Thursday, November 15, 2007

Zune people: we hear you, expect more coverage soon

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So yesterday I posted a look at the new Zune device and software, which caused quite a stir with the (as I suspected it might). Ok, I'm sugarcoating it. Some went ballistic over my criticisms of the new products -- and took it out on me, often personally.

There are lots of things I'd like to remind these people of. Like, besides the fact that it's just a product, I (and Engadget) have been a vocal advocate of Microsoft's entry into the space since before the Zune was ever announced. We led the charge in press coverage of the Zune last (and for a while the Apple fans even called us Zune fanboys). Nothing's changed though, we're critical of all this stuff, and whether some people believe it, we don't easily let Apple off the hook either (read our iPhone review and iPod touch review if you want to dig in). If we didn't care about -- or hated -- the new Zune we wouldn't waste our time telling Microsoft how to get it right, we'd just ignore the thing and you wouldn't see any risky, critical editorial. (Believe it or not, PR agencies by far prefer negative reviews than having their product ignored.)

The thing is, we have high expectations of companies like Microsoft because we know that they can deliver. And you have high expectations for us for the same reason. We get that, so we'll be posting further, deeper Zune coverage this week.

Just two things you need to know: first, don't expect our thesis to change. We're disappointed by the Zune, but only because we were hoping that MSFT would blow it out this time and really raise their game like they did with the Xbox 360. We definitely see the improvements -- and that's important -- but we'd be lying to you if we didn't think there was a lot that could be better.

Second, abusive comments are why I closed yesterday's Zune thread; it's no secret we moderate comments, and even shut them off completely when things get out of control. Cool down, don't take this stuff personally, be reasonable, lay off the personal / ad hominem attacks and Apple-bias stuff, and we can all have a fun, productive conversation about the gadgets we love (or at least want to make better).

-Ryan

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

[via] Engadget

OLPC XO and iRobot Create brought together for telepresence hack

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While the project is still classified as "ongoing," Damon Kohler nonetheless looks to have made some considerable progress in his OLPC XO / iRobot Create combo, which together forms a makeshift telepresence robot. Among other things, if you decide to build your own, you'll apparently be able to control the robot via a web interface, and make use of the OLPC's webcam and microphone to monitor its surroundings. Some of the more recent additions include some text-to-speech capabilities to totally freak out your pets, and a high-tech night vision system (pictured above). If that's enough to tempt you, hit up the links below for the complete details on how to put together your own.

[via] Engadget

Wendy's and Rhapsody giving away 100 million songs, plus a few players

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It looks like Rhapsody could soon be seeing a pretty big increase in traffic, as the company has just teamed up with Wendy's to give away up to 100 million free song downloads. To get in on that action, you'll have to purchase a medium or large-sized combo meal between now and December, with which you'll receive a code that'll entitle you to a free song download of your choice. What's more, you'll also be able to enter the "Combo Up to Download" sweepstakes, which'll give you a shot at a 50-song download bundle from Rhapsody, or one of one hundred SanDisk Sansa e280R Rhapsody players. Those that frequent Wendy's on a daily basis apparently won't be able to take full advantage of their fast food ways, however, as the promotion is limited to just 25 downloads per user.

 

[via] Engadget

Sony, NXP get official with Moversa joint venture

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Chances are, you had forgotten all about Sony and NXP's little initiative to cooperate on a NFC (near-field communications) standard, but the two seem to have finally worked out all the kinks and are ready to move forward. The joint venture, dubbed Moversa, will seek to "drive global adoption of contactless smart card applications in mobile phones," and it's already planning to develop, produce and market a Universal Secure Access Module (U-SAM) that "incorporates both MIFARE and FeliCa operating systems and applications." Essentially, the duo is hoping to accelerate the adoption of integrated contactless support, which would enable users to make payments (among other things) easily via their handset. If you're curious about availability, we're hearing that samples should be shipped out in mid-2008, but commercial deployments aren't scheduled to happen until the end of next year.

