All 4 Toys

Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has been chasing holographic damsels in distress for as long as we can remember, and honestly, the technology’s still not quite there, but the team that brought us the gCubik has managed to create a low-res 3D hologram table that impresses anyhow. Using an twist on the famous optical illusion toys that use convex mirrors to make objects appear to float in the air, NICT hits a specially-designed optical filter cone with the light from 96 pico projectors. The result is a series of familiar-looking rabbits, teapots and the occasional rubber duck standing five centimeters high and visible through 120 degrees, a good sight better than the two-degree radius afforded them by the original technology. The best part is there’s no case enclosing these creations, unlike competing ideas, so we’ll eventually see 360-degree tables where your fingers can frolic alongside the ethereal leporidae. Watch the lead researcher demo a prototype after the break. Read more »

Take this one with a grain of salt, but it’s looking like our old friend the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is getting a wee bit of an update. Yesterday evening, CrackBerry discovered a RIM document that describes a QWERTY-packing, OS 6-rocking “BlackBerry 9780″ destined for a GSM carrier near you… and less than 24 hours later, handset sleuth Salomondrin claims to have the first picture of the device. While we quite honestly can’t tell the difference, the man who outed the Curve 2 says this device’s chrome bezel is a tad darker than the original, and that it’ll have 512MB of flash memory when it hits the scene. Of course, this could just be an Bold 9700 with a hacked ROM or a theme of some sort, but we certainly hope not; pepper it up with CDMA, and you’ve got a shoe-in for the Curve 3.

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A recent report in the New York Times details a myriad issues that led up to the eventual explosion that started the mess known as the “BP oil spill,” but aside from obvious mishandling of warnings and red flags, one particular issue was troubling those working on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig long before April 20th. Mike Williams, the rig’s chief electronics technician, has come forward with a multitude of icky details surrounding the negligence that was involved in the catastrophe, with the one most germane to our discussion being the following: “For months, the computer system had been locking up, producing what the crew called the Blue Screen of Death.” Williams continued, noting that “it would just turn blue,” with “no data coming through.” Of course, it’s not as if BSODs are totally uncommon out in the working world — Microsoft’s Windows powers the vast majority of systems that corporations rely on daily — but this one rubs just a wee bit differently. Hit the source link for the full spill.

[Image courtesy of Ultrasaurus] Read more »

Shuttle has launched its newest XPC SH55J2 small form factor barebone PC in European market for 251. On the specs department, the XPC SH55J2 comes with the Shuttle’s own FH55 motherboard based on Intel H55 chipset which is support to work together with Intels Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 CPU with an integrated Intel HD graphics. It has four DDR3 RAM slots with a maximum 16GB supported, a PCI 32-bit slot, onboard 7.1-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet LAN port, and a PCI-Express 2.0 slot. There also room for dual-slot graphics cards; a 3.5-inch hard drive bay and a 5.25-inch optical drive bay. Otherwise, you’ll get 4-in-1 card reader, 4 SATA 3Gbps port, an eSATA/USB combo port, 8 USB 2.0 ports, optical S/PDIF output, HDMI, D-Sub for connectivity options, including microphone and headphone jacks. As for power source, the XPC SH55J2 gets Shuttle I.C.E. (Integrated Cooling Engine) and a 300-watt mini power supply.

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The Halo series is no stranger to special edition Xbox 360 hardware, so it should come as no surprise that the latest entry, Halo: Reach, is also privy to such treatment. What makes it special, however, is that it’s the first special edition based on the new model — 250GB HDD, built-in 802.11n WiFi, and a silver (presumably matte, based on the picture) finish. The $399 price tag also nets you two special edition wireless controllers and, naturally, a copy of the game itself. Look for this September 14th, and really, if you’re not into glossy black (and we feel ya, brother), this might be in your best interest to pick up. Read more »

