I guarantee it. It isn’t what I expected at all. And I’ve already said too much.

And it’s the iPhone.

You didn’t see that. I never said it. – Mark Wilson

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

We all knew it was just a matter of time until someone figured out how to run a full blown version of OS X on an Apple TV, but who'd a guessed it would only take eight days? Semthex from hackint0sh has wrote a "processor emulation for the kernel", which was necessary to "sidestep" Apple's hardware locks. Semthex's only problem was he didn't have an Apple TV, so with some help from Apple TV Hacks, they recruited some testers and a day later they were in business. This effectively creates the least expensive Mac ever made -- at $299 -- and with a better video card than a mini to boot. While we doubt anyone will want to use a computer with only 256 MB of RAM as their main machine, MythTV frontends and other media centric applications should run nicely.

Read - How to run OS X on an Apple TV
Watch - Google video of OS X running on an Apple TV

 

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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: GPS, Transportation

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission is currently in the process of mandating a technological update for all yellow cabs -- even if the drivers may not like it. Some of the upgrades are starting to hit the fleet, and the specific tech that is being used has been shown. For the driver, there's the Vector 530 Driver Information Monitor which includes GPS and functionality for automatically logging journeys; and for the passenger there's the iView 8000 Passenger Information Monitor which comes with a large-ish touchscreen monitor that displays a real-time map of the cab's location, fare information, as well as video content such as news. Probably the most useful feature is the ability for a passenger to swipe their credit card on the machine to pay for the fare: that's right, no more fumbling in your pocket for change. The TLC SmartCab setup was designed by Digital Dispatch and should already be in around 200 cabs. By the end of the year, all the cabs in the fleet should be updated and every cab journey will be basked in the blue glow of a GPS enabled status LCD.

[Via Coolhunting]

 

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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!

In celebration of this year's Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament, the company launched a two-day "NIGHT TENNIS" event on March 22nd and 23rd. The event attracted a live audience of totaling more than 5,000 people, whom registered for free tickets...

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Although we've already seen that truly fade-free inkjet prints just aren't really attainable with modern technology, a thorough (albeit unscientific) review of some six photo printers and seven types of photo paper literally showcased how close we can come. The test consisted of hanging the prints on a window facing the sun for 11 solid months, whilst the control photographs stayed under wraps to use for comparison. In what was easily the worst performer of the bunch, Samsung's SSP-2040 (pictured above) was nothing short of dreadful, while Kodak's EasyShare PP-500 and Canon's Selphy DS810 delivered only marginally better results. Epson's Picture Mate 100 did a fair job of wowing the critics after looking at the previous attempts, but the real winners came when HP's PhotoSmart 385 and PhotoSmart Express kiosk stepped up to the plate. Of course, results were judged with mere eyes, but the folks at PixInfo couldn't tell a difference between the original and the sun-blasted copy on either of these machines, and while it does sound a bit too good to be true, make sure you click on through for the stunning proof. Still, it's doubtful that any of these devices can produce shots that last for decades on end without any hint of fading or discoloration, but if you're looking for the best money can buy this day in age, be sure and hit the read link for the full skinny.

Continue reading Fade resistance test takes a look at photo printers / paper

 

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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!

Thinnest headset of its kind, the new truly mobile MoGo is only 5mm thick and can be charged without needing any additional cables. The lightweight Bluetooth 2.0 device has a fold-out ear piece so it fits comfortably in the ear...

Robert Cringely takes issue with YouTube’s blind compliance with DMCA requests by looking at a pulled interview that reportedly potentially poses problems for Steve Jobs in regards to a lawsuit between Apple and Burst.com. The problem is that the actual copyright holder, Oregon Public Broadcasting, never filed a request, but it was pulled in the name of NBD Television.

But that’s all boring and totally irrelevant to the clip’s entertainment value. The above is a revised version of the pulled clip. Original quote in its entirety after the jump.

Ultimately it comes down to taste. It comes down to trying to expose yourself to the best things that humans have done and then try to bring those things in to what you’re doing. I mean Picasso had a saying, he said good artists copy, great artists steal. And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas and I think part of what made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians and poets and artists and zoologists and historians who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world.

