flexibility
- Intel processors based on Westmere! will ra mp into mobile, desktop, and server segments over time, as the 32nm process rampsFor client, Westmere brings Nehalem through Intel's mainstream processor product line
- Increased performance, smaller processor core size
- New multi-chip package with graphics integrated in the processor
- Repartitioned system architecture, simplified motherboards
- Volume ramp; expect 32nm in server market in 2010Westmere key features
- Intel® Turbo Boost technology
- Intel® Hyper-Threading technology (2 Cores, 4 threads)
- Integrated graphics, discrete/switchable graphics support
- 4MB cache, Integrated Memory Controller (IMC) – 2ch DDR3
- AES InstructionsThe 32nm process with second-generation high-k + metal gate transistor era begins
Intel's strength as an integrated device manufacturer allows the company to continue to deliver new generations of advanced process technology on a 2-year cadence. Intel has developed a 32nm logic technology with industry-leading features:
- Second-generation high-k + metal gate transistors
- 32nm marks the first time Intel uses immersion lithography on critical layers
- 9 copper + low-k interconnect layers
- About 70 percent dimension scaling from 45nm generation
- Pb- and halogen-free packages
GALLERY
END
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/IkhQtttLbNU/rehydr8-water-filter-puts-brita-to-shame
Is it an absurdly eco-friendly and elaborate way to replicate what could be done cheaply with a simple pitcher filter and some cubes of ice? Yes, yes it is. But it sure looks like the kind of water cooler that I would like to gossip around at work. [Yanko via Ubergizmo]
The phone also comes with a full suite of photo-specific features, such as Flickr Uploadr, ShutterSmile (snaps when it detects a smile) and BestPic (takes 9 rapid-fire photos, keeps the best) enhancements, as well as Photo and Video Blogging apps. The geotagging uses aGPS to carry out it's function, has an auto-rotating screen and dedicated camera buttons, but the phone only makes use of an HSPA cellular radio.
The C903 is essentially a lesser-equipped version of the 8.1-megapixel C905, but I prefer the look of the the C903, personally. The phone is expected to hit stores in Q2 2009. [Sony Ericsson via BB Gadgets]
The build is very rough and probably not usable for day-to-day browsing—early reports suggest that the loading time is very long, and that page loading is quite slow—but it should provide a glimpse of where Firefox Mobile is headed, how it will render pages and if its novel control scheme is usable on a device smaller than the N810.
The CAB download is available here, but I had no luck launching the app on my T-Mobilized HTC Touch Diamond variant. Let us know about your successes and failures in the comments. [WMExperts via Slashphone]
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/10/asus-n81vg-first-laptop-with-nvidias-geforce-gt-120m/
Not quite an ultraportable, but not quite a behemoth -- the 14-inch ASUS N81Vg fits nicely between the two laptop extremes, and given that it's the first to house NVIDIA's GeForce GT 120M graphics card, even gamers can feel free to sneak a deathmatch or two in between conference calls. The rig itself can be ordered with one of many Core 2 Duo processors, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, upwards of 500GB of hard drive space, an optional Blu-ray burner, 1.3 megapixel webcam and a battery good for three to four hours. The newfangled 120M GPU features NVIDIA CUDA technology, 32 processing cores, DirecX 10 support, 1080p video playback and 110 gigaflops of computing power. Per usual, ASUS is keeping quiet when it comes to pricing and release details, but it ought not be long now, tiger.ASUS N81Vg: first laptop with NVIDIA's GeForce GT 120M originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/10/verismos-vunow-internet-tv-platform-ambushes-oem-market/
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Verismo's VuNow internet TV platform ambushes OEM market originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/10/regenerative-shock-absorbers-developed-by-team-at-mit/
Filed under: Transportation
Regenerative shock absorbers developed by team at MIT originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/11/sandisk-toshiba-developing-64gb-compact-flash/
We've been following the perambulations of SanDisk and Toshiba's joint efforts for quite some time now -- from their work with "3D" memory technology to their renegotiation after the Samsung buyout debacle -- and all that love resulted in two announcements today: first, the X4 tech that SanDisk acquired when it purchased Msystems in 2006 will be used, alongside the companies' 43nm manufacturing process, to develop 64GB Compact Flash cards as early as the first half of this year. Second, it looks like 32nm X3 MLC NAND is a go, meaning we should see some seriously jacked SDHC and microSD cards in the future. Yes, but will they ever learn to make this exciting?Filed under: Storage
SanDisk, Toshiba hype up X3 and X4 flash tech originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/11/samsungs-tiny-120mbps-wireless-usb-chipset-ready-for-q2-launch/
Filed under: Wireless
