CrunchGear |  |
- HyperSID brings 8-bit sound back to the 21st century
- The Dell Precision M4500 brings serious power to the 15.6-inch party
- Sony 3D TVs go on sale in Japan (and probably the US) in June (video)
- Tron Legacy trailer hits the web in high quality
- Daily Crunch: Unboxing Dots Edition
- CrunchCool: Russian Typhoon class submarine
- DIY: Control your Hexapod robot with your iPhone
- Weird: slow-motion plant race to the death
- For the programmer who has everything: Android pillows
- Review: Case-mate Hug Wireless Charging Pad and Case for iPhone 3G/3GS
- Corduroy: not just on your trousers any more
- Well, the blue bottle was my blues – and the red bottle was what I made my bottle slide out of
- Flash cartridge for SNES lets you get your ROM on
- Review: JVC GZ-HM340 compact HD camcorder
- Desktop lamp powered by hamster cells
- Why are we so afraid of technology ‘ruining’ soccer? It’s not like technology hasn’t been all over the sport since its inception.
- Notice the Windows alternative in HP’s slate device. This is a good thing.
- Review: ScanSnap S1300 portable scanner
- Video: HTC Supersonic briefly caught in the flesh
- Fallout: New Vegas screenshots, now with orange HUD
| HyperSID brings 8-bit sound back to the 21st century Posted: 09 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST
The HyperSID is MIDI driven device, containing a microprocessor and a real SID chip. No emulation here kids. This is the real deal. All three versions of the chip are supported (8580, 6582, and 6581). MIDI signal goes in, and the audio comes out of a balance 1/4″ output. The brightness on the front panel is also controlled by the incoming MIDI signal. ‘Cause if you can’t see your music, you’re not making music, right? Right. The unit itself comes in the below seen half-rack or rack mountable versions.
The VST controller is a very powerful plug-in giving you real-time control over the synthesizer. LFOs, envelope filters, pitch bending, this thing’s got it all.
There are other SID units and emulators on the market, but the HyperSID looks like the most plug-and-play, fully contained system available. These units will run you between $300 and $450 fully assembled, or if you want to put it together yourself, as low as $50. via [Retro Thing]
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| The Dell Precision M4500 brings serious power to the 15.6-inch party Posted: 09 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST
Dell also worked in some mobility solutions, too. The M4500 packs the obligatory webcam, along Gobi 2.0 mobile broadband support and an 64GB SSD MiniCard for additional data storage that doesn’t require users to swap out the optical drive. The M4500 is also the first notebook available for Dell’s new instant-on application. Dubbed Dell Precision On, it provides users near instant access to email, calender, contact, and even the internet and virtual remote desktops. Think of it as a business-oriented splash launch screen like what’s found on most netbooks and consumer notebooks these days. The M4500 line starts out at an somewhat affordable sub-$2,000 price point, but that’s the plain jane, Core i5 model. You’re going to want to ask your IT department to get you the fully-stocked rig, which will no doubt cost more than your company-issued Corolla when they ship later this month.
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| Sony 3D TVs go on sale in Japan (and probably the US) in June (video) Posted: 09 Mar 2010 03:46 AM PST
The eight Sony 3D TVs are very nice too look at and appear to be less expensive than their Panasonic counterparts. Here’s all you need to know:
LX900 series The flagship LX900 series consists of four models with screen sizes between 40 ($3,200), 42 ($3,900), 50 ($4,800) and 60 inches ($6,500). Buyers will get 2 pairs of active shutter glasses, wireless LAN, full HD, 4 HDMI ports, a USB port, video-on demand, and LED backlight. The 60-inch model, the KDL-60LX900, is pictured above. There’s also an “intelligent people sensor system”, which adjusts images and sound depending on where viewers are located. And through face detection, the TVs can even be “personalized”. For example, the TVs can detect if a child is sitting too close to the screen and display a warning message. And if nobody is in the room for a certain period of time, the TVs shut down automatically (“On/Off Conscious” function). The 40- and 42-inch models will go on sale in Japan on June 10, followed by the bigger LX900 models on July 16.
