Wii Usurps Xbox 360 As Best-Selling US Game Console
Previous
Fix It or Toss It?
E3: What's Next in Video Games?
Download This: Launchy
16 Ways the Web Can Save You Money
World's Fastest Text Messagers
iPhone 3G: What You Need to Know
Ex-Eagle Don Felder Hearts Treos
Summer Fun Guide 2008
Buying a Digital Camera? Read This
Amazon Offers TV and Movies On Demand
by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 17th 2008 at 11:16AM
The New York Times is reporting that Amazon is scrapping its Unbox service in favor of a new online TV and movie store called Amazon Video on Demand. Unlike iTunes and Unbox, Amazon's new digital store-front will stream any of 40,000 movies and television programs to customers. According to Bill Carr, Amazon's VP for digital media, "Our goal is to create an immersive experience where people can't help but get caught up in how exciting it is to simply watch a movie right from Amazon.com with a click of the button." In this regard, the first 2 minutes of every video will begin to play when customers visit the video's product page. Movies can be purchased and downloaded to your hard drive or stored in an Amazon video library allowing you to stream the content to other (any?) Internet connected devices. Films and TV shows from "almost all the major studios and television networks" will be available for sale or rental in the US at undisclosed prices -- only Disney and its ABC subsidiary are holding out for uh, obvious reasons (Steve Jobs is Disney's largest individual shareholder).
Amazon also plans to bring the service directly to the living room through a deal with Sony (and others) which will ultimately embed store access into future Bravia TVs. For now, Amazon's VoD store will be available through Sony's $300 Bravia Internet Video Link device. The store goes beta-hot today for a limited number of "invited" US Amazon.com customers before going live later this summer. [Source: The New York Times]
[Thanks, setteB.IT]
DIY USB Popcorn Maker: Pops Corn, Explodes Your Mind
You paying attention, Redenbacher? Those daring kids at Instructables have created the USB Popcorn Maker from a high intensity heater light, aluminum cup, and mason jar. Add oil, non-Linux kernels, and salt and you're ready to cozy-up in an uncomfortable three-some with the Wachowski Brothers. Unfortunately, the video posted after the break jump-cuts between USB attachment and the first corn kaboom. But given the 5V USB source, you'll likely need plenty of time to get the oil boiling. Then again, nobody said this was practical. [Source: Instructables]
[Thanks, Sophia D.]
Apple's Remote: Turns Your iPhone Into a WiFi Remote Control
There it is, the new freebie from Apple which turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a remote control. It works with Apple TV and iTunes over the Wi-Fi network to play, pause, skip and shuffle your songs stored in your iTunes library. You get access to playlists, album art (displayed in the Remote app), control over AirTunes speakers, and the ablity to search your entire library. No video support apparently but free is free and 1.0 is 1.0.
Update: Looks like Apple has updated Apple TV to 2.1 with support for the new remote app, along with support for MobileMe. Get it via your Apple TV's Update Software feature (check out Engadget for more images of the Apple TV update). Read [warning: iTunes URL]
Update: Looks like Apple has updated Apple TV to 2.1 with support for the new remote app, along with support for MobileMe. Get it via your Apple TV's Update Software feature (check out Engadget for more images of the Apple TV update). Read [warning: iTunes URL]
Apple's MobileMe Now Live and Ready to Sync Your Files
P.S. Things are loading slowly at the moment as the service comes up.
Update: As noted in the comments, the site is now down for most people.
[Thanks, Tim]
Newest PlayStation 3 Firmware Out Now
[Thanks, David]
Nike+ Gym Equipment Coming July -- iPhone Integration Imminent?
"Nike and Apple worked with major gym equipment manufacturers to make their cardio equipment Nike + iPod compatible so gym members can easily track and record workouts on cardio equipment like treadmills, stair steppers, elliptical trainers and stationary bikes."
The press release only mentions the iPod nano. In fact, that may be all that we're talking about here.
Nevertheless, July is synonymous with the iPhone 3G, 2.0 firmware, and App Store launches and there's that little ol' patent application (the source of the picture above) which describes leveraging the iPhone's sensors to turn it into a "lifestyle companion." Nike of course, already confirmed that its Plus system would be extending to the iPhone and iPod touch sometime in the future. July seems as good a time as any don't you think? [Source: Business Wire]
Facial Expression Recognition Used to Control Robots
Human: (frowning)
Robot: Aw, my meat bag is sad, I will now give it a hamburger and turn on 'Golden Girls.'
