Princeton
Latest
Princeton's itty bitty USB Bluetooth 2.0+EDR module
Remember that crazy small, RF receiver used with Logitech's VX Nano? Meet the Bluetooth 2.0+EDR equiv, the Princeton's PTM-UBT3S which measures just 19-mm (0.75-inches) long. So yeah, it's small, in fact, it's claimed to be the smallest available in Japan when it ships in September. Whether or not it's the world's smallest is irrelevant as it's surely suitable for full-time laptop or handheld bunging without concern for sheering it off. Yours for ¥2,480 or $21 beans. [Via Impress]
Princeton intros 500GB iTunes/DLNA NAS
Princeton Technology seems to be intent on keeping all its NAS bases covered, with the company now introducing a 500GB unit to complement its bring-your-own-drive offerings. As with those others units, the company's new PEC-NAV500 NAS boasts iTunes server and DLNA capabilities, includes DigiOn's DiXiM media server client software, and packs a spare USB port to accommodate a printer or an extra drive. It also promises improved heat dissipation from its aluminum enclosure, and packs a fan just in case that's enough enough to keep things cool. Look for this one to hit Japan later this month for around ¥32,800, or roughly $276.[Via Impress]
Recumbent Wiimote charger
This Wiimote charger from Princeton uses the same principle to restore energy to the Wiimote that we use to restore energy to our own bodies: the principle of kickin' back. It provides a nice serene space for your remote to take a load off and just forget about the day. For best results, put it in front of the TV, or on a nearby beach. Oh, also you have to plug it into the Wii's USB port for some reason.We do not recommend the use of bubble bath for Wiimote recharging purposes. Please stick to approved recumbent recharge methods only.[Via GAME Watch]
Harvard, Princeton researchers developing implantable "biocomputers"
Researchers at Harvard and Princeton have announced that they've made a "crucial step" in the development of so-called "biocomputers," which could one day be implanted in patients to directly attack diseased cells or tissues Fantastic Voyage-style. According to Physorg, the computers are actually constructed entirely out of DNA, RNA, and proteins, and are able to translate complex cellular signatures like the activities of multiple genes into a form that can be more readily observed. Currently, the researchers have demonstrated that the biocomputers can work in human kidney cells in culture, although they seem confident that they'll eventually find a wind range of uses, including working in conjunction with biosensors or medicine delivery systems to target, for instance, only cancerous or diseased cells, without causing any harm to the patient's healthy cells.
Princeton prof picks up e-voting machines on the cheap
It's no secret that e-voting machines here in the US and around the world have more security holes than a slice of Lorraine Swiss, but it took a Princeton professor and $82 to discover just how bad the situation really is. Now, one would think that election officials would destroy their old terminals instead of selling them to the general public for practically nothing (the ~$5,000 devices are going for less than $20 apiece), yet that's exactly what Buncombe County, North Carolina did with 144 of its retired Sequoia AVC Advantages. First manufactured in the late 80's, the Advantages use old-school push buttons and lamps instead of the touchscreens found on more modern models -- and yet according to Princeton's Andrew Appel, they're actually more secure than those Diebold machines that fellow faculty member Ed Felten totally pwned several months back. Still, Appel and his students found numerous problems with these Sequoias that are still being used in parts of Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and all across Louisiana: not only were they able to pick the machines' locks in under seven seconds, they discovered that the non-soldered ROM chips were easily replaceable, allowing a hacker-in-the-know to potentially swap them out with outcome-altering data. A Sequoia spokesperson claims that any tampering with the machines would set off an alarm at their headquarters, but Appel argues that this security precaution could easily be overridden with the right code. So this is just great: now we know that a determined individual could easily pick up still-in-use machines (for a song), reverse engineer them to figure out the security roadblocks, and then sneak into a church basement or gymnasium where many of these terminals gather dust for 364 days a year. This is a big problem, folks, and let's hope it doesn't take an election Enron for some serious changes and regulations to be enacted by the feds.
Princeton students get free tunes that won't play on iPods
Princeton has made a deal with Virginia-based Ruckus to provide free music to all their undergraduate students. Ruckus, which has licensed 1.5 million tracks from various music labels, provides unlimited access to their library apparently in exchange for advertising to a captive audience. Unfortunately, this deal leaves Mac and iPod users in the cold. The Plays4Sure DRM only works on Windows and a limited number of players. Princeton students will have to pony up a little extra money and a compatible player to have access to the Ruckus-to-go feature if they want to take their tunes off their PC and onto their player. On the bright side, if you can call it that, the Zune doesn't do Plays4Sure either.
