VHS lives: JVC announces VHS/DVD/Blu-ray recorder for Japan

It seems VHS will never die, and this is generally welcome, as a lot of good movies aren’t still available on optical discs. In summer 2008, Panasonic released a VHS/Blu-ray combo, followed by Sharp’s Aquos BD-HDV22 that was pretty much the same thing.

And today, over one year later, JVC anounced the DR-BH250 [JP], which is a VHS recorder, Blu-Ray Recorder and 250GB HDD rolled into one.

JVC also threw in 1080/60p/24p support, BD-Live and BONUSVIEW support, AVCHD support, a USB port, an HDMI CEC interface, and an SD/SDHC card slot. It’s possible to transfer material between DVD, VHS and Blu-ray, including copying video from a VHS cassette to a Blu-ray disc.

 

JVC plans to roll out the DR-BH250 at the beginning of next month in Japan for $1,400. The company hasn’t said yet whether VHS fans not living in Japan will ever get to lay their hands on the device, too.

Asus is going to launch a smartbook after all

Despite what he said back in August, Asus CEO Jerry Shen confirmed this week that they will in fact be releasing a smartbook product sometime during 1Q2010.

This is a dramatic about face from what was stated previously, I wonder is Asus perhaps underestimated the demand for small, lightweight, Android based products when they made their previous statements. Mr. Shen also said that Asus R&D has been working quite hard, and we should expect to see quite a few new products from them in the next 6 months. Asustek’s first smartbook is expected to retail for about $180.

Scosche announces new line of 12v USB chargers

Scosche (makers of various home and vehicle accessories) just announced a product that I think I’m going to have to pick up. It’s a USB charger that works in the home and the car, you plug your device into the adapter and then into the wall mounted charger, or into your 12v cigarette lighter socket in your car, and voila! Instant power source.

There’s three different levels of the product available, a plain socket adapter for $19.99, a house adapter that you can charge two devices with (and it has the 12v adapter as) well for $44.99. There’s also a 12v socket adapter with an iPod cable included for $24.99, if you need a cable to leave in your car.

Asustek announces WiMAX enabled E-Books coming soon

Asustek will be launching an e-book reader in the near future that will combine wi-fi with WiMAX mobile technologies as soon as the end of 2009. Asustek will most likely release the reader under the extremely popular EEE name here in the U.S. Looks like the predictions back in August were right.

Information is somewhat sparse at this time, but we do know that Asustek has made WiMAX hardware before, for companies like Clearwire, so that part of the technology isn’t new to them. Of course, Asustek frequently produces hardware and sells it to other vendors for re-branding, so we might see this technology under another brand name. We can probably expect Asustek to price their reader in the range of Amazon and B&N, in order to be competitive. One thing for sure, it’s turning out to be a good year for e-book readers.

DIY: Attack of the pumpkin

Tired of the hoodlums destroying your pumpkins? Looking for a little payback? Here’s a project that will allow you to get some vengeance. Plus, it’d be fun to shoot silly string at the older kids that show up on your front step this Halloween.


This pumpkin does a bit more then just fire silly string. It’s controlled by an Arduino device coupled with an IR motion sensor, which allows it to shoot the aforementioned silly string. It also controls a sound box, and will twitter when it fires so you can count how many victims.

It’s not a complicated build, but requires some specialized hardware so you better get to it if you want to be set up in time for the weekend.

Egg chairs are back. Now with Surround Sound!

What was your favorite part of the 70s? If you said egg chairs, than stop and read the rest of this post. You won’t regret it.

Acousticom, the same company who make headsets for military pilots and flight deck crew, has taken your favorite seating implement and turned into a personal theater / gaming station. These babies contain a 5.1 surround sound system with full 20 Hz – 20kHz response, and a 10″ woofer under your seat. The sound isolating foam not only eliminates outside noise, it comes in a variety of designer colors.

The SoundEgg will be officially released at CES 2010 in Las Vegas. But it looks like they’re taking online orders already. These things run 1450.00 USD. A bit steep, but worth it to have a evil mastermind throne that has its own sound system? Hell yes.

Here’s a frequency response chart for all of you nerds serious audiophiles out there.
 

Behold, the ultimate keg/arcade machine mashup

Meet the arkeg. The ultimate combination of a MAME console, and a kegerator. Those lucky blokes at Wired managed to get they hands on one to review. It’s got some good and bad points, but you have to admit it’s cool no matter what.


The arkeg isn’t cheap, you’ll need to spend about $4000 to get this bad boy set up. It also is limited to a ‘Corny’ keg, and not a full size unit.

