CrunchGear

CrunchGear

Link to CrunchGear

Video: Samsung’s new unbreakable AMOLED screen vs hammer.

Posted: 20 Jul 2010 05:25 AM PDT

It doesn’t take much to break a phone screen. I know plenty of people — and I’m sure you do, too — with the tell-tale mark of a dropped phone dividing their screens into so many pieces of shame. Samsung feel your pain, fear, and shame, and want to do something to help you out.

Samsung have created an “unbreakable” AMOLED (the source suggests that it isn’t of the “super” variety, unfortunately) invinci-screen that should be in mass production by 2012.

I’m sure you hear “unbreakable” bandied about all the time, so I think you should watch the demonstration video where they put the screen up against a hammer. Lucky for you, I’ve embedded it for you after the jump.

iPad projector concept displays objects in 3D

Posted: 20 Jul 2010 12:00 AM PDT

N-3D DEMO from aircord on Vimeo.

Tonight seems to be the night for 3D. A design team released a proof of concept video showing how it’s possible to use an iPad to project a 3D image to the naked eye. It requires some special hardware, but it’s still pretty damn amazing. Check out the video after the jump.

Currently, viewers can move around and view an image as if it was an object literally floating in space. Of course, right now it’s just a proof of concept, but if the team at Aircord Labs can pull it off, this has the chance to be an amazing bit of technology.

[via Gizmodo]

Sony 360-Degree display coming to America

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 10:41 PM PDT

Not a huge update here, but that 360-Degree display that we told you about last year is going to be on display is the US. The display is still a prototype, but it is an excellent proof of concept. It’ll be interesting to see what Sony does with the technology.

[via The Awesomer]

Patent hints at new Sony multiplayer split-screen

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 06:00 PM PDT

Looks like Sony may be up to something, two new patents recently showed up with a possible alternative to the traditional split screen view.

This may just be an alternative use for a 3D TV. Sony’s new patents cover creating two images on the same screen, which are filtered by glasses worn by the players. This could create a scenario where two players could be in the same room, with each seeing something different on the TV. The patents were actually filed a year ago, and just recently were published where the public might get a glimpse of them.

[via Kotaku]

TechnoMarine Cruise Sport Watches Review

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 05:21 PM PDT

After looking at the new Cruise Sport watches and wearing them, I must say that they actually look better while on the wrist. That is a rare quality, but I feel that it is correct for this collection. For example, once you put the Cruise Sport Chrono on your wrist, you realize how nicely its curved round case with integrated strap, has a nice flowing look on the wrist. You just don't get that view of it sitting on a table.


Wooden NES sculpture fails to sell on eBay

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 04:53 PM PDT


Why no one wanted to pay hundreds of dollars for this NES made out of wood is beyond me. It’d go well with my wooden horse, my wooden shoes, and my wooden teeth. Hello, I’m George Washington, and I approve this message.

Really, though. It’s a kind of sculpture — “Craftsmanship is so precise it appears to be a functional Nintendo at first glance.” Yes, although the wood-finish NES didn’t really catch on, if I remember correctly. The detail really is nice, though:

It didn’t sell on eBay, but lots of things don’t go right away. If you’re interested, I’m sure you can contact the creator directly.

[via Technabob, GameSniped, and Nerd Approved]

DIY: Build your own Iron Man repulsor weapon

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 04:00 PM PDT

So you’re really into cosplay, and want to build the ultimate Iron Man armor. Easy enough right? It’s the flying thing and weaponry that’s the problem. Well, here’s a little help with the weapons. Ok, so maybe it’s not really a repulsor, but if you build it properly you could use it to temporarily blind your enemy. This build is simple enough, construct an arm mounted framework, and then use LEDs and some parts from a disposable camera and you are all ready to go. For detailed instructions, just go here.

