CrunchGear |  |
- Woot Off!
- New polarizer film to boost contrast of LCDs more than 10-fold
- Asus beat to EEE Keyboard market by knockoff
- Timex announces new GPS Training watch
- Daily Crunch: An Evening at Home Edition
- Taking gaming to the next level with OLEDs and projectors
- Assassin’s Creed II gets a PC release date and all that
- Media Markt, German retailer, leaks iPad name and price?
- PSA: Zune system to go down at 10PM Pacific
- DIY: Avatar fiber optic jungle
- Leica M9 available for pre-order
- Latest confirmed Apple Tablet news: There will be no solar panels
- Apple Execs Downright Giddy About The Tablet (For Them Anyway)
- Juniper Systems rugged handheld is rugged
- Rubik’s Cube: Celebrating 30 years of frustration
- I surrender, Comcast
- Tasteful typography: Helvetica cookie cutters
- Spend that tax return on a $12,000 46″ Bang and Olufsen TV (monocle not included)
- Review: Praesto Modern Fliegeruhr
- New Canons to have optical and electronic viewfinders?
| Posted: 26 Jan 2010 05:04 AM PST |
| New polarizer film to boost contrast of LCDs more than 10-fold Posted: 26 Jan 2010 03:00 AM PST
A Japanese company called Zeon claims it has developed a film for the polarizing plates of LCD screens that boosts picture contrast by more than an order of magnitude. The company is already selling films for those plates to LCD TV makers like Samsung whose screens are based on vertical alignment technology. It produces films for OLED screens, too. Zeon’s new, so-called phase difference film, however, is made from Cyclo Olefin Polymer, which makes it suitable for LCD TVs based on in-plane-switching (IPS) technology. Makers relying on IPS technology are Panasonic or Hitachi, for example. The new Zeon film inhibits the diffusion of light from the backlight. As a result, viewers get to see clearer pictures. Zeon aims at starting mass-production of their new films within this year, marketing it to makers of LCD TVs that are 40 inches or larger. The company says the film helps to widen the viewing angle as well, making it useful for digital signs, too. Via The Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]
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| Asus beat to EEE Keyboard market by knockoff Posted: 26 Jan 2010 01:00 AM PST
The Great Wall version sounds good on paper, 2gb of RAM, a 250gb hard drive, wifi, and a Nvidia chipset and a new Cross PC U510 CPU. It all starts to fall apart when you look at how exactly it works. It’s lacking the built in battery, it doesn’t support dual displays, and will in fact turn off the touchscreen when you plug a monitor into the machine. The Great Wall version will sell for around $570 US in China, but I doubt we’ll ever see it in the US. Additionally, when you start to compare features (like the touchscreen working when you plug a monitor in), it really seems to me that it’ll be better to wait for Asus to come out with their version. [Via Tom's Hardware]
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| Timex announces new GPS Training watch Posted: 26 Jan 2010 12:30 AM PST  Timex launched a new GPS watch recently, and while it's intended for athletes who require more exact data when training, the new Ironman Global Trainer uses some pretty high end GPS technology in order to accurately track pace, distance, and heart rate.
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| Daily Crunch: An Evening at Home Edition Posted: 26 Jan 2010 12:00 AM PST
Here are some choice stories from Monday: Contest: Show us your remote office
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| Taking gaming to the next level with OLEDs and projectors Posted: 25 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST Researchers at Canada’s Queen’s University have been working on the most seemingly harmless of technologies, board games. They are taking a little different approach from the Microsoft Surface gaming project though. By using a projector and a camera mounted above the table, gamers would be able to move panels around and interact with the environment. Even the way a player moves the panels would influence the action of the game. The video shows troops being deployed from a craft to the shore simply by tilting the tile towards the designated area. While the current system is limited to the ceiling mounted projector, future versions could use OLED or E-Ink style media as that technology matures. I have to admit the though of playing Risk on this system definitely appeals to me. [via Crave]
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| Assassin’s Creed II gets a PC release date and all that Posted: 25 Jan 2010 09:50 PM PST
The minimum specs are actually quite reasonable. AC ran like butter on my two-year-old midrange PC, and looked ten times better than Dragon Age, which has just the worst framerates I’ve ever seen. Here’s what you’ll need:
Recommended stats are higher, of course. The rest are at the link above. March, though — man, by the time I’ve finished it, AC3 will be coming out! I suppose it’ll be a nice, long wait till the PC version of that comes out as well. Ah, the price we pay…
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| Media Markt, German retailer, leaks iPad name and price? Posted: 25 Jan 2010 09:29 PM PST
I’ll not tease you. It says iPad, and the price is €499 with a €120/month T-Mobile contract or €899 without. Hmm. I can’t say this confirms our suspicions, since the carrier is rumored to be Verizon (not T-Mo at any rate) and the price under $1000. And €120/month? Unless that includes free access to, oh I don’t know, everything in the world, I’m thinking nein. My guess is that Media Markt was getting a Twitter template set up, and put placeholder prices and names in there. Someone hit submit instead of whatever they meant to do, and boom, up it went — only to come down a half hour later. Commenter Dominik notes below that Apple and T-Mo are buds in Germany and Complete L would be the super-lux mobile package. I was of course foolish to forget that Verizon’s reach does not extend that far — which I found out to my horror when I was traveling. Thanks, Dominik. All the numbers still seem too high to me, though, I’m leaning towards mockup.