HX900 The HX900 series consists of a 46- ($4,350) and a 52-inch ($5,250) model. For some odd reason, 3D glasses are not included in the price. These models are full HD, too. The HX900 series shares main specs with the KX900 (outlined above) but lacks the fancy sensor systems and wireless LAN. The bigger of the two models, the KDL-52HX900, is pictured above. Both HX900 models go on sale on July 16.
HX800 Priced at $2,450 for the 40-inch model and $3,100 for 46-incher, the two models of the HX800 are the cheapest of all 3D TVs Sony unveiled today. The TVs feature LED backlights, full HD and all basic specs of the HX900 but come without wireless LAN or sensors. They also lack the 3D glasses, which buyers need to get separately. The picture above shows the 40-inch model, the KDL-40HX800. The two HX800 TVs are scheduled to hit Japanese stores on July 16.
Sony wireless LAN adapter The HX800 and HX900 TVs do have (wired) LAN but buyers can also get the UWA-BR100, a wireless LAN adapter that’s to be inserted into the USB port of the TVs. It’s already available in the US for $79.99.
Sony Active Shutter 3D TV glasses and synchro transmitters As the HX900 and HX800 TVs don’t come with glasses, Sony also announced the extra-large TDG-BR100 in black and the smaller TDG-BR50 in blue or pink (price: $140 each) today. Then there’s TMR-BR100, a 3D “synchro transmitter”, which makes sure the glasses can actually display the 3D images your TV produces (price: an extra $60). Sony said they will roll out these TVs globally at around the same time, meaning Panasonic will have a head start of about 3 months in the USA and 2 months in Japan. Just like Panasonic, Sony is expecting the 3D business to evolve into an important revenue machine in the near future. Here’s a Sony Japan 3D promo movie released today:
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| Tron Legacy trailer hits the web in high quality Posted: 09 Mar 2010 02:04 AM PST
We’ve shown you the new Tron trailer 48 hours ago in bootleg quality, but you can forget that one now and rather watch this high-quality version. Judging from these 2.30 minutes, we’re in for something cool. The new Tron movie is scheduled for release in the US on December 21 this year. The cast is pretty good, including Jeff Bridges, John Hurt and Michael Sheen. Here’s the official website. And here’s the new trailer:
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| Daily Crunch: Unboxing Dots Edition Posted: 09 Mar 2010 12:00 AM PST |
| CrunchCool: Russian Typhoon class submarine Posted: 08 Mar 2010 09:01 PM PST
Here’s something old, but definitely cool and worth showing you. Livejournal user Igor113 posted some pictures from his trip to… somewhere in Russia. He loves to travel and take pictures, and these are some extremely cool photographs of some rusted and cool equipment. Igor did apologize for the quality of his camera though, and requests that you don’t kick his legs.
The submarine pictures aren’t the only cool things on Igor’s site, he’s apparently traveled all over the EU and taken many many pictures of defunct Russian military vehicles and aircraft. I’d definitely recommend checking out some of his other posts as well.
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| DIY: Control your Hexapod robot with your iPhone Posted: 08 Mar 2010 08:30 PM PST Check out this custom made iPhone app that robotics student Robert Stephenson created. Robert wrote this app to control his Hexapod robot using the the user inputs on the iPhone.
Roberst control method includes the touchscreen and accelerometers to manipulate the forward and reverse controls. Robert has done several videos about his project, it’s definitely worth looking at it you are into robotics and iPhone apps.
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| Weird: slow-motion plant race to the death Posted: 08 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PST I hear you asking: what is it good for? Unlike war, it’s actually pretty useful. I mean, useful if you really care about growing plants systematically… and you liked Gladiator. My only objection to this setup is that it’s a pretty obvious way of culling humans once the Robocalypse comes. If the robots are able to feel pleasure, they’ll feel it when they employ on us the same device we once employed on lesser species. Hope you have tall genes.
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| For the programmer who has everything: Android pillows Posted: 08 Mar 2010 07:30 PM PST
[via Technabob]
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| Review: Case-mate Hug Wireless Charging Pad and Case for iPhone 3G/3GS Posted: 08 Mar 2010 07:00 PM PST
Short Version: A bit of a twist on traditional induction chargers, Case-mate's "Hug Wireless Charging Pad and Case" attempts to offset its $100 price tag by adhering to the Wireless Power Consortium's universal charging standard, which promises interoperability with other charging pads and devices that are developed using the same technology.
