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Mitsubishi Announces Full HD 3D TVs With Built-In HDD And Blu-ray Burner

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 04:40 AM PDT

It was just a matter of time, and now we are about to get them: Mitsubishi Japan announced [JP] TVs that not only are 3D-enabled but also come with an integrated Blu-ray recorder and an HDD. The TVs in the so-called REAL MDR1 series will be available in three sizes: 40, 46, and 55 inches (the biggest is pictured again below).

Spec-wise, all models are identical:

  • full HD LCD panel (dubbed “Diamond Panel”)
  • LED backlight
  • a Blu-ray burner that also plays 3D Blu-rays
  • a 1TB HDD
  • the DIATONE speaker system (which consists of ten speakers)
  • a USB slot, an HDMI interface, an SD card slot
  • a pair of 3D glasses

Mitsubishi will start selling the 3D TVs in Japan on October 21. But overkill comes with a high price: $3,500 for the 40-inch model, $4,700 for the 46-incher, and $5,900 for the biggest TV.

Via AV Watch [JP]

iBottleopener Puts A ‘Party In Your Pocket’, And I Still Want One – Yeah, Buddy!

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 04:36 AM PDT

From the I-did-not-know-I-needed-this-until-I-saw-it department: meet the iBottleopener, a special iPhone case for the 3G and 3GS model that is both a protective case and – drum roll – a bottle opener.

Its maker, Santa Barbara-based Lightbulb Moments, says the thing is patent-pending, which they hope will make you more willing to cough up $20 (plus a $4 shipping fee) for it.

An iPhone 4-compatible version of this wonderful invention is supposedly coming soon.

Yeaaah, buddy!

Here’s a video:

Video: iPad Used As Self-Ordering System At Restaurants

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 12:20 AM PDT

Japan not only loves the iPad, it also finds creative ways to use it. Now Sharp (of all companies) is testing a self-ordering system for Izakaya, Japanese-style restaurants, that’s based on the device. The idea is to do away with the usual hardcopy menus and make it possible for customers to choose and directly order what they like through an iPad.

Sharp hopes that a general-purpose device like the iPad can boost the number of orders as they are more fun to use. The background is that a number of Izakayas (and other restaurants) in Japan have been offering touch screens for customers to choose and order items for years now (meaning the general concept isn’t new).

Here’s a video, shot by DigInfoNews in Tokyo, that shows how the Sharp/iPad system works (needless to say, pictures on the “virtual menu” can be enlarged by pinching):

Daily Crunch: Memento Edition

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 12:00 AM PDT

Interesting Read: Reality Check On Nanotechnology

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 05:45 PM PDT

A lot of noise gets made about nanotechnology. “Nano” is a prefix people like to use because it sounds futuristic and everyone knows that really small stuff is awesome. But the physical and chemical laws governing interactions at scales of a billionth of a meter are so far beyond our ability to reliably control them that you may as well just forget about nanomachines altogether. I love future toys, too, but unrealistic expectations of science and industry end up making things worse for everybody.

Skeptical? Enraged? Singularity believer? Read first, then flame.

Samsung Bails On E-Paper – Keeps Making E-Readers

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 04:00 PM PDT

Samsung has bailed on the e-paper reader market, citing the display costs as being too expensive. Electronista reports that this doesn’t mean they are completely out of the business though, as they are still planning on producing an e-book reader that uses an LCD display instead. You’ll remember that we showed you the a new Samsung reader that was announced at CES ealier this year, but it never shipped due to being priced out of the market.

No one has seen the new Samsung reader yet, but company reps are reporting that it should be sometime next year. We’ll probably see one at CES 2011.

Canon Packs 120 Megapixels Onto Sub-Full-Frame Sensor

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 04:00 PM PDT


This is a bit insane. Canon has produced a sensor smaller outputting a ridiculous 120 megapixels, packed into an area smaller than a 35mm film frame. This is almost certainly mainly an R&D thing, however. Don’t expect a 120-megapixel camera any time soon.