I smell a sweet flame war in the making. – Matt Buchanan

Broadcast Denied [I, Cringely via Slashdot]

Robert Q. Riley, designer, has worked out a new diesel\electric hybrid three-wheeled vehicle. On sale to consumers- with the vehicle; will be the plans. FRP or fiber-reinforced-plastic,will be constructed over the chassis, to ensure a correct fit. The XR3 Hybrid…

Filed under: Handsets, Multimedia, Motorola, Bell Mobility, Windows Mobile, 1xRTT, EV-DO, CDMA

What's a surefire way to revive a smartphone when it starts to get a little long in the tooth? Why, pull a Nokia: bundle it with some relevant accessories and rebrand it as a "Music Edition," of course! To be perfectly clear, this here Q is the same old Q we know and love; Bell's simply given it a new face by throwing in a 2GB miniSD card, stereo 'phones, and a $25 (CDN, we're assuming) gift card redeemable through the MSN Music Store. Get it by signing up for a three-year contract on a voice / data combo plan -- if you dare -- for $130.

[Thanks, Terry]

 

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

Scot Finnie, who recently made a public conversion to Macs over the course of three months, has an interesting, if disagreeable, piece on how Apple is competing with Microsoft more smartly than it ever has before. His key points:

• Mac is finally able to move fluidly into and out of the world of Microsoft Windows and its applications.

• Mac users are more productive than Windows users because Macs experience fewer problems. There’s nothing mystical about it either. There are some obvious reasons why this is the case: The Mac is a closed hardware/software system.

• Apple is innovating not just with the software and hardware it creates, but with the value proposition it is building in the marketplace. While Macs still aren’t cheap, you get a lot more bang for the buck than you once did.

But he also thinks:

Apple should create economy-oriented, business-class desktop and notebook hardware. Since Apple offers very few SKUs, it’s almost impossible for enterprise buyers to save money by specifying this or that lesser feature in order to reduce cost.

While how you view the piece is going to come down to what you think of Apple more so than what you think of Microsoft—do you think Macs are more usable and more innovative?—the fact that the perception is growing that Apple products are more intuitive and better designed than Microsoft’s is more problematic than M$ seems to want to realize.

In NY, it seems like Mac users are the majority, though I realize it’s not the case everywhere. What’s it like in your neck of the woods? Are you considering “the switch”? – Matt Buchanan

Why Microsoft Should Fear Apple [Computerworld]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

MIT’s brainiacs aren’t exactly new to the world of partying, and now scientists at the MIT Media Lab have invented a way to “reversibly silence brain cells using pulses of yellow light.” The presumably rave-inspired pulsing design offers up the prospect of “controlling the haywire neuron activity that occurs in diseases such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease,” which could theoretically lead to the creation of “optical brain prosthetics to control neurons, eliminating the need for irreversible surgery.” Aside from being thrilled that this stuff could help us avoid dodgy robot-led surgeries, it could also help gamers who tend to suffer from epileptic fits when dealing with those head-mounted displays. Additionally, the team is also looking at utilizing the new system to more effectively study neural circuits, but considering that this technology has the ability to “exert exquisite control” over individual neurons within you dome, we certainly hope Big Brother doesn’t get ahold of this.

[Via 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!

Just when we were sick of iPod docks, Smart Design releases the Dragon I.

So what makes the design a "dragon"? We'll put it to our Gizmodo dragon test we've just been dying to try out.

1. Breathes Fire - NO
2. Has Some Red on It - YES
3. Coated in Scales - NO
4. Allows Mark to Ride It - MAYBE
5. Allows Jason to Stick It in Pants - OBLIGATORY

While this may or may not be an actual dragon, we know that the 4x5W speakers will just leave us wanting more. And we don't have the U2 iPod or the urge to drop $332 anyway. – Mark Wilson

Smart Design Dragon I [via technabob]

Filed under: Portable Audio

Out of the whole of the iPod accessory industry, alarm clocks with iPod docks have to be the most appreciated. When the alternative for your morning wake up call is either the voice of a pumped up DJ or an incessant beeping noise, the decision to go with your iPod's collection is a given. For those of you out there with confident DIY electrical experience the decision just got even easier: the iCylinder is a custom made do-it-yourself solution for making your own iPod dock alarm clock. The example over at instructables shows one hella' fugly little box, but we're sure if you put in a little bit more effort you'll be able to make the various materials look all purdy (unless, that is, you like waking up to what looks like a ball of trash every morning). There's a lot of tinkering with electrical wiring here, so make sure you keep a steady hand and take a break halfway through. An alarm clock that blows up in the morning will definitely get you out of bed, although we're sure most people would prefer to get to consciousness without getting their hair singed in the process.

