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Tech News
Marvell’s ARMADA Mobile Chips to Go 1Ghz/1080p
Marvell’s ARMADA chips hope to power everything from Blu-ray players to ebooks to smartbooks to digital picture frames, but the most interesting are the 600 series smartphone chips with a strong claimed 3d performance. Says Sascha Segan: According to a Marvell press release, the ARMADA 610 can render 45 million 3D triangles per second and … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech NewsGadgets
Shine On, You Crazy Gadgets
I spent this decade hunting for the perfect gadget. I never thought I would end up with tech as good as this. But it’s not the tech that interests me the most anymore. In 2000, I was just another kid out of college in Boston escaping to the Golden State’s climate and opportunity. The perfect … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech NewsApple
Review: The Perfect iPhone Case For Me Smells Like Cocoa
Here’s the “Homade” chococase I picked up at Tokyu Hands Department Store in Tokyo yesterday. It’s better than I expected. Because a) it not only looks like chocolate, it actually smells like chocolate and b) it doubles as a stand. https://gizmodo.com/chocolate-case-for-iphone-already-past-its-sell-by-date-5015334 It also comes with a free cleaning cloth and plastic screen protector (which I … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
New Slingbox Stuff Next Week Including a Touchscreen Device
Dave Zatz has an invite to a CES Slingbox event. Neato: New video streaming gear including a touchscreen device. You’ll experience an up close view of Sling’s new placeshifting products including WiFi television, ultra-slim Slingboxes, and a next-generation touch screen device. I just hope it’s not mostly echostar-only stuff, since they were acquired. [Zatz] https://gizmodo.com/sling-media-to-be-acquired-by-echostar-for-380-million-303256
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
Garmin 450T Outdoor GPS Their Best (Without a Silly Camera)
Garmin’s 450T GPS is their highest end without an integrated camera, and so, the best discrete outdoor GPS they make. It has a barometer, altimeter, waterproofness, tilt-compensated compass and a receiver sensitive enough for quick fixes in canyons and forests. https://gizmodo.com/garmin-oregon-handheld-gps-line-gets-3-2-megapixel-came-5243008 The 450 has a 3-inch, 240 x 400 pixel screen, 850MB of internal memory … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
Stanley/Brando Watch Has a Built in LED Flashlight
Joining it’s brethren the compass, tape measure and calculator-ruler watch is this flashlight watch. Is it an official Stanley gadget? I dunno. But I still find it inspired: all watches should have built-in LED flashlights. [Brando]
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
The Rise and Fall of Raj Rajaratnam, the “King of Kings” in Silicon Valley
The WSJ just published this excellent and colorful profile of Raj Rajaratnam, hedge fund manager being investigated for insider trading. They interviewed over 75 sources and looked over his handwritten notes to write the story. [WSJ]
By Brian Lam -
Tech NewsSamsung
A Second Presidential Pardon for Samsung’s Former Chairman
Lady Justice weeps today. Samsung’s ex Chairman, Lee Kun-hee, was found guilty of breach-of-trust and tax evasion in August to fines of $88.7m. Today? He’s walking free because the president needed his help to plan the 2018 Olympic games bid. It’s his second pardon! The first time, he was convicted of bribing a previous president … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
In These Solar Eye Circuits, Light is the Power and Signal
Researchers have been tinkering with contact and implanted eye sensors and electronics for some while, but here’s a way around the problem of powering that gear: use the same light entering the eye to power it. https://gizmodo.com/reality-augmenting-terminator-vision-contact-lenses-nea-5350458 Stanford scientists have figured out that near infrared light works to send not only data to circuits embedded … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech NewsFacebook
Peek Sort of Getting Facebook
The Peek will get Facebook updates via email soon. That makes it somewhat more useful, I think, than twitterpeek. But how about a peek that does the full web so you can check out twitter and facebook and email and all the links there? Oh wait, that’s a smartphone. [Peek via Engadget]
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
The Hunt For the Perfect Screen
As I stood in the corner of a small, cluttered optics lab at MIT, the professor flipped a switch. The room filled with an electrical buzz, and suddenly a holographic video popped out at my face. The 3-D image was of a human rib cage, and it rotated in midair. And the holographic rib cage … Continued
Kate Greene -
Tech News
From the Dept. of Seriously?: The Pentagon’s Flying Car Program is Called “Transformer”
Huh. Last Thursday, DARPA announced a workshop for Transformer. That is, their flying car program. “The objective of the Transformer (TX) program is to demonstrate a one- to four-person transportation vehicle that can drive and fly, thus enabling the warfighter to avoid water, difficult terrain, and road obstructions as well as IED and ambush threats” … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
Rumor: Digitimes Claims Apple Tablet Will Have a 10-Inch Foxconn Screen
Digitimes, purveyor of sometimes not true rumors, says that Foxconn’s screen division Innolux will supply the Apple Tablet with a 10-inch screen. G-Tech Optoelectronics, also a Foxconn company, is rumored to be strength treating the panels, too. Fits with previous rumors, which all say between 7 to 10.6 inches. [Digitimes] https://gizmodo.com/the-exhaustive-guide-to-apple-tablet-rumors-5434566
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
Panasonic’s Largest Plasma Plant Complete: More 150-Inch and 3D Sets To Come
Panasonic’s largest and third plasma plant, in Amagasaki, was just completed. The factory will be capable of churning out more of those 150-inch sets (like Dorothy), or nine 50-inchers out of the same glass. https://gizmodo.com/panasonic-to-mass-produce-150-inch-tv-requires-your-ow-5043776 The new factory will also host a process to reduce afterglow and improve 3D performance. It’ll eventually output 1 million … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
In Iran, Cameras Held High
From Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish, a reader writes in to remark on the continued place of youtube, twitter and the camera phone in Iran’s struggle: Watching your continuing coverage of the people of Iran continuing their fight for freedom I was struck, and touched, by the presence, in every picture, in every piece of footage, … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
This Camera Sees Color as Well As You Can
Japan’s PaPaLaB made the first practical camera capable of seeing color as well as the human eye by attaching a special filter to a recalibrated $140k industrial camera. Uses: Archives of fine art and telemedical imaging. [Tech On via Engadget]
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
Four Must-Read Guides For Your New Xmas Mac, PC, Smartphone or Gadget
Happy holidays, gear heads! In case you missed them, here are some helpful guides to get you and your new gift gadgets off to the right start. • The Complete Guide to Setting Up Your New Xmas Smartphone • 10 Things You Must Do With Your New Mac • 10 Things You Must Do With … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
The Place Where Cameras Are Reincarnated
Do you believe in gadget heaven? How about reincarnation? The Precision Camera repair facility brings a good part of a million smashed, malfunctioning and dead shooters back to life every year. They get almost 3000 broken cameras a day—from warranties, users and extended warranties. Technicians focus their expertise on a particular brand and fix them … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
Antique Steam Engine Rescues Passengers After Electric Trains Fail in the Bitter Cold
When a UK electric rail was disabled by the snow and cold, 100 passengers were left stranded. Until a Tornado came and whisked them home. That is, the steam engine named Tornado, built with 1940s tech. Speed isn’t everything. [BBC] https://gizmodo.com/the-fastest-train-in-the-world-5434582
By Brian Lam