NASA’s Next Mars Mission Gets Delayed Until 2011 [Mars Science Laboratory]

Looks like Mars Phoenix (or Mars Phoenix’s ghost) will have to wait another two years for a new companion—the Mars Science Laboratory, originally planned for a launch next year, has been delayed until 2011.

It goes to show that the economy’s bad in space, too. But aside from budgetary overages, the MSL is one of the most advanced crafts ever to shoot for the red planet. It will be able to redirect its course late into the landing phase, and will actually touch down on a tether lowered from a hovering descent stage. On board will be the biggest science payload every to hit Martian soil, which will study past signs of water in four potential landing sites. [NASA]

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Intel shares its internal netbook and MID definitions
The definitions for netbooks and MIDs, and the distinctions between the two (and regular laptops, for that matter), have always been more than a little nebulous, but it looks like Intel is doing its part to clarify things a bit (for itself, at least), and it’s now sharing its internal definitions for the categories with the general public. According to jkOnTheRun, Intel sees netbooks as “clamshell notebooks” with 7-inch to 10.2-inch screens that are “purpose built for Internet use.” MIDs, on the other hand, are “pocketable devices” with 4-inch to 7-inch screens, which can also be clamshell devices, or come in slider or tablet form, each of which must also be built specifically for “internet-based targeted usages.” In related, confusion-inducing news, Intel also says that it expects to see an increasing number of specialized MIDs that focus on more narrow uses like navigation, entertainment or, yes, even gaming.

Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

Intel shares its internal netbook and MID definitions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Army Using TiVo Tech for the Most Un-TiVo of Purposes [Time Shifting]

US troops in Japan are getting a massive server array to improve their TV. But instead of delivering what-you-want/when-you-want programming like TiVo, the servers will simply bump all shows 9 hours ahead. See any problems?

Part of me is happy for the Army and Air Force troops at the Yokota Air Base in Japan. I am all for taxpayer dollars going to improve our overseas troops’ American TV watching experience (even if Heroes has crashed and burned, at least Fringe is there to take its place). But this seems like a form of suppression: The channels playback in realtime, 9 hours later. As far as I can tell, you can’t even fast-forward through commercials, let alone the hours of crap TV in between the good bits.

Each of 33 channels gets its own dedicated server, so why can’t each channel timeshift at the whim of whoever’s watching that particular channel? Give our boys (and girls) in uniform a damned remote, Uncle Sam! I’m pretty sure they’ve earned it.

If this was a true rant, I’d get more into this “9 hours ahead” business. Sure, it’s showing American TV at the Japanese prime time, but if my calculations are correct, it’s a day off. Which means they get Thursday’s Must See TV on Friday night? I’ll take Liz Lemon any day of the week, but making people wait till Monday to see Amazing Race, that’s just cruel and unusual. That said, at least sports and news will be broadcast in realtime. [Stars and Stripes via CNet]

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Beat Gizmodo’s Call of Duty Fanatics, Make Them Frown, Win a Prize [Gizmodo Gallery]

After much boasting, the first challengers to Matt and Adam in Call of Duty 4 came, saw, and conquered, and won some sweet prizes from our Santa bag. They’ve fared better in subsequent matches, but more challengers are needed!

Yeah, after that first one it was “we got hustled” this and “radar was on” that, but their faces here tell the story better than I ever could.

Come take ‘em on—we’re here ’til 8:00pm, then it’s on to the reader meetup for beers across the street. And if not tonight, there’s always Saturday and Sunday—11:00-12:30 and 2:00-3:30 the boys will be here, thereabouts. The deal is: make a donation to Toys For Tots, take on our CoD fanatics, and if you beat them, win a prize. All for a good cause.

Gizmodo Gallery
Reed Annex
151 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002

Gizmodo Gallery Reader Meetup
The reader meetup takes place across the street from the Gallery, at a place called The Annex (not to be confused with REED ANNEX where the gallery is hosted.) The address is 152 Orchard Street and we’ll be there at 9 PM SHARP on Friday December 5th.

Gallery Dates:
December 4th-7th

Times:
12/4 Thursday
12-8

12/5 Friday
12-8

12/6 Saturday
11-8

12/7 Sunday
11-4

[Read more about our Gizmodo Gallery here and see what else we’ll be playing with at the event.]

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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.

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Via [Engadget]

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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.

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Via [Engadget]

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Microsoft gets official with Windows Azure cloud OS, platform

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Networking

Steve Ballmer himself first dropped word of this one earlier this month, but Microsoft has now finally gotten official about its new cloud computing operating system, and its name: Windows Azure. What’s more, the OS is apparently just one component of Microsoft’s larger Azure cloud computing platform, which will eventually be fully rolled out alongside Windows 7, and will encompass Microsoft’s existing Live services, SQL services, and .NET services, among other things. If that’s got you excited, you can find plenty more details at the link below, and even a few SDKs ready for downloading.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Microsoft gets official with Windows Azure cloud OS, platform originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Mini 1000 Netbook Now Shipping With 3G Internet Capability [NetBooks]

Not that it wasn’t technically possible before, but the HP Mini 1000 now has official support for 3G WWAN Mobile Broadband out of the box and with support for multiple cell carriers.

Previously, users had reported the existence of a dormant SIM slot inside the Mini 1000’s WWAN module, and ability to hack the drivers to enable the hardware. Now that it’s official, it’s as easy as firing up connection manager 1.0 to get 3G going on the 10-inch netbook, albeit for an extra $200 (?!?!?!?!). In any case, the new and improved Mini 1000 is available from HP now, but dont forget, the MIE version is coming soon. [HP]

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Sanyo R227 Internet Radio, Perfect Use for the Neighbor’s Wi-Fi [Internet Radio]

The Sanyo R227 isn’t an entirely new product, but it’s new to us in the US. A Wi-Fi-based radio, the R227 allows users to scan for internet music just like they would FM.

Preloaded with a worldwide database of genre-sorted channels, the R227 can also be programmed with any stations it may be missing. And if you find that internet radio isn’t your thing, the R227 is still equipped with a digital FM tuner for OTA music and a line-in for your MP3 player of choice. The system will go on sale this January for $170, otherwise you can make the trek up to Canada to score one now. [Electronista]

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Brain Surgeons Give Mute Man Second Chance to Speak [Brain Surgery]

Brain surgeons at Boston University have enabled a mute man to speak again by implanting an electrode into his brain. The electrode senses when he’s thinking about vowels and reproduces them using a speech synthesizer.

The man first lost his ability to speak after head trauma caused extensive bleeding into the pons area of his brain stem. BU researchers loaded him into a fMRI machine and asked him to attempt to produce specific vowels. After determining that his brain still worked regularly, they implanted an electrode directly onto its speech production parts.

The electrode itself is a marvel of science, containing neurotrophic factors which allow tissue to grown into and around it. While it sounds kind of gross, this stabilizes the electrode and allows it to reside long-term in the brain. It can only sense vowels right now, but the BU team is hoping that this type of technology will let mutes produce words directly in five years or so. [The Future of Things]

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