[Via Yahoo / Reuters]

 

[via] Engadget

Samsung's Q1 UMPC down to $580

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We aren't generally ones to pass along gadget deals, but every so often an opportunity pops up that just seems too interesting to ignore. Merely 1.5 years after the highly-anticipated Q1 hit shelves for $1,100, the UMPC is available now (in refurbished fashion) for nearly half of that. Granted, you won't be buying Sammy's latest and greatest Q1, but maybe that inexplicably short battery life won't bother you so much when you're only shelling out $579.99. So, now that this thing has reached new lows (in price, that is), will you finally buy in, or will you try and squeeze one more year out that Newton?

[Thanks, Ben]

 

[via] Engadget

Archos working on SIM card-equipped players?

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There's not a whole lot to go on here, but according to France's Challenges magazine, Archos is set to further expand its linup-up of players next year with some new SIM card-equipped models. While there's no indication that the devices will actually double as a phone, you will apparently be able to at least get in some 3G-enhanced web browsing, which would certainly be more convenient (albeit pricier) than tracking down WiFi hotspots each time you're out and about. Also according to Challenges, it seems that both France's SFR and Neuf-Cegetel are "starting to look very closely" at Archos' gear, although that's obviously still as up in the air as the rumored device itself.

[Via Archos Lounge, thanks JohnBe]

 

[via] Engadget

Honda unveils production version of the FCX fuel-cell hybrid, the FCX Clarity

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We've been tracking Honda's FCX fuel-cell hybrid on and off since we first heard about the concept way back in 2004, and it looks like a lucky few will finally be able to get their hands on one soon -- the company unveiled the production version of the car, the FCX Clarity, at the LA Auto Show earlier today. While it's not clear if the zero-emissions whip still sports that hydrogen-fuel-station-finding GPS system, you'll still be able to get the "gasoline-equivalent" mileage of 68mpg combined city / highway -- but you'll have to extra-special to do it, since Honda is only leasing around 100 of the vehicles to buyers who live near one of its three hydrogen fuel stations in southern California. The rest of us will just have to struggle along with our super eco-friendly Hummer limos, we suppose.

 

[via] Engadget

Packard Bell unveils Compasseo 700-series GPS units

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Packard Bell's latest trio of Compasseo navigators aren't likely to thrill any Americans, but for those camped out on the other side of the pond, you could certainly find some utility here. The flagship model in the 700-series (the 780 T+) sports a 4.3-inch LCD, 400MHz CPU, 2GB of SDRAM, a battery good for around three hours, NAVTEQ maps covering all of western Europe, speed camera alerts, TrafficLive Plus, built-in media player, a SiRFstarIII GPS chipset and a MMC / SD expansion slot. As for the 750 T+, it steps it down by only including 256MB of SDRAM and maps that cover just the UK / Ireland, while the low-end 750 strips away the live traffic support. We're not seeing any hard pricing details just yet, but word on the street has the forthcoming trifecta arriving soon for £129.99 and up.

[Via Pocket-Lint]

 

[via] Engadget

Cambridge SoundWorks intros i765 radio / iPod dock

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Those looking for a few more features than your standard iPod dock has to offer may want to take a gander at Cambridge Soundworks' new i765 system, which packs in a CD / DVD player and a radio in addition to the usual accommodations for your iPod of choice (including the touch and other recent models). That DVD player, of course, means you'll also be able to hook the unit up to your TV, although it appears that you'll have to make do with either s-video or composite cables. Otherwise, you can expect a sizable LCD display that provides track details, along with a standard remote control, and a built-in powered subwoofer that Cambridge Soundworks claims will help to deliver "rich, natural sound" that's capable of "filling any room of the home." All that sound doesn't come cheap, however, with this system setting you back a full $500.