Samsung's tiny 120Mbps Wireless USB chipset ready for Q2 launch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/11/irivers-wave-home-wifi-voip-appliance-launches-on-kt-telecom/
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Wireless
iriver's Wave-Home WiFi VoIP appliance launches on KT Telecom originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/10/dells-mini-10-launching-on-or-around-february-27th/
Filed under: Laptops
Dell's Mini 10 launching on or around February 27th? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/10/intel-invests-7-billion-in-stateside-32nm-manufacturing/
You might not be getting you hands on that Calpella any time soon, but that isn't a sign that Intel is backing down -- if anything, the company has big things in store, including a newly announced $7 billion plan to upgrade four of its Stateside facilities so they can start rolling out those new-fangled 32nm chips we've been hearing so much about. This is good news for the struggling American manufacturing sector, and great news for fans of smaller, faster gadgets -- but not particularly great news for AMD, who entered the new year with a $1.4 billion loss and an eroding share of the x86 processor market.Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Intel invests $7 billion in Stateside 32nm manufacturing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read ! ;| Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/10/nokia-5630-xpressmusic-gets-demoed-on-video/
Continue reading Nokia 5630 XpressMusic gets demoed on video
Filed under: Cellphones
Nokia 5630 XpressMusic gets demoed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/10/intel-demos-first-ever-32nm-processors/
Continue reading Intel demos first-ever 32nm processors
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Intel demos first-ever 32nm processors originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
The open-source project was inspired by the popularity of ad-blocking Firefox extensions—Adblock Plus, the perennial Lifehacker favorite, is downloaded over 250,000 times a week—and a desire to put all those blocked pitches to good use. Artists are selected by a team of curators to have their work displayed, and the roster is rotated every two weeks. An interesting twist to the project is that the artists themselves can target sites with their artwork—it'll be up to you to decide why there are photographs of unicorns wearing party hats during your daily reading of the New York Times. Add-Art won't be too tempting to those who ad-block to streamline for speed or memory use, but for those tired of seeing "ONE WEIGHT LOSS RULE" and the like might just enjoy the web a bit more. Add-Art is free, works wherever Firefox does.
Why would you want to strip down an image file? Ask former TechTV host Cat Schwartz, who in 2003 received a rather embarrassing lesson in the power of metadata. In short, a cropped headshot posted on her blog contained an embedded, full-pic thumbnail with, well, a lot more than just a head and shoulders. Even if you're not cropping your mug out of a nude composition, there are others reasons you'd want to remove the metadata from an image. All sorts of information—like exposure time, aperture settings, camera used, and GPS coordinates—can potentially be embedded into an image.
Since the government program's "coupons" (actually magnetic cards) are only good for 90 days, Retrevo matches up those with spare coupons that haven't reached their 90-day expiration date with anyone looking to get one in the closest ZIP code, so the card can be picked up or mailed quickly, if need be. The needers, as you might imagine, outweight the providers at this point, but due to the ZIP code matching, it couldn't hurt to seek one out on Retrevo's site. The link also provides a handy PDF "DTV Survivial Guide" to hand out to your neighbors or relatives with unanswered questions.
Once you've installed and enabled the screensaver—and stepped away long enough for the screensaver to show up—you'll see RSS items show up on the world map in little balloons indicating the origin of the news story. You can customize the items that show up by creating a free account and choosing feeds or tags to display—or add any of your own feeds.
MappedUp is a free download for Windows or Mac OS X only. If you want to learn something instead of reading the news, you can always use Wikipedia as your screensaver instead.
Why no UPS? According to the updates on Simple Tracking, it seems UPS is particularly stingy in allowing access to their API, despite their competitors openness. For most other delivery services, though, Simple Tracking is streamlined. It recognizes the different tracking numbers you paste in automatically and returns results immediately. You can then subscribe to the feed for that specific tracking number to see updates on the status of your package in your favorite RSS reader. You don't even have to copy and paste from emails or shopping sites—there's a Firefox extension that adds a Track XYZ Package context when tracking numbers are right-clicked upon. There's also a phone-friendly version of the site available for on-the-go checking. If you prefer email-based updates, check out previously reviewed Track My Shipments for stop-by-stop updates. Simple Tracking is free, requires no registration for use.
