Dev Team Teases Carrier Unlock For iPhone 3.0 Firmware, Will Demo Tonight [Apple]

The iPhone Dev Team has got us excited (and Apple worried) by announcing they have a fully-working software carrier unlock ready for the 3.0 firmware ahead of its official release.

On Tuesday evening they will do a live demo of the new yellowsn0w carrier unlock working on official 3.0 firmware, just before the big Apple release. While jailbreaking is already possible on 3.0, this is good news for would-be unlockers with an iPhone 3G, though those going for the 3GS will have to wait a bit longer. [DevTeamBlog via TheModShop—Thanks, Dylan!]

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It’s important to keep your guests properly hydrated at a party, but it’s hard to not feel awfully demeaned while wandering around with a cocktail tray. Since hiring servants is so passe, the solution is Table Robot from Laskmi-Do Corp, a two-wheeled, self-balancing bot that features a particularly unsteady looking design. It’s tall and slender, balancing a tabletop on two scrawny little wheels, a feat it showed off at last week’s FOOMA Japan, Tokyo’s biggest gathering for foodies and related geeks. The natural comparison is to a Segway, but this is a full-fledged robot, capable of cruising around under remote control and, soon, following you around by voice, meaning a fresh and precisely balanced mohito may soon be just a word away. Click on through for the video.

[Via DigInfo]

Continue reading Laskmi-Do’s Table Robot is the Segway for your beers

Filed under: Robots

Laskmi-Do’s Table Robot is the Segway for your beers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via [Engadget]

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Adamo redux: Dell teases new thin-and-light laptops in Paris with no specs

See that? That’s Dell’s Phil Bryant and Michael Tatelman briefly displaying what they described as an “entirely new model line” of thin-and-light laptops without any further comment at an event in Paris this morning. If that sounds like a replay of the poorly-received Adamo teaser at CES with old dudes instead of models, well, you’re right — Tatelman even referenced the negative Adamo reaction but said “we’re going to try this again.” Good plan. At least this time we don’t have to wildly guess at what we’re seeing: we’re almost positive that’s a pair of those Intel CULV-based ultraportables rumored to be released in August, and unless Dell’s foolishly keeping with the Adamo theme, we’d assume specs and prices will match up with Acer’s Timeline series. Keep a sharp eye, we’ll let you know.

Filed under: Laptops

Adamo redux: Dell teases new thin-and-light laptops in Paris with no specs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wolfram Alpha Now Makes Your iPhone Look Smarter Too [Search Engines]

Mathematica’s Wolfram Alpha, the occasionally cheesy, unintentionally racist autistic savant of search engines, has finally been optimized for iPhones (and therefore Android phones, the Pre, and others). Search pages are presented in a clean, simple menu format, although the result layouts seem mostly unchanged.

The next, rising generation of connected, know-it-all kids just got way more annoying. [Wolfram Alpha via Electric Pig]

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Sony VGP-BMS10 Bluetooth Mouse: Knights With Laser Beams [Peripherals]

To protect the meek scrollwheel, the honorable Sony VGP-BMS10 Bluetooth mouse took an oath of loyalty and drew its metal shield. Then a laser was placed in its underbelly to track foe and friend alike.

We can only hope that the VGP-BMS10 is as trustworthy as it looks.

Otherwise, the mouse is just another premium mouse. Featuring an 800dpi sensor, 30-foot range and PC-only compatibility (which seems odd), Sony’s optical knight is available now in Japan for $70. And in other news, I must be Jonesing for my first trip to Medieval Times. [Sony via Newlaunches]

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Sasers: Turns Out, Soundwaves Can Kill [Lasers]

Using sound beams to control crowds isn’t new, but never before have systems been able to create sounds reaching terahertz frequencies, earning them the name “saser.”

Signaling the dawn of the true saser era, physicists from the UK and Ukraine have broken this apparently elusive terahertz sound barrier. Unlike lasers that shoot photons in a tight beam of light, sasers are able to emit dispersed vibrations in high frequences of sound waves, creating nausea and confusion when used on humans.

The latest and most powerful saser has proven to be able to produce phonons—some quantum-level measurement of vibration that could (one day) be used to cure cancer or shoot enemies, among other things—in distant objects. These early tests of the saser reveal its potential of one day (we think) being able to make someone explode, from the inside out, using just a handful of terahertz—similar to what would happen to your brain at a Hannah Montana concert. [New Scientist]

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Sure, a few still photos of the sushi-making Chef Robot now on display at the International Food Machinery and Technology Exhibition in Tokyo are all well and good, but there’s nothing quite like a high def video to really bring all that creepiness home, and one has now surfaced courtesy of the brave folks at DigInfo. In case you missed it, the robot itself is actually just a standard issue FANUC M-430iA robot arm with a way too realistic hand attached to it, which apparently not only helps it prepare sushi, but some tasty desserts as well. Head on past the break for the must-see video, you’ve nothing to lose but your ability to unsee it.

Continue reading Chef Robot makes its video debut, nightmares forthcoming

Filed under: Robots

Chef Robot makes its video debut, nightmares forthcoming originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via [Engadget]

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First Hybrid Solar Power Plant is a Jack Of All Trades [Solar]

A new solar power plant is set to open its doors on June 24th in Kibbutz Samar, Israel—but this is a one of a kind complex thanks to a hybrid-microturbine.

The plant can generate 100 kW of on-demand power and 170 kW of thermal power and consists of 30 mirrors that concentrate the sun’s rays to the 30-foot Aora Tower. The rays are used to heat concentrated air to drive an electric turbine and the microturbine kicks in at night to fill in the gaps. It is capable of running on biodiesel or natural gas, which means power 24-hours a day—rain or shine. Because it is so versatile, this technology could help power up off the grid communities without having to expand existing grids. Aora is already looking to expand into other countries—and I say bring it on. That tower reminds me of the Eye of Sauron—only more flower-y. [Aora Solar and Treehugger via Inhabitat]

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New MacBook Pros shipped with HDDs only have 1.5Gbps SATA enabled

Apple might have bumped the 13-inch unibody MacBook to Pro status at WWDC last week, but it looks like all the shuffling around to reduce costs has had an unfortunate side effect: new MacBook Pros that ship with HDDs only have a 1.5GBps SATA enabled, while SSD configs are apparently getting the full 3.0GBps SATA II experience that used to be standard. For most people this won’t make too much difference since traditional hard drives can’t move data that fast, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re hoping to buy an HDD unit and swap in a speedier SSD, since your max performance will be bottlenecked. We’ve verified that our review units with HDDs all have the slower settings, but we’ve put in a call to Apple to get some more answers on this — stay tuned.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Laptops

New MacBook Pros shipped with HDDs only have 1.5Gbps SATA enabled originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lego…Uh, Tyco Brick Phone Circa 1983 [Retromodo]

Lego may be all into consumer gadgets these days with their fancy cellphones and camcorders, but Tyco beat them to the punch in the 80’s when they created this charmingly hideous landline phone.

The device had traditional features like ring and pulse tone switches, but it also allowed users to build on the phone itself using bricks stored in a drawer that pops out the side. The good news is that if your Mom didn’t want this thing in her house back in those days, you can still grab one today for a decent price on eBay. [eBay via CraziestGadgets]

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