Filed under: Displays

NYU may have been the first to put the mouthful that is frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) to use in a multi-touch display, but it's not the only one experimenting with the curiously-named technology, with the folks at tinker.it building a setup of their own and explaining how they did it. As the video after the break shows, the end result is slightly less polished than NYU's device, but it puts on an impressive light show nonetheless, tracking your fingers' movement in a suitably hypnotic fashion. While tinker.it's guide doesn't exactly hold your hand though the process, those with the necessary skills should be able to build their own rig relatively easily, with some coffee table excess seemingly only a few more steps away for those with the carpentry skills to match.

[Via MAKE:Blog]

Continue reading Build your own multi-touch table

 

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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!

Filed under: Messaging

Note to self: don't ever send an email or text message that you would not want to defend in court. Apparently, that imaginary legal and mental procedure was lost on an Oklahoma resident last year and now a Kentucky middle school teacher has similarly mis-texted. Ann Greenfield, 34, wanted to get her paws on some Mary Jane but sent a text message not to her dealer -- but to a Kentucky state trooper by accident. A mass o' cops was waiting for her when when arrived to meet up with her "dealer." We suspect this middle school teacher will probably set up a phone contact in her cellphone next time to avoid a rather embarrassing mistake -- or maybe she'll ditch the habit entirely.

[Via Gearlog]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Modeo hosted a little shindig tonight to unveil some of its future DVB-H plans and show off some kit. The big news is that the FCC has approved Modeo's request to boost signal power by 10 times in urban markets and 20 times in rural areas, giving the company a much easier path to coverage rollout and better signal quality. Modeo also mentioned that while it's currently testing service in NYC only, it has designs already in place for moving into the top 30 markets in the US. We also got our hands on upcoming DVB-H SD and mini-PCI cards, with the SD cards up and running in a myriad of Pocket PC devices, and the mini-PCI card running smooth -- though rather pixelated -- video on a Dell laptop. The next move for Modeo is to get channel changing time under 2 seconds, continue to improve video quality, add PVR and mediacasting capabilities, and stick interactivity into the programming. Modeo's software partner Penthera already had most of those capabilities up and running on demo units, as you can see in the gallery below, so it looks like most of this stuff will be all ready by the time a commercial launch happens. When that might be is anyone's guess. Modeo is still looking for a retail partner, and they made it pretty clear that Qualcomm's MediaFLO model of hitching onto mobile providers is exactly what Modeo would like to be doing -- unfortunately for Modeo, nobody's signed up yet.

 

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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!

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Wireless

Malaysian startup Gupp Technologies is prepping its baby (and by baby we mean ugly baby, that only mommy could love) — the Phreedom — for Q2 release this year. This dual-mode VoIP / GSM abomination little fella will be running a la Mobile’s Convergent Linux platform, so fiddlers, start your engines because Linux anything means open source! It’s good news for Gupp that this handset is also partially redeemed with a solid feature set, packing 802.11b/g, push and pull mail, 312MHz CPU, 320MB memory, VoIP with seamless handover to GSM, and a 2200 mAh battery to supply the juice for it all. Billed as a VoIP device first and a GSM handset second, this may be an interesting notion, but until we get our greasy hands on it, the jury is out — and so far the looks are hurting its case.

[Via Linux Devices]

 

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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!

Filed under: HDTV, Storage

In a strange turn of events, Blu-ray discs are outselling HD DVDs, and now the HD DVD format has taken the lead in capacity — who would’ve think it? Toshiba just announced that it has successfully created a triple-layer disc with 17GB per layer, which amounts to 51GB, a full GB more than those dual-layer Blu-ray discs can muster. We heard about the size gains at CES this year, but Toshiba is already in the process of submitting the new extension of the format to regulatory approval, however, the word on the street still amounts to a potential Q4 release, and it’s still unclear at this time what kind of manufacturing costs or complications these new discs will incur. We’ll say it again: the format war is far from over.

 

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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!

