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Alesis StudioDock Pro Might Just Be The Reason To Buy An iPad

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:48 PM PST

This is the StudioDock Pro from Alesis. It’s a dock for your iPad giving you the I/O and connectivity your actually need to do music with a tablet. It has two XLR combo ins, MIDI in/out (also over USB), 2X stereo 1/4 outs. It’s getting serious.

Having an iPad that it’s truly connectible with the rest of your audio gear would be awesome. The StudioDock Pro is also protecting the unit. There is a protective bezel over the iPad and it should be closed on all sides so you can spill some beer on it. My only concern is the software and reliability. Otherwise, I’m buying.

There is no word on availability on Alesis’ website:

Apple Certification Pending.
iPad™, App Store™, Apple® and Mac® are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

I wonder if this will ever get approved.

Features:

AUDIO INPUTS

  • 2x XLR-1/4″
  • Individual gain controls
  • Phantom power, switchable
  • Guitar (high-impedance) switch on Input 2

AUDIO OUTPUTS

  • 2x 1/4″ Main
  • 1/4″ TRS Headphone
  • Individual level controls

VIDEO OUTPUT

  • RCA Composite (requires compatible apps)

CONTROL I/O

  • MIDI In (DIN)
  • MIDI Out (DIN)
  • USB MIDI (Host)
  • 1/4″ Footswitch (function assigned by apps)

57% Of Blu-ray Recorders, 23% Of Large-Screen TVs Sold In Japan Are Now 3D

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:23 PM PST

Japan is probably one of the markets with the highest penetration of 3D electronics currently. Tokyo-based research firm BCN [JP] today said that a whopping 56.8% of Blu-ray recorders shipped in the country last month were 3D-compatible, up from just 6.7% in September. Pictured above is the BD-AV70, a 3D-enabled Blu-ray recorder Sharp currently sells in Japan.

The company also found out that with an average price tag of $900, 3D-enabled recorders are 30% more expensive than their 2D counterparts.

Another 3D-related data point: 23% of all TVs sized at 40 inches or larger that were sold in Japan in December were 3D. In August, that number stood at below 3%, so the 3D market over here is obviously growing pretty quickly (even though 3D TVs still account for just 5% of all TVs sold in Japan).

Manufacturers also keep slashing prices. According to BCN, the average price for large-screen 3D TVs is $2,300 currently, which is $500 cheaper than a 40-inch BRAVIA 3D TV from Sony went for in August, for example.

Tokyo Control: Japan Gets World’s First 3D TV Series

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 09:28 PM PST

3D TVs may be nice and all, but they are totally useless without content. Now Sony and two Japanese broadcasters, major TV network Fuji and satellite channel SkyPerfecTV, are set to launch what’s being described as the world’s first 3D TV series.

Dubbed Tokyo Control [JP], the drama series centers on a number of protagonists working at the Tokyo Air Traffic Control Center. Sony was responsible for providing the 3D equipment and know-how, while Fuji actually created the program whose first episode will be aired on SkyPerfecTV on Wednesday next week (SkyPerfecTV has about 400,000 subscribers)

There are 10 episodes in total, with each one lasting around 60 minutes. The series will be simultaneously shown (in 2D) on Fuji TV.

According to the makers, Fuji TV employees went to Hollywood to ask the producers of Avatar for advice on how to effectively shoot pictures in 3D before writing the script.

Via ASCII [JP]

Nissan Apologizes For Slow Leaf Rollout

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 07:30 PM PST


Being the first affordable all-electric car on the market, the Leaf was kind of guaranteed to be a big seller. But their way of going about selling the thing seems to have given their customers unrealistic expectations of when their cars would actually arrive. People have been given extremely vague promises of when their car will arrive (“4-7 months”?), and theories have arisen in the community to the effect that Nissan is attempting to manufacture scarcity.

Nissan is hitting back, or rather soothing back, and has issued some statements regarding the rollout intended to get their customers to put down the pitchforks. Nissan’s Senior Vice President of Sales Brian Carolin says:

We probably gave an expectation of availability which in hindsight was too early. Our engineers are incredibly crucial and they want to make sure that every [Leaf] coming out of the gate is absolutely right. The rate of climb has been probably a little slower than you’d expect.

They were just taking their time in Japan to make sure everything was perfect. We’re at the leading edge of technology and the engineers just wanted to make sure that the car was absolutely spot on.

