CrunchGear |  |
- Konstantin Chaykin Lunokhod Watch
- Daily Crunch: Farewell To The Social Edition
- Kinect Now Used In Medical Research In Place Of $150,000 System
- A Legacy Lives On: T-Mobile Sidekick Reborn As The Android-Powered Sidekick 4G
- Let The Honeyclones Begin: The Pioneer DreamBook ePad H10 HD
- Tablet Camera Throwdown: iPad 2 Vs Motorola Xoom
- Apple A5 Teardown: It’s Bigger And Better
- Sneakers Built From Computer Parts Look Amazing, Amazingly Uncomfortable
- TouchPad In June, webOS On PCs in 2011, Says HP’s Apotheker
- R.I.P. Microsoft Zune, 2006-2011
- Video: Q&A With Yobongo’s Caleb Elston At SXSW 2011
- A Lego Like Light That Lights When You Like (Video)
- Ladoire Black Widow Watches Hands-On
- Bang And Olufsen Bring 16 Speakers To The New BMW 6-Series Coupé
- Fisker Karma Gets Delayed. Again.
- MicroCenter Takes Up To $200 Off MacBook Pro
- M-Edge’s Case Designer Lets You Customize Your iPad, Kindle, Or Nook
- Google Maps Can Now Locate EV Charging Stations
- AT&T DSL Adopts 250GB Monthly Bandwidth Cap
- Apples To Apples: Apple Inc. Files For Apple Corps’ Old Apple Logo Trademark
| Konstantin Chaykin Lunokhod Watch Posted: 15 Mar 2011 05:27 AM PDT  Is "Konstantin Chaykin" like the dark version of "Vacheron Constantin?" At very least the name sounds like the Russian version but then again "Konstantin Chaykin is a Russian name. While most of his work is in the clock category, Konstantin Chaykin now debuts a fascinating timepiece that he called the Lunokhod. The watch focuses on its novel moon phase indicator, and has a really interesting design that seems to fit with the brand's motto "religion of time" (sounds creepy, I know).
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| Daily Crunch: Farewell To The Social Edition Posted: 15 Mar 2011 12:00 AM PDT | ||||||||||
| Kinect Now Used In Medical Research In Place Of $150,000 System Posted: 14 Mar 2011 10:24 PM PDT
The Kinect has only been out for a few months and it has been used for a bunch of different purposes and even broke a Guinness World Record for sales. Now, Kinect can add another milestone to its resume: medical research. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found a way to use the Kinect in place of a $100,000 system to monitor children being diagnosed with OCD and ADD. Professor Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos said that, “As a doctor, you don’t have tangible data. We try to provide the tools in order to back up claims of a mental disorder.” The data he is referring to is now gained from a tweaked version of Kinect. The Kinect has proven itself to be an amazing device, especially at its price point. “Something we can do three years down the line, we can do it today because of technology that was destined for the gaming industry. I don’t think Microsoft has realized that [Kinect] is something that could change medicine,” said Papanikolopoulos. The research recently won a $3 million grant from the NSF to use Kinect in observing and analyzing abnormal movements and behaviors in children. [via 1up]
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| A Legacy Lives On: T-Mobile Sidekick Reborn As The Android-Powered Sidekick 4G Posted: 14 Mar 2011 09:00 PM PDT
Call me a nerd, or call me nostalgic — but I loved the Sidekick series. Though that love fizzled over time (partially due to hardware issues in the later Sidekicks, partially due to the fact that smartphone prices plummeted while their user-friendliness skyrocketed), the first three Sidekicks are still some of my favorite devices ever. Today, just two weeks after T-Mobile and Microsoft announced that they’re pulling the plug on the old Sidekick cloud servers, T-Mobile is officially unveiling something they (and I) hope can bring life back to the Sidekick series: the Android-powered, Samsung-made Sidekick 4G.
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| Let The Honeyclones Begin: The Pioneer DreamBook ePad H10 HD Posted: 14 Mar 2011 07:44 PM PDT
It costs $700 (Australian) naked and is actually quite competitively specced: Tegra II 120 (it’s what’s in many upcoming Honeycomb tablets), a gig of RAM, a 10.1″ 1280×800 capacitive screen, dual cameras (5 and 2 megapixels), 16-64GB SSD, GPS, 3G, and yes, it ships with Honeycomb.
They’re shipping in April (supposedly), but don’t blame me if it gets lost in the post between Australia and wherever you live. If you’re looking for an “off-brand” Android tablet, wait a couple months and there will be a hot dozen to choose from. The price will go down, too; even the clones can’t beat the iPad on price right now, hardware differences aside. [via Ausdroid and Unwired View]
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| Tablet Camera Throwdown: iPad 2 Vs Motorola Xoom Posted: 14 Mar 2011 06:33 PM PDT
We have to level with you. The iPad 2 has some flaws. One would only expect that the iPad 2, a device many many months ahead of the iPhone 4, would have an equal or better quality camera. Sadly, it doesn’t. So to see just where the iPad 2 camera ranks with the rest of the meaningful tablets, Macworld thoroughly tests them. The baseline for the test is the Canon PowerShot S95, a camera that continues to blow our minds for its size. While it isn’t fair to compare the S95 with any of the mobile devices, it does put things into perspective.