Fortunately, human teachers who've somehow missed out on the billions of years of biologically evolution required to recognize the "oh face" can take advantage of this research as well. See a video demonstration of that after the break, face-controlled video here. [Source: PhysOrg]
Power Assisted Live Luggage Ready to "World Premier"
The bags weighs 10.6kg (23-pounds) which is about 3kg (6.6-pounds) more than standard hard luggage, according to the manufacture. The cases are good for about 1.5 miles of assisted travel under a 32kg load. Of interest, the bags are now 2.6kg heavier than the original case which also featured a more powerful (and possibly exploding?) Lithium Ion battery pack capable of 2.5 miles on a single charge. We guess that was the concession made to get, "all the required accreditations and approvals from the global airport authority."
No price was announced so we'll have to stick with the £397 (about $782) until we hear more on Thursday.
Update: Oh boy, after poking around the site a bit we find a price of $1,365 -- twice as much as originally planned.
Don't miss the gallery over at Engadget.
Read -- press release [Warning: PDF]
Read -- Live Luggage
Video: Meet Hasbro's Ampbot, the Mother of All Rollys
by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 20th 2008 at 11:50AM
Cross a Segway with a Rolly and Miuro and out pops this A.M.P. soaked in a grey-goo afterbirth of Robotic procreation. The two-wheeled, dancing A.M.P. (Automated Music Personality or Ampbot) from Sega-Hasbro stands 2.4-feet tall and features a MP3 or iPod cradle on its back, stereo speakers, and the ability to follow and interact with its owner. There's a 5-inch mid-range speaker in the chest and a pair of smaller tweeters in the shoulders for a total output of 12 watts.
Osamu Takeuchi of Sega Toys says, "The owner can also enjoy being chased around the house by the robot." Uh, yippee? The Ampbot and controller require 6x D and 3x AAA batteries for about 10-hours of continuous music. The stalking begins November for$745 $500 in the US and Japan.
Update: Embedded video courtesy of Impress now available after the break. Be warned: the price tag is starting to look modest even at the cost of our own destruction.
[Via Physorg and Impress]
Osamu Takeuchi of Sega Toys says, "The owner can also enjoy being chased around the house by the robot." Uh, yippee? The Ampbot and controller require 6x D and 3x AAA batteries for about 10-hours of continuous music. The stalking begins November for
Update: Embedded video courtesy of Impress now available after the break. Be warned: the price tag is starting to look modest even at the cost of our own destruction.
[Via Physorg and Impress]
The Reclining Cushion -- for the Lazy Geek
Comfy, she-dork? Good, because you're quite possibly slopped atop Thanko's most foolish product yet, the Lazy Geek's Cushion. That's saying something from the company that brought you the USB mask, slippers, and Gold Ingot Hub. While it promises to alleviate neck and back pain, somehow, looking at these pics, we find that hard to believe. [Source: Akihabara News]
Sony Ericsson Debuts Massive 8.1 Megapixel C905 Cell Phone
by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 17th 2008 at 10:54AM
As a phone, we're looking at quad-band GSM (9-hours talk / 380 hours standby) and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100 on the C905a worldphone variant. It also comes packing an auto-rotating, 2.4-inch scratch-resistant QVGA display, aGPS with Google Maps, A2DP stereo Bluetooth, TV-out, 2 gigabytes of included Memory Stick Micro (M2), and WiFi with DLNA support when this slider is loosed upon the globe in Q4.
For more images, check out Engadget's gallery. [Source: Sony Ericsson]
[Via Esato, thanks Adrian L.]
NASA's New Suits Are One Giant Leap for Space Fashion
The suits must be ready for the first scheduled launch of the Orion Space Capsule in 2015. The contract is valued at the government special price of just $745 million. Hey, we have to keep up appearances at the International Space Station, you know. [Source: New Scientist]
Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Hacks Kathy Griffin's iPhone -- on TV
by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 13th 2008 at 7:01PM
Watch it all go down after the break.
P.S. Looks like Woz's watch is a Nixie -- the man's a nerd to the core.
[Thanks, Karim S. and Jon]
Solar Soft House Converts Household Curtains Into Electric Power
by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 13th 2008 at 7:02AM
