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- Hori Announces Steering Wheel Peripheral For Mario Kart On 3DS
- Video: Japan’s Defense Ministry Develops Awesome Ball-Shaped Drone
- TomTom Finally Acknowledges It’s Getting Out Of Devices; Shareholders Rejoice
- Horological Genius George Daniels Dead At 85
- Amigakit Brings The Amiga Into The 21st Century With New X1000
- Robots Will Soon Get Touch-Sensitive Skin
- Apple’s Upcoming Grand Central Store Will Be Ready By Black Friday
- Samsung MV800 Review: For The Narcissist In All Of Us
- Lamenting Orange: Apple Tweaks Smart Cover Color Palette
- Sony PRS-T1 Reader Hacked To Run The Kindle Android App And More
| Hori Announces Steering Wheel Peripheral For Mario Kart On 3DS Posted: 25 Oct 2011 05:03 AM PDT  There is a very special peripheral for future owners of Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS coming soon, but it’s not made by Nintendo itself: video game accessory maker Hori announced a steering wheel that’s specifically designed for the game and that’s officially licensed by big N. The device will feature large L and R buttons for better control: Hori says the steering wheel, which is Japan-only at this point, will be released when Mario Kart goes on sale (on December 1). It will be priced at US$17 and doesn’t have a release date outside Japan yet (so you might want to contact your import shop as fast as possible).
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| Video: Japan’s Defense Ministry Develops Awesome Ball-Shaped Drone Posted: 25 Oct 2011 03:03 AM PDT  The world got a first glimpse of the “world’s first spherical flying machine” back in June this year, but its maker, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, decided it’s time to showcase it publicly a few days ago in Tokyo. And as you can see in the video embedded below, their ball drone is pretty awesome. The drone can stand still in mid-air, fly vertically and horizontally through narrow spaces at up to 60km/h, and (which is very cool) keep on moving when it hits the ground or a wall. Thanks to three gyro sensors in its body, the machine can keep also flying even if it’s hit by an obstacle. What’s also impressive is that the drone is made of spare parts that cost just US$1,400 in total. Here’s the video (in English, shot by DigInfo TV in Tokyo):
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| TomTom Finally Acknowledges It’s Getting Out Of Devices; Shareholders Rejoice Posted: 24 Oct 2011 03:29 PM PDT  Time was when a GPS device was the must-have item in any self-respecting gadget-lover’s gear bag. But as years wore on and smartphones began to usurp the location functions, they’ve grown increasingly irrelevant. Sure, they still serve a purpose, but we’ve been advising companies like Garmin and TomTom for years to do some serious self-evaluation if they expect to be around much longer. TomTom appears to have truly taken this to heart, and are taking the appropriate actions. As CEO Harold Goddijn diplomatically put it after their earnings report:
In other words, the volume is shrinking fast (sales down 23% just this last quarter) and they can’t afford to be running design and manufacturing infrastructures that were configured with a much larger market in mind. The new focus will be on automotive and embedded systems. It’s an area where Google (the biggest danger to their business by far) has almost no foothold at all except in a few special cases. Meanwhile people still associate the TomTom brand with location and GPS, and the expansion of such systems into cheaper cars means the market is blowing up. They can ride the wave yet again, growing a new market while iOS and Android devour the old one. It won’t be a bloodless restructuring, though. Jobs will be lost and shipped overseas, and it’s likely that they’ll have to move to cheaper manufacturing to stay in the black. Meanwhile, shares bounced back a bit on the news, though they’re still an order of magnitude away from where they were a few years.
