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Panasonic starts taking orders for its 152-inch, 4K plasma 3D TV

Posted: 09 Jun 2010 02:41 AM PDT

Just yesterday, we reported about Panasonic’s plan to start selling two 3D plasma TVs (a 42- and a 46-inch model) on the Japanese market next month. And today, the same company announced [press release in English] it will start accepting orders for another batch of three new 3D plasma TVs on July 1. Targeted at “professional users”, these TVs are bigger. Much bigger.

The lineup consists of a 85-, a 103-, and even a 152-inch monster screen (the TH-152UX1). The latter is, according to Panasonic, the world’s largest 4K 3D plasma TV. The company says it’s large enough to display life-size images of people.

Technically, buyers will get 4,096 x 2,160 pixels for the biggest model (full HD for the smaller ones), a native contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1, and two HDMI ports (four in the case of the smaller screens). The 152-inch TV weighs a whopping 590kg (almost double the weight of the smaller models combined) and is sized at an impressive 3,600×1,980×149.5mm.

Panasonic says they expect the TVs to ship both in Japan and the US in the fall, followed by other markets “soon” after. No word on prices yet.

Daily Crunch: Station to Station Edition

Posted: 09 Jun 2010 12:00 AM PDT

More rumors have Hulu going to new devices, premium pay model soon

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 05:00 PM PDT


These aren’t new rumors, exactly: we heard Hulu bought a ticket to Xbox-town a week ago, and of course the pay model has been a long time coming. In fact, it was supposed to launch a couple weeks ago. We heard there was a delay, and now “sources” are saying the move to pay (and to other devices, including the iPad) will happen “in the next month or two.” What! That’s as specific as they could get? Some source! Reuters would do better to read CrunchGear.

A new HourTime episode, straight from JCK in Vegas

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 04:42 PM PDT


Warning: Podcast includes extreme watch nerdery.

Download MP3

Subscribe in iTunes


This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Pro gamers have brains like fighter pilots, lungs like career smokers

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 04:30 PM PDT


File under: OMG

Well, this isn’t really that surprising. It’s pretty much a natural progression from the lifestyle of a gamer. I still remember the amount of processing power (in my brain, you understand) involved in leading off a crossbow shot according to your ping in original Half-Life multiplayer, or how much precision it took to nail a flying light armor with the lazer in Tribes at 20x zoom. But I also remember the long hours spent achieving that level of brisk cognitive potential. Healthy hours they were not. Can you say tostitos?

A number of pro gamers (sorry, “elite cyber-sportsmen”) were poked and prodded during a study at the University of Essex. Their results were surprising not surprising:

One leading gamer in his twenties appeared to be slim and healthy with a physique similar to an endurance athlete.

But tests revealed he in fact had the lung function and aerobic fitness of a heavy smoker in his sixties.

Oh my. On the bright side, pro gamers rivaled fighter pilots in reaction time, and had the same high self-regard and positive feelings of pro athletes.

Well, it’s really not so hard to figure out, is it? Chess champions doubtless are less than Atlas-like, but are still well-regarded. They seem in some ways a more apt comparison, though the active senses of the gamer are indeed more like a footballer than a pawn-advancer. Well. Let’s take Korea’s example: with a national team and entire channels dedicated to competitive gaming, there’s no question that pro gamers there are regarded as “athletes” in some sense of the word.

Anyway. It’s a strange new world we’re moving into, but regardless of whether a UK University declares gamers sportsmen, we know they’re leet.

[via Tom's Hardware]

Cthulhu cozy keeps your phone safe from the prying eyes of mortal men

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 04:00 PM PDT


Mmmm… Lovecraftian.

Apple’s A4 ain’t that special

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 03:27 PM PDT


I really don’t understand what the big deal is about the A4. ARM designed the chip, Apple customized it, and Samsung built it. How is that any different from any other phone or device manufacturer? The A4 variant (an unfortunate name considering the A* naming convention in ARM chips) is just an A8-based chip with a setup specific to the iPhone or iPad’s PCB layout and processing needs. Apple doesn’t have fairy dust to sprinkle on it to make it anything more than that.

That said, however, there’s a lot more to a device than making the right hardware decisions. The Samsung Wave, it has been revealed, uses a very similar Samsung-made (obviously) 1GHz ARM A8 processor, putting it as near Apple’s A4 as can be. But do you think you’re going to have a similar user experience? No, silly! So much depends upon the UI designers and coders that the processor is really only a secondary consideration.

