After some rather impressive RC builds, Firefox 3.5 is all packaged up and ready for public consumption. Mozilla is saying its new browser is more than two times faster than Firefox 3, but what has us more excited is the support for plugin-free “open codec” video and audio playback using Ogg Vorbis and Ogg Theora– it’s still in its infancy, but the subtle glimpse we’ve seen so far of a world without Flash video reducing our CPU to jelly is rather compelling.
…A TIE Fighter for the Littlest Stormtroopers…Koi Thieves Use Google Earth to Spot Carp…Downey Jr. Halts a “Rampaging Robot”…Multi-Dimensional iPods…
Not only is it the worst Photoshop involving kids and a Star Wars-themed playpen that I’ve ever seen, it’s also the worst slogan for one: “A wonderful soft play area that will really make you feel like you’re riding in a tie fighter!” Cuz like no it won’t. At best it will really make you imagine you’re in one, which is different. And it’s TIE Fighter, as in “twin ion engines.” Sheesh. [Play.com via NerdApproved]
You’re not going to believe this, but thieves are using Google Earth to locate unseen koi ponds that contain valuable carp specimens. That’s right: Some people actually value those overgrown, muck-eating goldfish. It might have been a decent post if the snoops had been hunting for something a little more exciting, like used gardening equipment. As such, these blokes, along with their not-remotely-conspicuous cooler and oversized net, get dumped in Remainders. [Telegraph UK]
“Iron Man Saves Film Extra From Rampaging Robot” was the headline that caught my eye, but it turned out to be a case of distinctly human error. Apparently, on the Iron Man 2 set, when Robert Downey Jr. yelled “Cut! Cut!” during a shoot, everybody looked around to see an unnamed extra lying on the ground where an evil iron dude had just landed. The extra broke his hip, but is apparently on the mend. Or all of it could have been made up. [contactmusic.com via Robot Living]
AppleInsider says the next Nano and Classic iPods might get this crazy “multi-dimensional scroll wheel,” spotted in a September Apple patent filing. As intriguing as it is, I see this more likely to appear virtually on a touch LCD or OLED. As a clickwheel, it seems like there’d be too many nonintuitive motions to remember. Besides, I can see how a swipe across the front could be used for quick iPod browsing, but I don’t see how “pinch” zooming will go over, no matter how big the next Nano’s screen gets. [AppleInsider]
Asus’s new RT-N16 wireless-N router looks fine, for the most part: It’s partly designed to share media, with 2 USB ports and a whopping 3 antennae for more reliable and extensive coverage. The crazy part comes in when Asus claims the router can handle up to 300,000 sessions for bittorrent downloads—such a frankly insane number that we had a bit of a debate about what it might mean. Computers generally won’t take much more than 1,000 or 2,000 concurrent connections, so the only use that 300,000 could serve is in a crowded environment with dozens of people all downloading boatloads of torrents. Even then, there’s only so much bandwidth to go around. In short, Asus probably isn’t lying, but the number of concurrent sessions isn’t what’s holding you back from faster downloading. And so the router ends up here, in Remainders. [Asus]
As someone with a proudly stupid ringtone (”Gonna Make You Sweat”), I’m okay with being embarrassed when it invariably goes off in public. But then, I’m not a White House reporter who interrupts the President with loud digital quacking.
As if Obama wasn’t already the coolest guy this side of John Shaft, I love the way he reacts to the incredibly rude and thoughtless reporter’s ridiculous ringtone. “Whose…whose duck is back there?” It’s no mean feat to slap down that kind of interruption in the middle of a speech about tolerance and gay rights. [via Crunchgear]
Tired of peeping at your neighbors? Combine the lenses from your old pair of binoculars with a bit of electrical tape and you’ve got yourself a cheap DIY macro lens.
Is this as good as a real macro lens? Of course not. But this costs a few bucks for the tape whereas the real lens costs hundreds to thousands of dollars. Check the video to see how to do it. [Lifehacker]
Reading up on this totally fresh neoHD receiver tells me that Yamaha—unlike its competition—is trying hard to keep up with the rapidly changing home theater situation, particularly where HD video is concerned.
Yamaha clumsily calls neoHD a “media connector,” which makes it sound like just part of the home-theater equation, rather than a solution to that equation. What neoHD really is is a streamlined AV receiver with more emphasis on “V” than “A.”