Full Review: One of the larger barriers to adopting new technology is the relatively high price tag pitted against the uncertainty of whether or not that technology will become widespread enough to spawn future devices. What's the sense in dropping $100 on an induction charger for your iPhone if there's a possibility you'll switch to a different phone in the future? Case-mate makes the plunge a bit less frightening by basing its "Hug" system upon an open wireless charging standard, the Wireless Power Consortium's eCoupled technology (the same technology used in Palm's "Touchstone" chargers for the Pre and Pixi lines). This theoretically means that you'd be able to charge your phone on any wireless charging surface based on the same standard—Case-mate offers a bedside table, Starbuck's coffee table, and airplanes as examples. We'll have to see how this eventually plays out in real life, but you get the idea. It also means that you'll be able to use the included charging pad to juice up any other devices that use the same standard—a different model phone with an eCoupled-enabled case, for instance. So while $100 may seem a bit steep, you're investing in what the WPC and Case-mate hopes becomes a widespread standard. You may have to buy different cases and/or battery covers for different devices in the future, but that charging pad should be the last one you ever need to purchase (in theory).
As a charging solution, the Hug system is surprisingly nimble. I was able to take my iPhone 3GS from near zero percent battery to 100% in two hours. That's pretty good considering early induction charging systems have operated at a much slower trickle. The first one I reviewed, almost a year ago now, took overnight. That system was for Wii remotes, too, which aren't quite as important as having an adequately charged cell phone.
The system is comprised of the charging pad and a protective iPhone case, which Case-mate describes as "slim." We can go back and forth all day about using slim as an adjective but I can tell you that the case added some noticeable bulk to my phone. It doesn't feel like it'd be super protective, either. It's made of two plastic pieces that snap together; the backing of the larger main piece feels somewhat solid but the sides of both pieces are pretty bendy. I definitely wouldn't want to drop my phone, and let's remember that there's induction technology built into the case that probably shouldn't be bumped around too violently.
The fattest part of the case measures about 0.8 inches thick, versus an unprotected iPhone at less than half an inch thick. It's still pocketable, though it definitely feels lumpier.
Charging time, as I said earlier, is a respectable two hours for full recuperation of an iPhone 3GS battery. I noticed a very faint, quickly repeating ticking sound as my phone was recharging and every time I'd put the case down on the pad my battery indicator would spike a few percentage points for some reason. Not a big deal either way, but it's there. Conclusion: So would I carry my phone around in this case all day long? Maybe not presently, but I'd definitely do it if all these magic charging surfaces start popping up everywhere. Absolutely. It beats lugging around cables or spare emergency batteries for sure. If the WPC really wants this standard to take off, it should give the charging pads away for next to nothing for a while. For $5 to $10 apiece, I'd put them all over my house and in my car. For now, it's still a bit too early to tell. The Hug is a nice example of how well the technology actually works, though, and if it reaches more widespread adoption, you may find yourself pricing out induction cases and covers for all your commonly-used gadgets. If you're intrigued by induction charging and you're ready to take the plunge, the Hug ought to be a safe bet provided you don't mind the $100 price tag and the bit of extra bulk it adds.
Hug – Wireless Charging Pad & Case [Case-mate.com]
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| Corduroy: not just on your trousers any more Posted: 08 Mar 2010 06:40 PM PST
How come we don’t have corduroy phones, or mice? This world doesn’t make sense to me any more!
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| Well, the blue bottle was my blues – and the red bottle was what I made my bottle slide out of Posted: 08 Mar 2010 06:08 PM PST
SlidePlayer has more info for your reading pleasure.
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| Flash cartridge for SNES lets you get your ROM on Posted: 08 Mar 2010 05:50 PM PST
This cartridge does the same job but fits into your SNES, allowing you to load it up with as many ROMs as you can fit on there. You add ‘em on there via USB (the cart has 256MB of space, which will probably fit about 100 games) and then use the on-screen menu to navigate. It doesn’t seem to offer any of the advanced features of some flash carts — freeze states, rewind and fast-forward, that sort of thing. It also won’t support some games that had added hardware, like the SuperFX chip in StarFox and Stunt Race FX. It costs $169, which sounds expensive until you think that there are probably only a thousand people in the world who want one of these.
