For our last CES post of 2008, we bring you this live preview of Gibson’s self-tuning “Robot Guitar” — courtesy of Nilay Patel. Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

The self-tuning axe actually weighs a little less than a regular Les Paul, even though it has gigantic motorized tuners and all that extra circuitry. To activate the system, you pull out a special tone knob and select one of the eight or so presets, and then simply strum until the lights flash blue three times

[via Engdaget]

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The Alarme watch is basically a “unique and stylish design that has the ability to alert those who cannot hear an audible alarm by vibration.” Click here for one more picture.

The watch has two built in multi-directional microphones that measure the surrounding ambient sound levels. Once the sound changes frequency, the vibrating alarm alerts the user that there is a situation going on and they need to leave the area. The LED lights and face alert the user as to what the alarm is, and if it is a serious situation or one where only caution needs to be had

[via YankoDesign]

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Mitsubishi announces a $32,990 base price for the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR. Additional options include: a $2,000 “Sight, Sound, and Spoiler” package, $1,999 30GB navigation system, and a $2,000 aero kit. Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

Mitsubishi didn’t announce pricing for the range topping, dual-clutch equipped MR, but if the GSR’s pricing is any indication, early reports about it cresting the $40k mark are likely on target

[via Edmunds - Autoblog]

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Capcom has just released a new Street Fighter 4 trailer in Japan, which gives us a look at some gameplay footage. This game will reportedly be released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and arcade platforms. Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.

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Soon iPhone owners who visit Starbuck’s will be able to order directly from their handset with “QuickOrder”. Click here for first picture in gallery. Here is how the payment system will work:

This concept was designed before the Apple patent is widely publicized. Similar to ordering song through the web via iTune account, Semacode works like a digital “receipt,” allowing the user to use their iTunes account for the transaction (which will bypass credit card transaction/identification, and speed up the pick-up process)

[via Gizmodo]

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A seller is offering this custom Master Chief Transformer on eBay — current bid is at $76. Auction page. Click here for first picture in gallery.

This figure has been repainted to match Master Chief himself. He has multiple points of articulation and has also been sealed, meaning you can pose him in all sorts of awesome poses. Instructions are included because these figures can be hard to figure out. This guy also comes with an assortment of weapons just like the ones in the game

[via Gizmodo]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

As things go from bad to worse, AMD just slipped the shipping date of their 2.4GHz Phenom 9700 and 2.6GHz 9900 CPUs. Announced for Q1, the quad-core CPUs are now expected for Q2. That means their 2.8GHz and 3GHz procs, expected in late Q2, will likely slip as well. However, that’s not all good news for Intel fans if Intel chooses to delay the release of their own processors to maximize sales of existing processor line-ups. In the mean time, AMD is expected to focus on its tri-core “Toliman” processors. Well, there’s always hope that you can accomplish in court what you couldn’t in the marketplace, eh AMD?

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Filed under: CES, HDTV, Laptops, Media PCs

Toshiba’s Cell processor-based SpursEngine B.E. was on full display at CES, with a variety of tech demos to show off its power. From HD video transcoding, facial recognition, or the always popular gesture-control Toshiba’s baby went through a series of workouts, trying to be the third teammate, with your CPU & GPU, to speed heavy-duty processing. Featuring only four cores — half the number found in the PS3 — it handled all tasks thrown its way, check out the gallery to find out how the power of the Cell could help your PC in the future.

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We’ve shown you snippets throughout the week, but we wanted you to have access to the full 20 minutes, too, so you can catch every little nugget from the conversation, and see how the chat evolved to the point where Bill could be frank and open about all things Microsoft. It’s in YouTube so you can share it or do whatever. Just remember it’s long, so you may want to get a beverage or a snack before pressing play.

Gizmodo’s Bill Gates CES 2008 Interview:
Part 1 - On the difference between Microsoft and Apple
Part 2 - On his changing public image
Part 3 - What he worries about most
Part 4 - Holy Crap: Did Bill Gates Just Say Windows Sucks?

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Filed under: Laptops

Those of you who participated in OLPC’s “Give One, Get One” program will probably be disappointed to learn that, despite earlier reports to the contrary, Microsoft has no intention of developing dual-boot Windows / Linux support for the XO laptop. According to a statement sent to BetaNews, Redmond flat out denied any work on such a project, instead claiming that it “plans to publish formal design guidelines early this year that will assist [any] flash-based device manufacturers in designing machines that enable a high-quality Windows experience.” The blurb goes on to say that the company will be conducting limited XP-on-XO field tests later this month, although BetaNews notes that notebook’s hardware limitations have proven problematic for the software giant, which may be forced to offer the OS on an SD card — a move that would require a new BIOS for the XO to enable booting from removable storage.

[Via Slashdot]

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