It’s a smallish box with a zillion inputs—3 HDMI, 2 component, 1 composite, both optical and coax digital audio, and a USB port—and a few choice outputs. Straightaway there’s support for media on USB disks, but you can add on an iPod dock or a Bluetooth stereo receiver.
There’s an amp to drive your own 5.1 surround-sound speaker set, or a 2.1 system that you can buy bundled with it that uses a virtual surround sound. There are IR blasters for TiVo, cable boxes and I suppose even Xbox (though not PS3, right?), so that everything can be run and managed through the system. And to do that, it’s got a super-simplified remote, signaling the days of the 14″ long AV receiver remote are finally, possibly, at an end.
As you probably guessed from the picture, it ditches for good this notion that a receiver can be programmed with a tiny LED display and a bunch of abbreviated terms like “PrLgcII.” Instead, it throws everything to an on-screen display that is sadly not pictured here. The core is a natural-language command hierarchy much like the one that made Logitech’s Harmony remotes famous, where you select “Watch” “Listen” or “Play” and a series of commands are set into motion.
The basic neoHD receiver, the YMC-500, costs $600, a little steep, perhaps, but if it replaces a Harmony as well as an AV receiver, it could well earn its price—we’ll find out for sure when we have a look at a review unit. There’s a $200 step-up YMC-700 model that comes with Ethernet and Wi-Fi, which is good for Rhapsody as well as local content (using Twonky Media Server), but something tells me Yamaha may not be able to go as far as Samsung, LG, Sony or Panasonic to secure really good on-demand video. $800 is also the price of the YMC-500 with 2.1 speakers thrown in.
YAMAHA neoHD MEDIA CONTROLLERS WITH SIMPLIFIED REMOTES OFFER INTUITIVE CONTROL OVER ENTIRE HD ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS
- Breakthrough Components Deliver HD Audio, HDMI, AIR SURROUND XTREME and Dynamic Full-Color On-Screen Menus for Quick Access to Desired Entertainment -
BUENA PARK, Calif.––Yamaha Electronics Corporation, the innovator in home theater and digital audio and video reproduction, today ushers in the future of home entertainment with the introduction of neoHD. These sophisticated Media Controllers provide the HD audio and video performance essential to true HD entertainment experiences and total control of all home and Internet components and sources connected to a home AV system. Using a simple remote to drive an intuitive menu-driven on-screen display, neoHD makes it easier than ever before to navigate and access all audio and video content in the home, regardless of where it is stored.
Upon touching the power button of the neoHD remote, the Media Controller and connected TV automatically power up and give the user three onscreen entertainment choices: “Watch,” “Listen,” or “Play.” Next, the user is prompted to choose among more specific activities (such as Watch Movie, Watch LiveTV, Listen CD, etc) at which time icons for the appropriate video, audio or video game components (such as Blu-ray players, CD players, cable boxes, iPods, game consoles, etc.) will appear. Once the component is selected, it automatically powers on and is fully operational via the neoHD remote and on-screen interface. All individual component remotes that normally clutter the room can be kept out of sight in a drawer.
neoHD can control up to six other AV components, such as TVs, Blu-ray disc players and set-top boxes, through its remote control and three IR outputs on the Media Controller’s back panel. Remote control codes for the AV components (including TVs, DVD and Blu-ray players, VCRs, set-top boxes, etc.) from most manufacturers are embedded into the neoHD Media Controller for immediate compatibility and control. The codes for components that are not embedded can be quickly learned by the Media Controller. neoHD is available in a variety of configurations, including neoHD (YMC-500), neoHD WiFi (YMC-700) with WiFi/Ethernet compatibility, and the neoHD System 2.1 (YMC-S21), a complete surround sound and system control solution that matches the YMC-500 Media Controller with two high-quality speakers and a subwoofer.