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| Horological Genius George Daniels Dead At 85 Posted: 24 Oct 2011 01:15 PM PDT  The reclusive horologist George Daniels, famous for his work on Breguet and his important co-axial escapement, died last Friday at his home in the Isle of Man. Daniels was 85. The horologist was one of the first to catalog some of the best known watches in the world, traveling through Europe to examine rare and odd pieces from his favorite manufacturer, Abraham-Louis Breguet, and great watches from manufacturers like Patek Philippe. He was also an avid motorist and noted trickster, pretending to misuse some rare watches while he was photographing, nearly driving their curator to apoplexy. Daniels was born in 1926 and spent his formative years at the mercy of his drunk carpenter father in North London. His only creative outlet came when he found a watch on the sidewalk and began to tease out its construction. “It was like seeing the centre of the universe,” he said in the Independent. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do; I wanted to spend the rest of my time with watches.” After escaping from home into the Army, he spent his spare time fixing soldier’s watches for pocket money and then became a watchseller and repairer. He began to design his own watch movements and his Daniels originals are still sought after in horological circles. He invented the co-axial escapement, now used by Omega in their latest Speedmaster chronographs. He retired to the Isle of Man where he spent his years tinkering and driving his many cars. It’s rare to find genius in the wild and George Daniels was an exemplar of one man’s dedication to a seemingly dying art.
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| Amigakit Brings The Amiga Into The 21st Century With New X1000 Posted: 24 Oct 2011 12:10 PM PDT  Amiga, Amiga… why does that name sound familiar? Ah yes, that Amiga. A strong early competitor in the PC wars, Commodore’s influential and graphics-heavy OS was unfortunately more or less made extinct by Windows by the early 90s. Yet a core group of enthusiasts has kept a candle burning, and here and there you can still find a functioning machine, zealously maintained by someone who insists that the file system or multitasking kernel are still worth admiring. But would you expect a brand new PC with modern accoutrements and a price tag over $2000? That’s just what’s being put out by Amigakit, which has secured the distribution rights to the long-awaited (by some) X1000 desktop system. It’s actually quite a powerhouse. Check out the specs:
The rest of the specs are here at OS News, with some supplementary info as well. Okay, so when I say powerhouse, I mean compared to the other Amiga machines out there. But it is, as A-EON (the system designer) says, “powerful, modern desktop hardware,” though spec-wise it can’t stand up to Windows boxes a quarter its price. There’s supposedly going to be an Amiga-based netbook arriving in mid-2012 as well if that’s more your style. Should you buy one and take Amiga lessons? Probably not. But I think it’s great that this community is still dedicated enough to produce something like this. It’s hardware-software experiments and devices like this that act as a spice in the soup of consumer electronics. There are original ideas here in practice, outdated ones as well, and perhaps they will form a permutation that creates the next Photoshop, or a revolution in multithreading, or who knows what. Unfortunately this quirk of the computing world comes in at £1699 in the UK before VAT. There’s no US pricing, and I doubt it’s any more lenient. But godspeed, Amiga-lovers.
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| Robots Will Soon Get Touch-Sensitive Skin Posted: 24 Oct 2011 10:40 AM PDT Using carbon nanotubes, Stanford researchers have been able to create touch-sensitive, gooey skin for AI sensing, prosthetics, and touch-sensitive sex androids. The skin could give robots touch-sensitivity and allow patients to regain feeling in their artificial limbs. The tubes, when embedded into the plastic skin, act as tiny, compressible springs. These tubes can bend and squeeze as necessary, allowing you to measure the forces applied to almost any material, from “taffy”-like plastic to something like a rubber sponge.
As you push and pull the skin, the sensors register an electrical charge and then the changes in charge can be used to sense where and how the skin is being touched. The system can now sense pressures “well below the pressure exerted by a 20 milligram bluebottle fly carcass.” You can learn more about the project here but I’d personally like to know if this skin is lickable.
