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It's 'art' -- tortoises with back-mounted iPads
Only in Aspen, Colorado -- where many of the residents have much more money than common sense -- would you find this work of "art". It's three African Spurred Tortoises -- Big Bertha, Gracie Pink Star, and Whale Wanderer -- with iPads on their backs. A special mount holds two iPads on each tortoise's back, and the animals then wander aimlessly around the roof garden of the Aspen Art Museum displaying videos of the ghost towns of Colorado. Yep, that's art. The "artwork" by New York-based artist Cai Guo-Qiang titled "Moving Ghost Town" is part of the grand opening of the US$45 million museum, and it's not without controversy. Animal rights activists have started a petition on Change.org titled "Take the iPads Off the Tortoises", arguing that the tortoises are sensitive to the weight of the iPads. Fast Company art writer Carey Dunne apparently didn't notice that there are two iPads on each tortoise, saying in defense of the "artist" that "iPads ... don't weigh two pounds." Sure they do, when there are two of 'em stuck in a mount epoxied to the top of a tortoise. As of this morning, the Change.org petition was nearing 3,600 signatures, so apparently there are a lot of folks who think that Cai's artwork is not just stupid, but cruel as well. You can read more about the controversial exhibit in the Fast Company post linked to in the first paragraph or read comments from Lisbeth Oden of The Turtle Conservancy who was responsible for starting the petition.
Sony Ericsson Aspen caught on video, loving life with WinMo 6.5.3
Chances are we're missing something incredibly awesome being said in this foreign-language video, but we can probably guess what Mobile-review Sergey Kuzmin is saying: "I've got the Sony Ericsson Aspen and you don't. Life is grand." Okay, so maybe we're a little jealous, but at least he was kind enough to give us a brief look at the hardware out in the wild, showing off some of Windows Mobile 6.5.3's menus and sizing it up with some of Apple, Nokia, and RIM's offerings. Let's not waste any more time -- the video you seek is after the break.
Sony Ericsson Aspen: first with Windows Mobile 6.5.3
It's finally here: Windows Mobile 6.5.3, the iterative finger-friendly Windows Mobile release that should have been wrapped into 6.5.0. The latest mobile wares from Microsoft come wrapped inside the Sony Ericsson Aspen (aka, Faith); a business-focused QWERTY candybar with 2.4-inch QVGA TFT touchscreen LCD, 3.2 megapixel camera, A-GPS with Google Maps, 3.5-mm audio jack, WiFi, and microSD expansion. This latest addition to Sony Ericsson's GreenHeart portfolio comes in black or white silver and packs quad-band GSM/EDGE with either HSPA 900/2100 or 850/900/2100 radios (depending on region). Available in Q2. Back to Windows Mobile 6.5.3 for a second, although this is a .dot.dot update it's actually a fairly significant move for Microsoft. For starters, this release now includes a more finger-friendly layout (no stylus needed even when digging deep into the OS), support for capacitive touchscreens (huzzah!), and acts as a platform to enable multitouch. Microsoft has also improved browser performance with faster page load times and better memory management while improving the pan and flick gestures and zoom and rotational speeds. Sounds like somebody is getting ready for Mobile World Congress.%Gallery-84456%
Aspen Media Products intros 2009 HTPC lineup, includes DIY model
Aspen Media Products is probably even less known than the relatively unknown Okoro Media Systems, but it's hoping to break through somewhat with its stout 2009 HTPC lineup. The most interesting newcomer is unquestionably the AMP CL-1058DIY, which is supposedly aimed at the DIY crowd and starts at $949. For that, you get a chassis, a CableCARD tuner, optional 5.1 or 7.1 amplifier and freedom of choice when it comes to options such as processor, memory, storage and adding an additional CableCARD tuner. Think of it as partial barebones, we guess. The CL-1058BD (pictured) and CL-1058BDH are there for folks not looking to touch any silicon, and those can be ordered up right now starting at $1,049 and $1,349, respectively.[Via Electronic House]
Mitsubishi's 3D plans brought into focus, PC gaming to play a role
When Mitsubishi admitted that it was holding hands with NVIDIA and Aspen Media for no other reason than to prove that they all three hearted 3D, we must say, we were miffed. Now, however, it seems that plans are finally coming to light, and everything is starting to make a whole lot more sense. Reportedly, the three firms are gearing up to showcase how well they can work together to produce eye-pleasing 3D PC gaming results in select retail outlets this July. At first, none of the components will be sold together per se, but bundle deals are definitely in the works. Whether or not budding PC gamers are ready to switch to a DLP-based HDTV as their primary monitor, however, remains to be seen.