In other words, the processor (magical A4 or not) doesn’t make anything work on its own — it just provides a sandbox for the coders and designers to work in. That’s very important, but it’s very far from the whole story. This is why there are puzzling differences between phones with similar specs. Could a memory leak in a program not get fixed in Android 1.6 on a G1, where perhaps an outdated RAM caching technique is still in use? Sure, this kind of thing happens all the time. Apple is unique in that they control almost the entire process of creating a device from start to finish. You see something similar in the Zune HD, which I loved, but it also has an advanced ARM processor with a special name, and again, it’s perhaps the least visibly important part of the device.

Ironically, when the iPad and iPhone 4 come out, a large amount of attention is paid to the processor and display, things which Apple almost certainly had very little to do with! Sure, their curation of the devices’ hardware is impeccable, but the “magic” doesn’t come from the A4, any more than the snappiness of Google something comes from the brand of memory they use in their servers. On that note, it is only fair to add, however, that Google’s unorthodox server technique does deserve some credit, but their database and crawling algorithms are the real stars.

If you want to give credit where credit is due, thank ARM and Samsung for making excellent hardware, and thank Apple for taking advantage of it correctly. I have my issues with Apple, but one thing they’ve always managed to do is get the absolute most out of a given hardware setup — RIM, HTC, Sony, Nokia, all these guys would take the same bits and get an inferior product. It really is just a fact at this point.

The A4 is a nice piece of hardware, don’t get me wrong — but there’s more to a device than its processor, and it seems like a lot of the other stuff gets lost in the background when the spotlight shines on a single aspect. When it comes to the A4, it seems like the spotlight is completely arbitrary, since so much of the A4 is shared by other devices on the market right now. A little perspective shows where the credit truly lies in a great device.

Review: Wiebetech ToughTech Mini-Q secure hard drive

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 01:48 PM PDT


Short version: A plain-looking, but robust drive for the security-conscious interface fiend in us all. Or at least those of us with cash to spare.

Features:

  • Quad interface (2xFireWire 800, 1xeSATA/USB 2.0
  • 128-bit AES encryption
  • Heavy duty metal case
  • Removable drive tray
  • MSRP: $180 without drive, $250 for 250GB

Pros:

  • Straightforward encryption
  • Nice chunky case
  • Plenty of connection options

Cons:

  • Quite expensive
  • Bus power only through FW800
  • Not the most attractive drive

Full review:

This little drive is the epitome of practicality in some ways, and the opposite of that in others. Essentially, if you’re willing to make the necessary concessions its whole system (and, I’m sure they hope, convert your whole workplace to it), you’ve got yourself an extremely nice little device.

Unfortunately, if you aren’t willing to change things up, then this drive isn’t for you. That’s not a bad thing — you’re just not the target for it and it’s not the device you need. I may as well say right now, if you need compact, a bus-powered USB drive to keep photos and random junk on, the Mini-Q is not for you. Grab a little WD My Passport or something. However, if you want security and a customizable full system for storage, you might give the Mini-Q a look.

On first glance, it appears to be just a rather plain-looking, 2.5″ external hard drive. Its appearance is certainly one of its faults: while the metal is reassuring, the styling is uninspired, even a little clunky. It’s also heavy: with drive included, it weighs noticeably more than other 2.5″ drives. On the other hand, it feels more solid. The casing is actual metal and you can see the screws (and tighten them if you like), and although it’s not designed with ruggedness in mind per se, it resisted a lot more than other drives when I twisted and crushed it a bit. It’s homely but well-constructed, is all I’m trying to say.


Things look a little brighter when you turn the thing around. The whole back side is inputs: a combo USB/eSATA port and dual FireWire 800 ports that can be daisy-chained. There’s a DC input as well, never a good sign for portability. But the take-away point here is that you’re pretty much prepared for whatever system you need to connect to — as long as you have power. A double USB cord for power and data is included, but it’s bulky and who likes doing that anyway? Bus power works over FireWire, which is nice, but as FireWire is rapidly disappearing, that’s less of a comfort than it could be.

