Engadget

New wind turbines at least 30% more efficient, Earth one step closer to salvation

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 20th 2008 at 8:29AM

Still addicted to oil like the rest of the world? You might reconsider wind power rehab now that a startup called ExRo has developed turbines that it says are consistently 30% -- and in some situations as much as 100% -- more efficient than the standard kind. The traditionally-used mechanical transmissions have been replaced with an inexpensive electric alternative that can adapt to changes in wind speed more efficiently. Also, many small generators are used instead of a large one, so the turbines can be customized in production to suit the intended installation site. If this is the real deal, it beats the 0.1% increase we saw in solar cell efficiency a few months ago, and those Maglev uber-turbines are still on the horizon. Hey Sun -- jealous yet?

[Via DailyTech]

Lego safe is made from robot parts, will guard your mint condish Robocop figurines just nicely

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 19th 2008 at 6:09AM

No, your eyes don't deceive: it's a Lego safe. Apparently Lego's computer-equipped Mindstorms NXT can be used for something more practical than launching robots into space (great as that was), and believe it or not, this box is actually kind of secure. Five double digit codes protect your valuables, and the dial goes both ways, so there's a left and right entry for each number -- hence, over 305 billion possible combinations. Moving the safe will trip motion sensors and set off an alarm, and bars inside strengthen the structure, so while master diamond thieves won't be deterred, surreptitious little siblings might. Video after the break, and check the right nav through the read link to dig up building instructions.

[Via Digg]

Continue reading Lego safe is made from robot parts, will guard your mint condish Robocop figurines just nicely

PSP 3000 finally, inevitably hacked by Datel's Lite Blue Tool

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 18th 2008 at 11:08PM

Hacking the PSP has long been a popular pastime, but the 3000 model has proven a tough nut to crack. Don't pop open the champagne just yet, though, Sony -- Datel has revealed a special battery peripheral called the Lite Blue Tool that boots the handheld console into service mode, where downgrades to earlier, cracked firmwares are possible. Of course, most older PSPs could be downgraded without any additional hardware and you only needed a battery like Pandora if you failed the idiot test and bricked your system, but be patient, ~~pirates~~ totally legit homebrew types -- Rome wasn't burnt in a day. Lite Blue is priced at an affordable $29.99, not bad for an interim solution if homebrew and "backups" are your thing.

More "Vista Capable" emails unsealed, revealing sassy civil war

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 18th 2008 at 9:35AM

Remember when Microsoft was hit with a lawsuit over its "Vista Capable" stickers? How about when the judge unsealed emails revealing that after a long battle to promote Vista's graphics-intensive Aero UI, it capitulated and lowered the requirements for the sticker so Intel could keep on selling its graphically-challenged (i.e., WDDM noncompliant) 915 chipset? Yeah, that was awesome. Connoisseurs of corporate drama should appreciate the latest development -- the judge has made public a second batch of emails revealing that MS execs were at odds about that decision. Senior VP Will Poole apparently made the call to appease Intel, but co-President of Platform & Services Jim Allchin (along with many others who had been fighting for the other side for months) was "beyond being upset," saying "this was totally mismanaged by Intel and Microsoft. What a mess." The mess he was referring to: an unhappy partner in HP, which had spent millions to meet the old standards... and presciently, the lawsuit we're watching now. Alright, maybe not so awesome for everyone.

Asus R50A finally arrives, jacks your wallet in the process

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 15th 2008 at 7:41AM

If you're looking to drop nearly $2,000 on a UMPC, well, first of all, you're nuts, but second of all, you're in luck, 'cause the Asus R50A is shipping at €1,475 ($1,878). They weren't kidding when they said it would be above $500, but for the price you'll be running Windows Vista on a handheld with a 1.33GHz Intel Atom processor, a gig of RAM, a 32GB SSD hard drive, a 5.6'' screen at 1024 x 600, three USB ports, a microSD slot, a wireless keyboard, and an external DVD reader / writer. Connectivity options include 802.11 b / g WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G. These specs aren't all that different from what you'd find in a netbook (save for the SSD), except you're paying more than twice as much and you get to look like you're playing games on a GP2X while you're using it on the train. Maybe it's supposed to be a status symbol?

