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Bell & Ross Vintage Original And Officer Watches

Posted: 22 Sep 2010 05:17 AM PDT

For 2010 Bell & Ross reinvents the "nice watch" again. You'll find a full (really full) selection of round cased watches to compliment their famous BR01 Instrument watches that come in large square cases. These new watches have confusing names that mix up "Vintage, Heritage, and Original," but you can forgive that because the designs are so darn easy to love.


AT&T Not Concerned About iPhone Defections — CEO Boasts That 80% Are Basically Trapped

Posted: 22 Sep 2010 03:41 AM PDT

At this point, my head is spinning. Earlier tonight, I wrote about how Verizon is still full-steam ahead on destroying the fabric of Android. Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, we have AT&T playing up the fact that they got a "D-" on a coverage test instead of an "F". I seriously just can't decide which carrier is worse. Earlier today, a study by Credit Suisse was released stating that 23 percent of iPhone users currently on AT&T would switch to Verizon if that carrier offered the phone. That number is slightly off from the 34 percent that was previously reported, but is still pretty massive. In total, that represents about 1.4 million customers that would jump ship from AT&T to Verizon without hesitation. But speaking today at the Goldman Sachs media and technology conference, Communacopia (yes, awful name), AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson had something interesting to say about possible defections.


Nintendo 3DS Specs Leaked

Posted: 22 Sep 2010 02:22 AM PDT


The Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo’s super-cool 3D handheld, will probably run a pair of ARM11 266MHz chips with 64MB RAM and a 133MHz GPU. These specs haven’t been confirmed, but IGN is pretty certain they’re accurate.

CPU: 2 x 266MHz ARM11
GPU: PICA200 133MHz GPU by DMP
RAM: 64MB
Video RAM: 4MB
Storage: 1.5GB Flash-based

Considering the original DS ran at 64 and 33MHz with a few megabytes of RAM while the DSi simply doubled that, you can see why folks would be excited.

via Giz


Blockbuster, She Is Dying

Posted: 22 Sep 2010 02:04 AM PDT

Blockbuster is about to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will close up to 800 stores. According to the WSJ, the move would wipe out Blockbuster’s debt and leave the company ready to take on the online market.

My question is this: Who still goes to Blockbuster? Anecdotally, I know our 80+ year old neighbors do – they enjoy a film now and again – but the physical stores are a millstone around BB’s neck. While I don’t wish any company ill, I feel like they missed the boat in electronic video streaming and are now idling on the shore watching everyone else enjoy the cruise. Hell of a metaphor there, really.

Place your bets: How many believe Blockbuster will be sold by 2011?

via Barrons


New Electronic Bracelet Tracks Your Every Move, Lets Others “Control” You Remotely

Posted: 22 Sep 2010 02:00 AM PDT

I am not sure if this is a good or bad idea: Japanese tech powerhouse NTT is working on a bracelet that identifies and tracks the wearer’s actions. The bracelet is equipped with a special mini camera, a microphone, and sensors for acceleration, light and direction.

The acceleration sensor measure how the user’s hands move, while the camera detects the color and other details of an object one’s hand. At the same time, the built-in microphone picks up nearby sound. Needless to say, all data can be sent to a computer and processed.

NTT says that data can be compared with previously saved information to identify the day-to-day actions the wearer performs remotely (cooking, cleaning etc.). For example, the system enables people to monitor what their elderly relatives are doing at specific times over a long distance.

According to NTT, the system (in its current form) is able to identify a total of 15 daily chores, with a 80-90% accuracy rate. The company plans to reduce the size of the bracelet and wants to achieve wireless data transfer before commercializing it.

The Kisai Round-Trip Watch: USB-Powered Crazy Watch

Posted: 22 Sep 2010 12:22 AM PDT

TokyoFlash has just released the Kisai Round-Trip, a colorful watch with a few tricks up its sleeve. The the $170 watch is USB-powered and you tell the time by reading the inside ring for hours, outer ring for three minute intervals, and two pips for individual minutes. It’s pretty rough to read.

