We’re not even going to front — we had all but forgotten about Erector’s Spykee. Granted, it didn’t do itself any favors by showing off at CES and then doing nothing for the next seven months, but we digress. If a pre-order page on Amazon is to be believed, the Spykee Spy Robot should be released on October 15th. It’s sporting a hefty $299.99 price tag and a recommended age of 8-years and up, but we’ll need to see some actual shipment notifications later this fall before we really get our hopes up. C’mon Erector, don’t let us, um, down.
We’re not even going to front — we had all but forgotten about Erector’s Spykee. Granted, it didn’t do itself any favors by showing off at CES and then doing nothing for the next seven months, but we digress. If a pre-order page on Amazon is to be believed, the Spykee Spy Robot should be released on October 15th. It’s sporting a hefty $299.99 price tag and a recommended age of 8-years and up, but we’ll need to see some actual shipment notifications later this fall before we really get our hopes up. C’mon Erector, don’t let us, um, down.
ZPower has made a few promises before that haven’t exactly panned out, but that apparently hasn’t stopped it from making another bold claim at IDF this week, with it boasting that its newfangled Silver-Zinc battery will be rolled out in a “major notebook computer” sometime in 2009. According to ZPower, that battery will provide up to 40% more runtime than traditional lithium-ion batteries and, just as importantly, be far more “chemically stable” than its sometimes explosion-prone lithium-ion counterpart. ZPower also looks to be going the extra mile when it comes to recycling the batteries, with 95% of the battery itself apparently recyclable, and the company offering “financial discounts” to folks when they trade in their old Silver-Zinc batteries.
ASUS took a break from cranking out an endless series of Eee PCs to revamp some of its traditional laptop lines today, here’s what you need to know:
B50A business laptop: 15.4-inch screen, Penryn Core 2 Duos on Intel’s GM45 Express chipset with ASUS’s Expressgate SplashTop implementation and integrated X4500 graphics, max 4GB RAM and 320GB drive, spill-resistant keyboard, Bluetooth, WiFi, dual-layer burner, 1.3 megapixel webcam.
F8 laptops (pictured): 14.1-inch WXGA screen, Penryn Core 2 Duos with 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 graphics with Express Gate, TV tuner with remote control, up to 4GB RAM and a 320GB drive, 1.3 megapixel swivel webcam, five available colors.
F6 “scented” laptops: 13.3-inch screen, lids feature five available graphics and fragrances (really), Penryn Core 2 Duos with 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 graphics with Express Gate, TV tuner with remote control, up to 4GB RAM and a 320GB drive, fingerprint scanner.
G71V and G50V “Republic of Gamers” laptops: 17-inch (G71) and 15-inch (G50) gaming laptops with up to Intel Core 2 Quad QX9300 processors and 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GT graphics, 4GB of RAM, 2x 500GB hard drives, dual-layer burner, 2.0 megapixel swivel webcam, LED lighting effects, gaming hotkeys.
No pricing or ship dates yet, but we’ll get you those as they come in.
Multiple colors? Check. Good sound quality? Supposedly. These Aiaiai Swirl headphones aren’t the ubiquitous iPod earbuds worn by every other person on earth (myself included). Aiaiai, the 200-member collective from Copenhagen, designed these in conjunction with Kilo design, offering straightforward headphones, as well as a headset for cellphones.
Aiaiai wanted to focus on sound quality as much as design, offering a sound isolation and full spectrum sound engineered by C4 Studios. Topped off with multiple colorways and slick packaging, the Swirl earbuds look like winners. The headphones are available for $65 at Digitalflix and the headset cost $81 at Aiaiai. [Aiaiai via CoolHunter]
ZPower has made a few promises before that haven’t exactly panned out, but that apparently hasn’t stopped it from making another bold claim at IDF this week, with it boasting that its newfangled Silver-Zinc battery will be rolled out in a “major notebook computer” sometime in 2009. According to ZPower, that battery will provide up to 40% more runtime than traditional lithium-ion batteries and, just as importantly, be far more “chemically stable” than its sometimes explosion-prone lithium-ion counterpart. ZPower also looks to be going the extra mile when it comes to recycling the batteries, with 95% of the battery itself apparently recyclable, and the company offering “financial discounts” to folks when they trade in their old Silver-Zinc batteries.
VIA may be ditching its traditional motherboard business, but it looks like its not wasting any time in stepping up its efforts to get its more specialized boards and chipsets into as many devices as possible, and it’s now taken advantage of the Taipei International Robot Show to show off their potential for robotics. Leading the way is Lynxmotion’s Johnny 5 robot above (yes, that’s actually its name), which has been outfitted with VIA’s new EPIA P700 board and VX800 unified chipset just for the show. That, VIA says, offers a whole host of advantages over other systems, including “far easier” software development. Of course, VIA also sees plenty of potential beyond hobby kits, with it also showing off an EPIA Mini-ITX-based version of the Vecna Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (or BEAR), and it touting the benefits of its Pico-ITX platform for all sorts of “extremely space constrained robotics designs.”
Soulja Boy claims that he has the only Xbox 360 Sidekick LX in the world, something that we believe him on, seeing as Danger is a huge fan of doing limited runs of designer Sidekicks for special people. Does it mean that Soulja Boy will have the only Xbox 360 Sidekick LX forever? Tough to say, but we’re hoping there’s some kind of tie-in seeing as Microsoft and Danger are more than just BFF. In the meantime, head over to Gamertagradio to see him fiddle around with it on video while mumbling incoherently. [Gamertagradio via Engadgetmobile]
Industrial robots are big, stupid, and dangerous. Walk between an automated welder and the SUV it’s assembling and you’ll find yourself fused to the frame, destined to sit unwanted at the back corner of some dealer’s lot. But, keeping bots and humans separated on an assembly line isn’t always practical. Enter ARoS, a machine that’s not only capable of working safely with people, but being totally condescending while doing it! In a demonstration video it repeatedly tells its hapless helper how incompetent he is, then, after putting on one lousy nut itself, says “I enjoyed your help!” We figure he says that to all the meat-bags, but you can see and decide for yourself after the break.
Sort of like the hacked Wii Balance Board that’ll surf Google Earth, but a little more down to earth, this mod will let you act like you’re strolling through town with Google Street View. You walk to move forward or lean on one foot to turn—it actually seems to work pretty well. With a giant display, you could visit New York and walk around without suffering from the gross and smelly summer, or you know, just use it as another excuse to never leave the massive pillow fort you’ve converted your living room into. [blog.katsuma.tv via Balanceboarding - Thanks Mark!]
Multiple colors? Check. Good sound quality? Supposedly. These Aiaiai Swirl headphones aren’t the ubiquitous iPod earbuds worn by every other person on earth (myself included). Aiaiai, the 200-member collective from Copenhagen, designed these in conjunction with Kilo design, offering straightforward headphones, as well as a headset for cellphones.
Aiaiai wanted to focus on sound quality as much as design, offering a sound isolation and full spectrum sound engineered by C4 Studios. Topped off with multiple colorways and slick packaging, the Swirl earbuds look like winners. The headphones are available for $65 at 
Soulja Boy claims that he has the only Xbox 360 Sidekick LX in the world, something that we believe him on, seeing as Danger is a huge fan of doing limited runs of designer Sidekicks for special people. Does it mean that Soulja Boy will have the only Xbox 360 Sidekick LX forever? Tough to say, but we’re hoping there’s some kind of tie-in seeing as Microsoft and Danger are 
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