Friday, January 11, 2008

Hitachi CP-A100 Projector Shines a 50-Inch Screen From 15 Inches Away [Ces 2008]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/214665143/hitachi-cp+a100-projector-shines-a-50+inch-screen-from-15-inches-away

The Hitachi CP-A100 ultra short throw projector here is rigged up to a touch-motion interface. Sitting at the edge of the table with a lens mounted about 15 inches from the screen, casting a 50" diagonal picture, in this case, a computer screen showing Google Earth. Tabletop applications are only the beginning—the XGA LCD-based projector casts a 120" screen from just three feet away. [Hitachi]

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Ortery's Photosimile 5000 Creates Professional 3D Images From Physical Items [Photography]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/214704650/orterys-photosimile-5000-creates-professional-3d-images-from-physical-items

The Photosimile 5000 is a professional office photography machine that is able to take professional 3D images from physical products/people placed in its central chamber. The imager work by utilizing a camera running along a rail, which can take a number of user defined images that are then translated into one unified 3D photo. The device can only capture the uppermost half of the item in the central cage, as the camera rail does not run along the base; however, the item being captured is rotated in 360 degrees, meaning the resultant snapshot can be viewed from all angles. Check out the video to see it in action.

The Photosimile 5000 will be able to output GIF and flash files, and the camera can be removed and replaced, if needed. There is no distributor in the US, and the guys at Ortery were unwilling to provide a price range for the Photosimile 5000, but it looks really promising nonetheless. [Ortery]

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Jawbone whips CES into a nerd frenzy with free headsets

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/214575419/

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Jawbone's giving away free headsets to anyone willing to trade in their old one here at CES -- which means they've accumulated an impressive collection of busted old headgear from nerds around the world. Check a few more pics of dudes waiting around for free stuff at the read link.

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Penryn-based Mac Pro gets benchmarked

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/214613866/

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It's just been a short two days since Apple rolled out its latest Mac Pro update, but that was apparently more than enough time for the folks at Primate Labs to get their hands on one and put it through its paces. They only got the 2.8GHz model, however, so they weren't quite able to fully back up Apple's claims that it's the "fastest Mac ever," but that's not to say they didn't find plenty to be impressed with. In particular, while the new system trailed the older, 3.0GHz model in floating point performance, it edged it out in integer, memory and stream performance -- a feat all the more impressive considering the new 2.8GHz Penryn system is a fair bit cheaper than its speedier predecessor. Of course, those less concerned with saving a few bucks can opt for the new, top-end 3.2GHz model, which should give you plenty of benchmark bragging rights until Apple dishes out its next update. [Via AppleInsider]

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Microsoft CES fashion show flaunts (some) good looking gear

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/214714614/

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Not content with Apple's design team running circles around the PC world, Microsoft has created a team dedicated to helping OEM manufacturers make their boxes less beige and boring. Ingredients may include: aluminum, leather, carbon fiber and, uhh, cow fur. Microsoft held a fashion show at CES this year to show off the fruits of the PC world's collective efforts, and luckily betanews was there to nab some shots (like the one above). While we're not quite ready to say we're looking forward to more cow fur laptops, recent PC designs like the XPS One give us hope for the future of the beige box. [Thanks, Shyamal]

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Tuesday, January 08, 2008

TV star publishes bank details in anti-privacy editorial, gets ripped off

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/213014874/tv-star-publishes-ba.html

Jeremy Clarkson, a presenter for Top Gear on British TV, wrote a newspaper editorial that accused privacy activists of being hysterical over giant data-leaks (such as the British government repeatedly losing CDs bearing the financial details for 25 million households). To prove that identity theft wasn't a big deal, he included his bank account details in the article.

Whereupon someone promptly began making fraudulent withdrawals from his account.


Clarkson, 47, writing in his column in the Sunday Times, decried the furore last year after CDs disappeared containing the banking details of 7 million families.

The loss led to fears of mass identity theft with people's bank accounts open to internet scams.

At the time he wrote: "I have never known such a palaver about nothing. The fact is we happily hand over cheques to all sorts of unsavoury people all day long without a moment's thought. We have nothing to fear."

However, yesterday he told readers he had opened his bank statement to find a direct debit had been set up in his name and £500 taken out of his account.

"The bank cannot find out who did this because of the Data Protection Act and they cannot stop it from happening again," he said. "I was wrong and I have been punished for my mistake."

Link

(Image: crop from Books, a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike photo from William Hook's Flickr stream)

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Panasonic 150-Inch Plasma Next To That Tiny 103-Incher From Last Year [Big Tv Watch]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/212953404/panasonic-150+inch-plasma-next-to-that-tiny-103+incher-from-last-year

panny150-inch_display.jpgWant some perspective on that Panasonic 150-inch plasma display? Here it is with a human standing next to it, flanked by Panasonic's largest TV shown at past CESes, a 103-incher. So if you like your TVs as big as a queen-sized bed and capable of displaying an elephant in actual size, you may now begin your five-year wait for it to become available, if you can save your money fast enough. UPDATE: video here and a bonus elephant pic on the next page!