[via Hackaday]

iBooks gets a major update

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 03:56 PM PDT

iBooks just received an update that adds dictionary look-up of words as well as quick, closer views of in-line images, and updated PDF controls for quicker browsing. Generally, it adds a number of features missing both from iBooks and the iPad Kindle app.

Generally, I like the new features. I really missed the standalone Kindle’s in-built dictionary and being able to view images in full size – as well as embedded audio and video in some books – is a big improvement. The update is free and available now.


iTunes 9.2.1 arrives with bug fixes, sync improvements

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 03:24 PM PDT


If you’ll be so kind as to open up your Software Update, Mac users, you’ll find that iTunes 9.2.1 has been released, improving and speeding up sync support for iPhone 4, iBooks, and so on. Bugs are fixed as well, though I haven’t run into any of these bugs because I started using Songbird right after I wrote this post.

QinetiQ’s solar-powered Zephyr aircraft attempting to stay aloft for 14 days

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 03:00 PM PDT


It’s summer here in the Northern hemisphere, and that means the solar-based industry in the US is in top experimental gear (to clarify: the company in question is British but the test flight is in the Arizona Desert). A few more months and they’ll hibernating or relocating to their Australian headquarters, but in the meantime, we’re getting a lot of solar-related news. It wasn’t long ago that the Solar Impulse proved it could stay in the air for 24 hours (26, in fact), and now we’re hearing that Qinetiq’s much-smaller craft, the Zephyr, will be going for a world-record 14 days. Of course, it already holds the world record, since it’s been in the air a good week or so already. It’s kind of like when you set the high score but the points are still rolling in.

Unlike the Solar Impulse, the Zephyr is intended to be a long-flight, low-payload craft, meaning you won’t be strapping yourself into one any time soon. At 50kg/110lb gross weight, the Zephyr is about as light as a functioning solar craft of that size can be; its construction is carbon fiber and the paper-thin solar cells are connected to a handful of Li-S batteries. Despite its growth in the latest version, the Zephyr still is essentially just a frame with a control module attached to operate the rudders, prop speed, and so on.

The goal of these things, other than to advance the state of the art, is ultimately military. While no ultralight solar craft will ever be able to create any serious destruction, the “eye in the sky” is becoming an increasingly valuable tactical asset, this type of design could easily carry a lightweight camera array or a few units to improve units’ communications. The military and green interests don’t often align, but reducing fuel usage will simplify the supply chain and decrease costs in a big way. Ultra-lightweight construction and efficient solar architecture are also, of course, extremely marketable and essential to other green technology.

The craft was launched some time ago and is still aloft; if all goes well, it’ll fly around above Yuma for another couple days, or, if the weather is fine, even longer. We’ll update once it sets down and the record is official.

[via Treehugger]

Will HP put the Palmpad and Windows 7 Slate head to head?

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 02:16 PM PDT


Palmpad, eh? That sounds nice and could signal a sort-of departure from the normal slate business model. HP might be prepping more than one tablet product line. Perhaps the Windows 7 Slate project isn’t dead after all.

We all know the story. HP bought Palm for a billion dollars, partly for the webOS mobile phone platform. Said operating system will soon be found in other HP devices, including printers and tablet computers. However, HP is unlikely to rest its tablet’s future on someone else’s defunct brand name. There will be more than one tablet model from HP right from the beginning.

HP is the king of multi-model product lines. HP has too many notebooks to count between the HP and Compaq brands, and there are even more when their business line-up is considered. The price points between them are often as little as $20, which allows HP to have a notebook for nearly everyone.

There’s no reason to expect anything different from HP’s tablet offering and the Palmpad trademark — if it’s ever used — clearly indicates that. Perhaps the plan all along was to keep the Palm name intact (as with Compaq) and produce webOS devices under that brand. This would allow HP to test the water in the Windows 7’s pool with an HP-branded model instead of relying solely on a Palm-branded tablet.

