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Netbook Sales Are Crashing! Quick! Blame The iPad, Not The Lousy Netbooks!

Posted: 17 Sep 2010 05:42 AM PDT

Well what do you know? Netbook sales are so low right now that a recent report by NPD, Morgan Stanley Research lists last months sales as negitive number. That’s right, people are apparently selling the notebooks back or something. (not really, but no one is buying netbooks right now)

Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty’s report is intended to show the state of the netbook market and since the iPad was announced, netbooks declined steadily. She states that the iPad is partially responsible to the loss sales. August saw a 4% decline over last year’s numbers and apparently September will produce similar numbers. If the back to school spending spree can’t save netbooks, nothing can. Not even Santa.

I couldn’t agree more with the claim that the iPad hurt the netbook market, but let’s not put the netbook’s huge decline totally on the $500 iPad. You can’t convince me that netbook and iPad shoppers are the same demographic. Netbooks had their 15 minutes of fame last year and were already on a steady downward trend by the time the iPad hit the market in April. Could it be that mainstream consumers finally wised up and opted for a modern notebook instead of underpowered crap? I sure hope so.

Best Buy’s CEO recently stated to the Wall Street Journal that internal estimates pegs the iPad with cannibalizing notebook sales by as much as 50%. That seems more like it. A good chunk of customers that walk into Best Buy looking for a laptop, expect to pay a certain amount and the iPad is at the low-end of that scale.

Tablets in general will probably appeal to those that have a working computer but are just looking for a fresh experience. Netbooks somewhat filled that market the last year, but the early hardware paired with Windows Vista likely turned off most buyers from exploring that route again and can perhaps partly explain their massive decline. Either way, I can’t wait for the tablet to kill the netbook star.

Videos: Bipedal Robot Vehicle Core

Posted: 17 Sep 2010 05:42 AM PDT

I’m telling you, Terminators are just around the corner. Just look at what a team of researchers at Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT) has developed: a very cool robotic vehicle that stands on two legs. Dubbed core [JP], it’s an impressive 1,915mm tall and weighs 230kg.

As you can see in the videos embedded below, core is able to carry payloads of up to 100kg while bending its knees and walking around. The CIT says its robot is the only one that can handle that kind of weight. core has a total of twelve joints (six in each leg).

The goal is to use core as for a mobility robot that’s supposed to be finished in the form of a practical version by 2012.

Here’s core performing a couple of moves:

This video shows him handling a 100kg payload:

Via Robonable [JP]

Sony: PlayStation Move to hit U.S. store shelves September 19

Posted: 17 Sep 2010 05:08 AM PDT

As anticipated, Sony’s motion control system, PlayStation Move, will be available exclusively for the PS3 at retail stores across North America on Sunday, September 19, later than expected but still way before Microsoft’ Kinect hits the market (coincidentally, I just played with Kinect for the first time this morning, courtesy of Microsoft, and absolutely loved it).

Anyway, PlayStation Move relies on the PlayStation Eye cam, along with internal motion sensors in the PlayStation Move motion controller and the PS3 system itself, to detect the movement, angle, and position in 3D space of the user, thereby allowing users to play “as if they are within the game”.

Update: for the record, if you’ve pre-ordered the system you’ll be able to pick it up starting today (Sept 17) – the September 19 date is for when PlayStation Move will be pushed to new customers in stores across North America.

Close to 30 titles offering PlayStation Move functionality have been announced to date, including Killzone 3, Kung Fu Rider, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 and Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition.

For those who already own a PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Move Bundle sells for $99.99. It includes a PlayStation Eye, one PlayStation Move motion controller, a copy of Sports Champions on Blu-ray disc, and a PlayStation Move game demo disc.

For consumers who don’t yet own a PS3 system, the PS3 Sports Champions Move Bundle for $399.99 includes all of the above, as well as a 320GB HDD model PS3 system. For those who already own a PS3 and PlayStation Eye camera, motion controllers will retail separately for $49.99 and the optional navigation controller will retail for $29.99.

