Gadgets Control

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 19th 2008 at 12:08PM Yeah, we get it, those arcade glory years were indeed glorious, but we’re a bit past the point of needing a retro cabinet at home large enough to house an entire army of quarter gremlins just to rock a bit of MAME standing up. Retro Space chucks the cabinet chubbiness, keeps all those mashy buttons, robust joysticks and spinny white ball things we know and love, and adds in a full-powered PC and a 24-inch 1920 x 1200 LCD. It’s a tad bit boxy, but we’ll probably manage to overlook that for another decade or two. (Read the full post about ‘Retro Space arcade cabinet dispenses with (most of) the throwback formalities’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Aug 19th 2008 at 9:22AM Okay, pretend you had absolutely no inclination that this so-called KickStart was real. Surprise! E-tailer expansys has spoiled RIM’s thunder (no silly, not that Thunder) by posting up detailed product pages for both the BlackBerry 8220 (WiFi) and BlackBerry 8210 (GPS). The current specs list points out a 2.6-inch 320 x 240 primary display, 160 x 128 pixel secondary display, 2-megapixel camera (with LED flash), video recording and a microSDHC slot. (Read the full post about ‘BlackBerry 8220 / 8210 KickStart outed, but not by RIM’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Aug 19th 2008 at 10:25AM Ask any animation modeler about the “uncanny valley,” and you’re sure to get at least a grimace, if not a groan. Said term describes the long-standing barrier which refers to the perception that “animation looks less realistic as it approaches human likeness.” Image Metrics is hoping that a newfangled approach used to create Emily (pictured) will finally allow animations to look more like humans and less like “corpses.” As you could probably surmise, the secret is the tech’s ability to survey and replicate the most subtle of movements, though even Raja Koduri, chief technology officer in graphics at AMD, doesn’t see the line between reality and fiction being blurred before 2020. (Read the full post about ‘New modeling technology breathes life into animation’…)

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The trouble with trying to save energy is that we don’t really know how much we actually use.  I mean, I get an energy bill every month, but what good is that information in real-time? I suppose this is why devices like the EnergyHub were created.  This UMPC looking device puts the energy consuming information in the hands of the user. (Read the full post about ‘EnergyHub puts Energy efficiency in your hands’…)

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Pixlr, a program from Sweden that some compare to Photoshop Express, is a web-based photo editing software that really holds it’s weight.  When you click on the Pixlr.com link, you will immediately be brought to the site and invited to “jump right in” and begin using the software. Flash based, it is actually really rather simple to use for anyone even vaguely familiar with photo editing. It has some of the same options that you’ve probably seen if you have worked in PE, though I certainly wouldn’t go so far as to put them in the same class. The windows can be moved anywhere in the open space that you like, and you also have the option of moving the toolbars wherever you are comfortable positioning them (same as Photoshop). (Read the full post about ‘Pixlr is a great free online photo editing program’…)

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IPods aren’t just a hot item in the United States; they’re hot enough in Japan to cause fires, according to Japan’s trade ministry. The Japanese government cited overheating ipod nanos as the cause behind three fires. The trade ministry believes the overheating is due to a battery defect in the nanos. Apple has not provided an official statement regarding the incidents, but the Japanese government said Apple reported two cases where people suffered minor burns, according to a Reuters story. "We are not in the position to speculate on the outcome of the investigation. But after several incidents like these, it would be appropriate for Apple to take some measures to raise the public’s awareness," a trade ministry official told Reuters. (Read the full post about ‘Japanese Ministry: iPod Nanos Causing Fires in Japan’…)

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Lenovo is taking a new mobile Internet device, the IdeaPad U8, to the Beijing Olympics. The device is about the size of a Sony playstation Portable, with a similar shape, and has a 4.8-inch touch screen. It weighs 12.3 ounces and has Wi-Fi, EDGE access, two cameras and up to 2 GB of memory. It also supports mobile TV, GPS navigation and has free live coverage of the games through China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting. The IdeaPad U8 will be available either in all black or a black-and-silver finish. But for the Olympics, Lenovo has created a special commemorative edition that has bright red, yellow and pink stripes on the back. (Read the full post about ‘Lenovo Ultraportable Makes an Olympic Debut’…)

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Japan is offering the Nintendo-nostalgic a Mega Man energy drink to quench their thirsts for the past. Selling for ¥137, or about $1.25 a can, the official Mega Man drink (aka Rockman in Japan) promotes the ninth installment of the 21-year-old video game series. Capcom has slated Mega Man 9 for a September 2008 release. The Mega Man energy drink’s can design is based on the energy capsule that the Mega Man character consumes to rejuvenate special weapons and health. Maybe I should order some of these to recover my soul after writing for an automotive web site last year. Neer. (Read the full post about ‘Japanese Energy Drink Promotes Mega Man Sequel’…)

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Intel has a new vision for the future, and one of them is a mobile mood ring concept that is able to recognize a person from the heartbeat, speech pattern, movements and appearance, helping keep your private information by blocking it from others who it does not recognize. This same device could see use at hotel desks int he future, where checking in will allow this mobile mood ring to run a scan through you, automatically sending your personal preference in room temperature, TV channels and special requests to your suite before you even go up the lift. In addition, this ring is able to track your mood as well as the moods of others, warning you if somebody you don’t like is in the area. (Read the full post about ‘Intel Mobile Mood Rings’…)

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Some people think that solar panels are part of the solution to our energy problem, while another team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) thinks that a solution may be right underneath our feet or, more accurately, beneath our cars. A WPI research team is advancing the idea of using heat absorbed by pavement as an inexpensive source of electricity and hot water. The idea has already been patented by Novotech, Inc. whose president, Michael Hulen, requested that WPI take on the project to perfect the technology.

The research behind the idea of using pavement to generate energy was presented by team members earlier this week at the International Society of Asphalt Pavements in Switzerland.

(Read the full post about ‘Roads could be a new source of energy’…)

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