Fair enough, but I feel that Nissan really didn’t manage expectations very well. We all know they needed to get the name and the reservations out there as early as possible so they could ship before cars like the Ford Focus Electric and Tesla Model S stole their thunder. They might have overdone it a bit.

RIM Orders One Million Playbooks – Let The Games Begin!

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 07:00 PM PST


Last week we heard that Motorola is aiming to ship 800,000 or more of its Xoom tablet in Q1. Aren’t we like halfway through Q1 already? But I digress. Now RIM is showing its manufacturing volume cards. All one million of ‘em! Yes, RIM has placed its orders with manufacturers, and is hoping to ship a million Playbooks in Q1, according to Digitimes. That’s a lot! But as we’ve seen, the Playbook is actually quite a compelling device, and with other options on the market, consumers might actually be shopping around instead of driving straight to the Apple store.

News Corp’s The Daily iPad Newspaper Delayed By “Weeks, Not Months”

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 06:55 PM PST

While we may all have our own opinions on whether News Corp’s iPad-bound newspaper, The Daily, is a boondoggle or simply before its time, I think we were all at least looking forward to seeing what it was like. People were curious about Virgin’s Project (though I haven’t heard a word about it since), and naturally want to know what it is that Rupert Murdoch has spent so much money on. We heard a few days back that it would be making its debut on the 19th (with Steve Jobs rumored to be in attendance), but it seems that wasn’t in the cards.

All Things D has learned (from a slip-up at an internal News Corp meeting, no doubt) that The Daily will not, in fact, be launching next week, but has been put off to an unspecified date, probably some time in February. And they blame Apple! The nerve.

Continue reading…

Is This The Galaxy S Mini?

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 05:24 PM PST


It was only a couple days ago that we saw pictures of an alleged Galaxy S2, and now we have a baby-sized one that’s supposed to be its little brother. Specs ahead!

Continue reading…

T-Mobile G-Slate Hits The FCC, Doesn’t Show Its Face

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 04:39 PM PST


Oh Federal Communications Commission, you are such a tease. You show us just the outline of that sexy little tablet! At least, I assume it’s sexy. The model number of the G-Slate is LG-V900, but beyond that there isn’t much to glean here. It could very well be 9″, though, and that outline definitely shows a 16:9 aspect ratio. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, since the teaser video had the UI in 16:9. Motorola’s Xoom seems to be slightly closer to 16:10, but it’s likely they’re the same.

There’s still no release date, but with FCC approval and other tablets knocking at consumers’ doors, I think we can expect a more comprehensive announcement from T-Mobile within, say, two months.

[via Wireless Goodness]

Very Cool: Flashbulb Going Off, Filmed At 1052FPS

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 04:17 PM PST


There’s not a lot to say about this, but super-slow-motion shots like this are always cool, and this one of an old-school flashbulb is even cooler than most. The little tendrils are beautiful, aren’t they? Shot with a Phantom.

[via Petapixel and F Stoppers]

Trustafarians Return To Luxury With The Audi A6 Hybrid (Video)

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:30 PM PST

Green vehicles were the focus of this weeks North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Many carmakers are finally coming out with product lines full of new electric or electric-hybrid vehicles. And by “many,” think “everyone” in some way — even Porsche. So, it comes as no surprise that, along with the new Audi A6, comes the A6 Hybrid.

The A6 Hybrid is part of Audi's Electrification plan, which is all about getting the mileage up. They'll tell you that fuel consumption is going to be better and the tech is very advanced, which it is, but they won't tell you that they've had the technology to get similar fuel economy for years. It comes by way of the dirty D-word, which no one in America wants to talk about. That's neither here, nor there — though Mercedes and Audi have promised to use more of fuel whose name we dare not speak in the future.

It’s now time, all you well-to-do people, who preferred trending-out in a Prius, to return to the lap of luxury and solidity with the A6 Hybrid. It’s unlike other hybrid attempts by other luxury companies (the Mercedes S400, for instance) the A6 Hybrid isn't a mild hybrid, instead, the A6 is a parallel hybrid.

The A6's powertrain is based on the award-winning 211 hp, 2-liter TFSI gas engine, combined with a 45 hp electric motor, with power coming from a 1.3kWh battery located in the trunk, for a total output of 245 hp. Not only are we hearing sporty acceleration numbers, but also a 38 US mpg average fuel consumption, which is very good for this size of vehicle.

