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Donald Melanson

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Barnes & Noble Working on a Kindle Competitor?

by Donald Melanson on April 9, 2009 at 11:54 AM


Everyone else is doing it, so why not Barnes & Noble too? That's the talk following last week's CTIA at least, where mysterious "insiders" were reportedly abuzz about the possibility of a B&N e-book reader that, like the Kindle, would supposedly be tied to a cellular carrier for some Whispernet-like connectivity. According to one of those insiders, Barnes & Noble had apparently first been in talks with Verizon about a partnership, but those seem to have fallen apart for one reason or another, and it now looks like Sprint (Amazon's partner, coincidentally) is the top contender. Some "observers" apparently still aren't ruling out AT&T as a possibility, however, especially in light of its recent expression of interest about getting into the e-book reader game. No word about the actual device itself just yet, but there's no shortage of ready-made options out there (like Plastic Logic's e-reader above) should B&N decide to go that route.

[Thanks, Tim]
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Japanese "Child Robot" Is Back and Creepier Than Ever

by Donald Melanson on April 6, 2009 at 12:57 PM


All caught up on your sleep? Good. 'Cause our old friend the "Child-robot with Biomimetic Body," or CB2, has now returned to haunt your nightmares. As you might expect, the bot hasn't simply spent its past two years of existence terrifying the staff at Osaka University, it's actually been learning, and it's now apparently able to make use of its 51 air-powered motors to move itself through a room "quite smoothly" -- with a helping hand, of course. What's more, the researchers behind CB2 are now also starting to talk about some of their future projects, including a new "robo species" that they say will have learning abilities "somewhere between those of a human and other primate species such as the chimpanzee." Yeah, we can't wait to see what that looks like either.
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DIY Trash Can Understands Your Voice Commands

by Donald Melanson on April 6, 2009 at 10:27 AM


Have you ever stared at a garbage can and wished you could command it to come towards you? No? Then you may still be interested in this new speech-controlled trash can built by DIY-er Amnon, which will respond to your beck and call, yet never stray beyond the safe confines of your carefully laid out tape route (sure to compliment any room).

Unfortunately, there isn't a step-by-step guide for building a little trash buddy of your own, but Amnon has provided a shot of the all-important underside (linked below), and a complete parts list, so it shouldn't be too hard for experienced folks to follow along. Head on past the break for the video.

[Via Hack a Day]

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Researchers Tout Progress in Creating a Brain on a Chip

by Donald Melanson on March 25, 2009 at 06:03 AM


Mimicking the human brain has long been near the top of the list of dream projects for many a sci-fi-inspired scientist, and it looks like one team involved in the EU-supported FACETS initiative is now making some real, if still preliminary progress in the field. Apparently, they've built upon some recent mapping and modeling research and created an actual chip (or, more specifically a 20cm wafer), which could eventually contain a network of 200,000 neurons and 50 million synapses. That, the researchers say, will allow for them to take on larger scale neural computing work than has previously been possible, and could even lead to "practical neural computers" in as little as five years, which they say could be particularly helpful for things like internet search -- or, you know, commanding a massive robot army.

[Thanks, Scott]
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New Material Could Make Robot Muscles Better, Faster, Stronger

by Donald Melanson on March 23, 2009 at 02:32 PM


There's already been countless advances in the always exciting field of robot muscles, but a team of researchers from the University of Texas have now made what appears to be a considerable leap forward, which they say could allow for "performance characteristics that have not previously been obtained."

The key to that is an entirely new material comprised of ribbons of tangled nanotubes, which can expand its width by 220-percent when a voltage is applied and return to its original shape in just milliseconds when the voltage is removed.

What's more, the material is not only "stronger than steel and stiffer than diamond," but it's able to withstand an extreme range of temperatures from -196 °C to 1538 °C, which could allow robots equipped with the muscles to operate with ease in a wide variety of off-world colonies, er, "harsh environments." Head on past the break for a demonstration of the material in its non-robot form. [Image courtesy NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory]

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World's Most Expensive Vacuum Also Claims Title of World's Gaudiest

by Donald Melanson on March 18, 2009 at 09:17 AM


You may think that the world's most expensive vacuum would be a Dyson or some other high-tech cleaning contraption, but that's apparently not the case, at least according to the vacuum authority that is the Guinness Book of World Records. No, the world's most expensive vacuum is apparently this otherwise ordinary Electrolux, which has been adorned with 3,730 Swarovski crystals by Polish designer Lukaz Jemiol and now commands the princely sum of £13,825 (or just under $20,000). That may not help the vacuum's cleaning ability much, but it'll certainly help it hold its own against all the other Swarovski-encrusted products out there, which, last we checked, includes everything imaginable. Better act quick if you're looking to add to the collection though, as this one is strictly one of a kind.
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Prosthetic Finger Features Built-In USB Drive

by Donald Melanson on March 12, 2009 at 04:02 PM


Yanko Design is certainly home to many far-fetched, never-to-be-realized gadgets, but this so-called You-SB finger drive isn't one of them. In fact, it's already a bit behind the curve. Apparently, after losing a finger in a motorcycle accident last year, Jerry Jalava took advantage of the situation to get a 2GB USB drive installed in his new prosthetic finger, which he's happy to inform us stores the Billy Linux distribution and the movie 'Freddy Got Fingered.' The drive is even removable to allow for upgrades or different drives for different tasks. Can a pico-projector finger be far behind?

