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ICYMI: Internet aircraft, Uber retiree drivers and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-725255{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-725255, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-725255{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-725255").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Facebook just built an aircraft that can stay aloft over areas without internet, beaming it down for free. Uber is announcing a partnership with AARP in an effort to get more part-time drivers from the retiree crowd. (We helpfully provided a CDC stat about fatal car accidents because we love you.) And NASA engineers are designing drones to explore areas of planets that rovers can't get to.
LG Optimus EX gets official in Korea, sporting 1.2GHz Tegra 2 chip, 700 nits of brightness
So, about that LG Optimus EX we saw last week -- it's now gone official in South Korea and it's looking slightly more alluring. Announced yesterday, this Gingerbread-coated handset is the first to ship with NVIDIA's revamped 1.2GHz Tegra 2 processor, which means it'll support 1080p video, much like the Galaxy S II. It also boasts a four-inch LCD with 480 × 800 resolution and a full 700 nits of brightness, along with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of onboard storage, a five megapixel camera and front-facing VGA shooter. Available in either black and silver or white and gold color schemes, the EX is slated to launch on Korea's SK Telecom at an unspecified price, though plans for an international release remain unclear. As soon as we find out, however, we'll be sure to let you know.
EX trike powered by dual electric screwdrivers, designed by eccentrics
We've seen some pretty wild-looking means of transportation in our day -- the FOF-inducing BMW Flymag concept and Airbike 3D-printed nylon bicycle, for example -- and now comes a vehicle that practically defies description: the EX. In what can only be described as over-engineering run amok, this custom-built three-wheeler is powered by two electric screwdrivers and can hurtle one brave soul headfirst down the road at speeds up to 30km/h (almost 19mph for those using real units of measure). The joint connecting the front and rear portions of the frame lets riders steer with "organically floating movement" that leans the driver into every turn -- hopefully the handling is a bit more predictable than the trike's design. So, if you're lining up to buy one in a parallel universe, there's just one question left to answer... Philips or flat-head?
Drama Mamas: Breakup drama
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. We received some great responses so far from our last call-out for results from letters written to Drama Mamas, but we want more. If you have had your letter answered by us, please send us an email at DramaMamas@wow.com with what happened afterward, if you would like it included in our special results post. Hi there, Drama Mamas, I'm writing today because I really don't know the best way to handle this situation. My ex has recently started playing WoW again, and returned to the server and faction we were playing together. Now, he had quit for a fairly good time, so I returned to the server where I had friends -- IRL and in game. I had assumed that because the break up was fairly nasty (with me finding out he had cheated on me and spread lies about me), that he would follow the deal we had made and not return to the server. The deal was: wherever we knew one of us would be, the other would not be. Obviously I would return to the server, and I fully expected him to start playing another server so we would stay out of each other's hair. When confronted, he told me that he would transfer if I payed for it and then ignored me.
HP's MediaSmart works with Time Machine, iTunes
Earlier this week, HP announced the availability of two new home servers, the MediaSmart ex485 and ex487. It's true that both are based on Microsoft's Windows Home Server platform, but the interesting thing for Mac users is that they're recognized by Time Machine as backup targets, and they can act as an iTunes server. At $599US for the ex485 (750GB of storage) or $749US for the ex487 (1.5TB), that's not a bad deal.Other specs include a 2GHz Celeron CPU, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, gigabit Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA jack and four internal HDD bays. Note that total storage on these units can be scaled up to 9TB.HP will begin taking pre-orders in January for shipment in February.For now, I've got a G4 iMac in my basement acting as a home media server, as it were, to the Apple TV. Two external drives are attached -- one for Time Machine and one for a SuperDuper! clone, scheduled to update weekly. A third, pocket-sized drive is updated via SuperDuper! weekly and lives off-site (read: my wife's desk in her classroom, don't tell!). Do you have a home-spun backup and streaming solution?[Via Engadget]
Pioneer unveils S-4EX bookshelf / S-8EX center channel
Pioneer's not just focusing on the video side of things, oh no, it's also throwing a bone to the audio lovers in attendance. Designed to complement the EX series of drivers, the S-4EX bookshelf and S-8EX center channel were each constructed with the same heralded technology as used in last year's S-3EX tall boy speakers. When coupled with said boys, you've got yourself a complete multi-channel system consisting of EX drivers from top to bottom. Specs wise, each speaker can handle 160-watts of unadulterated power, and furthermore, you'll find a 3cm Ceramic Graphite tweeter dome, 16cm bass driver (2x in the center channel), ultra rigid cabinet construction and beech high gloss veneer or dark teak matte finishes. As usual, mum's the word on pricing / availability. %Gallery-26128%
Naruto game announced ... but which one?
You might have to take some notes on this one, because it's a little complicated, especially since the games involved have very long, very similar names. Tomy and D3 Publisher have announced a new Naruto game called Naruto: Clash of Ninja MVZ, to be released on the Wii in the US with exclusive new content.However, exactly which Naruto game it is is somewhat of a mystery. The unruly (but perspicacious) NeoGAF horde thinks that it's not the Wii Naruto (Naruto Shippuden Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX) that just came out in Japan, but rather a port of the Gamecube Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3 with some new characters, minigames, and, we would assume, new controls. But Gamespot is reporting that we're getting a version of EX with the animations and characters changed to reflect where the US localization of the anime is in the Naruto storyline. We don't exactly know what's going on. There will be a Naruto game of some kind on the Wii this fall, and the rest is obscured by ninja trickery, deployed in a successful attempt to confuse and disorient us.