Hours are displayed in the inner ring in orange, in the same position as hours on a clock face. Minutes are displayed in the outer ring in blue in three minute intervals in the same position as minutes on a clock face. Green LEDs show two single minutes at the bottom of the display. Check out the interactive operating guide below to learn more.

Interestingly, the watch is also powered via USB so you can charge it on the road. It’s an odd choice but I suppose TokyoFlash is realizing all these fancy lights take a little bit of power.


Daily Crunch: Telephoto Edition

Posted: 22 Sep 2010 12:00 AM PDT

Verizon: Our Apps Aren’t About Taking Over The Phone — It’s About “Choice”. Puke.

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 11:44 PM PDT

About a week ago, we noted that Verizon was gearing up to launch its own app store for Android phones. This app store, called V CAST Apps, would be completely separate from Android's existing Market for apps. In other words, it's Verizon kicking their partner Google in the man region. Of course, we all knew neither side would spin it that way. And sure enough, today we have Verizon's take. During their Verizon Developer Community Conference earlier this afternoon, the company took the time to respond to the charges that they were taking over control of Android devices with maneuvers such as this. Jkontherun has a good overview of what was said, but Verizon itself was tweeting key parts. Here's my favorite:


NVIDIA Readying Tegra 3, Plans For A New One Every Year

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 06:30 PM PDT

Although everybody seems to recognize the Tegra brand, there are precious few products actually using it, though it is suited to tablets and the next year may bring surprises. Certainly today brought a surprise in the form of NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang casually noting that Tegra 3 is nearly done and work is beginning on Tegra 4.

Very little was actually said about the chip, and no partners were announced. As for the announcement that they would come out with a new one every year, well, that’s a bit of abracadabra that any company can do. Package up what you’ve got and call it the next version. Hopefully NVIDIA will do a bit more than that, though.

We’ll probably hear more about Tegra towards the end of the year, when we’ll hear more about the makeup of all the upcoming tablets from HTC, HP, and so on.

Cam.ly Security Cam Offers Cheap Secure Video Streaming

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 06:00 PM PDT

Cam.ly is the latest company to offer a home security camera monitoring system. Built around an ARM processor, the Cam.ly is an IP camera, but with a difference – you can choose to store video footage on the camera or at the Cam.ly webserver. This provides DVR functionality without all of the equipment.

The Cam.ly has a few other things going for it as well. The ARM processor allows the camera to record video at H.264, using a built in encoder chip. You can also tell the camera to record all the time, or only when motion is detected. Cam.ly also works with any web browser that supports Adobe Flash – ideal for when you don’t want to install a dedicated application on your computer. Best of all is the price – the Cam.ly product sells on their website for $119. For more information check out the Cam.ly FAQ, and we’re also going to be reviewing it as soon as we can get our hands on one.

This Prototype Sony Telephoto Lens Has More Switches Than Your Camera

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 05:30 PM PDT


Call me old-fashioned, but I think a lens should be about the glass. You know, take you out to dinner, talk to you about the things you like, minimize chromatic aberration, and leave the image stabilizing newfangleness at home. But I still get gadget envy when I see the side of these prototype lenses for Sony’s Alpha system, currently being shown behind glass at Photokina. A beep switch? Why not!

[Image: Stephen Shankland; via CNET]

Blackpad Could Be Shown As Early As Next Week

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 05:00 PM PDT

Sources who claim insider knowledge say that RIM’s Blackpad – or the SurfPad – may be launching at their Devcon developer conference next week. That’s pretty much the extent of the new information in this WSJ article, which goes on to summarize everything known about the Blackpad and every other tablet on the market. Got to fill those inches, I guess.

Scosche Announces The freedomMIC For The Flip UltraHD

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 04:30 PM PDT

Looks like Blue isn’t the only company getting in on the Flip camera microphone market. Scosche’s offering is quite a bit more advanced though, with wireless Bluetooth controls, a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack, and DSP noise cancellation.

