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Hublot King Power Formula 1 Monza Watch

Posted: 09 Sep 2010 05:17 AM PDT

Hublot really did something special with this watch, and it looks just great. Totally epitomizing what fresh Hublot designs can feel like. In addition to the great King Power model based design, this watch has two special innovations that you will really like. First, is a world's first developed by Hublot - a red sapphire crystal. A few years ago Rolex developed a green colored sapphire crystal for their Milgauss watches. Hublot has done the same but with red. How cool does that look? Of course the crystal is just slightly red, so as to still be transparent.


Video: Toshiba Showcases Glasses-Free 3D Display

Posted: 09 Sep 2010 03:20 AM PDT

If there’s one thing that can help 3D pave the way to the main stream in consumer electronics (apart from lower prices), then it’s naked-eye 3D screens. What’s the current situation? Nintendo’s 3DS will have one, Hitachi has shown one, and NEC has been working on it, too. Sharp prepares a model for e-readers and tablets and announced a glasses-free 3D smartphone for later this year.

But what about bigger displays? Back in April, we’ve shown you a naked-eye 70-inch 3D display from Japanese maker NewSight. But more importantly, it was Toshiba, which announced a glasses-free 21-inch 3D screen in the same month. In August, some Japanese media (and us) started reporting about rumors that Toshiba plans to turn that display into a TV and market it by year-end.

And now, thanks to our friends at DigInfoNews in Tokyo, we can show you a video of a Toshiba 3D display that doesn’t require 3D glasses in action. This doesn’t seem to be the same screen the company has been teasing though. For example, the touch functionality showcased in the clip hasn’t been confirmed by Toshiba before.

This apparently “new” screen offers a total of nine distinct viewing angles but requires images to be shot from nine directions to view them in 3D (just like the model that was officially announced, it’s based on integral imaging). Toshiba apparently wants to iron out some more kinks before thinking about using this display for TVs.

Here’s the video, which provides more details (in English):

3D Computers And TVs: Sony Reveals Future 3D Strategy

Posted: 09 Sep 2010 02:39 AM PDT

Among all major electronics manufacturers, Sony is betting especially high on 3D. And the two main areas for the future 3D-fication of the company are TVs and computers, it seems. Big S yesterday announced in Tokyo that by the end of 2011, almost all of their TVs sized 40 inches and larger will be 3D-enabled.

At the moment, just 50% of the eight newer Sony models in question (in Japan) feature 3D. But Sony says only a few of their TVs (those with a low price tag) won’t get 3D in the future. In Japan, the company expects 1 million 3D TVs to be sold until 2011, and it wants to capture 50% of that market.

What’s interesting is that even though Sony already churned out a ton of 3D-enabled products, the company has been relatively quiet on the 3D computer front so far. NEC, Fujitsu and Toshiba, on the other hand, already have those devices in their line-up.

But you can now expect a new Vaio notebook with 3D capability, LED backlighting and a full HD display to launch next spring (in Japan first). Sony didn’t reveal more details but showed a prototype Vaio (pictured above) with said features, a 16-inch display and a 3D Blu-ray drive.

Via AV Watch [JP]

Daily Crunch: Entertainment System Edition

Posted: 09 Sep 2010 12:00 AM PDT

Pentax Goes For The Bargain Market With The Optio RZ10, RS1000

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 10:04 PM PDT

Pentax just announced two new budget P&S cameras, both of which are quite reasonably priced and ready to go into your purse or pocket for taking snaps of the kids. The RS1000, is customizable based on the color or design you chose, with a removable face plate and free Skinit gift card. The RZ10 is a little more serious camera, with a chose between four different colors: black, white, lime, and violet, and a 10x optical zoom.

The RS1000 is a 14 megapixel, 4x optical zoom, ultra-compact camera with 720p video. Roughly the size of a credit card, the RS1000 is quite obviously aimed at the casual snapshot shooter. MRSP is $149.95 – If you want one, I say go for it, but keep in mind that the picture quality may not be the best.