FlipShare TV: yet another way to access your PC’s videos on your TV

The number of techniques for getting content from your PC to your TV is getting alarmingly high. It’s possible that it’s so simple at this point that anyone can put out a product and sell a few — so you can either get a basic one cheap now,

or wait for the inevitable breakthrough product that will do something awesome but cost a bundle. The FlipShare (pdf from FCC) ain’t that breakthrough, but it does look like a nice, simple way to watch your home videos on the TV.

The older generation doesn’t want to fiddle around with codecs and all that nonsense, they want to shoot a video and then watch it later. That’s all. And if they have a Flip camera (good present by the way), they’ll be comfortable using the FlipShare TV. It’s simple to set up: just plug it into your TV, then attach the USB dongle to your PC. Then you can watch videos using a simple file browser interface and included tiny remote.

 

 

There’s no pricing information yet, but considering Flip likes to keep it low, I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing went for $99. We’ll update when there’s more, of course.

Sleek Audio announces SA-1 earphones, a cheaper alternative to the SA-6

Not too long ago, Devin reviewed the Sleek SA-6 earphones. He gave them a pretty good rating, but one of the issues (at least for me) was that $250 price tag. Well, good news for me (and for you) Sleek has released that SA-1, a lower priced version of the SA-6 that still uses the removable tip system.

The SA-1s have a first of its kind custom tuned 6mm driver in a rosewood body, and you can still change the tips to get the best sound depending on your requirements just like the SA-6. The SA-1s only have two tips though, and they adjust the treble to be, well “more” or “less”. You choose which one sounds better, and swap them out as needed. Best part, the SA-1’s will only set you back $79.99. To me, that’s a whole lot easier to swallow then $250.

Sleek’s SA-1 earphones will start shipping early this November, and are currently for sale on the Sleek website for $79.99.

Boardy is a USB stick made out of recycled paper

At major events like CES, thousands upon thousands of little USB sticks are distributed, full of assets, press releases, and so on. Stop by a booth or show, get a USB stick. Usually they’re only 1 or 2GB (and dog slow),

so you don’t end up using them more than once and they end up in a drawer or sitting on a table somewhere in Vegas. Here’s an idea: why not use these recycled paper Boardy USB sticks? Sure, it’s not really clear how big they are or how much they cost, but they can’t be much more in bulk than all those crappy plastic ones.

I’ve taken issue with cardboard computing before, but this seems like a perfect application. Not necessarily disposable, but not a damn ecological disaster if it does get disposed of.

Where are all the great Android games? The answer is simpler than we think

I was Tweeting with Michael Gartenberg last night about all the great Android games. After all, the Android Marketplace has so many great titles like Civilization Revolution, Canabalt, iShoot, and… oh… wait…

All kidding aside, the reason there is such a dearth of great games has to do with some programming choices in Android itself and it’s a problem that can – and should – be fixed before the Droid comes to market this November.

The real culprit behind the lack of Android apps isn’t lack of developer adoption or a difficult SDK – it’s the ludicrous 256MB limit on app storage for most current Android phones and Android 2.0 itself. The OS also does not support the installation of apps on removable storage like SD cards, further ruining chances for more effusive and expansive titles. Considering most apps are in the 10MB range we’re talking a max of 25 apps on a good day and about 5 on a bad one.

This limitation has existed since Android 1.0 and continues in Android 2.0. As this enlightening post notes, Myst for the iPhone runs 727MB, a little under a gigabyte. That’s right: Droid doesn’t even have enough space to allow you to render the well let alone let you into the rocket.

The Droid has 512MB of memory with half of that available to apps. More internal storage is definitely in order if Android can’t support external storage – an understandable move due to potential data corruption during an unexpected card removal – it definitely needs a bit more space under the hood in future models.

Acer’s T230H: One of them there fancy touchscreen monitors that work with Windows 7

How keen are you on touchscreens? Keen enough to navigate Windows 7 while using such a monitor? Acer has a new one, the T230H, which will allow you to do exactly that. A big selling point is that it’ll increase your productivity, but I’m not so sure.

I mean, is it easier to use a touchscreen to navigate Excel, or flip about Firefox? You’ll still have a keyboard, I should think, so it’s not like the iPhone where you’re forced to get used to this radical, new interface; you have no other choice. Here, you’re split between touching the screen and typing away on a traditional keyboard.

But I’m still not the biggest fan of touchscreens yet, so my bias is palpable.

Anyhow, the specs:

• 16:9, 23-inch, 1920×1080 LCD.

• HDMI interface

• 2ms response time, which should placate the twitch gaming crowd

• 80,000:1 contrast ratio

And so on. Again, there’s got to be a market for these things, but I’m not so sure I’m a part of it.