 

[via] Engadget

Dell's Latitude XT and XPS ONE make first public appearance

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Dell fans, we've got some juicy meat for you to sink your teeth into. During Michael Dell's keynote address at Oracle OpenWorld today, the company unleashed (or at least demoed) its forthcoming all-in-one PC, creatively named the XPS One. Of course, we've been hearing rumblings about the One for some time now, but Dell also whipped out its sparkly new Latitude XT tablet, which should please all the Gatesian types out there who think TPCs are the future. But wait -- there's more! The new Latitude isn't just some plain-jane scratchpad. Besides being the thinnest in its 12.1-inch, convertible category, and having a screen which is 25-percent brighter than the competition... it's multi-touch. At the keynote, the Dell folks demonstrated a multiple-finger paint program, which lets you draw five simultaneous lines, and also showcased a Surface-like photo viewer which allows you to scramble, resize, and generally get physical with your fond memories. Check the pictures of the tablet in action after the break and feel its magical vibes.

[Thanks, Tim]

Continue reading Dell's Latitude XT and XPS ONE make first public appearance

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

[via] Engadget

Sony unveils new high-end pro HDV camcorders


Those looking to drop as much coin as they can on HDV gear have always turned to Sony, and the company is back for more with two new high-end 1080p HDV cameras, the $10,500 HVR-S270U (pictured) and the $6,850 HVR-Z7U. Both models feature interchangeable Carl Zeiss lenses, Sony's 1/3-inch ClearVid CMOS sensor that offers 1.5 lux sensitivity, 24p and 30p modes, and support for recording directly to CompactFlash or an optional hard-disk recording attachment. The miniDV-only HVR-Z7U features HDMI output, while the HVR-270U bumps up to HD- or SD-SDI output and can also take full-size DVCAM tapes. Sony also released $5,540 HVR-M35U HDV deck that accepts both miniDV and full-size tapes, and features a 2.7-inch preview LCD. All this gear is expected to hit in February -- just in time for that IMAX happy slapping documentary you've been planning. Pictures of the HVR-Z7U and the HVR-M35U after the break.

Continue reading Sony unveils new high-end pro HDV camcorders

 

[via] Engadget

The 10-inch Eee PC, hiding in plain sight?

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Rumors of a 10-inch Eee PC continue to fly fast and furious, and as we were trying to piece together the various contradictory statements from Asus and other sources, we happened to notice these pictures from Computex that clearly show an Eee PC model "1001," encased in a slightly larger form factor with -- you guessed it -- a 10-inch screen. Now, all the other rumors we've heard involve stuffing that larger screen into the existing 7-inch 701 form factor, so this could be an entirely different branch of the Eee tree, but it's definitely interesting that Asus hasn't been talking about the 1001 much at all -- you'd think that it would at least rate a passing mention during the hoopla of the Eee launch, but we haven't heard a peep. Check some more pics -- including one of the entire Eee lineup at Computex including the 1001, at the read link.

 

[via] Engadget

Slacker gets official on Portable Player, Premium Radio Service

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Looks like Slacker's on the move -- remember those guys? They're the ones with the customizable streaming radio stations that intend to distribute dynamic audio streams by way of internet and satellite. The sat option's not quite ready yet, but the Portable Player is well on its way. The details:
  • It'll be available in 15 (2GB), 25 (4GB), and 40 (8GB) station capacities. (Station capacity is how Slacker gauges storage. Each station carries with it a slew of tracks). Prices are $200, $250, and $300, respectively.
  • 4-inch screen with touch strip and scroll wheel. (Sorry, not a touchscreen, though, nor is it intended for video playback.)
  • The device uses WiFi to connect directly to content, and MTP over USB connection. You can do your thing without using a machine, but if you want to use USB you won't have an easy time using it on non-Windows platforms.
  • It supports MP3, WMA, and AAC playback. The music you sync from the stations is kept in "hidden" storage in DRMed AAC. No, you're not at all allowed to try and grab at this content.
  • 10 hours battery life with removable li-ion battery
  • Premium Radio Service is available for $7.50 per month, enabling unlimited track skipping, ratings music and banning tracks or artists, station sharing, and ad-free station streams
More on this thing soon!

