2006 October - SlashGear

Archive for October, 2006

Speedy Futaba robot to cost $1200

Chris Davies, Oct 28th 2006 Discuss [1]

Now we've got a robot with human-like hands, so that they can pinch us as we walk past, but what if we'd like to be chased around the garden first? So far the commercially available bots have been pretty darned sedentary - they can walk, sure, but they're not going to win any speed races. So let's start praying for the day that Futaba's latest robot reaches the hands of enthusiasts - at ten inches tall and 900g he might not be big, but the eleven high-torque servos in his legs means he sure is fast! Make sure you check out the video after the cut... Read The Full Story

Bully puckers up and causes offence

Chris Davies, Oct 28th 2006 Discuss [1]

Now normally I'd leave gaming news to our resident thumb-twitcher Ben Nied, but all the furore over Take Two Interactive Software Inc.'s latest headline-grabber Bully has really tickled me. Most likely still laughing over the outrage caused by previous release Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (laughing all the way to the bank, that is, with the game netting them $1.5billion since its release in 2001), Take Two have managed to again rile conservatives by including a number of gay kisses in amongst Bully's back-to-school clique-climbing. Check out the pixel-boy-on-boy action after the cut. Read The Full Story

Hikikomori – the e-Hermits caught on film

Chris Davies, Oct 28th 2006 Discuss [0]

Having been called an e-Hermit before, and accused of spending more time online than I do interacting with the fleshworld people around me, I was very interested to read about Francesco Jodice's new film Hikikomori. The eponemous subjects are adolescents and young adults, predominantly Japanese and well-educated, who have chosen to withdraw from meatspace society and continue most if not all of their socialising via the internet. Read The Full Story

Beans spilt on Treo 680 & Cingular 8525 prices – Updated!

Chris Davies, Oct 28th 2006 Discuss [0]

God bless leaked presentations. Thanks to what we can only assume is a careless marketing bod, a Cingular smartphone presentation reveals that the Treo 680 is provisionally due for release on November 5th, with a list price of $424.99 that drops sharply towards the $200 mark depending on how willing you are to sell your cellphone-soul. Details after the cut, people. Read The Full Story

allTunes mp3 control concept

Chris Davies, Oct 28th 2006 Discuss [0]

Would you like a big shiny knob? No, too easy. Currently a concept, allTunes seems to have taken a Griffin Powermate and added several music-specific features, namely a dedicated play/pause button, delineated volume dial and track/album jog dial, and a hold/repeat all/shuffle switch. Read The Full Story

ATI Gets Assimilated into AMD’s Brand

Benjamin Nied, Oct 27th 2006 Discuss [1]

Analysts have been predicting that this would happen forever, but most didn't assume that it would happen so fast. I'm speaking, of course, of AMD's "retiring" of the ATI brand after the two companies successfully combined. The first hint comes when you try to visit ATI's website; not only is the ATI logo gone, but the URL is now http://ati.amd.com. Also, a new marketing campaign by AMD proudly proclaims "AMD + ATI = The New AMD." However, a new press release finally puts any and all doubts to rest about the fate of the ATI brand; to read it, hit the jump! Read The Full Story

PSP Firmware Hits 2.82

Benjamin Nied, Oct 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

Awww, Sony's little handheld is growing up so fast! All kidding aside, all you happy PlayStation Portable owners have another firmware update to go grab (or to ignore, for all you homebrewers). Version 2.82 doesn't add anything earth-shattering, aside from some security updates. I'm sure that translates to "your cracks won't work", but the hackers are not to be denied and it's only a matter of time before this update is re-opened to the world. The update can be downloaded from these links: N. America, Japan, Europe. [via IGN]

Great Sony Mylo review

Chris Davies, Oct 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

This is possibly the best review of the Sony Mylo I've seen so far - incredibly detailed and covering all aspects of the IM-centric handheld's functionality. If you're thinking of buying one then you really need to read this! Written by someone who admits to be outside of the target demographic, the review is all the better for it; $350 is a lot of money that will never be subsidised by a carrier since it relies on WiFi rather than in-built cellular. AnythingButIpod [via Pocketables]

Bosch Dishwasher is Lego-safe

Chris Davies, Oct 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but your kids are really dirty. As in, filthy, grubby, bacteria-carrying germ creatures. They play with their toys, they play in the mud in the garden, they crawl around the floor, they put just about anything shiny in their mouths - if I were a parent I'd be beside myself worrying about them getting sick. So it's obviously for the hyper-neurotic like me that Bosch have aimed their latest dishwasher - the Lego Edition. Read The Full Story

Toshiba Australia release Vista Upgrade prices

Chris Davies, Oct 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

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Craig Pringle links to a recent addition to Toshiba's support pages, a price-guide for the various upgrades they'll be offering for users currently running Windows XP who'd like to move to Vista on its release. Depending on what current version you're running you'll either pay just shipping and handling or that plus a fee. Don't forget that these prices are in Australian dollars, not US! There's a list of Vista-compatible notebooks and Tablet PCs on their site too, so you can buy now without the fear that your shiny new toy will be running an old-hat system early next year (subject to Microsoft shipping-slips!) Toshiba Vista Upgrade Program [via Craig Pringle]

Getting your car connected – Vega as a Carputer

Chris Davies, Oct 27th 2006 Discuss [0]

People have been putting computers into their cars for years now, and manufacturers are playing (slow) catch-up themselves, but for the DIYer it's generally been a tricky bout of origami fitting all the screens, boxes and cables in for a neat install. Well, Microsoft -perhaps unwittingly - made things a whole lot easier with, ironically, their Origami concept (later to become UMPC, the butt of many myopic reviewers' scorn); a full computer with a seven inch touchscreen that manufacturers are often offering with an in-car mount. All of a sudden it's ridiculously easy to put a PC in your car, and then the struggle becomes picking the right hardware and interface software for your needs. Enter Steve over at The Carrypad UMPC Journal. Steve is currently trying out how well the Raon Digital Vega UMPC works in his daily ride, and has posted the first of a series of three articles designed to help budding carputerists find the best system for them. Well worth keeping an eye on if you've ever thought "it'd be really useful to have GPS/my music collection/internet connection right now". Carputer Day at Carrypad. Pt1 of 3 [The Carrypad UMPC Journal]

Super-Slim Swivel-Screened Samsung TV Cellphone

Chris Davies, Oct 27th 2006 Discuss [1]

Oh God this is one hot phone. The Samsung SCH-B540 is not only an achingly slim flip-phone with a fashionable matt-black casing, it's a swivel-screened DMB TV tuner-fitted portable TV marvel. That's a 1.6million colour screen, incidentally, with speakers on either side of it for stereo sound, and while it excels at playing video it also makes a pretty damn good viewfinder the the B540's 2 megapixel digital camera. There's even a TV-out socket for when you've a bigger screen handy. Damn you Korea-only cellphones! Samsung SCH-B540 DMB Phone [SlashPhone]