Both neoHD models feature HD quality audio playback (Dolby TrueHD) and three HDMI inputs for connecting HD AV sources, such as a Blu-ray player, digital set-top box or Apple TV. Also provided are two component video inputs for game consoles and DVRs, such as Tivo, and single composite video inputs for a VCR. The YMC-700’s WiFi compatibility allow it to wirelessly play back content from PCs, laptops and audio files stored on hard drives. Even without the computer powered on, the Rhapsody online music service and Internet radio can be accessed directly from the Internet. YMC-700 can also playback iTunes AAC files via TwonkyMedia Server Software that purchasers have access to via a bundled license key. Both models also allow connectivity to portable devices, such as USB memory sticks, as well as iPods and Bluetooth-enabled devices (including cell phones, PCs or Macs) via optional accessories (Yamaha YDS-11, MSRP $99.95, and Yamaha YBA-10, MSRP $129.95, respectively).
neoHD employs several proprietary audio technologies. Users can take advantage of Yamaha’s popular Cinema DSP programs, such as Movie, Music, Entertainment and All Channel Stereo, to optimize movie, TV and sports viewing experiences in systems with 5.1 speaker configurations. Yamaha’s AIR SURROUND XTREME technology adds extra system setup flexibility for a two-speaker stereo configuration, delivering surround sound that clearly separates the audio from in front, behind and either side of the viewer. Yamaha’s YPAO Automatic System Calibration quickly optimizes audio performance in any room, regardless of where the speakers are placed.
Adaptive DRC maintains the maximum dynamic range at all volume levels by continuously monitoring audio content and making low-volume sounds easier to hear as music or movies are playing. Yamaha’s Compressed Music Enhancer restores the highs and lows that are lost when audio files are digitally compressed, such as with MP3 files, to make them sound fuller and more engaging.
Both neoHD Media Controllers, YMC-700 and YMC-500, are currently available for MRP $799.95 and $599.95, respectively. The neoHD System 2.1, YMC-S21 is also available for MRP $799.95.
David Fitzherbert was skiing down a glacier in Switzerland when the snow gave out and he dropped 70 feet before being trapped somewhat securely between two rocks…thanks to his Blackberry.
The Blackberry, seated in his breast pocket, added the extra bit of thickness that made the difference between plummeting another 700 feet and waiting 2 hours for a rescue chopper.
While Fitzherbert hardly walked away unscathed—he suffered hypothermia, a broken jaw, nearly “ripped off” nose among other ailments—he was able to call his wife from the hospital…on the very phone that saved his life. [The SunThanks gitemstevedave!]
Robots and other devices linked to social networking sites aren’t exactly anything new, but few have been in the form of tiny robot penguins, and even fewer have been tiny robot penguins with hats. That bit of mold-breaking comes courtesy of upstart Arimaz of Switzerland, which is now busy showing off its MyDeskFriend “Facebook companion” that’s set for release this September. As you can see in the video after the break, the bot is able to mosey about your desk without falling off and react to your voice like any good robot, but its real secret is that it can connect to Facebook and read your messages, or even be controlled (some may say tormented) by your real Facebook friends. Look for it to run $99 when it’s released.
It’s not enough that humans gave robots a place to congregate to plan our demise, now we’ve adapted them with the ability to extract fuel from the very nectar of life. All that innocent experimentation with fuel cells that run on blood has led to this, a flesh-eating clock. This prototype time-piece from UK-based designers James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau traps insects on flypaper stretched across its roller system before depositing them into a vat of bacteria. The ensuing chemical reaction, or “digestion,” is transformed into power that keeps the rollers rollin’ and the LCD clock ablaze. The pair offers an alternative design fueled by mice, another contraption whose robotic arm plucks insect-fuel from spider webs with the help of a video camera, and a lamp powered by insects lured to their deaths with ultraviolet LEDs. Man, this is so wrong it has to be right.
According to a mag called Netbook Italia (which might have something to do with computers) Samsung is developing a new NVIDIA Ion-powered netbook platform, with the first such device making the scene in Europe as early as July. The N510 boasts a 1.66 GHz N280 processor, 11.6-inch WXGA display, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3-in-1 card reader, and a 6-cell battery. The addition of a GPU should help out quite a bit when viewing HD video, although we’re guessing this could take its toll on battery life. Either way, we’ll find out soon enough.
Update:According to CNET, Samsung has confirmed the N510 (with the above specs) for a July release.
Tired of peeping at your neighbors? Combine the lenses from your old pair of binoculars with a bit of electrical tape and you’ve got yourself a cheap 
Reading up on this totally fresh neoHD receiver tells me that Yamaha—unlike its competition—is trying hard to keep up with the rapidly changing 
David Fitzherbert was skiing down a glacier in Switzerland when the snow gave out and he dropped 70 feet before being trapped somewhat securely between two rocks…thanks to his Blackberry.