[Via Pocketables]

Intel Core i7 listings show up on NewEgg to tease you, then split

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 15th 2008 at 5:42AM

Listings for Intel's new Core i7 processors popped up on NewEgg for a couple hours yesterday before getting pulled back into the pre-launch ether -- a cruel tease to desktop PC hardware aficionados counting down the nanoseconds till that red letter day, November 17th. We knew it wouldn't last, but we're glad of the error, 'cause now we've seen pricing info which should reflect what we'll be paying next week. The 2.66GHz 920 was listed at $319.99, the 2.93GHz 940 at $599.99, and the 3.2GHz Extreme 965 at $1,069. Benchmarks have shown even the 920 besting top-of-the-line Core 2 Quads, so the entry point is alluring, but if you're a True Gearhead we expect you'll embezzle a grand to afford the Extreme chip.

[Thanks, Staff]

American Airlines getting in on that cellphone boarding pass fad

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 14th 2008 at 7:59AM

American Airlines has joined its peers at Continental in offering boarding pass barcodes that you can download to and display on your BlackBerry, iPhone, G1, or whatever have you. Presently the airline is only offering the option on domestic, non-stop flights departing from O'Hare -- LAX and Orange County will start on the 17th. Some eastern yanks might be asking, "What, no JFK or Logan? Where's the east coast love, AA?" Don't get too bent out of shape, boys and girls -- tech-savvy business travelers love their BlackBerries, so we could see this pop up just about everywhere before long.

[Via Mobilitysite]

Korean geniuses invent lithium batteries with eight times the juice

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 13th 2008 at 7:28AM

Oh, what wondrous things come from the land of Korea -- dancing emotional robot humanoids, oxygen-emitting robot plants, and multiple 24-hour StarCraft channels. It's all good, and we dig robotics and televised gaming, but this latest invention could be our favorite if it pans out. Professor Cho Jae-Phil and his team at Hanyang University have replaced the graphite in lithium batteries with a certain kind of silicon, which we're told can store eight times the power. No word on what the batteries have actually been used for yet, but it stands to reason they could eventually make it to consumer electronics. Now you see why we're willing to say this might be better than 24-hour StarCraft. Say it with us: 48-hour StarCraft.

Helios solar concept car is bird-like in that it evolved from lizards, has wings

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 11th 2008 at 11:27PM

We'd stick out if we were to drive the Helios concept car down the Long Island Expressway or the 405, but almost every other solar-powered car we've seen looked like an old Trabant cursed with further ugliness by a wicked witch, so considering the circumstances we're impressed. The sadly-only-on-paper vehicle netted designer Kim Gu-Han the Best Use of Technology award at the 2008 Interior Motives Design Awards for its frill-neck lizard-inspired solar fan, which unfolds when the car is immobile. If the renders are any indication, though, it's meant only for Martians -- please tell Marvin we're jealous, cause the eco-friendly cars we get now generally look like they were designed by someone with all the exuberance and colorful panache of Al Gore.

Hawaiian analog TV shutoff to come early, saving God's creatures

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 11th 2008 at 7:02PM

Technological progress marches forward, assimilating all those who resist -- we know this well in our line of work, but sometimes you've got to stand up and say, "The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!" Take the digital TV transition in the United States for example: all the analog TV signals will be shut off in February. It won't be pretty, but it'll be progress. Hawaii, though, has a dilemma: it just so happens that the analog towers that'll be torn down are awfully close to the nests of the state's adorable and endangered petrel birds, whose nesting season also occurs in February. Hence Hawaii's digital switch will occur a month early on January 15th, so you 17,000 affected Hawaiians have that much less time to grab converter boxes, or you'll end up watching the next season of Lost in person on your beautiful beaches instead of your ancient tube televisions.