$30: Perfect-for-Google-navigation Motorola Droid car dock

The Motorola Droid, on Verizon Wireless, is, by all accounts, pretty OK. That’s fair to say, no? Yes, I believe it is. What’s lame, though totally to be expected, is that it’ll cost you $30 for a car kit. And you’d want said car kit in order to make that Google navigation application really fly.

The car kit places your Droid on your car’s dashboard; the Droid then enters a special car mode, which presents a simplified user interface. From here, you’d be able to slap on your Droid and let the it take you to the “varrazanne Bridge” in New York.

There’s also a second such dock, one that’s meant for your bedside. It turns your Droid into a grossly overpowered alarm clock. Well, it’s also for viewing movies and whatnot, but I’d rather eat glass than watch a movie on a phone.

And sorry the photo is rubbish, but I couldn’t find a higher-res one.

Apple patent shows Bluetooth headset with built-in media player

Writing about patents really ought to be banned, since so many companies file so many patents every year that it’s silly to cherry pick this one or that one, drawing attention to something that may never exist. Be that as it may, today an Apple patent was discovered that shows a wireless headset that includes a media player. Think of it as “a Bluetooth” with a built-in MP3 player.

The patent was originally filed in April, 2008, but the filing wasn’t published until today. As the illustration shows, the device would have simple, on-board controls—play, pause, etc.— for your convenience.

Now, we could be irresponsible and concoct a rumor along the lines of, “APPLE TO RELEASE THIS THING AT MACWORLD,” or just be honest: the odds of this thing coming out aren’t great. I mean, it could come out, but just because someone found a patent filing doesn’t mean it’ll ever come out. Did we see any fully descriptive iPhone patents before its first reveal in January, 2007? Nope. Have we seen any definitive iTablet patents? Nope.

You know what I mean. Carry on, and go eat some candy.

Can we blame Nintendo’s profit drop on the lack of gamer’s games?

It hasn’t been the best couple of months for Nintendo. Profits were down for the six months leading up to September, which the company blames on the strong yen and the Wii’s price cut. Net sales, too, were down, some 34.5 percent.

Fair enough, and those reasons are likely to explain Nintendo’s situation, but is there something else going on? I know Pat Buchanan, the older gentlemen that he is, always uses the phrase “the chickens have come home to roost,” and I think it’s applicable here. Perhaps Nintendo’s strategy of selling the Wii to the “casual” crowd (housewives and the like, to simplify this) has finally run out of gas?

How many games were released for the Wii that appeal to the more hardcore among us? I’m thinking back to all the games I’ve played this year—Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil 5, Bioshock, Fallout 3, Race Driver: Grid, Forza Motorsport 3, and maybe one or two others that I’m forgetting—and none of them were available for the Wii. Now, I consider myself a hardcore gamer only in the sense that I’m not going to play something like Mario Party or some sing-along game; I’m not hanging out on NeoGaf debating the merits of Xbox Live vs PSN. So that’s where I’m coming from.

The point? I would say that there have been next to no games released for the Wii that interested me, a gamer who’d rather sit there and try to 100 percent Resident Evil 5 (well, Resident Evil 4… Resident Evil: 5 had too many things that annoyed me) than lose five pounds playing Wii Fit. I’m a gamer, not someone looking to have a fun evening with my grandkids.

I think that’s what it comes down to: Nintendo has made, if I may, mad money over the past few years by positioning the Wii as an entertainment device for the whole family. That’s all well and good, but when Single Professional Woman buys a Wii so she can host a Wii Sports party once a month, what are the odds that she’s going to keep buying game after game?

That’s not to say Nintendo is doomed, of course. I played the New Super Mario Brothers Wii a few weeks ago, and I can honestly say, “Now there’s a game that’ll appeal to the ‘hardcore’ among us.”

But what do I care? I’m most concerned with leveling my warlock in WoW.

DIY: Multi-stage water rocket

  

I know, I know. Water rocket. Whatever, right? Been there, done that, it’s cool and all, but it’s kinda like the diet coke & mentos thing. It’s been done to death. Well, this ain’t your daddy’s water rocket, let’s put it that way.

No sir, this is a multistage water rocket with a nose cone, and parachute recovery system. This is the work of a water rocket scientist, or possibly a student with too much time on his hands. This thing is a beast, and the inventor was kind enough to write up instructions on how you can build one yourself.

Seriously, fins. Nosecone. A launching system. Two stage rocket. Check it out, it’s quite impressive.

Possible Wii 2 specs leaked? 1080p, Blu-ray, 2010

Take this rumor like you would any other Internet rumor. You never know though, some of this info is new and might be true. A French website, Logic-Sunrise, is reporting from a very reliable source within the bowels of Nintendo that an update is played for 2010 and it’s going to be a big one. Well, big for Nintendo and on par with the current offerings from Sony and Microsoft, that is.