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

[via] Engadget

Zune "Citron" just an employee perk, nothing to see here

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Sad news for the folks out there with a thing for yellow: Zune PR folks have confirmed to us that the yellow "Citron" Zune that was unearthed in the Zune 2.0 software is nothing more than a limited edition employee perk, similar to the pink and orange Zunes that surfaced during the launch of the original. Think you'll be able to manage without the forbidden fruit, or is it petition time? We're undecided, must be the time of year.

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

[via] Engadget

ONFi 2.0 sets the stage for 133MB/sec NAND performance

Flash memory just keeps getting bigger, faster and more irresistible -- and that's just the way we like it. Now, the Open NAND Flash Interface (ONFi) working group is announcing the availability of the 0.9 draft of the ONFi 2.0 specification to member companies, which is a tell-tale sign that the updated spec will be officially loosed in just two months. What's important here is the newly defined NAND interface, which promises to deliver up to 133MB/second compared to the 50MB/second that the legacy NAND interface is limited to. As if that weren't enough to get you all jazzed up, ONFi 2.0 will also be backwards compatible, and infrastructure is reportedly in place to "reach 400MB/second in the third-generation." And just think, soon you'll be chuckling at yourself for asserting that 133MB/sec was "quick" -- onwards and upwards, we say.

 

[via] Engadget

More on Zune 80 delays -- available December 12th?

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We've got a bit more clarity on the Zune 80 shortages. According to the cats over at Zune Scene, The Zune 80 is 6 weeks behind schedule. That gels with a tip we just received from a supposed Best Buy employee. According to Mr. Tipster, Best Buy's system shows a December 12th in-stock date for the 80GB Zune. True or not, one thing is certain, the current top-o-the-line Zune is not to be found.

Update: As tipster Derrick points out, the December availability matches the "early December" time frame of the 80's availability on the Zune Originals site.

Update 2: Everybody hurry, tipster Ira just placed a single, Zune 80 onto a shelf at a Montana Wal-Mart! Picture after the break.

[Thanks, Daniel C.]

Continue reading More on Zune 80 delays -- available December 12th?

 

[via] Engadget

Samsung's 8 megapixel CMOS sensor for phones -- another world's first

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You know all those 3 megapixel cameraphones out there? Well, they're about to achieve 8 megapixel ubiquity. Samsung just announced availability of their 8 megapixel CMOS sensor which shares roughly the same 10.5 x 11.5 x 9.4-mm girth of its 3 megapixel cuz. Just make sure you've got plenty of light to frame those shots if you're expecting anything close to a quality image.

 

[via] Engadget

TomTom and Garmin settle disputes, not down

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Finally, it's over. TomTom and Garmin have settled their intellectual property dispute in courts spanning the UK, The Netherlands, Wisconsin and of course, Texas. No details were provided, this time. Of course, they're still battling for Tele Atlas in the courts of the free market so we're not expecting to see the two shacking-up in the suburbs anytime soon.

 

[via] Engadget

AMD launches ATI Radeon HD 3800 series for budget gamers

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Here we go, AMD just announced the immediate availability of their ATI Radeon HD 3800 series of GPUs. Four days earlier than predicted. According to AMD, these are the world's first to support DirectX 10.1, 55nm process technology, and tri and quad multi-GPU support with ATI CrossFireX. Out today are the $179 Radeon HD 3850 with 256MB of GDDR3 memory and $219 Radeon HD 3870 with 512MB of GDDR4. Now, how 'bout giving us the Phenom processor AMD, and we'll call it a day?

[Via I4U]

 

[via] Engadget

Pasen's LAZYBUM claims to be "world's first" mini-PMP

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Quite honestly, we're a bit befuddled as to where to even start with this one. Shall we ponder the reasoning behind naming a portable media player "LAZYBUM," or would our time be better spent considering just how absurd the whole "world's first mini-PMP" claim is? Rather than harp on either, we'll just tell you that Pasen's shiny new player sports a 2.8-inch QVGA display, miniSD expansion slot, eight equalizer presets, built-in FM tuner, a voice recorder, integrated text viewer / Tetris-style game and support for MP3, WMA, WAV, AVI, XviD, DivX, ASF, MP4, FLV and lots, lots more. If you're not too offended by the title, and your ego is fine with knowing that this actually isn't the tiniest PMP Earth has ever seen, you probably can't go (too) wrong here.