SanDisk's Sansa Clip upgrades to 8GB, stays tiny

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 11th 2008 at 8:00AM

Going jogging for more than a hundred consecutive hours? Then the old models of SanDisk's teensy-tiny Sansa Clip audio player won't satisfy you, but this week a new variant hits with a capacious 8GB of storage -- a plenty-fair amount for the $99 price, and downright triumphant for a clip-on. That kind of storage wouldn't make sense in a Shuffle-like device with no display for song browsing, of course, but it's welcome in the Clip 'cause it actually has such a screen (it's OLED, if you were wondering). Like the other Clip models, it's got 15 hours of battery life, though, so it still won't make it with you on your daily jog from Boston to Pittsburgh. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading SanDisk's Sansa Clip upgrades to 8GB, stays tiny

PS3 gamer overcomes disability with custom controller, triumphs in l33t3st way imaginable

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 11th 2008 at 3:09AM

Yeah, we here at Engadget are hardened cynics -- our cold, black hearts have closed off to all but the most extraordinary tech-related stories, and we don't talk about the triumph of the human spirit a lot, but PlayStation 3 forum user KitsuneYume has us stepping outside our usual box today. With the help of an engineer, he made an "adaptive controller" that allows him to game with the pros despite serious disabilities. 20 out of 25 functions are accounted for by the system, and he uses his fingers, toes, and even his tongue to play -- your regular, everyday controller mod it ain't. The creator said he uploaded the pictures to make sure folks who might need it are aware the technology exists, as he contacted Sony a while back and they weren't able to tell him where to look. We hope this helps gets the word out, because we think everyone should have and chance to lie, cheat, and steal their way through Fallout 3.

[Thanks, Jason]

Sanyo builds prototype pedometer that powers itself while you walk

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 10th 2008 at 11:03PM

These portable power generating options are a dime a dozen now, but we thought you'd still want to know that Sanyo has invented a device that'll let you turn your health obsession into electricity to power your health obsession -- a vicious cycle if we've ever seen one. It's a pedometer that generates just enough energy (40 microwatts) to keep itself ticking when the swinging motion of its health-nut wearer's body causes tiny parts to move around. Sanyo hopes to use the technology for other low-power devices in the future. As for us, we'd rather remain utterly otiose and let our battery slaves do the work for us, though we can imagine something like this might, with some improvements, prove useful to those villagers who have to walk 12 miles to charge their cell phones. [Warning: read link requires subscription]

Epson PowerLite Cinema 700 costs only slightly more dollars than its horizontal line count

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 10th 2008 at 3:47PM

We're sorry you lost your fortune in the global financial crisis, but we've got some news to cheer you up -- you might still be able to plaster your living room wall with HD video. Epson just launched the PowerLite Cinema 700, a 720p home theater projector that it claims is the first to retail at $799. Sure, they've made this kind of claim before, and it's true that if you look hard enough you'll probably find a couple other 720p projectors at that price, but we're not gonna make a fuss -- this 3LCD projector is a decent deal, what with it doing 2,000 lumens and having a 2,000:1 contrast ratio. It's already available in Epson's online store -- or, at least it would be if it wasn't sold out at the moment. Guess some other economically depressed folks thought it was a decent deal, too!

NEC launches PowerMate P4000 and P6000 all-in-ones

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 10th 2008 at 2:44PM

We've noticed a pattern with NEC -- compact, minimalist computer designs with low-end to run-of-the-mill specs. There's nothing wrong with having a specialty, and NEC Asia Pacific is sticking with what it knows with the PowerMate P4000 and P6000 all-in-ones. The P4000 is a light worker (to put it perhaps too kindly), with a 1.9GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor, 1GB of RAM, 250GB of hard disk space, an NVIDIA GeForce 9100M G integrated graphics chip, and a 16-inch display at 1366 x 768. We'd go instead for the P6000 (pictured above), which is actually competitive with similarly priced all-in-ones like the Gateway One. It's got a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, twice the storage and memory of its lesser sibling, integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9300, and a roomier 19-inch, 1440 x 900 display. Both systems are due for release in Asia next week, the P4000 at S$1,899 ($1,270) and the P6000 at S$2,499 ($1,675). The latter is clearly the better deal, but they're both expensive compared to bulkier alternatives -- desk space is at a premium these days. Pic of the P4000 after the break.

