CrunchGear

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• The iPad DODOcase wins our hearts and money
• Who likes carbon fiber tablet PCs?
• Beautiful ALPA 12 TC camera does large-format digital or film
• Rumor: Droid 2 shows up in Verizon’s inventory system
• Pic: Is this the Droid 2’s keyboard?
• Leaked Pics: Samsung’s Android-powered i897 confirmed for AT&T, looks pretty great
• Marty McFly’s hoverboard in real life
• Moxi pushes 2-tuner DVRs out, goes with only 3-tuner models across the board
• Lenovo kills off the U1, switches internal OS out for Android in future devices
• Via reveals four sub-$150 Android tablets you won’t buy
• Acer Aspire One line now comes in AMD and Intel flavors
• Augmented Reality Space Invaders: Expensive. Impossible. Awesome. [Video]
• UPenn students invent Manhacks
• 5,000 Hurt Locker lawsuits filed: Were you targetted?
• Mafia II uses PhysX to really bring the destruction
• Microsoft: So what that Apple is the ‘biggest’ tech company? We’re still rich!
• The top seven iPad knockoffs
• Ichiban: Sirius XM Android App now available
• Video: Short preview of Red Dead Redemption short film
• Brits Queue Round The Block As The iPad Goes On Sale In London

The iPad DODOcase wins our hearts and money Posted: 28 May 2010 06:47 PM PDT iPad case designers? You’re done. Pack up and go home. We don’t need you anymore. Yup, even you Vaja. The handmade DODOcase just put you out of business. This case seems to be the perfect marriage of beauty, function, and style. It’s clearly inspired by the Moleskin notepads and employs traditional book binding techniques to create a durable but classy look. A bamboo frame holds the iPad in place but strategic cutouts still allow button and port access. The $50 price tag even seems just about right. Any more and we would have called it nice, but expensive. Any less and we would have questioned its quality. The perfect iPad case? Kevin Rose likes it. Too bad there’s a little wait for one right now.

Who likes carbon fiber tablet PCs? Posted: 28 May 2010 05:30 PM PDT This is a nice-looking homebrew tablet created by “Slampana” just for fun. It may not be as slick in the UI department as the iPad (it’s poor, unadorned Windows 7), but it’s a nice-looking piece of hardware and I like that screen. A little more information but not a lot) is available at the project website. Here are the specs: - Atom Z530 Processor (1.6GHz) – GMA 500 - 2GB RAM - 40GB SSD - 13.4″ LED-backlit LCD - Resistive Touch Screen - Wireless 802.11 g/b/n - Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR - Ports: 2 USB, Headphone Jack, Mic Input, Power - Carbon Fiber Casing - Accelerometer - Built-In Speakers - Dimensions 14.125″ x 8.875″ x .75″ - Weight 3.2lbs A bit heavy, but if you got a nice little stand for it, it would make a really solid portable media tablet. [via HardOCP]

Beautiful ALPA 12 TC camera does large-format digital or film Posted: 28 May 2010 04:30 PM PDT This particular item isn’t exactly a bargain buy — large-format digitals will run you upwards of $40,000, and this one was custom-designed by a Swiss studio called Estragon. I just loved the square outline. Somebody buy me one. [via DeZeen and Notcot]

Rumor: Droid 2 shows up in Verizon’s inventory system Posted: 28 May 2010 04:21 PM PDT Hey, what do you know? Speaking of the Droid 2, Droid-Life just got the above inventory screen cap seemingly listing the previously top-secret handset. Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

Pic: Is this the Droid 2’s keyboard? Posted: 28 May 2010 04:21 PM PDT Some cool cat over in Engadget’s comments claims to have gotten a bit of hands on time with the totally not-yet-announced Droid 2, and was kind enough to bring back a pic to back up their story. Read the rest at MobileCrunch>>

Leaked Pics: Samsung’s Android-powered i897 confirmed for AT&T, looks pretty great Posted: 28 May 2010 04:20 PM PDT Waaay back in April, a handset with strikingly similar specs to the beastly Samsung Galaxy S showed up in the Bluetooth certification database. The big difference here, though, was the model number: SGH-i897. Through good ol’ fashion science (and by that, I mean looking at the model number), we deduced that this guy was headed for AT&T — and we were right. Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

Marty McFly’s hoverboard in real life Posted: 28 May 2010 04:11 PM PDT HOVERBOARD – NILS GUADAGNIN from nils guadagnin on Vimeo. Yes, it really hovers. (But only in one place and over an electromagnetic system) via Geeologie.

Moxi pushes 2-tuner DVRs out, goes with only 3-tuner models across the board Posted: 28 May 2010 03:30 PM PDT Who wants a 2-tuner DVR? Anyone? Arris doesn’t think so and is now only offering 3-tuner Moxi DVRs. The word is that customers have spoken and the response to the 3-tuner option has been so “favorable” that Arris is going with that option for every model. The cost will remain the same with the 3-tuner model going for $599, $100 more than the lesser model but it of course doesn’t require a monthly subscription plan. Amazon still has some of the 2-tuner models in stock, however, if you’re looking to join the Moxi party for a bit less.