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Helio, 1xRTT, EV-DO, MVNOs, CDMA

QWERTY fans need not apply -- your phone hasn't quite hit yet -- but folks in search of a slick-lookin' little slider on Helio have another solid choice. Just like its big sib, the Drift, the Heat comes to Helio courtesy of Samsung, but gains touch-sensitive controls and a lower price point. The new model serves up Bluetooth, 136MB of internal memory (though no external -- advantage Drift), 1.3 megapixel cam, Helio Music compatibility, and the full suite of GPS goodies including Google Maps and Helio's "Buddy Beacon" service atop a 2-inch QVGA display. Look for the Heat to go on sale today for $150 in your choice of Gold and the always-fashionable "Onyx" (alias "black"). Follow the break for a shot of the Heat doing its slide thing in both shades!

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

As if your Costco wine-in-a-box couldn’t get any classier, this Wine Dispenser is shaped like a box and pours out wine like a cheap middle-school cafeteria worker. Available in black, white, and red, the box is made out of real metal and seriously impresses the ladies. And by ladies, we mean homeless ladies. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Poaa via Cooking Gadgets]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

While dealing with a widespread problem of abandoned children is an issue we have no interest in tackling, Italy's Family Affairs Minister Rosy Bindi apparently feels that hooking up hospitals with "modern-day foundling wheels" is the best solution. Based on an idea that dates back hundreds of years, the sensor-laden hatches that are now being installed in Italian hospitals are accessible only from the outside, and feature a specially designed window in which an unwanted child can be deposited into a warm, cushioned bed. In a recent incident, the sensors alerted the staff at Casilino Hospital, which arrived in a mere 40 seconds to care for the infant and find him a proper home. In an effort to get the message out, flyers in six languages have been posted around hospitals that encourage troubled parents to bring their child to one of the newfangled incubators. Still, we're not experts on foreign policy nor on taking care of rejected youngsters, but going from the cold, ruthless streets to a heated cubicle doesn't seem like such a raw deal for the kiddos.

[Via MedGadget]

 

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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!

Despite claims that you need a pretty high-end PC to run Vista well, J2s site came up with a system that runs Vista with Aero Glass enabled for only $538 (not counting the price of Vista itself).

From looking at the parts list, he uses some pretty decent—but not spectacular parts—and actually manages to get 2GB of RAM in there. It’s not going to win any speed races, but this thing costs less than a PS3. – Jason Chen

How to Build an inexpensive Vista PC (Aero Enabled) [JJMelo]

Filed under: Gaming

Bad news for those European fans who've still been anticipating the PS3 despite delays, higher costs, limited selection, and weak launch stock: the rumors were true this time around, and your 'newly designed' console will be shipping sans PS2 hardware. Of course, you'll still be able to play certain titles through software emulation -- although even that may be dodgy, judging from the US and Japanese experience -- and there's always the possibility of non-compliant games coming out over PlayStation Network, but Sony has already admitted that the backwards compatibility offered by these new rigs won't be on par with that of PS3 Rev A. Since this move is purportedly being made to lower costs and speed up production (remember Sony is quite sure that there are widespread shortage) it's possible that the PS2-less PS3 might be sold in regions outside of Europe according to company reps -- yet another blow to gamers who've had to put up with setback after setback after setback for the privilege of giving Sony their money. We're sure that this news is going to bring yet another barrage of "passionate discourse" in the comments, so let the flaming discussion begin.

[Thanks, Griking]

 

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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!

Filed under: Tablet PCs, Wireless

Philips and Intel will launch a new wireless, handheld medical device later on this year. This news arrives just as Motion Computing has unveiled a competitive product, the $2,200 C5 medical tablet PC. Both Motion's and Philips' devices are based on Intel's mobile clinical assistant platform, a system designed with the intention to improve accuracy, efficiency, and work flow for healthcare professionals. Philips' new tablet device will sport a 10.4-inch, 1,024 × 768 touchscreen as well as WiFi and a digital camera, aiming to streamline data entry and better monitor wounds and healing. The device will allegedly read both barcodes and RFID tags to prevent medication errors and confirm staff and patient ID; here's to popping antibiotics, not hormone pills, after surgery!