Palm really hasn’t had a good last five years. Their last hit was the the Palm Treo line, but they held onto Palm OS and WinMo to long. WebOS should be considered a hit, as it’s a phenomenal user experience, but the Pre’s and Pixi’s underwhelming hardware and slow launch ultimately put the last nail in Palm’s coffin.

Consumers know this, too. Palm was the BlackBerry of the late 90’s with a cult-like following and the best mobile experience. But then they slowly died away from the public’s view. However, most consumers know the name and that’s a good thing. As long as HP (and the remaining Palm employees) can show the world they still have the stuff again, the Palmpad might make the run as the real iPad-killer.

Back to the tablets, though.

Spec-wise, they would probably be similar, with the Win7 slate likely getting a slightly more powerful CPU and GPU to meet the demands of the desktop OS. The main difference is really the target market. The Palmpad will no doubt get a lot of social media-ish marketing and flashy TV spots like its direct competitor, the iPad. But the Windows 7 HP Slate — that is if there is one — might be able to get by with just retailer marketing from Best Buy, Office Max and others. After all, the consumer market is only part of its target demographic.

Like it or not, the world runs on Windows and HP makes big money on the small business and enterprise market. A Windows-based tablet could be used in everything from the medical field, to inventory management/logistics, to even the government. Yes, similar apps could be developed for webOS as well, but businesses do not like change and already have the expensive licenses for their existing software. A Windows 7 tablet wouldn’t rock the boat too much, and for some, that’s a good thing.

I’ve said it a dozen times that Windows is horrible on a small-ish touchscreen, but that doesn’t mean HP won’t push forward and sell one anyway simply because the tablet platform is already developed and it could turn out to be a legitimate market.

Then there’s the other possibility that HP will also have a line of self-branded webOS tablets in the beginning competing for the same market as the Palmpad. After all for the first time in HP’s history, they own an operating system and they might want to put their billion dollars to work right away by saturating the tablet market in HP’s traditional fashion. Hopefully we’ll find out by the end of 2010.

Aiaiai’s TMA-1 headset might be the most understated I’ve ever seen

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 01:00 PM PDT


While poking around for pictures of those Swirl earbuds I posted a few minutes ago, I saw this headset teased at Aiaiai’s site. It’s been around here and there, but I haven’t really seen much attention given to it — so I thought I’d post it up, because this is one of the most gorgeous pieces of industrial design I’ve seen in a long time.

It’s called the TMA-1 (caution, Flash site and auto-playing music), and it’s still in testing, but should be released in August. One of their testers, incidentally, is Flying Lotus, whose album Cosmogramma hit about a month ago and is absolutely worth your time. The headset itself you can read about at its spec page, but it’s clear from the amount of work they’ve put into the design that they’re not skimping.

It’s designed as a DJ headphone, mostly in the sense that it focuses on isolation and comfort rather than, say, high-end performance or portability. It lacks the rotating stem design that you often see with DJ headphones, but the headband is made to be flexible.

I’m mostly just impressed by the understated design and finish. Matte black doesn’t work for everything, nor the “just out of the fab” sculpted look, but these really nail it. Hopefully we’ll be able to get a pair to review, but until then, just feast your eyes and save your money.

Designy Danish headphones have a kink and a twirl

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 12:35 PM PDT


These headphones, made by Kilo Design for Aiaiai, are pretty normal except for a few little details. There’s a built-in kink at the end of the cords that lets you hook it over the back of your ear, instead of having it hang from the front. And there’s that little coil on one cord, which I couldn’t figure out until… oh yeah, it’s just so you know which is left and which is right? You can also just tie a knot in one. Also note the 120° Y-separator. Practical? Can’t be sure, but it looks cool.

[via NotCot]

HP files for “Palmpad” trademark

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 11:33 AM PDT


A short time ago, HP applied to the USPTO for a trademark. “Palmpad.” I can’t be the only one who just gets a good feeling from this.

