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Orbitsound rolls out tube-based T6 iPod dock
It's far from the first dock of its kind, but those that just can't get enough of that warm vacuum tube sound now have a new option to consider courtesy of Orbitsound, which is set to roll out its new T6 iPod dock. This one apparently combines those tried and true tubes with Orbitsound's trademark single-speaker AirSOUND technology, which the company boldly proclaims is nothing short of "life changing." So as not to let anyone out of that not at all overstated experience, the dock also comes equipped with standard 3.5 mm inputs and outputs in addition to an iPod dock to accommodate your various devices, as well as a video output and, of course, a remote control. No word on a price, but you can look for this one to start shipping sometime next month.[Via Gadget Lab]
Nokia promises "a lot" more phones in the US, we say "orly"?
According to Nokia chief designer Alastair Curtis, Nokia will be offering several -- nay, a "lot" -- more products in the US very soon. "In the next few months," Curtis promised, "operators will carry a lot of new products from us." While Nokia controls 40% of the worldwide handset market, they only have a 10% share in the United States. It seems they're not happy with that and want a bigger piece of the American pie. Bring it on, Nokia. We're ready to see these phones from you, say, in the form of an E71 or Tube?
Nokia's touchscreen Tube out in the wilds?
Like detective work? Good, this one's for you. That's the supposed first picture of Nokia's Tube which we've enhanced a bit to see all the detail. According to Symbian-Freak, the device code-named "Tube" will be Nokia's first touch S60 device but will not be a flagship phone. Another higher spec'd phone will ship "shortly after." The display is said to be between 3- and 3.5-inches with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a camera (with another up front based on the picture) which they say is "way better" than the iPhone's but not on par with the existing N-series shooters. The phone is said to ride atop quad-band GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA radios with built-in Bluetooth, WiFi, uPnP support and a stylus. Something you'll apparently need judging by that skinny scroll bar. GPS? Yup, that too. No multi-touch on this model but it is said to provide haptic feedback in a package supposedly smaller (maybe a little bit wider) than the N73. We also notice an "XpressMedia" label on the phone which would indicate an affiliation with Nokia's XpressMusic class of media devices. You'll also notice that the icons have been slightly revised since we went hands on with the S60 Touch UI back in February. Real deal or not, it's a mystery worthy of your skills. [Thanks Jose and to everyone who sent this in]
Nokia readies iPhone-ish "Tube," disses Apple's sales
It appears that Nokia is readying its official response to the iPhone, a project grossly codenamed "Tube" that will feature a touch interface. The new handset -- which is said to closely resemble Apple's device (see above, we assume) -- was shown during a slideshow at the Evans Data Developer Relations Conference in Redwood City, California. The slide demonstrated the phone's UI, including a promotional shot featuring Shrek The Third. Tom Libretto, vice president of Forum Nokia, believes that the company can compete for the iPhone's marketshare, though the phone-maker hasn't set a street date for the device. Apple has sold more than 4 million units since the iPhone's launch, but Libretto smugly noted that, "We've done that [volume] since we've had dinner on Friday," (though he failed to mention that it was 4 million low-end candybar handsets). He then put on a monocle, puffed on a Cuban cigar, and knocked back a tall glass of Cristal while chortling, "Oh, I do say!"[Thanks, Alex]
TurpsterVision: London is HELL!
Every Tuesday think "T" for Turpster and take the "a" in "day", capitalize it, remove the little bit in the middle, turn it upside down and you get a "V". Put the two together and you'll have TV for TurpsterVision -- the best Internet video podcast on Massively! (Never mind that business about it being the only video podcast on Massively...)Welcome back to TurpsterVision! I'm lovin' it that you could join me for my second show; not a lot of people realize this but the video below is a live stream to my camera and I have to act out the episode multiple times a day for you, the lucky viewers. This week I have decided that it is finally time to find out which is truly the best MMO out on the market. If you want to find out, join us after the break to see what you should be playing!