Let us know what you think of the prices, and if you’ll be buying – and why (not) of course.

(Press release)

What the Deuce? iOS On An HTC Android Phone?

Posted: 17 Sep 2010 04:27 AM PDT

I’m 99.999999999% sure this is fake, but it’s a pretty compelling little video nonetheless. Greg isn’t up to completely debunk this but it appears to be iOS running on HTC MyTouch hardware – and running quite well. Let’s just assume this is a thought experiment and until we can gather any more info we’ll leave it at that.

via Shanzai


Buy A NASA Hasselblad Camera

Posted: 17 Sep 2010 04:17 AM PDT

Want to stage your own moon landing? Pick up one of these nice Hasslblad cameras for $35K or so and take some pictures of a flag waving on a windless moon while your partner and a boom mic is reflected in your dome-like helmet.

From the ‘pedia:

In 1962, NASA began to use Hasselblad cameras on space flights, and to request design modifications. The first motor-driven camera, the 500EL, appeared in 1965[3] as a result of NASA requests. While Hasselblad had enjoyed a slowly but steadily growing reputation among professional photographers through the 1950s, the publicity created by NASA’s use of Hasselblad products dramatically increased name recognition for the brand.

Basically this is one of the most famous cameras in the world. It went into space, came back, and took great pictures. While it’s not much in the looks department, it’s a sexy beast.

Auction Page via BB

Robots To Flip Through And Scan 170 Page-Books in 1 Minute

Posted: 17 Sep 2010 04:02 AM PDT

Scanning or copying books will get a lot more comfortable in the future, thanks to the Ishikawa-Komuro lab at the University of Tokyo. The lab has already developed an awesome prototype of a camera that shoots “3D” pictures of pages while a human quickly flips through a book (see video below).

Now Japanese business daily The Nikkei is reporting that the university and major printing company Dai Nippon are planning to develop a high-speed copier that can take 500 pictures per second. The aim is obviously to make digitizing books and any other printed material much easier.

That high-speed scanning system mentioned above (and shown on video below) is able to capture about 170 pages in 60 seconds. The new system is expected to be ready by 2012, with Dai Nippon saying it plans to develop “robots” to turn the pages.

Here’s the current system (which still requires a human touch):

A Video In Which Sony Is All Like “Motion Will Kill Nintendo”

Posted: 17 Sep 2010 03:54 AM PDT

Just when you thought you couldn’t care about anything anymore we have Sony’s “Wii-killer” teaser for the Motion. I’d say this is one of the most ham-handed ads I’ve seen in a while. Thoughts?

Ask Dr. Fitness & The Fat Guy

Posted: 17 Sep 2010 03:12 AM PDT

Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy are Dr. Adam Shafran and Lee Kantor, two guys in Atlanta who talk fitness online and over the air. We asked them to answer a few reader questions and invite you to send in your questions to tips @ crunchgear dot com with the subject line “FITNESS.” Include your geographical location. We’ll run these Q&A sessions regularly.

How accurate are the calories burned on treadmills. Did I really burn 1000 calories? – Tom, Scranton

You probably didn’t burn 1000 calories the last time you worked out. Those calorie counters on exercise equipment are about as accurate as those stickers at the car dealer that says Estimated 28 MPG Highway, 21 MPG City.


The caloric expenditure that you see on your treadmill is an estimate based upon your gender, age and weight and also factoring in the speed you are going plus the incline of the treadmill. Obviously there are several other significant variables that a treadmill cannot program onto the screen – such as body composition, conditioning and resting metabolic rate. FYI holding onto the side rails lowers the amount of calories you’re burning dramatically.

It never fails, I am always working out after the “sweaty guy.” How do you get the oblivious guy with a glandular problem to clean off his sweat at the gym? – Marla, Toldeo

Two factors immediately come to mind. How big is he? And how big are you? I have found the best strategy for a successful outcome in this area is to deploy an attractive female with a small voice but very large pectorals to have this conversation for you.If that doesn’t work, let the gym manager deal with it. Dr Fitness makes it a point to bring a large towel to the gym which acts as a barrier between his sensitive skin and the musty machine pads. The Fat Guy, who is a bit of a germaphobe, has been known to work out in SCUBA gear.