We knew that HP was going to get their money’s worth from Palm when they nixed their Android plans and downplayed their Windows 7 tablet. While reports still have them making the latter in at least some form, statements from HP and Palm indicate that webOS is going to be the focus for HP’s portable computer business.

Like I said, I get a good feeling from this. The other “pad” devices, including the iPad, just don’t sound right — even with going on four million iPads in the wild, I still feel like that name is a compromise. “Palmpad,” though, that sounds right. Like something out of sci-fi in one way, but something you can get used to saying in another way. When you pair a great name with a great product that truly differs from the competition (here’s hoping), there really is a chance for success.

We know webOS is a solid foundation for a tablet, and we know there are smart software people at Palm and smart hardware people at HP. Their huge investment in this project suggests they understand its weight, and seeing the success of the iPad has allowed them to set their sights high. The timeline is pretty indistinct, but by shuttering Android and putting Windows 7 hardware on autopilot, I bet they can put something out in the first quarter of 2011. Of course, the next iPad will be looming then. Giddiyup, HP!

[via MyHPmini and PreCentral]

The biggest problem with 3D TV

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 09:27 AM PDT


Once again, Penny Arcade nails it. Even when it comes to the future of porn.

You can now supercharge the Dell Precision M6500 notebook with 32GB of memory [Update]

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 08:30 AM PDT


Do you have the need to work with, I don’t know, the entire raw Google Earth data in real time? Or maybe you job requires you to run Autodesk 3ds Max, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, and MASSIVE simultaneously while you’re away from your cubical. If so, let me direct you towards the recently-updated Dell M6500. This boy will soon be available with 32GB of DDR3-1333MHz RAM.

As of this post’s writing, the option isn’t available for selecting just yet, although it’s listed under the product’s description. Seeing as the 16GB costs $1,051 though, all that memory isn’t going to come cheap. Good thing that the peeps this option is marketed towards either work for government agencies with three letter names or research companies backed with from funds from SPECTRE or the like.

Update: Dell just hit up with the price: $9,300 will get you a configuration with the 32GB option. The update should hit the customizer at 3pm EDT.

Reminder: you still have a chance to win $500 at ShirtsMyWay!

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT


I know, you live a busy life, and you can’t spend every minute of your weekend reading CrunchGear. No doubt you were stuffing quarters into the washing machine at the laundromat to wash the three pairs of clothes you own. Well, you’re out of college now, so you’re a grown man and it’s time to start dressing like one. CrunchGear has you covered! Enter our $500 ShirtsMyWay.com giveaway for a chance to significantly improve and expand your wardrobe! The contest ends this afternoon, so get moving!

Apple, Toyota, and the Great Media Piling-on

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 07:47 AM PDT

Remember back when people thought their Toyotas were trying to kill them? And then the company issued huge recalls after a bunch of people peeled into traffic, blaming stuck accelerators, floor-mats, and computers? And then, quietly, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association basically said the crashes were caused by “pedal misapplication” i.e. some doofus holding down the accelerator when he meant to hold down the brake? Good times.

Toyota’s recall frenzy really took off in the winter of 2009 as floor mats galore were sent back for a good scrubbing. Like the Grinch taking the tree and all the presents to fix one little light bulb, Toyota seemed at once haughty and suspicious until they finally threw in the towel in January and offered a number of mea culpas. You’ll also recall that last November we were in an economic doldrums, cars weren’t selling, and anything manufacturers could do to get a leg up in the auto race was fair game. Toyota’s fall, then, definitely reduced their sales and although it’s hard to assess the improvement in competitor’s numbers (almost everyone has seen year-to-year decreases in sales since 2008), it’s clear Toyota’s non-issue was the industry’s gain. Although I don’t want to belittle the lives lost in the single tragic Lexus accelerator issue, it’s abundantly clear that Toyota was unfairly blamed for a number of issues that weren’t its fault.