[Via Hacknmod]

 

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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 OCZ Trifecta combines SD, MicroSD, and USB into one super device that may not be a creation of Earth. I's kinda like if one were to combine bacon grease, butter and lard in one package; it's pretty sure to get the job done, whatever it may be.

At its heart, you are really getting a MicroSD card with SD and USB adapters. But since technically it's also a SD card reader (in addition to a USB storage device) it's more accurately a quadfecta. So that would be like a hot dog, Italian sausage, bratwurst and kielbasa all rolled into one.

No word on pricing yet, but it smells fantastic. – Mark Wilson

OCZ Enhances... [via everythingusb]

Generally one steers clear of establishments with "wine on tap", but from the comfort of one's pretentious Manhattan loft we understand that such phrases may actually be encouraged.

The Vin Au Verre can hold 8 bottles (4 red, 4 white) of your readily drinkable wines on tap for leisured consumption. Temperature is electronically balanced per wine color and an additional 8 bottles of uncorked wine (your bragging collection) can be stored behind glass with not only climate control, but UV-free LED illumination.

Our problem with the Vin Au Verre is not the price (which we can only guess is steep) but that the experience of uncorking, decanting and appreciating the bottle is lost. Wine is nothing if not a romantic spectacle, but screw (top) it, we'll all be sucking from juiceboxes in a few years anyway. – Mark Wilson

Product Page [via coolestgadgets]

Filed under: Portable Audio

No doubt we've seen quite a few attempts to mesh MIDI with, um, just about everything, but Jess Hoefs' Beat Blocks creation certainly brings back fond memories of our childhood days. Based around basic wooden blocks, colored with blue tape and adorned by bottom-mounted sensors, the system functions when a block is placed into a sensor-laden cube on the board, sending a signal to generate a specific loop. The "tangible interface for a rhythm sequencer" utilizes MIDI and contacts in order to generate sound signals, and by re-arranging the blocks on the fly, users can mix up the beats and create quite the musical masterpiece whilst reliving their days of innocence. Jeff is looking to ramp up two different flavors, with one being of a smaller, more performance-oriented design, and a larger matrix board to accommodate "multiple users." So if you're still curious just how fiddling with toy blocks can actually create musical delight, be sure to hit the read link and surf over to the video demonstration.

[Via OhGizmo]

 

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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, Peripherals, Nokia, Others, Samsung, ATT-Cingular, Symbian, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

A few goodies are listed in the latest price sheet we've had passed to us -- dated April 1 to April 7 -- and while we always need to be cautiously skeptical with these sorts of things, we're pleased with what we're seeing on here. On the data side of things, both the Sierra Wireless 875u and Option GT MAX Express have appeared, giving mobile warriors without PC Card slots a couple solid options for getting bits and bytes hauled down; they'll both be available for $300 before rebates. Turning our attention to handsets, Samsung steals the spotlight here with two models that are piquing our interest. First up is the A717, a phone with Ultra Edition roots that we first spotted at CES, bringing HSDPA in a ridiculously thin flip package for $240 before rebates. Next is the more mysterious A437; we know virtually nothing about it, but at $420 before rebates, it's gotta be something cool (word on the street is that it might be a North American rendition of the D900 slider). In other news, the Nokia N75 is still listed for $420, but it's any guess when exactly it'll be showing up. Have faith, Symbianites!

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

 

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

See that badass guy above holding the gun? Well that’s no gun—that’s a flashlight. Ok, it’s really a gun. But the new Pelican 7060 is still hardcore enough to fool you for a moment, and that’s all that matters.

Designed for the LAPD, the Pelican 7060 uses 10,000 hour LED bulbs that run for 90 minutes per optional car charge. Plus, the weight is 50% lighter than standard issue police lights (we’re guessing due to smaller batteries and lightweight Xenoy resin body). But the feature that we’re most excited about:

First-of-its-kind three-way switch technology gives officers a choice to readily switch from patrol to tactical mode in seconds.

Despite having little clue what this means, we still hope to pick one up when the Pelican 7060 is available to the public this June.

– Mark Wilson

Pelican 7060 [Pelican]

Filed under: GPS

We hate to break it to you, but that oh-so-reliable GPS system that you simply obey each day could eventually lead you down a dark, perilous path. No, we're not referring to the blind faith drivers who throw caution common sense to the wind and drive directly into sandpiles and bodies of water, but a new discovery has found that the unencrypted data that's beamed to drivers everyday via RDS-TMC navigation systems could be undermined with relative ease. Andrea Barisani, chief security engineer with Italian consultancy Inverse Path, has claimed that the wireless signals could not only be intercepted, but incorrect directions could actually be used to lead motorists into a trap, direct traveling competitors away from a sales presentation, or create a massive gridlock by instructing the weary working crowd to all take the same "detour" home. It was noted that some firms are already looking into more secure methods of delivering such critical information, and considering the lessons we've already learned about GPS-addicted drivers, the updates can't come soon enough.