Read - Yanko Design, "You-SB"
Read - Jerry Jalava's Flickr page

[Via Grinding.be]
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Calvin Klein Fragrances Get Paired With MP3 Speakers

by Donald Melanson on February 20, 2009 at 07:23 AM


Still looking for some more speakers you won't use after getting those Best Buy gift card speakers over the holidays? Then you may want to keep an eye out for one of these new "limited edition" bottles of CK One or CK Be, which each come paired with an "MP3 speaker" that appears to be a speaker first and an MP3 player not at all. No word on any technical specifications, as you might have guessed, though those are details probably best left unsaid. $50 and it's yours starting next month. [Via SlipperyBrick]
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Microsoft Gets Sued Over Windows XP Downgrade Fees

by Donald Melanson on February 17, 2009 at 03:13 PM

Microsoft may be doing its best to move past Windows XP once and for all, but a Los Angeles woman is alleging that the company is all too happy to bank some extra change on the OS in the meantime, and that it's essentially trying to have it both ways. As a result, she's now suing Microsoft over its XP "downgrade" fees, and requesting that the lawsuit be granted class-action certification so others can get a piece of the action.

Apparently, Emma Alvarado bought a Lenovo PC last June and had to pay an additional $59.25 to downgrade to XP, which she claims is simply a case of Microsoft taking advantage of consumer demand for XP to pad its profits. The suit further alleges that the seemingly endless extensions of the XP deadline were "likely due to the tremendous profits that Microsoft has reaped from its 'downgrade' option." For Microsoft's part, it insists that the company itself "does not have a downgrade program," and that it doesn't get any of the money from the Vista-to-XP downgrade options. [Thanks, Cargojack]
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For $2,000, This Company Will Make a Robot Version of You

by Donald Melanson on February 6, 2009 at 02:20 PM


Looking for a surefire conversation piece or guaranteed nightmares for weeks on end? Then you may want to take up Little Island's offer to create a tiny, custom robot version of you, which can apparently even be used as a VoIP phone of sorts to freak out family members when you're away. Unfortunately, the "robot" doesn't appear to actually have many true robot abilities, although it does have a built-in camera to let you check out its surroundings via a connected computer, and it's apparently able to do a few basic tasks like read your RSS feeds or check the weather. The bot is also essentially just a plush PC itself (complete with a 500MHz Geode processor), so there's certainly plenty of opportunity to expand its capabilities for those so inclined. At over $2,000, however, it doesn't exactly come cheap, and you'll have to wait upwards of six weeks after sending in your picture to receive it. [Via The Raw Feed]
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College Students Contact Space Station With Self-Built Radio System

by Donald Melanson on February 4, 2009 at 02:18 PM

While putting a call in to the International Space Station and chatting up an astronaut for a full ten minutes would likely be more than enough to satisfy most science classes, a group of students from Humber College in Toronto decided to go one big step further and do so with a radio system that they designed and built themselves. According to the school, that makes it the first time that's ever ... Read more »
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2eleven Introduces Foosball Table of the Future

by Donald Melanson on January 23, 2009 at 04:58 PM

It's not quite as elaborate as some foosball tables we've seen, but this new rig from 2eleven will no doubt attract its fair share of attention nonetheless and, unlike some of those other units, it's actually pre-built. While there doesn't seem to be a complete breakdown of all its intricacies, the table does come equipped with some LED score displays, a pair of LCD displays apparently intended ... Read more »
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Hi-Tech Mirror Lets You Check the Weather and Your Hair

by Donald Melanson on January 17, 2009 at 04:12 PM

It's not quite as elaborate as some mirror / display combinations, but Valli Arredobagno's new Hi_Mirror looks like it'll at least get the job done, and with a good deal more style than some other setups we've seen. Unfortunately, the Italian design firm isn't all that forthcoming with technical specifications just yet, but it appears that the mirror contains a touchscreen-based device of some ... Read more »
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Apple Announces iWork.com Beta

by Donald Melanson on January 6, 2009 at 02:48 PM

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Apple_announces_iWork_com_beta'; Well, it looks like Apple is competing with Google in more ways than one, with the company today announcing a beta version of the Google Docs-like iWork.com. The web-based app will apparently be tightly integrated with the OS-bound iWork app, and let you easily share documents with contacts who can add notes and make ... Read more »
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This Robot Makes Pancakes

by Donald Melanson on December 3, 2008 at 12:02 PM

Yaskawa Electric's Motoman SDA10 robot has been out and about for a little while now (along with its not-so-distant relatives), but it's apparently not just getting by on its good looks alone, and it recently took advantage of Osaka's International Next-Generation Robot Fair to show off its newly developed cooking skills. While there unfortunately doesn't seem to be any video available, the word ... Read more »
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