Read - The Register
Read - AP

 

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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!

Filed under: Peripherals

We must’ve brushed right past this thing while we were drooling all over those new phones at 3GSM, but Eleksen recently introduced a new fabric keyboard, and this one has a bit of a twist to it. Along with being rather diminutive, the QWERTY keyboard can be flipped over on the fly to use specific function keys on the opposite side, such as media controls and a numeric keypad. That’s pretty much the whole story here, no word yet on price or availability, but we’re looking forward to taking this one for a spin (literally) whenever it does show up on the market.

[Via TRFJ]

 

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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!

Filed under: Multimedia, Peripherals

Modeo hosted a little shindig tonight to unveil some of its future DVB-H plans and show off some kit. The big news is that the FCC has approved Modeo's request to boost signal power by 10 times in urban markets and 20 times in rural areas, giving the company a much easier path to coverage rollout and better signal quality. Modeo also mentioned that while it's currently testing service in NYC only, it has designs already in place for moving into the top 30 markets in the US. We also got our hands on upcoming DVB-H SD and mini-PCI cards, with the SD cards up and running in a myriad of Pocket PC devices, and the mini-PCI card running smooth -- though rather pixelated -- video on a Dell laptop. The next move for Modeo is to get channel changing time under 2 seconds, continue to improve video quality, add PVR and mediacasting capabilities, and stick interactivity into the programming. Modeo's software partner Penthera already had most of those capabilities up and running on demo units, as you can see in the gallery below, so it looks like most of this stuff will be all ready by the time a commercial launch happens. When that might be is anyone's guess. Modeo is still looking for a retail partner, and they made it pretty clear that Qualcomm's MediaFLO model of hitching onto mobile providers is exactly what Modeo would like to be doing -- unfortunately for Modeo, nobody's signed up yet.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Handsets, Others, Linux

Malaysian startup Gupp Technologies is prepping its baby (and by baby we mean ugly baby, that only mommy could love) -- the Phreedom -- for Q2 release this year. This dual-mode VoIP / GSM abomination little fella will be running a la Mobile's Convergent Linux platform, so fiddlers, start your engines because Linux anything means open source! It's good news for Gupp that this handset is also partially redeemed with a solid feature set, packing 802.11b/g, push and pull mail, 312MHz CPU, 320MB memory, VoIP with seamless handover to GSM, and a 2200 mAh battery to supply the juice for it all. Billed as a VoIP device first and a GSM handset second, this may be an interesting notion, but until we get our greasy hands on it, the jury is out -- and so far the looks are hurting its case.

[Via Linux Devices]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

It takes a certain amount of spirit to be a Zune user in the first place, so when the few, the proud discovered odd bugs in their precious "social" DAPs, and then learned that Microsoft was not only not fixing these problems, but not even confirming a fix was in the works, you can imagine the outcry was rather vocal. Well, the Zune Insider blog has finally spoken up on the subject, and is promising a 1.3 firmware update around March 20th to fix the most obvious of problems, such as Zune Marketplace content skipping, FM tuner battery drainage, and syncing hassles. Unfortunately, the other vocal half of the social, the ones with few bugs, but a whole lot of feature requests, is going to get shafted with this update -- still no wireless syncing, still no podcasting, still no transmogrifier. At least Microsoft has confirmed those requests, and says the Zune team is "working on making Zune better," and not just blowing all the Zune cash on hip-cool ads.

[Thanks, Mike]

 

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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!

Filed under: Displays

We've seen some pretty far-out display creations, and while some are admittedly more useful than others, having our own Star Wars-esque floating display has been a dream for quite some time. Thankfully a company is bringing the idea to life and to more markets than ever before, as IO2 Technology has unveiled a new 3D Heliodisplay worldwide. While the mid-air projector, as it's so aptly dubbed, had been seen a time or two before, the new M3 / M3i boasts "an improved tri-flow system for increased image stability and uniformity," enhanced brightness and clarity, a 1,024 x 768 resolution, 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios, 2000:1 contrast ratio, VGA / S-Video / composite inputs, USB, NTSC / PAL compatibility, and "significantly quieter operation" to boot. Marketed to the uber-wealthy and board room runners who'd like to teleconference on a free-space device (and blow the minds of clients), the basic M3 is available for a stiff $18,400, while the M3i -- which also serves as a "computer input device for cursor control in a desktop environment" -- will set you back $19,400.