Princeton's iTunes/DLNA NAS media server: bring your own disk
As the iPod continues its portable media juggernaut unabated (for now), we're starting to see more and more devices touting an iTunes server feature in their specs. Now Princeton joins the party with their PEC-NAV NAS server. Unlike Buffalo's LinkStation NAS with iTunes, Princeton's offering comes diskless, so you can throw any ol' 3.5-inch Parallel ATA disk into the chassis to serve your media down its 10/100Mbps Ethernet pipe. Sorry, no support for DRM'd files purchased from the iTunes store, this iTunes media server only streams MP3, M4A, MP4 audio formats stored on its disk back to your PC or Mac. It also features a couple of USB 2.0 ports to increase disk capacity and for attaching a remote printer (Windows only). And just in case you haven't yet bitten on Apple's iPod ecosystem, Princeton bundles support for DLNA media streaming and even includes DigiOn's (likely the device's OEM) DiXiM client software in the kit. On sale in Japan starting mid-January for about ¥18,800 or $161. [Via Impress]
Princeton's "psychic" USB stick isn't very convincing
USB memory stick manufacturers will stop at nothing to give their particular mass produced piece of plastic an edge over all the other mass produced pieces of plastic. Unfortunately, that means companies like Princeton from Japan are all too happy to market a range of 256MB, 512MB, and 1GB USB memory sticks as having psychic powers, all thanks to an endorsement by Masako Mitaki -- an apparently well-known Japanese psychic -- and a cheap software bundle. We'll give you a prediction: you won't buy this USB dongle. That'll be $5 and your soul, please.
Princeton Technology's Bluetooth headphone adapter
Japan's Princeton Technology is set to release an iPod accessory for those not satisfied with the current crop of Bluetooth headphones, with its cleverly-named named "Wireless Headphone Adapter" providing a bring-your-own-phones alternative. You'll still have to find a way to deal with the headphones' existing wires, of course, but instead of stretching all the way to the iPod in your pocket (in this case it is strictly iPod-only), they'll now only have to find their way to the 3.5-millimeter jack on the remote in your other pocket. Those who prefer to wear their gadgets proudly can also make use of the remote's handy clip, although we suspect it'll attract a bit more attention than a shuffe if you wear it on your lapel. Look for the bundle to be available in Japan next month in your choice of white, sliver, or black for 12,800 Yen ($110), with the remote and adapter also available individually for 7,800 ($67). [Via Impress]
Princeton unveils PNS01S NAS in compact, aluminum enclosure
Apparently Princeton's taking a breather from pumping out those LCD monitors and external battery packs, as its latest introduction comes in the form of a (relatively) compact NAS. The PNS01S sports a sleek, aluminum enclosure measuring just 2.36- x 8.27- x 7.17-inches, and comes in both 400GB and half-terabyte flavors. Each device boasts a fanless design, houses a SATA drive touting 16MB of cache, and offers up eSATA, USB 2.0, and gigabit Ethernet ports on the rear. Aside from playing nice with both Macs and PCs, it includes NetBak Replicator software to simplify those scheduled backups, and should be available later this month for a currently undisclosed price.[Via Akihabara News]
45% of computers purchased at Princeton this year were Macs
I've often said that the children are our future and it looks like Princeton students share my vision of the future. This year, reports the Daily Princetonian, 45% of all computers purchased by students were Macs. This is an all time high for Princeton (2003 saw 15% of students buying a Mac, and it has been on the rise ever since).Some might say that college student probably just think that Macs are cool (which they are) and so they just want to look hip. This might have something to do with it, but Princeton's Office of Information Technology says that Mac usage amongst the faculty is also on the rise.Allow me to add some anecdotal evidence: I work for a large university and I have been seeing a larger number of Macs on campus, and in my office.[via Digg]
Princeton's PMB-BP18 external battery pack for USB devices
Whether in the form of compressed images spun from disk or received over the air, portable video is a battery killer. Toss in a bit of WiFi and Bluetooth wireless to grind modern handhelds to a halt in just a few hours. This unfortunate truth makes sad chunky slabs of plastic and lithium polymer a must for those of you in need of some extra go-go juice. The Princeton PMB-BP18 is a 75-gram external battery pack capable of re-charging any portable USB device such as cellphone or iPod when away from the mains. What's more, Princeton touts the device's ability to charge the typical Japanese cellphone (via accompanying au and DoCoMo cables) twice before the PMB-BP18 external battery requires a refill. Sorry, that's an adjustable stand, not the backside of an LCD you're looking at, which somehow manages prop up your phone or mp3 player for viewing without the device sliding into your lap. Available now in Japan for ¥4,980 or about 44 US bucks.