What are some good choices at the salad bar and what should I avoid? – WARHAMMER, WoW

Salad bars can either be a blessing or a curse when it comes to healthy eating. On one hand, you have loads of wonderful fruits and exotic vegetables like jicama, avocado, artichokes, legumes as well as lots of low-cal vegetarian based soups. On the other hand, that same salad bar is going to tempt you with high calorie muffins, cream-based soups, pastas, rich sauces, ice cream and breads. So a good strategy when you hit the salad bar is to start off with a broth based soup. This will fill you up without fattening you up. Then after the soup make your way back to get a salad. Go heavy on the veggies and light on the dressing – Dr Fitness avoids salad dressing altogether. Remember to slow down and explore the variety of vegetables salad bars typically offer.

I’m thinking about running my first marathon. How long does it take to prepare? – Joel, Portland

The time it takes to prepare depends upon your current physical condition. Someone who is not conditioned and overweight will need far more time to prepare than a fit person. Most people set aside 6 months to a year to train for their first marathon. Your goal should be to complete the event without any injuries. Dr Fitness has run lots of marathons and he says that joining a running group is the way to go. Just contact your local running store to find a running group near you. The last marathon the Fat Guy finished was the Psych marathon on USA Network.

Think You Can Build A Better Motherboard? Maybe You Can Win One

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 08:30 PM PDT


Every once in a while, when I’m digging around in my PC’s guts, trying to connect one thing or disconnect another, I get ideas about how things could be better if only the mobo had this thing there and that thing over here. If you have similar flashes of insight, maybe tell ASRock, maker of quality mobos, who is currently running a contest: tell them ideas for what you want in your next motherboard, and the top ideas will win some ASRock hardware.

To enter, you have to leave your idea in the comments over at Tom’s Hardware. Here’s mine: on-board display for changing BIOS settings without powering up the whole enchilada.


Microsoft Expects To Sell Over 3 Million Kinects This Year

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 07:30 PM PDT


Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment head said in a meeting with the WSJ that he expects to sell over 3 Million Kinects in 2 months. The Kinect is launching this November 4th, and the will retail for $149.99.

In addition to the stand alone Kinect units, Microsoft is also releasing a bundled Xbox 360 with a Kinect, which will retail for $299.99. It’s possible that MS is being overly optimistic, particularly given that Sony is releasing their Move controllers this holiday season as well.

[via Techflash]

Minox Talks About Their Glasses-Free 3D Camera

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 07:00 PM PDT

PhotographyBlog revealed that Minox is planning on unveiling their latest, the PX3D camera at Photokina. The PX3D is intended to capture images in 3D and display them without the need for glasses. Minox hasn’t disclosed exactly how they plan on accomplishing this feat, but we should know all the details next week.

AppleTV Will Run iOS, Might Be Jailbreakable

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 06:30 PM PDT

With the new AppleTV coming out later this month there’s been quite a bit of discussion about if it would be running on the new iOS system, or something else. The good news is we now know – configuration files in the iOS 4.2 beta have confirmed that the AppleTV will be running iOS.

This means that the AppleTV might end up being more attractive to advanced users after all. Since the AppleTV will be running iOS, this makes it a possible platform for jailbreaking. Assuming that it is possible to jailbreak the device, that could allow enough customization to overcome the shortcomings in the new device. TUAW was the first to report the presence of a device ID in the configuration files named “AppleTV2,1″. This provided the proof of Apple’s intent to run the AppleTV on iOS.

[via Ars Technica]

Logitec Announces The World’s Smallest Bluetooth Earphones

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 06:00 PM PDT

Logitec announced their newest product today, something that they are selling as the world’s smallest Bluetooth earphones. Weighing in at a mere 1/3 of an ounce, the LBT-PCHP02 earphones just might qualify for the title.