Scosche’s new freedomMIC plugs into the Flip UltraHD’s FlipPort, and will allow a user to have a microphone that works like a true wireless microphone system. To me, this significantly improves the usability of the Flip camcorders; we’ve never particularly cared for their audio quality. The freedomMIC will be available mid to late December, with an MSRP of $99.99. Not a bad deal.

From the press release:

Scosche Designs freedomMIC™ Lavaliere Mic for new Flip UltraHD 2HR Video Camera

The new mic is the company's first Designed for Flip Certified product

Oxnard, CA, – September 21, 2010 – Scosche Industries, an award-winning innovator of iPad, iPhone, iPod and now Flip video camera accessories, is proud to announce its first Designed for Flip certified product – freedomMIC™ lavaliere mic for the Flip UltraHD 2 HR/8 GB video camera. The Scosche freedomMIC receiver plugs directly into the UltraHD's FlipPort™, which will come standard on all future flip video camera models, to provide users with the ability to wirelessly record high quality audio to accompany the Flip's HD recording capabilities.

The freedomMIC features a high performance condenser microphone with DSP noise cancellation. Users can also wirelessly control record and stop functions remotely from the microphone/transmitter. The wireless system operates on Bluetooth Class 1 technology and provides up to 100 feet of wireless range. The complete system features the wireless transmitter and the microphone that that clips directly to the subject.

The freedomMIC is powered by rechargeable lithium ion batteries in both transmitter and receiver, which provide up to 4 hours of recording time. The receiver also features a pass-through tripod mount for securing the receiver to the camera and retaining the ability to use a tripod.

The Designed for Flip initiative teams Flip Video with leading companies in multiple product segments to provide a wide selection of general purpose and specialized products for both current and future Flip video cameras.

The freedomMIC will be available at scosche.com/flip/ and from retailers that selling the new Flip cameras that feature the new FlipPort line in mid to late December 2010 for $99.99 MSRP.

Follow Scosche at twitter.com/scosche or facebook.com/scosche for the latest news on the freedomMIC and all of Scosche's award-winning products.

Sigma’s SD1 DSLR Has 46 Megapixels, Kind Of

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 04:10 PM PDT


Now, I’ll be the first to admit that the Foveon sensor has its advantages, but I’m not sure the fact that your sensor has three layers means you get to triple the number of megapixels the camera “has.” I guess it technically does have all those pixels, but the output image will still be around 15 megapixels. Kind of a conundrum.

In any case, 15 is enough, and you’re guaranteed some serious image quality with that layered sensor. What else has this thing got for us?

Well, for such a long press release, there really isn’t a lot of information. It’s got a magnesium, weather-sealed body, 11 autofocus points, and it saves to CF type I cards. A 3″ LCD at 480×320 rounds out the package (I’m guessing they mean 460,000 dots, not pixels).

Not a bad camera by any stretch of the imagination, though they seem to be leaning very heavily on that sensor. A high-res LCD and large ISO range are really requisite these days for a camera to be competitive, from the sub-$1000 level to around $3000, at which point specialization kind of takes over. Since we don’t have a price or release date yet, it’s hard to judge where this thing lands. We’ll keep you posted, though.

Sigma SD1 Press Release

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the new SIGMA SD1 Digital SLR Camera, incorporating a 46 megapixel (4,800×3,200×3 layers) 24×16mm APS-C X3 direct image sensor.

The SIGMA SD1 is Sigma's flagship digital SLR model, adopting a lightweight yet solid magnesium alloy for its body and O-ring sealing connections to make a weather-resistant design throughout for use in harsh conditions.

The SIGMA SD1 incorporates a 24×16mm APS-C X3 direct image sensor and dual "TRUE (Three-layer Responsive Ultimate Engine) II "image processing engines. The combination of the 46 megapixel (4,800×3,200×3 layers) sensor and dual TRUE II processing engines ensure the high resolution images are processed quickly with high definition and a smooth and subtle graduation of color.

The SD1 is SIGMA's latest digital SLR camera which meets high requirements of professional and enthusiast photographers for all types of photography.