 

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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!

You know those CDs that ISPs send you full of “helpful” “support” software? The ones that most computer-savvy people ignore? Well, you’d better just keep on ignoring them.

Tools released by SupportSoft and distributed by companies such as Comcast, Time Warner, and Bell South to their customers have turned out to be about as helpful as a Sony-installed rootkit. The software was designed to allow support staff to remotely access a customer’s computer, but, surprise surprise, it allows basically anyone to remotely access customers’ computers. So keep on using those discs as coasters, OK? –Adam Frucci

News.com [via Broadband Reports]

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless

We already know just how snazzy your office's bizhub will be in a decade or so, and we think we've even got your desk and kitchen nailed down too, but a recent brainstorming in Popular Science brushed a few less sensational, albeit quite intriguing, office mainstays for 2017. Although we've got a few years yet before we can definitively say whether or not these folks will pull a psychic-AT&T on us, but if Swingline has its way, the traditional red stapler that continually jams and collects more dust than it does anything else will be quite controversial. Sure to enrage pro-privacy employees who've already been unknowingly chipped with an RFID tag upon agreement to come on board, the staples of the future could actually contain micro-RFID tags; these chips could then be traced to find out just how long it really sits in one's "to do" stack, or if "inexplicably missing" really means "intentionally destroyed." As cruel as we know that sounds, at least you can pen all the curses you wish on even the most ink-resistant material in your manager's suite, as the future-generation Staedtler pen is being designed to "write on almost anything by optimizing molecular bonds with a surface" in order to produce the right mixtures needed to adhere to a given medium. Of course, the transparent monitors that will come with your 2015 upgrade kit will effectively kill your ability to surf Engadget while being guarded by the plastic backing of your current LCD, but the face recognizing desk locks should at least keep Gary from snagging your chocolate when you're out on break. Click on through for a few more mockups of tomorrow's office gizmos.

Continue reading RFID staples, omnipotent pens to grace offices of the future?

 

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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!

Filed under: Desktops, Displays, Home Entertainment

It’s always a little bit difficult to take TV / Internet combinations too seriously — we’ve seen the idea flounder oh so many times before — but Sharp seems to be in it for the long haul with its Internet AQUOS line, and they’re bringing forward a refresh in March. The new PCs are running Vista and are designed to work with the D10 series of TVs. The LCD-32D10, LC-26D10 and LC-20D10 LCDs naturally come in 32-inch, 26-inch and 20-inch sizes, with black, white and red casings to choose from, but unfortunately resolution tops out at 1,366 x 768 pixels. The PCs, which hook up to the LCDs via FireWire, allow DVR functionality without actually turning the PC on, but can also handle IPTV, shopping, internet browsing, DVD playback and plenty of other PC functions. The top of the line PC-AX120S includes a 400GB HDD for DVR, along with a 250GB drive for PC use. The AX120S runs a Core 2 Duo T5500 1.66GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, Vista Home Basic and will sell for 240,000 yen ($2,010) in April. If that’s too fancy for you, the PC-AX80S and PC-AX60S will be out in March, with 250GB / 80GB HDDs, Celeron M410 1.46GHz processors, 512MB of RAM and 170,000 yen / 150,000 yen pricetags ($1,423 / $1,256). No word on LCD prices, but we’re sure you’ll be paying a hefty premium on that end as well for the privilege of surfing the nets from your couch.