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| Apple’s Upcoming Grand Central Store Will Be Ready By Black Friday Posted: 24 Oct 2011 08:23 AM PDT  The holidays are right around the corner, and just like every other brand and retailer, Apple is getting ready for the rush. The soon-to-be Apple Store in New York’s iconic Grand Central Station, which we reported earlier, will be open for Black Friday this year. The 15,230 square foot space was once home to Metrazur Restaurant, but has since been walled off for construction. According to PhoneArena, Apple employees are already undergoing training at a hotel in Times Square, which will continue until November 11. 9to5Mac seems to have secured a spy shot of the new space, taken by an MTA employee. It’s worth noting that the image below only shows part of the new store, which should be one of the biggest Apple stores in the world. Black Friday is also a notoriously busy traveling day, as well as the biggest shopping holiday of the year. It’ll be interesting to see how Grand Central stands up to holiday commuters, Black Friday shoppers and Apple fanbois at once. Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple, Inc. in January 2007. Among the key offerings from Apple’s product line are: Pro line laptops (MacBook Pro) and desktops (Mac Pro), consumer line laptops (MacBook) and desktops (iMac), servers (Xserve), Apple TV, the Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server operating systems, the iPod (offered with...
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| Samsung MV800 Review: For The Narcissist In All Of Us Posted: 24 Oct 2011 07:43 AM PDT  Short Version: While the idea of a flip-out screen for self-portraits is just a tad gimmicky, the MV800 is one sweet little point-and-shoot. Whether you’re straight-up obsessed with yourself, or a narcissist is hidden deep within, this thing just begs you to take pictures of yourself. And if your experience is anything like mine, you’ll really, really enjoy it. Features:
Pros:
Cons:
Long Version: Point-and-shoots have recently been overrun by stellar phone cameras, but that doesn’t mean there’s no market left for them. No matter how many cool tricks your phone’s camera can pull off, the Samsung MV800 can do it better, I assure you. Hardware: The MV800′s claim to fame is its flip-out 3-inch LCD screen, connected to the device by a single hinge. In my time with it, the hinged screen seemed sturdy enough. I felt a little looseness at one point when the camera was flipped out, but overall I’d say the flip-out screen shouldn’t give you any trouble. When it’s flipped out, the backside of the camera has a textured black finish, which really enhanced my ability to grip the camera when taking self-portraits. On the back, you’ll also find a secondary shutter button, making it much easier to (again) take self-portraits. But there’s more to the flip-out screen then self-portraits. Sometimes you need to hold the camera up high or down low to get the shot you want, even though your face can’t necessarily follow suit. The screen lets you see what you’re shooting from just about any angle. The MV800 is equipped with a Schneider-Kreuznach 26mm wide-angle lens, with 5x optical zoom. To be honest, image quality isn’t necessarily this little guy’s forte. Of course, that’s not to say that MV800 pictures are bad, but it certainly can’t compete with what you see from DSLRs, micro four thirds and other more high-performance systems. I took a few test shots with the MV800 and my Olympus E-PL2 micro four thirds camera to show you the difference. Along the left side you’ll find a microUSB port for charging and HDMI out, which should be welcome news for anyone looking to take advantage of the MV800′s 720p video capture capabilities. On top you’ll find your standard shutter button, zoom toggle, and a power button, while battery, microSD card access, and your tripod slot is located on the bottom of the camera. In terms of build, feel in the hand, and general aesthetics, the MV800 has its bases covered. Software: If the narcissistic nature of the MV800′s hinged screen didn’t get you, my bet is the software will. Anyone who enjoys taking pictures for fun (rather than as a serious hobby, or career) will enjoy fiddling around with the software features on this camera. To start, the interface is super easy to understand, even if you know absolutely nothing about photography. Along with Smart Auto and Program settings for both video and stills, the MV800 offers different scene options to let you get the best shot based on your environment. Along with your standard filters (my favorites below), Samsung also included the ability to take 3D photos, as well as live panoramic shots. Then things get really interesting. Samsung included a feature called Magic Frame on the MV800, which is pretty fun to play around with. There are two uses: you can use magic frame with a picture you’ve already taken, or in one of Samsung’s preset frames. It basically brings in a little window (shaped like a circle, square, or heart) in which you can lay one