I personally have no use for this thing; I have all the cartridges I need, which is to say Super Mario Kart, Zelda, and Street Fighter II Turbo.
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| Review: JVC GZ-HM340 compact HD camcorder Posted: 08 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PST
Pros:
Cons:
Full review: 1080i is a technology that is, at this point, several years past its pull date. TVs universally support 720p and 1080p, consumer editing software is designed around working in the format you distribute in, and web video (by far the most popular distribution method) is 100% progressive, usually at 30FPS. So it didn’t even occur to me that this JVC camcorder might shoot interlaced video. It doesn’t say “1080i” anywhere in the product announcement — only “Full HD,” — so they can’t be proud of it. And in fact, I didn’t even notice until I shot some sample video for the review and pulled it up to edit. The following picture should not be viewed as representative of the overall quality of the video from this camera, but rather a simple indictment of interlaced video:
Believe me, if you care at all about your video quality, that’s all you’ll notice even if you shoot with the best 1080i camcorders out there, of which undoubtedly this JVC is one. But, as the saying goes: that’s like being the thinnest kid at fat camp. But let’s leave that topic for a minute (I’ll address interlacing in a separate post soon) and look at the camera itself. Now, I’d like to be very clear here that apart from the interlacing and some clumsiness in the menu, I found this camera absolutely delightful. Here’s an idea of its size:
As you can see, it’s quite a cute little bugger. It’s just big enough that you can grip it normally (like a cold beer, in fact) and it’s just heavy enough that you know it’s there. They say it’s the smallest and lightest traditional-style HD camcorder out there, and I believe it, but the whole class of pocket cams pretty much beats it, though their lenses are garbage one and all. My hand rested on the zoom rocker naturally and the record/stop button is well-placed as well. I tended naturally to support it with the other hand, since the shake of your hands will definitely show on such a lightweight device. Speaking of shaky hands, let’s take a look at a sample video. You may have noticed that this video review is not in 1080i. It’s in progressive HD at 30FPS on Vimeo, and it would be similar (though slightly lower quality, I find) on YouTube, Blip, DailyMotion, or any number of sites out there. Not to mention that H.264 (not AVCHD) is being adopted as part of the HTML5 web standard, and soon you may not need to upload to a web video sharing site at all — that is, after you re-encode your 1080i, a step you could skip if you were shooting H.264 to begin with on one of the many pocket cameras out there. There are four modes: UXP, XP, SP, and EP. They all record the same quality audio, but recording 15 seconds of video yielded file sizes of 45, 32, 26, and 11 megabytes of data, so you can extrapolate that out however you like. It’s difficult to show the difference between the formats without looking at the raw video files, so I’ll just say that quality was significantly effected in SP and EP, but XP looked almost as good as UXP with a significantly reduced file size and bitrate. So you can cound on about 130MB/minute, or a gig every seven minutes. That’s a bit large, but not unheard-of. The GZ-HM340 has 40 gigs of space inside, and the GZ-HM320 has 20GB. Plenty for almost any situation. As for quality, well, it’s interlaced, so it looks nice when things are still and terrible when there’s action or movement. Low light was pretty damn muddy, so like most small camcorders you’ll want to stick to the brights. Skew (the wobbly look of consumer-level video resulting from slow sensor pull-down) is really pronounced when you’re zoomed in, as you can see when I was focusing on the plant in the bottle in the video above. But that’s to be expected. The zoom and image stabilization worked great. The zooming is pretty loud, though; if you’re in a quiet environment the mic will definitely pick it up. There are two levels of stabilization, one which crops the video a bit and realigns it digitally. I found them to be plenty effective and have no real trade-off unless they drain the battery a bit more. Here are some 100% center crops of the recording modes; as you can see, there is some difference but mainly in the details, like type and the cartridge illustration. Then there are grabs from a high-light and low-light situation you can inspect for noise. Click for the full-size version.
Not exactly amazing, but it’s decent. You can also record “for upload to YouTube,” which results in a similarly sized file to XP mode. I couldn’t spot any difference, really. The paper and virtual manuals aren’t very enlightening on this point. You can also trim stuff and re-encode for YouTube in-camera, but the interface doesn’t really lend itself to that at all. Note that there are no other modes of recording; it is 1080i at 60FPS or nothing. There are few, precious few ways of viewing interlaced content these days; everything is progressive and nothing uses 60FPS. The camera claims to “upscale” its 1080i to 1080p for HDMI out, which seems specious. If it could create 1080p video, why wouldn’t that be an option to record? I’m guessing it just deinterlaces on the fly.