Sony debuts tubular, non-directional speaker
Finally, Sony is striving to incorporate its technology into our "everything everywhere" lifestyles with a stereo speaker that matches our fast-paced, Jetsons-esque, 21st century "chill sessions." What are we talking about? Mainly, the company's new non-directional speaker prototype, a thin, tall, acrylic tube with a woofer at the bottom, a mid range "unit" at the top, and a tweeter created through the use of the vibrating, resin cylinder. Apparently, the speaker is capable of projecting sound in a omnidirectional fashion due to it's circular shape and unique speaker placement, though there's no telling how accurately it reproduces Mastodon's harmonized guitars. The speaker is self-powered (i.e., active), and as far as we know, Sony has no immediate plans for release, Stateside or otherwise.
Hands-on with Venzero's entire vapor-less lineup
We like to give Venzero a hard time about appearing completely sketch and vaporware-ish in most of its product announcements and subsequent delayed releases, but it turns out the company very much exists and very much is building and releasing the DAPs of which we speak. So very many DAPs. In fact, Venzero just released that WiFi-capable LINQ player we were talking about a week or so back, which is the company's main offering that really has much to unique or ergonomic to offer -- the SLICKR and the mini are a bit of a pain to use in the button department. Unfortunately, the LINQ doesn't support player-to-player sharing just yet, but the internet radio features and home media streaming are pretty extensive, and further functionality is planned for down the road -- along with some other nifty releases we can't mention just yet. Oh, and before you jump into that gallery, Venzero would like us to remind you that the player interfaces are soon going to be getting a significant upgrade in the sub-menu department, so hopefully the players won't look like shady also-rans for too much longer.%Gallery-6775%
Magnetic space tube to help suck up lunar soil
Not sure if NASA has this on tap or not, but Benjamin Eimer and Lawrence Taylor of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville just invented a special magnetic collection tube that sucks up lunar soil so we can extract precious resources for use in future moon colonies. The tube, which is sort of like an elephant's trunk or one of those leaf suckers, would suck up lunar soil (not peanuts and leaves) containing water, oxygen and other resources to be extracted by astronauts. They'd need to gather and transport large amounts of the stuff without stirring up jagged moon shards and hazardous dust, so bulldozer-like equipment is definitely out of the question. The tube's coils would create a magnetic field that attracts the iron-laden soil, keeping it neatly centered to be distributed to storage facilities or processing plants via a pipeline system. Assuming the tube rules at collecting a massive supply, the soil can then be bagged to stack on top of lunar habitats to help regulate unpredictable temperatures and block radiation from hazardous space particles. Sweet! Once they hook us up with some sci-fi WiFi, we'll be reporting from Engadget's new intergalactic office. [Thanks, Matthew]
Wiitube wants to give you a copy of TMNT
And who are we to deny them that right? If you're at all interested in a free Wii game, all you have to do is create an avatar and upload a video to Wiitube, and you'll be entered into the contest. That doesn't seem so painful. The dramatic quality of your video doesn't seem to be a factor, so you can always take the easy way out and just read some blog posts out loud (with proper attribution, of course).We want to go on record as encouraging "giving people video games" as a Web 2.0 trend. We'd gladly trade Myspace for free video games.[Via Joystiq]
Tiny hotness: playing the Wii on a GBA SP (update 1)
In using a special cartridge that allows a video signal to be sent to the GBA, You Tube user jackal27 rocks his Wii on the portable's tiny screen. Obviously, the practical use of such a feature is almost nonexistent, but it makes for a fun little You Tube video. Check out the video, which has been embedded past the post break.Update: me am not so English good (I omitted a word or two in the post).
