Since Nintendo’s patent has dropped on the NES, we’re finally seeing all of the Nintendo gear that we could only dream about as kids. The FC Mobile is such a product, bringing a Nintendo Entertainment System into your hands. Reading real cartridges, 8-bit glory can either shine on its 2.4″ display or be outputted to a television—all while fueled by classic AA batteries (sure, lithium ion would be more convenient, but it wouldn’t capture the battery-burning nostalgia of yore). If you refuse to partake in emulation or your heart yearns for a simpler era, the FC Mobile will run about $40 on eBay. It’s a shame the controls aren’t just right. [eBay via technabob]
That Air France in-flight calling trial is now well underway, and it looks like there’s still some kinks left to iron out. The New York Times hitched a ride on a recent flight featuring tests of the system, and found that things weren’t quite working up to snuff: voice quality was said to be like “talking to a small robot,” only six passengers could get a signal at a time, Blackberry email didn’t work, and calls placed from the ground to cell phones in the air went straight to voicemail. That’s a pretty long list for a system that’s been talked about for a couple years now — let’s hope OnAir manages to clear up some of these glitches before angry passengers revolt over not only having to listen to other people’s conversations, but also their screaming over bad connections.
It’s been a while since we first heard rumors about a the Sidekick 4, but TmoNews has a scoop on two devices headed to retail in July that could fit the bill. The first is code named “SK Gekko” and will be released on July 27; the second is the “Sidekick Aspen” on July 30. No details other than the code names, so we’re left in the dark as to what they look like, who they’re made by and if Microsoft has had any influence in development. [TmoNews]
Wondering just how we mere mortals were going to even give a robot enough smarts to completely overtake our societies? Oddly enough, some of that artificial brain power could come from studying the way fruit flies, um, fly. A completely bizarre flight simulator at Caltech actually plays “scenes” that flys react to, and considering that the fly is constantly held, researchers can closely examine how the insect attempts to navigate away from lines, blobs and all manners of incoming obstacles. Those working with the installation suggest that these studies could one day help autonomous robots function better, potentially taking some of the load off of our human workforce. We know, you’ve got three bold letters and a question mark running through your noggin right now — just hit the read link to see what it’s all about.
Remember that mention that Gigabyte was looking to dole out some sort of low-cost PC later this year? Can’t discern that from the hordes of other similar notices from nearly every other computer maker out there? Fret not, as DigiTimes has it that the aforesaid firm will indeed be rolling out a budget-priced subnote as early as June. More specifically, the M912 will feature an 8.9-inch panel (resolution still unknown) with an Intel Atom CPU, and according to “sources,” it’ll support either Linux or Windows XP and could come stocked with Bluetooth. Unfortunately, the most critical point (yeah, price) is still left to our imagination.
The clip shows a completely transparent screen, which actually functions as the laptop’s display panel. It’s a cool idea, and one we have seen before, but don’t you think it is ultimately pointless? If the concept ever saw the light of day, the technology would be distracting and counter-productive in a home setting. Talking of daylight, that would prove quite a problem, shining right through and blinding your dumb ass while you were trying to read a PDF or something similar. Mind you, if you’re a soldier in war situation, it probably helps to see what’s going on behind your screen. Apparently, there’s a use for anything. [Youtube]
Like the previously released EDrive kit, this Hymotion Prius conversion package lets you convert your stock Prius into one that can be plugged in for charging. After a 4.5-hour charge time, your Prius will be able to use more battery power over about 30-40 miles in order achieve that mileage.
The kit isn’t cheap—it’s $9995 with three-year warranty and installation—but it is slightly cheaper than the 2006 $10-$12k price of the EDrive (we haven’t been able to find a more current price). Most of us probably wouldn’t pay an extra $10k on top of the $20k or so you paid for a Prius in the first place, so you might want to sit tight for factory Plugin EVs in the next few years unless you really, really need to smell your own farts now. [Hymotion]
Wondering just how we mere mortals were going to even give a robot enough smarts to completely overtake our societies? Oddly enough, some of that artificial brain power could come from studying the way fruit flies, um, fly. A completely bizarre flight simulator at Caltech actually plays “scenes” that flys react to, and considering that the fly is constantly held, researchers can closely examine how the insect attempts to navigate away from lines, blobs and all manners of incoming obstacles. Those working with the installation suggest that these studies could one day help autonomous robots function better, potentially taking some of the load off of our human workforce. We know, you’ve got three bold letters and a question mark running through your noggin right now — just hit the read link to see what it’s all about.
While we patiently wait for Nokia’s current, “no major new products” fiscal quarter to expire, we’ll have to trudge through releases like these 5320 (left) and 5220 (your other left) candybars. As members of the XpressMusic range the devices themselves are fine. Unfortunately, fine isn’t going to win back that 1% lost market share. The 3G HSDPA 5320 (€220 / $351) features dedicated music and N-Gage gaming keys, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, up to 24-hours of play time, up to 8GB of expandable storage, and a “Say and Play” voice controlled playlist; speak the name of the artist or song you want and the phone will play it. The (€160 / $255) 5220 removes the HSDPA but adds a lanyard… hoorah!? Expect both to land in Europe sometime in Q3 2008.
According to a leaked specifications list, LG has a Prada II handset in the works, and it sounds like it will be packing quite a punch. The details that have been leaked suggest the cellphone will have a 3-inch (400×240) WQVGA touchscreen, 5MP camera, front mounted camera for video calling, Wi-Fi connectivity, 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, USB 2.0, Full HTML browser, FM radio, TV-out, microSDHC support and—we just can’t believe it until we see it— a full, slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
LG will be working on all the decent phone features, while Prada will be putting together crap themes, annoying ringtones and other stuff to ensure the handset is just a little rubbish. The LG Prada successor is expected to launch in Q4, 2008. We’re excited. [Eprice via Unwired View]
Since Nintendo’s patent has dropped on the NES, we’re finally seeing all of the Nintendo gear that we could only dream about as kids. The FC Mobile is such a product, bringing a Nintendo Entertainment System into your hands. Reading real cartridges, 8-bit glory can either shine on its 2.4″ display or be outputted to a television—all while fueled by classic AA batteries (sure, lithium ion would be more convenient, but it wouldn’t capture the battery-burning nostalgia of yore). If you refuse to partake in emulation or your heart yearns for a simpler era, the FC Mobile will run about $40 on eBay. It’s a shame the controls aren’t just right. [eBay via technabob]
It’s been a while since we first heard rumors about a the Sidekick 4, but TmoNews has a scoop on two devices headed to retail in July that could fit the bill. The first is code named “SK Gekko” and will be released on July 27; the second is the “Sidekick Aspen” on July 30. No details other than the code names, so we’re left in the dark as to what they look like, who they’re made by and if Microsoft has had any 
Like the previously released 
According to a leaked specifications list, LG has a Prada II handset in the works, and it sounds like it will be packing quite a punch. The details that have been leaked suggest the cellphone will have a 3-inch (400×240) WQVGA touchscreen, 5MP camera, front mounted camera for video calling, Wi-Fi connectivity, 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, USB 2.0, Full HTML browser, FM radio, TV-out, microSDHC support and—we just can’t believe it until we see it— a full, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. 
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