[Via Impress Watch]

 

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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!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation

Although Macroswiss’ giraffe pole could certainly lend our soldiers a hand in peeking across enemy lines, someone with a good bit of execution authority would rather we take a more direct approach to encroaching on the baddies. A Pentagon-based budget layout has revealed plans for an “ultrasonic curtain” to be constructed in a presumed attempt to “significantly” muffle vehicles and loud machinery in order to get our troops closer to foes without being noticed. While the actual construction plans aren’t entirely laid out, the device will purportedly use “directed ultrasound technology to enable the capability to significantly reduce sound emissions from large scale tactical military hardware,” and they hope to lower noise by “at least 30-decibels” in order to allows troops to operate in close proximity to the enemy without being detected aurally. Of course, cracking trees and unforeseen sneezes could still remain a problem, but there are already plans in place to “validate the theoretical models in laboratory settings,” estimate the power required to sustain such a sound shield, and to design a finished product that can cover “a truck-sized vehicle.” Sadly, it doesn’t seem that this project will be integrating the invisibility cloak already discovered, so a flurry of bubble boy jokes is bound to arise.

Wired]

 

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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!

We preview Sony’s entry-level AV receiver, the STR-DG710, which offers 1080p compatibility and features Sony’s Digital Media Port.

The Sony CMT-HX7BT shelf system features Bluetooth connectivity, MP3 playback, and XM-ready functionality.

Filed under: Handsets, ASUS

We admit, we were a little perplexed to see that ASUS is not “officially” endorsing this super-svelte and touchably beautiful Aura handset. Alas, the Aura was supposedly a design prototype ordered by ASUS from Hungarian design company Egy Studio. The problem is that ASUS claims the entire Aura handset is, well, a complete fake. If so, why are official-looking images of the device posted on Egy Studio’s website? This makes little sense except for ASUS possibly trying to take back information on a leaked prototype that, umm, exists at the website of an alleged design partner of the Taiwanese company. We’d all love to see this killer Aura concept come to life — but maybe it’s just not to be after all.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Hot on the heels of being crowned the most prolific pirating university in the land, Purdue is donning its halo once again by kicking out yet another invention that will surely make the world a better place to reside. The Mini 10 prototype is a handheld chemical analyzer that its creators have likened to Star Trek's "Tricorder," and while the internal abilities should genuinely impress, we're handing out a round of golf claps for the uber-glitzy motif it's got going on. The sophisticated sensing system measures just 13.5- x 8.5- x 7.5-inches and weighs in at 22-pounds, which is around 30 times less than conventional mass spectrometers, and aside from its ability to be completely portable via battery power, it still sports the same sniffing capabilities as its mammoth-sized siblings. In order to cram such potent chemical sensing abilities into such a small package, a miniature mass spectrometer is "combined with a technique called desorption electrospray ionization (DESI)," and can display the chemical composition of materials in a "matter of minutes without harming the samples." Interestingly enough, the prototype has already analyzed garb, food, and actual cocaine, and while we're not quite sure when you'll be able to snatch one of these up to "check in" on your mischievous teen, a couple of Indiana-based firms are apparently already looking into commercialization options.

Slashdot]

 

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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!

Filed under: Transportation

The Fast Track amphibious vehicle has been tearing up the land and water in its proof-of-concept form for a few years now, but it looks like the team behind it has finally worked all the kinks out, with Gizmag reporting that the vehicle is now headed towards production, albeit on an extremely small scale. In its current state, the vehicle can hit 39 mph on water and decent 55 mph on land, with the propulsion in each case handled by the vehicle's snowmobile-like tracks. The first vehicles custom made for customers, however, will up the potential danger level considerably, with a 300 horsepower engine delivering speeds of 60 mph on water and 80 mph on land, not to mention "aggressive" new styling that's sure to make it seem even faster. While it's apparently yet to take its first order, the upstart company is certainly not lacking in grand ambitions, with a range of additional amphibious vehicles already on the drawing board, including a 7000 pound hurricane rescue vehicle that will seat ten and a smaller personal-sized craft that'll be half the weight of the original Fast Track. If that's not enough, the team's also going to have a go at the world water speed record for amphibious vehicles later this year, hoping that a 350 horsepower Corvette engine will give 'em the necessary edge. Until then, you can check out the vehicle's current capabilities in the video after the break.

Continue reading Fast Track amphibious vehicle moving beyond proof-of-concept

 

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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!