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Scientists found a way to bring back lost tomato flavor
Tomatoes don't taste like they used to, because breeders have been prioritizing other traits like pest and disease resistance. To bring that lost flavor back, a team of researchers from the University of Florida went on a quest to find the chemical combinations that make tomatoes tasty. First, they sequenced the DNA and examined the flavor-associated chemicals of 398 modern, heirloom and wild tomatoes. After that, they selected 160 samples out of the 398 and had 100 subjects rank them according to taste.
NASA's growing flowers on the ISS for the first time
Following upon its initial successes with lettuce back in August, NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station are attempting to coerce a colony of zinnias to flower for the first time. The effort is part of the larger Veggie plant growth system which is studying the effects of microgravity on plant life.
Have your say on the FCC's plan to lock down WiFi routers
You may know that you can replace your WiFi router's software with an open source version like DD-WRT or Tomato to make it more secure or powerful. However, the US wireless regulator (FCC) only seems to have figured that out recently, and is not happy with your ability to boost the signal power excessively on such devices. As such, it proposed changes to regulations, with one document suggesting it may ban or restrict third-party software altogether. That caught the eye of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which created an online petition asking the FCC to make changes.
Piggybacking robot feeds you tomatoes while you run
We might have a new winner for the "world's silliest wearable" award. Japanese juice vendor Kagome has teamed up with the mechanical artists at Maywa Denki to build Petit-Tomatan, a piggybacking robot that feeds you tomatoes (which reportedly help your "antioxidant power") while you're running. This goofy helper was meant as a publicity stunt for this weekend's Tokyo Marathon, but it's a fully fleshed-out device -- there's even a timer so that you don't clear out your nutritional supply too quickly. While you're likely never going to see any serious athletes donning contraptions like this, it does make the runner's old-school water bottle look a little outdated.
Artificial tongue distinguishes 18 different types of canned tomato
Taste tests are fun -- unless you're in Italy, in which case they're drawn-out and rancorous. That's why scientists in Milan are trying to remove humans from the equation, by using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to reveal objective "metabolomic fingerprints" for different foodstuffs instead. In their latest experiment, NMR succeeded in predicting how human testers would judge 18 different canned tomato products, including sensory descriptors such as bitterness, saltiness, "redness" and density. Like Caesar always said, technology that knows a good ragu is technology we can trust.
Netgear's WGR614L Wireless-G router openly plays nice with Tomato / DD-WRT
Although Linux-based Tomato and DD-WRT firmwares work with a plethora of routers, Netgear is getting savvy with its marketing by actually aiming its WGR614L at tweakers who just melt upon hearing either term. The so-called open source Wireless-G router features a 240MHz MIPS32 CPU, 4MB of flash memory, 16MB of RAM, an external 2 dBi antenna and a second internal diversity antenna to enhance range. Additionally, the unit will "soon" support OpenWRT, and there's also four 10/100 Ethernet ports in case you're looking for a bit of wired action as well. Potentially best of all, the WGR614L is available as we speak for a very manageable $69.
Tomato disappoints with its 'Video Touch' knockoff
While Korean manufacturer Tomato has never produced the most eye-catching PMPs, at least the company was pushing out some original looking products for awhile. Not so with the measly 2GB or 4GB 'Video Touch,' which doesn't even try to deviate from Apple's tried-and-true design, although it does a great job in lowering the bar with its 320 x 240 QVGA screen. Supported file types include MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, MPEG-4, and AVI, although you'd really be doing yourself a favor by putting those 59,900 ($63) or 79,900 won ($84) towards a higher capacity, higher resolution device.[Via PMP Today, image courtesy of mpnavi]
Tomato rolls out Tomato Video PMP
It looks like Korea's Tomato has trotted out yet another decidedly un-tomato like PMP, with its new Tomato Video player offering many of the same features of the company's U24 model in a slightly more streamlined package. That includes the usual 2.4-inch display, along with an FM radio, an e-book reader, an integrated microphone and speaker, and an SD card slot -- plus all the PMP features you'd expect, of course. Also as with the U24, you can get this one in your choice of 2GB of 4GB models, with the latter setting you back €66 (or just under $100).[Via Akihabara News]
Tomato's .3-inch thick 60GB hard drive
Sure, we're used to seeing some damn tiny SSDs and flash drives but Tomato's D-18 manages to be only 8.5mm (.3 inches) thick and still pack in a 60GB 1.8-inch Toshiba hard drive. That's quite a feat -- and you'll be able to show it off in your choice of five colors, if you can manage to sneak one out of Korea. Available now for 99,000 Won, or $107.[Via PMP Today]
Tomato rolls out U24 portable media player
South Korea's Tomato may have to endure more than a few snickers as a result of its curious choice of name, but it doesn't seem to be letting that hold it back from keeping up a steady pace with its PMPs, now adding the U24 model to its lineup. Apart from the less-than-intuitive interface, this one looks to be pretty standard fare, packing a 2.4-inch display, a built-in voice recorder, an e-book reader, a promised 15 hours of battery life, and support for Xvid movies (presumably among other formats). You'll also be able to get your choice of two variations of this particular Tomato, with both 2GB and 4GB models available, each also packing a miniSD slot for further expansion. Not surprisingly, both are only available in Korea, where they'll set you back 79,000 and 99,000 won, respectively, or approximately $85 and $107.[Via AVING]
Tomato's U7 ups the screen size
While we were all snickering at this Tomato brand and its associated DAP aspirations, it looks like the fruit / vegetable-themed company has been busy with another player, its well-screened U7. Along with the 1.8-inch LCD, which ain't too shabby given the size of this DAP, Tomato has packed in MP4 and WMV video playback, along with all the usual audio suspects and flash capacities of 512MB, 1GB and 2GB. There's also a rechargeable battery, along with FM / voice recording, photo albums, ebooks and games. At 0.5-inches thick and 2.5-inches long, we've surely seen smaller, but it ain't bad at all for for the price: 89,900 won, about $96 USD, for the 2 gigger.[Via OhGizmo!] %Gallery-1502%
Tomato's 2GB mini flash player... and e-book reader
Hey, if a US company can call themselves "Apple," then why not "Tomato" in Korea? That's right, Tomato is back with a new DAP. And just like Apple, Tomato is using the word "mini" to describe their product offering; in this case, a 512MB/1GB/2GB flash player measuring in at 7x27x12-mm and 15-grams. It features 10-hours of playback and tiny OLED display with get this, "e-book" support. Are they kidding!? Whatevs, they've got a ways to go before they ketchup to the design shops of Apple and so many others. Expect the 512MB model to hit for 39,000KRW ($42), 1GB for 59,000KRW ($63), and 2GB for 79,000KRW ($85) -- cheap, on all accounts. [Via AVING]
Tomato unveils U20 PMP for South Korea
Although South Korea is home to more than a few oddities, the oddly-named Tomato is looking to ship its latest portable media player, the U20, to Seoul and the surrounding areas. Housed in a brushed aluminum / chrome enclosure, this simple looking device boasts a two-inch LCD screen, 15 hours of battery life, USB 2.0 connectivity, and comes in at 2.99- x 1.89- x 0.47-inches in size. Additionally, you'll find a built-in microphone, a miniSD slot for extra media storage, and an ability to play nice with AVI, MP4, WMV, ASF, and MP3 files. Tomato apparently feels that these guys are ready for pickin', as you can snag the 2GB version for 89,900KRW ($96) next week, while the 1GB / 4GB variety will be landing shortly thereafter.[Via AVing]