So what to take away from the testing? Tablet cameras aren’t very good. But the iPad 2 isn’t much better or worse than the rest of the relevant tablets. [via 9to5mac]
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| Apple A5 Teardown: It’s Bigger And Better Posted: 14 Mar 2011 05:34 PM PDT
It’s still more or less “off the shelf,” and manufactured by Samsung at the moment (though it’s possible that will change with Apple’s recent partnership with TSMC), but that doesn’t stop it from being an effective hardware combination and one they have not failed to take advantage of. As we saw over the weekend, the performance gains are nothing to scoff at. Keep an eye on the Chipworks blog for further updates.
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| Sneakers Built From Computer Parts Look Amazing, Amazingly Uncomfortable Posted: 14 Mar 2011 04:43 PM PDT
[via Gearlog]
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| TouchPad In June, webOS On PCs in 2011, Says HP’s Apotheker Posted: 14 Mar 2011 04:30 PM PDT
He also remarked that he wanted webOS to make its PC debut this year — though a full roll-out would have to wait until 2012. I’m interested by skeptical. PCs are PCs and tablets are tablets. I think crossing the breeds may make for a bit of a mutt.
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| R.I.P. Microsoft Zune, 2006-2011 Posted: 14 Mar 2011 02:40 PM PDT
Not exactly unexpected; the Zune hardware hasn’t changed since mid-2009′s release of the Zune HD, although it has received several significant software upgrades. The writing has been on the wall for a long time, but whether Microsoft would double down (again) or cut their losses was far from clear. Let’s just have a quick trip down memory lane. CrunchGear was one of the first in the world to see the Zune after a Microsoft employee unwisely (or perhaps wisely) left one on the table at a Seattle dive bar with bloggers around. We covered it feverishly, as it seemed to be a dark horse competitor to the iPod that might actually stand a chance. The unique (but cumbrous) sharing features, the brown shell (which, despite ridicule, was their most popular Zune), and the obtuse advertisements all suggested… well, something new and interesting.
Various updates brought us to today’s Zune HD and Zune software, both of which must be complimented for a truly original and effective interface. I still use the Zune HD and it still gets compliments. But sales were never what Microsoft hoped, perhaps because of Microsoft’s on-the-fence attitude about apps and additional functionality. While the iPod touch is plainly billed as an iPhone sans phone, the Zune was billed as being all about the music – except it was all about the cloud – except it had apps – except it didn’t have a clock – except it was in Windows Phone 7 – except it was in the Kin… and so on. It wasn’t a total albatross (it’s sold several million and the streaming service is well-liked) but that’s not much to throw in the face of the indomitable iPod. It’s a sad story, one of many in which Microsoft is unable to find the right gun for a bullet. However, with the choice to integrate with WP7, and the imminent roll-out of WP7 via Nokia, the Zune service will probably live on, though almost certainly as part of a larger media and data cloud service (perhaps the “Ventura” project they’re hiring for). Their forward-thinking pioneership in streaming and subscription music (now reflected in cloud music services like Rdio and Spotify) are not forgotten, either. Zune DNA, and hardy DNA it is, will survive in the Metro interface and everywhere else thin, clipped sans-serif text is found. One could say this was their plan all along, as part of their “three screens” wraparound service, but the fact is it’s been plan B all along, and now that the Zune has failed to dent Apple’s share from the media player side, they’re going to try a different tack. As for the player? No new hardware means the Zune HD is the last of its breed, though it will likely be sold for a while longer. Hell, at $179 I still think the 32GB version is a great deal. And now that you know there won’t be a Zune HD 2, the original is, in a way, future-proof. So long, Zune. It’s been a long, brown trip.
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| Video: Q&A With Yobongo’s Caleb Elston At SXSW 2011 Posted: 14 Mar 2011 02:31 PM PDT
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| A Lego Like Light That Lights When You Like (Video) Posted: 14 Mar 2011 02:16 PM PDT
Check out this Lego Like light; yes, the Facebook Lego Like Light. Using Aduino, redpepper was able light up their Lego Light anytime someone liked their Facebook page. It was all made possible when Facebook opened up their Graph API, allowing developers to grab Like data. Just a few simple scripts and a few wires, and the Like Light came alive. [via nowhereelse.fr]
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| Ladoire Black Widow Watches Hands-On Posted: 14 Mar 2011 01:48 PM PDT  Hands-on with the entire Ladoire Black Widow collection of circa $65,000 watches. This is how the rich say "I am alternative."