Logic-Sunrise translated by Google,

The console will carry a Blu-Ray, the primary function is to discourage piracy.

It must therefore bear display 720P and 1080P, both for broadcasting video Blu-Ray for games.

A release date for 2010 is planned.

The output will be worldwide, orchestrated the same day in all countries.

A bid to take over your Wii first generation is planned. (All your bases are belong to us?)

Everyone probably agrees that the Wii is past its prime technology-wise. Hell, it was sort out of date when it was released, but that hasn’t stopped it from winning the console war. Maybe the recent Wii price drop shows that an update isn’t that far off.

AppleTV firmware 3.0 just launched

The new Apple TV firmware just dropped with Genius Mixes, iTunes LP data, and iTunes Extras. As you see this is a quite a departure from the original firmware. I’ll stick it on and report back how it feels.

Interestingly, since I hacked 2.x, I don’t really want to do this update. If you guys try it, let me know. I may give it a go this afternoon.

Apple Introduces Apple TV 3.0 Software With Redesigned User Interface

Enjoy iTunes Extras, iTunes LP & Genius Mixes on Your HD TV

CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today introduced new Apple TV® 3.0 software featuring a redesigned main menu that makes navigating your favorite content simpler and faster, and makes enjoying the largest selection of on-demand HD movie rentals and purchases, HD TV shows, music and podcasts from the iTunes® Store even better on your TV. You can now enjoy iTunes Extras and iTunes LP in stunning fullscreen with your Apple TV, as well as listen to Genius Mixes and Internet radio through your home theater system. The new Apple TV software is available immediately free of charge to existing Apple TV owners, and Apple TV with 160GB capacity is available for just $229.

“The new software for Apple TV features a simpler and faster interface that gives you instant access to your favorite content,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “HD movies and HD TV shows from iTunes have been a huge hit with Apple TV customers, and with Apple TV 3.0 they get great new features including iTunes Extras, Genius Mixes and Internet radio.”

The redesigned main menu on Apple TV gives you instant access to your favorite content. Recently rented or purchased movies, as well as other content including TV shows, music, podcasts, photos and YouTube, are accessible directly from the new main menu. The new software also allows Apple TV users to enjoy stunning fullscreen iTunes Extras and iTunes LP, including great new movie titles such as “Star Trek” or classics like “The Wizard of Oz” and albums such as Taylor Swift’s “Fearless (Platinum Edition)” and Jack Johnson’s “En Concert.” iTunes Extras gives movie fans great additional content such as deleted scenes, interviews and interactive galleries. iTunes LP is the next evolution of the music album, delivering a rich, immersive experience for select albums on the iTunes Store by combining beautiful design with expanded visual features like live performance videos, lyrics, artwork, liner notes, interviews, photos, album credits and more.

Now Apple TV users can enjoy Genius Mixes through their home theater system and listen to up to 12 endless mixes of songs that go great together, automatically generated from their iTunes library. Customers can also enjoy Internet radio, allowing them to browse and listen to thousands of Internet radio stations, as well as tag favorite stations to listen to later. Apple TV’s support of HD photos is enhanced with iPhoto Events, which simplifies finding your favorite photos on Apple TV, as well as iPhoto® Faces, which gives access to photos organized by people identified in iPhoto.

Apple TV users have direct access to a catalog of over 8,000 Hollywood films on iTunes including over 2,000 in stunning HD video available for rent or purchase. Users can also choose from a selection of 11 million songs, 10,000 music videos and over 50,000 TV episodes to purchase directly from their Apple TV or browse and enjoy the iTunes Store podcast directory of over 175,000 free video and audio podcasts. Purchases downloaded to Apple TV are automatically synced back to iTunes on the user’s computer for enjoyment on their Mac® or PC or all current generation iPods or iPhones.* iPod touch® or iPhone® users can download the free Remote app from the App Store to control their Apple TV with a simple tap or flick of the finger.

 

Robots taking over role of backseat driver

Meet AIDA, the Affective Intelligent Driving Assistant. This is a prototype robot that utilizes sensors inside and outside the car to create “a platform comprising of a personal robot and an intelligent navigation system that aims to bring an innovative driving experience.”

I don’t own an automobile, so practically every driving experience is innovative to me right now! Rather than traditional destination-oriented GPS navigation, AIDA posits “a navigation system that mimics the friendly expertise of a driving companion who is familiar with both the driver and the city.” Hopefully AIDA won’t complain about my driving the way all my friends do.