We've featured this application here before, but the initial release had some stability problems (especially for 64-bit users). The latest version fixes those issues and adds a bunch of new tweaks to make your tweaking tasks just a little bit easier, including more personalization, UAC, performance, and network tweaks. The already-tech-savvy might notice that most of these tweaks are available through registry hacks or complicated dialogs, but this application is designed to put every setting into one easily accessible location—and since the utility doesn't require installation it makes for a handy addition to your flash drive toolkit.
Ultimate Windows Tweaker is a free download for Windows Vista users only. Most Lifehacker readers using XP are probably already using Microsoft's TweakUI utility to customize their system.
Photo by Or Hiltch.
Get Rich Slowly suggestions range from a romantic dinner at home to a photo scavenger hunt. The post details a specific romantic dinner that looks great: chicken piccata, a nice but inexpensive wine, and some homemade butter almond cake. It's a good start, but we wanted to mine the Lifehacker hive mind for a few more creative ideas for this weekend, so let's hear your Valentine's plans in the comments.
Once installed, the extension will take you through a wizard that finds your installed media players and sets each file type to your preferred player. The options panel is chock full of configuration settings to customize playback choices, from adding launcher items to your context menu to automatically replacing the inline player with an icon to launch your external player—very useful so you can restart Firefox without affecting media playback.
MediaPlayerConnectivity is a free download for Firefox, but the current versions only work for Windows users—readers using Mac OS X can still download the older versions, but will probably need the Nightly Tester Tools to make them compatible. Update: Looks like it works in Ubuntu as well.
By unlocking the HTC G1 Android phone to work with your iPhone's SIM card. Discounting the cost of the Android phone, the whole process won't cost you more than $25 and won't take more than a few minutes of your time. The detailed walkthrough at Smarterware is a breeze to follow along with, so if you're dying to make the iPhone-to-Android switch, check it out.
As a sidenote, Smarterware is the new home for the general musings of our very own Gina Trapani when she's not writing her new feature series of the same name here at Lifehacker. We strongly recommend you add a new feed to your newsreader.
For example, if you're staring in the face of numerous duplicate contacts that should represent the same person, the built-in contact merge feature in Google Contacts is a must. Just find the duplicate contacts, tick their checkboxes, and click "Merge these contacts...." Easy peasy. To manage your contacts, either head to the Contacts page in Gmail or to the unadvertised standalone site. Thanks Michael!
Even though Nikon's had the same lens mount for decades, their low-end DSLRs require on-board AF motors for auto-focus, which limits your choices. And any 35mm Nikon prime lenses (the 50mm equivalent for a DX camera's smaller sensor) around before were either too old or too expensive, and the second best choice was from Sigma. You could pick up an actual 50mm f/1.8 for under $100, but on a DX camera, that will get you an 85mm portrait lens and not the 50mm normal you would want.
But here, for around $200, you get a lens that's multiples faster at f/1.8 than, say, the D60s standard-issue f/3.5-5.6 cheapo zoom, that can shoot the limited depth of field for blurred-out backgrounds that are also impossible on the kit lens.
Plus, you'll learn good composition about 10x faster with a prime than you would with a zoom. So, in short, if you have a low-end Nikon DSLR with only a kit lens, make this your next purchase. [Nikon Product Page via BBG & Wired]
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/tnUm_jjcvxk/vudu-box-drops-to-150-leaving-us-confused
We love Vudu—we have yet to see a video-on-demand interface as user friendly, and an internet-based service so smooth. (Hint: Peer-to-peer sharing and local hard drives are both big helps.) But in the past half year, the company has gone through two rounds of layoffs, and the remaining warm bodies are focused on a third-party software for existing devices (like, hopefully, Xbox 360 and other consoles!!). This is probably what they should have been building in the first place. So when we hear there's a sale, we don't think "success"—we think "going out of business."
At this point, Vudu says it's still all good, though. Not only is the basic high-def Vudu HD box going to be selling at Best Buy and other retailers for $150, but its pricier custom-installer XL box is dropping to $500 (if you can find one). The wi-fi bridge connectivity kit is now going for $80. This is all allegedly because the company is benefiting from successful holiday season, increased movie revenues and a lower cost of parts and manufacturing. No matter what the real reasons are, it's not a bad deal, especially considering that the Vudu delivery service will probably be around long after the actual hardware is.