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| PSA: Zune system to go down at 10PM Pacific Posted: 25 Jan 2010 09:01 PM PST
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| DIY: Avatar fiber optic jungle Posted: 25 Jan 2010 08:30 PM PST Inspired by Avatar, this crafty fellow created his own version of the Pandora jungle. Made using conductive thread, fiber optic strands, and LEDs, he built a rather impressive looking patch of grass that lights up when you touch it. I’m not sure what the practical usage of this would be, but it’s one of those projects that is just cool to look at.
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| Leica M9 available for pre-order Posted: 25 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST
The M9’s sensor was created by Kodak, and is a full frame size based off of a 35mm film frame. The body also uses the standard Leica M mount, making it backwards compatible with other products from Leica’s M line. The camera is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com for the very special price of $6995.00
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| Latest confirmed Apple Tablet news: There will be no solar panels Posted: 25 Jan 2010 07:56 PM PST
There’s been some minor speculation that the Apple Tablet will be one of the greenest devices on the market. Why? Because after a patent surfaced describing an iPod with a solar panel on the front, there were some rumors suggesting that this patent would become active in the tablet, perhaps in the form of a solar panel behind the glass screen.
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| Apple Execs Downright Giddy About The Tablet (For Them Anyway) Posted: 25 Jan 2010 07:31 PM PST  Yesterday, we noted that multiple sources have heard Steve Jobs refer to the soon-to-be-unveiled Apple Tablet as the "most important thing I've ever done." Today brought two statements out of Apple that are just about as close as you're ever going to get to a confirmation of that. In Apple's press release for its strong Q1 2010 earnings, Jobs said the following: "The new products we are planning to release this year are very strong, starting this week with a major new product that we're really excited about." What's odd is that not only does Jobs (or anyone at Apple, for that matter) usually make no comments about as-yet unannounced products, but why would he do so in a release about the previous quarter's earnings — which have absolutely nothing to do with the tablet? He simply had no reason that he had to make that statement. I can only interpret that as he's just that excited about what he's going to unveil on Wednesday.
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| Juniper Systems rugged handheld is rugged Posted: 25 Jan 2010 07:30 PM PST
That’s not to say that this particular handheld is not without it’s own special charm. Built on a WinMo platform, think of this as a PDA that has grown into a monster. Available with GSM, and with multiple hardware configurations, it’s the type of thing you expect the utility guy to be carrying when he comes to read the meter. No word on exactly when it’ll be available or how much it will cost, but here’s some spec’s from the Juniper’s website:
[via Ubergizmo]
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| Rubik’s Cube: Celebrating 30 years of frustration Posted: 25 Jan 2010 06:30 PM PST
I’ve never peeled the stickers, but I did take my cube apart when I was younger and “solved” it that way. Apparently I’m not the only one who has had issues with one of the best selling puzzles of all time, because there is now an official website with step by step instructions on how to solve your cursed cube. The Rubik’s team has also started their own Facebook group and YouTube channel as well. Sounds like it’s time for me to dig up my cube and see if the videos will actually help you solve it (without taking the cube apart this time). Click here for the full press release.
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| Posted: 25 Jan 2010 06:14 PM PST
That’s right, Comcast. This is me, waving my white flag. I’m not going to complain to you any more. Why did I even try in the first place? It’s like trying to erode Mount Rainier with licks. So from here on out, I’m just going to take it. All the outages, all the fees, all 20 levels of customer service. Who was I kidding, anyway? Here’s the thing, though: you charge me a monthly fee for that service, and that service is only fully accessible about 5 days out of the week by my count. I even paid extra for your “power boost” until I realized it wasn’t making a difference. I suppose I should thank you for getting me out of my apartment to work every once in a while, but really, enough of my income already goes to coffee. But what can I do? You guys have never once been able to fix it when it’s been slow or gone. I’ll talk on the phone for half an hour and listen to a technician say thoughtfully, “Hmm, yes, we’re seeing a lot of packet loss, that shouldn’t be happening.” No, it shouldn’t — but you’re going to charge me anyway.