“Instead of focusing solely on determining routes to a specified waypoint, our system utilizes analysis of driver behavior in order to identify the set of goals the driver would like to achieve.” That is innovative, and as the video above indicates, AIDA can work to help you efficiently navigate your home city. It still looks suspiciously destination-oriented, and I wonder how much our continued reliance on navigation products is going to make us miss out of serendipitous discoveries, like the mom-and-pop movie theater nearby is showing your favorite B movie, or a big multi-family yard sale is taking place this Saturday. The more we rely on technology to get us where we’re going, the less likely we are to see what’s going on nearby.

AIDA is a product of the MIT SENSElab, the MIT Media Lab’s Personal Robots Group, and the Volkswagen Group of America’s Electronics Research Lab. The full press release is available.

Socket Pocket: Inexpensive wall outlet cover with built-in gadget holder

In the cutthroat (?) world of wall outlet covers that feature built-in gadget holders, this $6 option might just be a contender.

 
The big draw, aside from low price, is the hinged base that keeps your device’s power cord in place. There’s also a side opening “for easy access to side charging devices.”

Thoughtfully, the outlet covers are available in a standard version and also in a “GFCI” version for use with those special square outlets like you’d find in your bathroom.

According to the product description:

“Featuring a hinged and slotted ‘floor’ for threading cable into the pocket as well as an opening for accommodating side charging devices, the Socket Pocket can handle nearly any cellphone. Additionally, you can use the Socket Pocket to store pens, glasses, and scissors. Available for standard and GFCI outlets.”

Original Body HTC Heros with US 3G coming soon – but you’ll have to import

If your pockets are just beggin’ to be filled with an HTC Hero, your options thus far (assuming you’re in the US) have been limited. You could get one through Sprint or wait for Verizon’s Hero-esque Droid Eris – but either of those options means you’re on a modified,

round-bodied Hero rather than the angled, chin-tastic Hero that nearly 70% of our readers prefer. You could import one of the original bodied Heros from the UK – but then you wouldn’t be able to get 3G on any US Carrier.

If you wanted US 3G and an original Hero, you were out of luck – until now.


Earlier today, a new product page for the HTC Hero popped up. The good news: It’s an original-body Hero, and its got the 850/1900mhz UMTS bands required for 3G on AT&T. The bad news: It’s headed for Telus in Canada. There’s a really, really solid chance that you’ll be able to get one of these across the border and get it unlocked and running on an AT&T sim – but that means you’ve gotta deal with an importer and the (generally not too painful) unlocking process. But it’s totally worth it if that means you’re the only kid on the block with a burly-bodied, 3G-totin’ HTC Hero, right?

Tiny spy-friendly Bluetooth earpiece

Previously available to law enforcement officials and government agents, you can now get in on the fun as well with the $200 Invisible Bluetooth Earpiece from BrickHouse Security.

It consists of an unbelievably tiny in-ear Bluetooth receiver (like so tiny it has to be removed from your ear with a special magnet) connected to a microphone system that’s worn under your clothing. There’s also a special “beeper button” that can be pressed once or twice to silently communicate “yes” or “no” to whoever’s on the other end without blowing your cover.

 

In order to make the earpiece so small, it uses no batteries. Instead, it uses a passive magnet to receive audio vibrations from a special loop worn around your neck. Unreal.

 

Although this type of system has been used by detectives and government agents, BrickHouse Security recommends some consumer uses as well, such as:

Board meetings

Journalists

First dates

Feeding lines to actors and actresses

But not for!

Use while gambling

During poker games

Tests or school assignments

Illegal activities

You have to appreciate the simple design of the Wrap Wrap

This is just too cool not to post. Look at that little thing. It’s genius. It’s just a bit of walnut or oak, carved into a shape that will keep your ear buds under control. I’m amazed at the sheer beauty and simplicity of the little thing. I don’t even know what to call it.

Calling it a wire management device takes away from the sex appeal, but the product name of Wrap Wrap is lame. Idk, but I want one. $17.

Corsair Flash Voyager 128GB USB Drive: As Big and Fast As a Small Fish

One day, 128GB flash drives will be common. We'll lose em and only say "oops." Today, you can have one if you don't mind the size and price of this $400 Corsair. But F me, this thing is fast.
 

Speed

  
I've been happy with a 16GB Patriot Xporter, which Ars mentioned in their 2009 test as one of the fastest. This Corsair is faster. On an informal test transferring 2.7 GB of MP3 files, the Corsair Flash Voyager 128GB was twice as fast in writes and a touch faster in reads.



Note, I was very casual about this test. I did not shut down all my other apps during it, but I did run multiple trials. And I did not test random access or exceptionally large file sizes. Why didn't I take testing more seriously? Because I just don't think you'll really buy this thing when you can get multiple 32GB drives for $50 or so. This thing is impressive, but all freaks of nature are impressive.
 

 It's Big

 
On top of its price and performance, it's bigger. No, not only in capacity. See?