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| Bang And Olufsen Bring 16 Speakers To The New BMW 6-Series Coupé Posted: 14 Mar 2011 01:38 PM PDT
BMW announced today the all-new BMW 6 Series Coupé with a Bang and Olufsen sound system with 16 loudspeakers driven by 1,200 watts of power. There are seven tweeters that come paired with mid-range speakers for consistent sound. The other two speakers are the two massive subwoofers mounted to the car body under the front seats. This method ensures there aren’t any vibrations or rattles from the subwoofers. Once the sound system is powered on, a speaker grill in the center of the dashboard pops up to reveal a large acoustic lens for projecting 180-degrees of sound. This sounds like the most tuned sound system in a car ever. It’s similar to having a team of professional engineers come install a massive system in our leather covered home theater. The new Bang & Olufsen system for the new BMW 6 Series Coupé will arrive in fall 2011.    Press Release Struer, March 2011 – Introducing the Bang & Olufsen High-End Surround Sound System for the all new BMW 6 Series Coupé – the first in-car sound system developed by Bang & Olufsen for world-renowned car manufacturer, BMW. In September 2010, Bang & Olufsen announced the partnership with German car manufacturer, BMW. The fruits of this exciting partnership, the Bang & Olufsen High-End Surround Sound System for the all new BMW 6 Series Coupé, will arrive at dealer showrooms in fall 2011. "We at Bang & Olufsen are proud to present such a spectacular car sound system for a car as unique as the all new BMW 6 Series Coupé. The cooperation between BMW and Bang & Olufsen is a true win-win for our customers and we very much look forward to bringing this first, joint audio product to the market. This enables the numerous Bang & Olufsen fans among BMW drivers to experience the same Bang & Olufsen sound experience as they do at home," says Tue Mantoni, CEO of Bang & Olufsen. Now that concept has become reality, it is time to reveal the finer points of the Bang & Olufsen High-End Surround Sound System for the all new BMW 6 Series Coupé. High-end sound meets high-end technology With 16 active loudspeakers driven by 1,200 watts of power, the Bang & Olufsen High-End Surround Sound System for the all new 6 Series Coupé has all the power it needs to deliver rich, convincing sound. Each of the seven tweeters is paired with a mid-range loudspeaker to deliver a homogeneous loudspeaker set-up, while the two potent subwoofers located under the front seats are directly mounted to the body of the car. This BMW-patented design eliminates vibrations from the subwoofers to produce an even cleaner sound performance. The all new system also incorporates Dynamic Road Noise Compensation, which uses sound data gathered from a microphone mounted in the cabin to constantly adjust the sound according to conditions outside the car, such as rain and changing road surfaces. Finally, two different sound modes integrated into the all new system create two quite different sound experiences. Studio Mode produces a wonderfully vibrant sound stage that reproduces sound as the artist intended, while the new Expanded Mode widens the sound stage to give passengers the impression that they are in a much larger space. High-end design The distinctive new design of the new Bang & Olufsen High-End Surround Sound System for the all new 6 Series Coupé is more than a match for the great sound. With a clean, yet edgy style, which is perfectly integrated into the BMW interior design approach, the new system has a range of impressive design features that discerning consumers have come to expect, as well as some that are unique to this model, such as the Floating Frame solid aluminium grilles. Special mountings separate grille from frame to give the illusion that the grille is floating in mid-air. This space between the grille and frame also houses small LEDs that cast light subtly into the cabin when the system is activated. The combination of light and sound is most impressively demonstrated when the system is activated. A loudspeaker cover in the centre of the dashboard silently lifts to reveal the large acoustic lens while the embedded LED lights simultaneously turn on – a process we call Light Orchestration. The Bang & Olufsen patented Acoustic Lens Technology distributes sound horizontally with 180º of dispersion to give the best possible acoustic experience from anywhere in front of the speaker. At closer inspection, the acoustic lens cover reveals an additional mid-range loudspeaker that delivers perfectly balanced sound throughout the cabin. Also unique to the new system is the ‘Perl Glanz' (Pearl Gloss) colour and large-diameter, machine-drilled holes that appear in perfect alignment from any angle. As well as maximising airflow through the grilles, the large holes and overall grille appearance perfectly match the edgy, clean interior lines of the 6 Series Coupé. For an added touch of refinement, the Bang & Olufsen name has been laser engraved onto the surface of the majority of the grilles. A framework for the future The Bang & Olufsen High-End Surround Sound System for the all new 6 Series Coupé is a perfect match of clean, High-End design and impeccable levels of quality. It balances the integration of proven technology and innovation to deliver a system that meets the exacting standards of a car as prestigious as the BMW 6 Series Coupé. The new system also heralds the first of what is planned to be a succession of cars from the German auto manufacturer featuring a High-End Bang & Olufsen in-car sound system.