It does have many outputs: HDMI, component, and plain video out. These outputs are easily accessible on the panel behind the LCD, and for charging and PC connection there is USB and power underneath a little hood above the battery. There are no issues at all with these, all functioned well and are conveniently placed. The LCD itself uses what they call “laser touch” for navigation, which is… well, it works for the most part, but four buttons on the side would have been just as functional, and rather less prone to mistaken touches and clumsy movement. You can use any part of the touch panel as a button, or slide your finger up and down it. It’s rather small, though, so you might accidentally pull up the zoom menu instead of changing the stabilization level. The little touch buttons on the bottom are responsive, though. It’s not a big issue, but if you have large hands it could be troublesome. It also includes a time-lapse mode and a auto-record mode that records upon detecting changes in contrast. Handy if you like that, but these things are also available on some point-and-shoots. Conclusion: You may think I’m being a little harsh on this camera. Well, yes, I am – and I’ll be just as harsh on any camera as long as they continue using 1080i. JVC, Sony, Canon, and others still recording to interlaced AVCHD are just running down the clock, trying to sell as many of these outdated cameras before people catch on to the idea that interlacing is something we should have left behind a decade ago. The camera itself is great, and if you truly don’t care that you’ll be recording interlaced video, then you’ll love it. But if I were you, I’d wait for JVC and the rest to get with the program and buy the 1080p version that will probably be coming out next year.
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| Desktop lamp powered by hamster cells Posted: 08 Mar 2010 04:30 PM PST This seems a bit odd, but here’s another take on alternative power; Dutch designer Joris Laarman came up with a concept for a desktop lamp that glows from bio-luminescent hamster ovaries. Seriously, I’m not making this stuff up. Apparently, if you take the hamster cells and infuse them with an enzyme called luciferase, it will cause living organic cells to glow. Now, it’s not going to be enough to light your entire home, but that’s not the point. The lamp was created for an art show, but sadly, didn’t make it to the display. It seems that the cells weren’t able to survive the trip to the gallery and died during the flight over the Atlantic ocean. [via MedGadget]
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| Posted: 08 Mar 2010 04:00 PM PST
There’s a myth out there that technology will ruin soccer, what Pelé (and others) once called “the beautiful game.” Let me ask you something: is this Cristiano Ronaldo free kick any less beautiful because he’s wearing the latest Nike boots? Do you have any idea how many hours are spent developing the technology that’s built into things like the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II? Rest assured that Nike pays top-tier engineers a handsome wage to ensure that its boots are state-of-the-art. Should we take away Gonzalo HigauaÃn’s goal against Germany because he’s wearing Adidas TechFit? Or maybe we should cancel the World Cup altogether because players will be kicking around the Jabulani, a ball that Adidas’ engineers had been working on since the day after World Cup 2006? This fear of technology “ruining” soccer is not only unfounded, but it’s simply ignorant of the fact that technology has always been part of the beautiful game, and it always will be. Arguing that the sport needs to be kept “pure” should result in a direct red card. (See what I did there?) As some of you may know, FIFA recently decided, at its regular meeting with soccer bigwigs in Zurich, that it won’t implement any form of goal line technology at this year’s World Cup, to be held in South Africa this June. Goal line technology—and there were two competing systems looking to gain FIFA’s seal of approval—would be used to help referees determine a goal’s validity. Not to get too “sporty,” but a goal in FIFA-sanctioned soccer matches is only valid if the entire ball crosses the goal line. Scenarios can arise when the ball only partially crosses the line—chaos ensues. Famous examples include a goal in the 1966 World Cup final between England and West Germany and a goal (pictured here, too) in the 2004-05 Champions League semi-final between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC. (I’m sure a search for “disputed goals” will turn up many more examples.) In both cases, any form of goal line technology would be able to determine whether or not the ball had fully crossed the goal line, whether or not the goal should stand.
