Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:46:27 GMT

Mitsubishi defies crunch, releases a monster!

Mitsubishi obviously don't understand that the world is in a state of economic crisis; as they have just released a rather mad 82" LCD, costing almost $5000. It's not just big, it has some rather big features too; full 3D support, for whenever (if ever) 3D actually becomes something mainstream. It also features phenominal 120hz technology for completely judder free technology, as well as some serious colour gamut support.

It would look like a good buy, if only there were any certainty in 3D content coming soon, or even ever.... Posted by: Jordan Grodecki      Read more     Source

April 2, 2009, 5:03 AM CT

What do we lose with our technologies?

There are Web cams focused on falcons, ferrets and fish, virtual tours of the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, and robotic dogs, seals and even dinosaurs. But what about the real deal: observing animals in their natural habitat, hiking the John Muir Trail or a playing with a live pet?

Modern technology increasingly is encroaching into human connections with the natural world and University of Washington psychology experts believe this intrusion may emerge as one of the central psychological problems of our times.

"We are a technological species, but we also need a deep connection with nature in our lives," said Peter Kahn, a UW developmental psychology expert and main author of a newly released study exploring how humans connect with nature and technological nature.

Writing in the current issue of the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, Kahn and two of his UW graduate students, Rachel Severson and Jolina Ruckert, look at the psychological effects of interacting with various forms of technological nature and explore humanity's growing estrangement from nature.

The UW scientists cite earlier experiments conducted by Kahn's laboratory, one with a plasma display "window" and several with AIBO, a robotic dog.

The plasma window study showed that people recovered better from low-level stress by looking at an actual view of nature rather than seeing the same real-time high-definition television scene displayed on a plasma window......... Posted by: Ryan      Read more         Source

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:28:02 GMT

Eco-Media Player Revolution

The Eco-Media Player Revolution is an updated version of the original Eco Media Player with extra bits. It still has the fabulous hand-cranked, charge-me-anywhere handle but it now it plays nicely with iTunes. It’s also got an SD card slot, so you can boost its storage capacity from the inbuilt 4Gb all way to 11 16Gb. You can still charge your mobile phone with it, watch videos, read eBooks, show off your photos, listen to FM radio and record with the built-in mic or line-in.

The battery is good for 48 hours (!!) of audio playback or 7 hours of video, and a minute of winding will give you 45 minutes of mp3 playback. If winding’s not your thing, just plug in the USB cable and charge it the old-fashioned way. The only downside I can see is it weighs 750g so it might make a bulge in your pocket. £109.95.

 To power the Eco-Media Player Revolution, simply wind the integrated handle, and it will reward you with 24-bit Hi Fidelity playback of all the major music formats including Apple AAC, Microsoft WMA, mp3, and OGG Vorbis. Playlists can be organised by Favourites, Artists, Albums or Genre, and the device can even handle movie playback, supporting formats such as MP4 (H.264) and Windows WMV, for superb, glitch-free enjoyment of all those great music-videos and feature films. Posted by: Redferret      Read more     Source

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:43:50 GMT

Sky Cutter Flying Lawnmower

The Sky Cutter Flying Lawnmower looks like fun. If only it could actually cut grass as well. Wowee! The video is also hilarious. $149.99 for complete kit.

 Take offs are a breeze as the Sky Cutter takes to the air with ease. Simply apply power and pull up slightly on the controllers once speed has built up. High speed or slow, the Sky Cutter can fly at any speed and still retain a constant and steady flight path. Landings require a little finesse as the Sky Cutter will come in at a high alpha angle. With a combination of power and elevator, it will touch down softly. Posted by: Redferret      Read more     Source

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:39:53 GMT

I'm Using Safari 4 Open Beta and I Haven't Died Yet

Hello, my name is Chris Matier, and I hate Internet Explorer. Well, maybe hate is a strong word, but I definitely don't like it much. After all, nearly half of my computing time is done on Apple products, and Microsoft gives me no love. I use safari on my Macs, but Idefinitely don't like Safari in Vista much either. That is until today; right now, I am running the beta release of Safari 4 on both platforms, and so far I love it.