 

 

Yeah, well, it still fits in my pocket. Like a giant pet beetle. The kind that crawled out of skulls and pyramid labyrinth walls in The Mummy Part 5 or whatever.

I'd recommend it only if you have so much money that if you lose one, you'll merely say "oops" and not cry over it like I would.

128GB is a lot of space

It's fast

Kind of big for a USB drive, but still doable

Expensive

Video: Kohjinsha dual-display netbook

  

 I actually like this idea. Kohjinsha recently showed off its dual-display 10-inch netbook, which runs Windows 7 atop an AMD Athlon NeoMV-40 CPU at 1.6GHz. The machine can be used as a netbook with a standard 10-inch display (it’s a swivel, screen) or a second 10-inch display can be slid out from behind the first to be used together for double the desktop real estate.

There’s no firm release date or pricing, except to say that the company wants to launch the product by the end of the year with a target price of less than 100,000 Yen. That’s around $1100 US, which is far more than most people would be willing to pay for a netbook – two screens or not – but the idea’s there. We likely won’t see it here anyway, although certain Kohjinsha products can usually be ordered through various online import shops.

Dell's Super Skinny Adamo XPS

The highly abnormal machine offers some decidedly normal specs: though nothing is official just yet, the XPS will reportedly sport either 1.4 and 1.9 GHz dual-core Intel processors, 128 or 180 GB SSD, integrated X4500MHD graphics, and 4GB of DDR3 RAM, sitting under a 13.4 inch WXGA LED-backlit screen.

Batteries are slated as 20Wh or 40Wh for 2 and a half or 4 hours of life respectively, but owners will need to keep an eye on their juice, as the unique heat-sensitive opening mechanism won't work when the Adamo's batteries run out

The.best.Iron.Man.costume.ever

Reader Anthony Le sent in his entry for the costume contest and I just had to share it with you guys. It’s an amazing replica of the Iron Man XD suit made of plastic and rivets. Anthony even goes to his local Children’s Hospital in it to cheer up the kids. Anthony is a truly geek who inspires awe.

I based the build from this picture from comic-con. The Costume is 100% home made, the build took approximately 2 weeks and 5 days. I’m a very busy person as well! Over 700+ rivets and rivet washer used. All items on the costume are 100% made from scratch. I’ve lso taken this costume to the children’s hospital to give them a sense of joy to know that a hero has come to wishes them a happy Halloween.

build materials

-High impact urethane plastic

-700+ rivets and washer used

-heat gun

-hot glue gun

-boat load of hot glue sticks

-Open flip helmet “like Ironman movie”

-lighted chest R-T and replusor gloves “like the movie”

-flexible abdominal area, and join covers.

-voice changer in helmet “when spoken into, makes me sound like a robot”

Y550 Laptop Lenovo's First With a Core i7 Inside

The Y550P, a 15-inch laptop, is Lenovo's first portable to offer a Core i7 option.

Besides that, it's got a lot of juice available in options—up to 8GB of memory, 500GB hard drive, Nvidia GeForce GT 240M (1GB) graphics, an integrated subwoofer, and some kind of crazy "touch-sensitive slide bar for easy desktop navigation." It'll retail at around $1400 to start.
 

It comes with Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7, basically optimization that results in faster bootup and shutdown times as well as easier backup. [Lenovo]

Lenovo New IdeaPad Laptops and IdeaCentre Desktops Deliver Style, Ease of Use and Multimedia Features for Consumers

New PCs Bundle Lenovo Enhanced Experience Certification for Windows 7 and complementary Intel Processor Technology

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – October 26, 2009: Lenovo (HKSE: 0992) (ADR: LNVGY) today unveiled a lineup of new IdeaPad laptops – U150, U550 and Y550P – and IdeaCentre desktops – B500, K300 and H230 – designed to meet the performance, style and usability standards of today's multi-tasking consumers.

The new Idea PCs combine stylish designs and innovative features enabled by the ultra low power Intel® CoreTM processor family of products and improved performance with an Intel® CoreTM i7 processor. These new products ship with Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system and also include the unique Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7 – the result of joint engineering by Lenovo in collaboration with Microsoft to provide users with faster system boot and shutdown, richer multimedia features and easy system maintenance tools.

"Our Idea products are designed with the user experience in mind - every aspect of product design and technology is engineered to improve how consumers seamlessly use these products to enrich their daily lives," said Liu Jun, senior vice president, Idea Product Group, Lenovo. "Today's additions to the Idea product portfolio are among Lenovo's most feature-rich and powerful PCs to-date, providing our customers more choices to find the PC that best meets their unique digital lifestyle."