Rockridge Sound's VTS-384 tube amp and speaker dock for iPod
Check it vacuum tube buffs, Rockridge Sound has a new iPod speaker dock boasting a trio of vacuum tubes per stereo channel. As a result the VTS-384 delivers "full analog" sound out a pair of 2x2W (8ohm) speakers. The kit ships with a remote for controlling the iPod, wire protectors for those precious tubes, and RCA and USB jacks for sourcing non-iPod music or connecting USB speakers. Now, we're not so delusional as to consider ourselves audiophiles, but any benefit achieved by that single-ended triode vs. digital amp will likely be nullified by its compressed audio, iPod source, dontchathink? Still, sometimes it's not how the gear sounds, it's all about the looks. But for an expected MSRP of between ¥70-80,000 (about $604-$777) when these hit in February, you might rightly wonder if she's really all that.[Via Impress]
A pair of new Twilight Princess videos
A duo of delicious videos for Twilight Princess have hit You Tube and, unless you're a fan of spoilers, we suggest you do not check the videos out, which are embedded into the post after the break. We'd discuss the videos' contents, but like we said ... spoilers.
DS Lite overclocked
We can't imagine why kitora12 would ever want to go ahead and do this, but for reasons only known to him, he has gone and overclocked a DS Lite. You can find a plethora of pictures here documenting the process, whether they exist to prove legitimacy or as a tutorial, we cannot comment. Regardless, it's an impressive feat that this individual accomplished, although it must be said that we may never forgive him for taking a knife to such a beautiful object.[Thanks Joey!]
All-tube digital clock, seven years in the making
Nixie clocks, which use little vacuum tubes to display the numbers, have been around for a while. Geeks build them, hipsters put them in their lofts, and they range from very cool to not so cool. Now Friedhelm Bruegmann, a member of the German Tube Collectors Association, has spent seven years of his life putting together an all-tube digital clock. Instead of a little quartz module, he uses 103 tubes to calculate and display the time. Yes, it looks like a small army of pointy silver-headed robots. No, it's not for sale, but Friedhelm's site is so detailed, you can probably hack one together yourself in a decade or so.[Via Music Thing]
Spoiler Alert: Phoenix Wright: Justice For All footage
Please be aware that by clicking on the link to the You Tube video, you may be provided with spoilers on the final game's release. Please be advised of spoilers and do not say we didn't warn you.Now that is out of the way, one of our illustrious, and often times referred to as "dead sexy," readers sent us in this link to footage of Phoenix Wright: Justice For All in action. The game plays out just as you expect, with a lot of the wonderful humor and contradiction-locating courtroom gameplay we've all come to love. Watching the video is sure to please, but for all of you out there who want to go into Phoenix's next adventure with a clear mind, maybe you should just look the other way.[Thanks Dead Sexy AssemblyLineHuman!]
Pokemon in motion
We're not trying to suffocate you guys with You Tube videos here at The Fanboy, but there are just so many gosh-darn good ones right now that we're forced to link them. Like this Pokemon Battle Revolution footage! It really looks polished and could possibly be the game that gets me back into the franchise. But honestly though, why doesn't that whale just eat everyone?[Thanks Austin!]
Samsung SyncMaster745MS 14-inch thick CDT display
In an age dominated by LCD, plasma and other flat-panel technologies, we're always a little surprised to see anyone still trying to advance the cause of tube-based displays. But Samsung, for one, hasn't quite given up on tubes, and is showing off what the company says is the world's thinnest Color Display Tube (CDT) display, the 14-inch thick SyncMaster 745MS. The 17-inch display is expected to debut globally in June for under $200. While the display is unlikely to woo away too many LCD fans, it could sway some CRT loyalists who prefer tubes for their color range, sharpness and fast response rate.
Fuss over Sony PSP ads in the UK
In the wake of Sony's graffiti-fuelled advertising campaign, the games giant has tried a fresh start, plastering public transport in the UK with enticing slogans. However, the slogans seem to have caused more trouble than necessary; an advert on a Manchester platform encouraging travellers to "take a running jump" has been deemed inappropriate and is due to be removed.Elsewhere, in London, large Tube ads encouraging users to seemingly fill their PSPs with porn have caused some confusion. Could this be another attempt to whip up interest in Sony's advertising campaign, or are they simply a couple of misguided messages that looked better in the boardroom?[Thanks, Dave]
