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This young man willingly gets an Apple tattoo. And you call us fanboys?

Posted: 18 May 2010 04:55 AM PDT

Look, I love my iPad as much as the next guy and, just like the next guy, if I had to make the choice between food and water and the iWork suite, I’d probably go for the iWork suite. However, I would not tattoo the Apple logo onto my shoulder.

Billy Hime, a self-professed “iPhone Owner,” “shameless flirt,” and “Youtube Video Blogger” filmed himself getting his tattoo with his mom. He also wrote on Twitter that “Lotion=burning my Apple,” a comment on what we can only assume to be the effects of the antiseptic on his tattoo and not a euphemism for something else.

Regardless, let poor Billy’s example be a lesson and a warning to all of you of how far a young man will go to satisfy his Apple addiction and, next time you get the urge to call us fanboys, I’ll remind you that my only tattoo is of Ernest Borgnine circa Airwolf on my left upper thigh. It’s for religious reasons.

Nintendo trademarks “3DS” among others

Posted: 18 May 2010 04:42 AM PDT


Backstory: A Nintendo suit said a while back that the company hasn’t announced the official name yet for its upcoming handheld 3D gaming device. This of course suggests that 3DS isn’t the official name.

Well, that might not be true if Nintendo’s recent trademark filings have anything to say about it.

Apparently the company a trademark for not only “3DS”, but also “3DSPlay” and “3DSWare.” 3DSWare sounds an awlful like DSiWare, the online gaming distribution system currently employeed by Nintendo for the DSi.

Maybe the official name is 3DS. It is kind of a clever name, combing the 3D moniker with the dual screen notation currently used by the last couple generations. Plus, we already have a bunch of posts tagged with the 3DS name. Let’s keep it as 3DS, m’kay? [Siliconera via Kotaku

Apple bumps the MacBook to 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA 320M graphics

Posted: 18 May 2010 04:30 AM PDT


Apple quietly updated the MacBook this morning, replacing the 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo with a 2.4GHz of the same pedigree. Graphics is now provided via an NVIDIA GeForce 320M, which no doubt lends a hand in the new 10-hour battery rating. Yeah, you read that right. 10-hours.

The new MacBook is quite a deal, really. It’s nearly the same computer sans the unibody construction and 2GB of RAM as the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Except this model starts out at $999, which is why it has always been a favorite among budget-minded buyers. We would have still like to see Apple opt for a Core i3 CPU, but once again, Apple choose battery life over computing power and it’s hard to argue against a 10-hour runtime.


Sanyo debuts world’s shortest-focus (and 3D-ready) projector

Posted: 18 May 2010 04:21 AM PDT

We’re about to get yet another 3D-enabled piece of hardware, and this time, it’s a projector. Sanyo’s PDG-DWL2500J, announced today in Japan (press release in English), is not only “3D ready”, but it also boasts the world’s shortest projection distance (just 32cm to project images that are 80 inches in size) for projectors weighing less than 9kg.

Sanyo says the maximum image size achievable for projections with this model is 110 inches (in WXGA resolution), up 30 inches from the previous model. With this new projector, which can be used both vertically and horizontally, the company also managed to cut the size of the hardware by about 50% (it now measures 321x 170×385mm).

Sanyo predicts the 3D function in particular will be used by museums, “amusement arcades”, movie theaters, advertisers, or for business presentations that require high show value (viewers will need to wear active shutter glasses to see the 3D images).

Buyers also get a 10W mono speaker, an HDMI interface, WLAN, 2000:1 contrast ratio, and 2,500 lumens brightness.

The PDG-DWL2500J will go on sale in Japan in July with an open price model. Sanyo hasn’t said yet when the projector will hit international markets.

Sony Japan busts out cassette(!)/radio/CD-player combo

Posted: 18 May 2010 03:22 AM PDT

It’s not a joke: Today, Sony in Japan did announce [JP] a portable cassette tape/radio/CD-player. Technically, the CFD-A110 is based on a model Sony introduced exactly seven years ago. The company updated the hardware because Japan plans to stop analogue radio transmission next year (the updated model can’t receive these signals).

Other than that, you’ll get 2W×2ch speakers, a rudimentary Karaoke function (the player features an integrated mic and a port for plugging in an external one), and a wireless remote control for your money.

Sony plans to start selling the CFD-A110 in Japan from June 21 (price: $210), but the company didn’t say whether it will export the player to other countries as well.