On the front — what’s this? Another USB interface? How weird! Ah, my young friend. How little you know of the ways of secure drives. No, that is something completely different. You saw in the features above, I hope, that this thing has 128-bit AES encryption? Well! The encryption key is stored on a completely separate device, which you see to the right. Without that little guy plugged into the slot, the drive won’t even be recognized. With the key in, it acts like any other drive. Every Mini-Q’s key is unique, and every Mini-Q comes with three duplicate keys — one for you, one for a spouse or lawyer perhaps, and one for an undisclosed location. It’s a similar system to the rest of Wiebetech’s secure storage line, so if you like one, you might like the rest.

The system worked perfectly well when I tried it out; you can leave the key in or simply “unlock” the drive and remove the key once the little green light goes on. This makes it ideal for a secure drive that must be loaned out to employees or whatnot; as soon as the drive is unplugged, it locks again and cannot be accessed until the key is put in again. It also works as a good repository for sensitive computer files (electronic receipts, tax documents and such) that need to be accessed by multiple people but would be catastrophic to lose.

The Mini-Q has one more feature, a rare one: it’s designed to allow for drive replacement. If the drive inside is damaged or you just need more space, simply use the included screwdriver to perform a hard-drive-ectomy and replace it with another 2.5″ drive (9.5mm maximum height). Why not? So it’s technically a drive enclosure as well as a drive. Good to know.

Conclusion

There’s not much to say in terms of pros and cons here: it’s more about whether it fits your needs. As a secure and heavy-duty drive for a business or security-conscious individual, it’s great. As a handy go-everywhere drive, it’s no good. For my money, security and convenience are best combined in Lenovo’s keypad drive, but the Mini-Q is certainly more robust in the interface and accessibility department. Unfortunately, at around $180 without drive, it’s also significantly more expensive. If you can write it off as a company expense, great, but for an individual it’s just too much machine and too much money.

Product page: WiebeTech ToughTech mini-Q

WWE finally has a YouTube account (and with full episodes)

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 01:00 PM PDT

I must be seeing things… is that an official WWE YouTube page, and one that already has last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw online? This is so unlike WWE, embracing technology. They must have hired someone new in recent weeks, someone who told them that, you know, the Internet isn’t merely for "geeks" anymore.

So the YouTube page is up and running, and there are, in fact, past episodes of shows like Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown. Commercial-free, too.

This is a big deal, not necessarily because WWE is now offering shows online, but because WWE is offering shows online. This could be the most technology-averse entertainment company out there. They make the record labels look like 13-year-old Internet whiz kids. Case in point: the company only just recently launched an iPhone App, several years after the App Store’s début. (Accent over the e to show my fanciness.)

Another piece of evidence: play-by-play announcer Michael Cole, during the first few weeks of NXT, teasing people who use the Internet, specifically Twitter. Good one, WWE: you’re so desperate to be considered mainstream entertainment and yet you bash a tool that so many celebrities use to great effect. (You’ll note that WWE Superstars now tweet with reckless abandon.)

Now, I could use this moment to praise last night’s angle, embedded here, but I get the feeling that, oh, maybe 2 percent of you will have any idea what I’m talking about; I’ve already used up enough of your time.

If there’s one truism in pro-wrestling it’s this: everybody loves a good invasion angle.

via WrestlingObserver.com (obviously)

Astro A30 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker headset coming at ya

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 12:00 PM PDT

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker comes out today in North America, and in 10 days in Europe. (It came out in Japan about two weeks ago.) Famous Japanese video game magazine Famitsu gave it a 40/40, so we can safely assume it’s not bad at all. Also not bad, probably? The Astro A30 gaming headset. Konami helped the Astro team design the headset, dontcha know?

Headsets/headphones are damn near impossible to discuss without actually, you know, using them, so all I know is that A) they reproduce sound and B) if you buy a pair (they retail for $149) they’ll give you a $20 voucher to use to buy the game. That’s not a $20-off coupon, mind you, but the ability to buy the whole game for $20. So that’s neat.

But again, no idea how these sound, but I doubt Konami would slap its name on rubbish.

Casio’s rugged digital camera EX-G1 gets 2 limited edition colors (in Japan)

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 11:21 AM PDT

When Casio’s rugged digital camera, the Exilim EX-G1, came out last year, it received great reviews (for example, from us). And it appears as if the 12.1MP device sold really well, too, as Casio today in Japan announced [JP] two limited edition colors (the EX-G1 GN in green and the EX-G1 SR in silver).