Lenovo kills off the U1, switches internal OS out for Android in future devices Posted: 28 May 2010 02:40 PM PDT It appears that Lenovo’s U1 hybrid tablet/laptop, which we saw at CES, is being scuppered. My guess is that the Skylight OS, a custom implementation of Linux, just wasn’t good enough to compete with the tablets on the market — and possibly the cost of continuing to support such a project was too much. Whatever the case, the U1 is off the table, as is the Skylight smartbook, though they say they’ll continue to support “innovative new concepts.” RIP, U1. I guess you were too weird to live. We were all sort of suspicious about the U1’s workability when we heard about it, and indeed it was rather sluggish in person — a combination of an overambitious interface, a slow processor, and an unimpressive resistive touchscreen. But as it was a prototype, we gave it the benefit of the doubt, and the nearly instant switching between tablet and laptop mode was pretty great. Maybe we’ll live to see it in another form. Until then, farewell, sweet hybrid. After careful consideration of market conditions and user feedback, Lenovo has decided to focus its resources on building a family of next-generation mobile internet devices based upon open technologies such as (but not limited to) the Android kernel, similar to the Lenovo smartphone, which is available for sale in China now. As a result of Lenovo's strategic shift towards open standards such as an Android kernel based environment, the Company has shelved its plans to release the initial version of the Skylight smartbook that featured a proprietary Linux based OS. Lenovo remains committed to working with our strategic partners to deliver innovative products in the growing mobile internet space, including the aforementioned smartphones and smartbooks, as well as exploring innovative new concepts that continue to "push-the-envelope" like the U1 hybrid PC. [via Laptop and Engadget]

Via reveals four sub-$150 Android tablets you won’t buy Posted: 28 May 2010 01:58 PM PDT Via’s cheap Android tablets have been supposedly been found. Via Gallery has a 16-pic spread showing different angles for each. Call us underwhelmed. Also, call us right for predicting this garbage. Anyway, click through for a shot of each product. The Eken M001 Eken M003 FirstView PC707 G-Link A8 The hardware specs aren’t listed but for $150 or less, you can’t expect much. [Via Gallery via SlashGear]

Acer Aspire One line now comes in AMD and Intel flavors Posted: 28 May 2010 01:30 PM PDT Not that it makes that much difference when you’re limiting your tasks to email, browsing, and flash games, but it’s nice to be able to pick between AMD and Intel. The Acer Aspire One 521 is a nice little AMD-based netbook, and now it’s joined by an Intel-based twin — or near-twin. The Aspire One 533 sports a little more chrome, but beyond that it’s the same old mid-range netbook you may know and love. It’s got the same 10.1-inch screen and all the ports and fixins of the 521, but inside is an Atom N455 or N475 processor. It’s also got support for Bluetooth 3.0. Personally, I’d say that at this price/feature point, the most important thing is not in fact the processor, but the keyboard, trackpad, and other features you’ll be noticing every day. [via SlashGear]

Augmented Reality Space Invaders: Expensive. Impossible. Awesome. [Video] Posted: 28 May 2010 01:23 PM PDT Augmented Reality may not be super practical yet. But it sure is cool, and a lot of fun. And a new Android game looks to make it even more fun. Space InvadAR is a new Android game by Zenitum. It's the world's first "vision-based" AR game, according to the team. And it looks awesome -- watch the video below.

UPenn students invent Manhacks Posted: 28 May 2010 12:54 PM PDT Sweet Jupiter’s Loins! Look at this thing. It’s a quad rotor flyer with 20 independent cameras designed to blow through windows and sneak around tight spaces nary a whisper. I’m not sure what’s scarier – the device itself or the sounds it makes. The folks at the GRASP Lab at Penn created this robot. You may remember them from such hits as “self assembling robot” and Little Ben, the self driving car.

5,000 Hurt Locker lawsuits filed: Were you targetted? Posted: 28 May 2010 12:45 PM PDT The first Hurt Locker lawsuits are a-flyin’. Were you one of the lucky winners? As you know, the movie’s producers hooked up with the U.S. Copyright Group, which, aside from the official-sounding name, is just another one of the many copyright infringement collection agencies out there. It’s about as federal as Federal Express, in other words. Their gimmick is to send you a letter saying, “Hi. We have information from your ISP that says you downloaded The Hurt Locker using BitTorrent. You have two options: cut us a cheque right now for $1,500, or face the wrath of the U.S. court system.” Five thousand such lawsuits have been sent so far. I didn’t download the movie from BitTorrent, so I’m not expecting a letter.

Mafia II uses PhysX to really bring the destruction Posted: 28 May 2010 12:08 PM PDT You might have missed the original Mafia. I thought it was a great game, but people complained about how you had to do mundane missions, stop at stoplights, and of course it was all a little overwrought. But that was all kind of the point. Hopefully they haven’t changed too much with Mafia II — except for making the graphics and physics all kinds of awesome. After all, it’s 2010: we shouldn’t be satisfied with bullet decals appearing where we fire a bullet. Our guns should be splintering wood, knocking chairs over, and shattering windows realistically, am I right? We see a bit of this every once in a while (Red Faction: Guerrilla, Crysis) but the implementation in this trailer is simply amazing. They need to make their fire look more real, though. The little tiny fires all over something is very Duke Nukem. And just look at that trench coat move!

