Gadgets Control

While the product name is of the above, I think it is more of a nixie digital clock - perhaps something got lost in the translation somewhere? Anyways, the entire row of red LEDs are embedded within each “test tube”, all hooked up to a wooden stand to make this an interesting conversation starter. Not only are the hours and minutes displayed - even the seconds are also up for all and sundry to see. The Test Tube Digital Clock retails for $75 (including shipping) - pretty pricey if you ask me, but it isn’t something you can just buy off the shelf either. (Read the full post about ‘Test Tube Digital Clock’…)

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Microsoft has outlined plans to support both Ruby and Python scripting languages in Silverlight 2, giving developers an alternative to Javascript and introducing ARAX and APAX alongside the standard AJAX.

The new client-side scripting capabilities were outlined by Brian Goldfarn, group manager for Microsoft’s developer division. During an interview given late last week he said:

What we’ve done through Silverlight is to make it possible to use Ruby or Python as an alternative to JavaScript for building the same types of applications … All the browser needs to have is Silverlight installed and then developers can take advantage of these languages.

By introducing support for these new scripting languages Microsoft is hoping to open up the platform to new developers and make their work easier.

(Read the full post about ‘Silverlight 2 will add Python and Ruby support’…)

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After finding out that the majestic VLC had been ported to the iPhone last week, we’ve been intrigued as to just how well the open source media player would perform on the hardware. We know that the iPhone can play video — it’s one of the major features, and we know that it sits atop a Unix core, which means that any and all video codecs that run on a desktop Mac should theoretically work on the iPhone. VLC was originally developed as a video streaming solution (the full name is Video LAN Client) by students of the École Centrale Paris, consisting of both client and server applications. Now, though, it is a full open source project and is better known as the go-to app when you have a video file that just won’t play anywhere else. (Read the full post about ‘Hands On With VLC4iPhone And ZodPlay’…)

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Canon has announced its latest entry level dSLR - the EOS Rebel XS which will see it oust the Rebel XT and Rebel XTi. As with any other new device, you can find improvements - although the degree of it could vary. In this case, they’re pretty minor - a 2.5″ LCD display, an additional 2 megapixels to 10, a 7-point autofocus system, an unlimited burst rate of 3fps, an improved battery live and the XSi’s Live View feature that makes it a snap to view a shot via LCD instead of on the optical viewfinder. There is no word on pricing, but chances are the Rebel XS will fall under a similar price range as its predecessor. It is already available in Japan, but those living across the Pacific will have to wait until July. (Read the full post about ‘Canon introduces EOS Rebel XS’…)

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O2 in the UK has announced new tariffs for the 3G iPhone, adding “Pay & Go” and corporate plans to the mix. And in doing so, any skepticism that the new iPhone would be subsidized has evaporated. The biggest news is that, if customers sign up for either the £45 ($90) or £75 ($148) per month plans, the 8GB iPhone comes free — just like a regular phone. To get the 16GB handset free, you need to opt for the top of the line £75 rate. Even on the lower tariffs the iphone is subsidized, as you can see in the table above. For just £30 ($59) a month, a fairly standard rate in the UK, you pay £100 ($197) for the phone and still get unlimited data. O2 has thrown existing iPhone owners a bone, too. (Read the full post about ‘O2 Announces Free 3G IPhones and Pay As You Go’…)

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by Paul Miller, posted Jun 10th 2008 at 1:19PM HP decided to show off its new wares in Berlin — which is a rather strenuous yacht trip from the Engadget HQ, or so we hear — but was kind enough to throw up a few pictures of the new gear in action. The TouchSmart 2 is a particularly interesting product in light of Microsoft’s newfound emphasis on touchscreens in Windows 7. This could be a sign of things to come, or just a fun little approach to the all-in-one desktop for the here and now, but either way we’re rather curious as to what makes a second human necessary in the operation of this unit. What is your purpose, Mr. Blue Shirt man?Gallery: TouchSmart 2 in the wildPermalinkEmail this23 Com (Read the full post about ‘HP’s TouchSmart 2 in the wild’…)

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by Paul Miller, posted Jun 10th 2008 at 10:06AM Sure, we’ve sized these two up theoretically, but how well do Voodoo’s Envy 133 and Apple’s macbook air get along when sharing the same meatspace? There are certainly some striking similarities — both have gargantuan trackpads, for instance, but Voodoo has taken things in an aesthetic direction all its own. (Read the full post about ‘Envy 133 and MacBook Air duke it out in the flesh’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 10th 2008 at 8:21AM Over at HP’s Connecting Your World event, there’s a lot more to see than a new color-critical display and ultrathin all-in-one PC. More specifically, the outfit has rolled out 16 new laptop models, so we’ll just cut right to it. Up first is the business-centric EliteBook premium series, which now arrives in a new slate of sizes and configurations. You’ll also find a new selection of Pavilion Entertainment notebooks (dv4, dv5 and dv7) with ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection, and there’s even a few HP Compaq Presarios (CQ45, CQ40 and CQ50) out there with a fresh “industrial design and HP Imprint 2 surface finish.” As you can imagine, there’s far too many hardware specifications to cover in this space, so bury your face in the read link for more details on the whole July-bound lot. (Read the full post about ‘HP goes wild: 16 new business / consumer laptop models’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 10th 2008 at 8:00AM Quite a bit of time has elapsed since we last saw fit to mention MusicGremlin on these pages, but the long-lost outfit has found itself relevant again thanks to SanDisk. Announced today, the latter firm has acquired the former, and we’re told that the acquisition will (expectedly) fall under the Sansa audio / video business unit. According to Daniel Schreiber, general manager and senior VP of the aforesaid unit, MusicGremlin’s “digital distribution platform and capabilities will provide SanDisk with adaptive and innovative technology that will play a key role in the development of future Sansa products for consumers,” though he didn’t elaborate much beyond that. (Read the full post about ‘SanDisk acquires MusicGremlin, slips it in front pocket’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 10th 2008 at 6:40AM Color-critical displays have been around for ages — you’ve just had to look really hard and break out some serious change in order to claim one. Now, however, HP’s aiming to make a professional display that’s actually somewhat affordable for the layman, and that monitor is the DreamColor LP2480xz. Checking in at 30-inches diagonal, this LED-backlit monster provides “a range of more than 1 billion colors” and “achieves more than 64 times the colors available on mainstream LCDs.” It was designed in collaboration with DreamWorks Animation and comes bundled with the HP DreamColor engine software and calibration kit. (Read the full post about ‘HP gets color-critical with 30-inch DreamColor LP2480xz LCD’…)

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