New Sidekick model PV210 passes FCC muster
Rumors swirling around Danger's upcoming Aspen and Gekko Hiptops are approaching a rolling boil at this point, and seeing a new model fly through the FCC's testing procedures certainly isn't going to help to quell them. Honestly, we probably would've passed this one right over had it not been for the big "Powered by Danger" label on the FCC approval sticker here, detailing a new Sidekick known internally to Sharp as the PV210. We've gone through the test reports and we're sorry to report that there still isn't any 3G here -- so despite the device's perfect form factor for consuming gobs and gobs of data, EDGE is going to have to continue to suffice. We imagine we'll be seeing this one announced before too long.
Pace unveils new MPEG-4 cable STB
The NCTA Cable Show kicks off today, and Pace Micro Technology is ready with a line of MPEG-4 capable set-top boxes aimed at provers in North and South America. Besides handling advanced compression technologies with ease, they'll handle all that switched digital video (SDV), all-digital network, DOCSIS channel bonding and tru2way support the kids are so into these days. Two way messaging (for updating ones Facebook status/Twitter/Plaxo) is also in the bag, oplus backwards compatibility with older networks. Pictured is the "Aspen" box, a dual-tuner DVR CableCARD host box, but expect Apache (HD, no DVR) and Denali (SD only, no DVR) flavors to also be tucked securely in a cable guy's truck near you when they launch later this year.%Gallery-23154%
Screenshot yanked off Sidekick "Gekko" for the world to see
We still don't have a picture of Danger's so-called "Gekko" and "Aspen" Sidekicks to ogle while we wait for a supposed summer release on T-Mobile, but we've got the next best thing: a screenshot pulled from a prototype. It's still not exactly clear what the relationship is between the two new codenames, but we can now say with some certainty that there'll be at least one all-new model in the mix since the rendering used on the device here doesn't look like any Sidekick currently in the stable. Hiptop3 reports that the Gekko's codename (wait, a codename for a codename?) is "Style 2," pretty much confirming that it'll replace the low-end and recently discontinued iD. Despite the focus on keeping this one cheap, the site also says that the Gekko will sport a feature set similar to that of the LX, so it's not clear what specs will be sacrificed to keep this one affordable. A cheap LX alternative with what appear to be changeable faceplates? Count us in.
"Aspen" and "Gekko" join the Hiptop codename parade?
A little early for all-new Sidekicks, isn't it? TmoNews is reporting that a pair of new codenames have rather suddenly appeared on the Hiptop radar -- "Gekko" and "Aspen" -- with the former due on T-Mobile come July 27 and the latter rolling on in just three short days later on July 30. The three-day separation between two Sidekick launches itself seems a bit suspect, though to be fair, the last round of Danger codenames we caught wind of turned out to be dead-on legit. As Hiptop3 suggests, a round of LX (or Slide) limited editions seems like the most plausible explanation here -- or maybe it's just T-Mob's fancy way of describing new colors.[Via PHONE Magazine and Hiptop3.com]
Free concert thanks to MTVs new HD station
MTVs new high definition station is set to launch on January 16th and will feature, check this out, music. That's right. Music. Better yet. They are throwing a free concert! The show will be held in Breckenridge, Colorado January 11th and 12th. "Music With Altitude" will feature Dashboard Confessional, Gary Allen, Goo Goo Dolls and some reality TV star turned recording artist named Cheyenne Kimball. The concerts are in honor of Ullr Fest, an annual week-long winter festival in Breckenridge.Ok. I did not say it was going to be a good, free concert. In case you forgot, MTVs new HD station, MHD, is going to be located in Aspen, Colorado. They have not made much other details available but I am sure we are going to see original programming that is reminiscent of HDNet's True Music. That's fine by me as I like the program a lot. Maybe MTV will even port over some of their good, but rare, programs like Cribs and...I don't think I watch anything else but Cribs. But hey, more HD stations the better!
