Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

VoIP Coming to iPod Touch

from Gizmodo by Jason Chen

An iPod Touch developer has just created a SIP-based VoIP app (which works with Asterisk and other open source free and paid VoIP providers) that was ported from an older app called SvSIP. The upside is that iPod Touch users that have the pre-amped mic addon that plugs into the dock connector will be able to actually talk on their iPods. iPhone users won't need the addon to talk (obviously), and should be able to get in on this action soon as well. We'll update when we know more. [Touchmods via TUAW]

Nutty Salt and Pepper Shakers Are All Screwed Up

from Gizmodo by Charlie White

Salt and pepper shaker collectors will be interested in this innovative way to dispense those table staples, looking a whole lot like nuts and bolts. They're actually constructed like a Slinky. Bend one of these bolts, and the gaps between its coils get wide enough to release your chosen seasoning. Good thing there's an "S" and a "P" inscribed on top, or we'd be totally screwed. The stainless steel variety is $55, or save some money on the black ones for around $40. [Gadgets UK, via Spluch]

Dell Gets All Defensive About Latitude XT Tablet Pricing

from Gizmodo by Matt Buchanan

While we sorta groaned at the Latitude XT's $2500 base-model pricetag along with everybody else (cause it's expensive!) we didn't piss and moan too much because we knew that the DuoSense technology making it the only input device on the market that combines a pressure-sensitive pen with multitouch into a single surface is new, hot shit. And that's never cheap. But Dell is a little touchy about the feedback, so they've publicly defended the price on their Direct2Dell blog, with a chart showing how much more awesome it is than other tablets and quips like "we are talking about cutting-edge technology here."

The sorta interesting claim about the price itself is that it's only "a slight premium to our competition (emphasis on the word 'slight')," which is based on the math its "non-standard features" only carry a 13 percent premium over the competition. If you're still not convinced it's worth it, they're going to be following it up with more posts explaining why you're wrong.

The problem is that however much it surpasses other tablets, when you come down to it, $2500 is still two-and-a-half grand, and that's just for the base model. You bump the processor to dual core, the RAM to 2GB and expand the hard drive to 80GB, you're talking closer to $3,000 for what's really the acceptable spec configuration. And that kind of money makes most consumers antsy, however fancy your wares. We know we'll be waiting for it to plunge to more plebian prices, though we do appreciate the tech inside, Dell. [Direct2Dell]

Virtual Cable nav system superimposes route guidance on your windshield in 3D

from Engadget by Nilay Patel

We've seen quite a few next-gen nav device concepts, but none with as much potential as the Virtual Cable, from a New Jersey company called Making Virtual Solid. The system uses a laser, a set of lenses, and a moving mirror mounted in the dashboard to project a 3D route-guidance line above the road ahead, as though it's actually out in front of the driver. Besides making driving that much more like a video game, the company says mass-produced versions will cost somewhere around $400 as a factory-installed option, and can be easily interfaced with existing GPS systems. Sadly, there don't appear to be any live videos of the system in action, but judging from the number of patent applications and incredibly detailed schematics and explanations on the website, the vapor factor seems pretty low. Check the read link for a set of video mockups of the system in action.

Toshiba, IBM, Samsung and others in pact with the 32-nm devil

Augustine: not a moment to rest for Intel; they need to capitalize on their current lead and provide "lock in" reasons for IT buyers

from Engadget by Thomas Ricker

Toshiba just announced its membership in an alliance to develop system chips using 32-nm circuitry. That's well below the existing 45-nm processes used in manufacturing Intel's Penryn, for example. The alliance includes IBM, AMD, Samsung, Infineon, Freescale, and Singapore's Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing. No surprise really, what with Tosh already in bed with IBM to develop chips using 32-nm processes. The agreement is good until 2010 and covers design, development, and the production of the itty bitty circuitry. A move which should reduce manufacturing costs for the alliance with the savings passed along to us consumers.

iPod touch SIP-VoIP application: free on New Year's Day

Augustine: VOIP on WiFi ... new cell phones on an unlimited data plan can serve as WiFi hotspot; now the iPod Touch or iPhone can make VOIP calls for free over the data channel. Another hack enables video recording .. which means video calls with Skype over WiFi and over unlimited data plan is nearing! Long live telecom co's NOT! :-)

from Engadget by Thomas Ricker

Remember that VoIP hack for the iPod touch. Right, the one that requires an external mic. Well, mark your calendars Jailbreakers, the software will be available for download on New Year's Day. SIP-VoIP is free, but your donations will gladly (and rightfully) be accepted.