DSC_0153.JPGMaybe someone really would want an elephant in the living room. Well, now it's perhaps someday kinda almost possible, in the fantasy world of Panasonic's gigantic CES plasma displays!

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Mitsubishi Laser TV's Colors Look Even Juicier Than the Girls on the Set [HDTVs]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/213083195/mitsubishi-laser-tvs-colors-look-even-juicier-than-the-girls-on-the-set

lasertvmitsu.jpgMitsubishi put together quite a spectacle to introduce its Laser TV last night at the Moon Nightclub at The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, unveiling a 65-inch rear-projection set that uses a unique laser backlight. The result is some of the most vivid color we've ever seen on any TV, especially the primary colors of red, green and blue. The blacks were midnight-dark, too, and there was even a 3D version of the TV (goofy glasses required) that only made us slightly cross-eyed. Mits officials said to look for the TV to appear on the market "later this year" at an undisclosed price, and added that it will cost about the same as flat panel TVs of the same size. On the next page, let's explore how this laser backlight works and gawk at a slightly NSFW gallery.


When pressed for details, they kept repeating their mantra about laser being the "purest light source," but from what we could see, we think it must have something to do with hot-looking dancing girls, frickin' lasers, smoke and maybe even mirrors. We were taking shots of the TVs, but all these women kept getting in our way. Oh, well.

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Mitsubishi laser TV unveiled

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/213019999/

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Tonight at the Moon Room on the top floor of the The Palms Hotel & Casino overlooking Las Vegas, Mitsubishi unveiled its laser HDTV. As expected, Mitsubishi kicked off the event with a few execs expressing their love for lasers -- and Mitsubishi in general. They explained that Mitsubishi is a leader in laser technology and owns 75% of the led laser market, so bringing them together with big screen TVs made perfect sense. Then the event went from execs to night club as the curtain was dropped and there were three 65-inch laser HDTVs on display. At first glance the colors were sensational and the contrast was extremely intense; and although we were hard pressed to see anything that struck us as groundbreaking, we'll need to see this side by side with a traditional set to really know what we're looking at. Unfortunately, the event was short on details, such as price or availability, but during 2008 is the time frame Mitsubishi is aiming for.

 

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Forget about the mouse, use your hands with the ZCam from 3DV

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/213118073/

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The ZCam is combination of hardware and software from 3DV Systems. It'll allow you to control the windows on your desktop, simply by moving your fingers (like a poor guy's Minority Report). At the CES they are showing a working prototype (Windows only), which uses USB 2.0 and up to 60fps, and with its 3D recognition technology, the user can bring elements back and forth, and more importantly, play videogames. It is expected to be on the market by the end of the year, for a "competitive price".

[Vía Engadget ES]

Continue reading Forget about the mouse, use your hands with the ZCam from 3DV

 

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Monday, January 07, 2008

Ridata Intros 128GB SATA SSDs, Speeds Past Competition [Ces 2008]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/212379349/ridata-intros-128gb-sata-ssds-speeds-past-competition

ridatassd.jpgRidata introduced three SSDs today, in 32-, 64-, and 128GB capacities. We've seen SSDs this large before, but Ridata claims 170MB/sec read and 105MB/sec write speeds, blowing out their recent competition. Full release after the jump.

Ridata Ramps Up 2.5" SATA SSD Read Speed to Sizzling 300MBPS

Read: Up to 170MB/per sec.; Write: Up to 105MB/per sec.

Available in Up to 128GB Capacity


Diamond Bar, Calif.--Jan. 07, 2008 --Advanced Media, Inc., manufacturer and marketer of the popular Ridata brand of recordable CD and DVD media, electronic storage products, and digital media accessories, announced the introduction of a non-volatile 2.5" SATA Solid State Disk (SSD) that truly burst reads at an amazing rate of 300MB per second. The faster speed Serial ATA (SATA) drive is available in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities.


"SSD drives offer a host of benefits over traditional hard disk drives. Cool and silent running; fast data access times; dependability and resistance to harsh environments make SSD drives a serious contender for virtually replacing Hard Disc Drives," remarked Harvey Liu, Advanced Media President. "The read rate of our 2.5" SATA SSD drive provides users with a phenomenally fast speed. For instance, it reduces boot up and seek times to mere seconds, while installation of new software programs can be accomplished in seconds rather than minutes."


Data Integrity
The Ridata SSD drive is inherently resistant to vibration, shock, and temperature extremes. It is very reliable with more than 4,000,000 hours Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF). Data integrity is further supported by static wearing leveling and Reed-Solomon ECC(RS-ECC 6/8/10 symbols). With a SMART features and write endurance cycle (P/E) of more than 2,000,000 times, the Ridata SSD drive is built to securely write and store critical data.


NAND Flash Technology

The Ridata 2.5" SATA SSD drive is a cutting-edge solid-state flash disk, based on NAND flash technology. It has no moving parts, which allows it to be virtually silent, run cooler, and use less power than a traditional hard disk drive. It is NAND technology that provides the drive's data transfer rates of up to 170MB per second for maximum sequential read.


