Gadgets Control

by Chris Ziegler, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 2:35PM An all-too-brief, all-too-fuzzy video of a device alleging to be none other than HTC’s Dream has surfaced on YouTube, showing a white smartphone of healthy size running Android and sliding horizontally to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. From what little we can make out, we’ve got to say that it’s not the sexiest thing we’ve ever seen — and the Dream has been so built up in our minds at this point that we’re expecting to have our socks knocked off hard by the time it’s officially unveiled. The silver lining here might be that the phone in the video bears an uncanny resemblance to a “reference design” made by “a partner” of Google’s that was demonstrated by none other than Google’s own Andy Rubin back in February of this year. (Read the full post about ‘HTC Dream, or just some reference design, shown off on video’…)

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by Ryan Block, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 4:41PM Just an FYI to the CPU geeks in the house: if you’ve been following Nehalem, you can officially start calling it Core i7 (which means that it’s not getting the code name we all thought it’d carry: Core 3 Trio Quad Duo Pro Extreme Edition). (Read the full post about ‘Intel: oh yeah, and we’re calling Nehalem Core i7′…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 5:19PM 2008 has been somewhat of a banner year for 3D, but the brilliant minds at MIT are already working up a system that’ll put U23D to shame. Hailed as a “super-realistic image system,” the invention produces “6D” images that not only have a full three-dimensional appearance, but also “respond to their environment, producing natural shadows and highlights depending on the direction and intensity of the illumination around them.” Without relying on electronics or active control, the process could be used to produce images with an “unprecedented degree of realism” — resulting in something associate professor Ramesh Raskar calls the “ultimate synthetic display.” As expected, initial applications for the ultra-pricey ($30 per pixel, currently) system revolve around digital signage / advertising, but it’s really just a matter of time before Six Dimensions of The Jonas Brothers hits a cinema near you. (Read the full post about ‘MIT conjuring up 6D “super-realistic” image system’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 5:19PM 2008 has been somewhat of a banner year for 3D, but the brilliant minds at MIT are already working up a system that’ll put U23D to shame. Hailed as a “super-realistic image system,” the invention produces “6D” images that not only have a full three-dimensional appearance, but also “respond to their environment, producing natural shadows and highlights depending on the direction and intensity of the illumination around them.” Without relying on electronics or active control, the process could be used to produce images with an “unprecedented degree of realism” — resulting in something associate professor Ramesh Raskar calls the “ultimate synthetic display.” As expected, initial applications for the ultra-pricey ($30 per pixel, currently) system revolve around digital signage / advertising, but it’s really just a matter of time before Six Dimensions of The Jonas Brothers hits a cinema near you. (Read the full post about ‘MIT conjuring up 6D “super-realistic” image system’…)

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by Darren Murph, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 1:17PMThough we expected Dell’s ruggedized Latitude E6400 ATG to have already launched by now, we suppose late is superior to never. As of this very moment, said laptop is available to order from the outfit’s Small & Medium Business division, and the baseline machine comes with a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU, Vista Home Basic, a 3-year warranty, 14.1-inch WXGA LED-backlit (and outdoor viewable, too) display, Intel’s GMA 4500MHD graphics, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, an 80GB 5,400RPM hard drive, 802.11b/g and a built-in combo drive. The machine we just described can be ordered up for $2,399, but those with a higher spending limit can opt for integrated WWAN, a 64GB SSD, a respectable amount of memory and a 2.8GHz T9600 processor. (Read the full post about ‘Dell rugged Latitude E6400 ATG laptop now available to order’…)

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by Paul Miller, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 10:21AM Granted, we’re biased, but it seems to us that Ben Heck’s PS3 Laptop could teach this young pretender a thing or two. That said, this here 3 month project by PS3HaX modder “Pirate” utterly unscoffable, and certainly wins some points for that LED-lit window up front. He’s hoping to build another version now that he’s worked out the kinks in the 1st gen model, and plans to work in more portability and slimness into the new version. Hey, maybe he could slap on a cellphone and a touchscreen while he’s at it? Just riffing here. Video is after the break. (Read the full post about ‘Another PS3 laptop hits the scene, but can it stand up to the master?’…)

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by Paul Miller, posted Aug 10th 2008 at 7:10AMIt’s been a real roller coaster ride of emotions with SSD. The once lauded (at least in our hearts) savior of all things computing has, in real life, provided us with lackluster and even controversial performance gains, while battery improvements haven’t been revolutionary and the prices still aren’t exactly wallet-friendly. Most of that is unlikely to change in the next couple of years, but there’s still plenty to be fixed in the short term. Samsung is working with Microsoft to define optimum packet sizes and best practices for reading and writing files to SSD as a potential update for Windows Vista, which is particularly optimized to work best with traditional hard drives. (Read the full post about ‘Vista, OS X updates could bring significant SSD speed gains’…)

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Hobos might pretend they don’t mind their cardboard homes, but we’re smarter than that. We can see right through their booze-ridden glazed eyes and garbage can stench. Of course, they would much prefer an alternative to cardboard. Perhaps a material better insulated from the elements of nature. Buried deep in the hobo culture is a sub-branch of homeless life. This hobo demographic is known as the rag pickers. They run around cities, gathering any recyclable material they can muster and turn them in for pocket change. These hobo’s are actually providing a service. They are inadvertently producing a green environment. Wouldn’t it make sense to aid them in any way we could? (Read the full post about ‘Shelter Cart: Live like a luxorious rag picker’…)

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The Smart Shopper is the electronic gadget for shoppers who can’t live without their lists. Here’s how it works in a nutshell: say the item in the Smart Shopper, it records it and then you can print out the list on the built-in thermal printer. Smart Shopper has a built-in database of over 2500 common items, and you can add your custom items as well. It also has voice-recognition to understand what you’re telling it. At over $100, Smart Shopper is not cheap, but if you account for saving gas and time in not having to make return trips to the stores, then this could very well pay for itself before you know it. Gimme! (Read the full post about ‘Smart Shopper - say, record and print your shopping list’…)

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Toyota announced The Winglet - Personal TransporterAug 09, 2008 Only a year after taking control of Sony’s robotics business, Toyota announced a mechanized vertical scooter. This personal transporter was intended to help people move about in public areas.

It was called the Winglet because of its fleet nature. It is the first gadget to duplicate the celebrated, navigation system of Dean Kamen’s Segway Transporter.

However, this scooter is not up to par to the Segway in speed or ruggedness. The new Segway model can go up to 12.5 miles/hour, and the slightness of the Winglet’s frame probably wouldn’t survive a Police chase.

According to Toyota, they will test three different models at Japanese airports later this year. (Read the full post about ‘Toyota announced The Winglet - Personal Transporter’…)

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