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Heatworks opens pre-orders for its plumbing-free countertop dishwasher
The machine will typically cost $499, but there's a $100 discount during the pre-sale.
Tetra the micromouse needs no cheese, completes maze in under five seconds (video)
Lab rats beware -- there's a new turbo-charged robotic cousin of yours on the block. This little autonomous fellow, Tetra, has just wowed micromouse hobbyists with a 4.766-second finish time in a maze (which had to be mapped by the micromouse first) in a recent demonstration, beating the previous All Japan Micromouse contest record by a big margin of 1.6 seconds. Sadly, Tetra wasn't the winner of this year's contest as it failed to complete the final Expert Class event -- probably something to do with the lighting conditions which affected its tracking. We can still admire Tetra's awesomeness in the video after the break though, followed by some thoughts from a few micromouse experts.
Tetra T-Pad smartphone is tough, just not $2,600 tough
Ever since Motorola was tossing the Tetra name around in 2005, the brand has catered to those operating in less-than-beautiful conditions. The T-Pad smartphone is no exception to the rule, boasting a shock-proof (MIL-STD-810F) casing, IP65 waterproof rating and a keypad that resists dust, debris and any other manner of matter. Specs wise, you'll find a 640 x 480 resolution display, Intel's Xscale 400MHz CPU, Windows CE.Net 4.2, Bluetooth, 64MB of SDRAM, USB connectivity and optional WiFi / GPS. Unfortunately, this little bugger is reportedly stickered at £1,300 ($2,592), so unless your employer is picking up the tab for you to have a mobile while wrestling polar bears at the North Pole, we'd probably recommend a cheaper alternative.[Via CNET, thanks Yogesh]
A bit of fun on Monday morning: A Wii Adventure
We hate Mondays almost as much as you do. Our job is pretty cool, after all, but the unfortunate end to the weekend's drunken debauchery is always a bit of a buzzkill. To cheer you up a bit, here's a lighthearted video which remarkably manipulates the world and characters in Zelda: Wind Waker to tell a heartwarming little story about the Wii. We have no freaking clue how the creator was able to so skillfully use the technology found on that piracy-locked Gamecube disc, but kudos are much deserved.[Thanks, MC Yoo!]