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| Fisker Karma Gets Delayed. Again. Posted: 14 Mar 2011 12:58 PM PDT
Looks like the Fisker Karma will be delayed again. Although production supposedly began this month, with deliveries expected shortly after, we’re now hearing only VIPs will get the car by June. Everyone else will have to wait until July.
       
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| MicroCenter Takes Up To $200 Off MacBook Pro Posted: 14 Mar 2011 12:45 PM PDT
Here’s a quick heads-up for you on this Monday afternoon. MicroCenter will shave off up to $200 on your purchase of one of those new MacBook Pro laptops. That’s handy. There’s no "catch" nearest I can tell. No having to buy a year’s magazine subscription, no having to pay for some additional warranty. That means you can get an entry-level MacBook Pro for $1,099 (down $100), or the top-of-the-line model for $2,299 (down $200). I’d point out that you could probably build two gaming PCs for $2,300, but that’s neither here nor there.
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| M-Edge’s Case Designer Lets You Customize Your iPad, Kindle, Or Nook Posted: 14 Mar 2011 12:07 PM PDT
It’s a pretty slick little tool, but unfortunately does not support transparency, so if you are planning on layering sprites or popping a picture of you in the corner, do it in your image editor first. It’s also hard to say how sharp the image will be (that is to say, the effective resolution of your design), so don’t type anything too small or include any really important tiny details. Pro tip: open up the customizing interface and get your margins and image aspect ratio set before you start making your pattern or resizing images.
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| Google Maps Can Now Locate EV Charging Stations Posted: 14 Mar 2011 11:01 AM PDT
With all the buzz surrounding electric cars, it goes without saying there are a few concerns from customers. The biggest of concerns — range anxiety — could be lessened if people could easily find a place to plug in. Now, thanks to Google, EV owners can type in “EV charging spots” near your location and up populates a list. I did it for my area and I found two less than a mile from my house. What’s also cool about the two I found is that they offer both 120V and 240V ports and there is no cost to use them — or to park!! I’ll assume that the ports are the standard SAE J1772, that common 5-pin plug on every vehicle.
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| AT&T DSL Adopts 250GB Monthly Bandwidth Cap Posted: 14 Mar 2011 10:45 AM PDT
AT&T will impose a 250GB data cap for users of its DSL service. The company says that, based on trials, it only expects that less than 2 percent of its users will be affected by the cap. If these people want to continue consuming more than 250GB per month they’ll have to pay for the privilege. AT&T will sell additional bandwidth at 50GB increments for $10 a pop. It takes all of two seconds to realize that this plan threatens services like Netflix or Steam. What happens when Netflix decides to make HD versions of its movies available? And by HD I mean 1080p; 720p is yesterday’s news. You think you’re going to be able to stream a couple of 1080p movies a week without brushing up against that 250GB cap pretty soon? It’s the same thing with Steam. Total War: Shogun 2 comes out tomorrow, and it clocks in at around 20GB. You can almost hear the life of these services being squeezed right out of them. I do find it strange that AT&T has waited until now to impose a data cap, right when legitimate services have begun to click with the public. How many legitimate ways were there to download 250GB of data in, say, 2004? Compare that to today where, again, Netflix, Steam, Rdio, Spotify, iTunes, Roku, etc. are all vying for bandwidth. Keep in mind that this is the same AT&T that donates money hand over fist to congressional campaigns, meaning that if you ever got the courage to write a letter to your congressman complaining about the company’s practices, well, it’s their cheques that are financing his or her very survival. Oops!
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| Apples To Apples: Apple Inc. Files For Apple Corps’ Old Apple Logo Trademark Posted: 14 Mar 2011 10:22 AM PDT
The legal dispute between Apple Corps and Apple Inc. for the rights to the Apple logo are far reaching. Since the first case back in 1978, Apple Inc. has slowly whittled away at Apple Corp’s initial legal settlement banning Apple Inc. from entering the music industry. It wasn’t until a 2007 settlement when most of Apple Corps’ trademarks were given to Apple Inc. thereby paving the way to the November 2010 release of the Beatles catalog on iTunes. There was, however, one piece of trademark that Apple Inc. never got, until now: Apple Corps’ Apple logo. In the 2007 settlement, Apple Corps lost the legal rights to their renowned Granny Smith apple logo. In a daring move, Apple Inc. on March 11, 2011 applied for the Granny Smith apple logo trademark. The two trademark applications were filed with the European Trademarks Office under 14 International Classifications covering computer hardware, online social networking services, mobile phones, musical instruments, games, clothing/headgear, advertising, education and broadcasting.
Perhaps this will be the nail in the coffin and the last time we hear about Apple Inc. vs. Apple Corps.
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HP’s 
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