The LBT-PCHP02 are rated as Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and will be available for shipping to the U.S. when they come available in October. Battery life is around 4 hours, which is a bit limiting. They come in four colors; black, gold, pink, and silver, and have multiple sizes of ear tips as well. MSRP (which is what you’ll pay) is $54 a pair.

Intel Taking Atom Process To 15 Nanometers – That’s Really Tiny

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 05:30 PM PDT


For years, makers of computer processors have worked to shrink the size of their components. The smaller your circuits and gates, after all, the more you can fit on a wafer, and the more work a processor can do per unit of area. Intel has traditionally done a die shrink every other year, and reorganized their chips on the “off” years. Interestingly, I wrote two years ago about how engineers considered the switch from 22nm to 16nm to be “insurmountable.” Guess they surmounted it!

Actually, Intel’s CTO (you have to be kind of smart to have that job) said at the time that we’d hit the wall sometime in the next ten (now eight) years. Certainly that hasn’t happened yet, as it seems that Intel already has 15nm chips on their roadmap. 15nm is a ridiculously small amount of space; if you were 15nm tall, you’d constantly be getting knocked over by atoms.

In order to maintain Moore’s Law, at some point we’ll have to change things drastically, like stacking processor layers and cooling them with nanocanals. I know, sounds like science fiction, and it is — today. But 15nm-based processors were science fiction a couple years ago, and here we are.

[via CNET]

Help Build The World’s Largest Repository Of Laptop Repair Manuals

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 05:00 PM PDT

Looking for a repair manual for your laptop? Odds are, you can find it on Tim’s website. Apparently for about the last year, Tim has been compiling ever single laptop repair manual he can find. And now he needs your help.

How can you help? Well, Tim needs donations. He’s gone as far as he can on his own, and sent out an appeal for help via Reddit. Apparently many of the manuals he doesn’t have yet require payment, which he is unable to pay for out of pocket. Nor should he be expected to either, to be honest. So if you need a repair manual, or you want to help Tim with his quest with a donation, jump over to his site and check it out.


Samsung: Galaxy Tab Coming To AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, And Sprint

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 04:22 PM PDT


We’re live at the Samsung Galaxy Tab event in New York, and Samsung has just announced what we pretty much knew from last week’s rumors: their tablet will be launching on all the major carriers. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint will all have the device.

Continue reading…

Live Blog: Samsung announces their “latest Android-powered device” in NYC

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 03:58 PM PDT

Deep in the heart of New York City, where the weather has made a surprise turn for the worse and Tornado warnings (seriously) are on everyone’s lips, Samsung is about to announce their iTunes-esque media rental service, Media Hub, and… something else.

What that “something else” is is supposed to be a mystery, with Samsung only saying that they’ll be talking about “their latest Android-powered device”.

Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

Air Display For iOS Gets Windows Support

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 03:46 PM PDT


Want to use your iPad to extend your XP machine’s screen area, but have an inexplicable objection to iDisplay? Air Display to the rescue!

Continue reading…

TravelTeq Suitcase Doubles As A Chair, Speaker System

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 03:21 PM PDT

Acquire points us to this weird TravelTeq aluminum suitcase that folds out to turn into a seat (for long waits at the airport) and has a small protective case that pops out for your laptop or other sundries. There’s also an option charging and speaker system that can be built-into the case.

This doesn’t come cheap – they start at $700 – but aren’t you worth it, sleepy travelling man? Aren’t you?

Peek 9 Is Real, No One Knows What It Is

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT

Big news for people who use Peek devices, although they probably don’t read CrunchGear. There’s a new device being launched tomorrow, with a MSRP of $69.99. Of course, we have no idea what the device does, but we’ll update this story when we know more. They wouldn’t even let us peek at it, but CEO Amol Sarva did confirm that there is a device coming, he just wouldn’t say what it is.


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