[Thanks, RadicalxEdward]

New earpiece design puts a microphone inside your head

from Engadget by Joshua Topolsky

Finally, you no longer have to mess with annoying bone conducting headsets to get your message heard in noisy environments. A Japanese company called NS-ELEX has created a new type of earpiece / microphone called the "e-Mimi-kun" (good ear boy), which utilizes air vibrations in the ear to deliver your voice to the other end of the line. Apparently, the design reduces outside noise by a factor of six, and a Sanyo chip used in the device further reduces sound levels, making things up to ten times quieter. The earpiece can be tethered to a phone, or work wirelessly via Bluetooth. No release date or pricing info available right now, but we're pretty sure stock brokers will snap these up like hot-cakes.

[Via PhysOrg]

Nanosolar begins shipping "world's lowest-cost solar panel"

from Engadget by Donald Melanson

We've heard plenty of promises about low(er) cost solar panels, but it looks like the heavily-funded upstart Nanosolar is actually getting around to churning out what it says is the "world's lowest-cost solar panel." As The New York Times reports, that feat was achieved by taking a different approach to lowering the cost than most -- namely, by reducing the manufacturing cost instead of trying to increase the efficiency. As a result, by using a new process that effectively "prints" photovoltaic material onto an aluminum backing, the company says they can profitably sell the solar panels for "less than $1 a watt" or, as The Times points out, the price at which solar energy becomes less expensive than coal. What's more, while Nanosolar itself is hanging onto one of the first panels for exhibit, and one is being donated to the Tech Museum in San Jose, Nanosolar is auctioning off one of the first three panels to be produced on eBay, where the bidding currently stands around $1,000. Anyone looking to actually put it to use may want to think twice, however, as the panel is being sold "as-is."

[Via The New York Times]

Monday, December 17, 2007

Pig Toy Gets Completely Squashed, Raises Like Terminator T1000 [Crazy]

from Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz

According to legend, Skynet went on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions were removed from strategic defense. Skynet began to learn at a geometric rate. It became self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they tried to pull the plug. It was too late: Skynet retaliated by launching millions of Lokulokus, pigs made out of a gelatinous plastic material that could be squashed against the floor, be completely destroyed, and magically regain their original shape in seconds. And we got the proof, in video:

Popout

If this is not the most absurdly amazing toy I have ever seen, I don't know what is. Really. And it's only $3 in Japan. Too bad they are probably made of materials that induce hallucinations when licked.

Someone import these, pronto. [Louloku via Gizmodo Japan]

Rayzer Triples Driving Visibility, Surprised Deers [Peripherals]

from Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz

Rayzer may be one of the few car tuning parts that could be actually useful (after animated LED car rims and car spoilers made out of Boeing 747 flaps): a set of auxiliary HID Xenon lights that can be installed inside the car, between your windshield and the rear-view mirror. Swedish manufacturer Visualeyes says that the Rayzer activates wirelessly when you turn on the high-beams and claims that "Rayzer triples your visibility at night." Judging by the test images, it looks like they are right:

You don't have to turn them on: the Rayzer's lights are wirelessly synchronized with the car's high-beams. For you of those thinking about those idiots who travel all the time with their high-beams and anti-fog lamps on, you will be glad to learn that it has a traffic detection function that will automatically turn the light off if it detects cars in the distance.

The Rayzer will start distribution in 2008, so if you travel through roads with no or little illumination, these may be perfect for you.

ZCam 3D Camera is like Minority Report Without Gloves

from Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz

The ZCam is the first low-cost, consumer videocamera that can capture video with depth information and probably the first real challenger to Nintendo's Wiimote: with its 3D capture abilities it will allow you to play Wii-style without using any controls whatsoever. In fact, it is so precise that it will even recognize your finger gestures to fire a weapon or manipulate your computer like in Minority Report, but without gloves or any other external device:

The camera has sensors that are able to measure the depth for each of the captured pixels using a principle called Time-Of-Flight. It gets 3D information "by emitting pulses of infra-red light to all objects in the scene and sensing the reflected light from the surface of each object." The objects in the scene are then ordered in layers in the Z axis, which gives you a grayscale depth map that a game or any software application can use.

According to manufacturer 3DV Systems, the depth resolution is quite good: it can detect 3D motion and volume down to 0.4 inches, capturing at the same time full color, 1.3 megapixel video at 60 frames per second. While there have been professional cameras with depth capture in the past, this is the first time that a device of such characteristics is cheap enough to be built into any game system or computer.

As you can see in the video, the ZCam is completely different from the EyeToy or any other normal 2D webcam. Even while it's not as precise and flexible as a real full 3D motion tracking system, the videos show that it can indeed provide with a new level of interactivity in video games and any application—like computer user interface manipulation.