I went into this in some detail a few months ago, and pixel density really isn’t a worthwhile goal any more. Sure, you can pack 1080p onto something half the size of your fingernail, but there are so many fail points along the line that image quality is going to be awful. I’m sure Canon’s aware of that, but it’s possible that a system like this could be used beneficially.

It’s not like they have to produce a gigantic image every time. By reducing the size of the pixel wells, they can optimize their existing lenses and image processors to deal with inadequate light, deflection, lens flaws, and so on. This 120-megapixel sensor is likely a test bed for that kind of research.

They say they can get 9.5 images per second off the sensor, which is impressive, but a 120-megapixel image would be… well, gigantic. That’s 13,280 x 9,184, and the resultant images would likely be several gigabytes. Systems that can write ten gigabytes per second are hard to come by, and certainly wouldn’t fit in a regular camera, so don’t get any ideas. We’re talking RAID arrays of RAID arrays here. I whipped up a quick diagram to show you what 120 megapixels would look like compared to 10.

Anyway, though, good for Canon. They’re pushing hard and this kind of research might help them put out something leapfroggish in the next generation of cameras. Though I’d really prefer better low light performance.

[via CNET]

Another Canon Lens Mug! Want So Bad!

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 03:30 PM PDT


What is it about lens mugs that gets me? Ever since we first saw that 70-200L thermos, I’ve had lens muggery on the mind. And now that classic Canon lens styling is in a more convenient mug form. It’s in the shape of the excellent 24-105L zoom, but unlike that lens, I can afford it. And might just buy it. It even comes with a lens cap lid! It’s a steal at $24.

Oh yeah, I guess some company called Nikon has one, too.

Update: more pictures and hands-on over at Doobybrain. Lucky.

[via Werd and The Awesomer]

iPad Case With Built-In Keyboard Hitting US Soon

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 02:52 PM PDT

There’s an iPad case available in the UK (though unfortunately out of stock at the moment) that has a Bluetooth keyboard built right into the cover. Adds a little weight, but if you do more than a little typing on that thing, you likely will appreciate having physical keys. It’s going through the FCC right now, so expect it on our shores shortly.

Of course, the KeyCase costs £60, or just over $90. That’s an expensive case — for that price you could get carbon fiber, a camera, or a DODOcase (much cheaper).

[via Slashgear]

Buy Used Video Games? Then THQ Hates Your Guts.

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 02:15 PM PDT

THQ wins today’s "Well That’s A Stupid Thing To Say" award. The company, which is right about to publish WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011, has adopted the increasingly common practice of only making available DLC to people who purchase the game new. That is, not buying a used copy.

EA started the trend, caught some flack, then people sorta stopped caring.

Internet rage only lasts but for so long (which I’m sure big companies like EA, Google, Apple, Facebook, etc. fully recognize).

Anyhow, this is what THQ told CVG:

I don’t think we really care whether used game buyers are upset because new game buyers get everything. We hope people understand that when the game’s bought used we get cheated. I don’t think anyone wants that so in order for us to make strong, high-quality WWE games we need loyal fans that are interested in purchasing the game. We want to award those fans with additional content.

Never mind the fact that THQ hasn’t made a "high-quality WWE game" since 2000′s WWF No Mercy (developed by AKI), that’s not the issue here.

The issue is THQ treating its customers like utter trash.

Well, I guess THQ doesn’t really consider you one of their customers if you buy one of their games used.

Just a poor attitude to take, really.

You want to make DLC exclusive only available to new game buyers, fine, whatever. There’s enough problems in the world that nobody’s going to care about that for too long. But to basically tell your customers, "Hey, take a hike," well, it all seems a bit harsh.

Now You Wily Terrorists Will Be Subject To Long-Range Skeleton Analysis

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 02:13 PM PDT


Don’t you feel secure? Don’t you love the amazing level of security provided by all that sophisticated machinery at the airport, watched over as it is, admittedly, by sleepy TSA agents on power trips? But don’t you wish inwardly that they wouldn’t stop at looking through your bag and removing your clothes with radiation, and just get straight to x-raying you? Well good news, friends. A system is on its way that will add your unique skeletal structure to a database and will (if it works) be able to identify you at a distance.