"Lenovo and Intel share a vision to create products that are faster, lighter, thinner and with longer battery life and delivering them to consumers in the quickest and most cost effective way," Gregory Bryant, vice president, Sales and Marketing Group, Intel Corporation. "Whether you are looking for ultrathin, stylish laptops with exceptional performance or beautiful and powerful desktops, Lenovo and Intel are working together to deliver Idea products with the right Intel® processor technology inside to meet your needs."

"As a result of our joint engineering investments, Lenovo is demonstrating their commitment to Windows 7 by making significant improvements in important areas like start-up, shutdown and resume times. We congratulate Lenovo on its work, as we think it will help business customers and consumers benefit from a better computing experience on Lenovo's leading products," said John Kalkman, vice president of OEM Engineering and Services at Microsoft Corp. "With Lenovo's Enhanced Experience, customers can be confident that their new PC delivers more of the exciting benefits that Windows 7 has to offer."

Idea Product Facts

Lenovo's latest IdeaPad laptops and IdeaCentre desktops meet consumer demands for mobility, added power to effectively multitask, flexibility to support professional and personal computing needs, data security, stylish designs and the latest multimedia features.

IdeaPad Y550P – Cutting-edge power for multimedia on the go

The Y550P is ideal for today's multi-tasker and the most powerful laptop in Lenovo's consumer portfolio. The Y550P is Lenovo's first notebook to use the new Intel Core i7 processor with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology1 that automatically speeds up the processor when the PC needs extra performance. This high-performance laptop also features powerful NVIDIA discrete graphics, a 15.6inch HD widescreen display, Dolby® Home TheaterTM surround sound, and unique Lenovo tools like SlideNav – a touch-sensitive bar above the

keyboard that makes it faster and easier to navigate programs, documents and shortcuts, or even quickly change the desktop wallpaper on users' systems.

IdeaPad U150 – Slim and chic portability

The U150 is just 13.5mm thick and weighs only 1.35kg2, yet under the textured red or black cover lies a range of features designed to strike the right balance between mobility and functionality. The ultraportable U150 with an energy-efficient Intel Core 2 Duo processor offers up to 8GB DDR3 memory, 11.6in HD widescreen display and long battery life. The Active Protection System on the U150 helps protect the hard drive if the laptop is dropped or gets bumped. A new version of OneKey Rescue System, Version 7.0, performs data backups up to twice as fast and includes more powerful antivirus scanning that can be run even before loading the operating system.

IdeaPad U550 – Ultraportable laptop with added flexibility for the office and home

At just 24mm thick and with a 15.6in wide HD wide screen display, the new IdeaPad U550 laptop with Intel Core 2 Duo processor includes a range of features that make it easy for users to transition between work and home use. For example, switchable graphics let users turn their discrete graphics card on and off at the press of a button to better manage PC battery life. Dolby® Sound Room surround-sound via the laptop's large, integrated speakers brings presentations to life and makes games and movies more enjoyable. The Ambient Light Sensor automatically adjusts screen brightness based on light conditions, reducing strain on the eyes. An integrated DVD drive delivers added flexibility to access and share content. The integrated fingerprint reader and VeriFaceTM facial recognition software on the U550 provide additional ease of use when logging onto the PC.

IdeaCentre B500 – High performance all-in-one, immersive entertainment experience

Featuring an Intel® CoreTM2 Quad processor, powerful discrete graphics, up to 8GB DDR3 memory and 1TB HDD storage space, the IdeaCentre B500 all-in-one desktop is the ultimate PC for serious gamers and multimedia users. The 23in Full HD screen and high-quality JBL- brand integrated speakers provide a quality viewing experience. Coupled with a 4-in-1 remote control that acts as a motion-drive games controller, VOIP handset, air mouse and media remote, the B500 supports a dynamic multimedia entertainment experience. Additional unique Lenovo features on the B500 include CamSuite, a tool that helps to keep users in the center of the Web camera's focus and adds special effects to live video feeds.

IdeaCentre K300 – Desktop PC with optimized power and control

The IdeaCentre K300 with the Intel Core 2 Quad processor is a performance desktop loaded with powerful technologies including high-performance RAID configured hard drives for added storage and peace of mind. It also includes the Lenovo Power Control Switch, which makes it simple for users adjust the level of power they need - from all-out performance to more energy-efficient modes.

Lenovo H230 – Functionality at a value price

Available starting at US $299 and equipped with a range of HDD and DDR3 memory configurations, the H230 is designed to offer consumers the perfect mix of performance and value. Integrated tools such as Lenovo Rescue System provide users a worry-free experience by enabling quick and easy data recovery and advanced antivirus technology.