Press Release:
VUDU CUTS RETAIL PRICE IN HALF TO $149New Price Puts World's Largest HD Library and Highest Quality On-Demand Picture in Reach of Wide Consumer Market
Santa Clara, CA, FEBRUARY 10, 2009 – VUDU, Inc., a leading provider of digital technologies and services that deliver entertainment over the Internet to consumers' HDTVs and ! Home The aters, today said it has lowered the price of its on-demand Internet movie player to just $149. Available at Best Buy, audio video retailers, and online, VUDU HD is the only solution on the market to deliver weekly new releases from all the major studios, the largest HD library, the highest quality HD picture quality with HDX, local movie storage and the ability to access popular Internet content directly on the TV.
"We are reaping the rewards of success in the retail channel over the holidays, lower component prices and higher movie revenues. The combination of these factors has enabled us to lower the price of VUDU and bring it within reach of more consumers," said Edward Lichty, VUDU's EVP of Strategy. "This is exciting news for the Internet to TV content delivery market. In just a year, we've been able to drive down the price of the product by 50 % while increasing image and sound quality, growing our content library to more than 13,000 movies and TV shows, building the world's largest HD library of more than 1,300 titles, and providing access to free Internet content."
In addition to the VUDU HD, the company said it is reducing the price of VUDU XL, VUDU's home theater product sold through professional custom installers, to $499. The new VUDU XL bundle, which can store five hundred purchased movies, will also include at no extra cost a home theater connectivity software package that previously retailed for over $100. VUDU's no-hassle wireless kit, available at Best Buy, other retailers, and at www.vudu.com, has also been reduced to $79.
In the past year the company has achieved a number of milestones and introduced several groundbreaking features and service enhancements. The company secured a nationwide distribution agreement with Best Buy, announced the largest HD library in the world and introduced the pioneering HDX format, which offers the highest quality picture of any on-dem! and serv ice.
The company also recently launched the VUDU RIA platform, an open platform that can bring Internet content, from video, music and photos to games to social networking applications, directly to the TV, all easily accessible using your VUDU remote control with no need for a PC.
About VUDU:
VUDU is a leading provider of digital technologies and services that deliver Internet entertainment to consumers' HDTVs and Home Theaters. VUDU's 1080p Internet Movie Players, the VUDU HD, VUDU XL and VUDU XL2 are designed to deliver tens of thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows directly to HDTVs. All versions support native instant start HD as well as movies in highest quality HD format available, HDX, and automatically upscale standard resolution movies. All movies are displayed in 1080p resolution at 24 frames per second, the cinematic gold standard.Through relationships with every major US movie studio and more than 40 independent studios and distributors, VUDU offers a vast array of on-demand choices at the highest quality. The VUDU collection is constantly updated, and newly released movies from major studios are available on the same day as the DVD is released. Consumers can finally watch great movies without the hassles associated with traditional services:-no driving, no mailing, and no monthly fee. For more information, visit http://www.vudu.com/.
Sushi is the greatest food on this earth, hands down. Some Tokyo filmmakers decided to place a digital camera on a sushi conveyor belt, following its journey from chef to customers. Sake nigiri, now?
Dennis Wheatley and Stefan McClean were sitting in a sushi bar trying to figure out how to film things all by themselves. This film is the result, and this, Jeremy Piven, is how the sushi feels when you're stuffing your face full of it. [Serious Eats]
There's a company called Rosum who has been working on this technology for a while, and is finally getting some headway. Their goal is to help devices that spend all or most of the time indoors enjoy the benefits of global positioning. They're currently focused on integrating their TV-assisted geo-location into femtocells—without a GPS lock, these internet-connected cellular repeaters are useless, even though they're totally meant for use indoors.
By locking onto the timecode embedded in TV signals from known locations, they can get a fix. As you probably know, wi-fi networks mapped by Skyhook use this same basic concept. Rosum likes TV signal because it's especially strong, it penetrates walls, and "it's roughly 12,000 miles closer" than GPS.
Anyway, it's all a heady business, so head over to Ars if you want the 202. The point is, everything can be used to get a fix on your location, and in the future, everything will. [Ars Technica]
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