Trying to get terrorists to look into retina scanners is hard! And facial recognition software can be fooled with trivial alterations like shaving or smiling. Fingerprints — come on! I could remove mine right now! “But they can't disguise their bones,” says Phani Kidambi, one of the researchers in charge of a project intended to ID people from 150 feet away based on bone structure. The project is at Wright State Research Institute.

Okay, seriously. Not only is this a creepy idea, but it appears they haven’t actually thought it through. First, they have to get detailed bone structure scans of every known criminal and terrorist (their idea, not mine). Then they have to prove that they can detect that bone structure through clothing and flesh — and then they have to design something that can do it from a distance.

Are you kidding me? This system will be as easy to fool as the next one. Unless they’re developing some kind of high-powered X-ray they’re planning on constantly blasting airport crowds with, they’ll have to rely on extended spectrum imagery. And that can be fooled by a HUGE number of factors. They talk about the potential of seeing someone “where the face doesn't match, but the bones match…That definitely is a person of extreme interest because it appears he's tried to change his face.” Great, so this technology also reliably detects faces in high fidelity as well! And I’m sure there’s no chance of a false positive!

Honestly. You’re never going to get everyone going through a major airport to submit to yet another scan, this one taking measurements of your bone density and structure. Seriously. This will not end well.

[via The Register]

Google Using Acer “ZGA” Laptop To Test Chrome OS Internally?

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 01:39 PM PDT

We’re expecting a slew of Chrome OS devices over the next few months — HTC is supposed to have a tablet cooking, and we’ve heard a few ideas about what the first Chrome OS laptop would be — and Acer has always figured prominently. These reports seem to re-confirm Acer’s role.

Apparently some bug report tickets have featured an Acer “ZGA” device, which seems to be a laptop with an Atom N455 processor, 8GB of SSD storage, a webcam, and a Synaptics touchpad. While I doubt it’s Google’s Chrome OS device itself, it probably is more or less feature-complete, and we can expect something with similar specs once Chrome OS hits the streets.

It’s more or less what we expected: Atom processor, limited local storage, traditional interface. We’ll keep you updated.

Test Drive: Audi’s R8 V10 Spyder

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 01:02 PM PDT


When you think of a supercar, speed and power are usually the things that jump to your mind — not gadgetry. Keeping that in mind, when I was invited to drive Audi’s new R8 Spyder, I jumped at the chance. It wasn’t until later that I started looking into the vehicle and realized that while the R8 is a supercar, it’s a special breed of supercar that uses technology to allow the driver to choose between high performance and touring.

Now a word before I continue: I’m not a supercar expert. Don’t read this expecting to hear about weight ratios, horsepower numbers, or cold statistics. Other sites have covered those to death, and all of that information is of course available directly from Audi. This writeup is about how it feels to drive and the technology that makes it feel that way. Furthermore, you’re going to have to excuse a certain lack of objectivity. It’s not like I can compare the R8 to all the other supercars I’ve driven (that would be none) — think of this as an ode to an amazing piece of technology.

One thing to get out right away; this car costs as much as a small house, and in some places, a large house. The base model costs $161,000 and rapidly goes up as you start adding options. Want a six-speed R-tronic automatic transmission (you don’t, but it is available)? That’s going to cost you an extra $10,000. Audi actually has their own interior customization shop, so you can get any combination of interiors, and paint colors, even down to changing the color of the thread used in the leather seats and accents on the dash. But more importantly, what is it like to drive?