The Optio RZ10 however, is aimed at a slightly more discerning audience. The RZ10 has a 14 megapixel sensor was well, and it has a much more reasonable 10x optical zoom, 720p video, shake reduction, and support for the Eye-Fi wireless memory card. The RZ10 also has some built in art features, allowing you to make changes to the image before you upload it to you computer. MSRP on the RZ10 is a quite reasonable $219.95, and you’ll be able to pick one up this fall.

Pentax Announces K-r DSLR For $800

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 09:49 PM PDT


Pentax has updated its DSLR line with the new K-r, successor to the K-x. The improvements are modest: you’ve got improved ISO range (up to 25600 expanded, but I wouldn’t), a better burst rate (6FPS, which is sweet), and a much-improved LCD (3″ at 640×480). You’ve still got the same 12 megapixels and the 720p video is limited to 25 FPS, which is likely what I’d choose anyway (well, 24, but eh).

I’m just not sure it’s competitive — the improvements aren’t very serious, and considering what’s come out in the meantime, it’s not looking so hot any more. The stellar Canon T2i and new Nikon D3100 are nothing to laugh at.

That said, you also have Pentax’s excellent lens selection. To that end, they’ve also released a new 35mm F/2.4 lens for $220, which sounds like a pretty decent buy to me. Also, it comes in storm trooper colors.

The body-only kit will cost $800; adding an 18-55mm kit lens will put it at $850, and a few other lens options bump the price further. Both the camera and new lens will ship in October. Here’s the full press release:

PENTAX ANNOUNCES K-r DIGITAL SLR AND NEW 35MM LENS

GOLDEN, CO. September 8, 2010…PENTAX Imaging Systems Division has announced a new digital SLR line with color accents that allow owners to choose one that matches their personal style. The colorful PENTAX K-r DSLR camera offers advanced yet simple to use features at an attractive price.

The compact, lightweight PENTAX K-r is easy to use with Auto Picture, Scene, and Custom Image Processing modes that take the guesswork out of shooting stunning images while still offering a high degree of manual and priority control. The K-r offers a variety of new and improved features including a fast framerate, high ISO sensitivity, responsive autofocus, an improved 12.4 megapixel low-noise sensor and widescreen HD video capture that take it a step above an entry-level DSLR camera.

Key features of the PENTAX K-r that are new or have been improved upon from the most recent entry to mid-level PENTAX DSLR models include:
• Three stylish color choices include traditional black, the new classic white, and PENTAX red reflect any owner's personal style.
• Large 3 inch LCD with 921,000 dots of resolution.
• Faster high speed 6 FPS framerate that captures 25 images in a single sequence.
• A maximum 1/6000 second shutter speed.
• Viewfinder focus point indicator.
• Improved in-camera HDR image capture including a Night Scene HDR mode.
• High sensitivity 100-25600 ISO range with improved noise performance from the new 12.4 megapixel CMOS sensor.
• Versatile dual-power-source design, which offers the choice of either a rechargeable lithium-ion battery or four AA-size battery power (using optional AA Battery Holder D-BH109).
• Infrared data transfer compatible with the IrSimple™ high-speed infrared data transmission system for wireless data transfer to the web or other IrSimple-compatible devices (includes a match-game between two PENTAX K-r's).

Other important features of the new K-r models include:
• Widescreen 720p HD video at 25 FPS.
• PENTAX-original Shake Reduction mechanism for sharp, blur-free images that works with every PENTAX lens ever made
• Dust Removal mechanism, to shake dust off the CMOS image sensor.
• Highly responsive and accurate 11 point SAFOX IX autofocus system with dedicated AF assist lamp.
• Wide range of in-camera image processing and special effects filters.