The Panasonic’s LUMIX DMC-TS10 is a rugged compact digital camera which is also known as the DMC-FT10. Announced recently, the camera sports a 14.1 Megapixel sensor, a folded optics design with a 4x optical zoom lens, Venus Engine IV image processor and a 2.7-inch LCD display. The DMC-TS10 is waterproof to 10 feet (33 feet on TS2), shockproof to 5 feet (10 feet on TS2), dust proof and freeze-proof to 14-degree F, and silicone jacket to help prevent scratches. The Intelligent Auto (iA) mode, MEGA OIS image stabilizer, Intelligent ISO, Face Detection and Intelligent Scene Selector function also include. The TS10 also include High Angle mode, which makes the LCD screen easy to view when held high, to shoot over a crowd or a tall object. Even you can captures 720p HD video in Motion JPEG format. The LUMIX DMC-TS10 expect to available in September for $249.95, where you can choose in blue, red, black and silver colors.

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Previously available in 16GB and 32GB versions, Lexar’s Echo SE line just got gigantic. And a lot more useful, if we should say so ourselves. With many SSDs topping out at 128GB, and quite a few netbooks shipping with 160GB HDDs, having this USB drive plugged essentially allows your entire laptop to be continuously backed up. The built-in, “no touch software” automatically backs up files in use, requiring absolutely no activation on your end. We’re told that the little bugger will work with Windows and OS X platforms, but the assurance of having your mobile life backed up at all times will cost ya. And by that, we mean “make you $349.99 poorer.” It’s available now at various e-tailers (Amazon, Newegg, etc.) if you’re willing to pay the premium.

Continue reading Lexar’s 128GB Echo SE USB thumb drive continuously backs up your netbook, mobile life

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Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? Or when a rumor plays out perfectly? We’re looking at a case of the latter here today, as HP’s oh-so-lovable 12-inch TouchSmart tm2 is now available to order with a Core i5 processor. Just months after gaining Core i3 support, the convertible tablet can now be ordered with a 1.2GHz Core i5-430UM (capable of hitting 1.73GHz with Turbo Boost). Said CPU can be paired with integrated Intel graphics or with a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450, and 4GB of DDR3 RAM is standard on either configuration. Hit the links below to investigate further, but be sure to keep your plastic far, far away unless you’re kosher with impulse buys of a rather significant caliber. Read more »

Uebo’s M200 HD media player are now available, where they look pretty techie with internet connectivity. Priced at $129.99, the M200 comes with 1080p Full HD output via HDMI 1.3, room for an internal 3.5-inch SATA I/II hard drive, a multi-in-one card reader, two USB 2.0 Host ports for connecting external storage and one USB 2.0 port for PC connection. There also an Ethernet LAN, optional WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Component, composite, Stereo, Optical/Coaxial S/PDIF outputs alsongside HDMI. The Uebo M200 supports AVI/MKV/TS/TP/TRP/M2TS/MPG/MP4/MOV/M4V/VOB/ISO/IFO/DAT/WMV/ASF/RM/RMVB/FLV video formats, MPEG-1, HD MPEG-2, HD MPEG-4 SP/ASP/AVC (H.264), WMV9 (VC-1), RealNetworks (RM/RMVB) 8/9/10, up to 720p video codecs, MP3/OGG/WMA/WAV/AAC/FLAC audio formats, MP2/3, OGG Vorbis, WMA (DRM, and Advanced Profile not supported) audio Codecs, HD-JPEG/JPG/BMP/GIF/TIF/PNG image formats, and SRT, SMI, SSA, IDX/SUB, SUB subtitles.

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Nokia claims it always prioritizes antenna performance over physical design, and we’ll take them at their word, but that apparently didn’t exempt one Espoo handset from Apple’s grip of doom. Here’s the Nokia N97 Mini going down for the count, from a full seven bars to two. Of course, Apple doesn’t mention whether calls or data drop when the handset’s held this way. Video after the break.

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