Microsoft: So what that Apple is the ‘biggest’ tech company? We’re still rich! Posted: 28 May 2010 11:39 AM PDT Oh, Microsoft. Don’t worry: people still love you. Also, people still hate you, so it all works out in the end. CEO Steve Ballmer told the Wall Street Journal something along the lines of, “So what Apple is now the “biggest” tech company in the land. Big deal. We still make incredible amounts of money. In fact, I’m going to go swim in my giant pool of money right now. Talk later.” An exact quote? No, but it certainly captures the spirit that Ballmer was trying to convey: let Apple have its moment in the Sun, but we’re not doing too bad for ourselves over here, you know? This is the exact quote: I will make more profits and certainly there is no technology company in the planet which is as profitable as we are. Stock markets will take care of the rest. Then he justified his confidence: We are executing very well. That’s going to lead to great products and great success. Maybe, Mr. Ballmer, but not everything you guys do is golden. Some is, sure—I don’t know if you’ll find anyone who says “Windows 7 sucks!” the way they said “Windows Vista sucks!” and the Xbox 360 is still doing strong (though now without J. Allard…)—but your mobile lineup leaves a little bit to be desired. Where is Windows Mobile today? Your new Zune HD-like user interface may do well, but you’ve got a little while to go to catch up to the iPhone and Android. Considering that mobile is the future and all that… But as an everyday end-user, why should I care what company makes more money? Who cares? All I’m looking for is a product, available at a reasonable price, that works as advertised. Whether that comes from Apple or Microsoft of some unknown start-up is irrelevant. via Tom’s Hardware

The top seven iPad knockoffs Posted: 28 May 2010 10:00 AM PDT Either you lead or follow and Chinese manufacturing houses have been chasing Apple’s designs for years. The iPad is just their latest victim. You can’t blame them, really. It’s the hottest device since the rotary phone. We’ve seen a steady stream of clones flowing onto the web for months. Here’s the seven best starting with the just-found iPed. iPed The iPed is the latest iPad clone to hit the scene. It packs the usual Android build into a casing that looks a lot like the real thing. It even ships in a box that’s nearly a photocopy of the iPad’s retail box besides the iPod label is replaced with iPed. Sneaky. inPad The Inkia inPad is clearly an iPad clone. But while it might look the part, it probably won’t be the same with only a 600Mhz CPU and either 128MB and 256MB of RAM powering the Android 2.1 build. At least it has 2 USB ports, though. LifesPad Make no mistake, while the LifesPad might not have the sterotypical iPad casing, it’s still an iPad clone. But at least there’s some higher-end hardware powering the device: 1Ghz Freescale CPU, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, 3G modem, and Android 2.1. Not bad, eh? Meizu Mbook Meizu is the original iDevice cloner. Their tricks first started way back when the original iPhone launched and they fired up the photocopiers again for the iPad. The Mbook packs an unknown 1.5GHz CPU, WiFi, 3G, GPS, and an 8.4-inch screen all in a casing clearly inspired by the iPad. [unnamed] Android 2.1, 1Ghz ARM Cortex-A8 CPU, 512MB of RAM, and a 10-inch display. You would think all that tech would be enough to grant the clone a proper name right? [unnamed] Take the iPad, replace the silver styling with white and add a slide-out keyboard that can double as a stand. It looks like it runs Windows 7, too. Not too shabby. [unnamed] This knockoff is a bit rough and oddly-shapped. It still might sell by the dozens in Chinese markets, though. The 7-inch tablet does have an 800Mhz ARM11 CPU along with 2GB of flash memory. That’s more than enough to run the Windows CE 6.0 OS.

Ichiban: Sirius XM Android App now available Posted: 28 May 2010 09:47 AM PDT Well well well! Sirius XM just released its Android App. As you can see here, I've downloaded it and it works. Channel 202 = the only channel that matters.

Video: Short preview of Red Dead Redemption short film Posted: 28 May 2010 09:00 AM PDT Can we all agree that Red Dead Redemption is one of Rockstar’s finest games? It’s probably one of the best games of this generation, too. A 30-minute short film based on the game, directed by the guy (John Hillcoat) who directed The Road (good) and The Proposition (great), debuts tomorrow night on the Fox network at midnight. Set your DVR. Here we have a short trailer (that I should have posted yesterday).

Brits Queue Round The Block As The iPad Goes On Sale In London Posted: 28 May 2010 08:53 AM PDT The UK has been gripped by the launch of the iPad if the Twitpics are to be believed. As you can see from the below ( thanks jasonlan and joanikin) there was a large crowd queuing outside Apple's flagship London store on Regent's Street, in a line which literally snaked around the corner into Hanover Square. Believe me, that is a long line. Some estimates have put the crowd at around 500 people outside, waiting to grab the iPad.

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