With a highly portable, compact and lightweight body in a choice of colors, the K-r holds appeal for busy parents, family memory-keepers, travelers and anyone who reflects personal style in all their pursuits including their journey into photography or videography as a skill or hobby. The PENTAX K-r digital SLR will ship in October 2010 for as follows:
K-r Body Kit $799.95 USD
K-r Lens Kit w 18-55 $849.95 USD
K-r Double Lens Kit w 18-55, 50-200 $899.95 USD
K-r Double Lens Kit w 18-55, 55-300 $999.95 USD

PENTAX also announced the smc PENTAX DA 35mm F2.4 AL, standard lens designed exclusively for use with PENTAX digital SLR cameras. This new lens is versatile enough to be used with a wide range of subjects and applications for high-resolution images with edge-to-edge sharpness.
It is a perfect choice for digital SLR beginners to familiarize themselves with the basics of using interchangeable lenses.

The PENTAX DA 35mm F2.4 AL lens also will ship in October for $219.95 USD.

QUO maxQ2 Is A $4,000 Mac Pro Clone. Yeah, This Won’t End Well

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 06:57 PM PDT

QUOComputer, a company that jumped in on the tail of the Psystar saga, is manufacturing a $3,765 Mac clone using lots of nice parts including an Asetek liquid cooling system. Why? I have no idea, but a $4K Mac clone sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen. A $4K PC with some nice liquid cooling… yeah, I could get behind that.

Press release after the jump.

QUO Computer Selects Asetek 550LC Performance Liquid CPU Cooler for New maxQ2 PC

Wednesday, 08 September 2010 00:00

Asetek Liquid Cooling Quiets the Powerful maxQ2 Computer which Runs Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows 7 Natively

Asetek, Inc., the world’s leading supplier of liquid cooling systems for computers, announced today that its liquid cooling solutions have been chosen by QUO Computer for their latest generation of high performance, maxQ2 custom computers. QUO was created by Apple™ enthusiasts that breathe and bleed Mac OS X™. What sets QUO Computer apart is that their systems enable the user to run Mac OS X™, Linux™, and Windows 7™ natively. The maxQ2 is based on Intel’s Core i7 processor and easily handles the most demanding audio and video editing applications.

Quo Computer maxQ”QUO specializes in computers aimed at those who want the fastest, most overclockable systems without the time required to custom configure one themselves,” said QUO founder Rashantha De Silva. “We selected Asetek Liquid Coolers to deliver quiet operation plus the thermal headroom for overclocking the maxQ2 because they feature a sealed liquid loop that is reliable and eliminates customer maintenance. This is the type of elegance Apple enthusiasts treasure.”

The new QUO maxQ2 is powered by an Intel Core i7 6 Core 3.6Ghz CPU, 12GB of RAM, a 240GB SSD, a 1TB HD, and an NVIDIA 285 GTX configured to take advantage of the Adobe™ Mercury Playback Engine. The maintenance-free Asetek 550LC features an integrated pump and copper cold plate connected to a 120mm heat exchanger.

“Asetek recently demonstrated how liquid cooling can both quiet and increase the performance of an Apple Mac Pro,” said Steve Branton, Director of Marketing at Asetek. “QUO’s liquid cooled maxQ2 computers enable Mac OS X enthusiasts to get the benefits of liquid cooling in an extremely powerful computer, without the effort of retrofitting liquid cooling into an existing Mac Pro.”

The maxQ2 will be available with Asetek liquid cooling for $3,765 on September 15, 2010. In addition to the maxQ2, which includes Asetek liquid cooling as a standard feature, QUO will also offer an Asetek liquid cooling option in their lifeQ, proQ, maxQ, serverQ, and audioQ computer systems. For ordering information, see http://www.QUOComputer.com or call 1.888.QUO.0880.

via Eng


iPod Nano Still Has TV Out, Video DNA

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 06:08 PM PDT

Remember the last generation of iPod Nano? It made a great little video recorder, but ended up being banned in some gyms due to privacy concerns. You have to wonder, did Apple do such a complete redesign on the Nano because of that controversy? Well whatever the reason, there are still traces of that video capability in the firmware. Apple also left in the ability to display a photo slideshow via a special composite video cable.


