Archive for July 10th, 2008
Filed under: Robots  That’s Yasukawa Electric Corporation’s 1.3-meter tall SmartPal V in action. He’s on display in Japan right now demonstrating how the domestic-helper bot can mop floors and pick up after the kids while you supposedly sleep in secure slumber knowing that a robot is loose in the house. Poor, poor Pandas. See how SmartPal V treats the vacuum after the break.
Continue reading Even Panda bears won’t be spared from the uprising Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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07
2008
Fido-Dido touchscreen installed in Eee PC 900 complete with videoPosted by: admin in Technology NewsFido-Dido touchscreen installed in Eee PC 900 complete with video Filed under: Laptops  It seems adding a touchscreen to the Eee PC 900 is all the rage these days, and one lucky modder installed the Fido-Dido version with what look to be woot-worthy results. He notes that there’s no additional bulge, and a test video shows that the new screen is as responsive as one could hope. If you’re the owner of a Eee PC 900 and want to get your hands or stylus on your screen (or you’re just a curious little bugger), check the glorious video of the Fido-Dido in action after the break. Continue reading Fido-Dido touchscreen installed in Eee PC 900 complete with video Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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07
2008
iPhone GPS: We’re Not In Kansas Anymore…Wait, How The &$^@ Are We Still in Kansas? [Apple]Posted by: admin in Technology NewsiPhone GPS: We’re Not In Kansas Anymore…Wait, How The &$^@ Are We Still in Kansas? [Apple] Our ring-wielding Gizmodo brethren over in New Zealand took the iPhone’s GPS out for a spin. And after the system properly located their position, the map zoomed in and put them somewhere unrecognizable. Upon zooming our, their new location was revealed: Kansas. And how they got there, no one knows. The problem may have been a by-product of indoor testing, or it may have just been a random bug. Or, somewhat implausibly, the iPhone 3G’s GPS is completely broken and entirely unfixable. Or maybe more likely Kansas is some default no man’s land for GPS devices on first boot and this is a video taken before the iPhone here got its bearings. Time will tell. [Gizmodo AU]
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2008
Sprint’s Treo 800w manual goes online, all 436 spellbinding pages of itPosted by: admin in Technology NewsSprint’s Treo 800w manual goes online, all 436 spellbinding pages of it Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds  Very rarely does a Palm handset go fully under the radar all the way through to the official announcement (if ever?), and now that we have a user’s manual, we can pretty much declare the impending Treo 800w fully, completely, and utterly scooped. This is definitely the real deal, too, coming straight off Sprint’s site — not to say anyone would go to the trouble of faking their own — and unveils no real surprises that we can see. The usual Windows Mobile 6.1 interface with Palm customizations, conservative styling (we’re being generous there), and typical array of Sprint add-ons like Sprint TV are going to make this a safe, easy choice for the well-starched suit in your life, and that’s about it. Not to say we have a problem with well-starched suits; Engadget corporate policy requires that we wear them at all times, actually. [Warning: PDF link] [Thanks, Josh]
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2008
Jobs: App Store launching with 500 iPhone applications, 25% freePosted by: admin in UncategorizedJobs: App Store launching with 500 iPhone applications, 25% free Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video  Steve Jobs told USA Today that the Apple App Store will launch with “more than 500″ applications Thursday night for the iPhone and iPod touch. Of these, 25% will be free and 90% (of those for sale) will cost $9.99 or less. “This is the biggest launch of my career,” said Jobs. Analyst Tim Bajarin at Creative Strategies said, “When IBM introduced the PC, it was good, but it didn’t take off until people started discovering the software.” It’s these apps then, he adds, that will “dramatically differentiates the iPhone” from Treos and BlackBerrys. Indeed, while consumers are focused on the launch of the iPhone 3G device, it’s the App Store which has analysts in such a tizzy. Update: The New York Times reports that 1/3 of all first-wave applications will be games. We also corrected the Bajarin misquote above. [Thanks, Matt and Chris Z.] Volkswagen Shows Us Cars From the Future [Ego]
Other touted features include intelligent navigation that borders on autopilot, but that’s only if you’re clever enough to get into a car with no door handles. For the full experience of 20 years in the future, head on over to the VW link (or, for the extremely patient, just wait 20 years). [VW via Yanko]
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2008
Walking Head Robot uses infrared and pistons for terror and submissionPosted by: admin in Uncategorized
Filed under: Robots  Because we didn’t want you to sleep well tonight, we would like you to meet Stelarc’s Walking Head Robot. Sitting atop six piston-powered legs, an LCD screen displays a creepy animated face to lull you into submission once the robot sees you with its ultrasound sensors. It then makes faces as if to trick you into believing it’s really not here to destroy you and yours like some monster from The Thing. It would be one thing if the Walking Head Robot was small, but its 4-meter footprint (13-foot) is big enough to make even the largest of men turn white. To be fair, however, this robot looks to be well-constructed out of aluminum, stainless steel, acrylic, and pneumatic actuators because, after all, it’s here to kill us (oops). We’re begging for some video of this thing in action, so stay tuned. [Via TechDigest] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments .Mac Down For MobileMe Transition [Dotmac]
ASUS looks to clear out Eee PC 900s with $100 rebate Filed under: Laptops
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07
2008
Space Shuttle Media Center Is, Wait for It, Out of this World! [Furniture]Posted by: admin in GamingSpace Shuttle Media Center Is, Wait for It, Out of this World! [Furniture]
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Volkswagen thinks they know what cars from 2028 will looks like (which is probably fair, since they can basically make the whole thing one big self-fulfilling prophecy). Still, it’s exciting to see the designs. The one pictured here is Ego. It’s a sporty two-seater without a front window (no, not because people in the future can see with their minds, but because it will be loaded with all sorts of cameras and sensors that are better than a window).
If you hop over to their site, you’ll see how the display works to combine information from cameras, lasers, ultrasound and radar to warn you of upcoming problems on the road. The HUD is really not so dissimilar from modern day racing games.
It’s official. .Mac is down for 
Following our never-ending theme of the