Maybe you’ll send a guy out and he’ll install a cable modem known to be a piece of garbage. Later, when I have problems, you’ll send a guy to replace it. And you’ll charge me both times. What can I do? Call in? You’ll express concern that I wasn’t notified that there would be a $30 fee to replace the broken modem you charged me $30 to install, and which I was paying $5/month for the privilege of renting. I should have been notified. Yes, I should have been — but you’re going to charge me anyway. Maybe you’ll blame it on old wiring. Sure, I live in an old building. The funny thing, though, is that the wires are the same today as they were yesterday, yet the service I pay so much money for is not. Of course, you don’t remit $0.20 to my account when it’s offline for an hour, or a buck when it’s off for a day. I can’t “return” the product you sold me, even if it’s faulty. How ridiculous for me to even contemplate it! I remember hearing about a guy who would get the whole month comped if he had any downtime at all (not Comcast). For comparison, I used to have to call support from a review phone because 1-800-COMCAST automatically forward me to Time Warner in California due to my 310 area code. But hey, it’s $75/month whether I get 30 days of service or 20. I could threaten to leave, but there isn’t a comparable service to switch to, as you well know. You and your pals divided up the blocks and districts so your service areas don’t overlap. And I can’t downgrade — won’t ever be able to — because your fee structure is hopelessly obscured by promotions and cable TV upsells; I even got a “Cable Television Franchise Fee” plus taxes on my internet bill. Sure, why not? The people I talk to on the phone sound confused when I ask for “internet, just internet, the cheapest you have.” That product literally does not exist on your High Speed Internet products page, by the way. Do you actually sell it? I guess I sound like an entitled, bitter little whiner. That’s about right. Since I pay a fee you quoted, I’m entitled to the service you promised. And for the record, I’m perfectly happy to pay what I pay for what you said I was going to get. But since you’re not providing it, I’m going to whine. And now, embittered, I’m giving up. Because nothing I say or do will change the quality of the service, or the service of your partners and fronts all over — Time Warner Cable and such. So you win, guys! You’ve worn me down, you and the rest, with a decade of troubles. Sorry, fellow downtrodden customers, I just can’t do it any more. It’s time for me to lay back and think of England. I surrender. Edit: I feel it is my responsibility to add that I do not mean this to reflect poorly on the techs or customer service people I’ve dealt with, including the quick-to-reply Comcast commmenters below. They do their jobs. It’s just that their job is usually to upsell, delegate, and enact a rotten corporate strategy at a unit level. It’s Comcast, and ISPs like them, whom I am giving up on.
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| Tasteful typography: Helvetica cookie cutters Posted: 25 Jan 2010 06:00 PM PST
These instruments of tasteful typecutting are designed by Beverly Hsu, who has updated the design page to say that yes, they will be sold at some point in the future, but not for a little while. Oh well — that’s why they invented bookmarks. [via BoingBoing]
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| Spend that tax return on a $12,000 46″ Bang and Olufsen TV (monocle not included) Posted: 25 Jan 2010 05:30 PM PST
Okay, okay, I’m being too harsh. The fact is these things look gorgeous and if they’d give me one, I’d gladly put it on my wall instead of the nothing that’s there right now. But the other fact is that they cost a huge amount of money and really, I doubt they produce $10,000 more picture quality than a mid-range Samsung (which provides B&O’s LCD panels) or another set aimed at mortals.
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| Review: Praesto Modern Fliegeruhr Posted: 25 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST  In the vast pantheon of watches, the aviator is a timeless paragon of virtue and class. Traditionally given to folks who fly in planes (hence the term "aviator"), these watches were larger than standard watches and often had big crowns for easy winding. The IWC Big Pilots Watch is a classic in the form, with the clear, legible numbers and top triangular noon pip. But, like great paintings, watches often stray from form, and often with positive results. If the Big Pilots Watch is "Whistler's Mother" then the Praesto Modern Fliegeruhr is Warhol's Campbell's Soup cans. At once this watch is an homage, a little work of art, and a sly dig at the stuffy establishment.
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| New Canons to have optical and electronic viewfinders? Posted: 25 Jan 2010 04:30 PM PST
I’m not sure whether I would prefer they just work on making the optical VF bigger and clearer — I think this is a feature you have to use for a while before you can truly pass judgment on it. Unlike, say, a second LCD on the front of the camera, which was doomed from the start.
Also, how cool does this sound, just to read out loud:
It sounds like it’s from the future! Anyhow, there’s a more detailed breakdown over at Photography Bay. It’s a pro feature to be sure, but if they can get their foot in the door with this, it might be a true “Canon-only” feature, a hard thing to come by these days.
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Yo, there’s a 
Bad news for Asus, the EEE Keyboard that still hasn’t been released yet was beaten to market by a clone. The knockoff version is made by the Chinese company Great Wall, and while the clone version did beat the original to market, there are some serious reasons to wait until Asus releases their version.
Just wanted to give you all a heads up, we got an email stating that the Zune system is undergoing scheduled maintenance starting in about an hour, and will be down all night. You should still be able to access and use your locally stored content though. Microsoft promises that everything thing will be fine, and you’ll be able to get back to the social in the morning.
Time to bust out that wallet and preorder that new Leica! The M9 is now available for pre-order, and it’s pretty impressive. 18 megapixel, using a custom designed sensor from Kodak, the M9 is a digital viewfinder camera, and part of Leica’s new line.
Ruggedized computers are typically pretty ugly, and the Juniper Systems handheld is no exception. Designed to withstand extreme temperatures, and drops onto concrete from a height of up to 5ft without damage, it’d be the ideal thing for the construction site or roadworks project.
I have a confession to make. I’ve never been able to solve a Rubik’s cube. I had a solved one in my office for years, but its one I bought at the store, removed from the package, and put on the shelf. Everything was fine until my son got hold of it, and jumbled it up for me. 
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