Sexy New Zbox Could Be The HTPC For You

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 05:00 PM PDT


With all this talk about Google TV, Apple TV, and other set-top boxes, it’s easy to forget about the venerable home theater PC. While the interface will be less intuitive than those other, flashier solutions (nobody likes navigating Windows or another desktop OS from the couch), the capabilities are endless and upgrading is straightforward. This new one is also as sleek and compact as a normal DVD player.

The Zotac Zbox combines a slot-loading Blu-ray drive/DVD burner with a new Nvidia Ion chipset in its latest iteration, and tops it off with a garnish of USB 3.0. That’ll be handy for transferring or playing HD content from USB 3.0-compatible external drives. It doesn’t come with a drive or RAM, though; you’ll have to supply your own.

The best part is that it wouldn’t look out of place on your components shelf. I like the design; you won’t have to hide it in a closet and run cables everywhere just so people don’t see your cheap, loud case.

iPod Touch: No Vibration, Only 256MB Of RAM, Slightly Inferior Screen

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 04:21 PM PDT


The teardowns and close-lookings-at of the new iPod touch have revealed a few things. First, there actually is no vibrating motor, as thought earlier, and second, the new iPod touch has half of the iPhone 4′s RAM at 256MB. What does this mean?

Well, considering 256MB is more than enough to run pretty much everything out there, I don’t think we’re going to see much in the way of serious performance differences here. Probably it would help with multitasking, handling video in the iMovie app, and browsing large web pages and galleries. But most of the time things should be dandy.

The screen is also slightly worse on the iPod touch, which is something we’ve seen before. I’ll wait until more professional comparisons are done before making a big deal out of that.

We’re still waiting to hear a legitimate reason for limiting the rear camera to 960×720 stills, though.

Philips Lights Up OLEDs Without A Power Adapter

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 03:30 PM PDT

Previously, if you wanted to use an OLED display, you had to use a power adapter. The problem was that OLEDs required low voltage to light up, instead of the standard (in Europe) 230v system. Now, scientists at Philips have announced that they have been able to design an OLED system that doesn’t require a step down transformer in order to work. This means that a device that uses an OLED lighting system won’t require the additional hardware components to change the voltage from whatever comes out of the wall to the low voltage previously needed.

Of course, this development in lighting technology will take a while to come to market, but the future does look bright indeed.

VLC On iPad? Only If It Escapes Apple’s Ban-Hammer

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT


App developer Applidium has been working for a few months on an iPad port of the popular, open-source, plays-anything VLC. They’ve submitted it for approval to Apple, but I really don’t know what its chances are.

Will it be rejected on the grounds of duplicating functionality? VLC certainly does more and plays more formats, but Apple may just not care. We’ll find out soon…

XMI Updates X-Mini Speakers

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 02:30 PM PDT

The original X-Mini came out a few years back as one of the best sounding portable speakers available on the market, and they even won a red dot award to prove it. Crave reports that XMI‘s updated X-Mini 1.1 combines the portability of the original, with a feature previously found only in the X-Mini II product.

What’s new? Well, XMI added a cover to the X-Mini 1.1. The cover serves a dual purpose in directing the sound from the speaker, as well as protecting the driver when not in use. The X-Mini 1.1 will be available later this month at your favorite electronics store and online retail outlets. Expect to see the X-Mini 1.1 priced at $19 – quite a reasonable price for a speaker that is rechargeable and will give you about 8 hours of playback time. You can also daisy chain multiple speakers together to increase the amount of sound coming out of your PMP.

True To Form, LaCie Releases Two New USB 3.0 Drives

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 02:25 PM PDT


Clearly the world can never have enough storage… or enough monkeys. LaCie has released two USB 3.0 drives, the Rikki and the Minimus, for small business and personal use. The Rikki, which we’ve covered before, now has USB 3.0 connectivity and apparently goes well with Euros while the Minimus, above, involves a monkey.

Other than the monkey bit, these are bog-standard hard drives in brushed aluminum cases and plenty of speed for grabbing big files. The Rikki starts at $99 while the Miniumus starts at $129.