Fast forward to the oil-streaked summer of 2010. Apple’s new iPhone had a fairly egregious error in signal strength representation and attenuation, a problem, that, in all fairness, from which all phones suffer. Take this charming video, for example:

I wrote last week that Antennagate was, in short, schadenfreude. Bloggers – myself included – have been flogging the iPhone’s benefits for years while giving short shrift to other devices. I’m guilty, MG is guilty, Gruber is guilty. We’re all iTards. So when such a visible and reproducible (under the right circumstances) problem appeared, the world piled on. Mainstream news, including local stations, picked up the story. Apple eventually had to pass out some bread and circus tickets for the downtrodden masses, ensuring that people would forget about attenuation and focus instead on all the free cases they’d be getting. As we move into the post-BP spill news cycle, rest assured that Antennagate will be forgotten and all the ink spilled will be for naught.

I bring both Toyota and Apple up as examples of “piling-on.” Like annual shark scares during the news doldrums of August and September, news organizations love to milk sensational stories and competitors love to keep the spin going. While RIM and Nokia are complaining at being lumped in with Apple’s antenna problems during the keynote, you know that their sales teams were scrambling for a way to grab customers in the resulting hubbub.

I’m here to bury Antennagate, not to praise Apple. I don’t trust corporations. They don’t care about us and they don’t care about their workers (see Foxconn). They care about cash. But, as a whole, I like to think that the market forces the best products to the top. Apple did a lot wrong with this new design and they will have to fix it in the next iteration. But the piling-on is a lot less about Apple and more about a general malaise in the handset industry. A giant’s loss is everyone’s gain, no matter how much Apple’s competitors claim otherwise.

Note to Trolls: Please offer a spirited excoriation of my assessment below.

Vaja letting down customers, unable to fulfill orders of very pricey custom iPad cases

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 07:30 AM PDT


Remember a few months back when I recommended Vaja’s gorgeous iPad cases? Yeah, I totally rescind that endorsement. It seems the company can’t handle their business and are unable to make good on the orders placed for their very expensive iPad cases. Worse yet, their customer service does not reflect the bespoke-type product they portray. How a company expects to get away with this in the age of Twitter and Facebook is beyond me.

Our tipster sent us emails backing all these claims. His journey started 48 days ago when he placed an order for two of the custom, handmade iPad cases. He apparently missed the little note on the product page that it would take 45 days to craft the item and so he emailed customer service 35 days later inquiring when the case might ship. He was told 45 days. Alright, so day 45 rolled around and he still didn’t have the cases so he fired off another email. The response this time was that the cases had entered the final manufacturing stage and he should receive the tracking info soon.

The next day after inquiring about the tracking number, things started to go down hill.

First he was told,

As is stated in our site, in the FAQ section, the frame povided in the site may be affected by demand. So it should be considered as an estimation.

Then later today, an email stated that the manufacturing process in hadn’t even began yet their Argentina facility. At least they offered his money back.

I tried contacting the company twice over the last two days to see what was up. No response. Don’t respond to me, fine. Lie to your customer, unacceptable.

I have no doubt that these cases are beautiful and worth every penny. They might be the best on the market. However, their customer service is anything but. My updated recommendation is to look elsewhere for iPad cases. Let me point you towards the made-in-Amerca DODOcase.

Portable watermelon cooler

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 07:00 AM PDT

Just when you think you’ve seen it all in the world of gadgets, Japan churns out yet another unique device. This time it’s the Marugoto Tamachan [JP], a watermelon cooler and heater. That’s right, the machine doesn’t just cool watermelons, but for some reason it can also heat them up. And it’s portable, too.

Maker Joybond says the heating feature can be useful for keeping other stuff warm, too, for example beverages or food. The Marugoto Tamachan holds 14l and is sized at 50.2×35.4×39.2cm (weight: 6.3kg).

Needless to say, the device is available in Japan only (price: $230). Ask import/export specialist Geek Stuff 4 U if you’re really interested in getting one.

Hat tip to Akky from Asiajin
Posted by at

1 comment:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)