Princeton's PSP-312IPIR2: 2.1ch iPod travel speakers
Not likely to be your ordinary set of tin-can, iPod travel speakers, we bring you this 2.1ch setup from Princeton. Conflictingly dubbed the PSP-312IPIR2 (uh, "PSP" Princeton?), this kit appears capable of delivering what the others miss. Namely, a couple of 3W / 4Ω speakers with dedicated 6W / 4Ω subwoofer which can hopefully deliver a little thump when on the go. The bundle brings that "made for iPod" badge of whoredom and delivers a 3.5-mm jack, universal dock with remote, choice of USB / Firewire connectivity back to your PC / Mac, up to 25 hours of continuos play off 4x AAA batteries batteries, and simulated 3D sound at the touch of a button. Best of all, it folds down flat into a 421-gram / 0.93-pound slab (with remote, no batteries) for fairly easy portability. Available in black or white with plenty of that blue LED action for ¥12,800 or about $108 when they hit Japan later this month. Check that sub and folding transformation after the break.[Via Impress]Update: So, Made for iPod isn't the only badge these are wearing; how 'bout trying on rebadge Princeton since these have been out as the Logic3 i-Station for more than a year. Thanks to our readers for the gentle reminder.
Princeton busts out 19, 17 and 15-inch LCDs
They're mostly total yawners, but Princeton has a new lineup of decently priced LCDs due in Japan later this month. The only monitor of particular note is their new PTFWHF-19W widescreen 19-incher, which sports a 1,440 x 900 resolution, 5ms response time, 300 nits of brightness and a 700:1 contrast ratio. There's also a built-in speaker and DVI port, but that's about as exciting as it gets. The PTFWHE-17 follows up with 17-inches at 1,280 x 1,024 res, but a lame 12ms response time, while the PTFWHE-15 makes do with an XGA resolution, 250 nits of brightness and 8ms response times. At least the prices are a bit more fun, since the LCDs go for 34,800 Yen ($295 US), 25,800 Yen ($219 US) and 24,800 ($210 US) respectively. Oh, and in case you hadn't noticed, you get your pick of white or black, so choose wisely, friend.[Via Impress]
Princeton PCK-UAV UHF video / audio transmitter
While it seems that there's just too many of those not-exactly-functional FM transmitters for your iPod / DAP-of-choice to ever actually decide on just one (and hope for the best), the market for transmitting video from your portable media player is bit more limited. Princeton has unveiled its video (and audio) transmitting solution, dubbed the PCK-UAV, to give 5G iPod owners, as well any other PMP -- or anything with RCA outs, actually -- the ability to transmit media wirelessly over the UHF band. If you're fortunate enough to rock a TV monitor (or four) in your ride, and you've got a built-in TV tuner somewhere in there as well, you can pipe your TV shows, movies, tunes, etc. to any connected display by tuning into one of the four UHF stations the PCK-UAV plays nice with; DIP switches on the unit allow for broadcasting to channels 45, 48, 50, and 53, and you can supposedly pick these up on a standard television as well, giving you an excellent reason to dust off those 'ole rabbit ears. Contrary to most poorly complemented Japanese products, Princeton includes some thoughtful extras here, such as a 12 volt car power adapter and apparently a video / audio connector cable made specifically for the iPod with video -- although we can't quite pick up solid deets concerning price or availability, nor how well this implementation of an in-car transmitter will actually, you know, transmit, it'll supposedly run you about ¥8,000 ($69) when it drops this month.[Via OhGizmo]
PLOrk: Princeton Laptop Orchestra
I just sat down to read this month's issue of Wired and imagine my delight when I read a little blurb about PLOrk (also known as the Princeton Laptop Orchestra). PLOrk consists of 15 students that each have a Powerbook hooked up to a speaker and an array of wacky input devices. The students use the laptops and input devices to make music (which you can listen to here. I like 'On the Floor'.).I have listened to some of the tracks and they are... interesting.If you're in the Princeton area PLOrk is having a concert on April 4th, so check out the details and support your local college aged musical Mac users.