[Thanks, Andrea B.]

 

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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 Terratec Headset Master is an interesting, $78 solution to surround sound gaming that not only ignores the need for speakers, but for that completely inexpensive-to-buy-awesome-quality soundcard that you’ve been cheaply admiring from afar.

The headset connects to your PC via USB, you install some drivers/software and you are good to go. In a recent review,

the sound quality was deemed decent for games, but lacking proper channels when listening to movies. Of course, the trade off of yelling at the movies through built-in mic was seen as a reasonable compromise. All-in-all, the Headset Master was considered a good value.

If Microsoft/Sony would only release a surround headset for the 360/PS3, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. Especially if games like Gears of War moved player voices to their actual in-game locations. Maybe for the next-next gen…– Mark Wilson

Review: Terratec Headet Master [via ubergizmo]

Only Gizmodo readers/writers would get excited about a new Bluetooth standard, which is precisely why we went with the seldom seen exclamation point in the headline!

The Version 2.1 + EDR update will allow...

Improved Paring
If you are wearing a headset, your phone should initially connect through a less complicated process that "reduces steps for the user". Surely they also mean...

Near Field Pairing (NFC)
Autopair two devices by holding them really close. Nice.

Improved Security
They claim that their 6-digit passkey is better than a 16-digit alphanumeric PINs and that intercepting transmissions is no more.

More Battery Life
(Through lower power consumption)...up to 5 times lower.

Full Backward Compatibility
I won't talk down to you (on this one).

If you want to read the whole press release, just hit our source link. – Mark Wilson

Press Release

For any camera enthusiasts out there, Olympus has released a few new additions to their growing Camera Wallpaper Library to personalize your PC. On the site is quite a few pages with captured images of Olympus’s popular cameras over the…

Filed under: Wireless

Sure, we’re all about sneakernet, but this is the first time we’ve seen “busnet” employed to such effect. In rural India, internet infrastructure is too expensive to make it out to remote villagers, so the United Villages project is bringing the internet to them on four wheels. Apparently, Indian interests in the internets are relatively limited at present: “They want to know the cricket scores, they want to see the new Aishwarya Rai photos, and they want to hear a sample of the latest Bollywood tunes.” That’s according to Amir Hassan, founder of UV. So the bus loads itself up with such data, and drives out into the country, spreading the info via WiFi. If someone does want a more unique tidbit of info, they can order it for a few extra rupees, and receive it the next time the bus heads their way. There’s even a form of e-commerce — the bus carries an electronic catalog, and orders are delivered by the bus the next time it’s out. Sound’s pretty hip-cool, but we suppose we’ll stick with our WiFi / EV-DO / HSDPA / telepathic internet connection we’ve got going for the time being.

[Via 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!

The Mool Hood Toaster is undoubtedly more likely to get you laid than the standard 2-hole variety, but with this concept modeled without any objects for scale, a once brave little toaster comes across more like a Massive Human Baker of Doom.

So when Turkish designer Atıl Kızılbayır fails in the kitchen and repackages this idea for tanning salons, my pale wonder bread skin is staying away.

– Mark Wilson

Design Page [via randomgoodstuff]

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Let's face it, portable media players are no long reserved for the adults out there, as even Aigo has caved to the kiddos' pressures and produced its own duo of youngster-centric PMPs. Following in the footsteps of Disney and Toy Quest (among others), the F989 rocks a kid-friendly design, handheld gaming system motif, a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, SD card slot, 1.3-megapixel camera, FM radio, microphone, an e-book reader, photo browser, built-in clock / calendar / stopwatch, calculator, and ten pre-loaded games to boot. Of course, it will also play back SFW / AVI files at 30fps, which should be just fine for those converted Spongebob episodes. The MP-E917 (pictured after the break) boasts a slightly sleeker interface, shares the same color monitor and video playback functionality, comes in 1GB / 2GB editions, and includes a miniSD slot for future expansion. No word just yet on pricing or availability, but we're sure your highly intelligent offspring will let you know the minute they find out.

[Via PMPToday]

Continue reading Aigo's F989 / MP-E817 PMPs are eying your kids

 

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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!