picture on top of another. So let’s say I have a picture of a billboard… I can use magic frame to put a picture of my own face on the billboard, which would pretty much make me a movie star. If, on the other hand, you aren’t feeling creative enough to handle both the primary and secondary shot, Samsung has plenty of different frames in which you can supplant your face, or anything else for that matter (save for ghosts, which are invisible). Here are some of my favorites: The MV800 also features picture-in-picture mode, which will be pretty useless to anyone fluent in Photoshop, but then again that isn’t the MV800 demographic. This camera was made for people who usually can’t figure out cameras, or Photoshop for that matter, and a few of them may just want a picture of their kid’s baseball team, with a close up on their kid’s face in the bottom corner. Or something like that, I guess. Then we have Funny Face, which uses the camera’s facial recognition technology to distort your face in awkward/funny ways. It’s pretty similar to PhotoBooth on a Mac, just with more options and face recognition. There are also modes for certain types of pictures, which sets the camera to all the right settings for whatever it is you’re trying to capture. The worst and most awkward feature by far on the MV800 is its Pose Guide. You have a variety of different poses to choose from (as performed by some dark-haired model girl), which are then “sketched” into the LCD view finder for you to mimic. This is super weird. Not only is it awkward as hell to try and match the given pose, but you’re also then comparing yourself to whoever this girl is that Samsung deemed attractive enough to appear all over their cameras. And she is attractive enough, which just made me feel not so attractive. Since I assume many owners of this camera will be teenage girls who heart taking Facebook profile pics, the more self-esteem the camera can offer the better. The MV800 comes with a built-in photo editor, along with a StoryBoard feature. Storyboard lets you choose a handful of pictures from your library, and compile them together in interesting ways, or even add a fun border. It’s features like these that make the MV800 more useful than gimmicky. Whether you want to add funky effects, create a special and unique memory, or simply crop out that random guy’s hand, the MV800 never makes you change platforms. You could literally do just about anything you wanted to a picture on the camera, take it straight to the nearest photo printer, and never involve a computer throughout the process. Conclusion:
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| Lamenting Orange: Apple Tweaks Smart Cover Color Palette Posted: 24 Oct 2011 07:39 AM PDT  In addition to refreshing their line of MacBook Pros, it seems as though Apple couldn’t resist the opportunity to tweak their iPad 2 Smart Cover lineup today. It’s with a heavy heart that I report the orange polyurethane Smart Cover has shuffled off this mortal coil, and has been replaced with a more staid dark grey option. Tragic, I know. The change seems to have left Apple’s Smart Cover page in a bit of a tizzy — not only does it still show the erstwhile orange cover, but the link to purchase Smart Covers currently leads to a dead end. I like to think that Apple’s web team is so distraught over the decision to axe the orange case that they can’t think straight, but alas, this snafu shall soon pass. For those of you who have already moved on, the new (and rather fetching) dark grey Smart Cover will run you the usual $39.
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| Sony PRS-T1 Reader Hacked To Run The Kindle Android App And More Posted: 24 Oct 2011 05:56 AM PDT  There’s finally a legitimate reason to buy the new-ish Sony PRS-T1 Reader: You can hack it and install the Kindle Android app. I kid. However, there is a new hack for Sony’s least expensive ereader that allows for root access, effectively opening up the device to all sorts of Android uses. This of course includes the Kindle app. Apparently it’s a relatively easy mod as The Digital Reader notes it’s relatively foolproof. Just download the installer to the reader and give it time to do its thing. After that, the reader will reboot and you’ll be able to play Fruit Ninja on an inexpensive eink screen. Sony readers have long been a fan favorite and the latest round that included the T1 are the lowest cost options yet. They’re nearly completely open and support almost every ebook file format. But this latest mod opens the door for all sorts of new uses. Sure, the Sony readers aren’t as popular as the Kindle but they have a dedicated following who enjoy their open nature and quality hardware. Other venders should take note.
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:15:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:16:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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Posted By e Readers Tips to e Readers Reviews at 10/25/2011 05:17:00 AM
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