Not too surprisingly, Casio didn’t change anything spec-wise. Both new versions are limited to 5,000 units each and will probably not be released outside Japan.

Over here, Casio plans to start selling the special editions on June 25 (price: $390).

Video: Here’s that Red Dead Redemption short film

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT

Did you miss the premiere of that John Hillcoat-directed Red Dead Redemption short film the other day? Do you not know how to use BitTorrent or Usenet? Then I have some good news for you. By clicking "Read More" you can see the entire thing! There’s no real spoilers so no worries there.

It’s basically the first area of the game played out in cutscene-form. Like, it’s scene-for-scene at some points. People who’ve played the game already can be like, "Hey, I remember that guy!" while those of you who still haven’t played it can get a nice introduction to John Marston’s wild adventure.

How to test iOS 4.0 right now

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 10:19 AM PDT

If you're the excitable type, you may want to try the iOS 4.0 Gold Master right now. This is probably the most dangerous thing you can do to your phone aside from run over it with a car, so don't say we didn't warn you. There are many sources, obviously, so do a Google search.


Toyko Flash’s Changing Lanes Watch: Changing the way you view your time

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 09:15 AM PDT

Many times during the day, I look at my watch. It's a rather easy thing to read. Its functionality and simplicity has remained for years. However, that notion wasn't good enough for one company, namely Tokyo Flash.

Only Japan would create a device so odd, that its purpose is to satisfy the novelty of inquiry. Inquiry as in "how the hell do you use that thing?" The Tokyo Flash Changing Lanes watch is a rather peculiar timepiece, mainly because I'm unsure if it can really tell you the time. But It does tell you when – after about 3.5 hours – it’s done recharging.

According to their website, the left side of the watch has lights, in a crooked swerving lane fashion, that reads hours. The right side has a similar light setup that reads minutes – every three minutes – with an additional two lights that take you between the threes. If this is not making sense, don't worry, it's not making much sense to me either. If you are interested, I suggest reading the diagram below.  To explain further, well I just don't have the time.

On sale now for about $170.

[via Gizmodo]

Video: Yes, that’s Crysis 2 running on the Xbox 360

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 08:00 AM PDT

Part of the draw of Crysis 2 is that it’ll run just as well on your Xbox 360 or PS3 as it will on my PC. That’s what CryTek, the game’s developers, told the gaming press back in April. I saw the Xbox 360 version in action that day, and yeah: it looks insane for an Xbox 360 game; hard to believe it’s running on five-year-old hardware. But now you can look at the game in action for yourself~!

You should probably click through and load up the full 720p version of the video to get the full effect.

Impressions?

(So this is a day or two late. Big deal. We were busy with something called the “iPhone.” I think that’s a new phone or something…)

Inspired Instruments Raises $1.25M, Lets You Rock Out On A Digital Guitar (Video)

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 07:52 AM PDT

Inspired Instruments, makers of a portable, real-string digital guitar dubbed the You Rock Guitar, has raised $1.25 million from a number of private investors in preparation for the launch of the You Rock Guitar platform and to move forward with a line of accessories and software solutions. The company's flagship product, the You Rock Guitar, is a mobile digital guitar and game controller that plays nice with the Wii, PlayStation 3, your computer, iPod / iPhone, iPad, your amplifier or stereo and with popular games like Guitar Hero and RockBand.


The iPhone 4 WWDC keynote is live

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 07:47 AM PDT

Get thee to the QuickTimery and watch a captain of industry talk for more than an hour about a small cellular phone.

Keynote Link

$900 Sony Vaio J is a touchscreen PC for the rest of us

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 07:39 AM PDT

While I honestly doubt you’ve been thinking about getting a touchscreen all-in-one, if you have you’re in luck. The Vaio J, which is actually quite handsome, is available now for about $900 on a good day.

It’s nothing to call the president about: 21.5-inch 1920×1080 display, Core i7 CPU, and 8GB of RAM. It plays back movies at 1080p and includes Wi-Fi and a webcam.

Available now at Sonystyle.com.