Apple is known for eye-candy, and that is the same for their software; Safari is no exception. The cover flow history interface serves no real purpose other than to look really fancy, and the "top sites" feature is no different than Opera or Chrome's speed dial except that it is much prettier. Thankfully, Safari 4 brings much more to the table other than cover flow and fancy histories; it is fast, and it loads many pages much quicker than Firefox. Yeah, Apple says it is faster, but it really is - trust me. Safari has also lost the stupid address bar and gained a smart address bar. What this means is that you can type in a phrase or word, and Safari will finally work like every other web browser.

Under the hood it seems stable and usable, but keep in mind it is a beta. I have done a lot to it including wringing all of Google's apps through it and it has yet to crash on both my MacBook and my HP Tablet. This is something I could not say for Safari 3 or Firefox 3. So far, so good; I like it. Head over to Apple to download the beta for yourself. Posted by: Chris Matier      Read more     Source

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:18:51 GMT

A casuality of the global economy

I'm not sure how it's going out there in the big ol' US of A, but over here in the UK prices for cameras are going bananas, literally. The pound has devalued significantly, and as such, with a lot of cameras imported from america, and as such, something like the Canon 580ex mk flash unit, has literally doubled in price up to £500. Loads of other things have gone up, lenses, bodies, the lot.

I was planning an upgrade before christmas but now.....I just can't afford it! Can anyone in the US tell me if things have changed at all for you? Posted by: Jordan Grodecki      Read more     Source

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 11:11:49 GMT

Lisse S10 MP3 player from MyRacer

We were far from being impressed by just another pocket-sized mp3 player, but the Lisse S10 from MyRacer is one that definitely can"t be written off in a hurry. Though we totally dig the cuteness factor that the 128 x 64 resolution OLED display brings in, the highlight of this gizmo happens to be the fact that the display itself performs the functionality of a 4-way directional pad that helps navigates between menus. Alles accomplished succinctly within a mere 46x40x11mm volume. The little beauties are apparently going to be available only in Korea in 2GB or 4GB varieties (in several delicious colors).

Via Engadget. Posted by: Sarah      Read more     Source

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 04:48:51 GMT

Napa Essentials Battery Operated Corkscrew

I don"t drink wine at home on a regular basis, so I may be behind in learning about this. A battery operated corkscrew?  Seriously?  Great day in the morning! I always end up with little bits of cork on the bottle because I can never work my hand corkscrew correctly. I don"t know if I can fathom the thought of a perfectly popped cork.  I think I want to cheer!

I saw this Napa Essentials Battery Operated Corkscrew at a friend"s party over the holidays.  Just a push of the button and all the normal twisting, pulling, and tugging is out the window. Posted by: Editor      Read more     Source

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:14:58 GMT

PSX-2

No, it has nothing to do with Sony's PSX; a PS2 in a box with PVR functions, or even anything to do with the original Playstation; it's an iPod dock. I don't tend to like reporting on iPod docks as they tend to be cheapy things for kids to blast awful quality music out of; but this ones a bit different.

Firstly, it's expensive. A whopping $399. Also, no speakers included, this just hooks up to them.

So why the cost? It's compatible with Universal remotes, something I've been pining for for ages! It will let me use my iPod in my system properly! It's very very well done as well, with IR codes for every concievable function you could want, even those not available to the user on the iPod itself!

Incrediable piece of kit which probably took a damn long time to create, well worth it. Posted by: Jordan Grodecki      Read more     Source

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:12:32 GMT

The Socket Sense

The Socket Sense.Many of them are not always suitable for connecting multiple adapters, often they are very large or you would require more than one to accommodate all the various power adapters. Ideative"s Socket Sense is a good solution and makes perfect sense. It"s a pretty nifty product which expands perfectly and can connect them all with one Socket Sense. It expands outwards so you can "load" the outlets before compressing them together into a tidier bundle. All details in video!

Watch the "The Socket Sense" Video on Youtube Posted by: Venus      Read more     Source