[Via PCLaunches]

Continue reading NEC launches PowerMate P4000 and P6000 all-in-ones

LG's concept phone contest winners should please art house gadgetphiles

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 8th 2008 at 8:27AM

When we see alluring phone concepts that'll never leave the lab, we end up wishing there was a little more innovation in the handsets out in the wild. There was a wealth of eyebrow-raising examples of that principle when LG Japan exhibited top entries to its Mobile Design Contest last weekend. We're keen on the fbt, a phone designed for braille text messaging, and the Tap, which is shaped like a light switch and functions like one too -- when you tap it, the phone turns off so you can live once again in peace. The winner, though, was the above-pictured Planet Phone, the surface of which is dotted with LEDs representing your friends; if you don't talk to someone for a while, their light gradually moves out to the edge. It's supposed to remind you to keep in touch, but it has darker connotations -- if you become angry with someone, you can revel in the pleasure of watching them slowly tick away into oblivion. That's absolutely a feature we want to see added to the Storm.

[Via Hallyu Tech]

Blue's Eyeball webcam and Mikey iPod mic are made for digital crooners

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 8th 2008 at 2:02AM

We're digging this classic recording studio look, which is a throwback to Blue's history with stylized Hi-Fi microphones. These guys started to build a bridge between their old stomping grounds and the new-to-them frontier of consumer electronics with the Snowball microphone and that Icicle USB XLR adapter we saw today, and now they've introduced the Eyeball ($99.99), a Super HD webcam that retracts its lens for privacy, and the Mikey iPod mic ($79.99) with a built-in speaker, three gain settings, and a positionable head. Mikey doesn't play nice with the iPod Touch, but it works with all the other models 4G and up, as well as the 2 and 3G Nanos. Features on both are mostly the standard set, but Blue's obviously putting an emphasis on audio quality, and we'll give extra points for style.

Intersection sensor activator puts an end to cyclist discrimination

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 7th 2008 at 3:42PM

You're a good person with noble motivations -- you ride a bicycle instead of driving because it's healthy and it doesn't have a disastrously negative impact on the environment. We salute you, but not all of society appreciates your virtue like we do. In a sinister and systematic oppression of cyclists (we're absolutely certain it's intentional), many traffic lights are governed by sensors in the pavement that give a green light only after they've detected the change in inductance when a large metal car pulls up. Before you take up arms, though, take a look at this recently-patented device that sends out a signal that fools the sensors so cyclists don't have to wait for a car to unwittingly play good Samaritan -- we suppose we'll try this out just in case before we incite a violent revolution.

[Via Core77]

Modder removes buttons from Xbox 360 controller, still finds a way to play

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 7th 2008 at 8:17AM

At first glance, this Xbox 360 controller mod doesn't look as hardcore as some others we've seen, but its minimalism disguises its epicness. The modder took the controller apart and rebuilt it without the four face buttons or the direction pad, then placed a couple extra switches on the back that perform the same functions. The elaborate and not-at-all-easy process detailed beyond the read link results in a practical layout for hardcore types -- with the buttons on the lower back, leet first-person-shooter players don't have to take their hands off the sticks to perform actions like jumping and reloading, and the controller is less likely to rock due to alternating activity on the top and bottom. This isn't the first mod to employ this idea, but the complete removal of the dead face buttons for better aesthetics sets it apart. Video after the break.

Continue reading Modder removes buttons from Xbox 360 controller, still finds a way to play

Apple patents motion-sensitive HMD concept in defiance of good taste

by Samuel Axon posted Nov 7th 2008 at 6:58AM

Apple has added to its legacy of zany patents a head-mounted display with head-tracking technology intended to reduce viewer fatigue and disorientation (and induce nausea, if we're lucky) by simulating a theater or other viewing environment. The wearer of the device can pick a seat in the fake theater and then manipulate the image, zoom in and out, and look around thanks to an accelerometer and gyroscope built into the goggles. Few of these patents make it to market, but if you're eager to throw social acceptability out the window, there are already iPod and iPhone-compatible head-mounted displays on the market -- you'll just have to do without the positioning gimmick until Apple is crazy enough to actually sell this thing.

[Via TUAW]

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