Sony UNVEILS NEW ENTRY-LEVEL PRICED TOUCH-SCREEN PC
VAIO J All-In-One Puts Music, Photos and Blu-ray Disc Movies One-Touch Away
SAN DIEGO, June 8, 2010 – Sony today unveiled its new, affordable touch-enabled, multi-media machine- the VAIO® J Touch All-In-One PC.
With the VAIO J Series’ multi-touch screen, easy access to your PC, HD movies- your entire entertainment hub- is readily at your fingertips.
Equipped with a 21.5-inch (diagonal) 1920×1080 widescreen panel, the unit displays high-definition content in Full HD. Select models feature a Blu-ray Disc™ optical drive so you can enjoy movies in stunning 1080p high definition.
“The J Series changes the way consumers interact with their PC enabling them to tap, drag, zoom, rotate and engage with their content and entertainment like never before,” said Mike Lucas, senior vice president of the VAIO business at Sony. “And with its attractive price point, this cutting-edge technology will reach a whole new audience.”
The J Series comes with three unique hardware buttons-VAIO, ASSIST and DISPLAY OFF to get you to where you want to go with a touch of a button.
Launch directly into Sony’s own Media Gallery software by pushing the designated VAIO button and simplify your music library. With Media Gallery you can automatically create 21 unique channels of music based on beat, tone, rhythm and other elements. It also enables you to rediscover forgotten favorites by recommending content you already own based on your unique listening and viewing habits.
Facilitate simple do-it-yourself PC maintenance procedures by pressing the ASSIST button and launching the included VAIO Care™ software program. Finally a DISPLAY OFF button is included so you can turn off your screen for privacy or to perform nighttime applications without sending your PC into hibernation.
By utilizing built-in wireless 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi technology and your wireless router (required, sold separately), you can position the model virtually anywhere in your home and access the Internet, email or home network.
A built-in webcam with face-tracking technology and microphone let you video chat with colleagues. Included Webcam Message Board software makes it easy to create video messages or leave handwritten notes on the screen. A third-party internet service provider is required.
The unit packs a powerful 2010 Intel® Core™ processor (select models), loads of RAM, and an optional dedicated NVIDIA® GeForce ® series graphics for graphic-intense gaming and movies. It comes with Windows® 7 Home Premium or Professional 64-bit operating system.
Featuring a stylish, compact design the PC comes with an adjustable stand to help you adjust it to meet your desired viewing or touch angle or simply to decrease the slant for space-saving. A wireless keyboard and mouse that can easily be stored under the unit’s display are included.
The VAIO® J Touch All-in-one PC will start at about $900. It is available for pre-orders today online at www.sonystyle.com/pr/jseries. It will also be sold at Sony Style® stores and select retailers around the country starting next month.

via Giz

Want Safari Reader functionality in Firefox or Google Chrome? Try Readability (it’s quite good).

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 07:00 AM PDT

Aside from the usual under-the-hood improvements, Safari 5 ships with a new feature called Safari Reader (seen above). The concept is simple enough: you’re reading text on a Web site but don’t want to be distracted by terrible page layouts and extraordinarily annoying animated advertisements. You activate Reader, then the browser isolates the text and applies a far more readable formatting to said text. The result is much cleaner text, and text that doesn’t destroy your eyes. The best part is that you don’t need the new Safari to replicate the same functionality. I speak, of course, about Readablity.

Readability, created by the good folks at Arc90, works just as simply as Safari Reader. You go to the Web site, configure the way you want the text to look, then drag the little bookmarlet to your browser’s bookmark bar. Then, when you want a site’s text to be extra readable, you click the bookmarklet. Then magic happens, then you have your readable text.

Here’s a few example shots:


This…


… becomes this


This…


… becomes this

Note that any text fuzziness seen in the above screenshots here can be attributed to scaling and format conversion on my end.

Cult of Mac rightly points out that Web site owners may not be the biggest fans of Readability or the new Safari Reader because, well, all their precious ads are hidden away. But that’s a problem for another day. Right now, just sit back and back in the glory of honest-to-goodness readable text.

(Speaking of Safari, when is Apple going to update that dreadful user interface? Boy do I dislike the way Safari looks! I realize that your mileage may vary, but I just do not like it at all, thank you very much.)

iOS 4 golden masters now on BitTorrent (illegally, of course)

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 06:30 AM PDT

Not surprising: iOS 4 and iTunes 9.2 (which is needed to install iOS 4) golden masters have hit the Web. Oh, dear...


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