Archive for July 10th, 2009

Oh sure, we joke about rogue AI all the time, and we’re aware that we’ll probably pollute ourselves to death well before the robots get us, but who really thinks flesh-eating machines are a good idea? Has Morpheus taught us nothing? The (patently evil) scientists behind the EATR project — no fair, they’re making their own jokes now too — say the reconnaissance bot is powered by foraging for and consuming biomatter, which to you and us simply means soft, pulsating, yummy humans. They call it fuel versatility, as gasoline, diesel, and solar power may also be used if available, yet we’ll offer no prizes for predicting which energy source these chainsaw-equipped robots will prefer.

[Via Switched]

Filed under: Robots

EATR robots are coming, this isn’t funny anymore originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via [Engadget]

Best Buy CMO Barry Judge Responds with ‘The One Type of Gizmodo Blogger’ [Ouch]

Yesterday, I did a fun post describing the Seven Types of Employees You Meet at Best Buy, complete with illustrations by Dan Meth. And now, Best Buy has responded. And they’ve been spying on me.

You’ll find this guy on his couch, sporting an ironic t-shirt with a delivery-food stain of some kind. He “commuted” minutes earlier by rolling out of bed and over to his laptop in his shoebox-sized Brooklyn (Williamsburg) apartment littered with empty Redbull cans. He came to Gizmodo 9 months ago after deciding that “traditional media” wasn’t edgy enough (read: required pants and didn’t like it when he powered down walls of TVs). He only puts on pants in order to put electronics down them, and he gets very upset if you mess with his Star Wars legos. He genuinely believes that the hot PR girl is into him and not just trying to get a post. He overuses the word “fail.”

OK, so I might commute from my bed to my desk, sure. And yeah, I order a lot of delivery. But I live in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, not Williamsburg! And PR girls love me because I’m charming! Go ahead, ask any of them! Also, I don’t wear glasses. Fail, Best Buy. Major fail.

Update: It looks like he pulled the post for some reason. Here’s a screencap so you know I didn’t make this all up:

Update 2: Looks like his post is back up with a new ass-covering intro. We knew you were a good sport, Barry. [Barry Judge]




Citizen Engineer Releases a Comic All About SIM Hacking (and Tosses in a SIM Reader for Good Measure) [Open Source]

Phil Torrone and Limor Freid of Adafruit Industries have a video project called Citizen Engineer, where they aim to educate and entertain when it comes to various aspects of open source hacking. Now they’ve released a comic to go with it.

The inaugural book essentially mimics the video, but also happens to come complete with functioning QR code trickery and a SIM reader that you can use for fun (maybe profit?). The set costs $35 (purchasable here), but if you like, you can also print it out yourself. The downside is that you might not get the same, high quality look and you definitely won’t get a SIM reader. But then again you save $35. [Citizen Engineer]




Nike’s T90 Ascente Football Ball Has More Engineering Than Most Cars [Sports]

I would have thought that there is a finite amount of engineering that could go into a football / soccer ball, but the Nike T90 has proven me wrong.

The new ball was designed for the three big football leagues (England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, and Italy’s Serie A) and it will undoubtedly lead to less games that end regulation tied 0-0. Essentially, Nike has expanded the sweet spot to cover the entire ball using a three-layer construction that will equate to longer kicks, greater accuracy and better speed. They have even updated the ball with a high tech look to increase visibility. If I had $140 and I wasn’t an American with little interest in soccer, I would be all over this. [Nike via Crunchgear]





Man, remember that wicked awesome 59 foot tall Gundam they erected in Tokyo? Well, those pictures we saw a month ago were cool, but they’re nothing compared to the splendor of the thing lit-up like a futuristic, killer Christmas tree. So hit the read link for some more kick-ass pics of the thing, but not before you peep the video after the break.

Continue reading Video: Life-sized Gundam’s back, looking deadlier than ever

Filed under: Robots

Video: Life-sized Gundam’s back, looking deadlier than ever originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via [Engadget]

Sony’s VAIO P ‘mark 2′ hopefully learns from past mistakes
While we had high hopes for Sony’s sleek and beautifully crafted VAIO P back in the day, it’s become a major point of frustration and thus, ridicule, ever since we first powered it up. This $900ish ultra-portable is the very symbol of what tends to go wrong at Sony: beautiful hardware is crippled by software leaving consumers wondering why they paid a premium for such an undistinguished user experience. Now Techradar is reporting that Sony has a VAIO P “mark 2″ ready to launch in October or November — we suspect right after Windows 7 launches. The only real detail provided is that the “mark 2″ will feature a “much-improved boot-up time.” Whether that’s the result of inherently fast-booting Windows 7 alone or via some third party Instant-on technology like Corel, well, Sony isn’t saying.