Like most men, I like to drive fast. I’m generally a conservative driver when my wife and son are in the car, but there is a certain joy in going up a mountain road and making your car work a bit. This is where the R8 Spyder humbled me. When you drive a normal car and decide to push things a bit, you know where the edge is. Maybe you feel the rear end slip a little, or maybe you just don’t have enough power to go up that hill as fast you like. For whatever reason, you know that you’ve hit the limitation of the car, and that’s it – you stay below that point and drive safely. I never reached that point in the R8 Spyder, but of course I’m a guy that typically writes about USB drives.

Driving on the freeway is an odd mix between the desire to go extremely fast, and that concern in the back of your mind that you’re going to accidentally go past a highway patrol car at 100 mph. Audi made it perfectly clear that I was more then welcome to drive the car as I saw fit, but any tickets would be my own responsibility. As such, I really didn’t wind it up until I was in the hills above San Diego. I have to say, the roads were absolutely brilliant. Audi of course planned it that way, and had pre-programmed our route into the car’s GPS system. The GPS is in fact the same as what you would find in the Lamborghini Gallardo. The GPS is part of Audi’s MMI (Multimedia Interface) system, which integrates the stereo (more on that later), the aforementioned GPS, all the trip computer functionality, and the climate control. Essentially, everything that is there to enhance the driver experience.

In fact, let’s talk about the interior for a bit. The car I drove was grey with a black leather interior. Keep in mind, in sunny San Diego, it was 90 degrees that day, and the car was sitting with the top down in the direct sun. Recipe for disaster, right? No, apparently Audi colors the interior using a special pigment that makes it resistant to heating up from direct sunlight. This special pigment actually controls the temperature of the seats, and doesn’t allow the leather to exceed 68 degrees, no matter how much sun they receive. Of course, the seats are heated for the wintertime, but during the summer the Nappa leather seats stay comfortable no matter what. There’s also just a sense of quality about the interior, which you should probably expect for a couple hundred thousand dollars. Even from a sense of texture, Audi delivers an incredible experience. The gear shift knob is milled from a single piece of aluminum, the leather wrapped steering wheel has subtle ridges that guide your finders to the ideal 2:00 and 10:00 positions, and while plastic is used, it is use sparingly rather then as the primary material.

The absolute best part of driving the R8 Spyder would have to be that engine exhaust note. Supercars are designed to be seen, heard, and felt when you are driving at speed, and the Audi does not disappoint. To be honest, every time I saw an overpass, tunnel or other echo worthy location coming up I’d drop down a gear, and hammer the engine just so I could hear that beautiful exhaust note. With this roof down, it’s an experience not to be missed. The roof on the R8 is acoustically insulated, so with the roof up it was much quieter. You could however leave the back window down for “ventilation” purposes. I think Audi put that window in just so you could hear the exhaust better with the roof up. With the window up the interior was quiet enough to compare with a standard street car.

The R8 Spyder has a split personality in many ways. If you disable the traction control and set the suspension to sport, you get a much firmer ride in a car that’s very responsive around the corners (like it’s on rails, really), much like you’d expect in a car of this type. But if you switch the traction control on, and set the suspension to comfort, it’s almost docile. Sure, you still have an incredible amount of torque to play with, but the car settles down to the point you could use it as a daily driver. The suspension feel adjusts using a magnetically charged fluid that changes the ride depending on the mode the driver selects. This makes it incredibly easy to change the performance profile without needing to take the car to a shop to have the shocks adjusted.

The technology included in the R8 is quite impressive. I mentioned the GPS system previously, but the best way to look at it as part of the whole system. The R8 Spyder comes standard with a 12 speaker, 465 watt, Bang & Olufsen sound system. The MMI system also plugs straight into your iPhone or iPod, and you can scroll through your music from the steering wheel using the control stick mounted controls. It automatically turns the stereo down when you get a phone call, or if the GPS needs to give you driving directions. Audi also included built in Bluetooth for pairing your phone, which allows you to use one of the new innovations in the R8 – seat-belt mounted microphones. Audi came up with the rather brilliant idea of including microphones built into the seat-belt that activate when you make a phone call. The best part? The noise reduction technology in the car makes it possible to carry on a conversation at highway speeds with the top down, and the person you’re talking to won’t be able to tell the difference. The R8 has a built-in back up camera, as well as sensors built into the front and rear bumpers that provide audio feedback when you get near an object while parking.