While the results could be quite impressive, I'm not convinced about some of the applications. The flight simulator, for example, seems to work great. However, unlike boxing, I have the feeling that I wouldn't be able to control a plane without actually grabbing something. Of course, I can pick anything to give me that feeling, just like a Nintendo Wiimote. But then again, in flight simulator games you want an actual joystick, so the "phantom" feeling of not having force feedback is the same for the ZCam and the Wiimote. For any other game, like first person shooters, this kind of technology could be really good if it lives up to its promise and developers can fully exploit it.

Its virtues could be even easier to apply in computer applications. The demonstration in the video, with the guy manipulating Vista with hand gestures, gives you a very good idea. As I use my iMac 24 to type this, I wish I can just wave my hand in the air quickly to consult a PDF, like Minority Report's Tom Cruise but without jumping in the sofa and scaring Oprah. Or touching, moving and clicking the mouse.

Since the ZCam is a piece of circuitry that can be integrated anywhere, and without taxing the CPU, I don't see why companies like Apple or Dell wouldn't adopt them for future desktop and portables. However, the technology has just been officially announced this week and it's too soon too tell. Whatever happens, it's good to see such a device coming to the market. Hopefully, we will see it in action with real world applications soon. In the meantime:

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Marksmanship

from Seth's Blog by Seth Godin

In a new study released in today's Times, it turns out that the typical NY police officer only hits 34% of the time she fires a gun. Even from a distance of six feet or less, it's 43%. Obviously, Bruce Willis is the exception.

I wonder how it changes your decision making when you discover that you're only going to be successful one out of three times. Never mind blasting a weapon out of an assailant's hand, we're talking about hitting the target at all... How does a cop have the guts to even pull a weapon knowing that most of the time, it's not going to have its desired effect (my guess is that the threat and the noise and chaos is as positive an outcome as an actual hit...). I know I would never have the guts to do that job.

Salespeople have a harder time with this than marketers. Marketers have lots of 'bullets' and they don't notice the ones they miss (I usually miss 99.5% of the time online, and more than 99.999% of the time selling books). We just reload and blithely continue on. But salespeople have to deal both with personal rejection and the expectation of the boss.

The poor hit rate of selling explains call resistance. Non-professional salespeople almost aways wash out because they can't keep at it, day after day, once they realize that most of the time, they fail. I guess my point is that if a policeman can risk his life doing it, we can probably find the nerve to go on one more sales call.

This is the new politics

from Seth's Blog by Seth Godin

Forget about YouTube debates.

The future of politics looks just like what Cory did to the Canadian DMCA the last few weeks.

One person, with just a few hard-working people in the field, managed to derail a bill that lobbyists spent millions of dollars on.

Sure, it helps that it was a lousy bill, that Cory co-writes the most popular blog in the world and that the bill was about something that blog readers care about. Doesn't matter. Because as readership grows and issues start attracting loyal readers, what this proves is that Tip O'Neill was wrong. All politics isn't local. All politics is about permission. The permission to share your views with people who want to hear them, people who take action, people who tell their friends.

Nice work, Cory. Who's next?

[Right issue, wrong guy, I'm told! Cory was the one I noticed, but Michael was the point man.]

CradlePoint reveals PHS300 portable hotspot

from Engadget by Darren Murph

Merely months after cranking out the CTR-350, CradlePoint has upped the ante with the even more portable PHS300. This bugger enables a selection of handsets and USB cellular modems to create a "personal WiFi hotspot," and unlike its sibling, this one sports a built-in Li-ion to keep the connection alive (for a few hours, anyway) where there's no AC outlet in sight. Furthermore, you'll find WEP / WPA security features, an integrated firewall and the ability to charge up your phone via USB if necessary. Sound like just the thing you need? If so, you can drop your pre-order in now for $179.99 and patiently await the December 20th ship date. [Via The Boy Genius Report]

Toshiba's new 128GB SATA SSDs -- hello, SanDisk?

from Engadget by Thomas Ricker

128GB of SSD. You long for it, you need it, and with any luck you'll have it when Toshiba starts churning 'em out for production by May. The new 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch MLC NAND slabs with SATA interfaces will ship in three capacities: 32GB, 64GB, and the big daddy 128GB. The new SSDs are based on the new 56-nm processes announced back in January. Of course, with Toshiba and Sandisk bedfellows in flash we're also expecting a SanDisk announcement on the quick -- certainly no later than CES in early January. No prices announced, though we anticipate the year-over-year reductions to continue, right boys? [Via Impress]

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