Filed under: Laptops

Sony’s VAIO P ‘mark 2′ hopefully learns from past mistakes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gadget Deals of the Day [Dealzmodo]

Summer moving sluggishly? Dealzmodo here to save you with amazing deals on movies and games! The awesome Metal Gear Solid collection going for $20! Evil Dead 2 for $13? Who’s laughing now Ash? Dealzmodo is! Happy thirsty Thursday everyone!



Computers and Peripherals:
17″ Dell Vostro 1720 Intel Core 2 Duo T6670 2.2GHZ LED-Backlit Laptop 3GB RAM 320GB for $659 plus free shipping (normally $947).
15.6″ Lenovo G550 Dual Core Laptop with 4GB DDR3 RAM 320GB HDD for $499 plus free shipping (normally $699 - use coupon code USPG5502BU).
15.6″ Acer AS5516-5474 AMD Athlon 64 Processor TF-20 Laptop for $299.99 (normally $387).
15.4″ Dell Vostro 1520 Intel Core 2 Duo T6670 Wide Screen WXGA LED Display Laptop for $589 plus free shipping (normally $650).
10.1″ Acer Aspire One LCD 1.6GHz Netbook (Refurbished) for $259.99 (normally $349.95).
23″ Dell S2309W Widescreen LCD Monitor for $149.99 plus free shipping (normally $239.99).
20″ Samsung 2033SW Widescreen LCD Monitor for $95.00 plus free shipping (normally $169).
1TB Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.B Internal SATA Hard Drive for $65.99 plus free shipping (normally $89.99 - use this rebate form).
Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard for $73.99 plus free shipping (normally $89.99).

Gaming:
Guitar Hero World Tour Complete Band Kit on Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii for $89.99 on PS2 for $79.99 plus free shipping (normally $189.99 - use coupon code SAVER).
Golf LaunchPad Tour and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008 on PS3 for $114.99 plus free shipping (normally $229).
NCAA Football 10 on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $53.99 plus free shipping (normally $59.99).
Red Faction Guerilla on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $49.97 plus free shipping (normally $59.99).
The Godfather II on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $39.99 plus free shipping (normally $59.99).
Prototype on Xbox 360, PS3, or PC for $39.98 plus free shipping (normally $54.98 - valid today only).
Scene It? Box Office Smash with Controllers on Xbox 360 for $29.82 (normally $39.99).
Dead Space on PS3 for $28 plus free shipping (normally $40).
Tales of Vesperia on Xbox 360 for $22.49 (normally $59.99).
Bionic Commando on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $19.99 (normally $59.99 - use coupon code SAVER).
Major League Baseball 2K9 on Xbox 360 for $19.99 (normally $59.99).
NBA 2K9 on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $19.99 (normally $29.99).
Prince of Persia on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $19.99 (normally $29.99).
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $19.99 (normally $59.99).
Wheelman on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $19.99 (normally $39.99).
Lost on PS3 for $9.99 plus free shipping (normally $19.99).
Carnival Games with Bonus T-Shirt on Wii for $29.82 (normally $49.99).
Deadly Creatures on Wii for $19.99 (normally $39.99).
Rockstar Table Tennis on Wii for $14.99 (normally $39.99).
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunt 2009 on Wii for $9.99 (normally $29.99).
Clubhouse Games on DS for $14.99 (normally $19.99).
Metal Gear Solid Essential 3 Games Collection on PS2 for $19.99 (normally $29.99).
Mecho Wars on iPhone for $0.99 (normally $4.99).
Wii Charge Station Quad for $39.99 plus free shipping (normally $49.99).
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for $39.49 plus free shipping (normally $42.82).

Home Entertainment and Movies:
58″ Samsung Touch of Color PN58A650 1080p Plasma HDTV for $1,899.99 plus free shipping (normally $3,999.99).
47″ LG 47LG90 Widescreen 1080p LED Backlit HDTV for $1,499.99 plus free shipping (normally $2,799.95).
47″ Westinghouse LVM47W1 LCD 1080p HDTV for $749.99 plus free shipping (normally $999.99).
32″ Panasonic VIERA TC-L32G1 720p 120Hz LCD TV for $565.99 plus free shipping (normally $588).
22″ Samsung Touch of Color T220HD LCD TV for $229.95 plus free shipping (normally $260).
Mirage OMNI 550 Omnipolar Floorstanding Speaker (single) for $149.88 plus free shipping (normally $179.99).
Shooter on Blu-ray for $14.99 (normally $29.99).
The Matrix 10th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Book for $13.99 (normally $34.99).
Evil Dead II – Dead By Dawn on Blu-ray for $12.99 (normally $29.97).
The Dirty Dozen on Blu-ray for $11.49 (normally $28.99).
Crash on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $24.99).
House of the 1000 Corpses on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $24.99).
Reservoir Dogs on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $19.99).
Stargate on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $19.99).
Total Recall on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $19.99).
Universal Soldier on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $24.99).
Harry Potters Years 1-5 Limited Edition Gift Set on HDDVD for $24.99 plus free shipping (normally $149.95).
The Complete Matrix Trilogy on HDDVD for $11.99 plus free shipping (normally $99.99).
Eastbound & Down The Complete 1st Season on DVD for $17.49 (normally $29.98).

