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NZXT's Cryo E40 laptop cooler sends a pleasant breeze wherever you like
NZXT is pretty good when it comes to avoiding unnecessary flourishes and providing straight-up PC hardware. Its Cryo E40 laptop cooler is no different, forgoing HDD slots and magic elixirs in favor of two 80mm fans that clasp magnetically to the underside of its steel mesh. These can be plucked off and moved around to suit your lappie's particular hotspots -- so long as you're using a 15-incher or smaller. The E40 rises to 60mm above the surface of your desk, covers an area 420mm wide by 300mm deep, and is powered via a USB cable that can also be shifted to the left or right to suit your ports. The price of all this flexibility? That'd be $28, please, with availability from next month.
New computer system can read your emotions, will probably be annoying about it (video)
It's bad enough listening to your therapist drone on about the hatred you harbor toward your father. Pretty soon, you may have to put up with a hyper-insightful computer, as well. That's what researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid have begun developing, with a new system capable of reading human emotions. As explained in their study, published in the Journal on Advances in Signal Processing, the computer has been designed to intelligently engage with people, and to adjust its dialogue according to a user's emotional state. To gauge this, researchers looked at a total of 60 acoustic parameters, including the tenor of a user's voice, the speed at which one speaks, and the length of any pauses. They also implemented controls to account for any endogenous reactions (e.g., if a user gets frustrated with the computer's speech), and enabled the adaptable device to modify its speech accordingly, based on predictions of where the conversation may lead. In the end, they found that users responded more positively whenever the computer spoke in "objective terms" (i.e., with more succinct dialogue). The same could probably be said for most bloggers, as well. Teleport past the break for the full PR, along with a demo video (in Spanish).
Scientist cooks up adjustable strength metals
As you may know, crafting a katana is a delicate process that involves carefully constructing a razor-sharp high-carbon edge around a soft shock-absorbent core. One day though, smiths and forging fires could be replaced by electrode-wielding mad-scientists, with the technology to selectively harden and soften metal at will. At least that's what we envisioned when we read about Jörg Weißmüller's breakthrough research in the field of nanomaterials. The German scientist discovered that by placing precious metals in acid he could create tiny ducts through corrosion. Once those channels are flooded with a conductive liquid, electrical currents can be used to harden the material and, if you change your mind about the brittle results, the effect can easily be reversed to make it soft again. The tech could eventually lead to self-healing vehicle armor or scratch-resistant cellphones -- but, really, we just want to zap our way to a high-quality samurai sword.
Apple patent application reveals an LCD with switchable, privacy-protecting viewing angles
Don't you hate it when the guy next to you on the subway is looking over your shoulder, watching you screw up in Fruit Ninja? Well, Apple could have predicted your discomfort -- back in November 2009, before the iPad was anything more than a unicorn, the company applied for a patent on an LCD display with adjustable viewing angles, explicitly designed to "shield the display away from unintended viewers." According to the filing, the display would include steering modules made of liquid crystal material, which aim the so-called scattering modules that sit on top of them. The top layer then redirects the light, making it possible to narrow down and alter the viewing angle. The patent specifically calls out cellphones and laptops, paving the way for discreet displays on MacBooks and iPhones, though the broad phrase "other portable electronic devices" leaves plenty of room for iPads and iPod Touches. No word, of course, on when or if Apple will secure this patent and if so, what devices might incorporate such screens. We may just be seeing this concept go public now, but it seems consumers could use this even more today than they did back in the fall of '09, when all they had to worry about was a stranger squinting at their 3GS' 3.5-inch screen.
Tascam outs new DR-07 Mark II audio recorder, touts adjustable mics
If you're in the market for a quality audio recording device to capture demos somebody other than your mother would listen to, here's your chance to get those songs past her and out into the real world. Tascam, maker of professional music studio equipment, has just announced their newest addition to the recording family, the DR-07. Depending on what you'll be recording, the device allows the user to capture sound in XY or AB configuration using the adjustable dual microphones -- the XY adjustment for a tight stereo recording and AB for ambient, larger noise. The Mark II comes bundled with a 2GB microSD slot, features 17.5 hours of battery life and grabs MP3 audio at up to 320 kbps or WAV audio at up to 96 kHz. If you're interested in picking one of these up, hit up the more coverage link and drop the $150.
PlayStation 3 could get 3D depth slider à la the 3DS
How will sir be having his gimmick today? The devs behind the upcoming Sly Cooper 3D compilation are wisely mulling over the idea of inserting a 3D-adjusting slider to let users decide just how much stereoscopy they want with their Sony-approved gaming. It's argued that this should allow you greater positional flexibility when smacking fools down in three dimensions, as you'll be able to manually toggle the depth of the 3D effect to suit your viewing angle. We were happy to see such an option introduced in the Nintendo 3DS at E3 and would similarly welcome its inclusion on the PS3 -- though that's no foregone conclusion as yet. All we can say for sure right now is that the stuff is adjustable, but it looks like it'll be up to devs to roll their sleeves up and integrate the slider into their games. Hey, it's the summer, not like they've got anything else to do, right?
Dreamcom 10 series laptop is totally adjustable, ergonomic
CeBIT never fails to produce some fairly zany kit, and just like last year, we've got yet another incredibly weird laptop hitting the scene that promises to be your neck's best friend. The Dreamcom 10 series machine features a vertically adjustable LCD along with a docking station to avoid using that totally cramped integrated keyboard. If you can make it past the outside without gagging (okay, so it's not that bad... maybe), you'll find a 2.2GHz T7500 processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a couple of USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard slot, 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600, Bluetooth / WiFi and a 160GB hard drive for good measure. Not a peep has been uttered in regard to pricing, but c'mon, your health is worth whatever they charge, right? [Via MobileMag]
Ceratec's CeraLight Xeno audio system offers adjustable LED lighting
If you're one of those folks who genuinely feel that Philips' Ambilight technology adds a whole new level to your television viewing experience, we'll tell ya, these are going to be awfully hard to resist. Ceratec's CeraLight Xeno audio system consists of four Ceraplanar flat diaphragm transducers and one subwoofer, and besides the 100-watts or so of power you'll have at your fingertips, these column speakers should delight the lighting freaks in the crowd with their remote-controllable brightness and color. Apparently, the LED-infused speakers can emit a variety of colorful glows depending on your mood, ensuring that there's never a lack of rainbow going on in your living room. Unfortunately, there's no word on price or availability just yet, but be sure to click on through to see these vivid sound sticks in action.[Via FreshCreation]