It’s here that the anti-technology crowd begins to get nervous. “OK, so say Chelsea wanted to challenge that Liverpool goal. What, is the ref going to stop the game, killing its flow and momentum in the process, mosey on over to a video monitor on the sidelines, and spend several minutes reviewing the footage?” Nice Doomsday scenario, but who says it has to be so cumbersome involved? Why can’t there be a fifth official whose sole job is to monitor, say, a Hawk Eye video monitor? Once a goal is challenged, this fifth official can view the play in question, the tell the main referee using the magic of a wireless microphone, “Nope, no goal.” Where in that chain of events does the integrity of the beautiful game break down, exactly? (And is that any more perverse than a family from Florida “buying” a club like Manchester United FC, only to saddle it with mountains of debt? Is it any more perverse than a team like Real Madrid CF taking advantage of favorable socio-economic connections to essentially buy trophies? Discussions for another day.) Technology has always been a part of soccer—you can thank British engineering for creating the ships that carried the people who spread the sport around the world—and pretending otherwise won’t make it so. What were the original balls made of, crude leather? Those may have been fine in Pichichi’s day, but will we have to put asterisks next to the names of the top scorers of this year’s World Cup because they kicked the Adidas Jabulani into the back of the net and not a 12-inch diameter rock? Let’s cancel the Group Stage because all 32 teams are using kits developed by either Nike, Adidas, Puma, or whomever, kits that engineers spent years designing? In fact, let’s cancel the television coverage of the tournament—soccer can only be enjoyed, and should only be enjoyed, if you’re actually sitting in the stands!
What about that story of Adidas’ founder, at the time the German team’s equipment manager, outfitting Die Mannschaft with cutting-edge boots in the 1954 World Cup final against Hungary? You ever watch the UEFA Champions League and wonder how they “know” how many kilometers this or that player has run? That’s ProZone, a technology that has been around for a few years. It helps managers analyze their players’ performances. “Look, Rooney, according to the data you’re running around entirely too much out there—you’re a striker not a mid-fielder. Try to hover inside the box more, and spend less time tracking back. Let the mid-field do its job; you do yours.” That conversation, apparently, should never happen, either.
People argue, “Well, it’s a sport played by humans, and should thus be officiated by humans, and not the cold, unforgiving hand of technology.” What? I swear, every single Sunday and Monday you can find articles in The Guardian, The Times, and The Daily Mail arguing that referees are incompetent blunderers and should be hounded out of the game for good. Howard Webb this, Mike Riley that. The Spanish sports paper As has created an entire word, villarato, describing the abhorrent (well, whatever Real Madrid consider it abhorrent, or whenever FC Barcelona benefit) referring in La Liga. How about, instead of putting such enormous pressure on referees, then freaking out beyond all reason when they make a “bad” call, we allow technology to come in and help then? Have you ever driven a car without power steering? How many of you even know how to drive a manual transmission car? Oh, I get it: technology is fine so long as it doesn’t interfere when Saturday comes, right? Technology is here to help us, here to make gentle the life of the world. So let it help us!
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| Notice the Windows alternative in HP’s slate device. This is a good thing. Posted: 08 Mar 2010 03:20 PM PST
That’s fine. Windows 7 works great. I’m writing this on a Win7 machine. But I hate Windows on my tablet computers for the aforementioned reason. It’s also the reason I’m very apprehensive of the upcoming onslaught of slate computers. I’m afraid that wonderful hardware will be passed up in favor of the disappointing iPad because of the interface. But Adobe gave me hope today in its demo of Flash and Air on the HP slate device. The first minute or so of the demo is Adobe’s Flash Product Marketing manager talking about this and that. The real fun comes at the 1:30 mark. That’s when we get a glimpse of what appears to be an HP app manager that has clearly been designed for a touch interface. The buttons are large, uses stars to mark favorites programs or Internet shortcuts, and seems responsive enough. It’s probably safe to say that it’s an Adobe product seeing as it makes an appearance in this demo.
Even the browser seems to have been made over for the touch interface, which seems to be a custom build of Firefox. Of course it has all the multi-touch goodies like pinch zooming and two-finger scrolling, but it also feels different, too. That’s just as important as using standard Firefox or Chrome on a touchscreen is a drag without a bunch of plug-ins. And of course, Flash is fully functional, which is a clear shot across Apple’s bow. You notice a few times throughout the demo that there are a couple of different user notifications to compensate for web’s smaller buttons and higher-resolution interface. There appears to be a small water ripple effect at 1:42 when the user hits the play button for the online video and then a dramatically larger one at the end of the Photoshop.com demo at 3:45 when he presses and holds. These effects are not shown during the HP Home demo or NYT Air app lending to the thought that they’re a browser-only effect, designed to assist browsing.