Despite all the technology, the amazing body lines, the high tech dyes used in the leather seats, the best thing about the Audi R8 Spyder is driving it down the freeway at [redacted]mph, with the wind in your hair and a huge grin on your face. Driving a car of this class is an experience that should not be missed, but is out of the reach of most mere mortals like myself. If I had the resources would I buy one? Hell yes. Sure, it’s not practical (the storage space under the hood is minimal at best) but that’s not what cars like this are about. It’s about the visceral feeling of the engine note, the feeling of the road through the steering wheel, driving through a shaded canyon with the top down and going around corners at speeds that push your ability as a driver, and loving every moment of it.

Your Instant Network: Western Digital Livewire Powerline AV Network Kit

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 12:30 PM PDT

Western Digital has a fancy, new device, the Livewire Powerline AV Network Kit, that will extend the range of your network to anywhere there’s an electrical outlet. Sounds like HomePlug, right? That’s because it is! Funny how that works.

It’s HomePlug, so there’s not too much involved. You plug one bit into your router and into a nearby electrical outlet. Then you plug a separate bit into another electrical outlet, say, near your DirecTV box so you can order pay-per-view events without fussing with telephone wires.

The resulting network connection runs at up to 200 mbps, which should be enough to transmit even 1080p video. I would imagine that would depend on the quality of wiring in your house, however.

Could be handy if you want to use an Internet service and don’t have a nearby router and can’t tap into Wi-Fi.

$139 for the little guy.

Video: Samsung Galaxy Tab Teaser Makes Next Month’s Berlin Debut Official

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 11:00 AM PDT

And here we have the Samsung Galaxy Tab teaser video. Methinks someone on the Samsung marketing team was a big Simpsons fan growing up. Gabbo, Gabbo, Gabbo!

Who Saw This Coming? Call Of Duty: Black Ops To Ship With PC Mod Tools

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 10:30 AM PDT

An olive branch to PC gamers, and from Activision of all people? It would appear that the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops will ship with honest-to-goodness mod tools. This is a most unexpected development.

The specifics of the mod tools remain unannounced, but the mere fact that Activision is permitting their inclusion should be celebrated by PC gamers. You have to remember that the last Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare 2, didn't even ship with dedicated server support—unconscionable for a PC shooter.

It'll be interesting to see how Black Ops does this time around. You have to wonder whether or not Call of Duty fatigue is setting in. And then you have to wonder whether or not all the heat that Medal of Honor is generating will sway more than a few gamers EA's way this fall.

Roxio Creator 2011 Turns Your Photos Into 3D Works of Art

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 10:05 AM PDT


Sigh. So Roxio’s Creator 2011, a fairly good piece of software in general, is offering full importing from 3D cameras like the Fujifilm W3 and it can turn 2D photos into 3D images. Why would you do this? Because, presumably, you want your grandma to sit with glasses on while she looks at snapshots that look like bad anaglyphic stereograms that she probably saw in Hawaii back in 1965, which was essentially the last time 3D was part of pop culture.

Regardless, God bless Roxio for riding the 3D train. Someday we’ll have real 3D TVs without glasses but until then I guess we’ll have to carry on somehow.

via Giz


Review: Eye-Fi Pro X2 Wireless Camera Card

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 10:00 AM PDT

Short version: transfer the photos you take from your camera to your computer without hassles, and without wires, using the X2 Pro card from Eye-Fi. Add in the ability to automatically post photos to a growing number of online sites, geotagging, and “Endless Memory” and the Pro X2 card is a great buy at $149.