Daily Crunch: Any Minute Now Edition

Posted: 18 May 2010 12:00 AM PDT

DuPont working on cheaper ways to make OLED screens

Posted: 17 May 2010 08:51 PM PDT

OLED televisions are notoriously expensive and difficult to make; but like all technologies there is always someone working on making the technology cheaper. DuPont recently announced the development of a new process that prints OLED screens in sheets, much like a inkjet prints on paper.

This means that DuPont could possibly produce a 50-inch screen in under two minutes, resulting in a product that is cheap and reliable. Of course, this technology is in it’s infancy so there’s really not much information about when we should expect to see these new screens, and DuPont hasn’t had much to say on the subject. It’s a pretty safe bet that we won’t see these any time before summer 2011.

[via Technology Review]

Polaroid archive shows history of pictures

Posted: 17 May 2010 06:21 PM PDT

Polaroid is one of those things that’s always been with us, and if some have their way, always will. I remember taking pictures at camp using the family OneStep, and I still have a shot of myself at my first job.

Wired loves the Polaroid as well, and they recently had the chance to see MIT’s collection from the Polaroid archive. The collection was donated to MIT by the company that now owns the Polaroid name and technology. The gallery is definitely worth a look, as it’s fun to see how the technology has changed over the years.

Good idea: try on virtual watches using augmented reality app

Posted: 17 May 2010 04:59 PM PDT


There are a lot of augmented reality apps out there, some even worthwhile. Not all, however, are this practical. When you’re shopping for a new watch (which people do, I understand), it’s not always easy to tell how it’s going to look on your own wrist. How big is it, exactly? Does the face look cool upside-down? Will that silver color clash with the blue of my veins? Important questions all. Don’t worry, though. Tissot has your back with this new augmented reality app.

Hmm. I wish I could tell you a little more about how well this app works, but I haven’t had a printer for like five years, and so cannot print out the little paper watch you need in order to interact with the app. Wait, maybe if I….

Yes, it worked! Can’t really tell much about how it would look on my wrist (the G1 kept falling off when I tried to balance it) but that’s pretty funny. You too can do it, if you feel like downloading the 82MB (!) app. Eh, why not?

[via The Awesomer]

Robocalypse Now: Toy-sized combat robot fires “pyrophoric warheads”

Posted: 17 May 2010 04:30 PM PDT


I’m torn here. Not literally torn, as I expect to be when the robots take over and my body is used for spare parts, but morally torn. On one hand, here we have a little robot that could venture into dangerous situations via remote control and detonate bombs or flush out enemy dudes. Could save lives. On the other hand, here we have a little robot that, given the spark of strong AI, could rumble by the thousand through the wreckage of our world, checking every cranny for human insurgents. Just blast ‘em and let the EATRs clean up.

So as you can see, I can’t tell whether to cheer on our robot-loving military or cower under my bed, crying.

The Israeli roboticists who have created it (and advanced the machines’ day of ascendancy by who knows how long) call it the Pincher, and it’s really made for finding and detonating IEDs by firing tiny 8-inch-long rockets at them. The rockets, which they call pyrophoric arrows, bury themselves in the explosive and burn it away.

The robot itself is tiny (50 square inches, so probably around 7″x7″ — small enough to carry in a pack or mistake for a toy. I had a TMNT Pizza Van about that size that fired little pizzas from a launcher. I kind of wish I’d had one of these things. No! No, Devin! That’s what the machines want you to think! Be strong!

[via Danger Room]

Kind of cute: transparent “photo paddles” add shades, mustaches, etc to subjects

Posted: 17 May 2010 04:00 PM PDT


Can’t wait until you get home to add some novelty effects to your photographs? Have I got a product for you! These Photo Paddles are essentially just bits of transparent plastic with props mounted in them — lips, sunglasses, a nice big mustache, that sort of thing. Cheesy, yes, but possibly entertaining.

http://www.photopaddles.com/index.php

They’ve actually been around for quite a while (they were created for a design show last year) but they’re now available for purchase more easily than by . $6 each seems a bit steep (you could probably make your own for far less), and I can’t figure out how to get any of the sunglasses ones (“Howdy”?), but hey. It’s art, it’s not supposed to make sense.

Keep in mind these won’t work if you have any depth of field at all. The creator instructs you to use them with your camera phone, which seems like sound advice, though if you have a fancy autofocus camera phone, you might have trouble.