This product is showcased at Photokina 2010 in Koln, Germany.

46 megapixel 24×16mm APS-C X3 Full-color image sensor

The 46 megapixel (4,800×3,200×3 layers) 24×16mm APS-C X3 direct image sensor featured in the Sigma SD1 captures all primary RGB colors at each and every pixel location, ensuring the capture of full and complete color. Using three silicon-embedded layers of photo detectors, stacked vertically to take advantage of silicon's ability to absorb red, green and blue light at different respective depths, it efficiently reproduces color more accurately, and offers sharper resolution, pixel for pixel, than any conventional image sensor. Since color moire is not generated, the use of a low-pass filter is not required, meaning light and color, generated by the 46 megapixel APS-C X3 direct image sensor is captured with a three-dimensional feel.

Dual TRUE II image processing engine

The SD1 incorporates a dual "TRUE (Three-layer Responsive Ultimate Engine) II" image processing engine which improves the processing speed and overall quality of the final image. The unique image-processing algorithm provides high resolution power and reproduces high definition images with richly graduated tones.

CF card

The SD1 adopts the TYPE I CF Card. This camera is compatible with the UDMA enabling fast processing of large amounts of data.
* It is not possible to use Microdrives and TYPE II CF cards.

11 point twin cross sensor

The autofocus system features an 11 point twin cross sensor. The shifted twin cross type sensor improves AF accuracy.

Magnesium body

The Sigma SD1 adopts a lightweight yet solid magnesium alloy body designed to withstand rough use and shocks in harsh conditions.

Weather-resistant design

Buttons and connections benefit from O-ring sealing connections to prevent dust and water getting inside the camera body.

Large, highly visible 3.0" TFT color LCD Monitor

The SD1 camera features a 3.0 inch TFT color monitor. This 460,000 pixel resolution LCD monitor benefits from a wide viewing angle, making it easy to check focusing and composition.

Optional lenses

The SD1 can be used with over 40 Sigma lenses such as ultra-wide, ultra-telephoto, macro and fisheyes which adopt the latest technology such as the FLD ("F" Low Dispersion) glass elements, which have the performance equal to fluorite glass, SLD glass, Aspherical lenses, Sigma's own unique Optical Stabilizer function, Hyper Sonic Motor and Sigma's Super Multi Layer Coating. They meet the various and demanding requirements of all types of photographers.

[via Photography Bay]

Seismographers To Use Accelerometers In Hard Drives To Track Earthquakes

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 03:39 PM PDT


This is rather interesting. As you may know, most hard drives include accelerometers for the purpose of determining the drive’s orientation and movement, so that (presumably) the drive head can compensate for it. Seismographers have used distributed networks on laptops for this purpose before, but it seems that the data from laptops is just too unreliable.

Fortunately, there’s another huge set of unused accelerometers just waiting to be tapped: the server racks dotting every city.

IBM is looking into equipping these server racks with small programs that would monitor the accelerometers built into their drives. Since the servers don’t move much and their positions and orientations are static, the data they produce is much easier to sift through.

Right now IBM is working out the details, and hopes to roll out the system on their own datacenters in a few months, after which time they’ll try to convince others to put it on their servers as well. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

First “Gameplay” Footage Of Bioshock: Infinite

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 02:26 PM PDT


Bioshock in the clouds made its debut about a month ago, but this is the first we’ve seen of actual gameplay. If you can call this representative gameplay, since it’s a highly scripted sequence for a game that won’t be out for like a year and a half. Still, it gives you an idea of what the world will be like: mind-bogglingly gorgeous.

What do you want in the next iPhone?

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 01:33 PM PDT

Like nearly every Apple product, the iPhone wasn’t a complete package on day one. Call it product evolution, call it planned obsolescence; either way, it’s been a wild ride. Each iteration of the iPhone brought something that critics clamored for, something so obvious and necessary that, once it was in, it seemed almost impossible that the prior model lacked it. 3G! MMS! A front-facing camera!