Features:

  • 8 GB class 6 SDHC card
  • 802.11 b/g/n wireless network support
  • supports transfer of JPEG, RAW and video files
  • automatically post to Flickr, Facebook, and many other photo and video sharing sites
  • MSRP $149

Pros:

  • Super simple configuration
  • SMS and email notification of file transfers
  • “Endless Memory” automatically deletes images from the card after they’re uploaded to your computer

Cons:

  • Inconsistent transfer speeds
  • Unreliable geotagging due to public hotspot IP configurations
  • Potential battery drain on older cameras

Review
It boggles my mind that something the size of a dime can not only hold thousands of digital photos or hours of digital video, but can also pack in a WiFi transmitter capable of sending those photos and videos to my computer. The X2 Pro card is super simple to use, and works perfectly.



Tip o’ the hat to Rick for filming, and letting me play with his Nikon D5000

The 8GB SDHC card is only one third of the equation, though. The other parts of the equation are the Eye-Fi Center which runs on your PC and the Eye-Fi servers. Before you can use the wireless functions of the EyeFi card, you need to tell it about the wireless networks to which the card will connect. Unfortunately, the card cannot connect to wireless networks unless it knows about them in advance, even if those networks are open networks. The exception is public AT&T hot spots, like those found at Starbuck’s and Barnes and Nobles, to which the Eye-Fi cards can connect automatically, but you need to enable that option in the Eye-Fi Center first. It’s important to remember that you need to pre-program the wireless networks: this means you can’t take your camera over to your buddy’s birthday party and expect to upload photos right away — you need to add your buddy’s wireless network to your Eye-Fi card configuration, first.

The Eye-Fi Center allows you to set different options for JPEG, RAW and video files. You select the destination on your computer — whether a specific directory, or a directory created by the Eye-Fi Center based on date, or your computer’s iPhoto library — and optionally configure one or more online services. You can mix and match options based on your needs, so that you upload photos to Flickr and Facebook, but upload videos to Facebook and YouTube. Or maybe you don’t want to share any videos online automatically. Whatever!

You can enable notifications from Eye-Fi, so that you know what’s happening with your photos. Notifications can be sent via email, SMS, Twitter or Facebook. SMS notifications are particularly helpful if you’re sitting in a coffee shop waiting for uploads from the card to finish.

The Eye-Fi cards also support geotagging photos. The Eye-Fi card does not include a GPS receiver, so the geotagging is done through some fancy trickery to identify the local WiFi network you’re using, and maybe the SSID of nearby WiFi networks. Photos get geotagged with the location from which they are uploaded, not necessarily the location from which the photo was taken. If you take a photo downtown, and then go back home to upload the photos, the photos will be geotagged with your home network’s location. When using my own network, the geotagging was way off, because I moved recently: my wireless network was last indexed at my previous address, so photos I geotagged showed that they were taken across town at my old address. Geotagging in the local Starbuck’s was way off, too: it reported that I was in a different state altogether!

The final option in the Eye-Fi Center is how to transfer photos and videos. The default setting is “Automatic”, which means that all photos and videos will be sent to both your computer and any online sharing sites you’ve defined. “Selective Share” mode will still send all photos and videos to your computer, but will not send them to sharing sites unless you specifically select to do so. To mark a photo or video for sharing online, simply use your camera’s protect function. By marking the photo as protected (or locked, or whatever term your camera uses), you’re telling the Eye-Fi card “Go ahead and post this online!” The final transfer option is “Selective Transfer”, which doesn’t transfer anything anywhere unless you tell it to do so. In “Selective Transfer” mode, all images and videos stay in the camera, and only those you mark as protected will be sent to your computer and any designated sharing sites.

One of the really nifty things about the Eye-Fi is support for “Endless Memory”. 8GB may seem like a lot, but if you’re shooting HD video you might run out of space sooner than you’d like. “Endless Memory” mode will delete from the card any items that have already been successfully uploaded. As long as you’re in range of a wireless network you’ve defined — or stop for a breather at the local Starbuck’s — you never need to worry about running out of space. The card will automatically purge items for you, giving your card effectively an infinite capacity!

