Filed under: Portable Audio, Robots

Oh Rolly… we know you’re an overpriced, 2GB dancing robot with convoluted controls and questionable sound quality. But dammit, your impractical, big-corporate ways have gnawed a soft-spot deep into the noxious cesspool we call a heart. Now this: Rolly model SEP-50BT with Bluetooth control from your cellphone or laptop. Shipping in Japan on November 21st for an expected ¥40,000 or about $427. Sold. Watch it all unfold in the video after the break.

[Via Impress]

Continue reading Sony’s Rolly learns the Bluetooth trick

Sony’s Rolly learns the Bluetooth trick originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via [Engadget]

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Microsoft details pre-beta release of Windows 7

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

We knew good and well Microsoft was gearing up to drop a pre-beta release of Windows 7 in developers’ laps at its Professional Developers Conference, but now we’re being treated to a host of details from Redmond itself. For starters, it’s showing off (for the first time, mind you) its new Web applications for Office. As you’d expect, said apps are “lightweight versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that are used from within standard web browsers.” According to Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft, it’s aiming to bring “the best of the web to Windows, and the best of Windows to the web.” ‘Course, we’re also told about improved navigation, a new taskbar (preview shown), support for multi-touch gestures, Device Stage and enhanced AV integration — all things that have our interest decidedly piqued. Hit the read link for the full spill direct from the horse’s mouth.

Microsoft details pre-beta release of Windows 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Laptop shipments exceed desktops in US for the not-exactly-first time

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Hope you’re eager to break into that Halloween candy early, because you’ve got some (re)celebrating to do. If you’ll recall, we first heard that laptops accounted for over half of US retail computer sales back in 2003, and in June of 2005, we found that it was somehow worth getting jazzed over once more when it happened again. Here we are in the latter half of 2008 shaking our heads in disappointment, as IDC has amazingly discovered that notebook shipments into the US market have exceeded the 50% threshold for the first time evar. Go ahead and stock up on rave supplies early — we get this weird feeling that we’ll be doing this same song and dance in 2010 or so.

[Image courtesy of DayLife]

Laptop shipments exceed desktops in US for the not-exactly-first time originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Robots

Oh Rolly… we know you’re an overpriced, 2GB dancing robot with convoluted controls and questionable sound quality. But dammit, your impractical, big-corporate ways have gnawed a soft-spot deep into the noxious cesspool we call a heart. Now this: Rolly model SEP-50BT with Bluetooth control from your cellphone or laptop. Shipping in Japan on November 21st for an expected ¥40,000 or about $427. Sold. Watch it all unfold in the video after the break.

[Via Impress]

Continue reading Sony’s Rolly learns the Bluetooth trick

Sony’s Rolly learns the Bluetooth trick originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Via [Engadget]

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Introducing Gizmine: A Store For Weird Japan Gadgets [Japan]

Doug Krone is my friend who started the dependable Japan importer Dynamism in the 90’s and he’s just launched Gizmine. Gizmine is different from Dynamism, a high end gadget site, by measure of its content type and breadth. I’d most summarily explain it as a collection of weird stuff on gadget blogs from Japan, but for sale. In fact, most of the inventory is stuff discovered on blogs and while walking through Shibuya on any given afternoon. Doug is also the man responsible for making Gizmodo Gallery possible. Below are a few of the pieces in his catalog that are my personal picks, and Doug says they’ll be adding new pieces every day til the end of the year. Not a bad place to find a gift for the geeks in your life. [Gizmine]

Casio Poptone Vibrating Watch

Conof Desk Light

Self Explosion button

Tokyo Street LED Scope

Common Sense Keyboard (Charges by solar panel)

Fuji Film Instax Mini 7S (Like a polaroid!)

Model Camera Kit

[Gizmine]

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Samsung Pushes Out 5 Big and Touchable LCDs [Samsung]

Samsung has five new large-sized touchscreen LCDs out that could bring something similar to CNN’s Magic Wall into your own home (or mall, or airport). Branded under the TS series, the five LCDs range between 32-inches to 82-inches and can be linked together to create one massive wall of touchy goodness. While they’re made to be used as point-of-sale terminals or information LCDs, who’s to say we couldn’t find something more creative to do if we got our grubby hands on them? [Akihabra News]

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