By using lots of aluminum and special steels, Audi was able to keep the weight down, but were also able to increase strength and torsional rigidity. While many believe that all Audis have AWD, the Hybrid opts for front-wheel-drive, losing the heavy Quattro system.

Some really neat tech features on the A6 are the optional MMI navigation with MMI touch, which we covered late last year, GPS based headlights (see video below), and the heads-up display, new to Audi and not on the 2011 A8. The heads-up display will feature a number of customizable features, and is placed far out onto the road, such that drivers won't have to refocus on the content. I'm personally excited about heads-up display and want to see more vehicles adopt this drive-style innovation. The A6 Hybrid will certainly come to the US. In fact, I'd put money on it that the A6 Hybrid was made just for the US. Everywhere else they accept the not dirty, but clean, D-word.

Video Highlights

Walk around
GPS Head-Lighting


Formula One Will Be Available In HD This Year (Finally!)

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:00 PM PST

Good news: Formula One will be in HD this year. You'd have thought that such a fancy racing circuit would be broadcast in HD already—how many years has Nascar been in HD?—but no; we've had to wait. Long overdue, yes.

The entire world feed will be in HD starting this season, which begins this March in Australia. That means it's up to your local F1 provider whether or not they want to carry the feed. The BBC has already said they'll carry the HD feed in the UK, and Speed here in the US has also committed to carrying it. Sighs of relief all around.

This makes the second big tech announcement concerning F1 that's been made in recent weeks, the other being that the FIA is looking to "greenify" the sport as much as possible with new, smaller engines with lower fuel consumption than the current models that will kick off in two years.

It's tough to stress how grateful I am for the transition to HD. How many years has HD been mainstream? I know I had one in time for the 2006 World Cup, and I'm well certain I was several years behind the curve already. But it's good to know that we can look forward to a year of Ferrari belly aching in HD.

Plainly, it's about damn time.

VBS.TV And Reddit Are Leading Us Into The Golden Era Of Information Discovery

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 02:34 PM PST

Something just happened online that is highly indicative of where we're headed in terms of new media. Look at these two stories on VBS.TV and Reddit. They are totally independent from each other and nine months apart, but the two sites are presenting readers with unparalleled access to a fascinating story: how an Oklahoman was inspired by a '60s-era underwater adventure show, went on to work at NASA to develop self-sustaining habitats, and is now developing an undersea colony off the Florida coast. One did the video and the other is hosting a nearly-live conversation with the NASA engineer right now.

It's stories like this – stories that would once rate a few feature pages in Discover magazine or Omni (remember Omni?) – that are now percolating through the Internet, to our benefit and to the detriment of old media who can't keep up. Now we get the real story sans any nonsense graphics, anticlimactic taglines or fluff. It's the future, everyone.

Read More

Linux Foundation posts schedule of events for 2011

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 02:30 PM PST

2010 was a busy year for the Linux Foundation, and their recently posted 2011 schedule suggests that this year will be just as interesting. In addition to LinuxCon and the Collaboration Summit in the US, there’s also LinuxCon Brazil, LinuxCon Japan, and for the first time ever LinuxCon Europe. The latter is running concurrently with the Linux Kernel Summit and the Embedded Linux Conference Europe.

The call for presentations is open at all of the Linux Foundation’s 2011 events. Since many of these events are invitation-only being a speaker might be a good way to get to attend. The CFPs (LinuxCon Europe, LinuxCon North America, LinuxCon Japan, LinuxCon Brazil) list a number of suggested topics, so if you have anything compelling to say about those aspects of Linux, submit a presentation!

You can register for an event, or submit a proposal in response to the Call for Presentations, at events.linuxfoundation.org.

Our Nomination For The Worst/Best Official URL Ever: “RIM.jobs”

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 01:08 PM PST

If you don’t know what the term “rimjob” means, I wouldn’t recommend Googling it. Mainly because if I did recommend it, I’d get fired. Lets just say this: it has absolutely nothing to do with cars. Or basketball.

If you do know what the term means, you’ll probably find it a bit entertaining that the url Rim.jobs is being used in a perfectly safe-for-work way. More accurately, it’s being used in a perfectly safe-for-getting-work way.

Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

A Tiny Sneak Peak At iPad Newspaper The Daily

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:20 PM PST

This little tidbit turned up when Poynter was inspecting the source of the placeholder site for Rupert Murdoch’s big iPad newspaper app. There’s no guarantee this little image is anything more than a mockup, or that the style is finished, or what have you, but hey. It happened, so we’re telling you.