[Thanks, Christian]

 

[via] Engadget

Georgia Tech researchers demonstrate blowable user interface

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Although a team from Kent State already whipped up a method for turning one's PC on / off with a simple puff of air, two gurus at Georgia Tech have created a full-blown (ahem) breath-controlled user interface. The low-cost, localized blowable UI -- cleverly dubbed BLUI -- apparently utilizes a built-in microphone along with a C++ application that computes the blowing inputs. Once installed, users can puff on either side of the screen in order to scroll left / right, icons can be selected depending on the fierceness of the puff and games could integrate the technology in to add another level of interactivity. Notably, the duo behind the creation is already investigating how to avoid false positives (i.e. inputs from nature when outside on a blustery day), and while we're not sure how close this stuff is to becoming commercially available (if at all), you can take a look at a videoed demonstration just beyond the break. [Warning: PDF read link]

Continue reading Georgia Tech researchers demonstrate blowable user interface

 

[via] Engadget

Sony's PS3 sales in US more than double since price cut

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A few of our readers were scoffing at the idea of a $399 40GB PS3. "What's the big deal," you said. This: according to Sony's CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, they've more than doubled sales in the US in the weeks since its launch. "It's the breakthrough we've been waiting for," said Stringer, "We've been holding our breath. Finally, the turning point has been passed." Prior to the October 18th price cut, Sony was selling just 30k to 40k consoles per week. Sales rose to 75,000 in the week ending October 29 rising to 100,000 the following week. Stringer also credits Wii shortages for helping the boost. Andrew House, Sony's chief marketing officer even takes a jab at HD DVD saying, "It puts us vastly ahead of where the other format is going to be in terms of an installed base in people's homes by the end of this holiday season." Perhaps, but we don't expect the boys at Microsoft, Nintendo, and Toshiba to just roll over and let this progress continue unabated now, do we?

 

[via] Engadget

NAT Audio's Magma is one beastly tube amplifier

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We've seen all sorts of fanciful tube amplifiers over the years, but none have intimidated us quite like NAT Audio's Magma. This brute is the self-proclaimed "most powerful single-ended tube amplifier on the market," and it can churn out 160-watts at 4- and 8-ohms with a frequency response of 10Hz to 100kHz. Additionally, this thing weighs in at 88-pounds, measures 11.8- x 25.2- x 14.2-inches and relies on a 6N1P-EV, a 6N30P-DR and a Eimac 450TH tube to get the job done. If you're craving more specs on this Class A monster, we've got 'em: an input impedance of 100-kohms, input sensitivity of 2.7V RMS for full power output, gain of 22.5 dB at 8-ohms and a pricetag of $55,000 per pair. Check out a few more angles after the jump, won'tcha?

[Via AudioJunkies, thanks Lukas]

Continue reading NAT Audio's Magma is one beastly tube amplifier

 

[via] Engadget

ATI Radeon HD 3800 series benchmarked: "ATI should be truly proud"

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Now that they're out, we bet you're wondering about the performance of that pair of mid-range, ATI Radeon cards announced this morning. According to TG Daily and just about everyone else, the Nvidia GeForce 8800GT is still the best performing midrange graphics card on the market (for a few bucks more, if you can find it). But if you like the performance of the Radeon HD 2900 XT, you'll be happy with your lower priced, but similar performing Radeon HD 3870 according to HotHardware. They go on to call the HD 3850 "quite strong" when compared against mid-range cards like the Radeon 2600 XT and GeoForce 8600 GTS. In fact, Custom PC says that the 3850 "blows both of these cards away." Thanks to the new 55nm manufacturing process, both cards kept power consumption, temperature, and noise levels "way down" in comparison. Lots to love from the benchmarking gang. Only thing left to do now is to track them down for that $179 and $219 MSRP.