So, once you’ve set all your card’s options and added the wireless networks on which you’ll use it, it’s time to start taking pictures! The card is plenty fast, and works just like any other SDHC card you might buy. If you’re shooting within range of a wireless network you’ve defined and you want the pictures to be transferred automatically you may need to disable your camera’s auto-off feature. Obviously, photos can’t be transferred if your camera shuts off. Some newer cameras have varying levels of support for Eye-Fi built into the camera firmware. If you have such a camera, the camera will delay shutoff until it knows the transfers have been completed. That’s handy.

The actual operation of the Eye-Fi card is interesting. When you turn on your camera, the card first scans the available WiFi networks to find any that you’ve programmed. If it finds one, it hooks onto it and starts looking for the Eye-Fi Center software running on your computer. If it finds that, then the card communicates directly to your PC, making transfers as fast as your local network. Images and videos go from your card to your computer. If you’ve enabled online sharing, then the images and videos go from your computer to the Eye-Fi servers, where they’re then posted to the sharing sites you’ve defined.

If the Eye-Fi Center software is not located on the network, or if you’re using a public hotspot, then the card communicates with the Eye-Fi servers. Once the images are uploaded to the server, they’ll eventually make their way down to your computer. If you have sharing enabled, the images will be sent directly from the Eye-Fi servers to the sharing sites you have configured. This means that you can leave your computer off while you take a weekend getaway trip to the coast, and upload and share all your photos and videos using a Starbuck’s hotspot.

The Pro X2 offers a unique feature in the Eye-Fi lineup: support for ad-hoc wireless networks. These still need to be defined manually in the Eye-Fi Center before they can be used, but it means you can transfer photos and videos to your laptop wherever you might be. Stick your laptop in your backpack and go on that safari! No need to worry about transferring photos from your camera. And whenever you get back into civilization, the Eye-Fi Center software will automatically send photos to your designated online sharing sites.

There are all sorts of creative uses for the Eye-Fi card. Whether it’s a studio photographer looking to “shoot tethered”, or quick and easy photo and video uploads to Facebook during your kid’s birthday party, or simply the ability to leave your laptop at home while you take pictures on your vacation, the Eye-Fi Pro X2 is a great addition to your camera bag.

Product Page: Eye-Fi Pro X2

What’s This Disgraced Former Apple Exec Doing With $150,000 Inside Shoe Boxes?

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 09:15 AM PDT


Flickr’d

Prosecutors have found $150,000 resting peacefully inside shoe boxes at the home of Paul Devine, the Apple manager accused of taking some $1m in kickbacks from various parts suppliers in Asia. While that certainly sounds sinister, maybe the man simply doesn't trust banks?

You'll recall that Devine was charged last week with 32 counts of crimes such as wire fraud, money laundering, and money transactions in criminally deprived property.

Devine, formerly of Apple's iPod and accessories procurement operations department, is alleged, by Apple, to have, in effect, sold company secrets to various suppliers in Asia. Since Devine had access to sensitive Apple information, including pricing strategies and predicted component requirements, he was able to sell this information. Then the parts suppliers would have a leg-up on Apple when it came time for negotiations.

All of that came out about a week ago.

With prosecutors now working the case, his home was searched, where they found the $150,000 hiding inside shoe boxes. That probably wasn't the smartest of moves, no. He could have at least hid the money somewhere creative—think The French Connection and where the French guys hide those drugs. But shoe boxes?

I digress.

Prosecutors have also raided overseas bank accounts.

Devine hasn't been found guilty of any wrongdoing just yet, but you'd have to assume that none of this will be helpful in his defense.


Dell Aero Shipping On AT&T

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 08:34 AM PDT

When your main advertising point is that the Aero is "one of the lightest Android smartphones," you might have a problem but here it is: the Dell Aero on AT&T, finally shipping for $299.99 ($100 with contract). If you'll recall, the Aero is a smaller Dell Streak with a fairly unique UI focused on social media and usability. We've been excited about this for quite a while so let's keep an open mind but it's been so long and the Streak is, quite honestly, quite good, so does the world need a Dell phone?


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