Personal Portables:
Amazon Kindle (Latest Generation) for $299 (normally $359).
8GB Creative Vado HD 720p High-Def Pocket Video Camcorder for $129.99 plus free shipping (normally $159.99).
Canon DC310 DVD Camcorder with 37X Optical Zoom (Refurbished) for $119.99 (normally $199.99).
10MP Pentax E60 Digital Camera $89.99 plus free shipping (normally $200).

Miscellaneous:
Family Guy Talking Stewie and Brian for $10 plus free shipping (normally $20).
Unlimited Skype Calls within US & Canada for $2.50 per month (normally $2.95).

Hobomodo:
1-Year of Dog’s Life Magazine for $0.
Huggies Pure and Natural for $0.
Screening of “Food Inc” for $0.
Screening of “I Love You, Beth Cooper” for $0 (limited - valid today only).
Arby’s Roast Burger coupon (with Soft Drink Purchase) for $0.
“Braided Cellophane” by Tobacco MP3 download for $0.
“Fireflies” by Chris Garneau MP3 download for $0.
JellyCar on iPhone for $0.

If a deal looks too good to be true, investigate the store and see if it’s a good, reputable place to buy. Safe shopping!

[Thanks TechDealDigger, Fat Wallet, DealNews, GamerHotline, SlickDeals, Cheap College Gamers, CheapStingyBargains and TechBargains.]




Asus Eee PC T101H launching this fall to a world in crisis


As all you hardcore ASUS-heads undoubtedly recall, we got our first fleeting images of the Eee PC T101H way back in January. Now here we are six months later and man, how the world has changed: Jacko’s in a better place, there’s been a coup in Honduras, civil unrest in Iran, and Lindsay Lohan has started a new line of spray-on suntan. Sensing that the world is ripe for another bombshell, ASUS has finally released the specs on its up-and-coming 10.1-inch resistive touchscreen netvertible. Just like the 8.9-inch T91, the T101H sports an Intel Atom Z520 1.33GHz processor, a max 2GB memory and a 16GB SSD. The display supports 1024 x 600 resolution, and the battery boasts up to a 5.4 hour lifespan. According to SlashGear, “wireless options include WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth and a 3G module, together with GPS and digital TV, though it’s unclear whether those final three are standard on a single T101H model, or will be spread out among several versions as with the T91.” The bad boy is expected to launch by the end of August / early September 2009 in the UK. No word on the OS (Windows 7 doesn’t drop until late October, so Windows XP Home is a good guess) or price. Video after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading Asus Eee PC T101H launching this fall to a world in crisis

Filed under: Laptops

Asus Eee PC T101H launching this fall to a world in crisis originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Location Finding With Google Maps Comes To Chrome and Firefox [Google]

If you are running Chrome 2.0+ or FireFox 3.5+ you will notice a dot in the upper left corner of Google Maps that should, theoretically, be able to locate your position using the W3C Geolocation API.

We have been around this block before with apps like Geode and Google Gears, but it has yet to catch on like it has with cellphones. Of course, all of this will change as more location-specific services are implemented. At any rate, give it a shot and let us know how accurate it is. It worked pretty well for me. [TechCrunch]




3mm-Thin Digital Booth Babe Gives Other Booth Babes Inferiority Complexes [Japan]

This super-thin booth babe display was recently spotted on the floor of the high-octane International Stationary and Office Supply Fair (slogan: “You’ll get punched in the face with excitement!”).

this eye-catching digital signage system consists of a 0.3-millimeter-thick high-luminance rear-projection film (Vikuiti Rear Projection Film developed by 3M) applied to a 3-millimeter-thick glass substrate cut into the shape of a woman. A rear projector beams video onto the film, whose microbead-arrayed surface produces a crisp, brilliant image viewable from any angle, even in brightly lit environments.

That’s all well and good, but can she pretend to not be skeeved out by chubby, sweaty dudes who want their pictures taken with her? That’s the sign of a real booth babe. [Robot Watch via Pink Tentacle]




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