Remember, the announcement is supposed to be happening on the 19th. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear more.

Tesla Contradicts BBC’s Opinion Of EVs With One-Day London To Edinburgh Drive

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 12:00 PM PST


One of the primary criticisms of electric vehicles is that they have a limited range. Well, yes, they do. And that’s not going to change any time soon. That’s why they’re being marketed as city cars, since (as Nissan is careful to point out in almost every press release) a large majority of drivers go less than 40 miles per day, and almost all go under a hundred.

If you’re driving long distances, an electric vehicle isn’t for you. Just like if you’re hauling lots of lumber, a Civic isn’t for you. But the BBC seems to feel this particular dead horse needs a few more kicks.

They’ve got a show right now with their man Brian Millighan trying to drive a Mini-E from London to Edinburgh, a distance of 400 miles and change. Predictably, he is having trouble making it in good time, what with the long charge times, scarce charging stations, and limited range of even a full battery.

I’m not sure whom this is aimed at. People in the market for an electric car will probably be informed by the dealer that a trip from London to Edinburgh is inadvisable. Electric cars are for in-city driving, trips to the suburbs, grocery shopping, taking the kids to school. They’re not for making cross-country journeys. Hell, I wouldn’t take my car on a cross-country journey.

At any rate,Tesla decided the show was something of an unfair slander, and decided they’d send their own guy in a Roadster, for the show Fully Charged. What do you think happened? With a longer range and quick-charge capability, the Tesla had no trouble doing it in a day. David Peilow left around 6:30 in the morning, and arrived late that evening, presumably passing up the BBC team sometime in the afternoon.

Of course, the Tesla costs far more and is a completely different class of car (to say nothing of being totally impractical for everyday use until the Model S comes out). But if the BBC can do a mini-series this ridiculous, the other side gets to make an equally biased showing. The final score is really BBC: 0, Tesla: 0, since no one should be driving their EV 400 miles in a day, but both go to show how important it is to consider the purpose and capabilities of the vehicle you’re driving.

The Nintendo 3DS May Give Gamers A 3D Video Camera

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:00 AM PST

When the Nintendo 3DS comes out in March, gamers may find something unexpected. Sure, it’s going to have a glasses-free top screen and a lower touch panel budled in with Wifi. But, wouldn’t it be really neat if there were a 3D camera that allowed video recording. Think of the augmented reality options! Mario could actually run around your living room table and eaten by your cat!

The developer, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Nintendo’s president, Satoru Iwata, recently talked about the possibility of 3D video recording on the 3DS. Miyamoto spoke that the 3DS’s 3D photo feature could be turned into a full 3D video recorder. Hopefully this new development doesn’t hurt the precious battery life.

CrunchDeals: TiVo Premiere DVR For $60

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 09:40 AM PST

TiVo‘s are great and without doubt the best DVR on the planet. How’s it better than your standard Comcast box? It’s like the difference between LEGO and off-brand interlocking blocks. They do the same thing, but one is just so much more developed — and generally priced higher, too. However, Woot has your back and is hawking a TiVo Premiere unit over on sellout.woot.com for only $60.

Yes, you still have to pay the $12.95 per month to use the TiVo service. Yes, you have to get a CableCard from your cable provide. Yes, your cable provider will throw a fit about you asking for a Cable Card. (Fun story: I once asked for four Cable Cards and Comcast rolled two trucks and four techs including a regional supervisor to my house.) But yes, if you’re a TV watcher, there’s nothing like a TiVo. Period. sellout.woot.com

Baby, It’s Cold Outside (So Your iPhone Exploded)

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 09:31 AM PST


Maybe this is all apocryphal, but a woman in Norway, while wandering in the icy wastes of the frozen North in minus 14-degree weather, picked up her iPhone only to find it had shattered in the cold. She took the phone back to the Apple Store and the geniuses refused to repair it, citing that the phone is not designed to withstand temperatures below freezing or above 35 degrees Celsius.

To be fair, the iPhone will warn you when it’s gotten too hot but sadly it won’t scream in outright pain as it is exposed to ill arctic winds.

Read More

This Is a Boba Fett Spartan Helmet

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 08:15 AM PST

This is a Boba Fett Spartan Helmet. No, you can’t have one. The guy who made the helmets for 300 painted this one to look like the Boba Fett helmet in Return of the Jedi. You will see nothing cooler than this today nor would you even want to.

via Technabob


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