P.S. If you spot more benchmarks let us know so we can round the critters up.

Update: Round-up now posted after the break.

Continue reading ATI Radeon HD 3800 series benchmarked: "ATI should be truly proud"

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

[via] Engadget

Edgar Bronfman admits to "inadvertently" going to war with music consumers

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By now, we're pretty certain you know how Warner Music's head honcho feels about DRM and its necessity in the digital download space, but apparently, the man behind not one, but two CE-Oh Noes has experienced some form of epiphany. MacUser has it that Edgar Bronfman admitted that the music industry "used to fool itself" by thinking that its content was "perfect just exactly as it was" while speaking at the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress in Macau. He went on to say that it was widely believed that the business would "remain blissfully unaffected even as the world of interactivity, constant connection and file sharing was exploding." He also noted that it essentially went to war "inadvertently" with consumers by "denying them what they wanted and could otherwise find." The conversation was used in part to urge mobile operators to not make the same mistakes again, and while we applaud such a figure for coming forward with a bit of hard truth, it remains to be seen if these sentiments will reverberate further or simply fall on deaf ears.

[Via mocoNews]

 

[via] Engadget

Envision kicks out trio of Omni-series LCD HDTVs

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Envision understands that the people need choices, and just in case neither of the two LCD HDTVs that the firm unleashed last month tickled your fancy, here comes a trio of new ones to pore over. All three units sport a 1,366 x 768 resolution, eight-millisecond response time, ATSC / Clear QAM tuners, integrated speakers, a headphone jack, S/PDIF port and a glossy black finish. On the high(er)-end, we've got the 42-inch L42W761, which features a 1,200:1 contrast ratio, twin HDMI inputs and a respectable $999 pricetag. The 32-inch L32W761 differs from its big bro by offering up a 1,500:1 contrast ratio, while the 26-inch L26W761 musters an 800:1 CR. These two will ring up at $649 and $479, respectively, and are available as we speak from a number of fine retailers, but if you've got your eye on the 42-incher, you'll be waiting till the 23rd -- yeah, Black Friday -- to take one home.

 

[via] Engadget

MC Square X1 relaxation DAP heads to America

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Considering just how little vacation we Americans manage to take (and how stressed that usually leaves us), the only thing surprising about MC Square's X1 relaxation DAP coming here is how long it has taken. Nevertheless, those interested in picking up a snazzy new DAP and rocking some totally unhip goggles need look no further, as this system utilizes lights and sounds to "induce positive brain waves" and purge those negative vibes from your noggin. As for the player itself, it offers up a paltry 512MB of internal storage space, a miniSD expansion slot, image / text file viewer, voice recorder and an oh-so-vital biorhythm indicator. 'Course, for $399.99, we'd probably just pick up a new console, call in sick, and look a lot less foolish when ridding ourselves of Earthly burdens.

[Via ZatzNotFunny]

 

[via] Engadget

Nintendo has a DS Lite "Lite" redesign ready to go?

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According to at least one analyst, Nintendo's not just resting on its laurels while the DS Lite produces incomprehensible piles of cash. Evan Wilson, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, got word from his inside source that a DS redesign is actually already done, and Nintendo's just waiting around for DS Lite sales to cool off a bit -- which, unfortunately for those pining for new hardware, doesn't seem to be happening just yet. The redesign, which has been rumored before, supposedly is thinner thanks to the absence of a Game Boy Advance port, includes a larger screen and rocks some built-in storage, which we imagine could have some great uses in the right hands. Obviously, Nintendo's Game Boy Advance only made it through three hardware iterations, which begs the question of when we'll see a brand new handheld platform from Nintendo, though we can't say we'd blame them for sticking to this generation for another couple years of insane wealth and staggering stock price.