Thing is, the list of oh-so-obvious additions is starting to run dry. Whereas Apple could once build their new iPhone by simply doing whatever competing handsets already did but better (or, at least, thats their goal), the number of spec-sheet-friendly discrepancies between Apple’s hardware and any other major smartphone is approaching zero. So with that, we turn to you, dear reader: What do you want in the next iPhone?

Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

Stan Lee, Bobby Kotick Stand Up For Free Speech Re: Video Game Sales

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 01:01 PM PDT

Attention, fellow gamers! We have a very powerful voice in our corner as it pertains to a lawsuit that could see the sale of certain games banned for under-18s. That voice, of course, is Stan Lee, the comic book legend. I mean, if even I know who Stan Lee is, then clearly he transcends the world of comic books.

The deal is that there’s a lawsuit in California, Schwarzenegger v. EMA/ Entertainment Software Association, that will pretty much decide whether or not TO BAN~! violent video games from being sold to minors. Normally, what happens to minors I could not care less about, but this strikes home. I was once a young lad, and played everything from Mortal Kombat to Grand Theft Auto to Whatever, and you don’t see me running around trying to hijack cars.

Anyway, Stan Lee said this:

I'm writing to urge gamers everywhere to take a stand and defend both the First Amendment and the rights of computer and video game artists by joining the Video Game Voters Network (VGVN). My memory has always been lousy and it's not improving with age. But it's good enough to remember a time when the government was trying to do to comic books what some politicians now want to do with video games: censor them and prohibit their sales. It was a bad idea half a century ago and it's just as bad an idea now. And you can do something about it.

He said more, but there’s an awful lot of words there.

You know who’s also on your side? Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard everyone loves to hate (primarily because he says some pretty annoying things, and quite frequently).

He says, powerfully:

The argument that video games present some kind of new ominous threat that requires a wholesale reassessment of one of our nation’s most treasured freedoms and to take that freedom away indiscriminately from an entire group of our population based on nothing but age is beyond absurd. These are the same attacks Americans have witnessed against every previous emerging entertainment medium and genre including books, comics, rock ‘roll, movies, TV and the Internet. In each case, freedom prevailed.

OMINOUS THREAT~!

Yeah, we’ll see if any of this has any impact on how the case is decided. As bankrupt as California us, you’d think it would be more concerned with, I don’t know, keeping police in the streets, than whether or not a 16-year-old buys Halo: Reach from Best Buy.

Droid X getting the Android 2.2 update tomorrow? [Updated]

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 12:38 PM PDT

Oh, Droid X. How I’ve loved writing about your always-impending Android 2.2 update for the past few months. A customer service agent said this; a leaked PDF said that! And yet, no update is to be found.

The big day, says the mountain of e-mails that just hit our tips box (seems like VZW corporate just clued retail people in), is tomorrow.

Update: Droid-Life is hearing the same thing, and they’ve got a shot of the memo for good measure.

Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

Trek Support Backpack Charges Your Gadgets, Plugs Into The Wall

Posted: 21 Sep 2010 12:00 PM PDT

So you’re traveling through the airport, and you’ve got your backpack loaded up with all your gadgets. You get through the security checkpoint, and now what? Well, how about if you could just plug your backpack in, and have it recharge all of your USB devices? What if that same backpack had a built in battery to recharge your devices whenever you need it too? Sounds cool, right?

The Trek Support backpack is a “checkpoint friendly” bag with a built in USB hub, and an extension cord that plugs directly into the wall to power that hub. This means that when you have a few minutes of down time between flights, or when you get to your hotel room, you can just plug the backpack into the wall and recharge up to 3 USB powered items at once. It’s also got mesh pockets for those gadgets, holds up to a 15″ laptop, and even has a built in rechargeable battery so you don’t even need to be plugged in all the time. Now, this is another Quirky project so the pre-order price is $130, but the final price will be $150. Personally, I like the design and the idea. My only concern would be how much weight is added by all the extra electronics required for the battery and charging system.
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