[via Notcot and CNET]

Just kidding: Acer not bringing Chrome OS to Computex

Posted: 17 May 2010 04:00 PM PDT

In the May 13 issue of this newspaper, it was printed that Acer was planning to debut a Chrome OS-based device in Taipei during June of this year. Acer now states that it has “no short term plans” regarding Chrome OS, despite having previously said that it would be the first to market with a Chrome OS device. We regret the error.

The iAngle might just be the most clever iPhone stand ever

Posted: 17 May 2010 03:20 PM PDT

This morning when I woke up, I thought to myself: “Man — I sure hope there isn’t anything sitting in my tips inbox that is so simple and yet so clever that it makes me feel completely inadequate.”

Apparently I didn’t hope hard enough.
Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

Another Dell ultraportable, this one AMD-based (and cheaper)

Posted: 17 May 2010 03:00 PM PDT


Last week we saw a nice little semi-rugged ultraportable (or notelet, as I like to say) introduced by Dell, and although it seemed just a little underpowered for the price, its build quality might make up for it. And here we have another ultraportable, an Inspiron, showing up on Dell Singapore. Powered by the newest mobile AMD chipset and Neo processors and the usual better-than-netbook-but-not-quite-notebook specs, it seems like a perfectly decent little fellow.

Here are the vital statistics for the M301z:

13.3″ “widescreen HD” – implies 1366×768
Athlon II Neo K325@1.3 GHz or Turion II Neo K625@1.5 GHz
2GB DDR3 1066MHz RAM (4GB max)
Mobility Radeon HD 4225 (onboard, essentially)
Optional webcam (how can this be optional now?)
2x USB 2.0, 1xeSATA/USB 2.0, multi-card reader, the usual other ports

More importantly for its “ultaportable” status, it’s less than an inch thin and weighs a… well, not exceptionally light 3.9lb. It starts at 999SGD, or about $720. Not a bad buy if you ask me! We’ll probably be seeing a lot more AMD lightweight models coming out, and we’ll keep you informed of the most interesting of them.

[via TechReport]

DIY: Coat Hook Headphone Hanger

Posted: 17 May 2010 02:00 PM PDT

Need a quick and easy place to store your headphones? I’ve been unplugging mine and putting them in a drawer, but I think I like this idea better. The person who sent the tip into Lifehacker suggests mounting a coathook to the bottom of your desk, and then hanging your headphones from the hook. I like the idea, but what if you have a glass desk?

Aside from the obvious problem if you have a glass desk, placement is also key. I’ve got rather long legs and loathe keyboard drawers because they are an exercise in pain. Obviously you’d want to place the hook to the side of the desk instead of the middle, but what about smaller desks? I’m going to do a slight variation on this and use one of those 3M Command Hooks. Best part is, it doesn’t require you do drill a hole in your desk (or wall), and it’s easy to move if necessary.

Watch House? Like gadgets? Tonight’s episode was the one shot on a 5D mk II

Posted: 17 May 2010 01:30 PM PDT


I heard about this a little while back when they had just wrapped. The director was excited to have shot an episode (the season finale) on the 5D mk II and was answering questions about it, a bit inexpertly I think, no doubt to the chagrin of the DP who actually shot the episode. The episode is airing tonight at 8PM tonight on FOX — watch it with your friends and then say “oh yeah they shot that on… this!” And then you pull out your 5D mk II. It’ll be glorious… in a minor way.

New Nintendo motherboard hits FCC with a wide top screen

Posted: 17 May 2010 01:00 PM PDT


We all wanted to believe that cool swivel-screen render was Nintendo’s new 3D-capable handheld (not in fact called the 3DS), but of course that was kind of ridiculous. Chances are Nintendo is going to stick with what they know, and http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3179334“>a recent FCC filing seems to show just that. The picture shows two screen, the top one in wide format — approximately 16:10 by my measurements. There’s no guarantee that this is the 3DS, but that’s really the only thing that fits the bill.

Others have pointed out that there is what looks to be an analog stick in the bottom center of the motherboard, and also that it’s possible that this could just be an application for updating the wireless in existing handhelds. But the removal of the image from the filing suggests something cooler.

My belief, and you can hold me to this later, is that they’re going to have a single screen for 3D up top, with a secondary display in non-3D below. The 3D technology they’re using can be turned off, as we know, but without knowing whether glasses will be required or not (I’m guessing no, Nintendo wouldn’t like that and parallax barriers have already been rumored anyway), it’s hard to say exactly what the method or mechanism is. Either way, I’m thinking they’re going to retain the dual-screen structure, since that makes it a more compelling handheld to carry around (you still have access to your DS library), and the 3D widescreen top will simply windowbox and add a border when you’re playing DS games, like on Super Game Boy.