 

[via] Engadget

Brain implant, software enables patients to think out loud

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Truth be told, we've already seen instances where technology has enabled individuals to speak without speaking, but a brain implant placed into Eric Ramsey's head could certainly raise the bar in this field. The wireless electrode, which resides just six-millimeters below the surface of his brain, records pulses from 41 surrounding neurons involved in speech generation, and thanks to software developed by the associated team, those thoughts will hopefully be translated into words in the not-too-distant future. Currently, the group feels that they can accurately identify the word Ramsey is thinking up 80-percent of the time, and in the coming weeks, a computer will begin giving the patient real-time feedback so he can perfect the art of thinking out loud. 'Course, the team responsible isn't likely to be satisfied until an unadulterated conversation can take place, but it seems we're well on our way to seeing that come to fruition.

[Via BBC]

 

[via] Engadget

Green House's Gaudi cam is nothing special

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Nothing standout here, but that doesn't mean this little flash-based camera from Green House isn't right for someone. The Gaudi sports an SD card slot for capturing your VGA video, QVGA video and 5 megapixel stills, with a 1.7-inch screen to preview it all. Gaudi maxes out on 2GB SD cards, and there's nothing fancy happening in codec land: video is recorded in AVI. That said, this thing goes for a mere 13,800 Yen ($125 US), so if you're in Japan and need a nice "disposable" tourist-cam... well, you could probably just use your phone and save on the bulk, so forget the whole deal.

 

[via] Engadget

GroundSurf electric skateboard is guided by your phone

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We know what you're pondering this fine Thursday morning: how can I most effectively put my body in danger while sustaining full dorkiness? All those "action sports" like flipping motorcycles and skiing through avalanches are just way too glamorous. Well, your answer has arrived in the GroundSurf board from Ratleads. The three-wheeled board has an electric motor, and a unique control scheme that allows you to speed and slow the board using touch controls on an HTC phone over Bluetooth. What could possibly go wrong? The board will be out "soon" for somewhere in the neighborhood of two grand.

[Via Pocket-lint]

 

[via] Engadget

Asus Eee PC now out in "Galaxy Black"

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While the original white of Asus's Eee PC is no slouch in the looks department, we're finding the stylings of this "Galaxy Black" version all the more irresistable -- maybe it's just because the screen bezel doesn't look quite as dramatic this way. The new color was revealed about a week ago, but the good news is that the black version is receiving zero mark-up in price, instead of the rumored $20. Taking notes, Apple? Oh, and if black still doesn't do it for you, the 2G Surf is just around the corner.

[Thanks, Wael]

 

[via] Engadget

Gene Simmons on file sharers? Sue them off the face of the planet

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Kiss front man Gene Simmons, makeup-wearing progenitor of high-brow fare such as Rock And Roll All Nite, Plaster Caster, and Love Gun, as well as star of the intellectual gem Gene Simmons Family Jewels has a message for file sharing aficionados out there: you deserve to be sued. Or, as Gene subtly puts it to Billboard while discussing college student's downloading habits, "Every freshly-scrubbed little kid's face should have been sued off the face of the earth." When asked about Radiohead and Trent Reznor's recent forays into new online distribution methods, our man Simmons retorts, "I open a store and say 'Come on in and pay whatever you want.' Are you on f*cking crack? Do you really believe that's a business model that works?" We don't know Gene, but we can't wait to download your new record.

[Via Digg]

 

[via] Engadget

Are you having Zune problems?

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While some sporadic problems with any new device are to be expected, we've had a few reports of problems with the latest Zunes (and the latest Zune software) and thought we'd open thing up and see just how widespread they might be. The most prevalent problem, such as it is, is an issue with the DRM that is apparently preventing folks from downloading songs from the Zune Marketplace, even though it seems to have no such problem taking your MS points. On a related front, ZuneBoards' lpxxfaintxx has posted instructions for downgrading your Zune software and firmware (see below), although it's not clear if that'll do anything to fix the DRM problem. We've also had a report of the Zune 80's hard drive causing some interference over the headphone jack, although that appears to be even more limited. So, any Zune users out there suffering from some similar (or altogether different) problems?

[via] Engadget