Archive for November, 2006
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Samsung partners with SK Telecom, launches Q40-HSDPA
Thursday, November 30th, 2006Filed under: Laptops, Wireless
While it hasn’t been too awfully long since Samsung doused its Q40 ultraportable in pink, the company is now looking to grab the attention of HSDPA fans by shoving such support into the lappie (and toning down the color scheme, too). Partnering with SK Telecom, the Q40-HSDPA will offer T-Login connectivity throughout South Korea (unless Kim Jong Il illegally snags one just North of the divide), and will also pack a 12.1-inch WXGA display, Intel’s U1400 Core Solo processor, 1GB of RAM, a smallish 60GB hard drive, and a T-DMB receiver to boot. The machine will weigh in at just 2.6 pounds, and should be hitting the streets of Seoul soon for a slightly painful 2,300,000 KRW ($2,472).
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
EveR-3, EveR-4 female androids on the way by 2010
Thursday, November 30th, 2006Filed under: Robots
If you thought EveR-1 (pictured) and EveR-2 were pretty human-like bots, (they talked and could sing, respectively) then you’ll surely love the next iterations, the EveR-3 and EveR-4. Our friends in Korea are currently working on the upgrades to the female-like bot, and the new versions are expected to walk, sing, dance and have “substantially improved intelligence” — the whole package is expected to be ready by the end of the decade. We expect that the EveR-4 will be able to sing harmony with Korean heartthrob Rain and do a corresponding dance number without getting stage fright, or else we might have to hop on over to Seoul and figure out what’s going on for ourselves.
[Via Far East Gizmos]
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
PS3 to get upscaled DVDs, 1080p/24
Thursday, November 30th, 2006
Ok, so the PlayStation 3 wasn’t exactly the most flexible high def device out of the gate; despite Sony’s claims, DVDs aren’t upscaled, there’s no component out, and from what we’ve heard, even though its HDMI 1.3 output technically supports 1080p/24 (for the uninitiated, that’s 24fps to match a film master print), we understand it’s not yet playable as such. (Note: we’ve yet to try 1080p/24, as we don’t have any media mastered thusly.) However, this could change according to a translated Impress interview of Sony PS3 A/V developers. Obviously something is bound to be lost in translation, but if the text reads correctly then the PS3 will not only be getting better software SACD support, but it’ll also get user-selectable internal YCrCb image processing (instead of RGB — although we’ve yet to hear of component output plans), 1080p/24 support, and will finally allow for DVD upscaling as well. We have no idea exactly when this will happen (or why this wasn’t made clearer to us US-dwelling videophiles) but apparently Kutaragi-san and the gang are on the case — godspeed, PS3 team.
[Thanks, David]
Update: we printed the PS3 would be getting SACD support. Supposedly it’s already got that, but future version will have better sound and dynamic range. So there!
Read - Impress (new audio support)
Read - Impress (new video support)
Read - Beyond3D translation
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
RetroZone intros NES, SNES controller adapters
Thursday, November 30th, 2006Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
You know, most of us here at Engadget couldn’t help but get a bit misty eyed when we saw that new Wii Classic Controller and recalled our fond memories of many a’ night spent with the SNES’ Ol’ Roundy. Of course, there’s always that original rectangular classic NES controller that we saved the Princess with in “Super Mario Bros.”, which will always have a fond place in our hearts. Whichever you prefer (or perhaps both), RetroUSB has just released SNES and NES controller adapters for the Nintendo Wii, letting your relive your mid-1980s and early 1990s memories of button-pushing in the 21st century; when you download the original Super Mario Bros. or the very first StarFox via Nintendo’s Virtual Console service, you can now play them as they were meant to be played. These controller adapters will make the perfect addition for our F-Zero party this weekend — Captain Falcon FTW!
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
The Lockdown: Locked, but maybe secure (part 1)
Thursday, November 30th, 2006Filed under: Features, Misc. Gadgets
Part I: Methods of attack, an overview
All of these conventional locks look secure, but which really are? In the real world, none of them, and this is only a fraction of what ostensibly protects the consumer. This series of articles will describe what makes a lock secure and what is hype by the lock manufacturers.
