Gadgets Control

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 15th 2008 at 12:36AM You know how Go nerds are always going on about how magical they are since supercomputer AI hasn’t yet cracked the ancient board game, and rarely beats even an average Go player? No? Maybe those are just our nerdy friends. Well, those folks can wipe the smug grins off their faces as they’re faced with the sobering reality of defeat: Dutch supercomputer “Huygens” has defeated a human Go professional in an official match at the 24th Annual Congress of the game Go in Portland, Oregon. The newly-minted supercomputer was aided by the recently-developed Monte-Carlo Tree Search algorithm, a whopping 60 teraflops of processing power and a considerable 9 stone handicap. (Read the full post about ‘Supercomputer Huygens beats Go professional: no one is safe’…)

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At this point, although it still has not been officially confirmed we are fully expecting Sprint to release an HTC Touch Diamond in the near future, however these latest images are showing off a newly colored red Diamond. Of course these are likely to be nothing more than a Photoshop hoax, so use your best judgment as to whether they are real or not. Personally they look a bit faked, but considering how many other handsets are appearing in various colors lately, you never know for sure. The latest rumored availability date we have come across is August 28, hopefully (for Sprint users) this date will hold true. Read [SprintUsers Forum] Via [EngadgetMobile] Keep up with the latest gadget goodne (Read the full post about ‘Will the Sprint branded HTC Touch Diamond be red?’…)

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by Joshua Topolsky, posted Aug 15th 2008 at 8:46AM
According to hot, hot reports from the interblogs, interwebs, and yes — internets — Sony has made some shocking changes to its mylo 2. Did we say shocking? We meant not shocking. At all. Apparently in an attempt to re-market (and thusly sell) the odd little handheld, the company has begun branding the gadget an “Internet Device” as opposed to its previous (circa 2006) title of “Personal Communicator.” We’re all for the new convention (we love the hell out of new names) but it remains to be seen what kind of effect, if any, it will have on the gadget’s not-so-hot sales. The next step? (Read the full post about ‘Sony’s mylo 2 magically transforms from ‘Personal Communicator’ to ‘Internet Device’’…)

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Here is a new e-book with some appealing features that the Kindle does not offer: the Ectaco jetBook allows readers to use, search and have dictionaries in multiple languages. The interface is available in English, Russian and Polish, with built-in translation dictionaries for this three languages. It does not use E-ink but instead has a 5-inch TFT VGA reflective monochrome screen which helps with low light reading (but supposedly consumes more power). For more features comparison with the Kindle check out Ectaco’s comparison page. The absence of a wireless connection is the downside of the jetBook, meaning users cannot access their RSS feed, unlike the Kindle which runs on EVDO. (Read the full post about ‘ECTACO jetBook, Kindle killer? Still Needs Wireless…’…)

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New PC’s may be a little more energy friendly thanks to a new component by Intel. The Remote Wake technology will initially be supported by services including Cyberlink, JAJAH, Orb and Pando. The biggest advantage behind the technology is that computers will be able to remain in a sleep mode, but then wake up to be accessed by a VoIP phone call or request for media as needed.

Typically, if you use your computer to handle VoIP phone calls or you like to remotely access the media on your computer over the Internet you normally have to keep your computer on all the time. Naturally, this wastes energy since you are effectively only turning on the computer to remain in a standby mode. You can read more about what the other services are doing with the technology from the Cyberlink, JAJAH, Orb and Pando press releases.

I think many people take for granted the amount of power a single computer uses. On the surface it may not seem like a lot, but just imagine thousands and then millions of computers remaining on simply to be accessible for VoIP calling and media access. This technology can have an impact on the future energy needs of the country. Of course, it will take a few years before enough people have them to make a huge dent.

Read more from the Intel website.

Tags: MP3, gadgets, gadgetry, wi-fi

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Bigfoot here. Bigfoot big fan of Wired and Gadget Lab. (Bigfoot even do own wiring for press conference!) Bigfoot want make this press release and say that reports of Bigfoot death are greatly exaggerated. (Bigfoot also have advanced degree in American Literature. But Bigfoot student loans are worse than writing Master’s dissertation on Atlas Shrugged. Ugh, what Bigfoot thinking?) Now you click on image below to read full press release. CLICK! Or Bigfoot rip arms off! Just kidding, Bigfoot gentle wood ape; he no hurt fly! (Read the full post about ‘Bigfoot Issue Press Conference: Bigfoot Not Dead, Bigfoot Love Gadgets’…)

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Remember books? You know, before the internet was big and people read stuff on paper? Well, if you want to be a true gadget geek you have to go beyond reading blogs, says Inside Tech’s Eric Dahl. And he’s compiled a list of 50 "must read" books every geek should read. Rather than barrage you with all 50 titles, I thought I’d pluck out a few that I think Gadget Lab readers would especially enjoy: The Evolution of Useful Things, Henry Petroski A fascinating read that explains the origins of everyday objects and why they’re designed the way they are: Think zippers, forks and paper clips. Zippers are pretty freaking amazing when you think about it. (Read the full post about ‘Cheat Sheet: Inside Tech’s ‘50 Books Every Geek Should Read’’…)

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Hmm, they say that talking to your plants can be therapeutic - both for you and the plants themselves. Well, why not hook up a MP3 recording of your voice to the Sonic Impact Planter Speaker? That way, you can continue “pampering” your plants with your soothing voice even when you’re not around thanks to modern technology. Those who have not fallen that far down the rabbit hole can instead use these Planter Speakers to enjoy a spot of Mozart or Bach while gardening. Each planter comes with 35 watts of sound and are waterproof (duh!), more than capable of handling the harsh outdoor temperatures. Green fingers are not included with each purchase. (Read the full post about ‘Sonic Impact Planter Speaker’…)

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I don’t know if there is any serious need for this USB Indoor/Outdoor thermometer, but at $22 a pop, surely there isn’t much harm in trying to give this a go? Below are some of the specifications before you make up your mind on getting one. Temperature Range - Inner: -40° ~ 120° Temperature Range - Outer: -50° ~ 150° Temperature can be captured from every second to 12 hours So now you’re the office’s walking encyclopedia when it comes to the temperature, both within and without. Too bad it can’t tell the chemistry level between you and that hot new colleague who’s sitting in a cubicle opposite you. (Read the full post about ‘USB Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer’…)

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Thanks to some recently uncovered pages on the Palm.com website, it seems like the upcoming Treo 850 will actually be the Treo Pro. Of course, as you would imagine, a leaked page like this will quickly be taken offline, which will only further add to the speculation, but thankfully there are some screenshots showing off the new Treo Pro. These images certainly look quite a bit like the previously leaked images of the Treo 850, and we must say its a nice looking Treo. The few details that we can gather from these images further seem to support the theory that the Treo 850 is the Treo Pro, those specs include a reset button, 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a wireless button on the side with a power button on top. (Read the full post about ‘Palm Treo 850 or the Palm Treo Pro?’…)

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