Now Adobe wouldn’t show off Windows in its demo. This was strictly an Adobe demo, but that’s fine. It answered a lot of questions about HP’s upcoming slate device. First, a full version of Windows is very much present, which is awesome. None of us wants a watered-down OS — except for iPad buyers, of course. But the demo also shows that there will be a versatile, touch-friendly interface for most tasks and multi-touch capabilities to exploit all the potential uses. Hopefully HP, Dell and all the other mainstream tablet makers are on the same page with Adobe. They have the ability to stand up to the monstrosity that is the Apple App Store if they agree to slate standards, which will allow app developers to code one version of the their program and not worry about various screen resolutions and hardware variations. Devin adds: This is an improvement on the smaller tablet we saw at CES. It’s about iPad-sized, which is to say a little smaller than a sheet of paper. I’m guessing an 8″ screen is what they’re working with there, though who knows what the final hardware will be. I still think that shrinking Windows is a bad start for a tablet device, as much so as puffing up the iPhone in the case of the iPad. The only device that may actually hit with a truly tablet-only OS seems to be the Courier, and that’s why I’m genuinely excited about it. The slate race does appear to be hotting up, though, and that’s a good thing.
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| Review: ScanSnap S1300 portable scanner Posted: 08 Mar 2010 03:03 PM PST
Short Version: Tax season is upon us, friends, and wouldn’t those 1099s and W2s floating hither and yon would be much more accessible if they were nestled deep inside a searchable PDF? Sure. That’s why Fujitsu invented the $295 ScanSnap S1300.
Features: USB-powered Pros: Very small and light Cons: Some problems with text recognition Review: The ScanSnap S1300 is supposed to be a mobile scanner. While I’m dubious that many of us need a portable scanner, the device is small enough to fit in a briefcase and is quite light – about 3 pounds. It is USB-powered — it requires two ports (one for power and one for data) however, which is a pain – and the top is collapsible for portability. There is one button – Scan – and that’s it. You install the software, press the button, and rock out with single- or double-sided scanning. The scanner can grab eight double-sided pages per minute and it can hold card as well as standard stock. It scans a maximum of 600DPI in color and 1,200 dpi in grayscale.
Once a document is scanned Fujitsu’s ScanSnap service kicks in and asks you what you want to do – scan to file, to email, to Word, to Excel, or to CardIris, the card scanning service. This is where things get hairy. I tested the scanning features using a standard spreadsheet I made in Excel and printed twice.
As you see, all of the text scanned perfectly, except for where I adulterated it. While it’s obvious that a ruined page won’t scan correctly, I wanted to give it a bit of a challenge. I then scanned them both into Word and Excel. The results are fairly heartening. The unadulterated version came out great in both Word and Excel and larger scanning jobs a I ran earlier also worked fine. The adulterated version – well, not so much. Obviously this is drastic example, but its food for thought if you’re planning in scanning handwritten notes. Scanned into Word Scanned into Excel Bottom Line Product Page: Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300
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| Video: HTC Supersonic briefly caught in the flesh Posted: 08 Mar 2010 02:39 PM PST
We started drooling about the HTC Supersonic as soon as we heard the words “Android” and “WiMax” in the same sentence. Once “4.3 inch display” got thrown into the mix, our salivary glands just couldn’t be stopped. While HTC hasn’t made even the smallest of official peeps about this thing yet, it looks like someone out there has gotten their hands all over it – and just as anyone with early access to a new, unannounced cell phone should do, they took some video. Check it out after the jump. Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>
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| Fallout: New Vegas screenshots, now with orange HUD Posted: 08 Mar 2010 02:30 PM PST |
The MOS Technology sound interface device (SID) has been a favorite of electronic musicians for decades. Originally released within the Commodore CBM-II, 64, and 128 series of computers, this little chip could create 4 different waveforms on 3 analog channels. The guys over at 
Need a DIY gift for the phone programmer who has everything? Consider getting him or her some 
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