Here’s a quick mockup I whipped up to illustrate how it might look. Obviously it’ll actually be different, but you get the idea. I’d say they’ll make the bezels thinner and probably make the speakers better as well. That’s just a guess, though.

Will both screens be touchable? Man, I hope so.

[via Eurogamer and 1up]

The PSP 2 will be ‘[expletive] powerful’

Posted: 17 May 2010 12:30 PM PDT


EXCLUSIVE PHOTO~!

There will be a PSP 2. No, not some sort of halfway sequel, à la the PSP Go, but an actual, holy smokes PSP 2. That’s the rumor, and you’d have to assume that’s the case. But the specifics of the rumor, today’s incarnation of the rumor, that is, is that the device will be “[expletive] powerful.” That’s pretty powerful!

How powerful is “[expletive] powerful”? We’re talking a four-core Cell processor (the PS3 has an eight-core CPU).

Other juicy bits of Internet gossip:

• It will have two cameras

• It will have a touchsreen, if not touchscreens

• There won’t be any physical media, but a 3G wireless connection instead

Those are the big bullet points.

One word of warning: it probably won’t be at E3 next month. Apparently certain developers have started receiving demo units, but they’ve been sworn to secrecy in the form of a non-disclosure agreement. A lot of good those did, what with all these leaks…

Shinobi Ninja video game iPhone app

Posted: 17 May 2010 11:38 AM PDT

As more and more musicians and entertainers discover ways to use iPhone apps to reach their fans, we see an increasing amount of gadgets and games. Some of them are good, some of them are ehh.

Earlier this year, the Brooklyn-based rock-rap group Shinobi Ninja launched a fun and amusing game called “Brooklyn to Babylon: Shinobi Ninja Attacks!” The game takes music and video and presents it in an eight-bit videogame world. As you play the game, you can earn rewards of more music, more videos, and more goodies. Plus, you get to take on Jersey Shore douchebags in the game, providing hours of family fun.

The app also features GPS tracking capability at concerts so the band can located and reward fans who rock the game.

There is a lite version of the game available from the iTunes App Store and a more loaded version for $1.99.

Disembodied voice asks: Who will be the ultimate gamer (on season 2 of ‘WCG Ultimate Gamer’)?

Posted: 17 May 2010 11:30 AM PDT

The most shocking thing about the news that there will be a second season of “WCG Ultimate Gamer” on SyFy is that there was ever a first season. Could have fooled me. But alas, it has been picked up for another year. This calls for a celebration of some sort. Wee!

Yes, the network now best known for carrying WWE SmackDown (well, starting this fall) will air eight episodes of “WCG Ultimate Gamer” beginning this August. It sounds like the typical reality show: there’s a house, there’s people in the house who may or may not get on with each other, and they solve their differences by [filling in the blank]. The blank being filled in here is that they’re all gamers. Presumably they’ll solve conflicts by playing best of 10 in Super Street Fighter IV. I mean, that’s how I’d run the show; I don’t know if that’s actually what happens.

Says the fancy press release:

The challenges in “WCG Ultimate Gamer” include dramatic video game battles using Samsung's leading edge technology and real-life scenarios inspired by best-selling games. Over eight weeks, the next Ultimate Gamer will need to demonstrate top-notch skills while excelling under the pressure of head-to-head elimination rounds and successfully navigating the drama and twists of this unique reality TV show.

During the first season, contestants faced large-scale real-life challenges that took them beyond the game. For example, in the episode featuring the game Rock Band, the gamers had to form a band, create a look, learn to play a song by The Donnas, and then perform it using real instruments in front of a live audience as the band judged their performance.

We all know that the best reality show in history was “Bug Juice” on the Disney Channel. Every other show feels so empty compared to the drama of the one team against the other team. (I actually did like that show, so if that came off negatively, well, it wasn’t supposed to.)

The winner of the show gets $100,000. That’s probably pre-tax, though, so…

Oh, and starting today you can visit the show’s Web site and vote for who you want to be the twelfth contestant. They have 11 set in stone, and it’s your job to pick number 12. That’s the young lady up there who’s in the lead as of 1:30pm ET.

Is there an age limit to this show? I don’t know if I’m as good at Rock Band as those whiz kids, but Man Alive would I be annoying. I’m cackling at the idea as I type these words. MWAHHHHAAHHH~!
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