Lenovo U350 and S10-2 – Eye-catching new textures and patterns marry fashion with functionality The IdeaPad U350 ultraportable laptop and S10-2 netbook are now available in a range of new textures and colorful patterns. The U350 can be purchased with a cool, eye-catching cover texture such as brown lizard print, white lamb skin print and red light weave. Using the latest PC cover-painting technology, the popular S10-2 comes in new colorful designs such as pop art, violet floral, red floral, green floral, phoenix, garden, sailing and origami.

 

 

TomTom’s iPhone car kit no workie with iPod touch, first-gen iPhone

Bad news, you guys. If you were thinking of dropping $120 on TomTom’s iPhone car kit and then another $100 on TomTom’s navigation app for use with your first-generation iPhone or second-generation iPod touch, it now looks like you’d to run into some compatibility issues.

AppleInsider is reporting “that although the Car Kit dock is compatible with all iPhone models, the TomTom application will only work with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G – even with the dock connected to a first-generation iPhone or iPod touch.”

You’ll recall that the hardware dock features its own built-in GPS chip and speaker to amplify GPS signal strength and the volume of turn-by-turn directions, so it appears that if you were to dock an iPod touch or older iPhone that you wouldn’t be able to take advantage of those enhancements. Basically, you’d have a $120 car charger.

AppleInsider further reports that “When asked whether the application could be updated to allow it to work with the iPod touch and first-generation iPhone, a company spokesman simply said that TomTom has not made any ‘public announcements.’”

It doesn’t seem like it would be rocket science to add the extra compatibility, and TomTom would theoretically benefit from the expanded hardware base of potential customers but, suffice to say, it’s best to hold off for now.

DSi LL: Nintendo confirms, shows new big-screen DSi (Update: Europe gets it in 2010. More pictures)

So the rumors about Nintendo releasing a new DSi with a bigger screen (we reported Monday and Tuesday) were true. Big N officially announced a new DSi in Tokyo today, the so-called DSi LL [JP]. It has a 4.2-inch screen, will be released on November 21 in Japan and is priced at $220. Buyers will initially be able to choose between brown, red and white versions.

You’ll get two pens with the handheld. One is thicker and 129.33mm long, the thinner model is 96mm long. There’ll also be three DSiWare games pre-installed (two brain-training games and a dictionary).

 

The DSi that’s currently on the market has a 3.25-inch screen (the DS Lite only had a 3-inch screen). Nintendo says the DSi LL is especially designed for a better Internet surfing experience. It’s 21.2mm thin, but it’s thicker than the current DSi (18.9mm) and way heavier (314g vs. 214g).

 

Nintendo Japan’s web site is in Japanese (obviously), but this page visualizes the difference in screen size between the “old” DSi and the LL (just hover your mouse across the screen).

Nintendo has yet to announce international sales plans.

Update:

Kotaku reports Europe gets the new DSi model in the first quarter of 2010. It’s going to be called DSi XL there. No word on a US release yet.

 

Astak lauches the Mole social networking webcam

was announced today. The Mole is a wireless webcam that can upload video directly to such sites as YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter. It can also record directly to an SD card in the camera.

I’m curious however, exactly who will be using this product, and for what. It can be controlled remotely (even pan and tilt) via a web interface, has 15 LEDs for night time recording, and a two way microphone so the person being filmed can have a conversation with the viewer. The internet feed to the camera comes via either an ethernet port, or an internal wifi card. Recording quality is pretty standard, with the high quality mode set at 640×480. The camera can also be set to a motion sensitivity mode, and capture movement as it happens, and record it for later.

The obvious usage is for home or small business security, this sounds like something that Biggs would be into given his quest for a home monitoring solution. The website suggests that it would also make a good baby monitor, which certainly sounds reasonable.

The Mole cam will ship early this November for $299.

Video: How wood chips or tires are converted into Ethanol fuel

Ethanol fuel was always a mystery to me. Really, I never took the time to learn about it until I watched this 3:31 video that shows how a Pennsylvania company, Coskata, converts anything that contains carbon into fuel. Yeah, it’s an infomercial for GM, but it always quickly explains the whole waste to fuel conversion process and so it might be worth your time.

Portable HDTV and DVD player costs $300

If you long for the ability to watch high definition TV on a seven-inch screen that’s resolution is a mere 480×234 but you also want to have the option to watch standard definition DVD’s as well, then here’s your next purchase.

According to Hammacher Schlemmer, this is “The First Portable HDTV And DVD Player.”

Will it be the last? Probably not.

This one, however, costs a whopping $300 and features two hours of battery life for HDTV watching or 2.5 hours for DVD playback. You can also view pictures and video files using the built-in memory card reader.

The digital tuner supports broadcasts in 720p and you’ll have to bring along the included “sensitive external antenna” in order to reel them in.