In The Lockdown: Locked but not secure (see also part 2), the technique of “bumping” was described in detail, alerting Engadget readers to the vulnerability of virtually every pin tumbler lock from simple and rapid bypass. In this sequel, Marc analyzes mechanical locks and what really makes them secure or easy to defeat. Whether you are a consumer or security specialist, you need to understand the criteria established by UL (Underwriters Laboratories) and other rating organizations to define the term “high security,” because some manufacturers will try to mislead the public into believing that their locks are secure, when in fact they are not. Read on.
Continue reading The Lockdown: Locked, but maybe secure (part 1)
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Xbox rolls out 1080p / VGA fix
Thursday, November 30th, 2006
Everybody who had problems with the 1080p support on their Xbox 360 with the fall update rollout, we have good news. According to the Major, Microsoft is now rolling out updates for improved 1080p and VGA supports (as well as some performance fixes for wired headsets on wireless controllers). Get it while it’s hot (i.e. log on to Xbox Live, let it do its thing).
[Thanks, Manh]
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Radio on Nike+iPod Sport Kit could be used to track you
Thursday, November 30th, 2006Filed under: Portable Audio, Wearables, Wireless
Nearly every time someone comes out with a new wireless gadget, leave it to the security-nistas to spoil all the fun. Wired News is reporting that the Nike+iPod Sport Kit could be used to track runners, according to Scott Saponas, a University of Washington computer science graduate student, and a few university colleagues. These researchers have set up a pretty frightening scenario describing how a geeky stalker could set up a tiny computer to monitor the Nike+iPod system when it passes by a certain point. The basic issue is that apparently the Nike+iPod system has a read range of 60 feet due to its internal power source, compared to the 10-inch range of typical RFID tags found in clothing or credit cards. The team has suggested a solution to the problem, which would be to uniquely pair one sensor to one reader. That seems reasonable to us, but until then, we’ll start randomizing our jogging route just to really screw with these dudes.
[Via Wired News, thanks Christopher G.]
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Second Life Pays off for One
Thursday, November 30th, 2006Linden Lab’s Second Life has it’s first millionaire. Yes, that’s in real U.S. dollars folks. Anshe Chung has used various shopping malls and stores in game to amass her fortune. The friend who sent this story to me also indicated that he pays his land tiers to this individual, in Lindens of course.
Link to story
Sony’s SIXAXIS controllers are wigging out
Thursday, November 30th, 2006Filed under: Gaming
It looks like screwed up resolution support isn’t the only kink Sony needs to iron out of its fancy new PS3 system. Reports are rampant of SIXAXIS controllers having quite a bit of trouble staying synced via Bluetooth. Pretty much the only way to rectify the problem is to plug the controller into the PS3 via USB and manually re-sync it, but that’s little consolation when your controller locks up in the middle of a Resistance deathmatch or mid-drift in Ridge Racer 7. There are similar reports of a Wii-controller mishaps, but it seems the SIXAXIS has it particularly bad. No official response from Sony yet, but we’ll be keeping an ear out.
[Via Digg]
Read - Aeropause: SIXAXIS Freaking Out!
Read - Joystiq: Unexplained SIXAXIS phenomena, mostly explained
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
NEC launches new 1 / 2TB NS50 desktop NAS
Thursday, November 30th, 2006Filed under: Storage, Networking
Another day, another NAS. This time it’s NEC bringing the goods, with a relatively small 8.66-inch tall enclosure and a lockable front door. The forthcoming NS50 packs a 600MHz Intel XScale processor, 256MB of RAM, dual LAN ports, and twin USB 2.0 connectors, and plays nice with a slew of Windows and Linux-based operating environments. Per usual, the box connects via gigabit Ethernet and can be managed through a secure web connection as well as remotely, and touts support for Microsoft’s Active Directory as well. NEC claims the unit can integrate seamlessly as an FTP server or as a “soon to be announced” print server, and can run things in RAID 0/1/5 or JBOD, whichever you please. NEC’s perfectly average NS50 should hit shops next month for £949 ($1,845) if you’re digging the 1TB (4 x 250GB) version, while the 2TB (4 x 500GB) flavor will set you back a whopping £1589 ($3,088).
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