LaCie debuts today sleek USB 3.0 hard drives for your desktop or pocket – the LaCie Minimus and LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0. Proving size does matter, LaCie delivers the industry's fastest transfer speeds at 5Gb/s* in its ultra-small Rikiki form factor – perfect for users that refuse to sacrifice performance for mobility; and the LaCie Minimus – for users that enjoy their terabytes as much as desk space.

Complementing their remarkably small sizes, the Rikiki and Minimus hard drives are encased in sturdy brushed aluminum for an elegant aesthetic appeal. The aluminum offers resilience from blunders, improved heat dissipation, and is fully recyclable.

Designed to be simple from the inside out, the Rikiki and Minimus come with LaCie's Software Suite to ensure seamless setup and backup support for Mac or PC. Additionally, each product comes with 10GB of Wuala online storage so you can securely store and share files online.

"The Minimus and Rikiki USB 3.0 offer our customers easy and affordable options to access the super speeds of USB 3.0," said Philippe Rault, LaCie Consumer Product Manager. "Since these products offer backward compatibility with USB 2.0, they will work on any PC or Mac with no worry."

Availability
The LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0 is available in 500GB/1TB capacities starting at $99.99. The LaCie Minimus is available in 1TB/2TB capacities starting at $129.99. Both products are available through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Corner, and LaCie Reseller+.

Rikki
Minimus

iPhone hacker discovers a new Jailbreaking exploit; to fix it, Apple must ship new hardware

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 01:24 PM PDT

The news is good for iPhone jailbreakers everywhere this morning — but for Apple? Not so much.

Just minutes after the iOS 4.1 update became available to all, iPhone hacker pod2g has revealed that they’ve discovered a new bootrom exploit, with all recently released iOS hardware seemingly being vulnerable. In less geeky words: the iPhone 4? the new iPod Touch? If it was built anytime before today, it’s theoretically jailbreakable — and there’s not a whole lot Apple can do to fix that.

Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

Galaxy Tab Gets UK Data Plans But Subsidized Price Still Elusive

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 12:37 PM PDT


The price of the Galaxy Tab is being rolled out as slowly as the device itself; early reports pegged it at €700 to begin with, or £679, or several other wildly different numbers — and then a Samsung exec flipped everyone’s bit by saying it would sell for under $300. It’s clear that it’ll probably be available both with and without a carrier picking up the tab (so to speak), but pricing for wireless data is still worth checking out.

The Tab will be coming to Three in the UK, and you can get a data only plane for £7.50/1GB or £15/5GB. That’s more generous than AT&T’s shockingly restrictive iPad plans, at least.

There’s still no legitimate subsidized or unsubsidized price in sight, though, so until Samsung elucidates us on that particular subject, we’re quite in the dark, especially if US numbers are going to be much different from UK ones.

Amidst Howard Stern Negotiations & Numerous Talent Firings, The Question Becomes: Where Are You Going, Sirius XM?

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 12:00 PM PDT

Sirius XM appears to be at a bit of a crossroads. Howard Stern, arguably the company’s most recognizable on-air talent, has all but decided to negotiate his new contract in public, recently stating that "I do get a little charge out of thinking that in December we might be done. I get a little turned on by that." Mere negotiating tactics, or a genuine feeling of wanting out? Who’s to say? I’m certainly no mind reader. Stern’s current contract has him making around $100m per year, and that’s something Sirius XM would like to change.

Howard Stern isn’t the only high-profile employee to run into Sirius XM’s belt-tightening.

Longtime Opie & Anthony producer Steve Carlisi, known to fans as Steve C., was let go earlier this week. The key is, he was let go and not replaced. Sound familiar?

Dave McDonald, who left Sirius XM’s Ron & Fez show earlier this year despite the best efforts of the Save Dave campaign, still hasn’t been replaced. That makes two producers (the other being "Hurricane" Earl Douglas, who’s since become a published author) the Ron & Fez show has lost in as many years who haven’t been replaced. (Dave McDonald has since moved onto WPJB public radio in New Jersey.)

At this rate the show will be little more than Ron, Fez, and Pepper Hicks all talking into a single iMic.

