awareness
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Circuit City steps up to educate customers about DTV cutover
It'd be too easy to just mark off Best Buy's earlier announcement regarding its decision to no longer sell analog TVs as a simple coincidence, but whatever the case, Circuit City is hitting back to let the whole world know that it cares, too. Aside from confirming that it plans on participating in the NTIA Converter Box Coupon Program, it also announced that it would be "incorporating DTV transition reminders and messages into the closed circuit videos that run on its TVs," include cutover advisory information in its advertising supplements, install store signage to inform customers of the impending change and train employees to be well-versed on the whole matter. Stay sharp, though, we can just hear the PSAs turning into sales pitches now.
Slife updates interface, adds social networking in 1.3
We wrote about the 1.0 of Slife in February, and I thought it was a fascinating application-- there's nothing you look at more every single day than what you do with your own life, and yet here's a piece of software that lets you look at how you spend your time in a different, more objective way.And now they've sent word that Slife has entered version 1.3, with numerous additions to the interface. The program can now work in the background, and apparently it no longer has to scan your hard drive for all the different applications to track-- if a new app shows up in your usage, it'll start tracking it automatically. They've also added a few social networking options (which sounds like a better idea than an actual feature to me-- do I really want people knowing how much time I spend playing World of Warcraft?) with their Slifeshare service. You can track your friends' activities, even down to what app they're using at the moment.But while I'm personally not interested in completely sharing my pastimes (I'm sure there's an option to turn it off), I do really like the idea of the program, and I love the abilities it gives you to take a close look at exactly what you do on your computer when. Slife is available as a free trial (will track 3 apps), or as a full application for $34.
Many Xbox 360, PS3 owners unaware of HD abilities
Regrettably, the recent findings from an NPD Group survey aren't shocking in the least -- you know, considering how many people think all content is magically in high-definition with the purchase of an HDTV -- but the news is disheartening nonetheless. Reportedly, "only 30-percent of Xbox 360 owners were aware of the HD graphics capabilities of the machine," and while the figure did rise on the Blu-ray-packin' PS3, it still stopped at just 50-percent. Meanwhile, aficionados like ourselves are panicking over whether or not our new console actually includes an HDMI port. Regardless, this disappointing survey could be seen as proof that gamers still care about gameplay first and foremost (or simply ignore the extras), and while you aren't likely to find us letting up on Nintendo anytime soon for shunning HD on the Wii, maybe the world's not ready for all that, anyway.[Image courtesy of Xbox360Fanboy, thanks Rob]
MILTRAK gives soldiers the down low on encroaching enemy forces
We've seen a variety of systems designed to better inform soldiers of what's truly going on around them, but a new setup devised by Thales UK weds an advanced GPS module, a digital magnetic compass, a microprocessor, and a "fully ruggedized display" to provide near-real time situational awareness information. Dubbed MILTRAK, this concoction equips field soldiers with a portable display which seems to work an awful lot like your basic top-screen radar (think Counter-Strike), as it displays the positions of "similarly equipped friendly (blue) forces overlaid on a relational display, raster map, or geo-referenced aerial photograph." Moreover, those in battle can purportedly share and follow routes, which enhances communication and keeps platoons from running astray. Heck, they may even forget that the bullets flying around them are real.[Via TheRawFeed, image courtesy of Army]
Polaroid offers four pink digicams in support of breast cancer research
Just yesterday we hit you with Seagate's Pink Pocket hard drive, and now Polaroid is jumping on the (admittedly awesome) anti-breast cancer bandwagon and throwing down four new digicams in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. All four P&S models are available in pink, light pink, and magenta (similar to the trio of RAZR hues), house 16MB of internal memory, and support SD cards of all sizes. The a520M gets it started with a 5.1 megapixel sensor, 2-inch LCD, hardly useful 4x digital zoom, and an AVI movie mode, while the i533P steps it up by including a 2.5-inch display, much more worthwhile 3x optical zoom, AVI / MPEG-4 video capability, and video / audio outs. The i639M rocks 6 megapixels, a 2.4-inch screen, 3x optical zoom, video out, and an MPEG-4 movie (with voice recording) mode, while the top-end i733LP boasts 7.1 megapixels, a 2.5-inch TFT LCD, 3x optical zoom, movie mode with audio, and A / V outs. While pricing deets are currently MIA, these will only be available until next March, so you can pick up a delightfully colored digicam for that oh-so-special lady in your life (or one for yourself, ladies), and help out an excellent cause in the process.
The Availabot hates your mommy
This Availabot prototype, as the name implies, is a presence aware, instant messaging buddy-bot whose physical demeanor is meant to communicate the status of your little Internet friends. The Availabot stands erect when your buddy comes online and then drops to the table in a flaccid heap of despair when s/he goes away. The idea here, of course, is to show status in a "fun" and "physical" way. But unlike the cutsie wutsie Nabaztag, the Availabot can be made to look just like you and your creepy friend(s). Just think, a mini community of angry, exercising Sim dwarves guaranteed to haunt you in your dreams. Great.[Via Pasta & Vinegar]