Using single-level-chip technology, the Ridata SSD drive provides consistent performance, handles operating temperature up to 85˚F, and has extremely low-power consumption in comparison to a traditional hard drive. The Ridata SSD is among the lightest-weight storage drives available. It is excellent for performance-driven and rugged environments, such as laptops, and industrial, professional, and military applications.


Performance

The drive requires only a five-volt power supply. Because of its low-power consumption, user time on a laptop or other mobile computing application is dramatically extended. Having no mechanical parts, low power consumption, and minimal heat generation, the Ridata SSD drive is a natural alternative for a greener environment.


Mechanical
Meeting bus interface industry standard Serial ATA (SATA) ensures there are no host compatibility or upgrading issues. The Ridata drive offers reliable temperature (0 to 70C) and humidity resistance, assuring long-lasting data storage. The 2.5" drives weighs 64.5 grams with dimensions of 101.85 x 69.85 x 9mm.


Availability

The Ridata burst read up to 300MB/ps and up to 170MB sequential read transfer rate 2.5" SATA - as well as its 1.8" IDE - based SSD cards are available through system integrators, selected retailers, and Ridata distributors. Visit www.ritekusa.com for more information.


About Advanced Media (RITEK USA)

Advanced Media, Inc. is a subsidiary of RITEK Corporation, the world's largest optical media manufacturer. Advanced Media is the sole North and South American marketer and distributor of the RIDATA brand of recordable CD and DVD media as well as other types of electronic storage media. , Since its formation in 2001, Advanced Media has experienced phenomenal annual growth and is already a leading marketer of electronic storage products in the American market.


The Ridata brand offers an extensive line of flash memory products including the cutting edge Solid State Drive (SSD) Series and up to 16GB 266X CF Cards. The brand also features USB EZ Drives including the award-winning Yego USB Hub drive and other USB drives such as the Twister USB drive. Ridata's cornerstone products include Blu-Ray DVD series, HD DVD series, DL DVD-R/+R, DVD+/-R/RW, and CD-R/RW


RITEK for years has been defining and redefining the optical storage market. Around the world, its name is synonymous with innovation, quality, and unparalleled consistency. Its ISO 14001, ISO 9001, ISO 9002, OHSAS 18001, and Green mark certification from the EPA prove RITEK's commitment to quality control.

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Slingcatcher: The Ultimate HD Streamer/File Player [Sling]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/212379347/slingcatcher-the-ultimate-hd-streamerfile-player

slingcatcher1.jpgNot only can you use this to play back streamed HD content from the Slingbox Pro HD on your HDTV, the Slingcatcher acts as a file dump for tons of file formats as well (DivX, XviD). The third and most innovative feature of the Slingcatcher is its ability to take video from your PC (either a portion of a screen or a specific window) and stream that to the Slingcatcher. It lets you watch YouTube video, ABC HD video, or anything you can play back on your computer—but on your living room HDTV.

We got a hands-on with it earlier in the week and were pretty impressed. Some scenarios that we can think of are:

• Streaming HD from your DVR in your living room to your Slingcatcher in your bedroom.
• Dumping a bunch of BitTorrented DivX/XviD files onto a USB drive, taking it to the Slingcatcher, plugging it in and watching.
• Opening up ABC HD, turning on last night's Lost, and watching it on the TV instead of the computer.

Convenient! [Slingbox]

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iRiver IAMOLED Photo Tank Is Not Quite Legend But Holds a Lot of Pics [Portable Media]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/212388635/iriver-iamoled-photo-tank-is-not-quite-legend-but-holds-a-lot-of-pics

iamoled.jpgThe Gear: iRiver's IAMOLED Photo Tank is another PMP, but it's HD-based (80 or 160GB) to SPINN's flash, and its 4.1-inch AMOLED display uses even less power than passive matrix OLED displays for longer batt. life. It's photo-oriented, with CF and SD slots, though it also does video voice recording, FM and uses the by-this-post-much-hyped SPINN controls.
The Bleh: No price, and the SPINN (PMP, not the controls) is definitely a sexier beast.

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iRiver Wing UMPC Has Touch Screen, Flash Storage and Super Cuteness [Umpc]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/212451098/iriver-wing-umpc-has-touch-screen-flash-storage-and-super-cuteness

wing.jpgThe Goods: The iRiver Wing is a cute little UMPC with a touchscreen and 4GB of flash storage. It's got Wi-Fi, obviously, and supposedly is instant-on. No word on the battery life. The Bads: It runs Windows CE Pro for the OS, and the keyboard looks like it could be difficult to pound on.

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Sling Modem Combines Cable Modem + Slingbox [Sling]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/212388629/sling-modem-combines-cable-modem-%252B-slingbox

IMG_3032.JPGThe Pitch: The Sling Modem, which is a Slingbox and a Cable Modem combined into one—NOT TWO!!!—gadget. It'll be available directly from cable providers, but no partnerships have been announced yet.
The Catch: You're limited to only one type of Slingbox with this Modem, so you're SOL if you want to get this or that type of box.

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