Big corporations—if you permit me to stretch the truth a bit and consider Sirius XM a "big corporation"—fire people all the time, but to fire so many producers without replacing them? It smacks of financial desperation, as if Sirius XM has convinced itself that you can have a successful radio show without a full team supporting the on-air talent. It doesn’t work that way.

Then again, I’ve never been in charge of a big, successful company like Sirius XM…

And not to think too much into this, but Opie, of the Opie & Anthony show, which has been on satellite radio since October, 2004, just tweeted that his latest contract offer (his current contract expires in October) from Sirius XM is a "joke and insult."

Way to treat your talent, Sirius XM.

The boys are on vacation this week, and I fully recognize that my idle speculation will no doubt have annoyed them, but these are the types of moves that don’t exactly fill the average Sirius XM listener with any sort of optimism.

And let’s not kid ourselves: outside of certain live events, talk radio is the only reason to subscribe to Sirius XM. We all have music-filled phones, we can all easily subscribe to Rdio or Pandora or take-your-pick. (When not listening to XM channel 202 during the day, I’m listening to Spotify and not COOL HITS RADIO STATION on Sirius XM.) The idea of paying for a one-to-many, top-down radio service in 2010 isn’t quite as appealing when you’re connected to the Internet 24 hours a day, and can hold decades’ worth of music in your pockets at all times.

Not to say that radio is dead, of course, but the idea of paying for radio seems a little out of place these days, particularly when the service is content with firing (and not replacing!) the talent that attracted us to it in the first place.

Of course, our comments are broken here a CrunchGear, so there’s no opportunity to either agree with me or call me a giant idiot.

/me kicks the tires

NES Coffee Table Is Both An NES And A Coffee Table

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 11:52 AM PDT


When people come over to my apartment, they gather after a few minutes that I like games, because there is a Super Nintendo on my coffee table. But they’d probably figure it out a lot quicker if my coffee table was an actual, functioning NES the size of a normal table. That’s just what Matt has, and it’s very… bold.

The table conceals a Wii (packed with VC games, I suppose), though I would have liked for there to be a real Nintendo inside the cartridge slot. Instead, the slot is a holding place for an enormous, working controller. That’s really what I meant when I said functioning. It’s not like you can just lay an NES game in there and it’ll go. But you know what I mean.

So awesome.

[via Kotaku]

Seiko Active Matrix EPD Watch Hands-On

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 11:29 AM PDT

The digital watch is back. Seiko's new Active Matrix EPD watch will get you excited about non analog quartz timepieces once again. Digital has been here all along you say? Yea, that is true, but no self-respecting watch lover would wear one unless doing the laundry, mowing the lawn, or engaging in some other highly pedestrian activity. Go to any country that is "watch civilized" (sorry fellow Americans, that doesn't include the US at this point), and wear a digital watch in a business meeting or with a suit. Sure that was OK in the 1980s, but that was 20-30 years ago. This new product from Seiko reintroduces you the hassle free lifestyle of the digital watch in a polished, and highly functional little package. The holy trinity here is a great display, always accurate time, and a battery that does not need changing. Read on for all that it does below.


Need A Good Dance? Here, Take This: The Best Music by George & Jonathan

Posted: 08 Sep 2010 11:28 AM PDT

Remember Cave Story? Two dudes (George & Jonathan) have spent the last 5 years cranking out tunes using Cave Story’s music engine, Piston Collage — and hot damn, these are some ridiculous tracks. My foot was tapping within a few beats of the first tune; by the mid-way point, I was shaking my ass so hard that I’m pretty sure I was, for that brief moment, technically considered a deadly weapon.

It’s probably easiest to describe the tracks as chiptunes, considering that they were made with a chiptune tracker. With that said, these are on a whole different level from most of the chip stuff that is out there. When chiptune gods Anamanaguchi have a raging clue over something like this, you know it’s special.

It’s like the Casino Night Zone from Sonic 2 smashed into Flash Man’s theme from Mega Man, with a bit of Toe Jam & Earl funk thrown on top.

Really: Just listen to it.
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